Hockey and sports in general can be broken down into moments. Some moments are bigger than others and chart the course of a franchise and an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come. Last Word on Hockey’s Summer series looks at these defining moments. Today we feature the biggest defining moment of the Minnesota Wild.
Top Minnesota Wild Defining Moments in Team History
Hockey returned to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in 2000 after seven seasons without the sport. State residents were grateful to see the sport their state is synonymous with come back after a near-decade long absence. The club has yet to reach to Stanley Cup Final like the Minnesota North Stars did twice in their tenure.
Minnesota has gotten to the Western Conference Final, but is yet to break through. However, there is plenty of youth and promise with this roster. This team is hoping to finally make its move and be a force in the West.
Let’s take a look at the top Minnesota Wild defining moments in franchise history. It’s important to note that these are only for moments with the Wild franchise and not the North Stars.
A Double Splash and a Double Buyout
Minnesota has had some solid players, but not many had that flash to wow the hockey world. Marian Gaborik was one of the few players that could do that. However, the team has been mostly known for having hard-worker players that were very matter-of-fact.
The Wild had made the Western Final in 2002-03, but missed the post-season six of the last years after that. A new general manager would try to change this franchise’s destiny.
The Run Up
Chuck Fletcher became the team’s general manager in 2009 after coming over from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Success didn’t come instantly, so Fletcher decided to make a big splash in free agency in the summer of 2012.
Fletcher had managed to get prospect Mikael Granlund to sign a deal. However, the big fireworks would be set off on the Fourth of July when Twin Cities native Zach Parise and highly-touted defenceman Ryan Suter to identical 13-year contracts.
The Moment
Signing Parise and Suter was a big indicator that the Wild wanted to be a major player. Both players were entering the prime years of their respective careers. Owner Craig Leipold wanted Minnesota to finally be a consistent contender
The Wild had been an also-ran for a few seasons, but this signing would hopefully shift the team’s fate. It was also appropriate that two American players were unveiled on the Fourth of July.
Wild fans would have to wait for the pair to make their debut because of the lockout that ate a large chunk of the 2012-13 season. However, the Wild would add Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres and finally make the playoffs.
The Aftermath
Minnesota would be a consistent post-season team after signing Parise and Suter. The team made the Stanley Cup Playoff seven of the eight seasons that the pair were there. However, it only won two post-season series with the last time coming in 2014-15.
Parise and Suter’s salaries took up a massive chunk of the team’s cap and Fletcher had departed as GM in 2018. Paul Fenton was hired, but he did not have much success in his only 14 months in charge.
Former NHLer Bill Guerin would take over in 2019, but the Wild did not get past the first-series hurdle. Guerin decided a hard reset was needed and bought out both Parise and Suter in the summer of 2021.
The cap recapture penalty was a difficult one to swallow with nearly $15 coming off the salary cap before Guerin could even think about signing players. Minnesota is finally free of that hit, but coming up empty with both players is a defining moment in team history.
Other Minnesota Wild Defining Moments
We Do Talk About Bruno
Minnesota’s playoff history hasn’t been all bad. The Wild made the post-season for the first time in 2002-03, but their first series wouldn’t an easy one. Minnesota’s first-round matchup would be against the Northwest Division champion Colorado Avalanche. Colorado still have plenty of veterans like Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy in the lineup.
The sixth-seeded Wild took Game 1 with a 4-2 victory, but the Avalanche would win the next three games. Colorado looked like it was going to spoil the first playoff appearance by a Minnesota team since 1992. However, the Wild would force a Game 7 after Richard Park getting an overtime-tally Game 6.
The stage was set for Game 7 in Denver and the game went into overtime for the second straight game. Colorado would get the lead twice only for Minnesota to quickly answer both times. Manny Fernandez would match Roy with 43 saves, but Andrew Brunette would score his third goal of the series in dazzling fashion.
This would be the last game of Roy’s Hall of Fame career and the Wild were on their way. Minnesota would beat the Vancouver Canucks in the second round before being swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Western Conference Final. The run is still the longest post-season run in team history.
The Thrill Has Arrived
As mentioned before, the Wild have a lot of good players. However, none really jumped out at the hockey world except for a few of them. That would change with the arrival of Russian sensation Kirill Kaprizov.
The youngster was drafted in the fifth round, 135th overall of the 2015 NHL Draft. Kaprizov being scouted almost happened by accident as the team’s flight from Russia was delayed due to the 2014 California wildfires. Wild scouts were able to take in a game where Kaprizov was playing for Metallurg Novokuznetsk.
It took time, but the young Russian finally came over in 2020 after signing a two-year, entry-level deal. The youngster would be one of the bright spots during the COVID-shortened 2021 NHL season. Kaprizov would score 27 goals en route to winning the Calder Trophy.
He would score 40 goals three more times before injuries cut short his 2024-25 season. Kaprizov is on the edge of signing a massive contract soon and Wild fans hope he’ll stay in the Twin Cities for much of the rest of his career.
Other Minnesota Wild Defining Moments
Other great Minnesota Wild defining moments include the triple-overtime goal by Nino Niederreiter in 2013-14, Darby Hendrickson getting the first goal in team history, winning the Northwest in 2007-08 and the last regular season win for Marc-Andre Fleury.
Main photo by: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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