“I could go on all day with all of the great names of players who have been here,” said Nanne, who was the recipient of the 1980 Lester Patrick Trophy. “There have been a ton and they have dominated. You knew they were going to have tremendous levels of success.”
Some of those great players Nanne has seen over the years are members of his own family. In 1984, Nanne was on the broadcast when his son, Marty, scored the game-winning goal for Edina High School as the Hornets won the state championship.
Years later, Nanne found himself in a similar predicament with his grandchildren. Nanne called games featuring three of his grandsons — Louie Nanne, Tyler Nanne and Vinni Lettieri. He called the action as both Louis and Tyler won state championships at Edina.
“Those were the toughest games,” Nanne said. “I want to be impartial on the broadcast and focus on the action on the ice. But inside I was dying. Those games were tougher than any other TV work I’ve done.”
Aside from the great players Nanne has seen, he’s also worked some historic games during his tenure. One that sticks out took place in 1996. In the semifinals, Apple Valley and Duluth East played a game that took a record 93 minutes, with Apple Valley prevailing in a five-overtime classic.
“That was the most captivating,” Nanne said. “The kids kept going and so did we. But I was tired too. We had worked four games the day before and two that night. But with the second game taking so long it felt like three or four games.”
During his time in the booth, Nanne has also seen the tournament itself change.
“The biggest thing you’ve seen change is the development of the players,” Nanne said. “You look at the tournament back when I started and the teams had one or two good players. Now all these teams have two solid lines and six defensemen. And they’re all bigger and stronger.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Nanne’s passion for the game. That continues on and will be shown off on the upcoming TV broadcast.
“It’s always interesting to see the overall competition and how close the games are,” Nanne said. “It’s fun and exciting. It’s an unbelievable tournament and something we marvel at every year.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Photo credit: Minnesota Wild
