U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual pond hockey event on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though an amateur tournament, the competition draws hockey enthusiasts from all over North America, many of whom have pro and college hockey experience.
ESPN.com listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die."
== Format==
The tournament includes competition in six divisions:
*The Open Division (anyone can play)
*40+ Division
*50+ Division
*Rink Rats (amateurs who would rather not face the near-pro talent that is common in the Open Division)
*Women's
*Seniors
The teams compete for a trophy called the Golden Shovel. Each year, the winners of each division get to engrave their names into the Golden Shovel in a tradition reminiscent of the NHL's Stanley Cup.
== Past Winners (Open Division)==
Year	Team 	Origin	Roster
2006	Wright Homes/Almost 40	 	
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dave Shute,
Randy Gallatin
2007	Whiskey Bandits 	 	
Jamison Steinert,
Matt Elsen,
Jess Johnson,
Tim Olson,
Nick Hanrahan,
Dan Ibrahim
2008	Wright Homes/Almost 40	 	
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dave Shute,
Randy Gallatin
2009	Concord USA 	 	
Sam Cornelius,
Peter Fitzgerald,
Billy Hengen,
Justin Kapsen,
Geoff Kragness,
Jeff Yurecko
2010	Wright Homes/Almost 40	 	
Curt Wright,
Justin Brown,
Dan Goff,
Dave Bakken,
Dan Donnette,
Randy Gallatin
2011	Whiskey Bandits 	 	
Matt Elsen,
Tim Olsen,
Nicholas Hanrahan,
Joey Dustin,
Jesse Johnson,
Jamison Steinert
2012	Wright Homes/Almost 40	 	
Curt Wright,
Dave Bakken,
Dan Donnette,
Randy Gallatin,
Geno Parrish,
Matt Erredge
2013	WoodStars 	 	
Nick Reichert,
Doug Nelson,
Erik Heltne,
Ross Cooney,
Kevin Rollwagen,
Mike Taylor
2014	Wright Homes/Almost 40	
2015	Surging Cycle/Red Army	
2016	Wright Homes/FHIT 	
== Tournaments==
=== 2007 Tournament===
Due to the unusually warm weather in Minnesota during the winter of 2006-2007, tournament sponsors had to move the tournament from Lake Calhoun to Lake Nokomis. Notable players in the 2007 tournament include:
*Phil Housley
*Brad Bombardir
*Guy Kawasaki
Category:Ice hockey tournaments