Hockey Day Cloquet is almost here

Come next week, Veterans Park in Cloquet will be transformed into an elite hockey facility - outdoors, the way the hockey gods intended it - with seating for 1,300. Hockey Day Cloquet promises to be unlike anything seen before in the Wood City.

The homegrown hockey extravaganza will span eight days, from Jan. 8-15, peaking with the Lumberjacks varsity boys and girls hockey games on Saturday, Jan. 11. The timing couldn't be better: the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team is currently ranked No. 3 in Class A, with 10 wins and only one loss as of Wednesday.

Organizer Nate Knutson said he originally thought about convincing the annual Hockey Day Minnesota event to come to Cloquet, but it was slow, complicated and not guaranteed. About 18 months ago, Knutson and friends decided to try to make a comparable local event using their own manpower and area sponsors.

What was once a long shot is now almost reality. Knutson and a small army of volunteers and area businesses have been working since early December to prep the park: laying a pad of dirt in the southwest corner of the park, then bringing in professional hockey boards for the regulation-size rink. They started making the ice during a cold spell Dec. 20, running a fire-department-sized hose from the city hydrant to the rink and spraying until nearly 1:30 a.m. that night and coming back the next morning for more.

Jana Peterson

Matt Montgomery keeps the hose steady while Damon Polus sprays water to build a base layer on Dec. 21. Crews of hockey dads started spraying this week to rebuild those layers after rain and warm weather over Christmas melted some of the early work.

Then came the unseasonably warm temperatures and rain of Christmas week.

"Any time you mix cold weather, water and putting things together outdoors, it's always challenging," Knutson said Tuesday. "We had a good base, then the rain knocked it down. We lost water through all the corners, so we brought in about six truckloads of snow from the arena and around the area and patched all the way around."

Flood crews made up of mostly hockey dads started rebuilding the ice on Monday, Dec. 30, and continued working through Tuesday. Workers from BP Builders in Proctor were building the team boxes and penalty boxes on the north side of the rink that morning. Knutson was looking forward to the subzero temperatures predicted for the weekend.

"We'll take it to phase 2, and get [R&R Specialities, of Somerset, Wisconsin] in to paint it, on Jan. 2, we hope. They'll paint it all white, put the lines down," he said. "We are waiting on glass, there was a bit of a snafu there. But our vendor is getting us some new glass."

The team of local contractors and volunteers have made lots of other progress over the holiday season. A set of four locker rooms - for JV and varsity teams, plus referees - is taking shape, with doorways set into portable storage containers and 22 stalls under construction inside.

"Each player will have a chair in there and the referees will be right in the middle," Knutson said.

Jana Peterson

The ice is nearly ready for the Cloquet Hockey Day kickoff Wednesday, as are the locker rooms, bleachers and a Zamboni building. Fire pits and food trucks are coming.

Another temporary structure will house two Zambonis, the icing on the cake for top-notch ice. Lights arrived Tuesday afternoon. Additionally, there will be fire pits, outdoor toilets by the parking lot and food trucks north of the rink.

The eight-day event kicks off with a free Warriors hockey game between veterans from the Lake Superior and Iron Range teams starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, complete with a color guard in a nod to the central mission of Veterans Park. That will be followed by two days of various youth hockey games leading up to the centerpiece event Saturday, Jan. 11, when CEC varsity and JV teams will take to the ice starting at noon. (Tickets are $10, find the schedule on Page 19.) Knutson said they're holding a Peewee-A game at 9 a.m. Saturday to "work out all the kinks." After the Jan. 11 games, the ice will stay up for more youth games and community skating on Jan. 15.

Sitting in his pickup truck Tuesday morning, a relieved Knutson watched workers scurry around the rink. Aside from cancelling a planned-for pleasure rink elsewhere in the park due to the weather delays, things were back on track.

"I'm starting to get excited," he said. "It's been a grind, every day for 10 or 12 hours, making sure things are coming, money, all that. But you look at the ice and things taking shape, the decals on the boards, it's exciting."

Knutson isn't the only one who's looking forward to the grand event. A Pine Knot video of Knutson talking about Hockey Day Cloquet has garnered more than 14,500 views since Dec. 22.

"Love this for our community and local business! It's going to be epic!" wrote Heather Snesrud.

"Looking forward to this event in Carlton County! Nice job, Mr. Knutson and volunteers!" wrote Susan Zmyslony, chairwoman of the Carlton County Board of Commissioners.

Knutson said the sponsor support has been wonderful. Businesses, groups and individuals have contributed nearly $100,000 in money, resources and manpower from Cloquet, Carlton, Esko and the Twin Ports area. Esko and Cloquet are providing Zambonis; the city of Cloquet is loaning a steamer to help heat 250 gallons of hot water a day for the ice-resurfacing machines.

"It's been unbelievable, the amount of support that we've got. People are asking me 'how much' plus there's a lot of in-kind [donations]," he said. "A lot of guys are really resourceful, so they donate their talents, what they're good at. And, you know, everybody likes being down here, hanging around, doing something fun, which is kind of cool."

Could they use more support?

"Of course," he said. "Just message me on Facebook, let me know you want to be involved. There's really all kinds of jobs - garbages and walkways that need to be cleared, safety and flying pucks and crowd management. There's all kinds of things that people can get involved in."

Check out the "Hockey Day Cloquet" Facebook page for the latest information and some fun drone footage of the rink under construction. Call Knutson at 218-591-3135 or message him on Facebook to get involved or ask questions.

Jana Peterson

Panoramic photo. The ice is nearly ready for the Cloquet Hockey Day kickoff Wednesday, as are the locker rooms, bleachers and a Zamboni building. Fire pits and food trucks are coming.

Hockey Day Cloquet schedule

Wednesday, Jan. 8

7 p.m. Warriors Hockey - Lake Superior vs Iron Range, adult veteran hockey players face off to start the Hockey Day festivities. This game is free for everyone.

Thursday-Friday, Jan. 9-10

Assorted youth hockey games

Saturday, Jan. 11

The boys CEC Lumberjacks teams play the Sartell Sabres, with JV game at noon and varsity game at 2 p.m.

The girls CEC Lumberjacks teams play the Northern Tier Stars, with JV game at 5 p.m. and varsity game at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $12 and good for all games. Buy at the game or order online at https://hockeydaycloquet.hometownticketing.com/embed/all. Special apparel is also available to order.

Can't make the games but still want to watch? Northern News Now will be televising the boys varsity game at 2 p.m. Jan. 11.

Jan. 12-15

More youth games and community ice time on Jan. 15.