Every high school hockey player knows that, eventually, their season will come to an end. But for the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles, the end comes with a heartbreaking twist: the program is being cut entirely after this season due to declining participation numbers.

“It’s sad to think about this is going to be the last part of it, the last part of history,” said Kennedy senior defenseman, Calvin Danielson.

The decision to end the program marks the close of 60 years of history at Kennedy, a once-dominant force in Minnesota high school hockey. Over the years, low participation numbers have made it difficult to keep the program alive.

Kennedy senior defenseman, David Wurst, said, “we come into games with maybe two or three lines, maybe all the kids aren’t as good as the first line, we don’t have the legs to keep up.”

At the Bloomington Ice Garden, the Eagles have struggled to maintain their once-glorious reputation. While they haven’t seen much success in recent years, one thing is certain: the memories of past triumphs live on. A constant reminder hangs on the wall — the Eagles’ state championship banner from 1987.

Kennedy was a powerhouse in Minnesota hockey during the 1980s and ’90s. In 1987, the Eagles reached the pinnacle of high school hockey, winning the program’s only state title.

Joe Decker was one of the team captains on that state title team. “It seems strange that a hockey area and a team that has so much history, now all of a sudden isn’t going to exist,” said Decker.

For the seniors on this year’s team, it’s not about the wins or loses — it’s about the legacy. The Eagles’ final home game this season wasn’t marked by a state championship, but by a lap around the ice that symbolized something much bigger.

“I really felt it, I felt the history of this ice, and this whole arena,” Danielson said. “The jersey and the name we carry on our shoulders.”

Kennedy senior forward, Isaac Syrjamaki, said, “It means a lot, it’s pretty crazy to think about, it really hasn’t sunk in yet. I think when I get older I will look back and think, that’s pretty cool.”

The memories of this program will live on in different ways. While 1987 brought the ultimate victory, 2025 marks the finale for Kennedy hockey.

Wurst reflected on this final season and said, “It doesn’t feel like it’s the last game, until a few days later, and at the moment, you are kind of realizing, like, dang, it’s really ending.”

“If somebody told me 40 years later, are you still going to be talking about Kennedy hockey, the friends you made and the friends you had? I don’t think I could’ve predicted that, but it happens,” Decker said with a smile on his face. 

Players on the current Kennedy roster that aren’t graduating seniors, can play at Bloomington Jefferson next season.

What ends on the ice lives on in the memories that hang from the walls of the Bloomington Ice Garden — even if it’s for the final time.