This week Dave has been living the week all Minnesotans crave: the State Hockey Tournament. There's a channel that's been broadcasting all games, and it's been on continually in our newsroom. If you don't have a team to cheer for, you find one. It's like high school football in the south, except everyone is bundled up cheering for the team on the ice. And if you need any more proof you are in the state of hockey, go to the Xcel Energy Center where the Wild play. There in a big glassed-in semi-circle, you'll find a display with every high school hockey jersey in the state. It's pretty impressive proof of the importance they place on the sport.
I think the chants are great. Sure, there are cheerleaders, but most of the cheering comes from rowdy parents and different student groups that make up different chants to taunt the other team. It's hilarious to hear what some of the kids come up with.
The Edina kids are the wealthy ones, and everywhere they go the other team chants: "Dad-dy's Mon-ey" clap. clap. clap-clap-clap "Dad-dy's Mon-ey" clap. clap. clap-clap-clap .. on and on.
To which the Edina kids either erupt into wild screaming, which I thought was pretty funny, or they chant something back, like they did to the not-so-affluent Burnsville, "Pump-our-gas" clap. clap. "Pump-our-gas" clap. clap. Add this to an atmosphere with a sport that encourages slams and some punches, and you've got the makings of a really good grudge match. And if they climb the walls of the game afterwards, you know it was a close one.
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