We just saw an incredible fan cap off a very fun Class A final of the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament. We'll talk all that and more on today's hockey video!
After long lockdowns, people are clamoring to watch something, anything, to bring some excitement into their life. Lots of Panther seats empty, which usually means, they chose other (warm/hot) weather activities. The the cold, snow bound cabin fever inhabitants don't have that option.
unmatched... the same way the US military is unmatched. no one else besides minnersoder high schools is going to invest that kind of money on hockey. so yeah, by default, sure lol.
The skate across the ice goal celebrations are actually to celebrate with your own fan section. There is actually a penalty if you jump into the glass of the opposing teams fans. It happened in the first round.
Being from Minnesota I can assure you this is true, this time of year and just high school hockey all around is more loved than any other sport in the state of hockey. Girls high school hockey is televised and just as great to watch.
I'm from Minnesota! Always my favorite time of the year. It's always a celebration here. This is why we are called The State of Hockey! Mark your calendar for next year. Super fun to watch and be a part of this tradition.
@The Legacy because every other state gets alot of our kids for college hockey we do have more nhlers than any other state it's not even close. We care more about the high school and collegiate levels in general. March is always a great time in Minnesota.
@@TheEDFLegacy Many analysts have said the Wild do have one of the best farm teams in the NHL. But yeah, kids go off to different schools and get drafted by different teams.
Then tell that kid with a Porche to enjoy his ban from his favorite team. The NHL should ban him as well, to dissuade future drunks, I mean, "fans" from trying to become "legends" as well...
@@JacksonSchultz-rp4mc Wow! Growing up in White Bear I used to ride my little Schwinn Free Spirit bike around the lake and which took me through Mahtomedi and it seemed pretty low brow. I moved away from WBL in about 1987, so I guess things have changed!
Got my first experience of watching this tournament live in person today, both big games had absolutely incredible atmospheres and the quality of play was really high on the ice too, couldn't have asked for a better tournament this year
Yeah man I’m from Minnesota and every year whenever our team makes state we have a massive school-wide celebration to send them off and a lot of students skip school on the 2-3 days they play to go watch, it’s crazy the environment is like the NHL playoffs
Born and raised in Minnesota and attended many tournaments. I've lived in The Philippines the past 8 years but thankfully KSTP streams all the games for free. So I got see my Skippers win the AA title even though games started around 9 a.m. for me locally. Love this tournament. About the only thing that compares for me is college hockey. Look for clips of the Minnesota Gophers hosting the Michigan Wolverines this Saturday for the B1G championship. 10,000 plus fans are going to rock 3M Arena. Thanks for this video it was fun to watch.
From MN, the tourney is amazing and is honestly one of the best hockey atmospheres I’ve ever been a part of and home to some of the most insane games of hockey I’ve ever seen
The State High School tournament is the most incredible experience, and would highly recommend it. There's essentially a season ticket list for the tournament, and if you're not on that list, it's extremely difficult to get to the Saturday games (Championships). Schools get the day off if their team makes it to state, and they haul kids to the X on school buses and have a whole section for the students to be there to cheer on their school. The student section chirps to each other are hilarious, and the random sections of other schools chirping the schools playing is a fun time too. Some of the best hockey being played in the country, and always a blast with upsets and so much energy. P.S. - If you want to sound like a Minnesotan, it's pronounce "Mah-ta-me-die". Our cities are weird as hell.
Watching this game live from my home in Minnesota, was amazing. I absolutely loved it, being hype af especially because I have some friends that moved to Mahtomedi, and they told me that they were hyped the entire time, watching the highschool team for their city, win a second time within 4 years.
Hockey Day is fun, but IMO doesn't compare to The Tourney. Plus, some out-of-staters wouldn't appreciate the cold that comes with sitting outside on Hockey Day.
I graduated from highschool in 05' in Minnesota and the hockey tourney was the best. They sent out letters at school asking if your child would be riding a school provided bus, arranging their own transportation, staying home or if they didn't want to go and couldn't stay home they could sit in the library all day. This was also the same for the Girls Volley Ball tourney at my school.
Gotta love all the city names in Minnesota that no one else in the country can pronounce properly. Mah-do-me-die for correct pronunciation. But yes this is always a crazy week in Minnesota
From MN. Play Bantam for a team in northeastern MN ( North Shore ) and I can tell you personally, it gets pretty rowdy even at PeeWee and Bantam levels. But Varsity/ High School is pretty insane. You have people from LITERALLY all over the state come to Xcel for High school games. Easily one of my favorite things to watch on TV
I loved it when Roseau, Mn. With a graduating class of 30 beat a Twin Cities team that had 30 players in the last unified state title. The underdog effect.
From northern Minnesota, these tournaments in person as a student are an experience you'll never forget. Every schools Tv is playing the tournament through out the day, its truly a holiday every year
Crazy to think of all the bigger populated areas in Minnesota, it's two small towns that send the best pretty frequently. Warroad is well known in the Hockey circle but it's size and location are crazy if you don't know about it. And Mahtomedi is a suburb of St. Paul really that you could drive through and completely miss if you aren't paying attention. Minnesota is probably the most crazed state for Highschool sports that I have ever known, having lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, and next to MN (work in MN) my whole life.
The MN High School Hockey tournament is the BEST week of hockey on the planet bar absolutely none. It’s a 4 day celebration of hockey in Minnesota where we pack 20,000+ fans into the Xcel Energy Center and many more pack the bars along west seventh. It’s on every TV you come across and it is the one thing many people look forward to each and every year. A season ticket holder wait list of over a decade, lines that go the entire length of the neighboring convention center just to get a standing room only ticket (you’ll wait upwards of 4 hours in total in this line just for a CHANCE at a ticket). Little kids in Minnesota don’t dream of the NHL, or DI hockey (although both of which many have played in/at), they dream of The Tourney. One day playing for their hometown at the X. It’s pure electricity. Whatever you think it is, it’s more. Words do NOT do it justice.
Minnesotan here. Yes. The high school hockey scene is huge here. We gathered the neighborhood kids, laced up our skates, hit the frozen lakes, ponds, outdoor rinks and played for hours when we were kids. Even kids who didn’t join leagues would lace up. Tournament weekend is a big to do. The Xcel Energy Center (where the Wild play) sells out every year. It’s so popular that there’s a 12 yr waitlist just for the chance at 2 season tickets. My family has had ours since 1970…4 generations have attended the tourney. Also, the name of the team that won in this video is pronounced “Mah dough me die”.
Reminded me when like 20 years ago we flooded the ice after our team won series deciding relegation from Czech top league. We stayed there for a good while, playing football with empty cans etc. Good times. One of my regrets is not attending much games in later years.
I play for Carleton college in Northfield and we practice after the HS team games sometimes. The rink's always packed when we arrive and then completely empty when we get on the ice lol
@@EckHockey that's beer league every night. Last night we got lucky and an ex-teammate buddy showed up to cheer and brought a case of PBR tallboys, which we destroyed in the parking lot in the driving wind and snow. THAT is Minnesota hockey baby!
I would have loved to play ice hockey in High School, but my small Colorado school didn't have it. Great sport! My only gripe about the sport is when you are watching on tv, it can be really hard to follow the puck. Half the time I just watch the players reactions to know where it is.
im from minnesota and even though or school is no longer in the competition they still played every single game on a big screen in our lunch room. ps fuck edina
From MN. Used to play hockey too. It is an awesome culture. This fans reaction is awesome too. Its almost everyones dream to get play in the state tournament. My team went 2 years ago and lost first round. Still fun tho. Winning the tourny has to be great as well
My high school team played in a little public arena that seated maybe two hundred people. The games were fun, but zero atmosphere. I went because my best friend played, and I was the only kid from my school at those games who wasn't playing. The atmosphere at these games in Minnesota looks incredible, the quality of play is fantastic, the energy level is super-high. It has to be a blast to go to one of those games.
As a kid who played at a 2AA school, all you ever want to do is play in the tourney. This is an epic event that is the top of the spear for every child in the state. This is something that the kids will take with them to their grave. It’s streamed nationwide, played locally and the tourney is sold out from beginning to end. It’s been played for years at “the X” after years at the old Civic center where they played with clear boards. The only tournament where “the metro hates the out state schools, out state hates the private schools, and everyone hates Edina.” - Dave Spehar
Love the coverage of the Minnesota high school hockey tournament, I as well as most kids in MN play hockey up until the end of high school. My dad and I go to the tournament every year
too many youngsters opt out of highschool puck and are in the chl by the time they're 16.. it's honestly not good because it gets to a lot of young kid's heads too early they're gonna be the next wayne gretzky when they're playing with guys 3-4 years older than them.
From San Francisco! I support Minnesota high school hockey! I’ve been playing adult league hockey for 8 years! Always interesting to see this for a state game!
My parents showed me when I was younger, VHS tapes of the Islanders dynasty cup run and then the first one you can see fans just hanging out with the whole team on the ice with the cup. It’s hilarious..
Dude, I'm so jealous of Minnesota. I live in Texas, and the only hockey I get is from the AHL and NHL. I've always wanted to play hockey and even high school hockey, but seeing as that's impossible, I get to just watch people play.
Look into adult beginner league hockey opportunities. There are rinks down in Texas, you just have to want to play. /I started playing hockey at 45 years old and continue to play (I'm 60 now).
Besides the stanley cup this is by far my favorite event in the year. I'm so lucky to be living in the twin cities. Those games give so many memories and even though I wasnt at that game (bc it sold out again), the maht comeback was one of the greatest things to see
as somebody whos from warroad, who supports warroad, and somebody who was heartbroken by the end of that game, i cant, that was the worst feelings, idek what to say. warroad is such a small town with such a heart for hockey and, the team has fallen apart over the offseason as 2 of the 4 coaches died and 2 of our players were drafted to the NHL and many went to the USHL i dont know what will happen next year, we were so close to the to a perfect season, like the one that TJ Oshie led us to in 2005 and by the way, its Maw-dum-ee-die.
All: Remember the names: Jayson Shaugabay (sp? UMD commit. USHL) and Carson Pilgrim (not committed, unbelievably. Different player but more complete, I think). The story I found a while ago that I found fascinating was how the local native Chippewa tribe works with the High School on the logo. It may be an easy decision for them to do considering there are usually around 8 kids or so who have native American blood who play for Warroad each year but still cool (of which Shaugabay and Pilgrim are as well, I believe). I think Oshie was as well (?). I was really rooting for them to put the third championship feather on the logo. Very cool story to the whole thing. I sat next to an elder, for lack of a better way to put it, during the Mahtomedi game who was a grandfather to one of the boys. His knowledege of the game was top notch. He even said after they got the goal to go up by two: "They better get one more. 2 isn't going to be enough". Unfortunately he was right.
Remember, this is only Class A, whose games get 6-7,000 fans a session, maybe 10K at the most Class AA is the big schools. They play to full houses every session; tickets are hard to come by. Because Class A games are usually less than half filled, it is general admission, unreserved seating. And students from the participating schools stand along the sides as you see here. In Class AA games those seats are reserved for season ticket holders, so the students are forced to stand behind the ends, with overflow student sections way up in the upper deck. And as you can see, the glass boards are higher at the ends, so it would be less possible for someone to scale the higher boards. Plus, I think there's netting attached at the ends. Worth noting is that the security people are from A.S.I.A., which is better known for handling crowds at heavy metal rock concerts wearing T-shirts. Even when wearing suits, these guys look, and are, intimidating. Kind of like motorcycle gang members wearing suits.
I remember playing Basketball on high school. But not in front of 20 000 fans, but in front of 200... I cant even imagine how much of a blast this tournament must be for the entire region!!!
You should try to get more into the tourney as it’s called here. Passion is like nothing else. Also the section he celebrated to was the Mahtomedi student section.
As a Bantam player in the Wayzata hockey association, I LOVE the Minnesota state hockey tourney!! School is a little less full on those days because everyone is at the games, I have heard!! We are the state of hockey, after all! , also Mahtomedi is pronounced Mot-o-meed-eye
Sadly my Bengals are not in it but I’m looking forward to seeing the Huskies winning. Sorry to correct but it is not Mad I med E. It’s like mod a meed I, though it is nice to seek the love for Minnesota Hockey, I miss hockey there.
minnesota high school state hockey tournament is pretty electric and Minnesota high school hockey is pretty damn good. the lower levels junior varsity and junior gold is good too and electric espically in the playoffs and sections
Its wild, I was a vendor at the Expo coinciding with the tournament. Absolutely electric here! Every single screen you see in bars etc has the tournament on it
So, I don't play ice hockey within the MSHSL (Minnesota State High School League), and I've never been to a MSHSL State Tournament Game but I know some people who's gone and witnessed first hand just how insane some of those student sections are (the student sections are why they go do those cross-ice cellys after all) and this sums it up for ya. Although, I do want to say someone in the Tournament is my 3rd Cousin. I play in a state tournament this weekend within the MSHSL, wish us luck. We got first in our southern conference with a record of 11-1, no its not Ice Hockey, however, it is Adapted Floor Hockey, I play in the PI (physically Impared) division I played ice hockey for about 10(?) Years and been playing Floor Hockey for 2 now. I am the leading scorer (31 Goals in 12 Games) on my team and (since we can change Goalies as much as we want) I also lead the team in Save Persentage (my SV% is .939 (31SV, 2GA), the other guy who we put in the net has a SV% of .647 (22SV, 12GA)). The team we lost to earlier in the season is 13-0, and their goalie is about as good as the closest wall to ya. They beat us 2-0. I don't know why I wanted to go on for so long about this, I just felt since we're talking about MSHSL State tournaments, I might as well try and get you or someone to wish my team luck this weekend (oh, and it should be televised or at least streamed, I can give the link if needed, Championship Game is on 3/18, 2:30PM CT)
That goal by Mahtomedi to end it was disgusting. What an ending. Definitely thought Warroad was gonna win it going into that game. Also, pumped Tonka won the AA game!!! Since you mentioned it, the fan that jumped the glass was escorted off the ice and reportedly got a 2-year ban from the Xcel, which, as a Minnesotan, is incredibly soft by Xcel. Hopefully, Billy G rectifies it lol.
MN Native, follower of Star Wars… to discover your hockey channel. Co-Workers introduce me as the guy from “Canada South”. Rooting for Maple Grove each year.
There's another angle of this that I saw and number 11 got crushed by his teammates (or possibly the person that jumped onto the ice) and at the end, he barely made it out of the team hug and just fell on the ice
I’m from Minnesota and I play hockey so this is one if not my favorite time of the year. It doesn’t matter what class I’m in every teacher gives us 3 free days to watch the high school tournament.
Thanks for covering stuff like this man. I really would never know or have any reason to know that these games are going on and I'm glad you bring minor league hockey into the light. Not to speak for anyone else of course haha.
So glad you covered this from my home state. Unfortunately in my lifetime it seems highschool hockey participation and interest has vacated the inner city and urban areas and is mainly a suburban/exurban and country thing. The easiest low hanging fruit explanation people might jump at is racial and ethnic change, but from my point of view it's also just more of a money thing. Hockey keeps getting more expensive while middle and lower class families are either making as much as they did 20 years ago or less. Minnesota is littered with Native American place names that are very difficult to get right just reading and not hearing it so I'm not knocking you or being snide when I say 'Mah - toe - me - dye'
You’re completely right, I have a some friends that go to Johnson and after 110 years they can’t afford the sport anymore and are probably going to fold.
@@JacksonSchultz-rp4mc Heartbreaking to see the home of Herb Brooks fold. I've played in that rink so many times and every time I looked at his All-Conference picture.
I went to Harding. The racial demographics totally flipped from when I went there. Hmongs aren't into hockey at all. Not sure what they do instead. Maybe swimming?
As a Minnesotan I appreciate you pronouncing Mahtomedi correctly (At least half of the time lol). Hockey is more than a sport here, it's a full on culture. Our high school tourney brings in NHL attendance numbers and it's just crazy to me
Lol I’m from there it’s my Home town he did not pronounce it correctly. But was close. It’s not an easy one tho. Fun fact it means WHITE BEAR in ojibwe .