What to expect at Hockey Day Minnesota 2023

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — Hockey Day Minnesota begins Thursday and Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Lake is almost ready for the weekend of festivities — and of course, plenty of hockey.

The gates officially open for the 2023 event at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26 and entertainment will run through Sunday evening.

"Getting to be a part of the (Hockey Day Minnesota) event is an honor and I know our team is very excited about it," said Forest Lake girl's hockey head coach Andrew Richardson. "The rink looks really cool and just having an opportunity to play outside and be a part of something is a cool feeling."

Forest Lake will play on Thursday against Cretin-Derham Hall at 5:30 p.m. for the very first game of the event.

As for the weather, it certainly won't be as cold as Bemidji's year in 2019 when it was 26 below for Hockey Day Minnesota. On Thursday in White Bear Lake, the high will be 15 under partly cloudy skies with westerly winds at 7 mph. On Friday, it'll be a bit windier with cloudy skies and a high of 29. On Saturday, temps under a mostly cloudy sky will drop to 8 for a high with a light wind.

Ticket prices range from $10 to $45, depending the day or age. Kids 5 and under are admitted for free.

Some of the high school teams that will be featured throughout the weekend have already revealed special Hockey Day jerseys, which can be seen below.

Stillwater is excited to take part in Hockey Day on Saturday as the girls team is set to play rival White Bear Lake at 9:30 a.m.

"Our whole town, our youth program actually, sponsored fan buses to leave when we leave on Saturday morning and we're going to go over as a community," said Stillwater head coach Annie Cashman.

"All of those little kids and girls in the community will get to experience a lot of Hockey Day too alongside our high school kids then."

Hermantown will face-off against Mahtomedi and Hill-Murray will compete against the hometown host White Bear Lake in the afternoon on Saturday for the boys varsity games.

In addition to the high school matchups, the St. Cloud State women's hockey team's game against Bemidji State will be showcased on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Bally Sports North Extra live from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's hockey team will follow the SCSU game on BSN Extra as they take on Michigan State at 4 p.m.

The Minnesota Wild will then cap-off the main event on Saturday as they face-off against the Buffalo Sabres at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul at 8 p.m.

The Rink Live will be in White Bear Lake throughout the weekend to bring you tons of content from all things Hockey Day related, so make sure to like, subscribe, and follow our social media platforms.

Tickets, parking information, and more can be found on the official Hockey Day MN website here .

The full schedule can be seen below.

On-Ice:
4:30 p.m. — Gates & Town Square Open
5:25 p.m. — National Anthem & Opening Ceremony
5:30 p.m. — Forest Lake vs. Cretin-Derham Hall (Girls HS)
7:30 p.m. — Celebrity Game

Warming House Entertainment:
7:30 - 10:30 p.m. — Arch Allies

On-Ice:
4:30 p.m. — Gates & Town Square Reopen
5:25 p.m. — National Anthem & Opening Ceremony
5:30 p.m. — St. Johns vs. Ausburg (Mens D-III)
7:30 p.m. — White Bear Lake Alumni Game

Warming House Entertainment:
5-10 a.m. — Gates & Warming House Open
5:30 a.m. — KFAN The Power Trip Morning Show
7:30 p.m. Good For Gary

On-Ice:
8 a.m. — Gates & Town Square Open
9:25 a.m. — National Anthem & Opening Ceremony
9:30 a.m. — Stillwater vs. White Bear Lake (Girls HS)
1:00 p.m. — Hermantown vs. Mahtomedi (Boys HS)
4:30 p.m. — Hill-Murray vs. White Bear Lake (Boys HS)
7 p.m. — Fireworks
8 p.m. — Buffalo Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild (at Xcel Energy Center)

Warming House Entertainment:
10 a.m. - noon — DJ
Noon - 12:30 p.m. — Chester Bay
1 -3 p.m. — Dave Burkart
3:30 - 4:00 p.m. — Chester Bay
7:00 - 11:00 p.m. — Tim Sigler Band

On-Ice:
7:00 a.m. — Gates & Town Square Open
8:00 a.m. — Opening Ceremony
8:15 a.m. — Minnesota Warriors Game 1
10:00 a.m. — Minnesota Warriors Game 2
11:45 a.m. — Sled Hockey
1:30-3:00 p.m. — Open Skate
3:15-4:15 p.m. — Herb Brooks Foundation
4:30-6 p.m. — United Heroes League Game

Warming House Entertainment:
Noon-2 p.m. — School of Rock
3:15- 5 p.m. — Jake Nelson Band
6:15 p.m. — AFC/NFC Championship Viewing Party