How bad is IRC hockey?

[northwoods oldtimer]

Grand Rapids lost in the state championship that year to Edina East 5-4 in double-overtime, despite out-shooting them 52-23 in the game.

Scot Kleinendorst blast that was missed by the goal judge...uuuugh! don't remind me

[TheHockeyDJ]

Was it as bad as the goal missed in '05 in Hibbing? Down 3-1 to CEC, Tom Stunyo shot one that went on the ice inside the left post, hit the front of the sand bag and out. Would of been a huge momentum swing in that game.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Was it as bad as the goal missed in '05 in Hibbing? Down 3-1 to CEC, Tom Stunyo shot one that went on the ice inside the left post, hit the front of the sand bag and out. Would of been a huge momentum swing in that game.

I would say so, game winner for a state title. Human element part of the game.

IRC was darn good! I miss those days.

[elliott70]

The IRC May it rest in peace.......













We need copper mining to save hockey........

[puckbreath]

The IRC May it rest in peace.......













We need copper mining to save hockey........

Nah. These days, you need investment bankers, lawyers, etc. as breadwinners

[elliott70]

The IRC May it rest in peace.......













We need copper mining to save hockey........

Nah. These days, you need investment bankers, lawyers, etc. as breadwinners

I think it would bring in some engineers, upper level management, accountants, and others with great salaries.

The attorneys, bankers and other such leeches will follow.

[puckbreath]

The IRC May it rest in peace.......













We need copper mining to save hockey........

Nah. These days, you need investment bankers, lawyers, etc. as breadwinners

I think it would bring in some engineers, upper level management, accountants, and others with great salaries.

The attorneys, bankers and other such leeches will follow.

Ha ! So true !

[MrBoDangles]

Are the kids skating outside like they used to? Ice a couple weeks earlier and later up there always seemed to help. You can fit in a lot of ice hours in an extra month
Eveleth - Gilbert seems to be getting stronger.

Doesn't take numbers, it takes interest and dedication. I've always said that the same type of kid playing the tuba in Eden Prairie would probably be a very good Hockey player if he lived in Roseau.

5'7 (not as big as listed)Neal Broten is the most prolific NHL scorer from Minnesota for a reason... He could have been that tuba player.

[ironranger2]

Hibbing, I believe, is down to one outdoor rink (Greenwood). Chisholm has an outdoor rink by the arena. I see lights on the Buhl rink when driving by on 169 at night, not sure how much it is used. Not sure if South Grove rink in Mt Iron is used at all. I think Virginia only had one outdoor rink (Ridgewood), I never see anyone there, but I usually am not by there at night. I know Virginia opens up their back indoor rink for open skating/hockey for their youth program quite often ,so that may be why the low usage of outdoor rinks in Virginia.

Eveleth/Gilbert has the Franklin, Northside, West Eveleth, Gilbert, and Fayal rinks. The Northside and Franklin rinks seemed to be used quite a bit, not sure about the other three.

Biwabik and Aurora both have outdoor rinks. I have never seen anyone at Biwabik. Hoyt Lakes finally brought back their outdoor rink back this year (it's behind the arena).

[puckbreath]

Are the kids skating outside like they used to? Ice a couple weeks earlier and later up there always seemed to help. You can fit in a lot of ice hours in an extra month
Eveleth - Gilbert seems to be getting stronger.

Doesn't take numbers, it takes interest and dedication. I've always said that the same type of kid playing the tuba in Eden Prairie would probably be a very good Hockey player if he lived in Roseau.

5'7 (not as big as listed)Neal Broten is the most prolific NHL scorer from Minnesota for a reason... He could have been that tuba player.

Outdoor ice is not relevant in the age of year round, indoor ice. Roseau has had indoor ice, 24/7, all year, for some time now, i.e.
Hockey is also the hs sport in Roseau; everything else in secondary, because the community and school district allows it to be that way.
I know hs ads/communities who will *not* allow one sport to be the dominate one; all are treated "equal."
Even if one sport wants to be the dominate one, it won't be allowed to.

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

And if you don't have the numbers, hard to have dedication, etc.........

[MNHockeyFan]

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

It sure does for those who think it's fun. My daughter went to a local outdoor rink to play on Monday, and guess who was there?

http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/mid,2 ... ameranesi/

(she said he was amazing!)

[puckbreath]

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

It sure does for those who think it's fun. My daughter went to a local outdoor rink to play on Monday, and guess who was there?

http://www.uscho.com/stats/player/mid,2 ... ameranesi/

(she said he was amazing!)

Very cool, but I'm not sure of your point.

[MrBoDangles]

Are the kids skating outside like they used to? Ice a couple weeks earlier and later up there always seemed to help. You can fit in a lot of ice hours in an extra month
Eveleth - Gilbert seems to be getting stronger.

Doesn't take numbers, it takes interest and dedication. I've always said that the same type of kid playing the tuba in Eden Prairie would probably be a very good Hockey player if he lived in Roseau.

5'7 (not as big as listed)Neal Broten is the most prolific NHL scorer from Minnesota for a reason... He could have been that tuba player.

Outdoor ice is not relevant in the age of year round, indoor ice. Roseau has had indoor ice, 24/7, all year, for some time now, i.e.
Hockey is also the hs sport in Roseau; everything else in secondary, because the community and school district allows it to be that way.
I know hs ads/communities who will *not* allow one sport to be the dominate one; all are treated "equal."
Even if one sport wants to be the dominate one, it won't be allowed to.

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

And if you don't have the numbers, hard to have dedication, etc.........

There's the problem..

[MrBoDangles]

Hibbing, I believe, is down to one outdoor rink (Greenwood). Chisholm has an outdoor rink by the arena. I see lights on the Buhl rink when driving by on 169 at night, not sure how much it is used. Not sure if South Grove rink in Mt Iron is used at all. I think Virginia only had one outdoor rink (Ridgewood), I never see anyone there, but I usually am not by there at night. I know Virginia opens up their back indoor rink for open skating/hockey for their youth program quite often ,so that may be why the low usage of outdoor rinks in Virginia.

Eveleth/Gilbert has the Franklin, Northside, West Eveleth, Gilbert, and Fayal rinks. The Northside and Franklin rinks seemed to be used quite a bit, not sure about the other three.

Biwabik and Aurora both have outdoor rinks. I have never seen anyone at Biwabik. Hoyt Lakes finally brought back their outdoor rink back this year (it's behind the arena).

And Eveleth-Gilbert will have success because of this.

Those rinks should be busy.. Thanks for the interesting info.

[MNHockeyFan]

Very cool, but I'm not sure of your point.

You said that "Outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time". But, unless one has unlimited access to indoor ice, outdoor ice can, in fact, provide a lot more ice time for players who love the game and choose to take advantage of it. Your typical one hour, structured indoor practices are fine, but there's a lot of good outdoor ice that some will utilize to develop creativity and "hockey sense" - and have fun while doing it. My example was that even some of the best D1 players will still get out there, at least occasionally.

[PuckRanger]

... Not sure if South Grove rink in Mt Iron is used at all. I think Virginia only had one outdoor rink (Ridgewood), I never see anyone there, but I usually am not by there at night. I know Virginia opens up their back indoor rink for open skating/hockey for their youth program quite often ,so that may be why the low usage of outdoor rinks in Virginia.
...

Virginia has 3 outdoor rinks. One in Ridgewood, one on the Northside at the old Jefferson school site, and one in Midway (no hockey boards here). The rink in South Grove in Mt. Iron is still in use as well. None are nearly used as much as they were 20 years ago, but they are all still used. There is open indoor hockey pretty much every day in Virginia which does take away from the outdoor usage some.

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Are the kids skating outside like they used to? Ice a couple weeks earlier and later up there always seemed to help. You can fit in a lot of ice hours in an extra month
Eveleth - Gilbert seems to be getting stronger.

Doesn't take numbers, it takes interest and dedication. I've always said that the same type of kid playing the tuba in Eden Prairie would probably be a very good Hockey player if he lived in Roseau.

5'7 (not as big as listed)Neal Broten is the most prolific NHL scorer from Minnesota for a reason... He could have been that tuba player.

Outdoor ice is not relevant in the age of year round, indoor ice. Roseau has had indoor ice, 24/7, all year, for some time now, i.e.
Hockey is also the hs sport in Roseau; everything else in secondary, because the community and school district allows it to be that way.
I know hs ads/communities who will *not* allow one sport to be the dominate one; all are treated "equal."
Even if one sport wants to be the dominate one, it won't be allowed to.

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

And if you don't have the numbers, hard to have dedication, etc.........

I can't think of anything I've read here lately that I disagree with more.

Outdoor ice is not "relevant"? I can tell you my kids wouldn't even be playing if it wasn't for all the rink rat hours outside. Not only because the unlimited hours are free (minus 1000 hot chocolates) and therefore both my kids are much better players than they would be if they had to rely on indoor ice which may be plentiful but is also expensive. Even more important is the kids at the rink. They are having FUN! Sure it can get a little competitive but generally a 4 hour session will include many ages of both sexes and a wide variety of talent. My kid makes yours better, his kids make mine work harder... And the younger kids aspire to what they see from the older players.

I honestly don't think my kids would be still so in love with this game if it weren't for all the "irrelevant" outdoor ice.

[puckbreath]

Are the kids skating outside like they used to? Ice a couple weeks earlier and later up there always seemed to help. You can fit in a lot of ice hours in an extra month
Eveleth - Gilbert seems to be getting stronger.

Doesn't take numbers, it takes interest and dedication. I've always said that the same type of kid playing the tuba in Eden Prairie would probably be a very good Hockey player if he lived in Roseau.

5'7 (not as big as listed)Neal Broten is the most prolific NHL scorer from Minnesota for a reason... He could have been that tuba player.

Outdoor ice is not relevant in the age of year round, indoor ice. Roseau has had indoor ice, 24/7, all year, for some time now, i.e.
Hockey is also the hs sport in Roseau; everything else in secondary, because the community and school district allows it to be that way.
I know hs ads/communities who will *not* allow one sport to be the dominate one; all are treated "equal."
Even if one sport wants to be the dominate one, it won't be allowed to.

In other words, outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time.

And if you don't have the numbers, hard to have dedication, etc.........

I can't think of anything I've read here lately that I disagree with more.

Outdoor ice is not "relevant"? I can tell you my kids wouldn't even be playing if it wasn't for all the rink rat hours outside. Not only because the unlimited hours are free (minus 1000 hot chocolates) and therefore both my kids are much better players than they would be if they had to rely on indoor ice which may be plentiful but is also expensive. Even more important is the kids at the rink. They are having FUN! Sure it can get a little competitive but generally a 4 hour session will include many ages of both sexes and a wide variety of talent. My kid makes yours better, his kids make mine work harder... And the younger kids aspire to what they see from the older players.

I honestly don't think my kids would be still so in love with this game if it weren't for all the "irrelevant" outdoor ice.

My point was, outdoor rinks are not relevant in providing more ice time, with the stated earlier/later ice (which doesn't happen much anymore either anyway) available.

Not when there's year round indoor ice available year round, especially in the metro area, and since $ runs the sport now more than ever, the cost doesn't generally enter the equation.

Decades ago, outdoor ice availability gave northern kids extra ice time.

It does not any more. Also never said anything about it not being fun.

I should add that my comments are about public outdoor ice.

[puckbreath]

Very cool, but I'm not sure of your point.

You said that "Outdoor ice doesn't provide more ice time anymore. Hasn't for a long time". But, unless one has unlimited access to indoor ice, outdoor ice can, in fact, provide a lot more ice time for players who love the game and choose to take advantage of it. Your typical one hour, structured indoor practices are fine, but there's a lot of good outdoor ice that some will utilize to develop creativity and "hockey sense" - and have fun while doing it. My example was that even some of the best D1 players will still get out there, at least occasionally.

See my reply to Nevertoomuchhockey above

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Yes it does. In many cases A LOT.

Just because indoor ice is available doesn't mean teams buy enough to really impact development. Of course those organized practices are important but IMHO it's the players scrapping it out most days after school or weekends outside that get better faster and have way less burnout than a kid who has access to or can afford inside ice every day.

Look how hard Duluth fought for their 3 pond rinks on the East side. There is a big reason for that.

[mnmouth]

Grand Rapids lost in the state championship that year to Edina East 5-4 in double-overtime, despite out-shooting them 52-23 in the game.

Scot Kleinendorst blast that was missed by the goal judge...uuuugh! don't remind me

A missed goal that was more blatantly egregious than the no-goal call in the East-Apple Valley classic from '96. How the ref and goal judge missed it remains a mystery to this day.

[ShakestheClown]

Hibbing, I believe, is down to one outdoor rink (Greenwood). Chisholm has an outdoor rink by the arena. I see lights on the Buhl rink when driving by on 169 at night, not sure how much it is used. Not sure if South Grove rink in Mt Iron is used at all. I think Virginia only had one outdoor rink (Ridgewood), I never see anyone there, but I usually am not by there at night. I know Virginia opens up their back indoor rink for open skating/hockey for their youth program quite often ,so that may be why the low usage of outdoor rinks in Virginia.

Eveleth/Gilbert has the Franklin, Northside, West Eveleth, Gilbert, and Fayal rinks. The Northside and Franklin rinks seemed to be used quite a bit, not sure about the other three.

Biwabik and Aurora both have outdoor rinks. I have never seen anyone at Biwabik. Hoyt Lakes finally brought back their outdoor rink back this year (it's behind the arena).

Hibbing has four outdoor rinks. The Greenhaven rink is the only one that is heavily used from my observations.

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Kinda sorta off topic here, but do any associations schedule practice on the outdoor sheets? Hinterland or metro?

[puckbreath]

Yes it does. In many cases A LOT.

Just because indoor ice is available doesn't mean teams buy enough to really impact development. Of course those organized practices are important but IMHO it's the players scrapping it out most days after school or weekends outside that get better faster and have way less burnout than a kid who has access to or can afford inside ice every day.

Look how hard Duluth fought for their 3 pond rinks on the East side. There is a big reason for that.

We'll have to disagree, it would appear.

Assuming these comments were directed at me.

[NLHockey]

Kinda sorta off topic here, but do any associations schedule practice on the outdoor sheets? Hinterland or metro?

Correct me if I'm wrong Karl, but all of the squirts and below (community based teams - Congdon, Lester Park, Duluth Heights, etc) in Duluth are scheduled for practices and games on outdoor rinks. As do Hermantown as well Twig (I think they feed mostly in to Proctor).