The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Minnesota Wild, an American professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, that plays in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Return of Hockey to Minnesota
Following the departure of the Minnesota North Stars after the 1992-93 season, the state of Minnesota was without an NHL team for seven seasons. The team was founded following the departure of the Minnesota North Stars, who were based in Minnesota from 1967 to 1993, when they relocated to Dallas, Texas, and became the Dallas Stars. Senator) Norm Coleman began a campaign to either recruit an existing franchise to the city or an expansion franchise to a Minnesota-based ownership group.
Following the failed attempt to relocate the Jets, the NHL announced its intention to expand from 26 to 30 teams. Businessman and Minnetonka native Bob Naegele, Jr. became the lead investor for an application to the NHL for an expansion franchise and, ultimately, the first majority owner. On June 25, 1997, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that Minnesota had been awarded an expansion franchise, to begin play in the 2000-01 season.
Birth of the Wild
The team was officially named the Wild at an unveiling at the Aldrich Arena on January 22, 1998, with the song "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf playing over the arena's speaker system. The State of Minnesota adopted legislation in April 1998 to loan $65 million to the City of Saint Paul to fund 50% of the estimated $130 million project costs for the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.
The legislation also provided that only $48 million of the loan needed to be repaid if the team met the requirements to have an agreement in place during the lease term with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission. The City of Saint Paul issued an additional $65 million in bonds, with roughly 90% of the debt service on the bonds and the repayment of the state loan coming from scheduled rent and payment instead of taxes from the Minnesota Wild. Deconstruction of the Saint Paul Civic Center began soon after.
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The Minnesota Wild announced a 26-year partnership agreement with the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission (MASC). The Minnesota Wild-MASC partnership is the first partnership of its kind between a private professional sports team and a public amateur sports organization.
Early Years and First Playoff Appearance
The Wild named Jacques Lemaire their first head coach and the team picked Marian Gaborik third overall in the first round of the 2000 NHL entry draft. The Wild joined the NHL in 2000 along with fellow expansion team the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gaborik scored the first-ever goal for the Wild in their franchise debut on October 6 at Anaheim. The Wild played their first-ever home game on October 11 against the Philadelphia Flyers and skated to a 3-3 tie.
Minnesota native Darby Hendrickson scored the first-ever home goal for the Wild. Before the game, it was announced the team would retire the number 1 jersey, their first number retirement, with no Wild player ever wearing it, to honor all Minnesota fans, who the team claimed were the true "number one" to them. The most notable game of the year was the first visit of the Dallas Stars, who had formerly played in Minnesota as the Minnesota North Stars.
The Wild got off to a strong start in the 2001-02 season by earning at least one point in their first seven games. However, the Wild finished in last place again with a record of 26-35-12-6. Gaborik spent much of the 2002-03 season vying for the league scoring crown before slumping in the second half, and the Wild, in their first-ever playoff appearance, made it to the conference finals before being swept 4-0 by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Previously, the Wild had beaten the favored and third-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the first round in seven games, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit and winning both game 6 and 7 in overtime. Brunette scored the series-clinching goal, the last on Patrick Roy. In the conference semifinals, the Wild beat the fourth-seeded Vancouver Canucks, again in seven games, and again after being down 3-1 in a series. Minnesota placed last in its division in each of its first two seasons but qualified for the play-offs in its third year, led by right wing Marian Gaborik.
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In the first round of the postseason, the Wild dramatically staved off elimination by winning three consecutive one-goal-margin games against the Colorado Avalanche (with the latter two coming in overtime contests). The team won another seven-game series to earn a berth in the conference finals, where the Wild lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Post-Lockout Era and Division Title
When the 2003-04 season started, the Wild were short-handed with both Pascal Dupuis and Gaborik holding out. After struggling in the first month, the Wild finally got their two young star left-wingers signed, but both struggled to get back into game shape as the Wild struggled through much of November. The 2004-05 season was canceled due to an NHL lockout.
Former Wild player Sergei Zholtok died from a heart condition during a game in Europe. In the 2005-06 season, the first season after the lockout, Minnesota finished in fifth and last place in the Northwest Division, eight points behind fourth-placed Vancouver Canucks. En route, Marian Gaborik set a new franchise record for goals in a season at 38, and Brian Rolston set a new highest point total by a Wild player in a season at 79.
The Wild signed veteran free agents Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish, Branko Radivojevic and Keith Carney. On the day of the NHL entry draft, it traded the 17th overall pick and prospect Patrick O'Sullivan to the Los Angeles Kings for veteran Slovak Pavol Demitra. Niklas Backstrom was the starting goalie for the Wild after previous starter Manny Fernandez sprained his knee on January 20.
Fernandez played for the first time since the sprain on March 6 and was removed after allowing three goals in two periods in the Wild's 3-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Josh Harding was brought up from the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros, when Fernandez was hurt and remained on Minnesota's roster for the rest of the season as the backup goalie.
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The Wild broke numerous franchise records during the 2007-08 season, including most goals and points (Marian Gaborik - 42 goals and 83 points). Also, Jacques Lemaire recorded his 500th career coaching win as the Wild clinched their first-ever Northwest Division title in a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on April 3, 2008. They again faced the Colorado Avalanche in the conference quarterfinals, and the Wild held home-ice advantage.
In 2006-07 the Wild earned a second postseason berth, and the team won a division title the following season, but it lost in the opening round of the play-offs in both years. However, Minnesota followed its surprising play-off run with two consecutive last-place divisional finishes.
Changes and Challenges
During the 2008 off-season, the Wild re-acquired Andrew Brunette from Colorado and traded for defenseman Marek Zidlicky. The Wild also signed free agents Antti Miettinen and Owen Nolan to multi-year deals. Despite winning the Northwest Division the previous season, the Wild fell to ninth place in the Western Conference in 2008-09, missing the playoffs. Much of this was in part due to a lack of scoring and overall team offense, and the injuries to star forward Marian Gaborik, who only played 17 games.
Jacques Lemaire, head coach of the Wild since the team's inception in the 2000-01 season, resigned at season's end. In the 2009 off-season, Marian Gaborik signed with the New York Rangers during the summer as a free agent. Team owner Craig Leipold hired former Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher as general manager. Later that summer, Fletcher selected Todd Richards as head coach.
Martin Havlat was signed via free agency after playing the previous three seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks in order to lessen the blow of Gaborik's departure. The 2009-10 and the 2010-11 seasons ended in disappointment for the Wild as they missed the playoffs in both seasons. In the 2010 NHL entry draft, the Wild held the ninth overall pick and used it to select Finnish forward Mikael Granlund.
The Wild opened the 2010-11 season with two games at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki against the Carolina Hurricanes. During the 2011 NHL entry draft (which the team hosted), the Wild used their tenth overall pick to select Jonas Brodin. The club also created a stir when they traded star defenseman Brent Burns and a second-round pick in 2012 to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and the 28th overall pick in the 2011 draft, which they used to select Zack Phillips.
Realignments and Playoff Returns
Prior to the 2013 trade deadline, the Wild acquired Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for prospects Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett, as well as draft picks. The team reached the postseason for the fourth time in franchise history after a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on April 27, 2013.
The relocation and rebranding of the Atlanta Thrashers as the "new" Winnipeg Jets in 2011 meant Winnipeg was once again Minnesota's second-closest geographical rival after Chicago, and led the NHL to reconsider its divisional alignment. Even before the NHL's return to Winnipeg, Wild management had lobbied repeatedly for a move out of the Northwest Division, where they were the only Central Time Zone team.
Among the alignments considered was having the Jets replace the Avalanche in the Northwest, but Wild management strongly objected to this alignment as it would have left them as the only American team in their division. Following protracted negotiations both amongst the owners and with the National Hockey League Players' Association, in 2013, the NHL collapsed its six divisions into four and dissolved the Northwest Division.
Consequently, the Wild moved into the Central Division along with the Jets and Avalanche; the Canadian teams from the Northwest moved back to the Pacific Division. The Wild now share their division with not only the Blackhawks but also the Dallas Stars, the Wild's predecessors in Minnesota, and the St. Louis Blues, another major rival of the North Stars during the Norris Division era.
The team continued to post winning records over the following three seasons, yet it was unable to qualify for the play-offs during that span. In 2012-13 Minnesota’s return to the play-offs resulted in a first-round loss.
Continued Playoff Appearances
The 2013-14 regular season for the Wild was the best the team had since the 2007-08 season, good enough to claim the first Wild Card position. Jason Pominville became the Wild's third player in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark, with Mikko Koivu surpassing Marian Gaborik in all-time points for the club. The Wild battled goaltender problems throughout the entire season.
It began with Josh Harding leading the NHL in save percentage, and goals-against average, before being placed on injured reserve for complications with his multiple sclerosis (MS). Backstrom also suffered a season-ending injury with abdominal issues. The Wild started five different goalies during the year and dressed seven. At the trade deadline, general manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Ilya Bryzgalov from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick, as well as Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick from Buffalo in exchange for Torrey Mitchell and two second-round picks in 2014 and 2016.
In the playoffs, the team would face Colorado, who won the Central Division. The Wild won the series four games to three with an overtime goal in game 7 by Nino Niederreiter. During the 2014 off-season, the Wild signed forward Thomas Vanek as a free agent. In 2014-15, the Wild clinched the first wild card spot in the West by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks.
They then defeated the Central Division champions, the St. Louis Blues, in the first round of the playoffs in six games. In the second round, the Wild were eliminated in a four-game series sweep by Chicago. In 2016, the Wild set a franchise record with the best win record in the first 41 games of the season. Immediately afterward, they went into a skid, losing the next 13 of 14 games, culminating in the firing of head coach Mike Yeo.
Under new interim head coach John Torchetti, the team snapped the losing streak but remained streaky throughout the rest of the season, managing to barely make the playoffs with a total of 87 points, the worst record of any playoff team in the shootout era (since 2005-06). In the first round, the Wild fell to the Central Division champion Dallas Stars in six games.
Recent Seasons and the Kirill Kaprizov Era
During the 2016 off-season, the Wild signed free agent Eric Staal to a three-year contract. In 2017, the Wild set their new franchise record for points (106), wins (49) and goals for (266). The Wild set a franchise-record 12-game win streak that was snapped on New Year's Eve 2016 by the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team also on a franchise-record win streak at the time.
Nevertheless, Minnesota failed to win more than a game in the playoffs, losing in five games to St. Louis. Mikael Granlund led the team in points with 69, while new addition Eric Staal led the team in goals with 28. Mikko Koivu was a finalist for the Frank J. In the 2017 off-season, the Wild experienced significant roster turnover. Erik Haula was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft (along with prospect Alex Tuch).
Winger Jason Pominville and defenseman Marco Scandella were traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for forwards Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota native Matt Cullen was signed as a free agent and returned to the Wild to shore up the fourth line (Cullen had previously played in Minnesota from 2010 to 2013). Following another 100-point regular season, the Wild matched up with Central Division rival, the Winnipeg Jets, in the first round of the 2018 playoffs.
The Jets defeated the Wild in five games, making it three straight seasons in which the Wild failed to advance past the first round. On May 21, 2018, Paul Fenton was hired as the third general manager in franchise history. During the 2018-19 season, the Wild struggled to keep up in the ultra-competitive Central Division as they had in previous seasons.
Despite a renaissance year from Parise, many key players like Eric Staal and Jason Zucker regressed offensively from the season prior. Many reported that there was dysfunction in the organization, caused by a rift between Fenton, Boudreau and various players, ultimately leading the trading of several core players, such as Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter. In the 2019 off-season, the Wild signed free agent Mats Zuccarello to a five-year contract.
On July 30, 2019, Fenton was fired as general manager, just 14 months after being hired to that position. On August 21, 2019, the Wild hired Bill Guerin as the fourth general manager in franchise history. On September 21, 2021, Kirill Kaprizov signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild. In 2022, the team set franchise season highs in points (113) and wins (53).
Kirill Kaprizov set franchise records in points (108), goals (47), and assists (61). They faced the division rival St. Louis Blues in the first round, but despite having home ice advantage and the services of recently acquired goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, were eliminated in six games. On July 7, 2022, the Wild traded goaltender Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Filip Gustavsson, five days after signing Fleury to a new two-year contract.
Despite a second consecutive 40-goal season from Kaprizov, the Wild struggled defensively in the early parts of the season before shifting entirely to lackluster offense and low-scoring games at the end. However, thanks to a stellar season from Gustavsson, the team finished with 103 points, earning third place in the Central Division and setting them up for a playoff matchup against the division rival Dallas Stars.
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Key Players and Stats
Here's a table summarizing some key players and their achievements for the Minnesota Wild:
| Player | Achievement | Season/Year |
|---|---|---|
| Marian Gaborik | Franchise record for goals in a season | 2005-06 (38 goals) |
| Brian Rolston | Highest point total by a Wild player in a season | 2005-06 (79 points) |
| Marian Gaborik | Most goals and points in a season | 2007-08 (42 goals, 83 points) |
| Mikko Koivu | Surpassed Marian Gaborik in all-time points for the club | 2013-14 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | Franchise records in points, goals, and assists | 2022 (108 points, 47 goals, 61 assists) |
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