In Minnesota, there is a tremendous sense of pride for the game that weaves it's way through our cities, towns and communities. That sense of pride will be on display during the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic in the NHL players, the folks on the auxiliary rink, and the fans in the stands, braving subzero temperatures to show what the "State of Hockey" is all about. Minnesota has produced more NHL players than any other U.S. state. In NHL history, 284 Minnesota-born players have played at least one game, including 49 this season. Of the NHL's 32 teams, 25 have had at least one Minnesota-born player play at least one game this season, including each team in the Winter Classic. The Wild have had Bjugstad (Minneapolis), defenseman Alex Goligoski (Grand Rapids) and forward Kyle Rau (Eden Prairie).