Minnesota Wild

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Minnesota Wild
Conference	Western
Division	Northwest
Founded	2000
History	Minnesota Wild 2000-present
Home arena	Xcel Energy Center
City	St. Paul, Minnesota
Colors	Iron range red, forest green, Minnesota wheat, harvest gold
Media	Fox Sports North KSTC-TV WCCO (830 AM)
Owner(s)	Craig Leipold
General manager	Chuck Fletcher
Head coach	Todd Richards
Captain	Mikko Koivu (Rotating)
Minor league affiliates	Houston Aeros (AHL)
Stanley Cups	none
Conference championships	none
Division championships	2007–08

The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild began play as an expansion franchise in the 2000–01 NHL season. As of April 27th, 2009, the Wild have sold out every home game in franchise history ^[1] at their home arena, the Xcel Energy Center.

Contents 1 Franchise history 1.1 Preparations of a new franchise 1.2 First five seasons 1.3 Post-Lockout 2 Team information 2.1 Jerseys 2.2 Logo 2.3 Ownership 3 Season-by-season record 4 Notable players 4.1 Current roster 4.2 Team captains 4.3 Honored members 4.4 First-round draft picks 4.5 Franchise scoring leaders 5 NHL awards and trophies 6 Franchise individual records 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] Preparations of a new franchise

Following the departure of the Minnesota North Stars after the 1993 season, the Twin Cities were without an NHL team for seven seasons. On June 25, 1997, the NHL announced that Minnesota had been awarded an expansion franchise, to begin play in the 2000–01 season. The six finalist team names for the new NHL franchise were: Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, White Bears, and Wild.^[2] Jac Sperling was named Chief Executive Officer of the Minnesota team^[3] and Brian Skluzacek was named Chief Financial Officer.

The team was officially named the Wild, with the unveiling occurring at the Roseville Ice Arena (Roseville Outdoor Oval). The Minnesota Wild announced its first major sponsorship agreement with the Minnesota Wild Mastercard card from First USA. It was the earliest that First USA had ever signed an agreement in advance of a team beginning play (31 months). The State of Minnesota agreed in legislation to fund $65 million of the $130 million project costs for Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Saint Paul Civic Center deconstruction began soon thereafter and the Xcel Energy Center design was announced. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Xcel Energy Center was hosted in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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. Doug Risebrough was named executive vice president/general manager of Minnesota Wild^[4] and the Xcel Energy Center was completed and ready for use.

[edit] First five seasons

2000-01: The Minnesota Wild's first season officially started. The Wild named Jacques Lemaire their first-ever head coach and the team picked Marian Gaborik third overall in Round 1 of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. The team was not very successful on the ice, but showed promise for future seasons. The most notable game of the year, however, was the first visit of the Dallas Stars, who had formerly played in Minnesota as the Minnesota North Stars. The Wild rode an emotional record crowd of over 18,000 to a 6-0 shutout in Dallas' first regular season game in Minnesota since a neutral-site game in 1993.

2001–02: The Wild would get off to a strong start by getting at least 1 point in their first 7 games. However the Wild would finish in last place again with a record of 26-35-12-9. Along the way, there were signs the Wild were improving as second-year speedster Gaborik had a solid season with 30 goals, no sophomore slump, and Andrew Brunette led the team in scoring with 69 points.

2002–03: Gaborik spends much of the season vying for the league scoring crown, and the Wild, in their first ever playoff appearance, make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before being swept 4-0 by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Previously, the Wild had beaten the favoured 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. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Wild beat the fourth-seeded Vancouver Canucks, again in seven games, and again after being down 3-1 in a series. In the process, the Wild became the first team in playoff history to capture a seven-game series twice after facing elimination during Game 5.

2003–04: When this 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. In a deep hole the Wild could not climb back into the playoffs despite finishing the season strong with wins in 5 of their last 6 games as they finished last in the competitive Northwest Division with a record of 30-29-20-3. Along the way the Wild began to gear up for the future, trading away several of their older players who were a part of the franchise from the beginning, including Brad Bombardir and Jim Dowd.

2004–05: Season cancelled due to lockout. Former Wild player Sergei Zholtok died from a heart condition during a game in Europe. Zholtok died in the arms of Minnesotan and former Wild player Darby Hendrickson.^[5]

[edit] Post-Lockout

Minnesota finished in last place in the Northwest Division, eight points behind Vancouver; along the way Gaborik set a new franchise record for goals in a season (38), and Brian Rolston set a new highest point total by a Wild player in a season (79). The goaltender controversy between Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson ended when Roloson was traded to Edmonton for a first round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

The Wild signed veteran free agents Kim Johnsson, Mark Parrish, Branko Radivojevic, and Keith Carney. On the day of the NHL Entry Draft, they 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 Jan. 20. Fernandez played for the first time since the sprain on Tuesday, March 6th and was removed after allowing three goals in two periods in the Wild's 3-0 loss to San Jose. 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. All-Star winger Marian Gaborik returned from a groin injury in January 2007 and made an immediate impact, bringing a new spark to a lacking offense.

The Wild made the playoffs in 2007 for the second time in team history but were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks in the opening round. Notably, the same Anaheim franchise eliminated the Wild in their first playoff year, in the conference finals, in 2003.

The Wild broke numerous franchise records including most goals and points in a season (Marian Gaborik- 42 Goals and 83 Points). Also, Jacques Lemaire recorded his 500th career coaching win and 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 Colorado in the first round as sixth and third seed (as in the 2003 playoffs), but this time the roles were reversed, as this time the Wild held home-ice advantage. However, Minnesota came up short, being ousted in six games by the Avalanche.

During the offseason of 2008, the Wild re-acquired Andrew Brunette from the Avalanche, as well as trading for defenseman Marek Zidlicky. The Wild also signed free agents Antti Miettinen and Owen Nolan to multi-year deals. There seemed to be a stigma about Jacques Lemaire's defensive system that caused a number of top free agents to avoid the Wild.

Despite winning the Northwest Division the previous season, the Wild fell to 9th place in the Western Conference in 2008-2009, missing the playoffs entirely. 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 played only 17 games. Jacques Lemaire, coach of the Wild since the team's inception in the 2000-2001 season, resigned as coach at seasons end. General Manager Doug Risebrough was later fired, leading to a complete turnover in the Wild's coaching and management staff.

In the summer of 2009, owner Craig Leipold hired former Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant GM Chuck Fletcher to act as standing GM. Later that summer Fletcher selected Todd Richards as head coach

[edit] Team information

[edit] Jerseys

The Wild home jersey has a small imprint of the team's primary logo inside a white circle, which is surrounded by the words "Minnesota Wild" in a larger ring against a green background. The rest of the jersey is predominantly red, with additional swatches of green on the sleeves. The away jersey uses a larger version of the primary logo without the concentric circles on a predominantly white jersey. The Wild have not had a third jersey since the NHL switched to the newly designed Reebok Edge jerseys in 2007. However, some sources claim that Minnesota will be bringing back their green jersey as a third jersey, while others report that they may be going in a new direction. Some of the concepts mentioned were a North Stars themed jersey, or a Boston Red Sox font "M" on the chest.

[edit] Logo

The multi-functional primary logo of the "Wild Animal" has been met with both praise and criticism. Applying an optical illusion that depicts both an environmental landscape and the silhouette of a wild animal, the Wild logo stands out from the rest of those in the NHL and most of North America's four major leagues.

The questions surrounding the identity of the animal depicted, has sparked debate amongst logo enthusiasts, earning it recognition as one of the best logos in sport according to The Good Point. ^[6] Some feel as though the form of the animal on the logo is that of a wild cat, while the majority view it to be a bear. The hidden components of the logo, the eye depicts the North Star which pays homage to the former Minnesota North Stars, the mouth resembles a river, the ear is the moon, and the pine trees add texture to the "wild animal."

In 2008, "Nordy" was introduced as the official mascot of the team of 18,001.

[edit] Ownership

The Minnesota Wild is owned by Minnesota Sports & Entertainment, which is a limited partnership formed by former majority owner Bob Naegele Jr. of Naegele Sports, LLC in 1997. On January 10, 2008, it was announced that the franchise was being sold to former Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold. The NHL’s Board of Governors officially approved Leipold’s purchase of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) on April 10, 2008^[7]. Leipold, a resident of Racine, Wisconsin, completed the sale of the Nashville Predators to a local ownership group on December 7, 2007, a team he owned since the expansion franchise was awarded to Nashville in 1997. Under Leipold’s ownership, the Predators were dedicated to building a long-term winning franchise, playing an important role in the community through service initiatives, providing a fun and entertaining game-night experience and building strong relationships with their fans and corporate partners.^[8]

Leipold is the majority owner and principal investor in MSE, a regional sports and entertainment leader that includes the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, its AHL affiliate the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, the National Lacrosse League’s Minnesota Swarm, Wildside Caterers, 317 on Rice Park and the facility management of Xcel Energy Center and the Saint Paul RiverCentre. He also serves as the team’s Governor at NHL Board of Governors’ meetings. The partnership still owns the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Along with the Wild and the Swarm, the group also operates the Xcel Energy Center, the Saint Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The group has recently extended its business through a majority stake in Wildside Caterers. The partnership also owns and operates 317 on Rice Park, which is the former historic Minnesota Club.

[edit] Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Wild. For the full season-by-season history, see Minnesota Wild seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
2004–05	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–061	82	38	36	—	8	84	231	215	1211	5th, Northwest	Did not qualify
2006–07	82	48	26	—	8	104	235	191	850	2nd, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Ducks)
2007–08	82	44	28	—	10	98	223	218	1086	1st, Northwest	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Avalanche)
2008–09	82	40	33	—	9	89	219	200	869	3rd, Northwest	Did not qualify

¹ As of the 2005–06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

[edit] Notable players

[edit] Current roster

Updated July 1, 2009.^[9][10]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
32	Finland 	Backstrom, NiklasNiklas Backstrom	1.0 G	L	31	2006	Helsinki, Finland
25	Canada 	Belanger, EricEric Belanger	4.0 C	L	31	2007	Sherbrooke, Quebec
47	Canada 	Bergeron, Marc-AndreMarc-Andre Bergeron (UFA)	2.0 D	L	28	2008	Trois-Rivières, Quebec
24	Canada 	Boogaard, DerekDerek Boogaard	6.0 LW	L	27	2001	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
96	Canada 	Bouchard, Pierre-MarcPierre-Marc Bouchard	6.0 LW	L	25	2002	Sherbrooke, Quebec
21	Canada 	Brodziak, KyleKyle Brodziak (RFA)	4.0 C	R	25	2009	St. Paul, Alberta
15	Canada 	Brunette, AndrewAndrew Brunette (A)	6.0 LW	L	35	2008	Sudbury, Ontario
8	Canada 	Burns, BrentBrent Burns	2.0 D	R	24	2003	Ajax, Ontario
22	Canada 	Clutterbuck, CalCal Clutterbuck	7.0 RW	R	21	2006	Welland, Ontario
26	Canada 	Foster, KurtisKurtis Foster (UFA)	2.0 D	L	27	2005	Carp, Ontario
49	United States 	Fritsche, DanDan Fritsche (UFA)	5.0 W	R	23	2009	Parma, Ohio
18	Canada 	Gillies, ColtonColton Gillies	4.0 C	L	20	2007	White Rock, British Columbia
29	Canada 	Harding, JoshJosh Harding (RFA)	1.0 G	R	25	2002	Regina, Saskatchewan
14	Czech Republic 	Havlát, MartinMartin Havlát	7.0 RW	L	28	2009	Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia
--	Canada 	Hnidy, ShaneShane Hnidy	2.0 D	R	33	2009	Neepawa, Manitoba
5	Sweden 	Johnsson, KimKim Johnsson	2.0 D	L	33	2006	Malmö, Sweden
9	Finland 	Koivu, MikkoMikko Koivu (C)	4.0 C	L	26	2001	Turku, Finland
39	Canada 	Kolanos, KrystoferKrystofer Kolanos (UFA)	4.0 C	R	27	2008	Calgary, Alberta
20	Finland 	Miettinen, AnttiAntti Miettinen	7.0 RW	R	29	2008	Hämeenlinna, Finland
6	Czech Republic 	Mojzis, TomasTomas Mojzis (UFA)	2.0 D	R	27	2008	Kolín, Czechoslovakia
11	Canada 	Nolan, OwenOwen Nolan (A)	7.0 RW	R	37	2008	Belfast, United Kingdom
67	Canada 	Pouliot, BenoitBenoit Pouliot (RFA)	4.0 C	L	22	2005	Alfred, Ontario
55	Canada 	Schultz, NickNick Schultz	2.0 D	L	26	2000	Strasbourg, Saskatchewan
36	Canada 	Scott, JohnJohn Scott	2.0 D	L	26	2006	Edmonton, Alberta
51	Canada 	Sheppard, JamesJames Sheppard	4.0 C	L	21	2006	Halifax, Nova Scotia
41	Czech Republic 	Skoula, MartinMartin Skoula (UFA)	2.0 D	L	29	2006	Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia
19	Canada 	Veilleux, StephaneStephane Veilleux (UFA)	6.0 LW	L	27	2001	Saint-Georges, Quebec
12	Canada 	Weller, CraigCraig Weller	7.0 RW	R	28	2008	Calgary, Alberta
--	Canada 	Zanon, GregGreg Zanon	2.0 D	L	29	2009	Burnaby, British Columbia
3	Czech Republic 	Zidlicky, MarekMarek Zidlicky	2.0 D	R	32	2008	Most, Czechoslovakia

[edit] Team captains

Note: Since joining the NHL in 2000, the Wild have never named a permanent captain. Instead, the team captaincy is rotated on a monthly basis among several of its players each season, with some players serving multiple times.

[edit] Honored members

Hall of Famers: The Wild's Head Coach Jacques Lemaire was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (in the players category) in 1985. On April 3, 2008, he became only the 11th coach in NHL history to have 500 wins.

Retired Numbers: The Wild retired number 1, as a tribute to Wild Fans, on October 10, 2001. The number 99 was retired league-wide for Wayne Gretzky on February 7, 2001.

[edit] First-round draft picks

• 2000: Marian Gaborik (third overall)
• 2001: Mikko Koivu (sixth overall)
• 2002: Pierre-Marc Bouchard (eighth overall)
• 2003: Brent Burns (20th overall)
• 2004: A.J. Thelen (12th overall)
• 2005: Benoit Pouliot (fourth overall)
• 2006: James Sheppard (ninth overall)
• 2007: Colton Gillies (16th overall)
• 2008: Tyler Cuma (23rd overall)
• 2009: Nick Leddy (16th overall)

[edit] Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history.

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

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Marian Gaborik	RW	502	219	218	437	.87
Pierre-Marc Bouchard*	RW	425	77	190	267	.63
Andrew Brunette*	LW	325	76	138	214	.66
Brian Rolston	LW	241	96	106	202	.84
Mikko Koivu*	C	282	57	127	184	.65
Wes Walz	C	458	82	100	182	.40
Pascal Dupuis	LW	334	67	74	141	.42
Filip Kuba	D	357	33	99	132	.37
Jim Dowd	C	283	32	89	121	.43
Pavol Demitra	C	139	40	78	118	.85
Antti Laaksonen	RW	323	55	63	118	.37

[edit] NHL awards and trophies

Jack Adams Award

• Jacques Lemaire: 2002–03

Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award

• Niklas Backstrom: 2006–07
• Dwayne Roloson: 2003–04

William M. Jennings Trophy

• Manny Fernandez and Niklas Backstrom: 2006–07

[edit] Franchise individual records

• Most goals in a season: 42 Marian Gaborik, (2007–08*)
• Most assists in a season: 50 Pierre-Marc Bouchard, (2007–08*)
• Most points in a season: 83 Marian Gaborik, (2007–08)
• Most penalty minutes in a season: 201 Matt Johnson, (2002–03)
• Most points in a season, defenseman: 43 Brent Burns, (2007–08*)
• Most points in a season, rookie: 36 Marian Gaborik, (2000–01)

• Most goals in a game: 5 Marian Gaborik (Dec. 20, 2007 vs. New York Rangers)

• Most wins in a season: 37 Niklas Backstrom; (2008–09)
• Most shutouts in a season: 8 Niklas Backstrom, (2008–09),

• Best +/- in a season: +22 Keith Carney, (2006–07)

[edit] See also

• Minnesota North Stars

[edit] References

• Stars Can't Go Home Again (AP)
• Minnesota Wild Stats and Records
• Naegele to sell interest in Minnesota Wild

[edit] External links

• Minnesota Wild Official Website

v • d • e Minnesota Wild Franchise Franchise • Expansion Draft • Players • Coaches • General Managers • Seasons • Records • Draft picks • Minnesota North Stars Arena Xcel Energy Center Affiliates Houston Aeros (AHL) • Texas Wildcatters (ECHL)

Links to related articles v • d • e Minnesota Wild seasons 2000–01 • 2001–02 • 2002–03 • 2003–04 • 2004–05 • 2005–06 • 2006–07 • 2007–08 • 2008–09 • 2009–10 v • d • e Minnesota Wild head coaches Lemaire • Richards v • d • e National Hockey League (2009–10) Western Conference Eastern Conference Central Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Northwest Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks Pacific Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Atlantic New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Northeast Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs Southeast Atlanta Thrashers Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals Seasons (structure) · Stanley Cup (Playoffs-Conference Finals–Champions–Appearances) · Presidents' Trophy · All-Star Game · Draft · Players (Association) · All-Star Teams · Awards · Winter Classic · SuperSkills Competition · Captains History · Timeline · Defunct teams · NHA · Original Six · 1967 Expansion · WHA · Potential expansion · Streaks · Droughts · Hall of Fame (members) · Rivalries · Arenas · Rules · Violence Category · Portal v • d • e Sports teams based in Minnesota Baseball MLB: Minnesota Twins, AA: St. Paul Saints, NwL: Alexandria Beetles • Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers • Duluth Huskies • Mankato MoonDogs • Rochester Honkers • St. Cloud River Bats Basketball NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves, WNBA: Minnesota Lynx Football NFL: Minnesota Vikings, IWFL: Minnesota Vixen, WFA: Minnesota Machine, MFL: Minneapolis Lumberjacks • Duluth-Superior Shoremen Hockey NHL: Minnesota Wild, NAHL: Albert Lea Thunder • Alexandria Blizzard • Owatonna Express, WWHL: Minnesota Whitecaps Soccer USL-1: Minnesota Thunder, PDL: Rochester Thunder, WL: Minnesota Lightning, NPSL: St. Paul Twin Stars Lacrosse NLL: Minnesota Swarm College athletics NCAA Division I: University of Minnesota, Minnesota State University, Mankato (Hockey), St. Cloud State University (Hockey), University of Minnesota Duluth (Hockey) Bemidji State University(Hockey)