Hockeytown

Hockeytown and Hockey Town are generic words used in common practice throughout the United States and Canada to identify any town, city or community that has a history and reputation of participating in the sport of ice hockey. Many North American cities are and have been referred to by the label. Warroad, Minnesota was the first city known to use the designation “Hockeytown”. The term has been used to describe the following cities:

• Binghamton, New York has been referred to as Hockey Town since the mid-1970s. After a tepid first year of support, the Broome Dusters grew greatly in popularity, and were able to draw many sellouts. The quick success led the Hockey News to declare Binghamton as Hockey Town USA. Binghamton is home to an American Hockey League franchise.
• Detroit, Michigan – The phrase “Hockeytown”, when combined with the distinctive winged wheel logo of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, is a registered trademark owned by the franchise.
• Montreal, Quebec has been described as the “Best Hockey City in North America”. The first indoor ice hockey game was played in the city, on 3 March 1875. The formalized modern sport of ice hockey originated in Montreal in 1877.
• O’Leary, Prince Edward Island has been described as “Hockeytown PEI”.
• Warroad, Minnesota has been referred to as “Hockeytown” for over 50 years. The Hockeytown Holiday Classic has been played in Warroad since 1994.
• Nashville, Tennessee was referred to as a kind of Hockeytown in May, 2017.