Hockey Day Minnesota 2021 in Mankato postponed to 2022

Hockey Day Minnesota 2021 in Mankato has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mankato will now host in 2022, but a celebration in 2021 will still take place. A date and format will be announced at a later date, the change just another example of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis stretching into winter.

"While Hockey Day Minnesota may look a little different this year, we know it will still be a very special experience for those watching on television," Minnesota Wild President Matt Majka said in a statement released by the team. "It has become an annual tradition in the State of Hockey, and we look forward to hosting another great celebration of hockey this season and can't wait for Hockey Day 2022 in Mankato."

The next Hockey Day Minnesota will be the 15th since the event's inception.

Created in 2007 by the Wild to commemorate the game that has made Minnesota the State of Hockey, the celebration is a day-long television event on Fox Sports North that highlights the sport from peewees to pros.

Blakeslee Stadium, on Minnesota State University, Mankato, will host Hockey Day Minnesota 2022.

Not only is the stadium home to MSU football, but it housed Vikings training camp from 1966 to 2017.

The Mavericks men's hockey team has won three consecutive WCHA titles, and the women's program has been gradually improving under coach John Harrington, a former Olympian.