Hosts Eric Eskola and Cathy Wurzer welcomed  Patrick “Packy” Mader to the popular Twin Cities Public Television show Almanac on Friday, September 23rd.  Appearing as the second guest, Packy was asked about the life and hockey career of Olympian Henry Boucha from Warroad, Minnesota, who passed away at age 72.  Another topic of discussion was the new Professional Women’s Hockey League team–still unnamed–which will be located in Minnesota. Olympians Lee Stecklein of Roseville and Kelly Pannek of Plymouth have already signed with the team and the first draft choice was prolific scoring All-American Taylor Heise of the Minnesota Gophers, originally from Lake City and a graduate of Red Wing High School.

The segment on Henry Boucha–who twice shared a booth at hockey tournaments with Packy–begins with a video clip at the 9-minute mark and goes to 17:30 and can be accessed on the following link:  https://www.tpt.org/almanac/  Thanks for viewing!

Let the 2018 Winter Games Begin!

At least 19 athletes from Minnesota qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics being hosted in PyeongChang, South Korea.  Three Twin Cities community magazines featured articles on Minnesota's storied history in the Olympics and featured living Olympians in their locale.  Please enjoy the article about Minnetonka area Olympians Bob Kempainen, a marathon runner in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, and Jack Morrison, a member of the 1968 Olympic hockey team.

“Profusely illustrated, “Minnesota Gold: Conversations with Northland Athletes Competing on the World Stage” is a unique and absolutely absorbing read which is very highly recommended, not only for Minnesota sports fans, but as a template for others to emulate in presenting similar studies of sports and athletics in other states and regions of the country. Informed and informative, “Minnesota Gold” is certain to be an enduringly popular addition to all Minnesota community and academic library collections!”

James A. Cox
Editor-in-chief
Midwest Book Review