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Minneapolis (AP)

It's official: Hockey is the state sport of Minnesota

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The Bemidji State Beavers takes on the Miami Red Hawks defends during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four Semifinal game on April 9.
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Hockey becomes the official state sport of Minnesota Wednesday.

Two hockey fans in the Legislature, Sens. Gen Olson, R-Minnetrista, and David Tomassoni, DFL-Chisholm, put the proposal in an economic development bill signed into law last month.

Fifth-graders from Groveland Elemnetary School in Minnetonka originated the idea two years ago when they visited the Capitol. They told Olson Minnesota should have a state sport and two of them pushed for hockey.

The senators agreed. They cited many reasons, from the extensive boys and girls hockey programs, to the state's five NCAA Division I college teams to its NHL team the Minnesota Wild.

Olson said it took work to get a hearing on the proposal, and once they did, they didn't waste time getting it passed. "We did it for the kids," she said.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Frozen Four
The Bemidji State Beavers takes on the Miami Red Hawks defends during the NCAA Men's Frozen Four Semifinal game on April 9.
File/Getty Images