Winter in North Dakota can be challenging, but it also offers great experiences and traditions. Today’s datebook joins the celebration of winter with Vinterfest, in partnership with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area and the Sons of Norway Sverdrup, during January and February.
While North Dakota’s winters often lead to more indoor activities, some brave residents lace up their skates, don their pads and sweaters, and take to the ice for fun, participating in a sport that has grown over the years—hockey.
Hockey has been a staple in North Dakota for decades, with numerous professional players spending time in the state, often through the University of North Dakota’s storied program. From humble beginnings to the impressive facilities that now attract national attention, UND’s program has helped elevate the state to national prominence, with eight national titles and alumni excelling in the sport at the highest levels.
The first mention of hockey in North Dakota appeared in the January 4, 1895 Bismarck Weekly Tribune. It reported that an American team, made up of players from Harvard, Yale, and Brown, arrived in Toronto to play a Canadian team. Early newspaper coverage focused on out-of-state matches and the sport’s growing popularity. Grand Forks’ first team took to the ice in the winter of 1900-1901, and Bismarck High School’s team debuted on December 16, 1935, against an independent Mandan squad. Their first inter-scholastic match occurred on January 10, 1936, against Valley City.
One of North Dakota’s early hockey stars was Cliff “Fido” Purpur. Purpur played in the NHL, AHA, and AHL, including with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the first North Dakota native to play professionally. Later, he coached the UND program from 1949 to 1956. Purpur was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974 and received the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award in 1981.
The sport has grown, and while eastern Dakota high schools dominate, teams from the west have earned state titles in recent decades. Girls’ hockey has also flourished, with Olympic gold medalists Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson—like Purpur—receiving the Rough Rider Award.
Players and fans continue to find joy in breaking up the winter monotony with hockey and other winter sports.
Dakota Datebook by Daniel Sauerwein
Sources:
- Bismarck weekly tribune. (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]), 04 Jan. 1895. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042588/1895-01-04/ed-1/seq-6/.
- “‘Grand Forks First Hockey Team 1901.’” UND Scholarly Commons. 2023. https://commons.und.edu/gf-city-photos/9/.
- The Bismarck tribune. (Bismarck, N.D.), 16 Dec. 1935. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042243/1935-12-16/ed-1/seq-6/.
- “CLIFFORD JOSEPH ‘FIDO.’” 2024. US Hockey Hall of Fame Museum. 2024. https://www.ushockeyhall.com/page/show/3003311-clifford-joseph-fido-purpur.
- “Cliff ‘Fido’ Purpur | North Dakota Office of the Governor.” 2024. Nd.gov. 2024. https://www.governor.nd.gov/theodore-roosevelt-rough-rider-award/cliff-fido-purpur.
- “Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson | North Dakota Office of the Governor.” 2024. Nd.gov. 2024. https://www.governor.nd.gov/theodore-roosevelt-rough-rider-award/monique-lamoureux-morando-and-jocelyne-lamoureux-davidson.
