The decline of hockey in the "State of hockey"

[Fremitus Borealis]

Good thinking

 

[57special]

 

[drossco]

No idea. I just heard on that FSN show about Warroad that their ice time is free for all their youth teams.

Roseau is the real hockey town USA not Warroad. We used to refer to Warroad as hockey recruiting town. Yes Roseau has an indoor rink available 24/7, kids just show up and turn on the lights.

 

[mnhowitzer]

You know, that reminds me...

I read a book a while back called "The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization", which was, among other things, about how the slightly warmer weather in the middle ages allowed more crops to grow (and more people to be born), and how it was then followed by a slightly colder period where a lot of people died, there was more disease, etc. The overall premise was how we really don't think about how the weather and climate affect things until you take a step back and look at the big picture.

Doing that with hockey, it kind of makes sense that the big boom in the sport in MN coincided with several decades when it was slightly colder than it is now, and you could actually have these Norman Rockwell scenes of tons of kids playing shinny at the local outdoor rink all winter. The last several years, by contrast, you're lucky to get a month where it's consistently cold enough to keep local hockey players from taking an inadvertent polar-plunge.

Obviously there are tons of other factors that have already been mentioned --the cost, changing demographics, and so on-- but it's interesting to think about on this level, as well.

Boooom.

Play for fun. And genetics.

We don't allow kids to play for fun enough.

 

[TaLoN]

 

[Minnesota]

Listening to the draft, it sounded like there were a high number of Minnesotans drafted.

 

[Goose312]

Draft per capita if MN was its own country. Pretty strong year.

 

[TaLoN]

Looks like a good year for Finnesotans!

 

[Marlowe Syn]

Draft per capita if MN was its own country. Pretty strong year.

We should be our own country. Oh crap I don't live there anymore. Never mind

 

[TaLoN]

On the prospects board someone broke down Canada's provinces per capita to see how they would rank as well...

1-Manatoba 6.2
2-Finland 3.83
3-Alberta 3.4
4-Minnesota 3.08
5-Ontario 2.7
6-Sweden 2.69
7-Nova Scotia 2.2
8-Canada 2.19
9-Saskatchewan 1.8
10-British Columbia 1.3
11-Quebec 1.1

From there the list goes on down from Czech Republic etc from the image previously posted.

Manitoba, really impressive! Finland and Minnesota still rank very well there too!

 

[Marlowe Syn]

Very important subject. I think this development is a wider thing. Outside Minnesota, outside NA, outside hockey.. at least in 'western' world.

For example here sports like floorball, where you can't ever even earn big monies, the development is just same kind. Expensive clinics, huge amount of games and tournaments, teams are recruiting the best players very very early, overcompetive behavior at early age, very young individuals see already injuries and conditions because of too much and too monotonic training without proper rest between. So much money is needed that some single parents have two jobs that their kids could play in certain teams.

The game should be fun at first. On the streets, yards, ponds, fields wherever. Having fun and competing with friends. Even in many different sports.

Sometimes it looks like all the enjoyment, fun and love has already died. They're just focusing to be pros some day. Sometimes parents make it even worse.

The most gifted individuals have the spark and inner drive already. That's not something you can force. Let's try to enjoy first. Otherwise we'll kill the game and the reason to compete.

What Dampland said. It was like that even when I grew up in the 70's-80's. I played hockey because I loved to play hockey. I never did the stupid money camps and stuff. When hockey season was over and the park rink was back to being the deep outfield I was playing baseball. By the time I was high school age I was an outsider because I didn't do all the clinics and other "off season" activities. Strange thing is I was still pretty good, not great, but good. By my senior year hockey sucked for me. I just wanted to play. Oh and win. I actually tore up my ankle pretty badly and was done(forever) with skating. I was actually relieved, because it wasn't fun at that stage.

 

[joelef]

so here in St. Paul there building courts Sepak Tekraw
Nation’s first sepak takraw courts to be built on East Side | Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com

while there closing down hockey rinks
Changing demographics threaten state's largest ice arena network

Pretty sad state of affairs for the "state of hockey"

 

[tomgilbertfan]

so here in St. Paul there building courts Sepak Tekraw
Nation’s first sepak takraw courts to be built on East Side | Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com

while there closing down hockey rinks
Changing demographics threaten state's largest ice arena network

Pretty sad state of affairs for the "state of hockey"

Ooh, St Paul is building Sepak Takraw courts? Rad.

 

[Northerner]

so here in St. Paul there building courts Sepak Tekraw
Nation’s first sepak takraw courts to be built on East Side | Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com

while there closing down hockey rinks
Changing demographics threaten state's largest ice arena network

Pretty sad state of affairs for the "state of hockey"

It's sad.

 

[joelef]

Ooh, St Paul is building Sepak Takraw courts? Rad.

that's not the point . an obsucure east Asian sport is getting more support then our state sport .

 

[Bazeek]

that's not the point . an obsucure east Asian sport is getting more support then our state sport .

I think if you compared the amount of money going into Sepak Takraw and the amount going into hockey in the Twin Cities, it wouldn't be much of a comparison.

Still, the fact that hockey is an expensive sport, from the facilities to the equipment, is absolutely going to hasten its decline. It's as inevitable as the heat death of the universe.

 

[nickschultzfan]

We should be our own country. Oh crap I don't live there anymore. Never mind

I always thought it would be fun to divide up the World Cup of Hockey with 3 Canadian teams and 2 US teams.

 

[joelef]

well its looks like on the girls side the St.Paul Blades , a co-op of all the st.paul schools, have co-op with Henry Sibley. the "state of hockey"

 

[Northerner]

Has it continued to decline? Casey Middlestadt stayed. His brothers might stay (or not).


It is a pity kids these days don't get out and support their hockey teams...at least not like when I was in HS. I guess they would all rather be at home on their computers or something.

 

[joelef]

Looks like North Saint Paul and Tartan has moved down to single A. I predicted in less then 10 years they will be co-opted like there girls team .

 

[DANOZ28]

i do think its silly we claim to be the state of hockey yet the wild haven't won anything. i really think the wild shouldn't use that slogan.

 

[Minnewildsota]

i do think its silly we claim to be the state of hockey yet the wild haven't won anything. i really think the wild shouldn't use that slogan.

Right, because the ONLY hockey in the state is at the NHL level.

 

[Ban Hammered]

i do think its silly we claim to be the state of hockey yet the wild haven't won anything. i really think the wild shouldn't use that slogan.

We could not have the Wild and we would still be the state of hockey.
What the Wild do does not and will not change that.

 

[chchelseII]

My youngest daughters hockey cost the same as her soccer last year, both $1600. Of course the hockey equipment was more expensive, though. My oldest daughters theatre and show choir cost $2400 last year. About the same price as her goalie equipment and training, the last year she played, before she decided to focus on acting and singing.

Point is, sports is big business even at the youth level. All extracurricular activities are costly, it's all expensive now. Everybody wants your money........

 

[joelef]

We could not have the Wild and we would still be the state of hockey.
What the Wild do does not and will not change that.

the same "state of hockey" where its biggest city can only has one high school tea