No Complaints Here

Welcome to the real Hockeytown, U.S.A. St. Paul, Minnesota.

A recent Sports Illustrated article dubbed St. Paul, Minnesota the new "Hockeytown, U.S.A.", taking the reigns from Detroit. Detroit became the self-proclaimed Hockeytown in 1996 and has backed it up with strong play on the ice as well as three Stanley Cup titles since then. However, to be the true mecca of hockey in the U.S. you need fans. Attendance at Detroit games has decreased steadily. The 2007 season opener saw 2,500 empty seats when the Red Wings took on the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks. The Detroit organization has actually had to advertise Red Wings hockey, something that hasn't been necessary for over a decade. Detroit natives blame a dwindling economy (however the Tigers and Pistons don't seem to have a problem putting butts in seats). Truth be told, Detroit is not Hockeytown, U.S.A. Sports Illustrated's article details three deserving cities: Philadelphia, Buffalo, and St. Paul. Their final decision lies with St. Paul. How can you argue? Minnesota is hockey in the U.S. The Wild have sold out EVERY game since they debuted in 2000. There is actually some logic to the Wild playing most of their home games on Wednesday's or Sunday's...it's because boys games are Tuesday's, girls games are Thursday's, and college games (namely the University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University, two Division 1 hockey teams) are Friday's and Saturday's. Yeah. They're that serious. It's obvious that St. Paul deserves the new "Hockeytown, U.S.A" moniker. Congrats.