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Arvig Park in Perham was the site of the fourth Brave Like Gabe Invitational, an event like no other. Competition was certainly part of it, but there was camaraderie, there was support, there was fundraising, there was remembrance, there was love, so much love.

A mystery gold medal that was given to one of the members of the 1945 Eveleth Golden Bears -- and was found by a Minnesota native in 2018 in a Goodwill store in Texas -- is in the hands of the Drobnick family, completing the circle of gold.

The Campbell-Tintah school district is in Minnesota, Fairmount is in North Dakota and Rosholt is in South Dakota. Where the state lines intersect, Tigers rule the countryside.

Even though some fans live in one town and are employed in the other, hockey draws a clear line in the ice. That was evident as Warroad fans grimaced upon paying for admission and having a big green Roseau Ram stamped on the back of their hand.

Nate Schmidt, a graduate of St. Cloud Cathedral, recently became the first St. Cloud hockey player to hoist the Stanley Cup. Schmidt, who was a defenseman for the Florida Panthers, played in 80 games in the 2024-2025 season. On July 1, 2025, Schmidt signed a three-year contract with the Utah Mammoth.

Kate may blush if you call her a miracle. All she wants to do is go to school, participate in her favorite sports (basketball, volleyball, golf, swimming), spend time with her family and friends and be a normal kid.

I witnessed something Saturday that was extremely inspirational and says a lot about what high school activities can mean to our kids and communities.

Just win. That’s what Zach has been doing since Jan. 20, when he collapsed on the court during a game at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.

I will take the “Best Of” concept one step further this summer by posting some of my all-time favorite stories from my 15 years with the MSHSL. I am working on selecting 15 stories that I really enjoyed writing, and this process is quite in-depth.

Randy Taylor has been on the Titans coaching staff for 28 years, Jon Wessel for seven and they are very close friends … even before Wessel gave Taylor one of his kidneys earlier this year.

“Winning games is awesome but our goal is to turn them into men,” he said. “We have 26 kids on the roster and you could ask any of the coaches, they’re all like sons to us.”

The good news: I never saw one flake of snow while driving home from Lake Crystal. The great news: I had one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at a high school sporting event.