Practice makes perfect is how the old saying goes. But it also can’t hurt to have a coach who’s seen the same team practice for almost four decades. The boys hockey team is one of few teams that can say that.
The Tigers’ boys hockey team held its opening home game against Northfield on Thursday, Dec. 1. Although it was the first time in seven years the Tigers didn’t snag a win during their opener, it was still a night of celebration. It marked the official start of the season, but it also officially renamed the former City Arena Blue Rink the Roy Nystrom Arena. Even with a whole night set aside for the dedication of the hockey rink, a lot of students still aren’t aware of it or the reason for it. The hockey arena hasn’t seen as many fans as it would like unless it does a lot of publicizing.
“A lot of teams don’t see how well we’ve been doing,” senior hockey captain Griffin Wangen said. “But that’s OK because we’ll surprise them in the end.”
It’ll be tough to keep their success a secret for long, especially with a coach that’s so newsworthy. He definitely practiced what he preaches, playing for the Golden Bears when he was attending Eveleth High School. His coaching career started off in North Dakota where he coached for seven years, and then peaked when he led Grand Forks Central to three state titles.
Nystrom has been coaching for 46 years, 39 of those years in Albert Lea. Nystrom also broke the record of wins for one coach at 651 and is third nationally for a high school coach with the most wins under his belt. Although the wins are definitely a plus and will put a smile on any coach’s face, that’s not the only reason Nystrom has kept at this for so long. It’s working with the players and coaches he enjoys most.
“It’s quite an honor, but also a very humbling experience,” Nystrom said of the arena being named after him. Everyone knows those people who keep at a certain thing for the longest time but never have much success with it. This is not the case with Nystrom and the hockey team. Their current record is 8-5-0, which means they’re neck and neck with Rochester Mayo, who is currently at 8-5-0, and both teams are barely behind Rochester Century at 10-3-1. Our boys are blowing the competition out of the frozen water.
“Last year we won [the Big 9 championship], and we’re hoping to do it again,” Wangen explained.
Nystrom said his goals are no different this year. It’s been a tough season so far because several of the players are battling injuries, including losing Brady Falk for the season to a broken wrist. It’s not easy having the bench full of injured players who belong on the ice. That hasn’t lessoned his hopes, though.
“I hope to finish high in the Big 9 standing, maybe even win it again, “ Nystrom said. “We’re going to keep working hard, and let the chips fall where they may.”