FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) -- About the same time a new champion hoists the Stanley Cup, players from as far away as Canada, Latvia and Hungary will gather in Tennessee for four days to showcase their hockey talent for college coaches and junior league teams.
Yes, Tennessee - one of the many places in the South where the sport is alive and doing well.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's matchup against the New York Rangers in the NHL's Eastern Conference finals is another reminder that hockey is doing more than just surviving below the Mason-Dixon line.