Massachusetts is losing the battle of the ‘State of Hockey' to Minnesota. What's working there?

Boston Globe

05-03-2025

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In 2024-25, the number of under-18 hockey players in Minnesota climbed to 49,912. In contrast to Massachusetts, a majority suit up for their local schools — even the skaters headed for the NHL someday.
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'It was kind of the event, or two events, of the week,' said Backes. 'When the team played, the student section was typically full. You get the parents, the alumni, all there. For us, being in a smaller town was something you took a lot of pride in, wearing your city and your school's colors.'
Backes represented his country twice in the Olympics. He captained Minnesota State Mankato and carved out a 15-year NHL career.
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He still cherishes the days playing for his hometown.
'I've got a lot of good memories from playing high school hockey,' said Backes. 'I grew up in the same town, played with the same group of guys my whole youth, growing up all the way to our senior year. And I think just the camaraderie that you have, and then being out in a small town, it kind of felt like it was us against the world.'
'The real reason why there are so many Minnesotans playing college hockey and NHL hockey is the access,' said Mike Snee, the Minnesota Wild's vice president of community relations. 'I don't care how good your coaches are if all of your 5-year-olds choose basketball.'
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Dodge County forward Brody Lamb and his teammates watch the video board at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., which regularly sells out more than 16,000 seats for the high school state championships.
Anthony Souffle/Associated Press
It is, of course, the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes.' Minnesota's hockey culture thrives thanks to its frosty climate. Anywhere you go, you can skate, so long as the weather complies.
Of the 201 ice rinks in the state, all but two are owned by a municipality — a stark contrast from Massachusetts, where just 68 of 148 rinks are publicly owned.
Minnesota's communities invest in their own using hockey. In Massachusetts, parents aren't just hockey moms and dads. They're customers in the business of hockey, forking over dizzying sums of money to keep their children on the ice. It's now a white-collar sport, through and through.
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'Massachusetts is a cautionary tale,' said Snee. 'Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the culture of how hockey was delivered to players and families changed. The outcome has not been good. Shame on us if we don't learn from what happened in Massachusetts.'
Hockey rinks are revered as community outposts in Minnesota. The local barns are treated just like a pool, a playground, or a park.
'The way that a kid in Minnesota plays hockey is the way that a kid in the country plays football anywhere,' said Snee.
Whomever controls the rink controls the sport. If towns own the rink, costs are kept as low as possible. Roseau Memorial Arena, 10 miles from the US-Canada border, has a sheet of ice that's open 24 hours. The only requirement is for the last person out to turn off the lights.
Mike MacMillan, the USA Hockey national coach-in-chief, said Massachusetts is 'in a lot of trouble.'
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Is it reversible?
'I think yes,' MacMillan said. 'You need to go back to building rinks.'
New England boasts a plethora of prep schools armed with limitless resources, strong academics, and glistening facilities. The possibility of playing at one of these institutions can lure players from their hometown, but that isn't as much of an issue in Minnesota. The prep-school push, plus the grind to get on the ice anywhere you can, has shifted the balance in favor of private rink owners in the Bay State.
'The pressures, for private, seem to have infiltrated their way into Massachusetts hockey faster than they have for Minnesota hockey,' said Bentley coach Andy Jones.
Minnesota and Massachusetts used to be an arms race, the two best hockey states in a constant competition. Now?
'It's Minnesota and everyone else,' said Falmouth coach Paul Moore.
In 2004-05, Minnesota outnumbered Massachusetts in Division 1 hockey players, 205-149. In the 2024-25 season, Minnesota boasts a 261-113 advantage.
'The entrepreneurs stole our game,' Moore said, 'and we've got to fight back on it.'
In Minnesota, the community model creates high-caliber players — and even better memories.
'It's got its place in my heart,' said Backes. 'At the time, that was as big as it got, and I was doing it to my fullest, and felt like that was the pinnacle.'
Cam Kerry can be reached at