Imagine yourself a local varsity high school hockey player, and you’ve just been handed the new season’s schedule by your coach. You scroll through the opponents and the region’s various rink assignments. In middle January you’re startled to see the likes of Cabin John, Laurel’s Gardens Ice House, and Fort Dupont replaced for your game against DeMatha with: “Potomac River.”
The banks of the Potomac undoubtedly would be littered with attorneys for that matchup — in D.C., the litigation-liability capital of the world, every conceivable skating pond and stream is today garnished by government signs forbidding it, whereas out in America, people simply live and recreate prudently. But assuming Mother Nature somehow could cooperate here, what an amazing postcard backdrop that would be.
Two high schools in the uppermost region of Minnesota will face off in comparable fashion this coming January 20, when Lake of the Woods meets St. Paul Johnson outdoors on Baudette Bay.
The game is perhaps the centerpiece of this week’s announced “Hockey Day Minnesota.” On Saturday, January 20, 2007, the State of Hockey will formally recognize the game’s claim on its residents with a day-long feast of puck. Eleven consecutive hours of hockey will be televised by Fox Sports North then, and joining the high school game on the slate will be the Denver-Minnesota college tilt followed by the Wild and Dallas Stars in the evening.
Speaking of being startled, how about the respective cheerleaders for these two high schools drawing the shivering spirit-boosting duty that day — literal Ice Girls!
There’s little chance Mother Nature won’t cooperate in this part of the world in mid-January. Baudette-Lake of the Woods is located more than 300 miles north of Minneapolis. In fact, this community is closer to Winnipeg than Minneapolis.
Baudette, claimed by its residents to be the walleye capital of the world, is also home to Willie the Walleye. Willie weighs two-and-a-half tons and is 40 feet long.
“Hockey in Minnesota is special because of the passion people have for it statewide at so many different levels,” said Mark Jorgensen, executive director of Minnesota Hockey. “This day will be a celebration of that, and a snapshot of how special hockey is in Minnesota.”
3 Comments
Being a native Minnesotan, but never having been to Baudette, I would argue that Garrison, MN, is the Walleye Capital of the World. In fact, this website seems to agree with me.
I think every lake town in Minnesota claims to be the Walleye Capital…except Madison, they have claimed “Lutefisk” as their fish of choice…delicious.
Being that i am a native minnesotan and have actually lived in baudette and milaca, i would have to go with baudette, if you have been there or have lived there, well lets just say…..you would know
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