ST PAUL, Minn. — Lou Nanne has been calling the Minnesota High School Boys Hockey Tournament longer than many of us have been alive. Sixty years behind the mic is an incredible feat – and you don't have to go far to find those saying "thanks."
As thousands packed the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul to watch Saturday's AA championship game between Chanhassen and Edina, thousands more packed the bars along 7th Street. At Grand Seven, it wasn't hard to find kind words about the man behind the mic.
"I think it's tradition," Marsha Scott said.
"I recognize Lou every year at the state tournament," Nick Anderson said. "I don't think anybody has been more impactful than Lou Nanne."
"He's almost the face of Minnesota Hockey!" Mike Woltars said.
It's tradition for many at this bar to watch some of the tournament's games before heading to the championship... a tradition shared by Lou.
"Lou Nanne is the state of hockey in Minnesota, and it will never be the same after he retires," said Moose Younghans, a coach at Johnson High School.
For Lou, this is a day long in the making – and one that may not have fully hit him until before the game.
"I really don't know what to expect," Lou said, tearing up. "Maybe it's starting to hit me now."
Nanne has called generations of players games, from parents to their kids, and even his own family. It's a decision that didn't come without plenty of thought.
"It's a big decision, but it's the right decision at the right time," Nanne said.
And during Saturday night's championship, Lou was honored multiple times before and during the game.
"Sixty years later, I never felt like I worked a day," Lou said, laughing. "So that's what's good about my life!"
An icon of the sport if there ever was one, and all fans of the game can do is say, thank you to Lou.
"You did a great service to Minnesota High School hockey, and the state of Minnesota in general," Anderson said. "Like I said, all I can do is say thank you."
Watch more from KARE 11 on Lou Nanne's career and impact on the State of Hockey here:
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