Tourney Time - by David La Vaque & L R Nelson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Eight decades of big names and memorable games--chronicling the highs and lows, the memories, and the legends from the Minnesota boys' state high school tournament--fully revised and updated with all the action through the 2023 tournament.

Every spring, the state of Minnesota--from urban metropolises to remote border towns--is riveted by the spectacle of the boys' high school hockey tournament. Going back to the inaugural competition in 1945, the state tournament has produced incredible drama on and off the ice, featured legendary players, invigorated communities--and showcased some of the best hockey hair the world has ever seen. The tournament draws thousands to St. Paul, and countless more tune in on television screens around the state.

In Tourney Time, longtime sports journalists David La Vaque and L. R. Nelson take readers year by year through the tournament, highlighting the key games, the backstories, and the players that made each one shine. Interviews with players, coaches, and fans bring firsthand perspectives and insights to the games and tournaments, while in-depth statistics and results reveal the numbers behind the memories. In addition, the authors share their rankings of the most memorable moments, performances, characters, nicknames, upsets, and more from eighty years of tournament play.

Combining archival research, personal recollections, and vivid imagery, Tourney Time offers a detailed and insightful history of the nation's greatest high school sports event and one of Minnesota's most cherished institutions.

"It is the Stanley Cup, the World Series, and the Super Bowl, all rolled into one. You young men will go on from here and play in many other sports events, but you'll always remember the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament as the best."
--Herb Brooks

Review Quotes

"La Vaque and Nelson have produced the most amazing book about the boys' state high school hockey championship. Their countless hours of research results in a compelling and riveting walk down memory lane. Once you start paging through, you will not want to put it down. It is a fantastic history of the tournament and a must read."
--Lou Nanne, former NHL player and general manager and member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame

"I get chills reading this book. Some of my best memories as a hockey player are playing in the state tournament, and Loren and David do a great job recapturing those moments."
--T. J. Oshie, two-time Minnesota state champion with Warroad and 2018 Stanley Cup champion with the Washington Capitals

"The state tournament went from an event beloved by Minnesota's hockey cult in an old arena in St. Paul to a statewide preoccupation starting in 1969, when it moved to an NHL arena in Bloomington, and the magic of small vs. big--Warroad and Henry Boucha vs. the Edina assembly line of great players--took center stage. La Vaque and Nelson bring that drama alive with inside tales and repeat that superb work with so many other state tourney moments."
--Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune