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New book details Minnesota hockey greats
NA3HL.com @NA3HL NA3HL UPDATE
Na3HL grad Hennen commits to Augustana
The Anchorage Wolverines of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce that defenseman and NA3HL grad Hayden Hennen has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for Augustana University in the CCHA.
Hennen, 20, will be part of Augustana’s inaugural 2023-24 season, and will be playing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association against former teammate Campbell Cichosz who is in his freshman year at Minnesota State Mankato.
“I’m incredibly grateful to sign with Augustana,” said Hennen. “I picked Augustana because Coach Raboin is a great coach and has coached some very good players in the past, I believe I can develop my game best there. I wouldn’t be here without the Wolverines’ players and staff from last year. I will forever be grateful for them.”
The 6’3/175 lbs. native of Hallock, MN had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in his first season with Anchorage and was an important presence on the blue line in both the regular season and the Robertson Cup Playoffs.
So far this season, Hennen has a goal and four assists for five points in 12 games played and is part of a veteran defensive core.
Hennen began his junior career in the NA3HL with the Granite City Lumberjacks at the start of the 202122 season. He captured West Division Star of the Week honors thanks to three goals in two games and was called up to the NAHL the following week.
Hayden Hennen began his junior career in the NA3HL before joining the Wolverines in the NAHL the past two seasons.
New book details Minnesota’s hockey greats
Jeff Olson recently compiled a comprehensive book on Minnesota hockey greats. From Phil Housely to T.J. Oshie, the book coevrs the impact Minnesota players have had in the NHL.
Olson talks about his book in a Q and with Let’s Play Hockey.
1) What is your hockey background?
A. I won the lottery of hockey background of the highest level of hockey passion and hockey expertise with Minnesota giants, Coach Jack Blatherwick; Coach Joe Zywiec; and Coach Bob Gunderson; and many more giants of hockey that I was lucky to experience in my background of this fantastic game. I played high school hockey for Coach Jack Blatherwick at Breck School; coached high school hockey as an assistant to Head Coach Joe Zywiec at West St. Paul Sibley High; and coached small college hockey as an assistant to Coach Bob, “Gundy” Gunderson at Hamline University. I have coached youth hockey and high school hockey, and served as a referee of youth and adult hockey in Minnesota.
2) What inspired you to compile and write this book?
A. I was inspired by the tremendous achievements of Minnesota homegrown players doing great things in the NHL playing against the very best players in the world, season with 31 Minnesota
NHL, a zenith, a number never before attained, and a number never attained in the 39 years since that season. Readers will learn of the ground-breaking, pioneer players playing prior to the 1979-1980 season in the
WHA and NHL players such as
Tom Younghans, Steve Jensen,
Dean Talafous, Pete LoPresti,
Bill Nyrop, Reed Larson, Paul
Holmgren, Dave Langevin,
Mike Antonovich, Tim Sheehy, and Bill Butters. Readers can expect to journey deep into the records of accomplishments of
Minnesota Homegrown players to learn the order of players with the most Stanley Cups, All-
Star selections, goals per season, power play goals per season and career, playoff goals, career goals, and much more. Readers will learn the story of the big impact of Scotty Bowman in the development of the Minnesota NHL players; and of the 10 mile by 15 mile triangle of All-Star defenseman.
players from Flin Flon, Manitoba; Thurso, Quebec; Moscow, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Brandon, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec. I was inspired to tell the story of the ground-breaking, pioneer players that broke down the NHL wall of no or very few American or Minnesota players for the players that followed. I was inspired to tell the story of Minnesota NHL records, I was inspired and encouraged by Lou Nanne, to tell these stories. There was no such book with a compiling of these Minnesota NHL records.
3) What do you think this book is important?
A. It is important to recognize and celebrate the NHL achievements of these incredible players and to tell the story of the foundation of their success from their outdoor rinks to the ground-breaking players and the Golden Era that transformed Minnesota hockey. It is important to have a record of their many terrific accomplishments and to provide the story with brief profiles of each of the Minnesota Hockey Greats and their route to the NHL. a phone conversation with the God of Hockey, the greatest coach ever, Scotty Bowman. The research also included digging down deep into hockey information of the Minnesota Homegrown players.
6) Any other books on your radar for the future?
4) How long did the research take you?
A. About four to five months that included getting some information from players about their home outdoor rinks growing up; and even
5) What can readers expect when reading this book?
A. Readers can expect to learn about the Golden Era of 22 years from 1960 to 1982 that transformed hockey in Minnesota. They will learn about the 1982-1983 NHL
A. Yes, Reed Larson and I are writing a book of his extraordinary ground-breaking, NHL All-Star hockey career with his incredible slapshot. The book has the working title of “Hockey’s Hardest Shot. The Story of Reed Larson from Sibley Park to NHL All-Star”.
