Phil Housley – MHM Exclusive Interview (Segment 3/8)

Segment 3 – High School Hockey Years & the US National Team

In this segment, Phil Housley sits down with  Minnesota Hockey Magazine and recalls his High School career that included playing for Team USA while a Senior in High School. 

After scoring 118 goals his only year of Bantams, during his second year of Bantams, he was asked to try out for the High School team and made it.  This was nearly unheard of as South Saint Paul had a great midget program and usually jerseys were reserved for either Juniors or Seniors.

His Freshman year, the team nearly made it to the state tournament, but in the Section Final played in front of a packed St. Paul Auditorium crowd,  Harding’s Chuckie Weiss stopped all 51 shots in a 1-0 shut out.  The next year, Housley would play in the state tournament, and in the quarterfinals with time running down, he scored the tying goal against Minneapolis Southwest, only to lose in overtime.  The next year, the Packers would beat a solid Sibley team in the section finals and  made it back and beat the number 1 ranked Edina West team in the quarterfinals on Larry Housley’s goal with 5 seconds left.  Irondale would beat them in the semi’s which ended their run.  Housley’s Senior year was perhaps the hardest moments of his career when Sibley would knock them out in the Section Finals.  Housley’s season was far from over, as he would make the National Team for team USA and play in the World Tournament against the likes of the Red Army team that was still intact from the 80 Olympics and Wayne Gretzky.