MINNEAPOLIS — Lou Nanne has been synonymous with the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament for 60 years.
“I guess you’d have to say it’s a piece of time that went by so quickly, I can’t fathom,” said Nanne, who announced back in January that this year's state tournament would be his last on the mic.
Reggie: “What will you miss the most about broadcasting these games?”
Nanne: "I guess the atmosphere in the building. The enthusiasm of the kids, really the building’s electric and the uncertainty of what’s gonna happen. Every year there’s a surprise.”
He says the moments are incomparable.
"Imagine watching entertainment and you're watching the best artists of all time, and you're waiting for the artists to come out and place is a buzz," Nanne said. "Everybody's sitting there in wild anticipation, and then the artist comes out and performs even better than expected to perform. When you’re watching these kids compete for a high school state championship, that is their Olympics. That is their Stanley Cup, and they play with reckless abandon. They got unbelievable stamina, their competitive level is at the top and it’s fun for you as a spectator to just watch them put that effort forth.”
Even though Nanne originally planned to keep broadcasting for another decade or more to wait for his great grandsons to possibly play in the tournament, a tough moment last year made him change his mind.
“Driving home after Thursday, I had been there for 14 hours and it was 10 (minutes) to 12 at night and I have no coat and it’s freezing outside and I’m driving in a snowstorm," Nanne said "I hit a pothole and I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never changed a flat. I just couldn’t get help and I just drove 12 miles on a flat tire and I say, ‘what am I doing here. I should be back at home in Florida. It was 85 when I left.’ Then after that I said, ‘you know what, maybe a guest appearance will suffice.’”
Still, it’s not a decision he made in haste.
“I was 23 years with the North Stars, 60 years since I started doing the state tournament, I’m over 25 years with KFAN," Nanne said. "I don’t do change often but when it's ripe to change, I do it.”
Sixty years is a long time, but of course, Nanne has his favorite moments.
“I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t say broadcasting my son when he played in the state tournament and then he got the winning goal for a championship game," Nanne said. "His two sons both played in the state tournament and both won state tournament titles. So unless you’re a nut, you know your family comes first.”
As Nanne gets ready to hang up the mic for the final time, he leaves behind a lifetime of memories.
Reggie: "What does the game of hockey mean to Lou Nanne?"
Nanne: “It means that I had the opportunity to get a life that I’ve had because I was proficient enough to do it. That you only dream about and I would’ve done for nothing and they paid me to do it.”
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