The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual pond hockey event on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, 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 listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die."
The Tournament's slogan is, "HOCKEY. THE WAY NATURE INTENDED."
Format
The tournament includes competition in six divisions:
The Open Division (anyone can play) 40 and over Division 50 and over Division Rink Rats (for teams who don't want to face the competitiveness in the Open Division) Women's Seniors Bender The Bender Division is for amateurs who learned hockey while adults.
The 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 the NHL's Stanley Cup.
Past winners (Open Division)
Year Team Origin Roster 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 2009 Concord USA Sam Cornelius, Peter Fitzgerald, Billy Hengen, Justin Kapsen, Geoff Kragness, Jeff Yurecko 2010 Wright Homes/Almost 40 Curt Wright, Justin Brown, Dan Goff, Dave Bakken, Dan Donnette, Randy Gallatin 2011 Whiskey Bandits Matt Elsen, Tim Olsen, Nicholas Hanrahan, Joey Dustin, Jesse Johnson, Jamison Steinert 2012 Wright Homes/Almost 40 Curt Wright, Dave Bakken, Dan Donnette, Randy Gallatin, Geno Parrish, Matt Erredge 2013 WoodStars Nick Reichert, Doug Nelson, Erik Heltne, Ross Cooney, Kevin Rollwagen, Mike Taylor
2014 Wright Homes/Almost 402015 Surging Cycle/Red Army2016 Wright Homes/FHIT2017Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey2018Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey2019RJ Ryan Construction2020Hendy Homes/Tail Gators2022Glue Gun.com2023Faherty Brand2024Championship round cancelled due to weather conditions2025All Around
Tournaments
2006 Tournament
2007 Tournament Due to the unusually warm weather in Minnesota during the winter of 2006–2007, tournament sponsors moved the tournament from Lake Calhoun to Lake Nokomis. Notable players in the 2007 tournament include: Phil Housley Brad Bombardir Guy Kawasaki
2008 Tournament
2009 Tournament
2010 Tournament
2011 Tournament Held January 21–23, 2011 on Lake Nokomis.
2012 Tournament
2026 Tournament Held January 22–25, 2026 on Lake Nokomis.
See also Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships World Pond Hockey Championships Hockey Day Minnesota
References
External links U.S. Pond Hockey Championships Web Site