The best high school tournament in America

March 14, 11:54 AMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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Where it all begins

The third week of March is the most triumphant time of the year around these neighborhoods. The Minnesota Boys State Hockey Championship is here once again.

Indiana and Kentucky revere their basketball, Texas and Florida place football at the top of the Totem Pole. There have been movies made, for gosh sakes! "Hoosiers" embracing Indiana basketball, "Friday Night Lights" exposing the world to Texas high school football.

In Minnesota, I would contend that we have the most focused participants, players and fans, when the Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament takes place every March. It is the best tournament in America, bar none. Break out the booya. Slurp down some chile.

These kids can skate. The busloads of parents and fans make the long trek from the border where there is the wind, the numbing cold, and hockey, played outdoors in subzero temperatures. Ahem...that would be subzero. They make their way to St. Paul's Excel Energy Center or Mariucci Arena at the University of Minnesota to take on the city powerhouses. The big city schools that used to have all the money were held in disdane and still are. Edina, a Minneapolis suburb used to go to state so often and win so often they became known across the state as the "Cake Eaters". Vicious, vindictive, and very funny.

Both venues are sold out, tickets are at a premium, handed down generation to generation. They make a big deal of this in Green Bay with The Packers. It's just as fervent, here, the average attendance per game  is always around 18,000 people. The state stops to watch. Really. Every bar and bistro has the games on TV. I realize that the college mens basketball conference championships are going on but they get nudged out by boys hockey at this time of year around here.

It is not unusual for these kids to be plucked off the ice between games so they can sign a contract and go to the NHL. No stopping at the minor leagues for you, boy, you're going straight to The Black Hawks or Red Wings. They really are that good. Here is a partial list of notables who have played in this most ardent event in the state:

Neal Broten, Herb Brooks, Phil Housley, Tom Preissing, Doug Zmolek, John Mayasich, Craig Norwich, Mike Antonovich, Henry Boucha, Steve Janaszak, John Pohl, Dave Spehar, Jeff Vivant, Mark Parrish, TJ Oshie, Blake Wheeler, TJ Dahl and Ben Hanowski are among the many players that flew around the rink in Minnesota high school hockey. I even notice a couple of South St. Paul names in the mix.

Ah, South St. Paul. We've been to the boy's state tournament more than just about any other town in the state. We've never won. Ever. We bleed hockey in South St. Paul. We bleed hockey in this state. It is the most glorious time of the year.

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