The International Ice Hockey Federation has determined that the United States will next host the World Junior Championship in 2031. Meaning that if Twin Cities organizers would be interested in welcoming the planet’s best young hockey talent again anytime soon, it will be at least a few years before the bid process will even begin.

That is likely a good thing, because after years of planning and a full month of hosting 10 national teams, thousands of fans and dozens of games in St. Paul, Minneapolis and all across the state, the 2026 World Juniors local organizing team could use a little rest.

Sweden goaltender Love Harenstam (30) celebrates with teammates Eric Nilson (28) and Sascha Boumedienne (5) after defeating Czechia in an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

John Klinkenberg is the chief operating officer of Minnesota Sports & Events, which was the driving force behind the bid and the execution of bringing World Juniors to the Twin Cities for the first time in more than 40 years. He admitted there is a trip to Florida with family in his near future as the team behind the event’s myriad intricacies comes down from a crazy five weeks of work.

When it all came to an end last Monday, an announced crowd of 9,700 watched at Grand Casino Arena as Sweden built a big lead, then held off a late push from Czechia to win gold for the first time in 14 years.

For at least one current member of the Minnesota Wild, it was a sign of good things to come for hockey in Sweden, and in the North American pro ranks.

“They have really good young players in Sweden, and I think on that team, probably a lot of NHL guys in the next couple of years, for sure,” said defenseman Jonas Brodin, who was a member of the previous most recent Swedish team to win gold at the world Juniors in 2012.

Full wallets, empty seats

A team of numbers-crunchers from the University of Minnesota is working on a detailed analysis of the economic impact the games in St. Paul and Minneapolis had on the Minnesota economy, but according to Klinkenberg, they’re confident that pre-tournament estimates of $70 million or more will be met.

“It was amazing. Having been to last year’s in Ottawa and probably five more World Juniors, I thought Minnesota did an unbelievable job,” said Minnesota State Senator Karin Housley, a member of the organizing committee who comes from one of the first families of Minnesota hockey. Her husband, Phil, is a long-time NHLer, Olympian and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The happy look-back comes after 11 days of games where some developed the narrative that ticket sales were disappointing. Organizers acknowledge that fewer Canadian fans making the trip to Minnesota, and the United States not making it to the last two days of the medal round, hurt the turnout. But Klinkenberg noted that, at least in St. Paul, the cumulative attendance at Grand Casino Arena was the equivalent of more than seven sold-out Wild games, providing a nice boost there and in the surrounding hospitality community.

The raw attendance numbers show that ticket sales in Minnesota were lower than some previous tournaments in Canada, and similar or better to tournaments held in Europe. Overall, 2026 ranked 14th out of the 50 World Junior tournaments by total ticket sales.

United States forward Ryker Lee (17), middle, celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinals game against Finland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

“Having 240-plus thousand people is a huge win for the area, and over 8,000 hotel nights,” Klinkenberg said. “When it comes to Canada, the attendance was softer than we expected to start, but you could definitely see the momentum building as the team continued to move on.”

Team Canada beat Finland for the bronze medal.

Among the theories on the lower-than-anticipated attendance was the reduced number of Canadians traveling to the U.S. — seen nationwide — due to factors such as the current political climate and an exchange rate that has notably devalued the Canadian dollar.

The way the schedule broke this year, there was not a head-to-head USA-Canada game, which would have been a sure sellout as well.

Looking ahead

Optimists point out the full building on New Years’ Eve to see the U.S. battle Sweden, and say that overall attendance was fine in a market that had no familiarity with this tournament over the past four decades.

“I really hope they can get it back here. Canada gets it every other year, so it’s kind of got some momentum there,” Housley said. “It was 40 years since we’d had it, and it takes a while for people to understand how huge of a tournament it is.”

Local fans and visitors found plenty to do off the ice. At RiverCentre adjacent to the main arena in St. Paul, there was a free activity area featuring displays showing the history of the World Juniors, a “hockey mom’s market” with goods made by local artisans for sale, and other activities. Outside in Rice Park, there were ice bumper cars, a skating rink, and Visit St. Paul had the world’s largest hockey puck on display.

This being Minnesota in late December and early January, organizers built in contingency plans to handle bitterly cold weather and excessive snow. They only had to use them once, when the Twin Cities got blanketed in snow. But even that worked out in their favor, in this era of social media when pictures of snow-covered downtown St. Paul flooded Instagram, X and Facebook.

“There was that day where we had five to six inches of snow and we were able to work through it,” Klinkenberg said. “I actually think it added to the ambiance of the event outside. We are Minnesota, and to showcase all of the snow and what we have to offer in the winter, it was spectacular.”

The Dietz family, dad Mike, mom Victoria, Deacon, 8, left, and Hunter 6, stop to have their photo taken in front of the “World’s Largest Hockey Puck” at the Bold North Breakaway Fan Festival at Rice Park in downtown St. Paul on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. The Bayfield, Ontario, family is in town to support team Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championships being held at Grand Casino Arena. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Place for a puck?

With the tournament coming to an end, and the outdoor decorations coming down, organizers have been faced with a challenge they had never before considered: What do you do with a hockey puck that is 22 feet wide, more than seven feet thick and weighs 5,000 pounds?

“When the Bold North Breakaway Fan Fest closed, the puck was taken down, but there is definite interest in making a permanent feature if we can,” said Jaimee Hendrickson, president and CEO of Visit St. Paul, in an email to the Pioneer Press. “We’re continuing to explore options.”

She said the key factors in what happens next are finding a permanent location large nough, and raising money to build a permanent frame to hold it.

Past iterations of World Juniors have been held in Boston, Buffalo, Grand Forks, N.D., and Anchorage, Ak. Among the American markets that have bid unsuccessfully in the past are Tampa, Fla., Detroit and Seattle. So there will definitely be competition for the next go-round in this country.

But there is a sense that Minnesota did it right and will be interested in hosting in the future.

Housley noted that the Americans bowing out to Finland in overtime during their opening medal-round game was the biggest disappointment, adding that, “Phil didn’t talk for a day and a half,” after the overtime loss. But having voted for the $5 million state legislative appropriation to help fund the tournament’s return to Minnesota, she said the investment was sound.

“I hope we can get it back in 2031,” Housley said. “I would be so excited for that.”

Canada’s Sam O’Reilly (23) celebrates his goal with teammate Caleb Desnoyers (25) after scoring on an empty net in third period IIHF World Junior Championship hockey action against Finland, in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

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By JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press

I’ve been growing herbs in the garden long enough to know they don’t require much. Just water, sunlight and my best intentions.

In the garden, herbs are forgiving plants. They aren’t fussy about soil pH, almost never need fertilizer, and can power through if you occasionally forget to water them.

But when the weather turns cold and their outdoor beds become inhospitable, I grow some of my culinary friends on a sunny kitchen windowsill, even as they become more needy.

This Jan. 5, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows parsley in a pot beside a windowsill on Long Island, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

I say “some” because herbs are tricky plants to grow indoors. Dill and fennel have large root systems, making them impractical contenders for indoor pots. Basil tends to grow straggly because it requires intense sunlight, which is just about impossible to achieve indoors. And the way lavender and chamomile spread makes them best left outdoors.

Rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and bay laurel, however, will get by indoors if cared for properly. Parsley may grow well, too, but only if planted in a deep pot, provided with supplemental artificial lighting and fertilized regularly. Cilantro is hit or miss, but there’s no harm in giving it a try.

Potted herbs are susceptible to root rot, so it’s important that containers have drainage holes at their bottoms and that you fill them with well-draining potting mix.

This Jan. 5, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows thyme in a pot beside a windowsill on Long Island, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

Place plants near the brightest light source available. In the home, that typically means near a south-facing window; west-facing is second-best.

Providing artificial lighting for 14-16 hours a day would be even better: Set fluorescent lights 5-10 inches above the tops of plants, or LED lights 15-20 inches above them, adjusting their heights as plants grow. If using grow lights, apply a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength every two weeks.

Monitor moisture levels closely. Underwatering is preferable to overwatering, so if you’re not sure if your plants need a drink, plunge your finger into the soil up to your second knuckle and feel around for moisture. Water only when the soil starts to feel dry near the roots, but don’t let the soil remain dry for long.

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Place containers in the sink and let a very slow stream of cool water from the faucet moisten the soil until it runs out of the pot’s drainage hole. Let the water absorb for a few minutes, then assess the soil, which should be moist but not soggy. Then return the plant to its sunny perch until the soil dries again.

Growing fresh herbs in the kitchen over winter is a cook’s dream. The plants may struggle, and they’ll likely grow slower and smaller, but it’s worth the effort to be able to pluck fragrant leaves that taste like summer at a moment’s notice. It’ll even save you a few bucks – and a trip to the market.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

Leaving a place of employment is never an easy thing for college football coach Isaac Fruechte.

It’s emotional.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Isaac Fruechte walks to afternoon workouts during training camp in Mankato, Minn. on Monday, July 27, 2015. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

The Caledonia, Minn., native and 34-year-old has had plenty of practice at it after stops at Wisconsin-La Crosse, Northern Iowa, Northern State, Winona State and, most recently, North Dakota, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the fast-rising Division I program.

Last week, Fruechte was hired by his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, where he was once a standout receiver. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck is plugging him in as the team’s new receivers coach, replacing Matt Simon.

“Leaving UND was hard,” Fruechte said. “It always is when you leave a place. I told our players that you don’t see yourself leaving a place until you leave. And it sucks. You don’t want to leave those coaches and that community.”

But the opportunity to come back and coach at the place he once played, in the vaunted Big Ten Conference — and for a head coach he holds in high regard — there was no way that Fruechte was going to be able to say no.

“When the opportunity came to coach at my alma mater, at a position that I once played, it was too good,” Fruechte said. “I want to find out what I can do in the Big Ten and as a receivers coach. I’m going to try to learn as much as I can from coach Fleck and try to be the best version of myself. That is what I am here to do.

“But it is always hard to be 100% invested in a place and then up and leave.”

The feelings that Fruechte conjured up upon coming back to Minnesota for the job interview were familiar ones. That’s because so much about the U, where he was a player from 2012 until 2014, was the same. Fleck wasn’t the coach then, but some of the football support staff is still in place from those days, people that Fruechte had gotten to know well.

He says it is interesting to be back there now, as a 34-year-old as opposed to a not-so-wise 20-year-old.

“Those people who worked there then probably thought I was a knucklehead,” Fruechte said. “But there are a lot of great people there now and a lot of great new things. The vision, the plan, the facilities — I think there is great alignment there in coach Fleck’s staff and organization. And coach Fleck is awesome. He has been great to me. He knew my wife’s name and my three kids’ names. Things like that are just special. I just think it is a really exciting time right now to be at Minnesota.”

Fruechte, the son of Caledonia High School Hall of Fame football coach Carl Fruechte, has shown up at Minnesota with a deep résumé. He said he has taken nuggets from each of his football stops and used them to grow as a coach. Included in that growth is staying away from ideas he never thought worked. Fruechte is a discerning coach, always ready to keep adding to his bank of knowledge, keeping the good, throwing out the bad.

Fruechte looks at Minnesota’s program and sees many reasons for optimism. The Gophers are coming off an 8-5 season, which concluded with them winning their bowl game for the seventh straight season under Fleck. Minnesota returns second-year quarterback Drake Lindsey as a starter following a promising freshman season.

The Gophers, with the help of Fruechte, have reached into the NCAA transfer portal to bolster their roster. Included in that has been plucking from Auburn receiver Perry Thompson, a second-year player who was a high four-star recruit out of high school. On Friday, the Gophers added wideout Noah Jennings from Cincinnati.

As Fruechte indoctrinates himself to his new position at Minnesota, he says he has been showing up early for work, learning the terminology of the offense.

“It is a challenge,” Fruechte said. “There are a lot of different things to learn from the football aspect.”

Fruechte is doing it all with a smile. In coming back to Minnesota, he’s living out a long-held dream.

“This is a special place,” he said.

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By KIM COOK

Maybe it’s a scratched-up old sideboard found at a yard sale and turned into a snazzy media console. Or a couple of well-traveled vintage trunks given a new home as bedside tables.

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Designers and DIYers are breathing new life into old furniture, not just restoring but reimagining and giving hardworking pieces fresh purpose.

Sustainability, cost, aesthetics and sentimentality are all driving the trend.

The craftsmanship seen in many old pieces — solid woods, dovetail joints, paintwork perhaps — means you’re giving a second life to something already good. And there’s the satisfaction of having a decorative and/or functional piece that nobody else does.

“I think the patina and age of these pieces would be hard to replicate with newer pieces, and they make each of these feel special,” says designer Debbie Mathews Leroy in Nashville, Tennessee, who put a stone sink top on a rustic French table for a client’s powder room. She placed a marble top on a French bamboo cabinet in her own home’s guest bathroom.

Jessie Tristan Read, an artist and up-cycler in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, combines contrasting styles.

“I like to see an antique or vintage chest of drawers used in a chic kitchen,” says. “You immediately add warmth and charm while gaining great storage for utensils, linens, even pots and pans.”

How to buy vintage

Noel Fahden is a vice president at Chairish, an online marketplace for vintage art and home furnishings that has featured items like frames from the wooden wheels of old carts transformed into benches, architectural columns turned into candle holders, and lamp bases made from brass fire extinguishers and old railroad lights.

Fahden has some tips for buying vintage:

“Don’t skip the measuring tape — measure twice, then measure again. That dreamy vintage armoire loses all its charm if it won’t fit through your front door,” he says.

Ask questions and do research. Learning about a piece’s backstory might help you decide how — or how much — you want to transform it.

“And don’t overlook the finish,” Fahden cautions. “Sun fading, water rings or smoke damage can be costly -– or impossible -– to fix, even if the piece looks charming in photos.”

Courtney Batten of Paige Studio in Dallas says, “I generally steer clear of pieces made with MDF (medium-density fiberboard) or laminate or pieces that have clearly been in a smoker’s home.”

Make big changes, or hardly any

Chicago-based interior designer Elise Metzger found this dresser years ago at a roadside shop near her college in NH. It’s had other colors, mosaics on top, and different handles over the years, but now wears a cheerful pink (Benjamin Moore’s Raspberry Glace) and sits in her daughter’s room. (Elise Metzger via AP)

You can go big on the upcycling, removing interior shelves on a cabinet, say, or changing legs on a table, but you can also do just a tiny tweak.

“Swap out hardware” like knobs, says Read. “This easy trick creates a fresh look while keeping the piece intact. Or add a top. A butcher block or piece of marble atop that dresser-made-kitchen-island creates functionality.”

There was one common conversion many designers mentioned, but Batten’s cautious.

“Contrary to popular belief, repurposing a dresser into a bathroom vanity, while beautiful, isn’t actually very budget-friendly,” she says. “The plumbing modifications required often drive the cost up more than buying a new prefab vanity. So if you have your heart set on a vintage vanity, keep in mind that it’s for style, not savings.”

More repurposing ideas

A French bamboo cabinet repurposed for a bathroom vanity, appears in the home of interior design and antiques dealer Debbie Matthews Leroy, in Linville, N.C. (Dustin Peck via AP)

Old general store, post office or watchmaker cabinets with lots of cubbies and drawers make great storage for stationery, toys, and craft and pet supplies. And if you come upon pieces with interesting advertising or stamping on them –- wooden soda pop crates, cheese boxes and sugar molds are often at vintage sales — you’ve got some art as a bonus.

You might turn old hat boxes into an artful wall of storage circles for accessories.

“Dressers can be turned into custom bar carts,” suggests Lisbeth Parada at Minwax in Westlake, Ohio, and hutches can be repurposed as drinks centers.

Parada has turned CD towers into jewelry organizers, and magazine racks into blanket holders.

“Old TV cabinets can now be found for free almost everywhere,” says Stacy Verdick Case, a furniture restorer and owner of Peony Lane Designs in Lindstrom, Minnesota. “They can be turned into coffee stations, craft closets or even mudroom storage. Old doors with detailed panels are perfect for headboards.”

If your piece seems too low for the purpose, Case suggests adding some chunky wooden feet to elevate it.

Short on closets? Consider turning an antique glass-door cabinet –- the kind where grandparents might put the good china on display — into a linens cupboard. Fold bedding and comforters to show off the nicest patterns.

Rugs and textiles

“If a rug is damaged, we’ll often salvage a portion and have it framed, turning it into affordable, one-of-a-kind art while preserving a piece of history,” Batten says.

Finally, artist Colleen Kelly has come up with a clever way to repurpose vintage textiles. Fully framed quilts and fabric yardage have been around for a while; they make interesting wall art. But this Palm Springs-based artist, who sells her work as HippieWild on Etsy.com, puts swatches of antique kantha quilts and 1960s textiles in various-size embroidery hoops. The slim profile wood circles showcase the piecework and patterns.

“It’s like painting,” says Kelly. “Each piece is unique.”