Minnesota National Guard prepares for Hockey Day Minnesota

Photo By Master Sgt. Paul Santikko | Maj. Darrin Janisch of the Minnesota National Guard receives a custom painted goalie mask from professional painter Todd Miska of Miska Designs and Defending the Blue Line President Shane Hudella in honor of Janisch's service. Janisch is the goalie of the Red Bull Infantry Hockey team as well as the Minnesota National Guard's Army/Air team that will be playing the Canadian armed forces in the Hockey Day Minnesota 2015 events. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Paul Santikko)  

ST. PAUL, MN, UNITED STATES

01.15.2015

Story by Tech. Sgt. Paul Santikko 

Minnesota National Guard

ST. PAUL, Minn. - In the ninth year since its inception, Hockey Day Minnesota has quickly become the State of Hockey’s showcase of talents for all ages - from peewees to the pros. This year’s event will be played atop an active airfield at Holman Field in downtown St. Paul.

Partnered with the organization Serving our Troops, Hockey Day Minnesota will proudly honor the service of Minnesota’s Service members by presenting a military theme and also providing live feedback to the St. Paul-based 34th Combat Aviation Brigade members, who are currently deployed to Kuwait.

To kick off the weekend’s events, the Minnesota National Guard hockey team will play against the Canadian armed forces hockey team in a friendly border-game. It is no secret that the state of Minnesota is known for hockey - men and women of all ages participate in the sport, and it is certainly no different for the military members who reside here. Combining both Army and Air National Guardsmen, the Minnesota team will be well-matched against a tough Canadian team.

To get ready for Hockey Day, the Minnesota National Guard’s players have been getting in ice time at the University of Minnesota, which generously donated its facilities. Behind the scenes; however, the team’s organizers have been putting together their uniforms for the big game. Through charitable contributions from the organization Defending the Blue Line, the team has been outfitted with military-themed jerseys, matching socks and necessary protective equipment.

Shane Hudella, president and founder of Defending the Blue Line, is no stranger to being “uniform,” as he served alongside many of the players in the Minnesota National Guard before retiring to take on his new venture with DTBL. The organization was first started in 2009 with a mission to ensure that service members and their children are afforded every opportunity to participate in the game of hockey.

“Hockey players are able to perform at their best when they have the right equipment, and I wanted to make sure the players of the Minnesota National Guard were outfitted right,” said Hudella.

One piece of equipment in particular is unique in the game of hockey, being worn by a goalie, the “mask” is often times painted to display the individual personality of the wearer. Hudella was able to put Minnesota National Guard’s Maj. Darrin Janisch in touch with professional hockey goalie mask painter, Todd Miska, who designed and painted his mask for him. Miska surprised Janisch with a military-themed mask just in time for the game. Miska’s work is well-known in the National Hockey League and worn by many of its players.

“It is an honor to deliver a mask for this warrior,” said Miska, who surprised Janisch even further by donating his time and work free of charge.

“We are the world’s leading military for a reason,” said Hudella. “We may not win every battle, but we always leave everything on the table. I expect the service members on the Minnesota National Guard team will do just that and, if they give 100 percent, the team will prevail.”

• Date Taken: 01.15.2015
• Date Posted: 01.15.2015 17:33
• Story ID: 152104
• Location: ST. PAUL, MN, US