Hockey Day Minnesota is Back... Kind Of

The pandemic may be throwing all kinds of wrenches into scheduled plans like the Winter Classic, the NWHL playoffs and Minnesota Wild games, but fortunately for hockey fans, one event will still take place - just in a different way than usual.

The Wild, along with Fox Sports North, announced Thursday that the annual celebration of Hockey Day Minnesota will take place on February 27th, broadcasting from the John Rose Oval in Roseville, Minnesota. However, the normally in-person event featuring several live, outdoor high school and collegiate contests will be replaced with a series of replays and retrospectives, as well as one live (though indoor) event - a regularly scheduled game between the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings.

Starting at 1 p.m., Fox Sports North will run replays from the 2007 HDM high-school game between St. Paul Johnson and Lake of the Woods, and will follow that up with the 2018 battle between the women’s college programs from the Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State. At 6:30, the normally scheduled Wild Live will air, followed by the broadcast of Wild/Kings from the Xcel Energy Center, with puck drop at 7 p.m.

Finally, to cap off the day, FSN will debut the Minnesota Wild’s 20th Anniversary documentary: a look back at the two-decade history of of the Wild featuring highlights and interviews. The documentary is scheduled to air at 10 p.m.

Throughout Hockey Day Minnesota, FSN will also feature looks back and “where are they now?” features on players and teams throughout the history of Hockey Day Minnesota, as well as an interview with Dr. Joel Boyd, the team physician of the Minnesota Wild and the first African-American team doctor in league history.

The 2021 Hockey Day Minnesota festivities were originally planned for Mankato, Minnesota with the regular lineup of live, outdoor hockey games, but the event was postponed in October due to the spread of COVID-19. It was announced at that time that Hockey Day Minnesota 2022 will instead be held in Mankato, with dates, times and schedules to be determined.