♪ ♪ >> SO WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL WEEK GOING WHEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, BOOM, SNOWSTORM.

BUT HERE IN MINNESOTA, WE KNOW BETTER THAN TO TRUST AN EARLY THAW.

WHENEVER MY BUDDY VICTOR SAYS, I SAY TO VICTOR, IT'S NICE OUT, HE'LL LAUGH AND SAY, WELL, THEN EAVE IT OUT.

YEAH, I WISH.

A WELCOME DISTRACTION IS THE WINTER OLYMPICS.

OR AS WE LIKE TO CALL IT, MINNESOTA VERSUS THE WORLD.

IT’S A PERFECT WAY TO CELEBRATE OUR TWO EMOTIONS.

FIRST, PASSIVE.

YOU'VE GOT CURLING, REFINED, PSYCHOLOGICAL, DIPLOMATIC, ROCKS MOVING AT THE SPEED OF TURTLES AT THE DMV SO I CAN ACTUALLY KEEP UP.

AND CURLING, THEY ADMIT WHEN THEY SCREW IT UP.

THEY TALK IT OUT.

HEY, SORRY, LOOKS LIKE I ACCIDENTALLY DIDN'T KICK YOUR STONE.

YOU DIDN'T MEAN IT, THOUGH.

STILL, HOW ABOUT IF WE JUST PUT IT BACK.

OKAY BY ME.

I'LL GET YOU A COLD ONE AFTER.

THAT SQUARES IT, DONE, CASE CLOSED.

SO NOW WE HAVE THE PASSIVE SIDE TAKEN CARE OF.

MINNESOTANS HAVE THE OTHER SIDE• HOCKEY.

WE LIVE IN THE STATE WHERE ANGST IS A VERB, A NOUN, AND A WAY OF LIFE.

COMBINE THAT WITH THE FACT WE SKATE BEFORE WE WALK.

AND YOU GOT SOMETHING.

WE EVEN DEDICATE AN ANNUAL SNOWSTORM TO OUR STATE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT.

OTHER STATES CLAIM HOCKEY LIKE THEY DO WITH PAUL BUNYAN.

WELL, YOU CAN HAVE PAUL BUNYAN.

KEEP YOUR CHOPPERS OFF OUR HOCKEY.

IT'S ALSO CHOCKFUL OF LESSONS FOR THE YOUNGSTERS.

PLAYERS STRIVE TO ACHIEVE GOALS, THERE ARE SAVES.

PENALTIES, TIMEOUTS, EVEN POINTS FOR ASSISTING SOMEBODY FOR CRYING OUTSIDE.

IT’S KINETIC, AERODYNAMIC, NEWTON'S THIRD LAW OF FORCE AND MOTION, A THERMAL HUB OF HIGHLY MOLECULAR POLYMER CHAINS.

AND IT’S FUN.

IT’S FAST AND COLD, JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT.

BEST OF ALL, IT’S TEAMWORK, SOLIDARITY, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT STATES COMING TOGETHER AS HONORARY MINNESOTANS.

OR, AS I READ IN ONE POST, WHEN YOU MESS WITH ONE TATER TOT, YOU’VE MESSED WITH THE WHOLE HOTDISH.

SO AFTER THE GAME WHEN I’M THROUGH SCREAMING AT THE TUBE, KNUCKLE DEEP IN TOP THE TATER, GET ME A COLD ONE IN THE FOURTH PERIOD.

AND WE’RE ALL SQUARE.