Ask a Minnesotan what hockey means to the people of the state, and you're likely to get the same line. 

Hockey means more in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

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It explains everything you need to know. Hockey is a religion in Canada. It's extremely popular in Massachusetts and Michigan. It's growing tremendously in states that don't boast frozen lakes, like Texas and Florida. 

But Minnesota is the "State of Hockey." Its youth hockey programs are structured differently than in any other state. It has six Division I NCAA programs and holds high school boys hockey tournaments that draw as well as the Minnesota Wild. 

"It's a lifestyle," said Jessi Pierce, a journalist who has chronicled hockey in the Land of 1,000 Lakes for multiple publications for more than a decade. "It sounds so trite to say, right? But it's often compared to Texas and football with how it's everything. Being here in Minnesota, it's very much about the community. Hockey is a way to bring a community together." 

Community is emphasized at every level in Minnesota hockey, right from the time kids start skating on frozen ponds. 

Skating on outdoor rinks is a rite of passage for hockey players all over the world and will be celebrated on a grand scale New Year's Night when the NHL holds the 2022 Winter Classic at Target Field with the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues.