State of Hockey (nickname)

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Nickname for Minnesota, US

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The state of Minnesota is widely recognized as the "State of Hockey" due to a combination of its rich history, vibrant local hockey culture, a competitive high school league, elite development schools, and successful collegiate programs. The state now leads the country in the production of top-tier ice hockey talent at most levels.[1]

# State of Hockey: By the Numbers[edit]

## 18-and-Under Players Registered Players with USA Hockey[edit]

* 49,884: the number of Minnesotans 18-and-under registered for the 2022-23 season. Minnesota leads all US states in the number of players 18-and-under. Massachusetts was second with 41,072 and New York ranked third with 36,362 registered players 18-and-under. Wisconsin and Colorado, two states with similar populations, have 17,195 and 11,764 registered players.[2]

## Boy's and Men's Hockey[edit]

### Minnesota State Boys High School Hockey Tournament[edit]

The Minnesota State Boys High School Hockey Tournament is currently the largest state sports tournament in terms of viewing and attendance, beating Florida's State High School Football Tournament and Indiana's State High School Basketball Tournament.[3]

* 129,643: record paid tournament attendance set in 2008.
* 41: the number of tournaments eclipsing the 100,000+ barrier.[4]
* 37: the number of countries where the state tournament has been streamed [5]

### North American Hockey League[edit]

* 171: the number of Minnesota-born players in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Minnesota leads the country in active North American Hockey League (NAHL) players.[6]

### United States Hockey League[edit]

* 104: the number of Minnesota-born players in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Minnesota leads the country in active United States Hockey League (USHL) players.[7]

### NCAA Division I[edit]

* 233: the number of Minnesota-born NCAA Division I players. Minnesota now produces more NCAA Division I players than every US state and Canadian province.[8]

* 10: the number of Hobey Baker Award winners. Minnesota leads all states in the number of Hobey Baker Award winners.

* 54 of 64: number of NCAA D-1 Men's teams with at least one Minnesota-born player on their roster. [9]

### American Hockey League[edit]

* 54: the number of Minnesota-born players in the American Hockey League (AHL). Minnesota ranks first in the number of active American Hockey League (AHL).[10]

### National Hockey League[edit]

* 52: the number of Minnesota-born players in the National Hockey League (NHL).[11] Minnesota now has more active NHL players than any other US state or province other than Ontario.[12]
* 306: the number of Minnesota-born players to have played the National Hockey League (NHL). Minnesota leads all US states in active and former NHL players.[13]

## Girl's and Women's Hockey[edit]

### 18-and-under girls hockey players[edit]

13,332: the number of 18-and-under girls registered. Massachusetts was ranked second (10,056), Connecticut (5,847) was third, Wisconsin (4,232) fourth and Michigan (3,797) was fifth.[14]

### NCAA Division I[edit]

* 222: the number of Minnesota-born NCAA Division I women hockey players. Minnesota produces more NCAA Division I women players than any other US state. [15]

## Minnesota's Role in Developing Players[edit]

* Minnesota is home to the premier hockey development school in North America, Shattuck-St. Mary's and the top high school programs in the country. These programs have developed numerous players who moved to Minnesota from elsewhere, including Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Nathan MacKinnon, and T. J. Oshie.[16]

## Minneapolis–Saint Paul: "Center of the American Hockey Universe"[edit]

While other metropolitan areas have claimed the title of "Hockey Capital USA," the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area is considered by most as the "Hockey Capital USA." To further solidify this title, ESPN has named the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area as the "Center of the American Hockey Universe."[17]

* There are 72 public and private high school ice hockey varsity teams[18] and 55 Junior Gold A and B high school ice hockey teams[19] within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area.
* Minneapolis–Saint Paul leads all US metropolitan statistical areas with 40 active National Hockey League (NHL) players from the metro area.[20]
* 19 former and current National Hockey League (NHL) players from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area have their name inscribed on the Stanley Cup.[21]
* Eight (8) former ice hockey players from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area have won gold medals at the Olympic Games. Seventeen (17) have won silver medals, and one has won a bronze.[22]
* From 2014 to '19, the Minneapolis area saw a 4.5% increase in community participation. This number included a 9.6% increase in girls' hockey players during that span, up to 9,227 in 2018–19
* According to USA Hockey, there were 36,620 youth hockey players (ages 4–18) from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area during the 2018–19 season. This number does not include the large number of boys and girls playing public and private high school hockey in the Twin Cities market.
* According to USA Hockey's count, there are 163 sheets of ice in the Minneapolis area, including the largest ice arena complex in the world, the Schwan Super Rink.
* Minneapolis–Saint Paul is home to two Division I Men's and Women's ice hockey programs; the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas
* Minneapolis–Saint Paul is home to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

† Note: High school ice hockey teams and players from the Wisconsin part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA are not included in these stats.

## References[edit]

1. ^ Bryan Murphy (April 21, 2023). "Why is Minnesota called the 'State of Hockey'? Explaining the history behind the state's nickname". Sporting News. The Sporting News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
2. ^ "2022-23 Season Final Registration Reports" (PDF). USA Hockey. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
3. ^ "Minnesota confirms 'State of Hockey' title with high school championships reverence". sportingnews.com. 2020. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
4. ^ "Boys Ice Hockey Attendance" (PDF).
5. ^ "State hockey tournament: Great play, exciting games — and folks all over the world are watching". pioneerpress.com. 2017. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
6. ^ "NAHL Totals by Birth State - 2023‑2024 Stats".
7. ^ "Active USHL Players Totals by Birth State - 2023‑2024 Stats".
8. ^ "Minnesota Leads the Way in Producing College Hockey Players". November 2023.
9. ^ "Competition for top talent continues to rise in Minnesota's collegiate ranks". October 2023.
10. ^ "AHL Totals by Birth State - 2023‑2024 Stats".
11. ^ "Active NHL Players Totals by Birth State - Career Stats".
12. ^ "Competition for top talent continues to rise in Minnesota's collegiate ranks". 22 October 2023.
13. ^ "NHL Totals by Birth State - Career Stats".
14. ^ "2022-23 Season Final Registration Reports" (PDF). USA Hockey. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
15. ^ "Why Minnesota's youth hockey model keeps numbers rising and growing the gap with other states". November 2023.
16. ^ "Why Minnesota Is Truly the State of Hockey". 8 September 2023.
17. ^ Greg Wyshynski (February 18, 2020). "USA hockey hotbed heat check: What's the center of the American hockey universe?". ESPN. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
18. ^ "2022-2023 Regular Season Standings".
19. ^ "2021-2022 Regular Season Standings".
20. ^ "Active NHL Players Born in Minnesota".
21. ^ "Minnesotans inscribed on Lord Stanley's Cup".
22. ^ Steve Zimmerman (February 20, 2022). "Every medal won by a Minnesotan in the long history of the Winter Olympics". Star Tribune. www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2022-11-26.