U.S. Pond Hockey Championships


The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual pond hockey event on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though an amateur tournament, the competition draws hockey enthusiasts from all over North America, many of whom have pro and college hockey experience.
ESPN.com listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die."
The Tournament's slogan is, "HOCKEY. THE WAY NATURE INTENDED."

Format

The tournament includes competition in six divisions:
  • The Open Division
  • 40+ Division
  • 50+ Division
  • Rink Rats
  • Women's
  • Seniors
  • Bender
The Bender Division is for amateurs who learned hockey while adults.
The teams compete for a trophy called the Golden Shovel. Each year, the winners of each division get to engrave their names into the Golden Shovel in a tradition reminiscent of the NHL's Stanley Cup.

Past winners (Open Division)

YearTeamOriginRoster
2006Wright Homes/Almost 40
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dave Shute,
Randy Gallatin
2007Whiskey Bandits
Jamison Steinert,
Matt Elsen,
Jess Johnson,
Tim Olson,
Nick Hanrahan,
Dan Ibrahim
2008Wright Homes/Almost 40
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dave Shute,
Randy Gallatin
2009Concord USA
Sam Cornelius,
Peter Fitzgerald,
Billy Hengen,
Justin Kapsen,
Geoff Kragness,
Jeff Yurecko
2010Wright Homes/Almost 40
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dan Donnette,
Randy Gallatin
2011Whiskey Bandits
Matt Elsen,
Tim Olsen,
Nicholas Hanrahan,
Joey Dustin,
Jesse Johnson,
Jamison Steinert
2012Wright Homes/Almost 40
Curt Wright,
Dave Bakken,
Dan Donnette,
Randy Gallatin,
Geno Parrish,
Matt Erredge
2013WoodStars
Nick Reichert,
Doug Nelson,
Erik Heltne,
Ross Cooney,
Kevin Rollwagen,
Mike Taylor

2014Wright Homes/Almost 40
2015Surging Cycle/Red Army
2016Wright Homes/FHIT
2017Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey
2018Wright Homes/Four Star Hockey
2019RJ Ryan Construction
2020Hendy Homes/Tail Gators
2022Glue Gun.com
2023Faherty Brand
2024Championship round cancelled due to weather conditions
2025All Around

Tournaments

2007 Tournament

Due to the unusually warm weather in Minnesota during the winter of 2006–2007, tournament sponsors moved the tournament from Lake Calhoun to Lake Nokomis. Notable players in the 2007 tournament include:

2011 Tournament

Held January 21–23, 2011 on Lake Nokomis.

2026 Tournament

Held January 22–25, 2026 on Lake Nokomis.