Bjugstad and Goligoski grew up playing outdoors in Minnesota, played for their local high schools and the University of Minnesota, and will play for the Minnesota Wild against the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; TNT, SN1, TVAS, NHL LIVE).
"That's where the game started for us," said Bjugstad, a forward. "It's a way for us to play an NHL game while we're doing it for a living but also kind of incorporate it with our inner child, and I think that'll be really cool."
Bjugstad and Goligoski represent the State of Hockey, where outdoor hockey isn't just romantic, it's part of real life perhaps more than anywhere else in the United States. Minnesota has produced more NHL players than any other U.S. state. In NHL history, 284 Minnesota-born players have played at least one game, including 49 this season. Massachusetts has had 209 players all time, 24 this season. Michigan has had 188 all time, 34 this season.
The Winter Classic will celebrate the State of Hockey by making Target Field in Minneapolis, the home of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, look like the site of a pond hockey tournament. Various teams and clubs from around the state will skate on an auxiliary rink and be recognized.
"I mean, all the communities rally around hockey so much," said Goligoski, a defenseman. "It's such a big part of all the communities around here. You drive around, there's rinks everywhere. You can't miss them. There's kids out on them every day.
"So, I mean, it's just natural that we end up producing a lot of really good hockey players. There is a ton of pride for hockey here and seeing local kids do well."
Bjugstad grew up in Blaine, a suburb about 25 minutes north of the Twin Cities. His dad, Mike, put him on skates in the house before the ice so he could get the feel for them on solid ground first.
"I don't know if my mom loved that," he said.
He grew up skating on his neighbor's backyard rink and at a place with three outdoor sheets in his hometown. It had a resurfacing machine, so the ice was always good.
"It was called Happy Acres, and it was a happy place for me," Bjugstad said.