HERMANTOWN, Minnesota – The Plant family garage in Hermantown isn't usually a shrine to middle child Max, but that's how it felt for his high school graduation party.
Max's jerseys were hung in a row, medals dangled from a hockey stick hanging from the ceiling, and Max's state championship ring was on display. A collage of photos showed Max on the ice, fishing and spending time with friends. One of his mother, Christy's favorite photos was near the memorabilia from their Duluth, Minnesota, a snapshot of their three sons and husband, Derek, in hockey gear, with Christy dressed as an umpire.
Max's paintings of hockey players were also framed and covering the walls.
“It's pretty Max-ish here,” Max said.
The Plant family will soon have a new reason to celebrate.
Max is one of the top-ranked players from Minnesota who will be eligible for the NHL draft, which begins Friday in Las Vegas, and if the 18-year-old is selected, it would add to an already incredible family tradition that reaches far beyond its local roots.
“Hockey isn't the most important thing in the world,” Derek Plant said, “but it's our job and it's important to us. We know hockey isn't more important than being a doctor and saving someone's life. It's just a sport. But that doesn't mean we can't give it our all.”
Like father, like son
Before Max and his brothers became hockey players, their father was a promising player.
The Crockett native was a 1993 Hobey Baker Award finalist and first-team All-American at UMD, scoring an NCAA-high 92 points as a senior while leading the Bulldogs to the WCHA title.
“I had a little frustration and something to prove,” Derek said. He'd heard he was too small to play for the Bulldogs, but the NHL draft never crossed his mind.
But in 1989, Buffalo selected the 5-foot-11 center in the eighth round.
The draft was in Bloomington that year, but Derek didn't attend because he was mowing the lawn. The Sabres called Derek's sister to talk to her. It wasn't until he came home from yard work that Derek found out he'd been drafted.
“Is there any way I can get a hat?” he asked the scout five months later.
Derek scored 20 goals three times with Buffalo, including a goal in overtime in Game 7 to lead the Sabres to the second round of the playoffs in 1997. Two years later he won the Stanley Cup with Dallas.
The following month, he married Christy Duncan.
The two met at UMD. Christy, a Duluth native, was a standout basketball and softball player. They were in the same friend group (Christy's roommate was dating Derek's roommate) but were not a couple. Derek and Christy stayed in touch after graduation, with Christy writing Derek cards and meeting up in the summers.
After chatting with Christy one Christmas, Christy flew to Buffalo to surprise Derek. When Derek found out Christy was heading there, he surprised Christy with a bouquet of flowers at the airport. Derek invited Christy to come to New York during the All-Star break, but Christy declined, saying she was visiting as a friend.
“She was still resisting,” Derek said.
But Christy went to New York and the two had their first official date.
“We still have a few cards left,” Derek said.
Hermantown Home
Derek spent eight seasons in the NHL before continuing his career overseas.
Their eldest son, Sam, was born in Germany. Christie played alongside Derek in a televised exhibition game. Derek's team was short on players so Christie played in a no-check friendly. Christie also scored a goal and Derek recorded one assist.
Christie played hockey as a child and returned to the sport before going to Europe, where she participated in a women's league.
“Kristie is a phenomenal athlete, an All-American,” Hermantown boys hockey coach Patrick Andrews said.
About 18 months after Zam was born, Max was born.
Just a few weeks later, Max played in a baby carrier at the boys hockey state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.
Derek's father, Bruce, was a longtime coach at Hermantown, leading the school to six straight state championship appearances before the Hawks won in 2016. After winning again in 2017, Bruce retired.
“I guess I was just born that way,” Max says, “but at the same time, I loved it.”
Max watched the Wild but idolized the high school players and the Bulldogs.
In 2010, Derek became an assistant coach at UMD and his first season on staff ended with the Bulldogs winning their first national championship. Currently, Derek serves as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL.
At their Hermantown home, Christie watched from the living room as her sons skated outside.
She loved listening to the puck skating on the backyard rink and boys smashing swords on the ice, even having the windows open despite the temperatures dropping below freezing.
As a preschooler, Max rebelled against nap time because he wanted to skate.
As he grew older, he began going to Hermantown's outdoor skating rink every day after school.
Andrews, who became Hermantown's coach after Bruce Plant retired, watched Max play from the time he was a young boy and remembered how there was widespread skepticism about Max's play as he rose through the ranks because of his small stature.
“Everybody always suspected him,” Andrews said.
But Max continued to prove the naysayers wrong, especially as a sophomore when he scored a team-high 72 points in 31 games and helped the Hawks win the Class 1A title.
“He's like a magician with the puck,” Andrews said.
rapid growth
Despite his success and history with the school, Max did not return to Hermantown for his junior season.
He left for Michigan to participate in the United States Hockey Association's National Team Development Program. The hardest phone call for Max was to make to his grandfather, Bruce, but Max felt that the decision was best for him.
NTDP coach Nick Foe also had concerns about Max's size, but after two seasons, Max is much stronger and more rugged on the ice, growing about six inches in height and now standing at 5'11.
The forward appeared in 51 games for the under-18 team last season, recording 15 goals and 46 assists for 15 more points than he had the year before, and also won a silver medal at the U-18 World Championships, earning him an invitation to USA Hockey's World Junior Summer Showcase, which evaluates players for the upcoming World Junior Championships.
“There's still so much to do,” Max says. “There's still so much I want to do.”
NHL Central Scouting ranked him 43rd among North American skaters, improving him 10 spots from their midseason report.
“He's the smartest player on the team,” Faux said. “Every NHL team is looking for players with high hockey IQs in the draft, so if there's a player in the draft who's smarter than him, I'd love to see it.” [Max’s] It's elite in its category.”
While Derek's trademark was his speed, Max is a playmaker who prides himself on his vision and stick work.
He excels in one-on-two situations, drawing two players towards him and then distributing the puck to an open teammate.
“He's almost pass-first, which is a big drawback,” Christie said. “I'm like, 'You can shoot it.' I don't know if that's because of my brother.” [who’s] I was like, “Give me the pack.”
Zam, 19, was drafted by Pittsburgh two years ago and won a USHL championship with Fargo last season.
“We play a lot alike,” Zam said, “but when we play together, he passes more and I shoot more.”
All three brothers are competitive, and not just when it comes to hockey. They also compete to see who can swim the fastest on the lake or who can catch the most fish.
Max began taking art lessons in an attempt to outdo 19-year-old Zam, who was interested in art.
“Everything becomes a game,” Victor said.
But my family is also supportive.
The NTDP has invited 16-year-old Victor to join the team later this year, telling him that his older brother is his biggest fan.
“I think he's better than me and Zam,” Max said.
Family issues
Christie was decorating the garage last week for Max's graduation party, which included food for 200 people.
The menu included pasta from a local restaurant and Max's grandma made cookies.
“I feel like this has been Max's month,” Christie said.
And the month isn't over yet.
The whole family, along with Max's parents' grandparents and cousins, will be traveling to Las Vegas for the draft.
“I just want to go to a team that wants me and believes in me,” Max said.
But his next team is no mystery. Like his parents, Max has chosen to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth, where Zam will also be a freshman and the brothers will be roommates. Bruce, who has watched his grandchildren's games on his phone until now, plans to buy Bulldogs season tickets.
“I couldn't imagine wearing any other jersey,” Max said.
Representing the Bulldogs is a dream come true for Max, but it's not his only dream.
“Knowing I can achieve this goal might give me a little bit of confidence to achieve another one,” Max said.
