Hockeytown and Hockey Town are generic words used in common practice throughout the
United States and
Canada to identify any town, city or community that has a history and reputation of participating in the sport of
ice hockey. Many North American cities are and have been referred to by the label.
Warroad, Minnesota
Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, Roseau County, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods, south of Canada–United States border, Canada. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 United States Census, 20 ...
was the first city known to use the designation "Hockeytown". The term has been used to describe the following cities:
*
Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin ( ) is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coös County in northern New Hampshire, United States. It is the northernmost city in New Hampshire. The population was 9,425 at the 2020 census, down from 10,051 at the 2010 census.
It ...
– Earned the title in 2002, after almost 90 years of a rich hockey history. Claims to be the breeding ground for some of the best players.
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Binghamton, New York
Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...
has been referred to as Hockey Town since the mid-1970s. After a tepid first year of support, the
Broome Dusters grew greatly in popularity, and were able to draw many sellouts. The quick success led the ''Hockey News'' to declare Binghamton as Hockey Town USA. Binghamton is home to a
Federal Prospects Hockey League franchise.
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Denver, Colorado – Earned the title in 2022, after the
Colorado Avalanche won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
, the
University of Denver Pioneers won the
NCAA National Championship, and the
Denver East Angels won the
USA Hockey High School National Championship. In addition the Colorado Warriors (Disabled Veteran hockey) of the Warrior hockey discipline within
USA Hockey won 2 championships in 3 divisions (including the top tier) of the 2022 USA Hockey Warrior Classic (National Championship) in Detroit, MI, October 30, 2022. The Avalanche and the Pioneers became the first professional and college teams from the same city to win the Stanley Cup and the NCAA Division I National Championship in the same year since the
Boston Bruins and the
Boston University Terriers in 1972.
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Detroit, Michigan – The phrase "Hockeytown", when combined with the distinctive winged wheel logo of the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
, is a registered trademark owned by the franchise.
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Traverse City, Michigan has been referred to as "Hockeytown North", due to the Red Wings' training camp being located at Traverse City's Centre Ice Arena.
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Montreal, Quebec has been described as the "Best Hockey City in North America". The first indoor ice hockey game was played in the city, on 3 March 1875. The formalized modern sport of ice hockey originated in Montreal in 1877.
*
Nashville, Tennessee was referred to as a kind of Hockeytown in May, 2017.
*
O'Leary, Prince Edward Island has been described as "Hockeytown PEI".
*
Warroad, Minnesota
Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, Roseau County, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods, south of Canada–United States border, Canada. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 United States Census, 20 ...
has been referred to as "Hockeytown" for over 50 years. The Hockeytown Holiday Classic has been played in Warroad since 1994.
The phrase "hockey town" has also been applied to
Boston, Massachusetts;
Buffalo, New York;
;
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
;
Pardubice
Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monu ...
,
Czech Republic;
Sarpsborg,
Norway;
and
Skellefteå,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Ice hockey terminology