As some Minnesota youth programs fail to grow or choose to merge/rainbow to sustain competitive hockey programming, a few are doing a great job at building their program from the ground up. Minneapolis has grown with grass roots marketing, great coaching and finding the right level for their players to succeed. Prior Lake, has had tremendous growth over the last 10 years. Population growth is one reason, but a head high school coach (Joe Pankratz) that is dedicated to his youth program and some great non-parent coaches is a big reason for the Lakers recent success.

But the program that jumps out to us at YHH every time is Hermantown. Thirty years ago, Hermantown was a working class town with no ice rink and a less than thriving hockey program without an indoor ice sheet. For 40 years, the Hawks gum-shoed their high school program with outdoor ice and use of neighboring indoor sheets for 6:00 am high school practices. In 1984, the Hawks made a run to the one-class, Section 7 semifinals, losing to number one ranked Hibbing in a heartbreaker. This '84 run engaged the community like it had never done before, hockey-wise.  The community rallied and eventually got a rink built in 1988. Twenty seven years later, Hermantown Hockey is one of the most respected community based programs in Minnesota. But it took more than a rink to get them to this place of prestige.

The following are five keys that helped Hermantown get to where they are today. A blue print of sorts for other cities and programs to follow.

Al Davis, the Owner of the Oakland Raiders once coined the famous phrase, "Just Win Baby." In other words, winning removes any and all criticism. It also is the foundation for growth in any type of organization. In 1992, Minnesota expanded its one class hockey tournament to two levels. With a new rink and a renewed optimism, the Hawks made their school's first State Tourney appearance in 1994. The two class system was now rewarding small towns and small schools with a tournament of their own. Lesser prominent private schools like Breck, Totino Grace and Benilde were now regulars in the tourney, when in years past a visit to the Section Semis was a success. Smaller public schools like Warroad, Red Wing, and Eveleth were now playing on the same big stage as juggernauts like Jefferson, Duluth East and Moorhead.

Class A hockey was a perfect fit for Hermantown. A town of 9,000 and a school enrollment of 600 students (9-12) wasn't exactly a threat to northern powers like Duluth East and Grand Rapids.

After their appearance in 1994, Hermantown Hockey added 60 new players to their program the next Winter. Their single greatest growth in their program. And as they say, the rest is history. With each tourney appearance, the pride of Hermantown Hockey grew and grew. 

Every successful program usually has access to indoor ice for its high school and youth programs. In most areas in the state, indoor ice is something that is almost taken for granted. In some cities there is more ice than they need and still they are not hanging banners. That said, the foundation of any program is one sheet of ice for its players.

In the 90's Hermantown made a push for a second sheet of indoor ice. Heck, even today they are pushing for it. One rink wasn't enough and with too many skaters for one rink, the hockey association came up with an alternative that turned out to be an even better solution than a second indoor sheet. They built outdoor sheets complete with a deluxe warming shed and zamboni comparable to the neighborhood parks in Duluth. One Hermantown old timer who was close to the project told YHH his account, "we said, screw it, if we can't have a second sheet...we will build the best outdoor rink we can with the best ice..."

What happened once the outdoor ice was built, was something you couldn't plan for...a hockey community was built. With no downtown, no major hangout other than a local ball field or Friday night football games, Hermantown never really had a central meeting place. That central meeting place became these outdoor rinks and the warming house next to the arena. What was once looked at as an alternative became the greatest thing that ever happened to the Hermantown hockey program. Four rinks. Three reserved for youth teams to practice on and the other a Rink Rat Rink for all in the community to use. 

On any given night you can find an entire family at the hockey complex for a boys/girls varsity game, a youth practice and some great shinny in the Rink Rat rink. And the ice is amazing, groomed daily with a zamboni - the community now had the makings of something real special.

From 3:00 to 9:00 every night, the rink is crawling with kids. Some big and some small. Opposing teams trucked in to Hermantown notice this little piece of heaven when they get dropped off to play at the indoor sheet. One metro coach told YHH, "it is pretty cool, you get there and those rinks out there are a subtle reminder that these Hermantown guys we are about to play are going to be tough as nails because they grew up out here."

I met Bruce Plante for the first time while writing this article. Prior to our meeting, I felt like I already knew him. Over the past 10 years, he's made quite a name for himself with the local media. His passion for the game and his love of his team jumps off the screen on TV. His press conferences are legendary. But most important, his team's are always right there when it counts.

At the Bantam AA state tourney in Rogers two seasons ago, Coach Plante was there to watch the future Hawks play. That was the weekend I knew this guy was special in a really good way. 

So we sat down. And he talked. And he talked. And he talked.

Never for a second was it boring. It is never boring to hear a guy talk about his players both past and present with such pride. He talked about them, not himself. These players are his family. During our time together former players poured into the rink to see him and get in a free skate. Hobey Baker winner Drew LeBlanc, Garrett Skrbich (Princeton), Jared Thomas (UMD), and Jared Kolquist (Merrimack) were just a few names in the rink for a skate. 

Coach Plante has a way with his players that is a thing of beauty - he's a big brother that can joke with them to make them comfortable and a dad who isn't afraid to push them. Returning players (by the dozens) are happy to be there and genuinely happy to see their former boss. They don't say they love him with their words, but they do with their actions. 

If you ask most hockey fans in Minnesota about Hermantown, they will say "Hermantown is the team that can't win the big one...they've lost six in a row in the state final." Some perceive this is as a negative. These six losses have kept the town hungry and made them even stronger. The youth program continues to grow and excel. In 2014, they went to state in PeeWee AA, Bantam AA and High School. Only Edina could make that claim that year. 

Over the last 20 years, Hermantown has evolved from a working class and farming community to a thriving Duluth Suburb. Attracting Doctors, Lawyers and professionals to its town to live. A great school system with with small class sizes and a bustling community make it a fertile ground for building a great hockey community. 

These type of people are go getters and have been an integral part of sustaining the rich tradition that has been built. Many of these people are people who grew up in Hermantown and played in the program when it all began. They are now back in Hermantown raising their families and putting in the time at the rink.

Here are a few enjoyable anecdotes from my visit that do not fit in The Blue Print part of the story but were worth a mention.

- I was given a historical video about Hermantown Hockey. So many great highlights:

• Coach Plante caught on video with a full salad of curly hair...it was outstanding.
• Patrick Andrews scoring a game winning goal to send the Hawks to state in 1998. His exuberant celly afterward would have blown up social media today. And his post game interview afterward dedicating the goal to his deceased Father would make the rocks cry.
• 2007 Championship game video of Nate Hardy robbing cross town rival and future Hobey Baker Winner Jack Connelly over and over...very fun to watch.

- Joe Biondi, a Warroad native and Hermantown youth coach and volunteer, "Hermantown is awesome, we have a Warroad-like hockey community in one hand and all of the comforts of Duluth in the other."

- Coach Plante unplugged. "I grew up in Cloquet...we hated Duluth East. I moved to Hermantown and coached here. I hated Duluth East. One Summer while coaching at a UMD Camp, I got a chance to coach 10-12 East boys. I didn't want to like them. They were from East! A day or two go by, I notice these East boys skate really hard. They are well behaved and very nice kids. By the end of the week, I realize I don't hate these kids from East...I love them just like my boys back in Hermantown and I found myself cheering for them as they got along in their hockey careers." 

-Ninth grade players in Hermantown are not allowed to play for the High School team. One former player who went on to play Division I and 8 professional hockey seasons was not allowed in the mid '90's to play up. 

-Another Hermantown Rule: Seniors Lead, Juniors Follow and Sophomores Shut the heck up.

-One proud mom of their team's success since 2007 in the tourney, "I couldn't even tell you where Mariucci is..."

-One last Plante quote: "I love hockey. I love High School Hockey. I love Minnesota High School Hockey..."