MINNEAPOLIS — There's a new record headed for the legendary Guinness Book, with a flavor that is uniquely Minnesotan.
Conditions were perfect last November 20 when hockey dads Zach Lamppa and Tom Chorske stood on the frozen surface of Lake of the Isles, hockey sticks in hand, and completed a pass that covered 904 feet, three inches to set the new mark for longest hockey pass. The ice was plenty smooth and thick, hardly a patch of snow on it, providing an ideal surface for a puck to travel on.
The old record for longest pass was 894 feet.
"I’ve always wondered how far I could actually pass the puck in perfect conditions,” said Lamppa, a father of four hockey players who grew up in Virgina, MN and now lives in Detroit Lakes. “We did this to inspire people. You never know what’s possible until you try.”
It would be hard to imagine a better person to receive the puck on a world record attempt than Chorske. A hockey dad himself, Chorske was a star for both Minneapolis Southwest HS and the U of M Golden Gophers before heading to the NHL and winning a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils.
Despite the great ice conditions and having a Stanley Cup winner on board, setting the record was not a walk in the park.
“The people at Guinness make the terms,” said Lamppa. “We had to have regulation equipment, a survey crew, and officials. It’s not just something you can just go out and do, you have to plan. There’s a criteria you must meet.”
A Guinness Judge on scene confirmed that the pass indeed set a new mark.
Lamppa has no idea how long the record will stand, but hopes it will give others a nudge to break this record or one from another sport or activity.
“We are just two friends who got together to try and do something great,” said Lamppa. “We are coming up on some of the best time of year for hockey and we hope this accomplishment will show others that good things can happen to anyone.”
