The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are an annual pond hockey event on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though an amateur tournament, the competition draws hockey enthusiasts from all over North America, many of whom have pro and college hockey experience.

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ESPN.com listed the tournament as part of their "101 Things Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die."^[1]

The tournament includes competition in six divisions:

• The Open Division (anyone can play)
• 40+ Division
• 50+ Division
• Rink Rats (amateurs who would rather not face the near-pro talent that is common in the Open Division)
• Women's
• Seniors
• Bender

The Bender Division is for the beautiful late bloomers of the Pond. Boys and girls who got in to hockey long after the glory days of high school were gone.

The teams compete for a trophy called the Golden Shovel. Each year, the winners of each division get to engrave their names into the Golden Shovel in a tradition reminiscent of the NHL's Stanley Cup.

• Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships
• World Pond Hockey Championships