Martin Sabo: “Mr. Speaker, Minnesota is a hockey State. I think we are the premiere hockey State in the country, and it has been a…”

“Mr. Speaker, Minnesota is a hockey State. I think we are the premiere hockey State in the country, and it has been a great year for hockey in Minnesota. Most recently, we have been excited about the, I suppose what you call, surprising success of the Wild in getting into the division championship in the NHL. But while they are new to our State, Golden Gophers have been playing hockey for 81 years. And that rich tradition we salute today as we congratulate them on winning a second consecutive NCAA championship. But that is part of a rich tradition. This is their fifth national championship. In their 81 years, they have been in the NCAA Frozen Four Finals 18 times, 27 times to the NCAA tournaments. They have appeared in the national tournament for 13 consecutive years, an NCAA record; 12 conference playoff championships; 10 conference championships. So they come with a rich, rich tradition of outstanding hockey. Five national championships. It is a unique team, a unique school with a rich tradition of good hockey, good athletes, good scholars. So we are proud of them.”