- 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 ...
History of the Wild
The Minnesota Wild is a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 2000 as an expansion franchise, the Wild are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team plays its home games at Xcel Energy Center. It has made two appearances in Stanley Cup Finals: losing to Anaheim Ducks 4-1 series loss in 2003 and again against Chicago Blackhawks 2-4 series loss during the 2015 playoffs.
Since their inception, they have been one of the NHL's most successful teams making 10 consecutive playoff appearances from 2002–2012 which is still a record for any NHL expansion franchise. They also set records for most wins by an expansion club with 25 victories during their inaugural season and earning one division title since entering league play. During the 2006–07 season, they won Northwest Division but failed to make it past first-round playoffs after being swept by Colorado Avalanche 4-0 series losses. In the 2008–09 season, they had another strong showing winning the Northwest Division crown but were knocked out early again due to Calgary Flames defeating them 3-2 on game seven, deciding the match-up.
Under head coach Mike Yeo who took over reigns before the start 2011/12 campaign, Wild finished the regular season second place and finish the overall standings behind Vancouver Canucks. This was followed up by a back-to-back conference semi-finals appearance where the Wild lost both times, respectively 5 games against eventual cup champions Los Angeles Kings (2013) & Chicago Blackhawks(2014); after that came a historic run in 2014/15 when the Wild defeated St Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche & Anaheim Ducks en route to reaching the Stanley Cup finals, only to be defeated eventually by Blackhawks four games two losing a heartbreaking final game six overtime thriller at the United Center Arena.
Established
2000
City
St. Paul
League History
2000 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
2000 – Present / Minnesota Wild
Nickname
Wild – The Minnesota Wild is among the most beloved National Hockey League (NHL) teams. As avid sports fans, you may wonder what inspired their unique name. The origins of the Wild’s nickname can be traced back to a 1997 contest held by Minnesota hockey officials.
At that time, Minneapolis-St Paul had no professional hockey team, and local enthusiasts were eager for an NHL franchise to call home. To generate excitement about this potential expansion team, a “Name the Team” competition was launched, with over 2200 entries submitted from all around Minnesota and beyond! After countless hours of deliberation by judges across North America, two finalists emerged: “White Bears” and “Wild.”
Ultimately it was decided that "Wild" would become official as it better represented both Minnesotans' passion for outdoor activities like fishing or hunting and their enthusiasm for ice hockey - often referred to colloquially as 'the wild game.' Since then, fans have embraced this moniker wholeheartedly - wearing jerseys emblazoned with various iterations of its theme, such as 'Minnesota Wilderness' or 'North Star State.'
This nickname has been adopted into popular culture and reminds us how far our state has come since those early days when we had nothing more than dreams and aspirations! From humble beginnings comes great success; today, we proudly cheer on our beloved MN Wild, who continues to make us proud every season they participate in NHL action!
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
Arena
2000 – Present / Xcel Energy Center
Owner
2008 – Present / Craig Leipold
2000 – 2008 / Bob Naegele, Jr.
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
1 / Minnesota Wild Fans
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history