Before he even owned a pair of skates Derek Herlofsky would walk from his home in Northeast Minneapolis to Windom Park where he would play goalie in pickup hockey games wearing boots, not skates. In doing so Derek earned the nickname "Boots". 

At 7 years old, Dereks' parents bought him his first pair of skates and he joined the Mite team in the Edison youth hockey program. But, not as a goalie, as for the next 4 years Derek played forward for Edison youth teams. When he was 11, the Edison pee wee team's goalie quit, so the skaters all agreed they would take their turn in the nets. Derek was the first to put on the pads. He never took them off again, as he became one of the most accomplished (i.e. greatest) goaltenders to ever come out of Minneapolis. Initially Derek, with no training in goaltending, excelled based on his extreme athleticism.

He then added goaltending technique to his arsenal by attending the Strehlow/Ostby Goalie Camps. Playing together with fellow Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Dziedzic, Derek helped lead the Edison bantams to the state tourney his 9th grade year, then as a 3 year starter for Edison High helped lead the Tommies to their first ever Minneapolis Conference championship, in 1988-89.

An excellent student, Derek had multiple Ivy League offers when graduating from Edison in 1990, but was certain that if he played a year of juniors he would earn a D1 hockey scholarship. He joined the St Paul Vulcans, coached by Mike Guentzel, for the 1990-91 season where his performance in goal earned him multiple full ride scholarship offers. Derek chose to play for Boston University, despite a last minute effort from Minnesota coach Doug Woog. Woog's son Dan was Derek's teammate on the Vulcans. Derek was at the Woog house shooting pool with Dan when Doug called him upstairs to offer him a scholarship to Minnesota, but it was too late as that same morning he had already accepted BU's offer. ( This would prove very unfortunate for Woog and the Gophers as in both the 1994 and 1995 Frozen Four National Championships, Derek and BU would beat the Gophers in the semifinals).

Derek played for Boston University from 1991-92 to 1994-95, but before his college career began he was drafted by hometown team the Minnesota North Stars in the 9th round, 184th overall. In his four years playing goalie for Boston University Derek compiled a record of 50 wins, 13 losses and 5 ties, as he led BU to the NCAA quarterfinals his freshman year, the final 4 his sophomore year, the NCAA runner up his junior season (beating the Gophers in the semis) and finally, the NCAA national championship, his senior year 1994-95, when he was assistant captain, (again beating the Gophers in the semis). He was also named that year to the First Team All Big East and the winner of the Eberly Award as the top goaltender in the 1995 Beanpot Tournament won by BU.

Derek began his professional career goaltending for the Dayton Bombers in the ECHL in the 1995-96 season. In the 1996-97 season he again played for Dayton and also for The Kalamazoo Wings on the IHL. He was called up to play for the Providence Bruins in the AHL playoffs, playing 3 strong games. 

Then Great Britain Hockey and the Cardiff Devils came calling. Derek would spend 4 years, 1997-98 to 2000-01 as the number one goalie for Cardiff in the Great Britain elite league, including leading the Devils to the playoff championship in the 1998-99 season. He was recently named to the All Time Team for Cardiff.

Derek then went to Denmark, where he spent the next 4 seasons, 2001-02 to 2004-05,  playing for Danish elite powerhouse Odense, leading them to the playoffs silver medal in both his first two seasons. 

The chronicles of Derek's Hall of Fame hockey career would not, however, be complete, without mentioning the summer of 1996, when he played goaltender for the Minnesota Arctic Blast and coach Scott Bjugstad, in the now defunct Roller Hockey International League. Derek and the Arctic Blast won the Eastern Conference championship.

So Derek Herlofsky, who began his goalie career wearing only boots, then excelled when he wore ice skates, even spent a summer being a championship winning goalie wearing Rollerblades. His first nickname may have been Boots, but his lasting nickname should be "Champion."  Welcome to the Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Fame Derek.

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