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Community Outscores Catastrophe Worst flood on record threatened Duluth associations, but neighboring rivals answered the call 10 associations. The two rinks in Irving Park on the west side of Duluth have been a cornerstone of the community and a major source of pride for many years. Just ask Chad Postal, the president of Irving Youth Hockey, who grew up on those very rinks and now volunteers his time making sure today's youth have the same opportunities he did. "The Irving rinks aren't just about youth hockey," emphasizes Postal. "They are a symbol of our community. Any given night you see players from youth hockey up to current college players." Fortunately, in Minnesota, our neighbors (and sometimes rivals) know how important it is to provide kids the chance to play hockey. That's when we realize that in times of trouble, we all represent the "State of Hockey." minnesotahockeyjournal.com // march.2013 Rinks Shouldn't Flood in the Summer Last June's torrential downpours and subsequent flooding threatened Irving Youth Hockey with the biggest challenge it has ever faced. The entire park spent a significant portion of the summer underwater. By the time the water dissipated, the scale of the damage was devastating. About 80 feet of boards were washed away making the rinks unusable, but that was just the start. Irving had stored all of its equipment in the Irving Community Center, which saw water rise as high as the second floor. Nearly everything was damaged beyond repair, leaving Irving Youth Hockey without concession equipment, hockey equipment, locker rooms, rinks and ice submitted photos s we find out every year, when it comes to Mother Nature's devastation, there's no telling who might be impacted. It could be a hurricane on the East Coast, an earthquake on the West Coast. Here in Minnesota, we're no stranger to natural disasters, and that means our hockey players, hockey teams and hockey communities are often impacted. In 2010, Wadena was struck by a tornado that wiped out a 20-block section of the town, including the hockey arena. This past summer, Duluth and the surrounding area suffered its worst flood on record, leading to major challenges for the youth associations in the area that rely on outdoor rinks. Irving Youth Hockey was one of those By Derek Ricke