Hockey Day Minnesota-January 17, 2009

It’s almost here…the third annual Hockey Day Minnesota will take place on Saturday, January 17, 2009. A full day of hockey programming will include seven telecasts of games taking place at five separate locations. Two of the games will take place outdoors on Lake Phalen in St. Paul.


This year FOX Sports North has extended coverage to 20 consecutive hours of hockey programming and added elements that have not been incorporated in years past, including a girls' high school hockey game, a Houston Aeros' (the Wild’s primary developmental affiliate) game and a floor hockey game from Iraq. FOX Sports North, in conjunction with the Wild, has also produced several special features and vignettes including unique and fun-filled hockey stories. Among these vignettes are:

Corey Wheelock—Thirteen year old Corey from Duluth was born with a rare birth defect and had his leg amputated below the knee as an infant. Despite his condition and prosthetic leg, he is still a contributing member to his hockey team.

Jason Bleistein—Jason is a hockey fan, the goalie for a team in a local men’s hockey league and a hero. He recently donated one of his kidneys to his co-worker's wife.

Mike Ramsey and his daughter – Minnesota hockey legend and current assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild, Mike Ramsey sits down with his daughter for a special father-daughter interview. His daughter, Rachel, is a prep player at Minnetonka High School.

Hockey Ministries—Bill Butters and Jack Carlson were well known Minnesota hockey players in the 70’s. They were both known as “fighters”and now they lead a hockey ministries program.

Sled Hockey—The St. Paul Johnson kids volunteer time to give handicapped people the opportunity to play hockey.


2009 Hockey Day Minnesota Schedule:
9:00 AM: Hockey Day Minnesota
10:00 AM: Rochester John Marshall vs. St Paul Johnson at Phalen Park, St. Paul
1:00 PM: White Bear Lake vs. Duluth East at Xcel Energy Center$
5:00 PM: University of Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State at National Hockey Center, St. Cloud
8:00 PM: Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center
11:00 PM: Minnetonka vs. Stillwater (girls) at Phalen Park, St. Paul*
1:30 AM: Toronto Marlies vs. Houston Aeros at Houston, Texas*

$Game will include live look-ins of the Minnetonka vs. Stillwater girls game (start time: 1:30 PM)
*Tape Delay
*Houston Aeros game played Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

Media Coverage:
Duluth Superior Magazine: http://www.duluthsuperiormagazine.com/Sections/Feature/HockeyDay.shtml
Vype Magazine: http://magazine.vype.com/showmag.php?mid=wtqhgd#/page42/

FOX Sports North Talent Share Their Hockey Day Stories

Anthony LaPanta
“I live what a lot of Minnesota families live. I have a son in youth hockey.”

A sports journalist and a hockey dad, Anthony LaPanta is connected to the game of hockey at every level. LaPanta covers high school, college and NHL hockey for FOX Sports North and supports his son Vinny who plays youth hockey in Shoreview.

Darby Hendrickson
“Hockey is our culture…it’s just what we know.”
“My three year old is already in skates and asks to be called “Hockey Boy”…he reminds me of myself growing up.”

The former Minnesota Wild center grew up in Richfield, Minnesota, surrounded by the game of hockey. His dad was the head coach at Richfield High School and Apple Valley High School before moving on to work as the strength and conditioning coach for the Minnesota North Stars. Hendrickson was a standout player throughout high school, Rookie of the Year at the University of Minnesota and a member of 1994 USA Men’s Olympic hockey team. He spent ten years in the NHL and played overseas in Austria for two years. He now works as a host and analyst for FOX Sports North.

Ann Carroll
“I grew up with six older brothers…they all played hockey!”
“My mom jokes I was practically born at the rink...."

From her youth in Edina, Minnesota, to covering FOX Sports North’s Hockey Day Minnesota, Carroll’s hockey journey has come full circle. Carroll grew up with six older brothers who played high school (Edina High School) and college hockey (Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, Mankato State and Michigan). Two of her older brothers currently coach the Gustavus women’s hockey team and another brother coaches college men’s hockey out east. Carroll was a competitive figure skater growing up because girls' hockey didn’t exist.

Marney Gellner

Even though hockey wasn’t a big part of her life growing up, she admits the sport became a huge part of her life when she met her husband, Matt. Matt was the ice arena manager at the University of North Dakota. They met when Gellner worked as a reporter at WDAZ-Channel 8, covering the Fighting Sioux. Gellner now covers high school, college and pro hockey at FOX Sports North. Her husband, Matt, has been the ice arena manager at the Dakota Sports and Fitness Center in Prior Lake for the past eight years.

Ad Sales Spotlight: Burger King

FOX Sports North, in conjunction with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, recently announced that Minnesota Burger King (BK) restaurants have been named the presenting sponsor for the Third Annual Hockey Day Minnesota.

The over 120 Minnesota BK locations have teamed up to present Hockey Day Minnesota 2009. “We are thrilled to be presented with the opportunity to sponsor and support Hockey Day Minnesota, in the state where hockey is king,” said Jim Reddin, local BK franchisee and owner of Red King Foods.

BK Operators have shown their support in the community through many local youth athletic and scholastic sponsorships throughout the years. "We saw this as a natural extension of our commitment to the community,” says Reddin. “We look forward to teaming up with the Wild and FOX Sports North, both of whom have shown their dedication and commitment to youth athletics and the community. The Wild, FOX Sports North and BK look forward to bringing Minnesota hockey fans the best Hockey Day in Minnesota ever!”

A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Target Field

FOX Sports North recently toured the new Twins ball park and with approximately 457 days until the ballpark opens, things are looking good. The new ball park, Target Field, will bring outdoor baseball back to Minnesota. With many plans in the works, FOX Sports North got to see first hand many of the production aspects of the new vicinity.

“The Minnesota Twins have gone to great lengths to design a TV friendly stadium,” said Bob Rohde, Director of Operations. "Twins baseball will help insure state-of-the-art coverage with their announce booth locations and sizes, pre and post game locations, camera positions, and the associated cable and fiber optic infrastructure."

The new stadium also provides close proximity between the production trucks and the production-able interconnect room for efficient hookup. Extra wide hallways will help ensure crews can move equipment efficiently from the production truck to their final location. Additional elevators will also allow quicker access to all levels of the new stadium.

The new Twins ball park will open in 2010, and FOX Sports North is feeling the anticipation. “The Minnesota Twins have been so great and accommodating by including us (FOX Sports North) in every step of the process. We can’t wait to start broadcasting outdoor baseball,” said Matt Gangl, Director.

New On-Air Timberwolves Image Campaign

Check out the new Timberwolves image campaign on FOX Sports North. The promos utilize the Wolves “See What They Can Do” campaign and grant an inside look at Kevin Love and Mike Miller by showcasing the players’ backgrounds and off-the-court personalities. Look for more to come soon…

Gardy...a Minnesota Wild Fan?!

Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins' manager and Minnesota Wild fan, was a special guest during FOX Sports North’s broadcast of the Wild vs. Flames game on Wednesday, December 17.

Gardenhire joined Kevin Gorg and Darby Hendrickson during the Qwest Wild Live pregame show and first intermission “Faceoff” to debate baseball and hockey-related topics. Gardenhire also joined the FOX Sports North crew on the ice during the Qwest Wild Live postgame show to participate in a hockey instructional where Gardenhire put on his first pair of hockey skates to learn the basics of hockey.

FOX Sports North Gives Back

As we start the new year and look back at 2008, our hearts are still full and our hands, still giving. Together with Kinship of Greater Minneapolis, as a first time initiative, FOX Sports North participated in sponsoring families in need this holiday season.

Kinship of Greater Minneapolis is a year round organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through increasing opportunities for a healthier social, physical, spiritual, and intellectual well-being. One way the program does so is by matching volunteers with children in need.
An event put on every year by Kinship, FOX Sports North dedicated both time and resources to helping out this year. “I am really pleased with the amount we raised and the help that was offered,” said Elizabeth Kmety of FOX Sports North. “When we delivered the presents, you could really feel the difference we were making.”

Along with sponsoring families, FOX Sports North also donated tickets to an upcoming Wild game for one lucky family. Game night will also include an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Xcel Energy Center. “These tickets are like gold,” said Penny Kallas, Community Partnerships Director for Kinship of Greater Minneapolis.

For additional information on how you can become a volunteer through Kinship of Greater Minneapolis please contact Penny Kallas at 612-990-5417 or through email at pennyk@kinship.org. “More than 150 children, ages 5-15, are waiting for mentors. The need is great and we encourage individuals, couples, and families to connect to their community through a child in need of additional adult support,” said Kallas.

Employee Spotlight: Mark Piper

As a financial analyst at FOX Sports North, Mark Piper enjoys working in the sports world and the variety of tasks he does, but most of all he enjoys the people he works with on a daily basis that make the job so enjoyable and fulfilling.

Where did you attend school?
I attended high school at Faith Community Christian School in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. I attended college at a small business school in Colorado which had a ten month intensive program.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I like doing anything with my family and friends.

Who is/are the most influential people in your life?
My faith in God and Jesus are what drives me.

If I wasn’t doing this job, I would love to…
My dream would be to help desolate regions of people to flourish, doing things such as building orphanages, water wells, schools, etc…

Tell us something unique or interesting about yourself.
My daughter, AngelRose was diagnosed with cancer in May of this year. She continues to shine as a light of hope for others.

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To be honest, I wouldn’t want that burden.