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The 1892 Duluth Polo Club was part of a popular pre-hockey trend in Minnesota. Short curved sticks, similar to field hockey sticks, were used to hit a ball into a goal slightly smaller than present-day soccer goals. In 1893, the St. Paul Henriette's ice polo team defeated Duluth for the first Minnesota ice polo title. Duluth beat St. Paul the following year in a three-game championship believed to be the first ice polo games played on an enclosed rink.
Photo courtesy of Ross Bernstein
Amid all the attention given to the Minnesota Vikings and their resurgent run for the NFL playoffs, the casual sports fan might be forgiven for losing track of the success of the Minnesota Wild pro hockey team this season. They won two games over the weekend and are on top of their division.
The seven-year-old team has helped put St. Paul back on the hockey map. This month Sports Illustrated named St. Paul the real "Hockeytown USA."
The city reclaims the title from Detroit, which the magazine says is suffering from a lack of interest in their hometown team, the Red Wings.
Ross Bernstein is author of a number of books about hockey in Minnesota, including an exhaustive history of the sport called "More Frozen Memories: Celebrating a Century of Minnesota Hockey."
MPR's Tom Crann talked with Bernstein about the history of hockey in Minnesota.
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Bloomington native Mark Parrish returned home this season to play right wing for the Minnesota Wild. He won two high school state championships with Bloomington Jefferson High School in 1993 and 1994. He also played two seasons at St. Cloud State University.
Photo courtesy of Ross Bernstein
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The 1892 Duluth Polo Club was part of a popular pre-hockey trend in Minnesota. Short curved sticks, similar to field hockey sticks, were used to hit a ball into a goal slightly smaller than present-day soccer goals. In 1893, the St. Paul Henriette's ice polo team defeated Duluth for the first Minnesota ice polo title. Duluth beat St. Paul the following year in a three-game championship believed to be the first ice polo games played on an enclosed rink.
Photo courtesy of Ross Bernstein
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Roseau native Neal Broten is probably Minnesota's most accomplished pro hockey player. He won an NCAA championship with the University of Minnesota in 1979, an Olympic gold medal in 1980, and the NHL's Stanley Cup in 1995. He played 13 of his 17 seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota NorthStars. In his professional career, Broten tallied 289 goals and 634 assists in 1,099 games.
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