IN THE NEWS: Hockey grows in New Mexico, with assists from Minnesotans

Dec 13, 2019

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a sunny weekday morning. That part was not in any way unusual in the scenic American Southwest, where clouds and precipitation are seen about as often as one sees a goalie get called for a penalty.

A less-expected sight in this part of the world was a hockey arena — a beautiful two-seat rink with stadium seating — perched high on a hill in the northeast corner of Albuquerque, with a view of the Sandia Mountains on one side and the sprawling Rio Grande Valley on the other.

And to see one of the well-known names in Minnesota broadcasting inside that arena, working on a fix for a broken seat in advance of his hockey team’s next home game, pretty well completed the picture of things you may not have expected in New Mexico.

Stanley E. Hubbard II, 58, has roots in the state where his grandfather (also named Stanley E. Hubbard) started a small Twin Cities radio station in 1925. From those humble beginnings, Hubbard Broadcasting was born, and today the family’s wealth is estimated in the billions.

Like many Minnesota kids, Stan developed a love of hockey while growing up in the St. Croix River valley and getting an education at Stillwater High School and later at the University of Minnesota. Continue reading on The Rink Live