Minnesota Wild facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minnesota Wild
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	2000
History	Minnesota Wild 2000–present
Home arena	Xcel Energy Center
City	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Colors	Forest green, iron range red, harvest gold, Minnesota wheat
Media	FanDuel Sports Network North KFAN (100.3 FM)
Owner(s)	Craig Leipold
General manager	Bill Guerin
Head coach	John Hynes
Captain	Jared Spurgeon
Minor league affiliates	Iowa Wild (AHL) Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	0
Conference championships	0
Presidents' Trophies	0
Division championships	1 (2007–08)

The Minnesota Wild is a professional ice hockey team. They are based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild play in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are part of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at the Xcel Energy Center. Craig Leipold owns the team. The Wild also have connections with two minor league teams: the Iowa Wild (AHL) and the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL).

The Wild team started on June 25, 1997. They played their first season in 2000–01. The team was created after Minnesota's first NHL team, the Minnesota North Stars, moved away. The North Stars played in Minnesota from 1967 to 1993. They then moved to Dallas, Texas, and became the Dallas Stars. The Wild first reached the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2003. They made a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals. But they lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The team has been in the playoffs 13 times. They won one division championship in 2008.

Team History

Starting a New Team

After the Minnesota North Stars left in 1993, Minnesota did not have an NHL team for seven years. The mayor of Saint Paul, Norm Coleman, worked hard to bring a new team to the city. He wanted to either move an existing team or get a new expansion team. They almost succeeded in the mid-1990s. Minnesota groups bought the original Winnipeg Jets. They planned to move them to Minnesota. But a deal for the Target Center arena fell through. So, the Jets moved to Phoenix instead.

After this, the NHL decided to add more teams. They wanted to go from 26 to 30 teams. A businessman from Minnetonka, Bob Naegele, Jr., became the main investor. He applied for an expansion team. On June 25, 1997, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that Minnesota would get a new team. It would start playing in the 2000–01 season. Six possible names for the team were announced on November 20, 1997. These names were Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, White Bears, and Wild.

The team was officially named the Wild on January 22, 1998. This happened at the Aldrich Arena. The song "Born to Be Wild" played as the name was revealed. The Minnesota Wild also announced their first big sponsorship deal. It was with MasterCard from First USA. The Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul was built for the new team.

Early Years (2000–2009)

The Marian Gaborik Era

On June 19, 2000, the Minnesota Wild named Jacques Lemaire as their first head coach.

The Wild chose Jacques Lemaire as their first head coach. They picked Marian Gaborik third overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Gaborik scored the first goal for the Wild in their first game on October 6 in Anaheim. The Wild played their first home game on October 11 against the Philadelphia Flyers. The game ended in a 3–3 tie. Minnesota native Darby Hendrickson scored the first home goal for the Wild. Before that game, the team announced they would retire the number 1 jersey. No Wild player would ever wear it. This was to honor all Minnesota fans. The team said the fans were their "true" number one.

A very important game that year was against the Dallas Stars. The Stars used to be the Minnesota North Stars. The Wild played with an excited, sold-out crowd of over 18,000 fans. They won 6–0. This was Dallas's first regular season game in Minnesota since 1993. The season ended with Scott Pellerin as the top scorer. He had 39 points. Wes Walz, Darby Hendrickson, and Gaborik each scored 18 goals.

The Wild started the 2001–02 season well. They earned at least one point in their first seven games. But the Wild finished in last place again. Their record was 26 wins, 35 losses, 12 ties, and 6 overtime losses. Still, there were signs of improvement. Gaborik had a good second season with 30 goals. He was even invited to the NHL YoungStars Game. Andrew Brunette led the team in scoring with 69 points.

In the 2002–03 season, Gaborik was trying to be the league's top scorer. But he slowed down in the second half. The Wild made their first-ever playoff appearance. They reached the Western Conference Finals. But they lost 4–0 to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Before that, the Wild beat the favored Colorado Avalanche in the first round. They won in seven games. They came back from being down 3–1 in the series. They won Game 6 and 7 in overtime. Brunette scored the winning goal in Game 7.

In the next round, the Wild beat the Vancouver Canucks. This also went to seven games. The Wild were down 3–1 in that series too. The Wild became the first team in playoff history to win two seven-game series after facing elimination in Game 5.

The 2004–05 season was canceled. This was due to an NHL lockout. Former Wild player Sergei Zholtok died from a heart condition. This happened during a game in Europe. Zholtok passed away in the arms of former Wild player Darby Hendrickson.

After the Lockout

In the 2005–06 season, the Wild finished last in their division. They were eight points behind the Vancouver Canucks. Marian Gaborik set a new team record with 38 goals. Brian Rolston set a new high for points with 79. The team traded goalie Dwayne Roloson to the Edmonton Oilers. They got a first-round draft pick in return.

The Wild signed new players like Kim Johnsson and Mark Parrish. On the day of the NHL Entry Draft, they traded a draft pick and a player for Pavol Demitra. Niklas Backstrom became the starting goalie. This happened after Manny Fernandez hurt his knee. The Wild made the playoffs in 2007 for the second time. But they lost to the Stanley Cup champions, the Anaheim Ducks.

Marian Gaborik waves to the crowd after scoring five goals against the New York Rangers in the 2007–08 season.

The Wild broke many team records in the 2007–08 season. Marian Gaborik set new records for goals (42) and points (83). Coach Jacques Lemaire earned his 500th career coaching win. The Wild also won their first-ever Northwest Division title. This happened with a 3–1 win over the Calgary Flames. They played the Colorado Avalanche again in the playoffs. The Wild had home-ice advantage. But they lost in six games.

In the 2008 off-season, the Wild brought back Andrew Brunette. They also traded for defenseman Marek Zidlicky. They signed free agents Antti Miettinen and Owen Nolan. Many top free agents seemed to avoid the Wild. This was because of Jacques Lemaire's defensive style of play.

Even after winning their division, the Wild fell to ninth place in the Western Conference in 2008–09. They missed the playoffs. This was partly because they did not score enough goals. Also, star player Marian Gaborik was injured. He only played 17 games. Jacques Lemaire, who had been the head coach since 2000, resigned. General manager Doug Risebrough was later fired. This led to many changes in the Wild's coaching and management.

Chuck Fletcher Era (2009–2018)

The Mikko Koivu Years

In the 2009 off-season, Marian Gaborik left to play for the New York Rangers. Team owner Craig Leipold hired Chuck Fletcher as the new general manager. Fletcher then chose Todd Richards as head coach. Martin Havlat was signed to help make up for Gaborik's departure. In the first month of the 2009–10 season, the team named its first full-time captain, Mikko Koivu.

The Wild faced the Carolina Hurricanes at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki to open the 2010–11 season.

The 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons were disappointing. The Wild missed the playoffs both times. In the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Wild picked Finnish forward Mikael Granlund. The Wild started the 2010–11 season with two games in Helsinki, Finland. They played against the Carolina Hurricanes. After the 2010–11 season, coach Todd Richards was fired. The team had not reached the playoffs in his two seasons. Mike Yeo became the new head coach. He had coached the Wild's minor league team to a championship in 2011.

During the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (which the Wild hosted), they picked Jonas Brodin. The team also made a big trade. They sent star defenseman Brent Burns to the San Jose Sharks. In return, they got Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and a draft pick. They used that pick to select Zack Phillips. Later, the Wild traded Martin Havlat for Dany Heatley in another trade with the Sharks. In November, the team set a record with 11 wins in one month. The Wild started the season strong. But many key players got injured. This kept the team from making the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

The Parise–Suter Era

In the 2012 off-season, the team signed young star Mikael Granlund. They also picked Matt Dumba in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In the same off-season, the Wild signed two major free agents. They were winger Zach Parise, who was from Minnesota, and defenseman Ryan Suter. Both signed huge 13-year contracts. However, a lockout delayed the start of the 2012–13 season. It ended in January 2013.

Zach Parise (left) and Ryan Suter (right) during the 2012–13 season. Both players signed identical 13-year contracts as free agents during the 2012 off-season.

Before the 2013 trade deadline, the Wild got Jason Pominville from the Buffalo Sabres. The team made the playoffs for the fourth time in its history. They finished eighth in the Western Conference. They lost in five games to the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

The NHL changed its divisions in 2013. The Wild moved into the Central Division. This put them with teams like the Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars. The Stars were the team that used to be the Minnesota North Stars. This created new rivalries for the Wild.

Josh Harding led the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average before getting injured during the 2013–14 regular season.

The 2013–14 season was one of the Wild's best. They earned a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Jason Pominville scored 30 goals. Mikko Koivu became the team's all-time leading scorer. The Wild had problems with goalies all season. Josh Harding started strong but got injured due to his multiple sclerosis (MS). Backstrom also had a season-ending injury. The Wild used five different goalies that year. At the trade deadline, they acquired Ilya Bryzgalov, Matt Moulson, and Cody McCormick.

In the playoffs, the Wild faced the Colorado Avalanche. They won the series in seven games. Nino Niederreiter scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 7. Then, the team played the defending champions, the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild were eliminated in six games.

In the 2014 off-season, the Wild signed forward Thomas Vanek. In 2015, the Wild made the playoffs again. They beat the St. Louis Blues in the first round. But they were swept by Chicago in the second round.

In 2016, the Wild had a great start to the season. But then they lost many games. Coach Mike Yeo was fired. John Torchetti became the interim coach. The team barely made the playoffs. They lost to the Dallas Stars in six games. In the 2016 off-season, the Wild signed Eric Staal. They also hired Bruce Boudreau as their new head coach.

In 2017, the Wild set new team records. They had 106 points, 49 wins, and 266 goals scored. They also had a 12-game winning streak. But they lost in five games to St. Louis in the playoffs. Mikael Granlund led the team in points. Eric Staal led in goals. Mikko Koivu was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. This award is for the best defensive forward.

After the 2017 season, many players changed teams. Erik Haula was picked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella were traded to Buffalo. The Wild got Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota native Matt Cullen returned to the Wild. Captain Mikko Koivu signed a new contract.

After another good regular season in 2017–18, the Wild played the Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs. The Jets won in five games. This was the third year in a row the Wild did not get past the first round. On April 23, owner Leipold fired general manager Fletcher. Fletcher had been with the team for nine seasons.

Rebuilding and the Kirill Kaprizov Era (2018–Present)

On May 21, 2018, Paul Fenton became the third general manager. In the 2018–19 season, the Wild struggled. Many key players did not play as well as before. There were also reports of problems within the team. This led to trading several important players. These included Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Nino Niederreiter. The Wild finished last in their division. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

In the 2019 off-season, the Wild signed Mats Zuccarello. On July 30, 2019, Fenton was fired. He had only been general manager for 14 months. On August 21, 2019, Bill Guerin was hired as the new general manager. On February 14, 2020, coach Bruce Boudreau was fired. Dean Evason became the interim head coach. The Wild played in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round. But they lost to the Vancouver Canucks.

Kirill Kaprizov played his first NHL game in January 2021. He scored the winning goal in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings. On September 21, 2021, Kirill Kaprizov signed a big contract with the Wild. He became the highest-paid second-year player in NHL history.

In 2022, the team set new records for points (113) and wins (53). Kirill Kaprizov set team records for points (108), goals (47), and assists (61). They played the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs. Even with new goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, they lost in six games. After that season, forward Kevin Fiala was traded. Other players also left the team.

On July 7, 2022, the Wild traded goalie Cam Talbot. They got Filip Gustavsson in return. This happened after Fleury signed a new contract. The Wild struggled at the start of the 2022–23 season. But they finished strong. Thanks to Gustavsson, the team earned 103 points. They finished third in their division. They played the Dallas Stars in the playoffs. The Wild lost in six games. This was their eighth playoff series loss in a row.

The Wild re-signed Gustavsson in the 2023 off-season. They kept most of their team. But many players got injured. Key players like Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, captain Jared Spurgeon, and Mats Zuccarello all missed time. The Wild finished with 87 points. This was their lowest total since 2018–19. They missed the playoffs for the first time since that year.

Team Information

Jerseys

2000–2007

For their first seven years, the Wild wore green or white jerseys. They had red and gold stripes. The main team logo was on the front. The shoulder patch was a circle with "Minnesota Wild" written on it. On the green jersey, the names and numbers were gold with red outlines. On the white jersey, they were red with gold outlines. In 2003–04, the green jersey became the home jersey. The white one became the road jersey.

2007–2017

In the 2007–08 season, all jerseys changed to a new style. The white jersey stayed the same. The home jersey was new. It was mostly red with green on the sleeves. It had a small team logo inside a white circle. This circle was surrounded by "Minnesota Wild" on a green background. The away jersey had a larger main logo on a white background. In 2013, the lettering was updated. On August 30, 2009, the team showed a new alternate jersey. It was mostly green with wheat-colored accents. It said "Minnesota Wild" in script across the chest.

On April 4, 2017, the Wild honored the Minnesota North Stars. They wore North Stars jerseys during warm-ups. This was even though the North Stars' history belongs to the Dallas Stars.

2017–Present

On June 20, 2017, the Wild introduced a new home uniform. The NHL switched from Reebok to Adidas. The new home jersey was green with the main logo. It had a wheat-colored stripe across the middle. The arms had a wheat-colored stripe with a smaller red stripe. The Wild kept their away jersey design the same. The Wild did not have an alternate jersey for the 2017–18 season.

On September 23, 2023, the Wild showed an alternate green jersey. It was based on a "Reverse Retro" design from the previous season. This jersey added a patch on the right shoulder. It featured a colored "State of Hockey" logo. The captaincy patches were shaped like the state of Minnesota. This was the first official alternate jersey for the Wild since 2017.

Reverse Retro Jersey

In the 2020–21 season, the Wild revealed a "Reverse Retro" jersey. It was a tribute to the white uniforms of the Minnesota North Stars from the late 1970s. The Wild logo was changed to match the green and gold colors. This design was used again in the 2022–23 season. But green was the main color this time.

Winter Classic Jersey

For the 2022 NHL Winter Classic, the Wild showed a special jersey. It was inspired by old Minnesota hockey teams. The jersey was mostly green. It had red shoulders and red and wheat stripes. The front of the jersey said "MPLS.–ST. PAUL". It also had three symbols: a red Minnesota state shape with "MN" inside, and two wheat stars. These stars referred to the Gemini constellation. Brown gloves and pants were used to look like old hockey gear.

Goal Horn and Songs

The team has had a goal horn since it started. The Wild do not use their goal horn when they score in a shootout.

The team's first goal songs were "Born to Be Wild" and "Rock and Roll Part 2". They used these in their first season (2000–01). The next season, they stopped using "Born to Be Wild". But they kept "Rock and Roll Part 2" until 2004. After the lockout in 2005, the Wild used a different version of "Rock and Roll Part 1". For the 2006–07 season, the team changed its goal song to "Crowd Chant" by Joe Satriani.

After musician Prince died in April 2016, the team honored him. They used "Let's Go Crazy" as their goal song for a playoff game. After a fan poll, the team decided to use "Let's Go Crazy" permanently. This started in the 2016–17 season. "Crowd Chant" became their win song. For the 2018–19 season, "Crowd Chant" returned as the goal song. "Let's Go Crazy" became the win song. This was followed by the team's fight song, "The State of Hockey". In the short 2020 season, the team used "Jump Around". In the 2021-22 Season, the Wild used "Shout" by The Isley Brothers as their goal song. "Let's Go Crazy" is still the win song.

Team Logo

An alternate logo since 2003.

The Wild's logo shows both a forest and the shape of a wild animal. The "eye" of the animal is the north star. This honors the old Minnesota North Stars team. It also refers to Minnesota's state motto, L'Étoile du Nord, which means "The Star of the North". People have debated what animal the logo shows. This makes the logo unique in sports.

In 2008, "Nordy" was introduced. He is the team's official mascot.

Team Ownership

The team was first owned by a group led by Bob Naegele, Jr.. On January 10, 2008, it was announced that Craig Leipold would buy the team. He used to own the Nashville Predators. The NHL approved Leipold's purchase on April 10, 2008. Leipold lives in Racine, Wisconsin. He is the main owner of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE). This company includes the Minnesota Wild and their minor league team, the Iowa Wild. It also manages the Xcel Energy Center.

Community Involvement

The Minnesota Wild are involved in the community. They do this through the Minnesota Wild Foundation. They also support hockey with events like Hockey Day Minnesota. This event has been held every year since 2007. The Wild have a good record on Hockey Day Minnesota. In 2017, the Wild started a new tradition called "This Is Our Ice". Fans bring water from local ponds and rinks. This water is then added to the Xcel Energy Center ice for the season.

Minor League Teams

Minnesota has two minor league teams. They are the Iowa Wild (AHL) and the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL). The Iowa Wild team is owned by the Minnesota Wild. They moved the team from Houston in 2013.

Former Minor League Teams

Recent Season Records

This list shows the Wild's last five seasons. For all seasons, see List of Minnesota Wild seasons.

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Players

Current Roster

Updated January 2, 2023

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
2		Addison, CalenCalen Addison	D	R	25	2020	Brandon, Manitoba
12		Boldy, MatthewMatthew Boldy	RW	L	24	2019	Millis, Massachusetts
25		Brodin, JonasJonas Brodin	D	L	31	2011	Karlstad, Sweden
26		Dewar, ConnorConnor Dewar	C	L	26	2018	The Pas, Manitoba
21		Duhaime, BrandonBrandon Duhaime	LW	L	28	2016	Coral Springs, Florida
24		Dumba, MattMatt Dumba (A)	D	R	30	2012	Regina, Saskatchewan
14		Eriksson Ek, JoelJoel Eriksson Ek	C	L	28	2015	Karlstad, Sweden
29		Fleury, Marc-AndreMarc-Andre Fleury	G	L	40	2022	Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
17		Foligno, MarcusMarcus Foligno (A)	RW	L	33	2017	Buffalo, New York
89		Gaudreau, FrederickFrederick Gaudreau	C	R	32	2021	Bromont, Quebec
33		Goligoski, AlexAlex Goligoski	D	L	39	2021	Grand Rapids, Minnesota
18		Greenway, JordanJordan Greenway	LW	L	28	2015	Canton, New York
32		Gustavsson, FilipFilip Gustavsson	G	L	27	2022	Skelleftea, Sweden
38		Hartman, RyanRyan Hartman	C	R	30	2019	Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
97		Kaprizov, KirillKirill Kaprizov	LW	L	28	2015	Novokuznetsk, Russia
4		Merrill, JonJon Merrill	D	L	33	2021	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
5		Middleton, JakeJake Middleton	D	L	29	2022	Stratford, Ontario
75		Reaves, RyanRyan Reaves	RW	R	38	2022	Winnipeg, Manitoba
15		Shaw, MasonMason Shaw	C	L	26	2017	Lloydminster, Alberta
46		Spurgeon, JaredJared Spurgeon (C)	D	R	35	2010	Edmonton, Alberta
13		Steel, SamSam Steel	C	L	27	2022	Ardrossan, Alberta
36		Zuccarello, MatsMats Zuccarello	RW	L	37	2019	Oslo, Norway

Team Captains

The Wild rotated their captaincy for their first nine seasons. Different players served as captain each month. In 2009, Mikko Koivu became the team's first permanent captain.

Permanent Captains (2009–Present)

• Mikko Koivu, 2009–2020
• Jared Spurgeon, 2021–present

Retired Numbers

The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all teams.

Hall of Famers

As of 2024, no Minnesota Wild player has been put into the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, Jacques Lemaire, who coached the team, was inducted as a player in 1985.

First-Round Draft Picks

Team Records and Leaders

Top Scorers

These are the top ten players in team history by points. This list is updated after each NHL regular season.

Mikko Koivu is the team's all-time points leader with 709 points.

•  *  – current Wild player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;

Individual Records

Niklas Backstrom holds the team record for most wins, with 194 victories as the Wild's goaltender.

• Most games played with the team: 1,028, Mikko Koivu (2005–20)
• Most goals in one season: 47, Kirill Kaprizov (2021–22)
• Most assists in one season: 61, Kirill Kaprizov (2021–22)
• Most points in one season: 108, Kirill Kaprizov (2021–22)
• Most penalty minutes in one season: 201, Matt Johnson (2002–03)
• Most points in one season by a defenseman: 51, Ryan Suter (2015–16)
• Most points in one season by a rookie: 51, Kirill Kaprizov (2020–21)
• Most goals in one game: 5, Marian Gaborik (December 20, 2007, vs. New York Rangers)
• Fastest 3 goals: 11:12, Zach Parise (2015–16)
• Most wins by a goalie: 194, Niklas Backstrom
• Most wins in one season by a goalie: 40, Devan Dubnyk (2016–17)
• Most shutouts in one season: 8, Niklas Backstrom (2008–09)
• Best +/- in one season: +41, Alex Goligoski (2021–22)
• Most ice time per game in one season: 29:25, Ryan Suter, (2013–14)
• Most consecutive starts for a goalie: 38, Devan Dubnyk, (January 15, 2015 – April 7, 2015)
• Most consecutive shutouts: 3, Devan Dubnyk

Awards and Trophies

Images for kids

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  The Minnesota Wild team logo.

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  The Minnesota Wild team uniform.

See Also

In Spanish: Minnesota Wild para niños

• List of Minnesota Wild general managers
• List of Minnesota Wild head coaches
• List of Minnesota Wild players
• List of Minnesota Wild broadcasters