The history of Hockey Day Minnesota

In 12 years of Hockey Day Minnesota, there have been highs and lows and a whole lot of goals. On the eve of the latest iteration, taking place at Lake George in St. Cloud, it's time to take a look back at years past.
At 1 p.m. on a freezing day in 2007, at a humble rink in Baudette Bay, St. Paul Johnson and Lake of the Woods School squared off in the first-ever Hockey Day Minnesota. Lake of the Woods would ultimately win 5-3, cementing its place in history as the first winners of a Hockey Day game.

That would be the only game outside that year, as the Golden Gophers hosted the Denver Pioneers inside at Mariucci Arena more than 300 miles south of Baudette, and the Minnesota Wild welcomed the Dallas Stars to Xcel Energy Center.
Now fast-forward to 2018: Instead of three games on one day, there are seven games over a span of two days. Five of those games will take place outdoors at Lake George, where there will be live music, food trucks and entertainment aplenty in an urban setting.
Both boys and girls high school teams will play, along with men and women's collegiate teams, an alumni team and, of course, the Wild itself.
Since Hockey Day began, 34 different high school teams have been featured from across the State of Hockey. One hundred sixty-five goals have been scored in high school games, four of which came in overtime nail-biters.
Hill-Murray School, which is tied for most Hockey Day appearances with three, has posted the best record of boys' high school teams: the Pioneers are undefeated on Hockey Day, thanks to coming out on the right side of all three one-goal games.
Minnetonka has made the most Hockey Day appearances of the girls' high school teams, with Stillwater a close second; both times Stillwater's girls have been featured, they bested Minnetonka. However, Minnetonka pulled away with the win in its only other appearance, over Hopkins.
This year's collegiate hosts are no strangers to Hockey Day, either, as the
St. Cloud State University men's team
has a record of 1-1-0 on Hockey Day and the women's team is 1-0-0. Unlike last year, though, the women's team will have the opportunity to play outside rather than in the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
"Don't get me wrong, we love 'The Herb,'" said Alyssa Erickson, a senior forward for
St. Cloud
. "But] the girls are definitely excited to be playing in a different environment."
This will be the first time that the women's collegiate teams will play outside.
In other firsts, four live artists will perform, and FOX Sports North is offering a
[virtual reality app in conjunction with their broadcast
-- things that would have seemed far out of the realm of possibility in 2007 or 2008, when the temperature was a bitter minus-17 degrees and iPhones had barely hit the market.
"Every year, Hockey Day Minnesota keeps getting bigger and bigger, and Hockey Day has slowly become Hockey Weekend," said Wayne Petersen, the Wild's director of community relations and hockey partnerships. "This year is no exception. The St. Cloud local organizing committee has done a fantastic job preparing for the big event."
In its years of existence, Hockey Day Minnesota has ingrained itself into the fabric of the State of Hockey. FOX Sports North has produced more than 164 hours of original Hockey Day programming and amassed 12 Emmys for its work; more than 185,000 fans have packed the Xcel Energy Center for Hockey Day Minnesota games.
The Wild hasn't disappointed in those games, either, posting an 8-2-1 record over opponents. Despite a shootout loss to the Stars in the inaugural year, the home team has been resoundingly successful on Hockey Day, especially in the following two games against their most frequent Hockey Day visitor.
The Wild downed Dallas, 5-2, in 2012, and pulled out the overtime win in 2014 thanks to Elk River native Nate Prosser -- who, fittingly, scored that game-winner the same year Elk River played host to Hockey Day.
From movie moments like that to battles with the elements (the 2012 games had to move inside due to warm weather and the resulting ice conditions), from honoring Minnesota troops' service overseas in the "St. Paul to Kuwait"-themed 2015 games, to blowout wins, from Baudette to St. Paul and everywhere in between, Hockey Day has been a journey across the State of Hockey the past 12 years.
Related:
- 12 things to know about the 12th annual Hockey Day Minnesota - Hockey Day broadcast details