Starting Friday, some of the world's best hockey players will face off in the Twin Cities at Grand Casino Arena and Mariucci Arena for the next week and half. 

Minnesota is hosting the 50th IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, where the best men's players under the age of 20 will compete for the gold.

In honor of the competition, the organizers of the event thought it also important to honor the people behind the players — the moms who helped make it all happened.

In November, five "Hockey Mom of the Year" finalists were chosen and one was crowned at a ceremony at Mall of America. She is Jacqueline Nowakowski of Lino Lakes, mom to 5-year-old Jake, 8-year-old Owen and 11-year Centennial peewee Leo.

"I'm happy to represent all hockey moms," said Jacqueline Nowakowski at the time. "We're all doing it together, we're all one big community."

Hockey moms are a community, one that Jacqueline Nowakowski had no idea she'd need as much as she does. In June, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It was last week of school, and it was, 'This is cancer.' And at the time it was really scary," she said.

She underwent 12 weeks of chemotherapy and had a mastectomy in October. Right away, there were meal trains, gift cards, carpool offers, pink shirts for Leo Nowakowski's team and pink hockey tape for their sticks.

Even hockey moms who coached opposing teams chipped in.

"You think about the family, their kids, just how their lives are going to change, and whatever you can do to help," said Spring Lake Park coach Jess Scott.

The Nowakowski family was and continues to be grateful for all that support. But for Jacqueline Nowakowski herself, it was the quiet words of support to her eldest son that mattered to her most.

"His peers would ask him, 'How are you? How are things? How is your mom?'" she said. "Just for people to ask that, you know, it meant a lot."

She said hockey brought her family a sense of normalcy in abnormal times.  

"He'll look back and, he's old enough to understand what happened this summer, what we've been through as a family," she said. "But he'll also remember the good times. I'm thankful for that."

Jacqueline Nowakowski will have to undergo more treatment in the New Year, but doctors say her prognosis looks good. She and her family are excited about attending as many World Junior hockey games as they can.