After a decade in the NHL, the Minnesota Wild have been division champions once and season ticket holders expect them to get there again this season. In the draft, the Wild selected American Nick Leddy with the 16th overall draft pick. They also signed a number of free agents to include Greg Zanon (3yr $5.8 million), Martin Havlat (6-yr $30 million) and Petr Sykora (1-yr $1.6 million)
The team is currently sitting in 12th place in the NHL Western Conference with a 29-26-4 record.
Although they are only in their fifth season, Minnesota Wild ticket holders are already packing their home arena, the Xcel Energy Center, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 19,398 Minnesota Wild hockey tickets were sold for their October 5, 2005 season opener, when they soundly defeated the Calgary Flames by a score of 6-3. The arena, known to fans as "The X", was named by ESPN in 2004 as the best overall sports venue in the United States and features four spectator levels including one sweet suite level.
Returning for the Wild this year is all-star goalie Dwayne Roloson, winner of the 2004 Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, All-American defenseman Willie Mitchell, and forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who was named to the Western Conference Young Stars team in 2004. Defenseman Brad Bombardir left the Wild this season to join the Nashvile Predators, while winger Andrew Brunette left to play for the Colorado Avalanche.
Perhaps the most important acquisition the Wild have made this year is Blair Mackasey, who was hired as director of professional scouting. Mackasey had been the head scout for Hockey Canada for three years prior to his joining the Wild. He is considered one of the best talent scouts in the league, and was called upon to assist Wayne Gretzky with selection of the 2006 Canadian men's Olympic team. He joins head coach Jacque Lemaire, who has been with the team since its inception in 2000. Lemaire has an impressive resume as well; he coached the New Jersey Devils from 1993-1998, leading them to a Stanley Cup victory in 1995. Prior to the Devils, Lemaire was head coach for the Montreal Canadiens, where he had spent his entire career as a player; with Lemaire, the Canadiens won 10 Stanley Cups. He is the 1994 and 2003 recipient of the Jack Adams Award.
The Wild were formed in 2000 and failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs in their first three seasons; they finally made it to the 2003 playoffs, where they advanced to the Western Conference finals. The Wild defeated a powerful Colorado Avalanche team in seven games to advance past the first round of the playoffs; they knocked the Vancouver Canucks out of the playoffs in seven games in the second round. They were defeated in the third round by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who would go on to win the 2003 Stanley Cup. They did not make the playoffs in the 2003-2004 season.
Fans are expecting a big year from winger Marian Gaborik, rookie forward Mikko Koivu, and forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who has returned after a neck injury. A unique thing about the Wild is that they do not name a captain for the entire season; instead, they rotate captains every month, picking a player who has shown outstanding leadership and character. So far this season, Alex Henry, Fillip Kuba, and Willie Mitchell have been named team captains. Who's the next member of the Wild to make captain? Get your Minnesota Wild tickets and find out in person. |
