Lou Nanne found himself on the side of the road with a flat tire and no jacket at almost midnight on a snowy Thursday evening in the metro.
The local hockey legend had yet again called a full day of Class 2A boys hockey state tournament action, and on the way home hit what he believed to be a sinkhole. Nanne, who had never changed a flat tire, proceeded to drive 12 miles home on a flat tire through the snow. In the middle of that treacherous venture, the then-81-year-old thought to himself, “What am I doing here at my age?”
“Maybe,” he thought, “this is a sign.”
Perhaps it was time to call it quits on his illustrious sidegig career calling the state hockey tournament on television. It was then that he decided the next season’s state tournament would be his last.
The time has finally come — the week has arrived. Nanne will call his 60th state tournament this week, serving as Channel 45’s television analyst for all six Class 2A games. And then the 82-year-old will give his vocal chords a well-earned rest. Nanne first announced his decision back in January.
“I just felt it was time. I wanted to give the station an opportunity to get ready to do something that they wanted to do,” Nanne said this week. “It’s the right thing to do at the right time, in my mind.”
The decision likely still hasn’t been accepted by all. It has been brought up to Nanne that perhaps someone else could drive him to the games. Anything to keep him on the air.
He is synonymous with this iconic event. From the beginning, it has been a match made in heaven, Minnesota’s hockey treasure calling Minnesota’s treasured hockey event.
When you turn on the television, you expect to hear Nanne’s voice.
“It’s humbling. It’s really something I’m very proud of, I cherish, and I’m very thankful that they look at me in that vein. I’ve had so many people say, ‘Never quit. I’ve been watching you since I was a little kid,’ ” Nanne said. “You don’t really think about that at all, and then all of a sudden you hear those kinds of comments and then you start thinking, ‘Jeez, this is significant.’ I’m glad I did it. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
He’s had a front-row seat to the tournament’s evolution as it has developed into the must-watch sporting event this time of year that seemingly signals the start of spring while thrusting the State of Hockey firmly into the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Nanne marvels at how the talent has increased year over year. When he first started calling the tournament, he noted teams had maybe one strong line and a couple of good defensemen.
“It just kept progressing and all these guys are so, so talented — big, strong, fast,” Nanne said. “It’s shattering to think of how good these guys are compared to what I saw in the beginning.”
But other things have remained consistent, such as the general enthusiasm. That is Nanne’s favorite part of this week. The sheer joy present on the faces of fans, bands and, really, entire schools and cities serve as the ultimate energizer. It truly matters to everyone in the building, and beyond.
He savors the adrenaline rush that comes with the start of every game and the endless possibilities that come with it.
“The uncertainty of who’s going to win, because in a one-game playoff anything can happen, and I’ve seen anything happen in that time,” Nanne said. “It’s just like going to a mystery movie every year. You never know what’s going to happen and how it’s going to end.”
The thrill of each year has seemingly sped up the passage of time. Six decades is forever. Nanne noted that’s more than the lifetime of many. He has watched as kids became men, and then watched their children and grandchildren do the same. He even called his own grandchildren’s state tournament games. And yet, it all seemed to transpire in the blink of an eye.
“That’s the most amazing part,” he said.
Sixty truly is an amazing number. Nanne surmised he must be Minnesota’s longest-tenured broadcaster. Which is funny, of course, because broadcaster is never the word you would use to describe Nanne.
He was a professional hockey player, then a coach and general manager. Now, he’s a businessman. And somehow, through it all, he has managed to carve out this specific week in his schedule on an annual basis to bring the state tournament to the living rooms of families throughout the state, and, as Prep45.com’s streaming data shows year over year, the world.
He appreciated the cooperation and assistance people gave him throughout the years. It wasn’t unusual that he would work a day or two of the tournament in between games before rejoining his team in another city.
“There was a lot of schedule jumping around to be able to get over there,” Nanne said. “It just worked together. It just worked.”
But it also was work. On quarterfinal Thursday, Nanne is at the rink from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., when things go as scheduled. You never know when the next Duluth East-Apple Valley five-overtime thriller is around the corner. That’s still Nanne’s most memorable game.
“The most amazing thing about that game was, when we went into overtime, both teams seemed to abandon defense. I’ve never seen so many quality chances in my life (with) nobody scoring. I didn’t think it was ever going to end. I’m thinking, ‘How am I going to get out of here? I don’t care if they throw that puck in the net. It’s not going in,’ ” Nanne said. “It was something that I don’t think I’ll ever see again. I’ve never seen a game, at any level, in overtime with those kinds of chances for a longer period of time.”
And when those quarterfinals end, there are still three more games to call. It’s always a long week. This week is even more so, given all of the hoopla surrounding Nanne’s last go-around. His early-week schedule is jam-packed with media interviews. Then he’ll call the tournament. And, on Sunday, he’ll be back at the X, being honored by the Wild before finally returning to Florida on Monday. This week, local clothing company SotaStick put out a limited-edition Nanne 60 shirt, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Lou Nanne Scholarship within the Golden Gopher Fund at the U.
Everyone wants to honor Nanne in some way, shape or form during this sendoff.
“It’s something I’m anxious to get over, but I know I’m going to really enjoy it,” Nanne said. “It’s time to cut the cord, although I know I’m going to miss it a lot.”
Frankly, this week will serve as a good representation of the same love he has always felt throughout his tenure on the call.
“Every year, when I get on the plane on Sunday after the state tournament, (people would) say, ‘Oh, we enjoy it.’ They’ll say, ‘Don’t ever quit. We look forward to this every year,’ stuff like that,” Nanne said. “I think that’s what kept me going, people appreciated it, so I was thankful that they did, and I was happy to do it.”
And he’ll continue to watch the state tournament every year, just from his living room, rather than the television booth. Though he did leave room for one potential exception.
“If any of my great grandkids make it,” he said, “then I’ll come back for a guest appearance.”
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