Da Beauty League Is Da Best

Are you missing hockey? This offseason has been years long, with the Minnesota Wild missing the playoffs. If you’re okay watching other teams, June was full of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, followed by the NHL Awards and this year’s entertaining NHL Draft. July was free agency, which was slightly more lively for the Wild. As July wrapped up, Brock Faber signed his long-awaited mega contract extension.

Now it’s August, and training camp seems so far away. Thankfully, one Minnesota staple can fill the hockey gap for a while. 

Have you heard of Da Beauty League? One great thing about Minnesota is the plethora of professional hockey players who live here in the offseason, whether by choice or because they grew up here. For the ninth year in a row, dozens of them choose to play for the four-on-four Da Beauty League.

There are six teams this year: four men's teams and two women's teams. The four men’s teams play a round-robin style until it comes to the last week when they playoffs to win the Cup (aka a beer keg).

The best parts of Da Beauty League:

Professional players from college, the AHL, overseas leagues, and the NHL play together on teams drafted by their captains.

There is always a handful of current or former Wild players who play.

The players choose to play for fun, to get back into playing shape, and for all of the kids who fill the rink on a summer night.

Proceeds from the league go to support four different charities, all listed on their website.

Fans can wait outside the rink before the games to get autographs and pictures with their favorite players.

Any Minnesota Wild Players This Year?

Yes! It’s been a lot of former players this year, but Jake Middleton has been playing in Da Beauty League ever since Minnesota traded for and extended him. He wasn’t in last week, but his brother Keaton played. Jon Merrill played for one week. Mason Shaw and Calen Addison both stayed for the summer and have been playing most weeks. Vinni Lettieri also played most weeks. Other former players in Da Beauty League include Erik Haula and Kyle Rau.

Quirks of Da League

Each game is two halves of 23 minutes each. This is not a goalie-friendly league, as most games are high-scoring. During the second week of play, one game ended with a 16-8 score. Each team has a “Double Puck” light that, when illuminated, means any goals scored by them count for 2 points. Each team gets one chance to use the light for two minutes each game.

And the best rule in Da Beauty League? Overtime is a shootout with a twist. The teams' shootouts happen simultaneously, with three pucks on each blue line. If a player doesn’t score, they must bring their puck back to the blue line before the next player jumps on the ice. The first team to score three goals wins the game. It is a frantic, chaotic, and wonderful way to break a tie game.