Gopher Hole: gopherhole.com

The Gopher Hole analyzes University of Minnesota sports with the fervor of a booster club, with lively forums for football, basketball and all other Gopher athletics. There's original content in the form of news, a "Where Are They Now?" feature, rich recruiting coverage and much more.

Daily Norseman: dailynorseman.com

A member of the SB Nation blog network, the Daily Norseman offers a mix of seasoned news analysis and fan-generated content. The meat is all there (stats, rosters, etc.), but the most fun comes from the forum banter sparked by "All-Time" lists and freewheeling open posts. Because they're Vikings fans, a misguided optimism pervades come August.

Aaron Gleeman: aarongleeman.com

Gleeman is the king of local sports blogging, a practice he keeps up despite gigs writing for NBC Sports and MinnPost. His focus is mainly on the Twins, with coverage that includes news, wonky stat parsing, minor league rankings and his "Gleeman and the Geek" podcast. Gleeman is a deadly sharp baseball mind.

Canis Hoopus: canishoopus.com

Another SB Nation blog, Canis Hoopus mimics the format of Daily Norseman. Basketball fans are notorious connoisseurs of trade rumors and roster fantasies, a trait not lost on site loyalists. Open game discussions serve as entertaining supplements to the televised event.

State of hockey news: stateofhockeynews.com

Game previews and recaps are the backbone of State of Hockey News, a site that’s mostly focused on the Wild but sprinkles in plenty of preps coverage. Posts are written in a charming straight-from-the-basement tone and include pop culture references aplenty.