Grateful for writing

​Thanksgiving is the time for consuming traditional side dishes (the stars of the show), spending the day with friends or relatives, watching Friends Thanksgiving episodes and, ultimately, being thankful for the blessings in your life. 

I've tried to get better at stepping back and practicing gratitude. Professionally, it's a good time to reflect on all the stories I've told over the past year. I wanted to go back through my list and pick out a few of my favorite stories from the past year while working for nine different outlets, mostly in sports. 

This work means a lot to me, especially in an industry that is ever-changing. Here's the list, with no ranking system or anything special. I went down my list of work, and these stuck out to me: 

Goalie Gets The Nod
Minnesota Hockey Magazine
This was a perfect example of how a story presents itself. I dug deeper to share the saga of what happened in a Frost game when one goaltender was ill, another got injured in warm-ups and there's really no emergency back-up goalie. A fun one to put together. 

Willard Ikola: Humble Giant
Minnesota Hockey Magazine 
A tribute piece to an absolute hockey legend in Eveleth, Edina and Minnesota. Enough said. I'm always grateful when those who knew the subject share their memories and stories with me. 

Class 2A: Potato Champs
Minnesota Hockey Magazine 
The story, in part, writes itself since it was Moorhead's first state hockey championship after eight runner-up finishes. I dug into my own archives from a few years back when I covered the tournament to find a quote from the Moorhead coach for my lede. It was one of those times I appreciated being on the hockey beat for a number of years now. Drawing on past memories like that doesn't always happen, but it's fun when it does.

Bump In The Night 
College Hockey News 
Speaking of that concept of drawing on past experience, covering the NCHC Frozen Faceoff presented a storyline with a familiar face in Minnesota hockey. Alex Bump made history with a five-goal performance in the state tournament three years ago. I covered that one, too. 

Hall-Of-Fame Handshakes 
Minnesota Hockey Magazine 
Alexander Ovechkin brought his Washington Capitals team back onto the ice after a loss so every single player could shake hands with Marc-Andre Fleury. A show of respect between a couple of rivals. Fun to be there and witness this spontaneous moment. 

Flowers For Fleury 
Minnesota Hockey Magazine 
Can't get enough Flower last season as he wrapped up his NHL career. After the Wild clinched a playoff spot with a point getting to overtime, goaltender Filip Gustavsson stepped aside for overtime to have Flower go in once more. What a cool moment. 

Back-To-Back Champs
Minnesota Hockey Magazine 
Covering a championship team in back-to-back seasons isn't something we're used to in Minnesota. Leave it to the women. So many similarities to the previous season, so many odds against them. And Minnesota won it all again. 

Schepers, ‘Blue’ Line Came Up Clutch As Frost Win Another Walter Cup
Hockey Wilderness/Zone Coverage
When the fourth line, or "blue" line, comes up big to help the Minnesota Frost win back-to-back championships. It was fun speaking with players at the championship celebration, especially chatting with Minnesota native Liz Schepers. 

Mounds View’s Soren Swenson wins Class 2A boys tennis singles title
Star Tribune
Another full-circle moment. I covered the tennis championship when Soren's older brother, Bjorn, won the singles title. They wore the same headband in each match. 

MLS playoffs: Sounders eliminated in Game 3 loss to Minnesota United
The Seattle Times 
I picked up a one-game gig as a soccer stringer for a Seattle newspaper. Little did I know it was apparently one of the most exciting games in the history of soccer. That's not much exaggerating. 

Athletes as Influencers: Name, Image, and Likeness
Children's book, published Dec. 15, 2025
In the midst of a very busy hockey season last winter, I took on another assignment - because why not? The publishing company I work with was looking for a writer for their new book series: The Business of Sports. This one was a bit of a challenge, which is sometimes a theme with these books, but it all worked out. NIL has created a huge shift in sports, especially college sports, in recent years. I'm proud of how book No. 13 turned out. 

And my latest venture...
Written Rule of Sports Substack
I launched this new site with the start of the PWHL and Minnesota Frost season. I'll be covering the Frost season, and I'd be grateful if you'll follow along with me by subscribing to the content.

As always, thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving! 

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