Culture is our way of life, or as E.B. Taylor says, "the habits acquired by man as a member of society." Hockey associations have a culture. Good or bad, the culture of a hockey association can best be defined as “the way we do things here.” Over the years, Minneapolis Hockey has nurtured “the way we do things here” to include a very high standard of behavior, sportsmanship, participation, education, recreation, competition and community involvement. Ironically, one of the most unique aspects of the culture of Minneapolis Hockey is, in fact,…culture; that is, providing an opportunity for our members to expand their participation, education and recreation, as a member of society, on a global scale.

Offering the opportunity for our members to expand their experience on a global scale has been a part of our Minneapolis Hockey culture since 2007 when we took 35 players to Vasteras, Sweden, to introduce the sport of Bandy to our hockey players, and to spend time touring the world-class museums of Stockholm. My family first took advantage of this opportunity in 2010, when my son and I went the trip. Frankly, at that time, I was the newly elected President of Minneapolis Hockey, and I was curious to learn if the trip warranted so much time and energy by our association volunteers. The 2010 trip was the third cultural exchange trip for Minneapolis Hockey. By then, it was a well-oiled program.

This cultural exchange trip takes place over MEA week. On the trip, our kids play bandy – many learning the sport for the first time -- and hockey, participate in local cultural events, spend time in Swedish schools and pair-up with friends to have an elective overnight stay with a local youth bandy family. The bandy and hockey practices are usually coached by the Swedish coaches, allowing parents to take day-trips into Stockholm, or visit other interesting cities such as Uppsala, Gothenburg or even Oslo. Our players and parents visit the sights of Vasteras and spend a day touring museums in Stockholm. It was a wonderfully exhaustive week of activities. It was so rewarding that we returned with our entire family on the 2012 trip.

Now, six years after my first trip, our family is fully realizing how “expanding our cultural experience” can grow to unexpected rewards. It’s a little-known fact that, throughout the years, Minneapolis Hockey families have hosted foreign exchange students from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and even Russia. Through the bandy friendships created on our first trip to Vasteras, our family came to know Linnea, a wonderful bandy player from Oslo, Norway, who we hosted as a foreign-exchange student for the 2015-2016 school year. Our daughter, Finn, will be traveling to Oslo this October to spend time with Linnea’s family. On our second trip, we got to know the Olsson family from Vasteras. Their daughter, Victoria, played bandy with our kids on the 2012 trip and is one of three U18 Swedish bandy players who are visiting Minneapolis as counselors for our summer bandy camp. Victoria stayed with us for the camp, and her parents will be arriving in September for the Ryder Cup when we can reciprocate the generous hospitality that they showed us during our trip to Vasteras in 2012.

Our cultural exchange trip to Vasteras is only one example of Minneapolis Hockey members providing participation, education and recreational opportunities on a global scale. Last winter, we held the first “international friendly” youth hockey match between high school age girls  from the sister cities of Minneapolis (current and former Storm players) and Harbin, China. By all accounts, the Chinese team was overwhelmed by our generosity. We provided an opportunity for the Chinese players to experience classes and lunch at a local high school. We hosted an outing to the MN Girls State Hockey Tournament and Mall of America. We provided an authentic northern-Chinese meal where our players awkwardly mingled, using their smartphones as interpretation devises. In return, Minneapolis Storm has an open invitation to visit Harbin, China, in the near future. And, with the Winter Olympic Games being held in Beijing in 2022 (and bandy quite possibly being an exhibition sport there), you never know how relationships that began last winter may blossom in six years.

Our situation isn't unique, other Storm families have also had great International experiences by taking advantage of all of the International programs that are available to Storm families. The Kelly's have hosted a Swedish family for Bandy Camp, and currently former Storm player Siri Hanson is in Sweden attending a camp and staying with Swedish friends developed through some of the Storm's cultural opportunities. The Patton's hosted two Swedish 17U National Team members, Agnes Sundall & Sanna Gustavsson who were counselors at this year's bandy camp.

These wonderful experiences for my family, and many other Minneapolis Storm Hockey families, would not be possible without “culture, within the culture” of Minneapolis Hockey. The cultural aspect of “the way we do things here” truly sets us apart from every other hockey association in the country....and possibly the world.