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David Backes
Zach Parise
Jamie Langebrunner.... All olympians... All from Minnesota.
Look at one of the 'stars' on your NHL team. Chances are you have a Minnesotan as your star. 50% of NHL teams have a Minnesota-born player on their roster.
You do realize people in Minnesota (kids and adults) play hockey throughout the year? It was 90+ degrees on Wednesday (106 with humidity), but I was still able to play hockey. Again, it's all about access and exposure.
And that's exactly the point I was trying to make. You can play hockey indoor at a rink, so that's why I get tired of people saying hockey shouldn't be played in the Sunbelt. Why is it that you think it's okay to play hockey in Minnesota during the summer when it's 90 but you have a problem with people playing hockey in the South during the winter when it's 50 (or during the summer in the South when it's 90 for that matter)?
Ponds (outdoor rinks) are frozen by local governments (cities) when temps start consistently staying below 25 degrees. Outdoor hockey is worthless to play once temps are anywhere near or over 25 degrees (too hot with your clothes and moving around, and ice quality sucks) so, first freeze is generally around early-mid December. That lasts til about the end of February where it just gets too warm to maintain.
Outdoor rinks aren't the problem. How many 'towns' and small cities in the 'south' have indoor rinks? Almost every town has a rink, and some places have multiple sheets of ice in one arena (up to 10 rinks). That's the difference. Getting ice time is hard but it's not impossible to go play at an arena, epecially in rec leagues or intramurals.
Like I said earlier, I realize hockey is bigger up North and Minnesota is the best hockey state. But ice rinks do exist in warm places, just not to the same extent (although I heard Raleigh has more rinks per capita than any other city in America). If anything, fewer rinks in the South just means you have to be dedicated to stick with it despite having a harder time finding rinks. Unlike someone in Minnesota that might take it for granted that they have so many rinks and so many opportunities to play hockey.
As someone who grew up in upstate NY and went to school in Philly I've never seen a hockey following like that in the twin cities
not even close on this one
the sheer number of backyard rinks, local parks with multiple rinks, indoor rinks, the following of HS, College and Professional levels .... the options for youth leagues
it's 100% completely ingrained into the culture to play, watch and breath hockey
The south is not a hockey area. Period. I'm sure most people in Raleigh who skate/play hockey are transplants from the North. Hockey isn't popular in the south, just like NASCAR isn't big in Minnesota. Nothing wrong with it, just cultural differences.
To answer the OP: St. Paul/Minneapolis, followed closely by Detroit. Minnesota gets the nod because of its high school hockey. There just isn't much high school or youth hockey in (lower) Michigan.
And that's exactly the point I was trying to make. You can play hockey indoor at a rink, so that's why I get tired of people saying hockey shouldn't be played in the Sunbelt. Why is it that you think it's okay to play hockey in Minnesota during the summer when it's 90 but you have a problem with people playing hockey in the South during the winter when it's 50 (or during the summer in the South when it's 90 for that matter)?
Because it's not part of the south's culture. Hockey is a Northern thing. The south is about NASCAR, fishing, basketball, baseball and football. Also, the lack of a winter in the south makes it impossible to play outdoor hockey.
Believe that the last US Olympic Team had 6 Michiganders and 4 Minnesotans but that doesn't really count, I'll think of a reason later.
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