Welcome To 'Da Beauty League'!
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- "Da Beauty League" is a place where some of the best local hockey players gather to hone their skills, and try to put on a show for the fans.
The man who started the concept is Ben Hankinson, and he has seen it grow into a summer spectacle.
"I thought some people would come, and probably have a good time, and eat some popcorn and laugh and watch these guys play," Hankinson said. "But the fans are having an unreal time."
Sit with him and you realize why he did it. All these high-end players that live here need a place to play at a higher level.
"From the other side, kind of the main reason that we started it was to get the guys playing at a high pace against the best players around here, and players that have moved in that aren't even around here," he said.
What he did not realize was the appetite the fans had for a little up-close action.
"Some people that don't want to spend, you know, $200 to go watch pros play. So it's people that, you know, maybe don't know a lot about pro hockey maybe, who knows." Hankinson said.
The players love it because it is wide open, and they are allowed to take chances without the watchful eye of a coach.
"You turn the puck over, it's in your own net, you may not play again [in the NHL], you might be going to the minors," he said. "But here, you get an 'ooh' and an 'ahh,' and it makes you want to do it again, and you do it again and again."
And when the bell rings, it is a bit more than an exhibition feel-good. The blood pumps and the competition takes over.
"If the games start a little bit on the slow slide, by the end, you know … one little bump or one push and, you know, there's been a fight out here in the past," Hankinson said.
