Warroad had jumped ahead early and went on to win the game 6-2, avenging a game two weeks earlier when Roseau won 3-2 in overtime in Roseau. As I sat there, looking at this enormous video screen 20 feet away, a fellow stepped in front of me, looked out from under a knit cap and over a graying goatee and said: “John Gilbert. Do you remember me?”

I had to admit that I didn’t recognize him.

“Neal,” he said. “Neal Broten.”

You’ve got to be kidding! Here was one of my favorite hockey players ever, and I didn’t recognize him. We had a nice conversation. He came up from the Twin Cities area to visit his dad and mom, Newell and Carol, who still live in Roseau.

That was one of many conversations I had, including one with David Christian, who also drove up from the Twin Cities for Hockey Day Minnesota. The crowds for the event were very good, as the temperature hovered in the mid-20s. My wife, Joan, and I drove up Friday, hoping to arrive in time to see the Roseau-Warroad alumni game, which would hinge on which side could round up the most alums. Roseau alums whipped Warroad alums, 6-2.

On the 4 and a 1/2-hour drive up from Duluth to Warroad, we tuned in KDAL radio to hear Bruce Ciskie’s broadcast of the UMD-Wisconsin women’s WCHA game at AMSOIL Arena. Wisconsin won a close game, but I was astounded to notice that Ciskie has adopted a style in which he gives the time on the clock — “11:30 of the second period” — as the official time of the game. He didn’t say time remaining, which would have legitimized it, but he just gives a time and the period, which is totally disconcerting to a listener like me, who wants to know the score and the remaining time. (When I got back, I asked Ciskie when he started doing that, and he said, “I hate doing math.” Huh?)

We got to Warroad and checked in, making friends with the beautiful little owner’s dog, Bentley. After trying, but failing, to get over to the end of the alumni game, Joan and I went over to Izzy’s, which used to be owned by Izzy Marvin, but which still sells the best hamburger in town. Like every other establishment in town, Izzy’s was jammed.

A group of young players periodically cleared ice buildup from the outdoor rink. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

Picture-perfect Hockey Day
It was a nearly perfect three days in Warroad last weekend, which was the ideal time for moderate temperatures and the lack of the usual January snowing, blowing and freezing in this little Canadian border town on the Southwest tip of Lake of the Woods. The organizers did a fantastic job of laying out the outdoor rink on the high school football field, which had one end zone right up against the Marvin Event Center. That center became our gathering spot for everything from watching hockey games to eating a steady flow of different foods supplied throughout all three days for anyone fortunate enough to have a VIP or media pass.

As a long-term resident of the pampered life of a sportswriter, I’ve grown to appreciate all the various press boxes I normally visit while watching games. No such luxury this time, so I spent much of it standing outside to shoot photos from in front of the windows of the event center. That was where I watched the very impressive Warroad girls high school team, ranked No. 2 in Class 1A, lose 4-3 to big and powerful Class 2A-foe Lakeville North, a team that has a good shot at making the state tournament.

The Warroad teams paid tribute to their heritage, and to the achievement of gaining the continued use of the term “Warriors” after numerous politicians had tried to get them to drop the name. Saturday started with the indigenous drum band playing an opening tribute that was quite an emotional attraction. And the Warroad players wore jerseys that had “Kaabekanong Ogichidaag” emblazoned on their chests. That, in Oglala Sioux, means “Warroad Warriors,” somebody said.

Another person said it was a modernized term for “War in the Road,” which dates back to the 1800s, when the warring factions of different tribes fought their battles on the road leading into Warroad. Probably for the rights to the many huge walleyes waiting for fishermen out on Lake of the Woods. The area tribe made a deal with the city of Warroad to give them the land on which to build their new school back in the early 1900s, and the agreement included a deal that assured the school would keep the name “Warriors” as a tribute to the Native Americans.

There were games for all age groups, from youth to college, and included some high school attractions. One of those attractions came in men’s hockey when Concordia College (Moorhead) came from behind to beat a strong St. Olaf team 4-2 with three third-period goals in a Division III classic.

There were also video tributes to Henry Boucha, who died in September, and continuing tributes to the Marvin family, which runs various industries, including the huge window-building plant that is the area’s largest employer.

Wayzata skated past Moorhead 5-2 in a boys high school feature. (MHM Photo / John Gilbert)

The Warroad girls high school team is coached by David (Izzy) Marvin, who has brought them to prominence and state championships. Izzy’s dad is the late Cal Marvin, who owned a resort and was general manager and coach of the Warroad Lakers, who won Canada’s Allen Cup for Senior Men’s teams.

“Other small towns that start girls programs need to do what Warroad has done,” Izzy said. “And that is to get behind the girls program. When we started, Cal got behind the girls program, and when Cal was behind something, not many people chose the other side.”

Perfect explanation for Cal’s influence and for the Warroad girls’ success.

Wrapping up the weekend
After watching and shooting photos at games such as the Wayzata boys powerhouse whipping Moorhead 5-2 in one of several other high school games, it was time for the Warroad-Roseau boys high school weekend highlight. I was prepared to head back outside to get a spot for shooting photos. However, the two rows of standing sites ahead of the event center were elbow to elbow, with the grandstands on both sides of the football stadium also jammed, as a crowd possibly approaching 5,000 filled every spot.

That’s what sent Joan and me back inside and over to the huge video screen for the Bally Sports North telecast.

As the second period ended, the sun was going down and it felt a little chillier, and I suggested to Joan that since we were watching on the big screen, we could hustle back to the hotel and catch the third period and maybe the Wild-Anaheim finale on BSN in our room. So we took off.

We got to the hotel in time to see the third period of the Warroad-Roseau game. But for some unknown reason, the connection between BSN and the motel had quit and despite scrolling through every station in the guide, we never found the end of the game. Nor did we find the Wild game, although we tried hard enough that we were too tired to go out seeking a late dinner, and we settled for crackers and cheese that we had brought with us.

When we were through with our snack/dinner, I tried scrolling through one last time — and there we found the Wild-Anaheim game! Just in time to see the Wild collapse into their bye-week swoon.

We slept well, got up Sunday morning and started our return trip in the test-drive Prius I was driving for my automotive column. We wanted to get back in time for the NFL championship games in the AFC and NFC, so we thought a quick breakfast at McDonald’s would be best, grabbing a couple bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwiches. We pulled into the drive through and were informed they quit selling those at 10:30 a.m., and it was already 10:40 a.m.

So we took off, heading east on Hwy. 11 for Baudette, another Lake of the Woods town. Passing through, we saw Alice’s Restaurant, where an impressive waitress named Ashley took care of our orders for Denver omelettes, whole wheat toast and… some of the worst coffee this side of instant.

But it got us home, after a fantastic Hockey Day Minnesota weekend in Warroad. Next year, the extravaganza will be in Shakopee. The following year, it will move to Hastings. Both of those cities will have a major challenge trying to live up to the high-bar setting of Warroad, which remains “Hockeytown, USA.”

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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)

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A pair of Norm Green “fans” walking the Met Center concourse. (Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey)

Friday will mark 30 years since North Stars owner Norm Green made it official that he would be relocating the franchise to Dallas. Broten, 33 at the time, was forced to leave the only hockey home he had known. One of the greatest American born players, Broten had played youth hockey in Roseau, became a star at the University of Minnesota, was on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and then played 12-plus seasons for the North Stars.

Broten, fresh from helping the U.S. stun the Russians in Lake Placid, joined the North Stars in time to play a role in the team’s run to the 1981 Stanley Cup Finals and had nine goals and 22 points in 23 postseason games as the North Stars returned to the Finals in 1991 against Pittsburgh.

Two years later, the franchise was headed to Dallas. The Stars have been in Dallas (29 years) longer than they were in Minnesota (26 years). After losing in the Finals in each of their appearances when Broten was on the team, the Stars won the only Stanley Cup of their 55-year existence in 1999.

The void left by the move was filled in 2000 when the expansion Wild began play and many Minnesota hockey fans have only known that franchise. There is an IKEA store and parking lot where the Met Center once stood in Bloomington. Still, the North Stars departure remains one of the more remarkable relocation stories in professional sports. Minnesota — dubbed The State of Hockey by the Wild’s genius marketing department — lost its NHL team to a state known for its love of football.

(MHM Photo / Jonny Watkins)

The North Stars have not been forgotten. They are well represented most nights at the Wild’s home, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Jerseys and apparel from the team remain popular and the Wild have paid tribute to the North Stars color scheme with their Reverse Retro jerseys in recent years. Bitterness about the move, at least from those who remember the team, has been replaced by the many pleasant memories that were established long before owner Norm Green started to hear his name used in derogatory chants in the late winter and spring of ’93.

Broten, now 63, recalled that tumultuous time this week as the anniversary of the North Stars announced departure neared. The biggest takeaway from the conversation was how surprised Broten remains about what happened.

“There was a lot of noise when Norm Green took over that he was going to move the team,” said Broten, who still holds the franchise marks he set in 1981-82 for most goals (38), assists (60) and points by a rookie (98). “I think a lot of us just thought that it was kind of talk, but when word came down that it was official that the North Stars were moving the team to Dallas, it was crazy, it was bizarre. It was like, ‘Hockey in Dallas, leaving Minnesota?’

“Does that sound legit or stupid or what? But it became real when the moving vans came and picked up our furniture and we headed down 35 towards Dallas. I look back on it, 30 years went by pretty fast. But it was just spending 10, 11, 12 years in Minnesota, or whatever the heck it was, and then just uprooting the team and moving it out of what they now call ‘The State of Hockey’ … Minnesota has always been hockey for me. So moving out to Dallas didn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense at that time. It was bizarre. Basically it was crazy.”

Norm Green peddling Met Center suites. (Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey)

There were many contributing factors in the decision. Green was sued for sexual harassment by a former North Stars employee that eventually was settled out of court. There also were issues involving attendance at Met Center (yes, that was a thing) and Green’s inability to work out a deal with the owners of the then-new Target Center to move the team downtown.

Green, a shopping mall developer from Calgary who bought the franchise in 1990, wanted major improvements at the Met Center and he wasn’t going to get them. The key thing was that Green was given NHL approval to move the franchise anywhere he wanted in 1992 as part of an agreement that he would not relocate the North Stars to a new arena in Anaheim, Calif. The reason being that the NHL wanted Disney to be able to put the expansion Mighty Ducks in that building.

In a piece he wrote for a Dallas magazine in 2010, Green said he had the deal done to move the Stars in January 1993. A year after losing to the Penguins in the NHL Finals, and Green hearing chants of “Norm, Norm, Norm,” as he walked the Met Center concourse, the North Stars lost in the opening round of the 1992 playoffs to Detroit in seven games. The North Stars appeared to be headed back to the playoffs the following season and had a 26-18-8 record by end of January 1993.

Young superstar Mike Modano was on his way to a 33-goal, 93-point season and the North Stars appeared to have a franchise player for years to come. That turned out to be the case, only it was Dallas who got to witness Modano’s development into a Hall of Fame player. A day before it became official that the North Stars would be leaving Minnesota, they beat the San Jose Sharks at Met Center to improve to 32-27-9. Minnesota played host to Vancouver the day after the news and beat the Canucks by a goal.

Moments before the final opening puck drop at Met Center (Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey)

But the North Stars’ season quickly came off the rails after that win. They lost eight of their next nine, mixing in a tie, before winning three in a row.

“It definitely caused some turmoil amongst the whole team,” said Broten, who had 12 goals and 33 points in 82 games that season. “You’ve got stuff in the paper and people are talking every day about, ‘OK, he’s going to move the team.’ It wasn’t a great situation for sure.”

It got worse as the North Stars ended its season with three consecutive losses to miss the playoffs. The penultimate game was the last one at Met Center, a 3-2 loss to Chicago, and the final game was a 5-3 loss on April 15, 1993 in Detroit. Ulf Dahlen scored the final goal for the North Stars.

If that evening felt strange, it was nothing compared to the atmosphere at Met Center as Minnesota’s two-goal rally in the third period fell short against the biggest rival in franchise history, the Blackhawks.

“That was pretty weird,” Broten said. “After the game we kind of saluted the crowd. A bunch of guys went back on the ice and raised their sticks or whatever. That’s about all I can remember from that. It was just a crazy time. I don’t know what to tell you. You kind of believed it and you kind of didn’t believe it. I had totally mixed emotions. I had never thought the team would move, or never thought they’d move to Dallas, or any other city, right? That last game at home was pretty emotional.”

Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey

Broten, a center, had a productive first season in Dallas, scoring 17 goals with 52 points in 79 games. He had only four assists in 17 games and was minus-8 the following season before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Cloquet native and fellow former Gopher Corey Millen.

That Devils team would go onto win the Stanley Cup — Broten had seven goals and 19 points in 20 postseason games — and Broten remained in New Jersey before being sent to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1996-97 season. Broten played in only 19 games for the Kings and was then claimed off waivers by the Stars. He retired after contributing eight goals and 15 points in 20 games with Dallas.

The North Stars had retired two numbers during their existence — Bill Masterton’s 19 and Bill Goldsworthy’s 8 — and Broten’s 7 became the first to be raised to the rafters with the franchise based in Dallas. Broten, however, would have much preferred that that 1998 ceremony could have occurred before a North Stars game in his home state.

Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey

“I’m a North Star through and through,” he said. “They drafted me, they gave me a shot to play in the NHL. I got a chance to play there for almost my entire career. Dallas was just a little diversion from the career. … But my whole time in Minnesota was great. Youth hockey was great, college hockey was awesome, the Olympic team (which was based in the Twin Cities) was great, the North Stars were awesome and to just kind of pull the rug out from underneath you and move to Dallas. Man, I wish I could have won a Cup (in Minnesota) but it didn’t work out.”

The final Minnesota North Stars team photo (Courtesy Vintage MN Hockey)

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