Has ‘Hockey Day Minnesota’ Lost Its Way? [OPINION]

The first 'Hockey Day Minnesota' took place in 2007 with Lake of the Woods High School taking on St. Paul Johnson on Baudette Bay. There were some stands set up around the makeshift rink and fans stood and sat wherever they could to get a glimpse of the game.

The next few Hockey Days were at Phalen Park, Hermantown and Moorhead. The 2013 event was held at Lake Pokegama in Grand Rapids, 2014's Hockey Day took place at Handke Pit in Elk River and Lake Bemidji hosted in 2019.

St. Cloud's Lake George hosted Hockey Day Minnesota in 2018. Instead of playing on the lake, the game was held on a rink built near the shore. It was a very fun and memorable event and the city showed up to cheer on their teams.

READ MORE: HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA IN ST CLOUD 

Since then it seems more about the seating and attendance than the setting. 2020's Hockey Day Minnesota took place at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis, 2022 at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato and this year's event was held at Valleyfair.

Don't get me wrong, Mankato hosted an excellent version of HDM, but it lacked the magic of those first Hockey Days on the Baudette Bay.

Over the weekend it was announced that the 2027 Hockey Day Minnesota will be held at Brainerd International Raceway. You know, where all kids in Brainerd grow up playing hockey.

The Valleyfair setting could have been awesome and, maybe if you were there, it was! However, on television it just looked like an outdoor hockey game being played in a parking lot.

Tickets for this year's Hockey Day Minnesota were $39-$79 per day (it is now a four-day event that begins on a Wednesday and goes through Saturday), plus a $25 fee to park at Valleyfair.

That's right: to watch a hockey game in the parking lot of Valleyfair on Saturday it would have cost you $104 with parking included. What are we even doing here?

Let's get back to the basics. Pick an iconic, existing outdoor rink or pond. Let the people from the community show up for a reasonable price to show off their hometown pride. Let's celebrate the sport of hockey and its rich tradition in the state without the price gouging and big venues.