High School Hockey Tournament

The MSHSL Boys' Hockey Tournament starts today. It's still mostly preliminary games, but you can feel how excited hockey fans in the state of hockey are for the games that will be taking place over the next few days. It's amazing to me how people gather here from all around the state, even if their own team didn't make it this far into the season, just to celebrate the sport of hockey and the end of the high school hockey season. For some of my friends, this weekend is better than Christmas. Four days of non-stop hockey at the Xcel Energy Center and Mariucci Arena capped off with a Minnesota Wild game on Sunday afternoon. Bliss. There are definitely a lot of high school kids that will be running around the streets of downtown St. Paul for the rest of the week. Them and their shenanigans, which I say at the risk of sounding like I am a bazillion years old. But for this one tournament, it doesn't bother me. I'll avoid Cossetta's at all costs, and probably be caffeinated beyond belief between the highly copious Starbucks and diet coke {The busier we are, the more I caffeinate}, but the buzz that gently humms around the Xcel Energy Center just kind of puts a perma-smile on my face. I'll write more about the tournament as it progresses. Peace out homeslice.