- 1998
- 2000
- 2008
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Minnesota Wild Team Formation
Following the departure of the Minnesota North Stars after the 1993 season, the state of Minnesota was without an NHL team for seven seasons. Mayor Norm Coleman began a campaign to either recruit the relocation of an existing franchise to St. Paul or the award of an expansion franchise to a Minnesota-based ownership group. These efforts came close to success ... -
Xcel Energy Center Opens
The State of Minnesota adopted legislation in April 1998 to loan $65 million to the City of St. Paul to fund 50% of the estimated $130 million project costs for the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The legislation also provided that only $48 million of the loan needed to be repaid if the team met the requirements to have ... -
Craig Leipold Ownership
Leipold’s purchase of the Minnesota Wild was announced on January 10, 2008. Leipold had this to say about his newest acquisition, “It is a true privilege to become part of the organization and the hockey community in Minnesota.” Fans of the Minnesota Wild had already begun welcoming Leipold as the new owner via the team’s message board. Leipold’s company Minnesota ...
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild are the only one of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area’s major professional sports league franchises to play in St. Paul; the other three play in Minneapolis.
The new team was founded on June 25, 1997, but started playing in the 2000 - 2001 NHL season. The Wild were the first NHL franchise in Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. They lost their first game, 3–1, to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and recorded their first win against the Tampa Bay Lightning five games later. The Wild play at the Xcel Energy Center. In the 2002 – 2003 season, the team made its first Stanley Cup playoff appearance, making a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals. As of 2015, the Wild have averaged a .537 points percentage since entering the league.
Established
2000
City
St. Paul
League History
2000 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
2000 – Present / Minnesota Wild
Nickname
Wild – With their former team now known as the Dallas Stars, many fans wanted to resurrect the name North Stars, but a trademark issue with the NHL made that an impossibility. From more than 13,000 submissions in a contest, Wild was selected by management in recognition of the popularity of outdoor activity in Minnesota. The name trumped Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs and White Bears.
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
Arena
2000 – Present / Xcel Energy Center
Owner
2008 – Present / Craig Leipold
2000 – 2008 / Bob Naegele, Jr.
Retired Number
1 / Minnesota Wild Fans
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history