Bandy in the United States is played mostly in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, but has started to grow in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

as well. The national team regularly plays in Division A of the

Bandy World Championships The Bandy World Championship is a competition for the men's teams of bandy-playing nations. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy. It is distinct from the Bandy World Cup, a club competition, and from the W ...

. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winter sport in the world.

Bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

is a team sport played on

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

with ice skates, a ball, and a curved stick on a large sheet of ice called a

bandy field A bandy field or bandy rink is a large ice rink used for playing the team winter sport of bandy. Being about the size of a football pitch, it is substantially larger than an ice hockey rink. History Originally, bandy was played on naturally froz ...

. In the United States, the national governing body for bandy is the

American Bandy Association Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota, but has started to grow in Nevada as well. United States national bandy team, The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athlet ...

(ABA), also called

USA Bandy Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota, but has started to grow in Nevada as well. United States national bandy team, The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athlet ...

which was established in 1981, the same year it became a member of the

Federation of International Bandy The Federation of International Bandy (FIB; , , ) is the international governing body for the sport of bandy, including the variant called rink bandy. The federation is headquartered in Karlstad Municipality, Sweden. History Bandy as known tod ...

(FIB). The USA Bandy Hall of Fame is located in Minnesota. The American Bandy League is played in Minnesota. It is the country's elite-tier of bandy played in the country with the league split into two divisions: Division I and Division II. The winner of the US Premier League wins the Gunnar Cup. The

USA Rink Bandy League Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota, but has started to grow in Nevada as well. The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winte ...

organizes the bandy variation known as

rink bandy Rink bandy is a variant of the larger sport of bandy. Unlike bandy which is played on a large bandy field, rink bandy is played on significantly smaller ice hockey-sized ice rinks. While a bandy field is about the same size as a football pi ...

. The tournament for rink bandy in the US is the North American Cup. In international competition, the country has both a men's and a women's national bandy squad: the United States men's national bandy team, and the

United States women's national bandy team United States women's national bandy team represents the United States in the Women's Bandy World Championship. The team has participated in all Bandy World Championships for women since the first tournament in 2004. Women's World Championship ...

. The men's United States national bandy team has taken part in the

Bandy World Championship The Bandy World Championship is a competition for the men's teams of bandy-playing nations. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy. It is distinct from the Bandy World Cup, a club competition, and from the ...

s since the 1985 tournament. The

1995 Bandy World Championship The 1995 Bandy World Championship was contested by 8 men's Bandy playing nations. The championship was played at Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval in Roseville, Minnesota, United States on 29 January – 5 February 1995. It was the first time th ...

was played at Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval. The United States national men's squad also plays friendlies against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in the

Can-Am Bandy Cup Can-Am Bandy Cup is the name of an annually recurring friendly bandy match played between the Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For m ...

. The United States women's national bandy team has participated in every one of the

Women's Bandy World Championship The Women's Bandy World Championships is an international sports tournament for women and the premier international competition for women's bandy among bandy-playing nations. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy ...

s. The

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and the

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

women's world tournaments were played in Minnesota.

History

In the late 19th century there was a game very similar to bandy called

ice polo Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally occur ...

played in the United States. The first bandy game in the USA was played in December 1979 at the

Lewis Park Bandy Rink Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohea ...

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...

. It was a friendly game between the Sweden men's national junior bandy team and Swedish club team Brobergs IF.

Governing body

The American Bandy Association (ABA), also called USA Bandy, is the governing body of

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The association was established and became a member of the

in 1981, and was recognized as a non-profit corporation in 1983. It is headquartered in

Savage, Minnesota Savage ( ) is a suburban city south-southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city is on the south bank of the Minnesota River in a region commonly called ''South of the River,'' comprising the south ...

. The president of ABA is Chris Middlebrook, who is also a lawyer by profession. ABA runs the American Bandy League. The ABA also arranges an international summer camp for children every year. All ABA league games are played at the Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval in

Roseville, Minnesota Roseville is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. It is one of two Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Twin Cities suburbs that are bordered directly by Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul and Minneapolis (Lauderdale, M ...

International competition

The United States is home to the United States men's national bandy team and the

. The men compete regularly in the

while the women compete in the

League play

The American Bandy League is the top-tier of bandy played in the United States. The league is split into two divisions, with 6 teams in Division I and 4 in Division II. All ABA league games are played at the Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval in

. The variant

is also played, organised as the

. As of 2017, the latest champion is Tonka Bay Bombers.

Team highlights

Dynamo Duluth

''(Division I)'' Dynamo (

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

) was founded in 2006. In 2012, Dynamo Duluth finished second in the league and in 2013 they became national champions for the first time. In 2009 they won the North American Cup, which is the tournament for rink bandy in the US. Many of the best players for the team joined the United States men's national bandy team, among them, former ice hockey pro

Robb Stauber Robert Thomas Stauber (born November 25, 1967) is an American ice hockey coach and former professional goaltender. He played college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1986 NHL entry draft by the L ...

Flying Sparrows

''(Division I)'' Initially known as the

Dinkytown Dinkytown is a commercial district within the Marcy-Holmes, Minneapolis, Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Centered at 14th Avenue Southeast and 4th Street Southeast, the district contains several city blocks occupied by vari ...

Dukes, the Sparrows were formed in the 2014-2015 season by General Managers Jon Keseley, John Arundel, and Scott Arundel. In their first season, the Dukes went undefeated in the regular season and claimed their first Gunnar Cup as US Premier League champions by winning the series 2 games to 1 over Mississippi Mojo. Jon Keseley was named the season MVP, while Mikael Lickteig received playoff MVP honors, backstopped by the goaltending of Erik "The Red Baron" Kraska. The Dukes claimed their second championship in 2017. Under their new name, the team is competing against Minneapolis Bandolier for the 40th US Bandy Championship.

Minneapolis Bandolier

''(Division I)'' Bandolier (

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

) was founded in 1980. It has won the United States Championship ten times (1981, 1982, 1983, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014), more than any other club. Many of the club's players also play in the

United States national bandy team United States men's national bandy team has been taking part in the Bandy World Championships since 1985, being the first nation to join apart from the four teams which had so far participated in almost all the world championships; the Soviet U ...

.The US roster for the

2014 Bandy World Championship The 2014 Bandy World Championship was held between 26 January and 2 February 2014, in Irkutsk and Shelekhov, Russia. 17 nations participated in the tournament, playing in two divisions partitioned into two subdivisions. A team representing Somalia ...

Minnesota Blades

''(Division I)'' The Blades were formed at the beginning of the 2002–2003 bandy season as the successor club to the Stabaek (MN) Bandy Club, which, after enjoying success in the 1980s and 1990s, fell on hard times. After Stabaek finished last in the Premier League table in 2001–2002, the Blades were founded and led by Steve Nelson of Edina, MN (see notable players below) and finished their inaugural season in third place, before losing in the league playoff semifinals to the Amur Tigers. The Blades have won four US Premier League titles, taking the Gunnar Cup in 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2011. In 2005, the Gunnar Cup, which is traditionally awarded to the playoff champions, was awarded to the Blades by virtue of their first-place regular-season finish, as inclement weather in Minnesota caused the cancellation of that year's post-season tournament. In the 2005–2006 season, the Blades finished 4th in the regular season, and were eliminated from the league playoffs by expansion side OBS. In both 2005 and 2006, the Blades were the runners-up in the North American Cup competition. The Blades are captained by Steve "Jazz Hands" Nelson; he earned the nickname due to his indelible stick-handling prowess in the 2006 Federation Cup.

Mississippi Mojo

''(Division I)'' The Mississippi Mojo (named for the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, not the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

) was the runner-up for the Gunnar Cup in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

TC Ice Tigers

''(Division I)''

Team USA

''(Division I)''

East Isles

''(Division II)''

Elsies Bandy

''(Division II)''

Tsunami ICE

''(Division II)''

USA Women

''(Division II)''

References

External links

American Bandy Association official website

Bandysidan
{{Commons category, Bandy in the United States Sports in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Roseville, Minnesota