With just 100 days to go, excitement is building in Hastings as the city prepares to host Hockey Day Minnesota. Local sponsors, residents, and city leaders gathered Friday night at Dugarel’s to …
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With just 100 days to go, excitement is building in Hastings as the city prepares to host Hockey Day Minnesota. Local sponsors, residents, and city leaders gathered Friday night at Dugarel’s to celebrate the milestone, debut a new promo video, and share what the event means to the community.
Among the key supporters of the event is Pella Windows and Doors, which jumped on board early as a sponsor. Brittany Collins, Pella’s replacement general manager, said the opportunity was a natural fit.
“We are a sponsor. We're really excited to be a part of this,” Collins said. “We got on board just to sponsor. I'm from Hastings, we've got a lot of our team members that are from Hastings as well, and then just a lot of our team members also really love hockey.”
Pella will be out in full force during the event, hosting a party deck and showcasing its windows, doors, and services on site.
“Our employees are really looking forward to it,” Collins said. “We’ll be on site, obviously, during the event.”
Working with the Hastings Hockey Association to help bring it all together has also been a meaningful experience for the Pella team.
“A lot of our team goes way back with a lot of the people that are putting together the event,” Collins said. “It's been great to work with them, and they are so excited about this, and really brought excitement to our team.”
For Collins, who grew up in Hastings, the hometown connection made the sponsorship feel even more personal.
“When we first heard that Hastings was going to be the host this year, we thought we have to get in on this,” she said. “We reached out very early on and started conversations about what it would mean to be a sponsor.”
During the kickoff event Friday night, committee member Jeff Taffe thanked attendees and praised the many sponsors who stepped up to make Hockey Day possible.
“Pella, TCO, Treasure Island, you can just go down the list,” Taffe said. “It's just been a huge honor for them to be a part of this.”
Hastings Mayor Mary Fasbender took the mic with energy, calling the countdown to Hockey Day “an unforgettable event for our community.”
“In just 100 days, Hastings will proudly host Hockey Day Minnesota,” Fasbender said. “We couldn't be more honored to showcase our city, our people, and our passion for this game.”
The event culminated with a playing of a promo video for the event featuring some of the biggest names in Minnesota Hockey.
Mike Modano, Neil Broten, Natalie Darwitz and Zach Parise, joined Raiders Haley Siebenaler, Olyvia Erickson, Josie Hamann, Charlie Stoffel, Will Savage and Brecken Fullerton at the United Heroes League campus for a trip down memory lane and a beautiful passing of the puck from one generation to another. You can find the video on our Facebook page.
With a backdrop of the Mississippi River and outdoor games set at the United Heroes League campus, the stage is set for a memorable celebration of Minnesota’s favorite winter pastime.
As Fasbender put it, “Let the rinks freeze and let the joy of Hockey Day bring us all together.”
