Official state of hockey?

Talk about it

A plan to make ice hockey Minnesota’s official state sport was tucked into an education budget bill that went before the Senate Finance Committee Friday.

If put into law, ice hockey would join state symbols such as the blueberry muffin and Honeycrisp apple.

Education budget Chairman LeRoy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, said the issue ended up in Senate education committees because the idea came from students. It also was included in an education policy bill.

“It’s government by action of children in school,” Stumpf joked. “It’s kind of a crazy deal.”

“The muffin, the apple and now the state sport,” he added.

Other bills moving through the legislative process also include the ice hockey designation, making its chances of passage more promising.

“It should make northern Minnesota happy,” Stumpf said.

Tags: minnesota_news, hockey, official_state_of_hockey