On Thursday August 22, Hastings unveiled the logo for the 2026 Hockey Day Minnesota that will take place in Hastings. The event, hosted by the Confluence Hotel, brought together sponsors, members of …
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On Thursday August 22, Hastings unveiled the logo for the 2026 Hockey Day Minnesota that will take place in Hastings. The event, hosted by the Confluence Hotel, brought together sponsors, members of the local planning committee and city officials as they spoke to hockey’s significance to the city of Hastings.
The logo, designed by the Minnesota Wild, features the famous Hastings bridge spanning to City Hall, all in Raiders’ yellow and blue.
“There’s a bit of Hastings in it, a bit of the Wild, and most importantly, there’s hockey in it,” said Hastings Mayor Mary Fasbender as she unveiled the logo to sponsors.
Hastings was announced as the host of the 2026 Hockey Day Minnesota in January of this year at the 2024 Hockey Day Minnesota that took place in Warroad. The event will be planned by several local committees and in collaboration between the Hastings hockey community including the high school as well as hockey association, the United Heroes League, and the city of Hastings.
Attendance for the event is estimated at more than 20,000 based on previous growing attendance numbers which Mayor Fasbender highlighted not only for the Hastings hockey community but for the Hastings business community as well.
Hockey Day Minnesota dates back to 2007 where it was created in partnership between the Minnesota Wild and Balley Sports North, meant to showcase Minnesota’s rich hockey tradition. The first event took place in Baudette in January of 2007 and featured three games, including the Wild’s game against the Dallas Stars.
Over the years, the event has expanded into a week-long hockey celebration featuring games of all ages and often a push to bring hockey back to its roots. Part of that push for the 2026 event that occurred previously is the construction of new outdoor rinks.
For the 2026 event, a new outdoor rink and surrounding village will be built at the United Heroes League. The outdoor rink will force players to contend with the elements rather than in more controlled environments like the civic center.
“It’s just the fresh air. I think, as a hockey player, playing in the fresh air is a lot different than playing indoors,” said Dave Fullerton, Vice President of the Hastings Hockey Association, and member of the marketing committee for the 2026 Hockey Day Minnesota. The village will also feature vendors, rinks, sledding and other family-friendly events.
The week will culminate on Saturday with two televised varsity games: one featuring Hastings, followed by a Wild game. “The Wild game kind of caps off the whole week,” said Fullerton.
Even two years out from the event, there is still a lot of work to be done. At the event, Tim Olsen, Chairman of the Partnership Committee spoke to the work already done to gather sponsors in order for Hastings to host the event, as well as the need for additional volunteers and sponsors in order for the event to run smoothly.
“There was a big push at the beginning to get the whole thing started, and there will be another big push about a year out,” said Olsen. In the meantime, the 2025 Hockey Day Minnesota will take place in Shakopee in January 2025. Olsen and committee members are watching closely for what works and what doesn’t in order to build the programming for the 2026 event.
For more information about Hockey Day Minnesota, visit https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/hdm-2024-date-and-matchups-announced-062323-344971688
