Saturday, Jan. 3 is shaping up as one of those long, loud, coffee-fueled days that Hermantown will talk about for decades — usually starting with, “Remember when the new rink opened?”
That’s the day Northstar Ford Arena officially opens its doors, and in proper Minnesota fashion, the place won’t be eased into existence. It’ll be baptized the only way we know how: wall-to-wall hockey, kids racing through hallways in untied skates, parents clutching travel mugs, and a schedule that starts early and refuses to quit.
But this building didn’t just appear out of thin ice.
For years — really, for generations — Hermantown hockey has been doing what it always does: producing teams, players and expectations that punch well above the town’s weight class. This is a program that learned long ago how to win without excess, how to develop kids without shortcuts, how to build habits instead of headlines. The banners didn’t come from shiny facilities. They came from cold rinks, long nights and coaches who believed structure mattered.
And yet, even the most tradition-rich programs eventually need a home that matches what they’ve become.
Northstar Ford Arena is the product of that realization — that Hermantown hockey, from the youngest mites to the varsity regulars, had outgrown the idea of “good enough.” The area around it didn’t suddenly turn into a hub by accident. It evolved because hockey demanded it. Families demanded it. Youth associations demanded it. You don’t run one of the state’s most respected hockey cultures on nostalgia alone.
So now there’s a building that says, plainly: this matters.
The grand opening will feel like a reunion because it is one. The Proctor/Hermantown Mirage girls get the honor of breaking the ice first, junior varsity in the morning, varsity at noon, taking on North Shore in games that already mean something beyond the scoreboard. Somewhere between those contests and the boys taking over later in the afternoon, there will be a ceremony — speeches, smiles, a few thank-yous, and that collective nod that says, “Yeah, we pulled this off.”
Then come the Hawks, with Eden Prairie providing the measuring stick. Boys varsity at 2 p.m., boys JV later in the afternoon, youth games filling the gaps, kids wide-eyed as they watch older players skate onto fresh ice in a brand-new building they’ll someday call their own.
That’s the real significance here.
For Hermantown High School, this arena becomes more than a venue. It becomes a daily standard. A place where expectations walk in the door with you. Where youth players sit in the stands and start counting years instead of seasons. Where routines become traditions, and traditions become legacies.
For the youth programs, it’s validation. Proof that the countless early-morning practices, volunteer hours, fundraising drives and carpool plans weren’t just about getting through another winter. They were about building something permanent. Something that tells an 8-year-old skater, “Stick with this. There’s a future here.”
For the broader community, Northstar Ford Arena is a gathering place — the kind that small towns understand better than anyone. Rinks aren’t just buildings here. They’re living rooms. Story banks. Time machines. They hold memories whether they’re supposed to or not.
One practical note — and this comes from someone who’s seen more than a few grand openings turn into traffic science experiments — parking will matter. There will be no freelancing, no creative curbside interpretations, no “I’ll just squeeze it in here for a minute.” Street parking around the arena is off-limits. Follow the signs. Follow the directions. Look at the parking map before you arrive. Vehicles that test the system may end up with a citation or a short ride they didn’t budget for.
Think of it as the first test of rink discipline.
Bottom line: Jan. 3 isn’t just about opening doors. It’s about opening a new chapter for a hockey community that’s earned it the hard way — through patience, planning and an unwavering belief that doing things right still matters.
Bring your scarf. Bring your voice. Bring your patience.
And if you’re a young player sitting in the stands that day, staring at the ice a little longer than necessary, that’s OK. That’s how this place is supposed to work.