Why does everyone love to hate Edina? It's more than hockey

This is the story of a lovely place, where green grass grows and sparkling water flows.

Where the children are sturdy and smart, the stores are bustling and the government is scandal-free.

And we can't stand it.

For this edition of Curious Minnesota, we're answering the reader question, "Why do people hate Edina?"

"You gotta have a bad guy," said Julie Barton of Minneapolis. "It's easy to be against Edina because they are good: at sports, at money, at keeping things the way they want it."

Edina hatred has spread far beyond the Twin Cities. Consider the original "Mighty Ducks" movie, when a ragtag group of youth hockey players from District 5 (read: Minneapolis) is joined by a transfer from Edina. They initially scorn him as a "cake eater" — a spoiled rich kid — before coming to accept him.

The Urban Dictionary's top definition for "cake eater" describes Edina.

So why the hate?

"There is always a little bit of hate that goes with the envy," said Iric Nathanson, a Minneapolis historian and author. "And that is why some people may hate Edina.

"They really envy Edina, because it is the embodiment of the good life — at least as we think the good life should be here in Minnesota."

On March 21, 1975, the Minneapolis Tribune ran a cartoon by its talented humorist, Richard Guindon.

In the single-panel comic, a mother leans in earnestly to address her young son.

Guindon, now retired and living in Michigan, said the feedback on that cartoon "just blew me away." Of all the cartoons he drew, rarely did any have the same staying power.

Nearly 45 years later, Edina is still a ripe target for satire.

For Doug Grow, a retired Star Tribune columnist, it's about snowplowing.

"On the Minneapolis side, you need a shovel and a prayer to get through," Grow said. "And on the Edina side, it looks like Miami."

No look at Edina hate would be complete without high school sports.

And especially in hockey.

Edina has won the boys' state hockey tournament 13 times in the past 50 years.

Ryan Lund, an Edina hockey dad, said residents don't worry about the hate.

"There is a community of people who grew up here, have stayed here and are committed to maintaining that level of excellence," he said.

But if it makes Edina haters feel better, Nathanson offered a reminder of what once was.

"I haven't smelled any Edinaites lately, but I assume that most of them smell pretty good these days."