The Stanley Cup Final is here. This is why the fans are the real MVPs: NPR

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Hockey is a way of life in Minnesota, and for my family, watching the game is just as active a sport as playing it. I’ve been going to hockey games since I was a kid and watched my older brother play goalie in his Mite (ages 7-9) league. I have tried to play the sport only once when I was 9 years old and after one season I decided to hang up my sweater and remain an avid fan. I quickly realized that I didn’t have the desire and ability to fully commit and play the game. A feeling that wasn’t helped by the fact that most kids start playing at age 5. Even though I didn’t play hockey, I learned that fan involvement is just as important. to the game. We have the ability to elevate our team with our energy and commitment.

My family has had season tickets to the Minnesota Wild since it started in 2000, and when I was younger, all four of us went together. It was one of the most common ways to spend time together. Above all, it helped me connect with my father and older brother. And now, it’s a family tradition that I can pass on to my daughter, who will make it to her first game next season. We could argue about everything else, but we always agreed on hockey and patiently waited for the day when we could watch our team lift the Stanley Cup and celebrate.

The Minnesota Wild were eliminated from the playoffs earlier this season, but our state was well represented throughout the season. This year, 56 Minnesotans actively played in the league, the most of any National Hockey League state. This year, the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights will meet for the championship.

Analyze with his brother and former hockey player Tom Reid.

Analyze courtesy of Ober

hide caption

change the caption

Analyze courtesy of Ober

We call Minnesota the “Hockey State” and true to our name, we celebrate this cold winter sport at all age and league levels. Each year, the Minnesota Wild host Hockey Day, where high school and college teams from across the state play on outdoor rinks during the all-day event. We immerse ourselves in hockey, from the local community hockey team all the way up to the pros. Probably because it snows nine months out of the year in Minnesota (not really, but we joke that it does!), but hockey has become a huge definer of our cultural identity.

Pond hockey and pick-up matches are a common sight in winter. Families all over Minnesota are doing well backyard hockey rinks, clearing the snow and constantly flooding the surface with water until it is frozen enough to support the weight. Despite the bitter cold, you can see children playing outside for hours.

One of my favorite memories of watching community hockey was my brother’s EMS Memorial Hockey Tournament. Most of the guys were decent skaters, a few could barely skate at all, and of course there’s always one or two who definitely played college hockey; but everyone had fun. It was just a fundraiser with four EMS teams, but the arena was packed. Families, friends and everyone else who happened to be there cheered, laughed and enjoyed the game together.

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

I love sitting in the Xcel Energy Center, feeling the collective energy of everyone around me wildly conquering the ice. The sound of the puck hitting the post on a missed shot followed by an “Oh!” from the fans. We anticipated the sound of the fog horn, the booming sound that scared me as a kid when we scored. The foghorn is designed as a beacon for all lighthouses located on the north shore of Lake Superior. We call it “lighting the lamp” because the shot lights up the goal light behind the net.

Of course, it wouldn’t be hockey without hockey fights, taunting the other team’s players when they land in the penalty area, and yelling at the referees when they make a bad call; that sets everything in motion. These moments make the fan base essential to a hockey club because it’s our way of participating in the game and using our collective energy to build our team’s confidence and let them know we’ve got their backs.

Still, one of my absolute favorite parts of the game is watching the mite or mini punks (ages 6 and under) play at halftime. Yes, because they are small, adorable and always huddle together chasing the puck. But also because the audience still cheers them like professionals. We get excited when one of the kids gets loose, and whether he scores or the keeper saves it, we get them involved. It doesn’t matter who plays, why or at what level, if it’s hockey, the community is always a part of it.

I walk into the Xcel Arena, which holds over 18,000 people, and take my seat like it’s my living room. For three hours, everyone around me is a friend we talk about, cheer for, shout together at the judges. In this space and time, we forget the chaos of our lives, forget our differences and rally behind our team. We don’t need anything else in common to connect.

What do you really like? Fill out this form or leave us a voice message at 800-329-4273 and a portion of your broadcast may be broadcast online or on the radio.