- U.S. Pond Hockey Championships
The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual
pond hockey event onLake Calhoun inMinneapolis ,Minnesota . Though an amateur tournament, the competition draws hockey enthusiasts from all over North America, many of whom have pro and college hockey experience.ESPN.com has recently listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die"
Format
The tournament includes competition in six divisions:
* The Open Division (anyone can play)
* Rink Rats (amateurs who would rather not face the near-pro talent that is common in the Open Division)
* Women's
* SeniorsThe teams compete for a trophy called the
Golden Shovel . Each year, the winners of each division get to engrave their names into the Golden Shovel in a tradition reminiscent of theNHL 'sStanley Cup .Past Winners (Open Division)
2006:Wright Homes almost 40:Curt Wright,Justin Brown,Dan Goff,Dave Bakken,Dave Shute,Randy Gallatin
2007: Whiskey Bandits:Jamison Steinert,Matt Elsen,Jess Johnson,Tim Olson,Nick Hanrahan,Dan Ibrahim
2008:Wright Homes almost 40:Curt Wright,Justin Brown,Dan Goff,Dave Bakken,Dave Shute,Randy Gallatin
2007 Tournament
Due to the unusually warm weather in
Minnesota during the winter of 2006-2007, tournament sponsors had to move to the tournament fromLake Calhoun toLake Nokomis . Notable players in the 2007 tournament include:*
Phil Housley
*Brad Bombardir
*Guy Kawasaki External links
* [http://www.uspondhockey.com U.S. Pond Hockey Championships Web Site]
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