Welcome back!
With summer unofficially coming to an end after the Minnesota State Fair closing up shop for another year, September marks a new year of hockey.
It's time to prepare for the 2018-19 college hockey season. School has begun around the country. Ice sheets are ready to go. Same with captain's practices. Countdowns until opening night remains somewhere in the 20s to 40s.
Starbucks brought back its Pumpkin Spice Latte, perhaps the biggest sign fall peeks around the corner.
Prior to any preseason coverage, however, and on the one-year anniversary of The Athletic Minnesota launching, I wanted to showcase some of my favorite features from the site in the year since launching. Give them one last bit of love before turning my attention towards the future.
Honestly, this was slightly easier to do than 2016-17. When I started the blog, one of the reasons I did so was it was becoming difficult for even the closest Twitter followers to find what I wrote on a weekly basis. One week I wrote for the Star Tribune. The next would be the Pioneer Press. Some stories would be in SB Nation College Hockey or one-offs in magazines and websites.
Plus all that didn't include podcast and radio appearances.
One of the changes that came with moving to The Athletic was writing more features than in past years. (I still did many game stories for Zone Coverage and other outlets, along with regular blogs here on the site and various other freelance work.) The move also had the added effect of most of my major features ending up in one locale rather than split among several.
All of these are behind a paywall. If you're not an Athletic subscriber - and if you are not, you've been missing out on some of the best quality writing on sports, all without ads - here's a 40% off promo in honor of our anniversary.
The past year has been one of personal growth as a writer. Can't wait to continue to grow this season.
Here are some of my favorites:
-Gophers' return to North Dakota mixes old and new in college hockey's best rivalry
I went to Grand Forks last October for the first Minnesota-North Dakota series in the city since 2012 not knowing what to expect. I came away with a better understanding of what makes the rivalry between the two schools so special and how, after surviving through history, the next chapter is being written.
-Taylor Williamson "overcame the impossible" to get back to the Gophers
Being the first person to write this feature comes from being in the building each week, seeing the work Taylor put in to get back to playing. Speaking to her and what she went through only made me appreciate that work more. That continued post-publication. A week after the feature was published, Williamson ended up scoring the WCHA championship game-winning goal.
-The Humanitarian Spirit of Sidney Peters
For the better part of two years, I wanted to showcase Minnesota goaltender Sidney Peters' work as an EMT, but couldn't find an outlet. It finally came to be with Peters, who came through for the Gophers when the team needed to win the WCHA Final Faceoff, winning the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
-High School Tourney
Another goal I've had for a while was cover the Minnesota State Boys High School Hockey Tournament. Luckily the timing worked out this season.
-Ex-Gopher Hannah Brandt determined not to watch this Olympics on the couch
Besides college hockey, I was able to cover USA-Canada at Xcel Energy Center and write several features on the two Olympic teams, including this one on Hannah Brandt. The now-gold medalist was left off the 2014 team and spent much of 2017 working out on her own to make her 2018 Olympic dreams come true.
-NWHL brings All-Star showcase and talk of growing the league to Minnesota
While it seems like The Athletic has come a long way in the year since the Minnesota branch began, the NWHL matches it locally. In February the National Women's Hockey League came to Minnesota for its All-Star game. By May, there was a franchise in the state with the longtime independent Minnesota Whitecaps joining. By July, Kate Schipper, heavily featured in this story and getting a chance to continue her playing career for one afternoon, signed an NWHL contract to play for the Whitecaps, not having to leave her home state and job to keep playing.
-Tyler Nanne living his dream with the Gophers after a long recovery
Writing on Tyler Nanne's recovery was the first or second feature I pitched to Michael Russo, who accepted it almost immediately. At the time we were still trying to figure out what worked and what subscribers wanted from our coverage. The response to it helped shape some of my other features.
-Finally eligible, Mat Robson is ready for his shot in net
Speaking to Robson, the team's first Canadian in over a decade, before his first start, this feature foreshadows Minnesota's second half in net.
-UMD hoping to ride 2011 parallels to another title
Besides the Gophers, I wrote features last year on several other college teams and covered major events such as the men's and women's Frozen Four. This feature on Minnesota Duluth's 2011 parallels (eventually came true) comes from covering the West Regional. It's another instance of going above and beyond with something which isn't a press conference soundbite.
-Questions facing the Gopher program
Last but certainly not least is this feature on the questions facing the Gopher men's program at the end of 2017-18 beyond who coaches. Bob Motzko may be now in charge, but the questions, for the most part, remain entering 2018-19.
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