In Minnesota, ice hockey is as much an idea as it is a way of life for many youth and their families. Hockey has become a part of our natural inheritance. As a child in Minnesota, you hear about the legends of the Brotens; Gene Aldrich; Darby Hendrickson; our favorite story, Herb Brooks, and the adored Lou Nanne. You hear about the Jefferson Jaguars of the 90s, and the boys from Eveleth, Greenway and Roseau making the trek to the Twin Cities to take down the suburban powers. Hockey becomes a belief; it becomes a role model for life — a tribute to our forefathers and our great state.

It begins with taking one's first step onto a pond as early as age 4 and shoveling the snow off as fast as it falls to play a game of shinny.

Growing up, if you didn't play competitive hockey, you still played hockey.

But it seems many people have forgotten the true meaning of our great sport. For many years, even the greats would play hockey in the winter and then, when summer rolled around, they would hang up their skates and play baseball or soccer or whatever. Hockey was a game, a very competitive and fun game, but a pastime.

The evolution of hockey in Minnesota has led to the formation of one of the most specialized sports cultures in the world. Year-round hockey is a must if you want to compete and, unfortunately for our families, a force strong enough to break them apart.

There is a strange bubble in the hockey community. As a previous (although not very skilled) high school hockey player in a hockey family, I have seen it become all-consuming, manifested in the amount of money, time and persuasion invested in the sport. Parents move their families to different communities to play for better teams, seeking holes in the red tape. There is talk of money exchanging hands, politics and a "who's transferring where next year?" culture.

Minnesota Hockey Hub published an astonishing article in February stating that 41 top-tier high school seniors were leaving for junior hockey and abandoning their home cities to join in this rat race.

Why are players feeling this need to leave home at all for a game? It is a part of our culture, and it's sad to see this transformation. Hockey was made for fun; yet we put much pressure on our 15- to 18-year-old children to take it on as a full-time job. I had a high school teacher involved in multiple high school sports once tell me: "I love the sport of hockey, yet I don't think I could ever allow my child to play it, because I couldn't let him grow up around that." Wow! But he may be right.

By creating this power struggle for our kids, we take away from them what hockey gives to all of us. In its most rudimentary form, hockey is a way to form friends, stay involved, learn to deal with adversity and achieve goals as a team.

Ultimately, the reason we should keep coming back to hockey isn't for points, scholarships or fame — it's for late weeknights after homework and school where you get to step onto the pond with your best friends and play the game that makes your heart sing.

As a previous high school hockey player, I attribute much of my success as a person to hockey teachings. Heck, it even helped with the girls.

As we move through the holiday season — and the heart of the hockey season as well — please remember to keep this in mind. Keep the competition on the ice and out of the house; remember why it is we play this game unique to our Minnesota souls.

Matt Foley, of Rosemount, is a student at the University of Minnesota.