Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 takes it outside for a massive shinny celebration
It’s a pond hockey spectacular—and the backdrop is one of the mightiest ponds of them all.
Today, Duluth will host the 10th edition of Wells Fargo Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual festival of breakaways, slap shots and poke-checks. The all-day event will see a full slate of contests —with squirts, high schoolers, police, firefighters, and sled-hockey warriors all battling for icy real estate—on an outdoor rink in Bayfront Park, right on the shores of Lake Superior.
It’s the first time Duluth has hosted Hockey Day Minnesota, which was launched in 2007 by the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild to celebrate the game that has made Minnesota the State of Hockey.
“This is a great opportunity to highlight what makes Duluth so unique and special,” says Andy Reierson, a member of the Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 organizing committee. “We’re bringing a lot of people into town to take in the festivities, and this will be on both regional and national TV through FOX Sports North."
After a full day’s worth of games at Bayfront Park, Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 will wind up with a free outdoor party, open to the public, featuring tonight’s NHL contest between the Wild and the St. Louis Blues on the big screen. All told, about 5,000 people are expected to attend.
“If you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, you’ve got to be an outdoor enthusiast,” says Reierson. “What this festival will really show is the spirit of Duluthians, and our love of the outdoors—even in the winter.”
Enbridge, which transports, distributes and generates energy throughout North America, has been part of the Duluth culture since 1950. Today, we’ve got a workforce of about 800 in the Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior, WI.
We actively support communities near our pipelines and facilities, and we’ll be actively involved in today’s Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 event. Dozens of Enbridge employees have been mobilized among the estimated 250 volunteers required to stage this festival, acting as greeters and parking lot attendants.
We’re also sponsoring the Enbridge Energy Dash during the second intermission of today’s 1 p.m. high-school game between Duluth East and Lakeville North.
“Hockey Day Minnesota captures the vibrancy and the energy of the Duluth community,” says Cindy Finch, a Duluth-based senior public affairs advisor with Enbridge. “Life takes energy—it moves our economy, it fuels our quality of life—and Enbridge is proud to deliver it, safely and responsibly.”
Proceeds from Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 will benefit Duluth-area youth hockey programs.
