Creating a Greater State of Hockey: January Recap

Hockey Day Minnesota

Saturday, January 24

Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 took place on January 24 in Hastings, celebrating community hockey throughout the day. The event featured three high school hockey games leading up to the Minnesota Wild game that evening. January 24 also marked the inaugural Skate It Forward on Hockey Day Minnesota, an initiative of the Minnesota Wild Foundation dedicated to preserving, strengthening, and celebrating community hockey. More than $93,500 was raised during the day of giving, with TRIA matching every dollar raised bringing the total impact to more than $187,000 in support of community hockey. The Minnesota Wild Foundation proudly donated $75,000 to Minnesota Hockey and $10,000 to Hastings Youth Hockey.

The town of Winona, one of 11 Skate It Forward associations, was highlighted in a one-time special produced by the Minnesota Wild in partnership with TRIA Orthopedics. Winona: Making of a Hockey Town premiered following the Wild game, sharing the community’s hockey story.

Faceoff for Fitness

This month, through our Faceoff For Fitness program, we visited four different schools in the St. Paul and Rosemount areas. We brought out two alumni players and Nordy to host an all-school assembly focused on fitness tips, exercise, and how staying active helps hockey players perform at a high level. This marked our 12th visit of the year!

Foligno Faceoff

Tuesday, January 27

On Tuesday, January 27, the Minnesota Wild faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the Foligno Face-Off. In honor of breast cancer survivors, four incredible women took part in the game day festivities, including player walk-ins and the “Let’s Play Hockey” call. Through the Foligno Face-Off, Marcus and Nick Foligno donate 100% of direct contributions to support innovative breast cancer research across North America.

Coat Delivery

Wednesday, January 28

For the third consecutive year, the Minnesota Wild partnered with the American Indian Family Center (AIFC) to provide winter coats for families in need. The coat drive, supported by Ororo, took place on November 28 and was made possible by the generosity of Wild fans, who helped us donate a significant number of coats to the AIFC.

On January 28, CEO Matt Majka joined the community team to deliver the coats in person. During the visit, they had the opportunity to hear from a community elder and experience a powerful performance of traditional music, making the day especially meaningful.

Program Sales

Program sales are just another way that the Minnesota Wild Foundation supports community hockey. At every home game, a Minnesota youth hockey association has the opportunity to sell game programs.

This month, the Foundation has awarded $10,500 in grants to the teams that sold programs. These grants help cover essential costs such as new jerseys, equipment, travel and more. To learn more about how your team can participate in Program Sales at an upcoming game, please click here.

Split the Pot

In the month of December, the Split the Pot raffle raised $16,200 to support organizations such as: Minnesota Wild Foundation, Special Olympics Minnesota, Crescent Cove. To learn more about the Split the Pot raffle, please click here.

Mystery Pucks

The Minnesota Wild Foundation hosted another successful Mystery Puck Sale on January 24 This special event featured player-signed Hastings Hockey Day Minnesota 2026 pucks, each wrapped to keep the autograph a surprise for fans.