ST. PAUL, Minn. — As the final seconds ticked away in Thursday’s state quarterfinal, Lou Nanne tried to keep an eye on the clock — and another on the puck.
This showdown between Grand Rapids and White Bear Lake would soon become an instant classic in the rich history of the Minnesota state high school hockey tournament. There have been upsets and overtimes, including one game that went five OTs back in 1996, unlikely heroes and future NHLers from Neal Broten to Ryan McDonagh.
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And for 60 years, Nanne has been the soundtrack.
He’s been the soul.
The former NHLer and North Stars general manager was at home in his press box suite Thursday morning. A handwritten prep sheet was in one hand and a personalized line chart on a manila envelope sat in front of him. As usual, he was in a suit and tie, standing, pacing, just like those in the record crowd of 20,956 at Xcel Energy Center.
This game was tied 1-1 when sophomore Nathan Garski darted toward the net, accepted a pass and, as he put it, “just tucked it in,” scoring the winner for Grand Rapids with 0.2 seconds left. The student section exploded. Cue the band. “It’s not just us playing. It’s the whole town,” Garski said.
“How unbelievable,” Nanne yelled through his mic.
He couldn’t remember a “walk-off” win like that.
“That’s why the tournament is so great,” Nanne said. “Every year, something unexpected happens.”
This was Nanne’s 60th and final year as TV color analyst for the tournament. He made the decision last year and is sticking to it, no matter how many people try to talk him out of it. Fans gave him standing ovations during this year’s tournament, and whenever Nanne’s image would pop up on the JumboTron, there would be a loud “LOUUUUU!” Before Saturday’s state final, Nanne stood on the ice while a tribute video played, and he was given a special gift: a jersey, the No. 60.
“That,” he said, “was a thrill.”
For as much as Nanne has done in his hockey career, from starring for the Gophers to broadcasting the Olympics, many in this state know him mostly for being the voice of what they call “The Tourney.” He’s called tournaments of fathers and then their sons. His son, Marty, and two of his grandsons, Tyler and Louie, have won state titles.
“(The tournament) is part of the fabric of the state, and he’s part of the fabric of the tournament,” said Jim Erickson, Nanne’s play-by-play partner the past 10 years. “It’s almost that one became synonymous with the other.”
With Nanne being the heart of this bucket-list sports event, The Athletic decided to shadow the U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer to see it through his eyes.
The walls of Nanne’s restaurant in Edina, Tavern 23, are lined with memorabilia, including a framed North Stars jersey, and photos. On Wednesday, Nanne pointed out one of the oldest. It’s from 1964, the first time Nanne broadcast the state tournament. It’s black and white, and his hair is shorter and darker,but the pin-striped suit is still sharp, the smile the same.
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“Wow,” he said. “So long ago.”
Nanne had just had lunch here with six old friends. They reminisced about the tourney, with one laughing about how, in the mid-1960s, Nanne went out on the ice and interviewed the Zamboni driver between periods.
“I did it all back then,” Nanne said, laughing.
Nanne still seems like he’s in constant motion. He lives most of the year in Palm Beach, Fla., and travels frequently for his job with RBC Global Asset Management. He’s logged 4.2 million air miles on Delta, and part of that is traveling back to Minnesota, which has been like a second home to the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, native. He came here six decades ago to go to dental school and play for the Gophers. He became hockey royalty.
That’s certainly how it felt this past week, with Nanne doing about a dozen interviews. He did TV, his regular KFAN radio appearance, a few magazine and newspaper chats. Wild forward Vinni Lettieri, Nanne’s grandson, recalled Nanne doing one right after dinner earlier in the week.
“The guy doesn’t stop,” Lettieri said. “Always going places. That’s just him. Endless energy. Seeing people. He does a lot for the state.”
Nanne had just graduated from the University of Minnesota and was broadcasting high school games on the radio when the state tournament first broached the idea with him of going on the air with then channel 11, WTCN. Nanne, in a contract dispute with the Blackhawks at the time, was working in chemical sales training, coaching a freshman team. He thought, “Why not? Let’s give it a shot.” One of the broadcasters gave him some tips, and he was off.
“One year became another year became another year,” Nanne said. “It kept going.”
The tournament wasn’t as big then, with record crowds of 20,000-plus this week. But Nanne pointed out that they still filled the St. Paul Civic Center with crowds around 9,000 or 10,000 in the early days. There was no NHL team at the time. There were maybe one-quarter as many school teams, but that didn’t change what made Nanne fall in love with the tourney.
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“It’s such a unique experience,” he said. “It’s different. Every year, you have different teams, different communities, the fans and bands. There’s such a passion of following high school teams in all sports. Where I grew up, maybe 500 came to basketball. We didn’t have high school hockey. So this was different for me. It was such an amazing atmosphere in the building.
“Without a doubt, it’s one of the greatest achievements kids in hockey are going to have. Going to play in the state tournament, especially if they win it. It’s something they’ll talk about for the rest of their lives.”
Nanne’s first tournament? “I was nervous as hell,” he quipped. Back then, he was very involved in the production. There was no intermission studio “desk.” Nanne had to fill air time with interviews, including, yes, the Zamboni driver. He’d walk down the 50-plus steps to interview coaches and players. He’d go in the stands and talk to fans. Some would even offer to pay him to interview them so they’d be on air.
“I was in good shape back then,” he said. “But by the end of the day, my legs were dead.”
Nanne would have celebrity sightings, like when he chatted with former star wrestler Andre the Giant. The local station was covering wrestling at the time, so the two connected. “I remember shaking his hand,” Nanne said. “And I think I lost my arm.”
Picking favorite memories from 60 years of the tournament is extremely challenging, Nanne said. He’ll never forget the five-overtime game with Apple Valley-Duluth in 1996.
“When it got to OT, it seemed like every club forgot about defense,” Nanne said. “Nobody could score. I wondered if I was ever going to get home that night.”
Best individual performances? Nanne recalled a player scoring three hat tricks in the tournament and a goalie having three shutouts.
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It was extremely special to call the games of his son and grandsons. Marty scored the winning goal when his team won state.
“I’ve broadcast Hockey Night in Canada, NHL, pretty much everything,” he said. “I’ve done the Olympics for ABC. But when I had my son and grandsons, it was far and away the most difficult games to broadcast. First of all, you want to be professional and unbiased. You have to stay with the play and not be worried about what the kids are doing. And if they score, it’s the balance of not showing emotion or going crazy even though my insides are churning.”
During his management career, Nanne would always stay back to cover the tournament. He’d keep tabs on local high school teams during the season, call coaches to get their insight. Most years, like this year, there’s preproduction with video conference calls with all the coaches the Saturday before the tournament.
“I’m basically meat and potatoes,” Nanne said. “‘Here’s what’s going on.’ ‘Here’s what I see.’ I just talk hockey, which is what I love.”
Thursday was quarterfinal day in the state tournament, which meant the longest day for Nanne.
There were four games, starting at 11 a.m. But Nanne started his gameday early.
At 8:30 a.m. at his home in Edina, Nanne was already ready in his blue suit and red tie, popping out the front door and getting into his white Mercedes to take off.
Nanne recalled how, from age 9, he’d get on a ferry and bus to get down to the Detroit area to stay with his uncle. They’d go to Tigers games at Briggs Stadium. The first NHL game he attended was the Blackhawks in Chicago, with then-Gophers coach John Mariucci bringing the team there on a trade ride back from games against Michigan and Michigan State.
After a lifetime on the road, it was Nanne’s drive home from last year’s quarterfinal day of the tournament that told him this would be his last year. There was a snowstorm that night, very cold, and he hit a pothole. He didn’t have much experience changing a flat and didn’t want to freeze, so he just drove the final 12 miles on a flat.
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“If I wreck my rim, I wreck my rim,” he said. “I drove home and am like, ‘This has got to be a sign. What am I doing here?’ I figured 60 next year was a nice round number, it’s time to go.”
Pulling into the entrance under the arena, where the Wild players and staff typically park, Nanne was waved right through. No credential needed.
“Where do you want me?” he asked the parking attendant.
“In your spot,” he replied.
As Nanne walked into the bowels of the arena to begin his prep, he was like a receiving line, as ushers and security guards came up to greet him. Some just said, ‘Thank you.” Others brought up memories. Even as Nanne sat down in an empty room to work through his pregame notes, a staff member shook his hand, telling him he was friends with his son. As the staff member walked away, his coworker quipped:
“Let him do his homework.”
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Nanne pulled several white sheets of paper out of his brown briefcase, with handwritten notes on each — descriptions and insight on key players from Saturday video calls with coaches. Approximately 90 minutes before the first game, Nanne darted through the hallways into the corridor by the dressing rooms. Not many people, even media, have access here.
“Good morning, Mr. Nanne,” the security guard said. “Go get ’em.”
Nanne typically meets with each coach before the game for five or 10 minutes to go over the team’s strategy: their forechecks, special teams, top players. One team staff member asked him if he’d like to say hi to the players.
Nanne peeked into the hallway from the dressing room to the ice. A handful of players were mulling about, taping their sticks. All of them had bleached blond hair.
“Nice haircuts you guys got!” Nanne joked.
“Thank you!” they yelled back.
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Nanne moved down the hall to chat with Chanhassen coach Sean Bloomfield, who led the Storm to their first state tournament appearance and an upset over loaded Minnetonka. Bloomfield told Nanne he planned to tell his team before the game why this is such a “dream,” because of the environment, the stakes. Don’t be nervous. Enjoy it.
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The moment with Nanne was also a dream for Bloomfield, who never got a chance to play in this tournament. He’d watch Nanne broadcast the games as a kid, a player, and now as a coach. “My whole life,” he said.
These interactions are part of what Nanne will miss the most. His playing career ended 45 years ago, but he’s still in the game. Most plane rides he gets on in Minneapolis, someone will come up and talk the state tournament. “Constantly,” he said.
“This is a very unique thing in my life,” he said. “Nobody started broadcasting in this state 60 years ago and is still going. I’m the only one.”
Nanne took the elevator up to his TV booth/suite and connected with Erickson, the play-by-play voice of the St. Cloud State hockey team. He remembered first being nervous when working with Nanne, but the two have settled in nicely. There was a fun moment during the Grand Rapids game broadcast where Erickson brought up the Judy Garland museum in the city:
Lou Nanne: "I like Judy Garland. I'm one of the only guys that still remembers her"
Jim Erickson: "…You were at the premiere of the Wizard of Oz"
💀😂💀😂💀 pic.twitter.com/SQ7agjLwIn
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 8, 2024
Erickson said he learns something new — either about the game, or a story — every broadcast.
“He knows his stuff,” Erickson said. “He doesn’t use a lot of technical stuff. When it comes to state high school hockey tournament, some of the grandmas and grandpas watching this, it might be the only game they watch all year. We need to keep it simple for them but still explain what’s going on.”
Erickson said they try to manage the parade of people who pop into the booth to see Nanne, shake his hand and say “thank you” or “goodbye.” “It’ll be hard to be the same,” Erickson said. “It’ll have to find another identity, but it’ll be different. It won’t be the same without Lou.”
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“(Nanne) will be supportive of the next guy who fills his shoes,” Lettieri said. “Someone will have to. The show goes on. He had a great run, we’re all going to miss him.”
Before Nanne broadcast the tournament, he’d watch it on TV at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul, just down the street from the arena. During a good chunk of the early years of his TV work for the tournament, Nanne said owner Nick Mancini would reserve several tables in a room for Nanne and the TV production staff. They’d show up after 10 p.m., when the state title game was over, and have some food, wine and talk about what they just saw. He joked he’d sign off every state final broadcast by saying, “Get the table ready.”
But before Nanne headed to Mancini’s on Saturday, he had a few more goodbyes. First was to the fans — a record 140,442 showing up over a four-day period. With a few minutes left in the 2A state final between Edina and Chanhassen, a “Thank you Lou” message was on the JumboTron. Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” blared and the crowd roared. Nanne, his eyes reddened, smiled and waved.
Then the hockey gods offered one last karmic gift. It was Edina that won the championship, a thrilling 2-1 victory, with senior goalie Joe Bertram putting on a show. The Hornets head coach, Curt Giles, broke in with the North Stars when Nanne was GM. Nanne’s son scored the winner for Edina in the title game 40 years ago, and the team was in the arena last week for its reunion.
Nanne has no favorites — “They’re all my teams,” he said — Giles said there was something special about this being the bookend to the broadcasting career.
“We couldn’t let him outdo us by leaving now and us not doing something like this,” Giles said.
Nanne walked down to the locker rooms and talked to the Edina staff and players, leaving them with a fitting speech. The message? They will remember this moment for the rest of their lives.
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And Nanne will never forget this night. He got a perfect walk-off of his own.
“What a way to go out,” Nanne said. “What a way to end. What a way to leave. This is what you dream about but you don’t know if you’re going to get.
“But these kids do it every year. So I shouldn’t be surprised.”
(Photos: Joe Smith / The Athletic)