Hockey Day 2016 is nearly here, as the State of Hockey gets ready to celebrate the game of hockey in a town where the sport has deep ties. The day's activities will start at 9:00 am, and continue through the day at Bayfront. Here is a breakdown of the day:

*NOTE* Most of the day's activities do require the purchase of tickets, which are on sale now at wild.com/hockeyday. Proceeds will benefit Duluth area youth hockey programs.

9:00 AM - Parade

The opening ceremony for Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 will kick off with a short parade from the Bayfront Park entrance to the rink. Participants will include Duluth Mayor Emily Larson, U.S. Representative Rick Nolan, area youth hockey players, mascots from the participating schools, Nordy from the Minnesota Wild, Champ from UMD, and Huskie of the Duluth Huskies.

9:30 AM - Start of All-Day Side Activities

Bayfront's Pleasure Rink (a smaller rink adjacent to the main rink) will see all-day activities, including Mite 1 games between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. The Duluth Area Special Sled Hockey team will also take the ice from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

10:00 AM - Game 1: Duluth Denfeld vs. Eveleth Gilbert

Bob and Jerry Fryberger and Pat Francisco will drop the ceremonial puck, followed by the game between these two Section 7A teams.

1:00 PM - Game 2: Duluth East vs. Lakeville North

Bob and Jerry Fryberger and Pat Francisco will drop the ceremonial puck for this game as well, followed by a rematch of last season's Class AA State Championship between Duluth East and Lakeville North.

4:00 PM - Wild Sled Hockey

The Wild Sled Hockey team will hit the ice for an exhibition game on the main rink.

5:30 PM - Peewee AA: Duluth East vs. Stillwater

Action on the main rink continues with the a Peewee AA matchup between Duluth East and Stillwater.

7:00 PM - Duluth Police vs. Duluth Firefighters Hockey Game

Duluth's finest will take to the ice, battling for bragging rights on the main rink. This will mark the final action on the ice in Duluth on Hockey Day.

7:00 PM - Hockey Day Wrap Party

The day will end with a party at Bayfront, hosted by Black Woods with food and beverages available on site and the Minnesota Wild game on a big screen as they take on the St. Louis Blues. Admission is free and open to the public.

More From B105