Before High School

You go to the tournament because that's where all of your friends are. If you're lucky your parents let you walk around with them alone. The parents go every year and this year you decided to tag along because your school made it this year!

You are not quite old enough to sit in the student section yet, but it looks SO FUN. You just watch the sections chant at each other and bounce beach balls around until security yells at them. The boys playing are like idols, they are living the dream of playing in The Tourney.

During High School

Similar to before, you go every year, sometimes you go with your parents, and sometimes your friends, it all depends on whose going, and how much money you have to spend. The tourney on a high school salary might not cut it.

If your team did make it, you pray that they play in the morning of the quarter finals, because let's be honest who doesn't want to miss school to watch hockey, chat, and eat junk food. No matter what time they play you are just as excited to see them.

If your team didn't play you still go and cheer the other teams on (or hope and pray they loose **cough cough** EDINA cough cough***) There is always that one section (usually upper level) that makes their own section and chants, sometimes they are fun, sometimes they suck, it all depends on the section.

Occasionally you make fun bets with your friends about who will end up in the championship game, and who will win. Sometimes the guesses are way off though and then you laugh and just think "it's the tourney, anything can happen."

In between sessions everyone rushes to Cosettas or any other nearby place with food and a warm place to sit. (Cossetas is the best though) All the opposing team's fans have competitions to see who can give the better death glare, because that's clearly the deciding factor as to who wins, right?

After four days of hockey you are exhausted. The Excel Energy Center has been home, and even though this is a Minnesotan holiday, it's time to go to bed and go to class at 7:30 the next morning.

After High School, onto Adulthood

You no longer have any friends on the team most likely, if anything it's your younger siblings friend, or maybe a family friend who is much younger than you. The meaning of this tournament definitely changes. The reasons to go back are to relive the memories, watch hockey with some of the most loyal fans in the country, and watch the rivalries of teams you once loved and hated. Suddenly the tournament is more than a social gathering to see your friends, it becomes a tradition. Something you will take your kids to and tell them about all of the memories you made there. It becomes something special.