When I decided to leave Pioneer as sports editor in January 2023, there was only one name on my replacement list: Jared Rubado.
Fortunately for me, the Pioneers, and Bemidji, Jared was not only interested, but he was a perfect fit for the position. He has now held that position for over a year.
I'm no longer behind the scenes at sports broadcasts, but I do have a front row seat. In particular, what Jared has done to revolutionize the beat of Bemidji State hockey is remarkable. His reporting is continuous, insightful, and deep. He knows his team so well that you might think he has his own booth in the locker room.
When you have a community behind any team, you feel it. Minnesota is a hockey state, so Beaver always had a head start on his hockey. But for some reason, local enthusiasm has continued to be overwhelming since the team's most recent NCAA Tournament in 2021.
A team's success is usually the biggest factor in their fandom level, and perhaps a few years of stagnation may have been the culprit. But watching him get the beat, watching the community respond with matching passion, even before the Beavers caught fire late in the season, Jared Rubado made Bemidji a hockey town again. I can now say with confidence that I am doing it.
Fans sold out the Mason Cup championship game in 36 hours. At least eight public viewing parties were held around town for those who weren't lucky enough to get tickets. And sitting in the press box, in the middle of 4,373 screaming fans, I still can't believe I'm getting paid to be there, even though I regularly turn in valuable work. There was no pioneer reporter.
No, the Beavers didn't win the McNaughton Cup this year because of Jared. But if it wasn't for his coverage, I'm sure fewer fans would have attended this drive.
Patrick Ruth, the veteran Star Tribune sports columnist, said it best on Mason Cup night: “The late, great Jim Carrington would be proud.”
