Jessi Hinrichs

Lou Nanne is a Minnesota hockey legend. He was an All-American, league MVP and remains the first and only defenseman to ever win the WCHA scoring title while at the University of Minnesota. After officially becoming a U.S. citizen in 1968, he captained the ‘68 U.S. Olympic Team in addition to two more national squads.

There’s no place like the pond. The homemade backyard rink with floodlights. The meticulously shoveled sheet on the lake. The public park. And toasty warming houses with fresh hot cocoa. It’s that wonderful time of year in the State of (Outdoor) Hockey. A rite of passage for most of us Minnesotans, whether you’ve never play an organized game of hockey in your life, or you play for the Minnesota Wild, like Eden Prairie’s Nick Seeler and Bloomington’s Zach Parise. The pond is where the heart is.

This past year alone, the State of Hockey produced: But what is it exactly that makes Minnesota so successful at developing the game’s elite talent? What’s the secret in our frozen water? We spoke with former and current Division I college coaches about Minnesota’s ‘it’ factor. The community-based model, where kids play for their hometown from the first time they hit the ice up until they graduate, is unique to our state.