By Bill Brady
The Langford Park Pee Wee C team was selected as one of two participants in this year’s Minnesota Wild Youth Hockey Spotlight game.
In this game, youth hockey players are given a game experience much like an actual NHL game, courtesy of the Wild.
Pee Wee C players had no idea beforehand. They were only told to gather at the Langford Park Rec Center at 5 p.m. on Jan. 8 and to dress nicely, on the premise that they were going to be interviewed by the Park Bugle for a story about what the kids call “ODR”—outdoor rink hockey.
In fact, the Bugle did conduct player interviews, but it was just a ruse to throw them off. Soon, the players were loaded onto a bus and headed for Northeast Ice Arena on Central Avenue Northeast to take on the Minneapolis Titans in a pro-style atmosphere.
The SAP hockey players were greeted there by a mob of cheering fans, including parents and players from every level of the Langford Park program. Next, the Pee Wee C players were ushered into a locker room, where they were issued special uniforms with their names stitched on the back. That was followed by a pep talk from their designated celebrity coach, former Wild defenseman Nate Prosser.
Then it was onto the ice, where the PeeWee players were introduced individually by Minnesota Wild public address announcer Adam Abrams, high-fived by Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy and even stood for the national anthem by Wild anthem singer John deCausmeaker.
Oh, and they watched Langford Park Hockey President Laura Mays as she joined her Minneapolis Titans counterpart in leading the iconic “Let’s Play Hockey!” pre-game cheer.
It was almost incidental that Langford Park won the game 5-1—the fans who jammed the arena had a great time long before the first puck dropped.
“It’s like a party!” said Ann Ruth-Reinhardt, whose husband Brian Reinhardt is head coach and whose son Johnny is a defenseman. “This is such a nice thing for our kids.
“Our program is intentionally simple. The kids have used equipment to keep costs down. They don’t have names on their backs because the name on the front is what counts. So, to get something fancy like this is a just wonderful.”
Bill Brady lives in Falcon Heights and is copy editor for the Bugle.
Top Photo: The Langford Park Pee Wee C hockey team poses with its opponent, the Minneapolis Titans, at the Minnesota Wild Youth Hockey spotlight game. Photo by Langford Park Hockey.
