After 60 years, Lou Nanne walks away from the mic at The Tourney!

The post Farewell – Sweet Lou appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

With a heavy heart, this story is how Henry convinced me to do a special issue on his beloved Warroad community, and the making of one of my all-time favorite special issues featuring Warroad hockey. I also want to share my last in-person visit with Henry as we discussed faith and the spiritual side of life for hours.

Henry’s death on Sept. 18th, 2023 left a void in the hockey world that will never be filled. Henry and his legend was bigger than life. Henry may have passed on, but his legend will always be with us. 

I met Henry more than a decade ago, when we had booths next to one another at the Let’s Play Hockey trade show.  That was fortuitous because wherever Henry went it, he attracted a crowd. By the end of that weekend, Henry and I had developed a friendship that continued up until his passing. 

MHM Photo.

Henry and I had a love of hockey that went beyond the ice. He was always promoting the game and those who played it.  

About seven years ago, I met Henry at the grand opening of the Royal Club in Lake Elmo where he was helping sell real estate. Henry had invited me to the event and said he had something else he wanted to share with me. 

When I got there, Henry started right in with the Warroad hockey idea and told me we really needed to go to Warroad and put together a special issue. I initially liked the idea but told Henry I needed to see if it was even possible to do a whole magazine on such a small town of less than 2,000 people.

I reminded Henry that Warroad is a six-plus-hour drive from the Twin Cities, and I didn’t have a lot of spare time to go and look. I asked, how did he plan on getting me up there?

Henry said he would fly me up, on the Marvin Windows plane that next week, so I could take a look for myself. He also said he would help me get the stories and the sponsors to make this a reality. The next week, I was called by a Warroad Hockey Town USA person, letting me know that I had a seat reserved for early Saturday morning, and to catch the flight in Bloomington at the Signature Aviation terminal.

 I arrived at 5 a.m. for the flight out of the private terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where I was about to hop on a private jet with some of the greatest names in Minnesota hockey. In the terminal were past and present prominent NHL players who were heading up to play in the annual Warroad Celebrity Golf Tournament.

I looked at the scene and thought it would be best if I boarded as the last person on the plane, sitting wherever the open seat was. I boarded the plane and looked to find the open seat that was next to Lou Nanne. I put my briefcase down on the seat next to Nanne, and he politely told me no, that seat was taken by Neal Broten. Nanne then hollered to the back of the plane: “Brot’s get your butt up here.” I looked and saw Broten get up from the rear of the plane, and now figured that would be my seat in back. As I got to the back of the plane, I sat face-to-face across from Ryan Suter, who was sitting next to Tony Hrkac, a previous Hobey Baker winner for the University of North Dakota.

With the seating arrangements now figured out, I was on my way to Warroad for an epic day. I had a few copies of the magazines and gave both Suter and Hrkac copies. They were impressed with the magazine, and we talked about my trip and what it took to make a magazine happen. Suter gave me his cellphone number; he wanted to advertise a product he was bringing to market.

When the plane landed, we all jumped into cars that were waiting for us, and it was onto the course for the day’s festivities. At the Warroad Estates Golf Course,  I met all of the legends of Warroad hockey, as well as many other hockey celebrities.   

By the end of the day, I knew why this town of less than 2,000 people really needed to have a special edition and was accurately called Hockeytown USA. Now it was time to get back with Henry and figure out the details.

I met with Henry that week to discuss the next steps. He said that if I drove him up he would take care of everything else. About a month later, we were both back in Warroad to get down to business to capture the story on what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA. 

I had heard some stories on the wilder side of Henry. He knew when it was time to work, when it was time to kick back and when it was time to have some fun. I saw this while living with him that week. 

We started by settling in for a week at a condo on the Warroad Estates Golf Course. From there, Henry took me around town daily, showing me the rich hockey history and life in Warroad. Henry made the morning calls and had people lined up, opening doors of opportunities for stories or sponsors, and then relaxed in the evenings taking in a grandson’s football or granddaughter’s volleyball game.

True to his word, all of this came true. Henry’s love for his hometown and his presence made it easy to get people on board with content or as an advertiser. We worked hard getting the stories and sponsors. With Henry’s help and persistence, we did in a week what typically takes a team of writers and ad sales people a month or more to do. By the end of the week, we had more than enough content to do a complete magazine, with enough sponsors to create a 100-page magazine.

That Saturday night, it was time to celebrate a successful week. Henry said we needed to go out to one of his friends’ who was having a surprise 50th birthday party. We had a blast. When they gave the birthday grandpa some small sticks of dynamite, it made a lasting memory, hearing the sizzle as the wick burned and then the blast, each time they went off. As the designated driver, we stayed late, then closed down the local bars, and made it back to the condo around 2 a.m. for a late-night steak dinner that Henry had planned earlier in the day.

After this magazine was produced and on the shelves statewide, I got a call from Henry, saying we needed to really promote this. I asked what did he have in mind? A week later, I found myself with Henry on the radio of the north, 100,000-watt WCCO AM and Sports to the Max with Mike Max. Henry glowed as he spoke for 45 minutes on his hometown and the sport he loved. He shared the stories that we covered in the magazine and then about his own career. My time on the air was about three minutes to Henry’s 42, which was appropriate for the show.

I am so thankful for all the time I spent with Henry. Up until very recently, Henry and I met at various events and hockey games and helped each other out where possible. Prior to the Covid mess, I helped him with some of his book signings and he helped me at our charity golf tournament or our banquet to honor lifetime achievers in hockey. We also went to watch some pro and high school hockey games together.

Henry Boucha at his book signing. (MHM Photo)

Henry had a deep spiritual side to him that few knew about. Besides our love for hockey, I think one of the reasons we enjoyed each other was he was a very spiritual person and knew my faith in Christ was real to me. I enjoyed sharing spiritual thoughts with Henry. He loved his Creator and had a reverence for life. I would call Henry on occasion to get his take on something in the wild I had just seen. He always had a spiritual explanation.

The last time I was with Henry was when he invited me over several months ago for a steak lunch. Henry shared that his heart was now in rough shape and the danger of surgery was almost as bad as his condition. The doctors at Mayo Clinic told Henry that they did not want to operate.  

We spoke for hours about life and death and all that was going on in the world.  

I shared my Christian faith with him, we agreed about the Creator, but Henry wasn’t convinced Jesus was the only way. After several hours of a very deep conversation, I told him I had to get going to go to see my mom and dad for dinner. Henry asked if I could call my parents to see if he could go with me.. My parents were thrilled to have Henry over for dinner, where they talked hockey for a few hours. On the way back to his home we continued our discussion on the afterlife.    

The Minnesota Hockey Magazine Warroad Special Edition would not have happened without Henry. He not only introduced me to the stories but also the sponsors, who all jumped on board in making this happen.

The link to the magazine Henry helped bring to life is below. To view the magazine, click on the cover and scroll to flip the pages. By reading this magazine, you will find out what makes Warroad Hockeytown USA and is a go-to source for the locals.

We all have Henry to thank for keeping these stories alive.  

Minnesota Hockey Magazine for Nov. 2017 (volume 6, issue 2)

The post My Friendship with Henry Boucha appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Mikko Koivu, seen here in a Sept. 29, 2019 preseason game vs the Winnipeg Jets, will have his No. 9 retired in a pregame ceremony ahead of the Wild’s March 13 game against the Nashville Predators. (MH Photo / Rick Olson)

That franchise, the North Stars, retired two numbers in the 26 seasons they were based in Minnesota. The first was Bill Masterton’s No. 19. The number was issued only once again (briefly to Chuck Arnason in 1978, according to Hockey Reference) after Masterton suffered what proved to be a fatal head injury during the North Stars’ first season in 1967-68. The official jersey retirement didn’t happen until 19 years later.

The other player had to wait 15-plus years before being honored. That’s quite a difference from Koivu, whose last game with the Wild was played in August 2020 in the NHL’s play-in tournament in the Edmonton bubble. Koivu was a solid defensive center during his 15 seasons with the Wild but he was never considered flashy.

That wasn’t the case with right winger Bill Goldsworthy, whose No. 8 was put in the Met Center rafters on Feb. 15, 1992, after seven other players had worn it. That makes Goldsworthy the last player for a Minnesota NHL team to be considered worthy of one of the ultimate honors in sports.

“I remember how emotional he got,” when he found out they were going to retire his number, said Bill’s son, Sean, who is now the coach of the Minnetonka boys’ High School hockey team. “From that old era of tough love and being stoic. I’d very seldom seen him in tears, but I do remember that when told me, ‘There’s nothing that can make me more proud to be a part of this than to feel I was that important to the franchise.”

Indeed, he was.

Cover of the game program for Goldsworthy’s number retirement ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

Goldsworthy was the first star player in North Stars’ history, both because of his ability to score goals and how he celebrated them. Goldsworthy had only six goals over three seasons in 33 games with the Boston Bruins before he was taken by the expansion North Stars as the NHL went from six to 12 teams in 1967. He had 14 goals in each of his first two seasons in Minnesota, but then took off in his third year. He had 36 goals in 75 games in 1969-70 and followed that with goal totals of 34, 31,27 48, 37 and 24.

Goldsworthy combined his goal-scoring ability with a celebration in which he would raise his left leg and pump his right arm. “I don’t know when it started exactly,” said Lou Nanne, who was a teammate of Goldsworthy’s for nine-plus seasons in Minnesota. “He really started doing it in the second year. Then people began talking about it.”

The “Goldy Shuffle” was unique because signature hockey celebrations were not the norm in the late 1960s. If the Met Center crowd was at first confused about the shuffle, they soon began to expect it. “He was a really charismatic hockey player, Nanne said. “He’s the kind of player that you liked to have on your team because you knew he was going to sell tickets for you.”

Tom Reid, who also played with Goldsworthy on the North Stars, remembers him for his ability to score goals and also for his quick temper. The stats support both things. Goldsworthy had 267 goals in 670 games with the North Stars and accumulated 711 penalty minutes, including 110, in 1968-69. Goldsworthy still ranks sixth in all-time goals in the Minnesota/Dallas franchise record book.

“He had an eye for the back of the net,” said Reid, now the Wild radio analyst. “Bill had a terrific wrist shot and a quick release. But he was one of those guys who could snap in a hurry if something were to happen.”

Such as?

The banners of Bill Goldworthy and Bill Masterton hanging high over the Met Center ice. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

“One game Bill came off the ice,” Nanne recalled, “I was right there. There was a half minute to go in the period and (coach Wren) Blair was going through his usual antics of yelling at Goldy. Goldy didn’t break stride, coming toward the bench, and going full speed he drilled Wren with a right. He dropped him with his glove on. We all piled on (to break it up). We go up in the locker room after the period and Wren says to Bill, ‘Come in my office and we’ll finish this.’ As as soon Bill entered, Wren said, ‘Sit down.’ He knew Goldy would have killed him.”

Because this was hockey in the late 1960s, Goldsworthy was not only not suspended for punching his coach and general manager, but he ended up starting the next period after initially thinking Blair had benched him. “Wren had told Goldy to sit on the bench,” to begin the period, “so Goldy didn’t come out on the ice,” Nanne said. “The referee said, “Wren, get somebody out here.’ Goldy came out and the crowd started cheering.”

Goldsworthy, who added 18 goals and 37 points in 40 playoff games with the North Stars, was traded to the New York Rangers in November 1976 after appearing in 16 games that season. He played two seasons in New York before finishing his career in the World Hockey Association with Indianapolis and then Edmonton in 1978-79.

Goldsworthy would later work for the North Stars before joining the San Jose Sharks as a scout. He also had some minor league coaching jobs. But Goldsworthy’s proudest moment in hockey likely came the night his jersey was retired.

“That whole weekend I remember watching him emotionally manage things and breaking down multiple times behind the scenes,” said Sean Goldsworthy, who was in his 20s at the time. “He needed moments to digest the intensity of the emotions. Getting the franchise from expansion and into legitimacy. Getting out of the Original Six (with Boston) and getting respect in the league. Those years were critical for Minnesota and the NHL. … To see those players re-engage in their relationships and brotherhood (was special).”

Bill Goldworthy, holding his banner, acknowledges the cheers of North Stars fans at his Feb. 15, 1992 number retirement ceremony at Met Center. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

Sadly, Goldsworthy passed away in 1996 at the age of 51 after battling AIDS. Goldsworthy, who had battled alcoholism at different points in his life, discussed the situation with the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1995. “There was a period of three to five years after my divorce when I was really into the bottle and I wasn’t careful about my sexual relationships,” he told the paper. “And there were a few times when I was a scout for San Jose, after I started to drink again, that I wasn’t as careful about sex as I should have been.”

Goldsworthy’s friends and the hockey community rallied around him. Reid recalled a fundraiser for Goldsworthy that was held in the Twin Cities and included “everybody who was anybody in hockey in this area.”

Goldsworthy wasn’t the last former North Stars great to have his jersey retired. Neal Broten’s No. 7 was retired by the Dallas Stars in February 1998 and Mike Modano’s No. 9 in March 2014. Modano, of course, only played a few seasons in Minnesota before becoming a dominant player in Dallas.

In a classy gesture the Stars franchise paid for members of the Goldsworthy  and Masterton families to be in Dallas for Modano’s jersey retirement. It was there that Sean had a meaningful conversation with Broten, who had grown up in Roseau, Minn., watching Bill play for the North Stars.

(Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

“Neal told me how much he thought of my dad and I reciprocated that to Neal,” Sean said. “I told him that, ‘My dad taught me the game of hockey by watching you.’ To watch Neal emotionally accept that gratitude was really cool.”

As for what playing with the North Stars meant to Bill Goldsworthy, Sean has no trouble recalling his father’s words.

“I remember him saying, ‘There’s nothing more special than playing in Minnesota,'” Sean said. “It was so dear to his heart and nothing meant more to him professionally than to have his jersey retired by the Minnesota North Stars. Thinking back to J.P. Parise, Tom Reid and Lou Nanne, who became surrogate fathers to me when my dad passed. They had a brotherhood that was unmatched, even in today’s game. They raised their families together and played together for a decade. To be recognized by the franchise he put his heart into and loved, he finally felt at peace.”

The post A Worthy Honor appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey

The key word for us aging folks, or at least many of us, is more sensible. Perfect? Far from it. There never will be a March that will pass without some of us lamenting the demise of the one-class, eight-team, three-day tournament that at one point was such a big event WCCO-TV paid more to televise it than the North Stars got for their entire season of games on a local TV affiliate.

I’ve spent years in print and on airwaves (and now podcasts) expressing my disdain for the two class tournament, but of late I’ve come to realize it goes beyond that. As someone who began following hockey closely in the late 1970s and was addicted to the sport in the following decade, what I really miss is the magic of everything that surrounded those tournaments.

The one class format is only a part of that. The old St. Paul Civic Center had its faults but for three days each March it was a magical place. The key was being able to get into an event that was considered one of the toughest tickets in town. I was 14 in 1984 when my mother finally broke down and agreed that we could at least go to an evening session and try to get tickets.

Bloomington Kennedy beat Burnsville, 4-2, and St. Paul Johnson beat Hill-Murray, 3-2. I was hooked. The telecast only conveyed a portion of the pageantry that went along with a tournament that was so special Sports Illustrated (when it was the most important sports publication around) sent writer E.M. Swift to do a lengthy piece on what the event meant to Minnesota. You also didn’t get that marvelous smell of mini donuts if you weren’t inside the Civic Center.

The tournament likely meant something different to each person who was fortunate enough to attend or watch it at the time. From 1987 through the final one class tournament, I attended every game either as a fan or a statistician based in the truck underneath the arena working for WCCO. 

This created multiple memories that went beyond any actual games.

Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey

— The clear boards: The tournament returned to St. Paul, and the Civic Center, in 1976 after being played at Met Center in Bloomington starting in 1969. The building, which sits on the same spot as Xcel Energy Center occupies today, featured one of the most unique looks of any hockey arena in the country because it had clear boards. Research has revealed that was the case because the front row seats were set back far enough that it wouldn’t have been possible to lean forward and see the puck. But when you turned on the television and saw those clear boards, you knew you were watching the state tournament. 

Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey

— Standing in line: I don’t recall ever being able to buy tickets in advance, so that meant being willing to stand in a long line in the Civic Center lobby and hope you could get to the window before the remaining tickets were gone. I recall the floor on which you stood was sloped and that the easiest way to get to the line was to come through the underground entrance that was attached to the parking ramp across the street. That ramp still exists — you know the one with levels that are listed as 3 1/2, 4 1/2 and so on — but the underground portion (which I think might have been off level 3 1/2) is long gone. The standing in line portion, of course, could be avoided if you found a ticket scalper willing to make a fair deal. The more teams that were eliminated, the better your chances of getting a ticket cheap.

— The garage door: One of the magical moments before each session was the sound of the mammoth garage door in the Civic Center lobby rolling upward. There was a buzz of excitement as a dash was made toward the likely overwhelmed ticket takers.

Burnsville takes the ice in a 1983 tournament game. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

— An interesting style choice: The 1980s had some questionable style choices and hockey wasn’t exempt. There were plenty of high school teams that switched to long hockey pants known as Cooperalls. It didn’t last but teams from Burnsville to Hill-Murray wore them — the Flyers and Whalers of the NHL also used them in the early 1980s — and, just like the clear boards, a photo of the odd-looking equipment brings a smile to many of our faces. At the least, it causes a chuckle.

Willard Ikola (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

— That houndstooth hat: Growing up in Minnetonka, there was no opponent who was despised as much as the Edina Hornets but that was because they were so good. The Hornets made six appearances in the tournament from 1982 to 1989 and won it in ’82, ’84 and ’88. Standing behind the bench for each championship was legendary coach Willard Ikola, who always wore his houndstooth hat. Ikola was to high school hockey what Bud Grant was to the Vikings. The man commanded respect the moment he walked into the arena.

— Meanwhile in Bloomington: While getting to the Civic Center was the important thing, the Section finals also had plenty of buzz. Played before large crowds at the Met Center, the Saturday afternoon Section 5 and 6 finals (as I recall), served as a doubleheader before the North Stars usually played at home that night. The day of the State Tournament championship game, the North Stars also often played a matinee at the Met. 

— The voice of the tournament: You didn’t think I was going to forget about the man who has been seen as Mr. Hockey in Minnesota for many decades did you? Nanne began working on the state tournament coverage in 1964 at the age of 22, and despite considering giving up the role for many years now, we’re fortunate he hasn’t. Nanne’s voice might be more associated with the high school hockey tournament than anything else. It’s the same way Al Shaver’s voice made those from my generation instantly think of the North Stars. The impressive thing was when WCCO-TV got the rights in the 1980s, they paired Nanne with a young play-by-play talent by the name of Chris Cuthbert. Cuthbert, now 64, has been one of the most recognizable NHL voices in Canada for years.

The 1985 WCCO-TV state tournament broadcast team: (Front row from L to R) Lou Nanne, Ralph John Fritz, Mark Rosen and Herb Brooks. (Back row) Doug Woog, Steve Doyle, Tom Hanneman, Tony Parker, Paul Braun and Chris Cuthbert 

The post One-Class Wonder appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“The Blues were our first real rival,” former North Stars defenseman Tom Reid said.

Reid will be in the home radio booth on Saturday at Target Field to serve as analyst for the Wild-Blues game in the Minnesota Wild’s first-ever appearance in the Winter Classic. While there isn’t much animosity between the Wild and Blues, this matchup is a nod to the history that dates to Minnesota’s first NHL entrant.

Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon tangle with Blues forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (91) and Ryan O’Reilly (90) in a Feb. 24, 2019 game at Xcel Energy Center won 2-1 by the Wild in on Ryan Donato’s overtime winner. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

The Wild already faced the Blackhawks in an outdoor game in February 2016 that was part of the Stadium Series at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. The NHL considered a few potential opponents for the Wild before deciding on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion Blues.

“I thought it was a no-brainer,” to pick the Blues for this game, former North Stars defenseman and general manager Lou Nanne said. “You have to remember, (the Wild) did play Chicago in an outdoor game and Chicago has played so many outdoor games. That nullified them. St. Louis hasn’t had as many, and the Blues have been our natural rival for so long. It’s building up now (with the Wild), and older fans still remember that rivalry with the North Stars.”

The Wild and Blues have been in the Central Division together every season but one since 2013, when the NHL realigned divisions. The exception came last season when Minnesota and St. Louis were both in the West Division as part of a one season shift caused by the pandemic. The Wild and Blues have met twice in the playoffs. The Wild won in six games in the first round in 2015 before being swept by the Blackhawks, and St. Louis knocked out the Wild in five games in the opening round in 2017.

While the Blues were well established by the time the Wild entered the NHL in 2000, St. Louis and the North Stars both came into the league in 1967 as part of the six-team expansion that doubled the number of teams in the league to 12. Both were in the West Division, which housed all the new clubs and provided a clear path to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first few years.

Long before Minnesota Wild forward Marcus ‘Moose’ Foligno arrived at Xcel Energy Center, Elmer ‘Moose’ Vasko played for the inaugural Minnesota North Stars. Vasko (No. 4) is shown here introducing St. Louis Blues RW Jimmy Roberts to his elbow in Minnesota’s second ever home game at Met Center, won 3-2 by the North Stars. The late Bill Masterton (19) and Minnesota goaltender Gary Bauman (1) are also shown. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey)

The Blues-North Stars rivalry was immediate as the teams met in the playoffs four of their first five seasons. Minnesota, which played to a 2-2 tie against the host Blues in its first-ever game on Oct. 11, 1967, lost to St. Louis in seven games in the 1968 semifinals (second round) after eliminating the Kings in the first round. Four of the games went into overtime, including the deciding one. Ron Schock’s goal 2:50 into the second overtime at St. Louis Arena gave the Blues a 2-1 victory.

After the North Stars missed the playoffs in their second season, they lost to the Blues in six games in the first round in 1970; beat the Blues in six games the following spring before losing to Montreal; and then lost to the Blues in seven in the opening round in 1972. That series featured five one-goal games and another 2-1 overtime loss in Game 7 at Met Center.

It was the last one that Nanne best remembers. Kevin O’Shea’s 35-foot shot beat North Stars goalie Cesar Maniago at 10 minutes, 7 seconds of OT.

“That’s the one that stands out because we were a better team than them that year,” Nanne said. “We had more points (86 to 67) and they just grinded it out. … I’ll never forget it because the arena just went quiet and then it was over.

The Blues’ earlier playoff success enabled them to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1968, ’69 and ’70. They were swept by Montreal twice and Boston the final time. Reid was traded to the North Stars from the Blackhawks in February 1969, so he was around for three of the four series. He recalls how differently the rosters of the two teams were constructed.

“When expansion came about, the Blues went after more (veteran) players because they wanted to be in the playoffs right away,” Reid said. “They had guys like Glenn Hall (who was 36) and Al Arbour (who was 35) and all of these older guys, where Minnesota had a much younger team. It was not a situation where it was even on experience, but there was a great rivalry over the years.”

What’s interesting is that while North Stars fans hated the Blackhawks, and vice versa, they also saw plenty of the Blues in the playoffs during the ’80s and into the ’90s. All three were in the Norris Division in a time where the playoff matchups remained within the division until the conference finals. While Minnesota and Chicago met six times from 1981 through 1991, the Blues and North Stars met five times. The North Stars were 2-4 in the series against the Hawks and 3-2 against St. Louis. The North Stars ousted both teams during their surprising run to the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals.

“I think it was,” a really good rivalry, said former North Stars defenseman Brad Maxwell, who played for Minnesota from 1977 until December 1984 and then for 17 games in the 1986-87 season. “St. Louis had so many good players, and had a lot of players who had been in the Western Hockey League. I played against those guys in juniors. The games were intense. We didn’t have really big brawls  or one guy you hated like Secord. But it was really good hockey. Intense and physical.”

While the Minnesota/St. Louis hockey rivalry may not be remembered for the vitriol of others, there have been moments like this exchange between Blues forward, and Minnesota native, David Backes and the Wild’s Charlie Coyle in am April 20, 2015 playoff clash at Xcel Energy Center, won 3-0 by Minnesota. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

One of the most intense games came in Game 7 of the Norris Division Finals in 1984 at Met Center. This time the North Stars came out on top. Mark Reeds silenced the crowd when he scored with 5:54 left in the third period to give St. Louis the lead, but Willi Plett tied it 15 seconds later with a 75-foot blast that beat goalie Mike Liut and the North Stars won when Steve Payne scored six minutes into overtime.

“That was huge,” said Nanne, who was North Stars GM by that time. “It was a tough series and tough rivalry. We had come off of some pretty good years. … It took a long time to get that win back (against St. Louis). It seemed like the Chicago rivalry was taking over, but when we played St. Louis it was like old times getting back at one another.”

Maxwell said he would have embraced the opportunity to play in an outdoor game with the North Stars. Maxwell and many of his former teammates, along with some alumni from the Wild, faced the Blackhawks alumni back in 2016 in a game that was part of the lead up to the Stadium Series.

As much fun as that Stadium Series game might have been, the Winter Classic is much bigger. The idea for an NHL outdoor game began in 2008 with the New Year’s Day game between Pittsburgh and Buffalo at the Bills’ Ralph Wilson Stadium. Delayed a season by the pandemic, the Wild and Blues will start in the evening (in order to avoid issues with the sun) and will be the first televised as part of the new NHL TV package with TNT.

“I would have liked to have played in one,” Maxwell said. “Outdoor games fit into wherever you are having them. If you’re playing in Florida, there’s going to be palm trees. If you’re playing in Minnesota, there are going to be snow flurries and 30-degree weather. It’s great.”

And the opponent can make it even better.

“St. Louis has been a Cup winner in the last few years and has marquee names that are attractive,” Nanne said. “Kirill Kaprizov (of the Wild) and Vladimir Tarasenko (of the Blues) are two big names. When they announced the Wild was getting this game, I didn’t think there was any other team they would play. It’s a very good matchup and an attractive one for fans. I think the NHL was very wise in picking them.”

Program gallery courtesy of Vintage Minnesota Hockey

The post A Fitting Foe appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in our March 2017 Minnesota Boys’ High School State Tournament Guide, both in the digital and print editions.

On March 8, 1996, the Apple Valley Eagles met the Duluth East Greyhounds in a Class AA semifinal matchup in the MSHSL State Tournament. That night (and early the next morning), the teams combined for nine goals, 114 saves, and the longest game of pucks ever played in the classic tournament.

After the Eagles won in the fifth overtime frame by a score of 5-4 at 1:39 a.m., the game and its participants became a celebrated part of Minnesota hockey history. This is the story of that legendary game in their own words.

Erik Westrum (Apple Valley centerman): “It was almost like a brotherhood or a fraternity of family. We all grew up going to the rink together, going to each other’s houses, playing street hockey or backyard hockey or going down to the park at Galaxie or Hayes Arena all the time … We had a tight-knit team, if not the closest team I’ve ever played on.”

Larry Hendrickson (Apple Valley head coach): “What I discovered is when I would meet with these kids individually, they were some of the greatest kids I ever met.”

Westrum: “Our whole saying or slogan was, ‘Together too long to lose.’”

Hendrickson: “We knew our problem [in facing Duluth East]. Our problem was a guy named Dave Spehar … What I discovered about this Spehar was that he had a great wing by the name of [Chris] Locker. And Locker did all the work getting him the puck, and Spehar was a magician at hiding and then jumping into the play right when Locker was going to make the pass.”

Chris Locker (Duluth East centerman): “We were defending state champs. The only thing we were concerned about, to be honest, was their goalie [Karl Goehring]. We knew he was the only one in the state that could beat us. And we knew it was going to be a phenomenal game.”

Westrum: “We had Karl Goehring. Their goalie played solid, as well, but I think we had the upper hand there.”

Wally Shaver (play-by-play announcer, comments from 1996 game broadcast): “Hello again, everyone. Lou Nanne along with Waldwick Shaver back here at the Civic Center. We’re certainly looking forward to this one.”

Lou Nanne (color commentator, comments from 1996 game broadcast): “We talked to [Apple Valley] assistant coach Pat Westrum and Pat was saying that he felt players were jittery, they’re nervous, they just can’t quite relax. Well, they’re not going to get time to relax tonight.”

Westrum: “I remember [my first goal], I kinda came around and just spun and shot it top shelf. The puck ended up on my stick and it was kind of just a natural reaction.”

Nanne: “What a great shot by Westrum, a good screen by Brad [DeFauw], and an excellent play by Apple Valley to get the goal.”

Shaver: “Oh, and back come the Greyhounds to tie it up! Bang, bang, it’s a 1-1 game!”

Shaver: “[Chris] Sikich picking it up on the fly, going into the zone, looking for the trailer, there it is, he scores! Ho, ho, was that pretty.”

Locker: “We were down 2-1. We were getting a little frustrated, obviously, and Spehar took a penalty and we were killing. I remember it plain as day because the D turned the puck over right by the bench, right by the blue line. And I couldn’t believe it that I’d have a shot, actually.”

Shaver: “Here’s a steal for Locker… going in alone… he scores! Shorthanded!”

Locker: “I knew that whatever I did on Goehring, I had to do it quick, and so I had to make a move to avoid a defender’s stick, and then I chipped it up over him in the same motion.”

Nanne: “That’s what they want him out there for … Locker steals it, goes right in and gives Duluth East the tying goal.”

Westrum: “Once I got that first goal, for me, I wanted more to kind of help the team. The second one, I was coming down the left side, took a slapshot, got my rebound and put it in.”

Aaron Dwyer (Apple Valley defenseman): “Erik played one of his better games all year long.”

Nanne: “Westrum, who’s made so many big plays for this Apple Valley team, continues to do it.”

Shaver: “[Spehar’s] at the side of the goal, rounds the goal, cuts out in front, he scores!”

Nanne: “You can only keep him off the board for so long, Wally.”

Westrum: “I think we kept Dave Spehar down to one goal that game, probably the only game he didn’t have a hat trick in the state tournament in the two years that he was there.”

Locker: “I think it was the first time in two years, really, where we kept having to come back from behind.”

Shaver: “You don’t need the whole seat tonight, folks, just the edge!”

Westrum: “My last goal … I picked their pocket, came around and stuffed it home. Full-ice goalie shuffle, or whatever you want to call it. It was a moment you dream of, playing in the street. It was pretty surreal at the time. I don’t think I really soaked it in until probably days or weeks after.”

Shaver: “The hat trick!”

Nanne: “This kid is having the night of his life.”

Hendrickson: “Erik Westrum, that might’ve been the greatest game I’ve ever seen a guy play.”

Dwyer: “I gave up the tying goal. I’ll never forget it.”

Hendrickson: “Dwyer gets the puck and he stands there and he decides he’s gonna flip the puck up in the air.  It hits a guy in the chest, it bounces down and they come in and tie it up with 20 seconds to go.”

Shaver: “Here’s Spehar, look out… Spehar centers… they score!”

Locker: “When Dave touched the puck, all eyes went on him … Once we got it down low, I turned and came down the front of the slot … The pass he made was absolutely incredible and it was just an unbelievable play.”

Westrum: “It’s weird, because I don’t feel like we felt like we were gonna be defeated. We had a confidence and an arrogance that we couldn’t be beaten. I guess we’re gonna have to go into overtime, and let’s get this thing done.”

Locker: “Some days I wish I didn’t tie it, if we were gonna lose. I’m kidding, though. That was pretty fun.”

Shaver: “Five… four… three… two… one… we’re in overtime, ladies and gentlemen.”

Locker: “We wanted to score in the first five minutes and capitalize on some of that momentum. Little did we know that it would go on until 1:30 in the morning.”

Hendrickson: “Both coaches are insane. I’m not normal and Mike Randolph isn’t either, so we were playing offense the whole time. We were trying to score all the time, and we would take chances on defense, even in the overtimes.”

Westrum: “Karl [was] making unbelievable save after save. Three-on-twos, odd-man rushes going back and forth. Just like pond hockey. Just like playing at the park.”

Nanne: “That one looked like it hit the crossbar.”

Shaver: “Some [Duluth East] fans booing here… they think it may have gone in.”

Locker: “Matt LaTour, who tipped Dylan Mills’ shot from the point, was the most honest, good kid in the world who doesn’t swear, would never lie. He came back to the bench and his eyes were bigger than silver dollars, and he says, ‘I swear to God that went in.’”

Westrum: “People say it looked like it went in.”

Dwyer: “No comment.”

Westrum: “I don’t think either team realized it in the moment. Play continued. It was more of an afterthought the next day or the day after that, ‘cause I think the papers were talking about it, y’know, in the Sunday newspaper: ‘The Goal That Could Be.’”

Locker: “It just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. But that was definitely a goal, whether it counts or not.”

Shaver: “The buzzer sounds… and we’ve completed five periods of hockey.”

Westrum: “We had a Swedish exchange student and his dad had kind of brought it to our attention to eat bananas or something, between periods or after games. So I remember eating a lot of fruit, a lot of bananas in the locker room, a lot of Gatorade and water.”

Dwyer: “Toward the end of the game, I think we were all gassed. I think it goes into the hard work that both teams put in all year long. We were ready for it.”

Shaver: “Two seconds left… one second left… and we’ve knocked off another overtime. How do you like that, Lou?”

Locker: “There was a time in the fourth overtime where I took a faceoff and my whole body cramped, from my feet to my chin. I struggled just to get to the bench.”

Shaver: “And that’s it. Seven periods of hockey are over.”

Nanne: “I don’t know how long this game could go. The way we’re going here, with the type of goaltending we’re getting, and the chances are getting fewer and fewer because everybody’s so tired…”

Dwyer: “[The game-winner] was a shot from the right point. Sikich was down below the net and I think he was trying to center it. It bounced over a couple of guys’ sticks and it came right to me. I was just inside the blue line above the top of the circle. I took a slapshot and it went bar down and in.”

Shaver: “[Jeff] Przytarski going for the puck, plays it out in front, it hops away from Sikich… but now Dwyer SCORES! It’s over! It’s 20 to 2 and this game has finally ended!”

Westrum: “I remember he skated around the net and I grabbed him by the hips and pulled him down. It was pure excitement and shock, too. I wanted to just get home and go to bed.”

Locker: “It was just a shot and you could see the net pop, and they started celebrating. I was sitting on the bench like, ‘Did that just happen? Really?’ We had gotten to the point where we just thought it was never going to end.”

Hendrickson: “[Dwyer] is one of the heroes of the game because he responded from a mistake.”

Dwyer: “It was bittersweet because I had coughed up the tying goal and then went ahead and scored the game winner. For me, it was more redemption than anything else. I didn’t let my teammates down and we came away with the win.”

Westrum: “Brad DeFauw had to go to the hospital. He was dehydrated. Myself and Karl, we had a ton of water and Gatorade and couldn’t get enough fluid.”

Locker: “I had it the worst on the whole team as far as physical symptoms. I was diagnosed [as being] in the first stages of shock from dehydration.”

Dwyer: “At that point, regardless if we had won or lost [the state title], everyone talks about the Duluth East game.”

Westrum: “It was all it was expected and hyped up to be and that’s why we’re talking about it today.”

Hendrickson: “Our team as a whole, I’m very proud of all of them. That’s the feeling that I carry with me.”

Westrum: “We’re still close, and that’s what I always tell kids in Minnesota. I truly believe kids should stay in Minnesota. You can’t replace this with anything else. Once you get out of high school hockey, it becomes a job. So I think for us, we enjoyed it. It was amateur hockey at its best.”

The post Duluth East vs. Apple Valley 1996: An Oral History appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

For alumni game, forget the stands, give me a seat behind the bench

Recently, for my day job at KARE 11, I had a chance to sit down and chat with a few former Minnesota North Stars. We did a fun bit about how well the former teammates know each other and I gave them a little quiz — I know, real hard hitting journalism!

After talking with the four players (Tom Younghans, Reed Larson, Jack Carlson and Brad Maxwell), I was left with cramps from laughing so hard and the stark realization that, as excited as I am about the Stadium Series game between the Wild and the Blackhawks, I might be even more excited about the North Stars playing the Blackhawks.

But it’s not really the hockey that I am looking forward to most. It’s the hope that I can get close enough to the bench to hear some of the conversations. In fact, I am not sure of the Wild’s ticket strategy but I would pay triple the ticket price if I could just have a seat behind the benches of the old timers. One that has an obstructed view of the ice but that provides me unobstructed audio from the bench. I am telling you folks, that is where the real entertainment is going to be.

I want to hear stories. Forget the hockey, I can see guys hack around and smile ear to ear and my old weekly pick-up game. I want the memories — and you will too.

I want to hear from Lou Nanne and Brad Maxwell about the trade that brought him from New York in 1987 — about how Nanne was able to win him back in a card game (according to Maxwell). A story which made me openly skeptical when I heard about it.

“No foolin!”, Maxwell told me that afternoon.

I know it’s been nearly 30 years, but I’d give anything to hear Nanne recount how that went with then New York Genera Manager Phil Esposito. How did it come about? What was the game? What were the stakes? And maybe most importantly, what was that moment like when he won his prize?

I also want to hear the off-season stories. It’s hard to imagine but as late as the 1980’s some professional hockey players still had to get off-season jobs. Jack Carlson told me that one year he dug graves just to keep a salary coming in. Now, Carlson admits he didn’t get the big bucks of an early top round pick but he couldn’t have been the only one having to make ends meet outside of the season.

Forget dryland training and morning skates, when the season was over guys had to pay the bills. Then when they went back they had an even larger fanbase of people they just spent months working with. I mean honestly, just imagine a scene where Zach Parise is bagging groceries or Nate Prosser is caddying at a golf course so that they can keep a steady income. It just goes to show just how much salaries have gone up in such a short period of time.

But there might not be any stories that I am looking forward to more than the ones of camaraderie between teammates. Just like today, these guys spent their lives together. They were friends and family, they knew each other’s family. They played seasons and, sometimes if there were lucky, post seasons together.

“Nothing binds you together quite like a Stanley Cup run,” Jack Carlson told me with a huge ear to ear grin, that seems to be permanently affixed to his hulking frame.

His team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981 before losing to the New York Islanders who won their second of 4 straight. Still Carlson wears a big championship ring on his hand that he and his teammates bought for themselves for winning the Western Conference that year because, as he told me, you don’t get rings if you didn’t win the title.

I want to hear the stories of the road trips, the ups and downs, the team chemistry, the rivalries and the pranks (some of which I heard from Reed Larson and Tom Younghans, but cannot recount for obvious reasons).

I asked all the players if the rivalry with the Blackhawks was still there and they emphatically answered, “Yes.” But don’t expect there to be any fights, cause the guys are over doing that now and admit that they’ll have enough trouble skating around the ice and getting their wind without trying to drop the gloves.  Plus, most of us just want to watch the game — although I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind seeing Big Jack Carlson throw his weight around a bit.

Sure the game may have changed over the years but the guys who play it haven’t. It’s still a game of deep feelings, camaraderie and love for the sport.

But the one game that might be most exciting Stadium Series weekend, might just be the one that’s a repeat of a game played 30 years earlier.

The post Schwartz: It’s the stories that matter appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Our hearts are heavy this morning with the news of the passing of Minnesota coaching and broadcasting legend, Glen Sonmor. Glen coached the Gophers, Fighting Saints (with whom he also served as GM) and North Stars before a long career calling Gopher games on the radio alongside Wally Shaver.

A few years ago, Glen was kind enough to grant us the privilege of sitting down with him for a series of interviews discussing his long hockey career, both on and off the ice. Below is the product of that discussion filled with fond memories and anecdotes from Glen’s lifelong love affair with the game of hockey.

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The post A Hockey Life appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.