Reporter's Notebook: A Detour On Ice

Sometimes, my work will take me places that I continue to wonder how I got there…

Last year, I sat inside the press box at two baseball games. Both the Saint Paul Saints and Minnesota Twins held their Pride games honoring the LGBTQ+ community. I was proud to represent the magazine at these events as a member of the media.

The other night, I added a third Pride game inside the Xcel Energy Center for the Minnesota Wild – our National Hockey League club. It was an honor representing us, as well. 

There’s a lot to unpack here regarding motivations, presence, representation, and fulfilling long-term dreams of working these press boxes.

As you know, I am not a Minnesota native. I have been a resident of this state for 20 years now. However, being a part of the State of Hockey had its roots at a most unusual place – Los Angeles. My hometown.

The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings began play in 1967, when I was three years old. I never knew they existed until elementary school. It took a Canadian-born schoolmate to introduce the game of hockey for me. He introduced me to the team in yellow – er, gold – and purple- er, Forum Gold – owned by a Canadian gentleman named Jack Kent Cooke. 

This kid showed me the wonders of the NHL. Of Rogie Vachon in goal, the subsequent acquisition of Marcel Dionne and the formation of the Triple Crown Line.

I went to one Kings game at the Great Western (now, Kia) Forum against Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers. You had a great team around “The Great One” back then. Fun times, indeed.

From 1987, I began my wandering between my birthplace and the community I call home. In the Bay Area, I saw the birth of the San Jose Sharks inside the Cow Palace. I never made it to either that old barn or down to its shiny new home across the rail station. In Washington, DC, I got on board with the Capitals during the run with goalie Olaf Kolzig and a cast of stars that eventually gave them their first Stanley Cup Final in 1998. They lost to the Montreal Canadiens. 

There was one game I took in at the MCI Center (now, CapitalOne Arena). It was a box full fo tight upper concourses and steep angles in the upper deck. That was a fun time.

When I moved to the Twin Cities, I immediately adopted the Wild as my NHL team. Yet, I still had a place for the Kings, especially when they won two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014. I attended a few Wild games inside the Xcel Energy Center. They were fun times, as well. 

So, there I was. In the press box with an assigned seat. Overlooking the ice, where I had to extend my neck to watch the action live. However, I had a television to watch the action – perhaps for a closer look. 

I’ve always said that our community will show up at these events. We certainly did. With Twin Cities Pride, QUEERSPACE Collective, Team Trans hockey and the Twin Cities Queer Hockey Association staffing tables on the main concourse. 

The Pride game featured the Wild facing off against the Arizona Coyotes – a franchise in flux. It seems that they have been looking for a home that will meet the league’s standards. Whereas, they arrive to meet the Wild in the house of 18,000 loyal fans. 

There are some distinctions to be made with the Wild over the rest of the NHL. They welcome the community, despite some folks who rather not wants us in the building. Even someone like me from the LGBTQ+ media. 

These past two years, I covered my share of the Wild in the magazine. The last article was an interview with defenseman Jon Merrill. He talked about being an ally to the community, while being on the third line. He had some points this season, including three goals and four assists.

Merrill’s story reminded me of Sean Avery’s. The retired defenseman made his presence as a player on the New York Rangers when the state was debating marriage equality. However, I found Merrill to be committed in making our lives better by standing up for our community.

The game had a pretty good clip. Kirill Kaprizov started the scoring at 6:29 in the first period, with an assist from Merrill and Brock Faber. That was followed up with a goal by the Coyotes’ Nick Bjagstad – a former Twin Cities high school hero – at 8:08 in the second. The Wild’s Ryan Hartmann responded at 18:16 in the second, with assisted from Kaprizov and Frederick Gaudreau. 

Throughout the second period, I visited with the groups from our community. That included a chat with the Twin Cities Pride Executive Director Andi Otto. We had a much-needed chat to catch up ion things. 

By the way, Otto made the “Let’s Play Hockey” call to start the game. That was awesome to see. He is a rockstar in our community. 

The Wild had a goal called off in the third period just before the seven-minute mark. It looked good from here…well, maybe I’m being biased. 

Later in the third, Kaprizov flew a solo empty-netter at 17:28. That was followed by another solo empty-netter by Marcus Foglino at 17:55. 

That’s how this year’s Pride game ended – a 4-1 win by the home team.  

After the game, I met up with Merrill outside the locker room to chat and thanked him for the interview earlier this year. We soon met at a meet-and-greet with people from the community on the way towards the player’s exit. The “thank yous” continued from us, as our community welcomes the allyship that he and his wife has shown us. 

This was a beautiful sight to witness. It is what makes my work outside of V&R worth doing. 

Lately, I had a few detours from my automotive work. Not just working the Wild Pride Night game, but in partaking on an invitation to enjoy a musical – and dinner – at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. These are things I do not normally do on a regular basis. 

These detours deepen the work I do. I appreciate the opportunities afforded by this work. 

In the meantime, I have to get back behind the wheel. 

All photos by Victory & Reseda