32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Minnesota Wild

Alexis Bazydola
May 15, 2020
4 min read

The Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

The Minnesota Wild call St. Paul, Minnesota home and play at the Xcel Energy Center. The arena opened in 2000. In 2004 it was named the best overall sports venue by ESPN. This venue holds the Green Globe Certification, the APEX/ASTM Certification and the LEED Certification for overall sustainability. It is the first complex in the world to receive all three of these certifications. The arena seats just over 18,000 for a home hockey game. It has also hosted other entertainment over the years including Bon Jovi, Elton John, Billy Joel, Shania Twain, and so many more.

Team History

While trying to have a team relocate or expand to Minnesota for years after the departure of the Minnesota North Stars after 1993, fans were finally awarded a team in 1997. The NHL announced the expansion with the goal to begin play in the 2000-01 season. The team was officially named the Wild in 1998. Beginning play in 2000, the Wild named Jacques Lemaire as their first head coach. Marian Gaborik was selected third overall by the Wild at the NHL Entry Draft that same year. The first season was not that successful for Minnesota, but it showed promise for the future.

The next season started off strong for the Wild, but they ultimately fell to the last place in the standings once again. In 2003, the Wild made it to their first playoffs and advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals after beating the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks. They were swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in four games.

In the 2003-04 season the team would not return to the playoffs and the next year would be cancelled due to a lockout. The team struggled with injuries and roster moves but returned to the playoffs in 2007. They were eliminated in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks. The 2007-08 season saw the Wild clinch their first division title as a franchise. They faced the Colorado Avalanche in the first round but were knocked out in six games.

The 2008 offseason saw Marek Zidlicky and Andrew Brunette join and rejoin the roster, respectfully. They were unable to return to the playoffs in 2009 as they fell to ninth place in the Western Conference. Following this season, the management team changed. Owner Craig Leopold hired Chuck Fletcher as General Manager. Todd Richards was hired as head coach. The 2009-10 season saw the announcement of the team’s first ever full-time captain in Mikko Koivu.

Despite the changes for Minnesota, they would not return to the playoffs in 2009-10 or 2010-11. The Wild selected Mikael Granlund in the 2010 NHL Draft. Following their losing season in 2010-11, Richards was let go and Mike Yeo was hired as head coach. The team continued to make roster moves and started the season in 2011 at the top of the standings only to begin to struggle when faced with injuries. For the fourth year in a row, the team was eliminated from the playoffs.

The 2012 offseason saw the signing of Granlund to an entry level contract and the selection of Matt Dumba in the NHL Draft. They also signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter during free agency. The shortened 2012-13 season saw the return of the Wild to the playoffs. They were eliminated in five games by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. The 2013-14 season was also a good one for the Wild as they would go on to clinch a playoff spot once again. They faced the Colorado Avalanche in the first round where they won in seven games. The Wild then played the Chicago Blackhawks who beat them in six games.

The Wild returned to the playoffs for a third consecutive season in 2015. They played the St. Louis Blues in the first round and won in six games. They were then eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks in a four-game sweep. Mike Yeo was let go as head coach in 2016 after the Wild yet again hit another slump. While they were still able to make the playoffs this year, they still fell to the Dallas Stars in the first round. During the offseason, the Wild signed Eric Staal to a free agency contract. Bruce Boudreau was also hired as head coach.

They yet again returned to the playoffs in 2017, but were eliminated in five games by the St. Louis Blues. More roster moves during the offseason saw the return of Matt Cullen, additions of Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno via trade, and Koivu signed to a contract extension. The Wild were able to, yet again, clinch a playoff spot but were eliminated in the first round for the fourth year in a row by the Winnipeg Jets. Fletcher was let go as general manager after nine seasons.

In 2018, Paul Fenton was hired as general manager. With rifts between management and players and more roster moves, the team missed the playoffs in 2019 for the first time since 2012. The offseason saw the signing of Mats Zuccarello in free agency and the departure of Fenton. Bill Guerin was hired as general manager. Boudreau was fired in February 2020 and replaced by Dean Evason. At the season’s pause, the Wild sit at 21st in the league with 77 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

The team has always sounded a goal horn each time a goal is scored at home. They also have various songs that have been their go to’s over the years including: “Born to be Wild,” “Crowd Chant” and “Rock and Roll Part 2.” The team also used the song “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince as their goal song as a tribute to the Minneapolis native. Beginning in 2018-19, the team brought back “Crowd Chant” as their official goal song.

In 2008, the team introduced Nordy as their official mascot. While the type of animal he is is unknown, he embodies the true spirit of the Wild. He wears the jersey number 18,001 to represent what number fan he is as the arena seats 18,000 fans at capacity.