Friday, November 9, 2007

Sweet Lou hits Kato

Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne was at the Mankato Barnes & Noble Friday afternoon autographing copies of the book, "Minnesota North Stars: History and Memories with Lou Nanne," along with author Bob Showers.

Nanne said it was his first book stop outside the Metro area and chose Mankato because of tonight's Mavericks-Gophers game (Nanne said he couldn't make it to the game due to another commitment but would be at Saturday's rematch at Mariucci).

The book, a coffee table-style collection full of pictures (no coincidence that it was released right before the holidays), is in its second printing, said Nanne, who, played for and was general manager of the Minnesota North Stars. He was also an All-American defenseman for the Gophers and may be best known to young hockey fans as the longtime color commentator during state hockey tournament TV coverage.

Both Nanne and Showers, a first-time author, said they have been surprised by the vast interest in the book.

Nanne said sports fans in Minnesota have a special attachment to the North Stars not only because they grew up with the team for 26 years but because it was taken away from them when then-owner Norm Green up and moved it to Dallas in 1993. While the Minnesota Wild has been a tremendously popular replacement since starting as an expansion team in 2000, the bond isn't quite the same, according to Nanne.

"It's like making a new friend," he said.

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