Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota. Bandy is a team sport played on ice.
The United States national bandy team has taken part in the Bandy World Championships since the 1985 tournament. It also plays friendlies against Canada. The 1995 Bandy World Championship was played at Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval.
The United States women's national bandy team has participated in all World Championships. The 2006 tournament was played in Minnesota and the 2016 tournament will be.
In the late nineteenth century there was a game very similar to bandy called ice polo played in the United States.
Governing body
The American Bandy Association (ABA), also called USA Bandy, is the governing body of bandy in the United States. The association was established and became a member of the Federation of International Bandy in 1981.
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 Roseville, Minnesota.
The variant rink bandy has been played, organised as the USA Rink Bandy League.
Team highlights
Dynamo Duluth
(Division I)
Dynamo (Duluth, Minnesota) 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 national bandy team, among them, former ice hockey pro Robb Stauber.
Dinkytown Dukes
(Division I)
Dinkytown Dukes 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 finished the year off with a 2 games to 1 victory over the Mississippi Mojo to claim their first Gunnar Cup as US Premier League champions. Jon Keseley claimed 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.
Minneapolis Bandolier
(Division I)
Bandolier (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 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.
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 is based in northern United States, despite its name. The team 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
