According to Minnesota hockey lore, George "Concrete" Conroy, a stonesman by trade, could peel a tomato with the blade of his stick. Then there was the time the St. Thomas Stripes scrimmaged for 674 consecutive hours during the winter of 1924. And have you heard that famed goaltender Rosie "Brick Wall" Boucher was rumored to have run with bankrobbing duo Bonnie and Clyde for a spell before joining the Skatin' Kates?

You may be raising your brows in skepticism, but one thing is certain: Minnesotans' love affair with outdoor hockey is as old as Paul Bunyan and his blue ox. Well, you get the idea.

Paul Lindgren, a 1961 graduate of Ramsey High School, fondly remembers taping magazines to his knees before hitting the ice at the tender age of five. And, as he got older, the anticipation and excitement leading up to that first skate on the shallow pond at the University of Minnesota golf course - before the sinking realization that it was too early. "I remember going through the ice every year," he says, chuckling.

Back in those days, hockey was always played outside where it belonged. Spot a neighborhood rink and you'd find a pick-up game to join. "Wanna play shinny?" was an invitation that was eagerly accepted.

"We could hardly wait for Christmas break so we could play," says Paul, who recalls skating for 10, 12, even 14 hours a day, regardless of what the thermometer read. He spent many memorable winter days on Lake Phalen facing off against the formidable Brooks Brothers, Herb and Dave, as well as Doug Woog and former Governor Wendy Anderson.

One of his favorite stories is of the time local legend Rod Magnuson arrived at the neighborhood rink with Jack McCartan, goaltender for the 1960 U.S. gold-medal hockey team. "They came down and skated with the kids - they really took a lot of time with them," Paul says, remembering that Jack never took the cigar out of this mouth as he played.

Backyard Hockey

Times have changed since those good old days. Most kids today play organized hockey on well-groomed indoor ice arenas. But take a drive around town on a winter afternoon and you'll find that outdoor hockey is still alive and well. Local rinks host spontaneous pick-up games and organized practices for teams that are unable to get indoor ice time.

"Pond hockey is where fun games begin and where you learn your skills," says Jay Witta, a hockey dad who remembers Saturday afternoons when he and his buddies played for five or six hours.

Phil Bonthius, now a coach for his son's Mites team, also harkens back to his childhood days when he learned to play outside. "The ice was always good," he says, fondly recalling freezing temperatures, numb feet and chain-link nets.

Another thing keeping pond hockey alive and well is the rising popularity of backyard rinks, as families look for safe ways to keep their kids outside and active. At their home on Lake Minnewashta, Craig and Janie Norby designed a regulation-size rink that boasts lights, boards, a fire pit and a log-cabin warming house. Craig and his neighbor Tim flood the rink nightly, grooming it to perfection for play the following day - perhaps an all-day father-son tournament with lots of cider and hot dogs over the bonfire.

Picturesque as it may be, the Norbys' rink sees plenty of competitive play between family, friends and neighbors. Team practices for their boys are often held here, where the ice is better than at the park. "We have kids coming off the bus after school and heading to the rink," says Janie. "It's more authentic. It makes for the best memories for children. And it's a healthy thing for kids to do."

U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

The "authenticity and purity of the sport" are the very factors that drove Fred Haberman to form the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, the largest tournament of its kind in the nation. The inaugural tournament, played on Lake Calhoun in January 2006, captured so much interest and national press that the 2007 event will be expanded from 116 to 190 teams this winter when it is held January 19-21.

"I love the idea of people of all ages and abilities coming together. It allows people to be a kid again," says Haberman, who, with co-founder Paul Ridgeway, truly has a passion and purpose for the event, donating a portion of the proceeds to the Herb Brooks Foundation to create more opportunities for children to play pond hockey.

Of course, a focus on kids doesn't preclude the adults from getting in on the fun. Jay and Phil and the "Lake South Boys" competed in last year's tournament. Finishing with two wins and one tie, they achieved a goal they felt was admirable for "a bunch of 30-year-olds": not to lose.

According to Jay, the spontaneity and uncertainties involved with pond hockey - from the informal play to frigid temperatures and imperfect ice - are the very things he loves about the sport. "It's old school, throw-back, retro - kinda like the Vikes playing outdoors. They got soft when they went inside!" jokes Jay.

"Hockey's a tough sport," he adds. "Grin and play it in the elements."

Chicks With Sticks

If you think outdoor hockey is geared toward men, think again. Hockey is becoming increasingly popular for girls and women of all ages. Janie plays for Chicks with Sticks, an organized women's hockey league formed and coached by Mike Curti, whose wife Julie was looking for an opportunity to play with other moms.

Five years later, Chicks with Sticks has about 200 active participants in the western and southern metro. Coach Curti leads a clinic every Thursday beginning in October, and individual teams compete against each other on weekends.

Mike is not surprised by how fast things took off. "Part of it is that ladies wanted to find out what it was like, to be able to relate with their kids. It turns out they really loved the game," he says, adding that it also "fooled them into a good workout. They never worked so hard and had so much fun!"

Laura Hotvet joined Chicks with Sticks four years ago because her husband and kids played hockey and it was on her "life list" of things to accomplish. "I've learned so much. It also gave me an appreciation for what my kids are learning," she says, adding that she enjoys a unique bond with this team of women.

Janie joined as a way to relate with her two hockey-playing sons. "There are so many things my boys can do with their dad that are natural and automatic," she explains. "This is our one common mother-son bond. They don't think twice about it - it's super natural for them."

While the Chicks generally play indoors, Janie holds team practices on her home ice. Last year she hosted a tournament on one of the coldest nights of the winter. In between play, teeth-chattering spectators joined the players for food, drinks and plenty of fun. Janie hopes to hold more tournaments this winter. "Outdoor hockey is so unique," she says. "It's about camaraderie and tradition. It's a great lifestyle!"

So next time you're at a Wild game, don't feel badly if you start waxing a bit nostalgic about outdoor hockey. It's a Minnesota thing.

Star on Ice

On any given winter weekend, you might find Molly Engstrom lacing up her skates on Crooked Lake behind her family's home in Siren, Wis. But this twenty-threeyear-old had bigger ambitions that landed her on the 2006 U.S. Olympic women's hockey team. Back at the University of Wisconsin this year, Molly talked to Lakestyle about the Olympics, her passion for hockey, and her desire to play in the 2010 games in Vancouver.

Lakestyle: When did you begin skating?

Molly: I started at age six because my brother skated. I had to go to his practices, so I decided I wanted to play.

LS: Was it love at first skate?

Molly: Yes. Honestly, I don't think there was any sport I didn't love. Hockey was just the means that took me somewhere.

LS: These days you spend most of your time skating indoors. What do you think of outdoor hockey?

Molly: It's the best! All of your senses take it in. The ice is harder, the air is crisp...you feel different. Madison has some outdoor rinks, but it's not the same. When I skate on the lake at home, there are memories attached to that.

LS: You started playing on an outdoor rink in Webster, Wis. What do you remember about it?

Molly: The ice was perfect, the boards were wooden, the warming house was shoddy but so cool! It even had a wood stove.

LS: Were you the only girl on the team growing up? How did that go for you?

Molly: I was always the only girl on the team in Webster. The boys were really good about it. They treated me as one of their own.

LS: When did you begin playing with girls?

Molly: When I was 12, I went to Minnesota and played on the Thoroughbreds, an AAA girls team.

LS: How did the opportunity to play for the U.S. Olympic team present itself?

Molly: In 2004 the door opened: I made my first national team. We went to the World Championships in Nova Scotia , which was the breakthrough. I've been on the team ever since.

LS: Although you suffered an ankle injury before Torino, what is your favorite memory?

Molly: The best part was going into the village and living with other athletes from other countries. It's a pretty incredible feeling to be gathered in the same spot as the best athletes in the world. I couldn't walk in the opening ceremony, so the closing ceremony was my highlight. The injury changed the whole experience. That's why I want to go back.

LS: What life lessons has hockey taught you?

Molly: Playing a sport is a pretty incredible learning tool for life in general. It forces you to give and take in relationships, especially in a team environment. That rolls over into society and into life.

LS: What do you love most about hockey?

Molly: First and foremost, it's about doing something I love. It's challenging and I get to compete. When playing a sport is like your job...I'm pretty lucky!

By Nancy Pias