Just over thirteen years ago, a player with deep roots in Minnesota signed a long-term deal to become a member of the Minnesota Wild. Zach Parise, born and raised in Minnesapolis, son of J.P. Parise, a former Minnesota North Star, was coming home. Signed to a thirteen-year, $98 million contract on the same day that Ryan Suter agreed to an identical deal, the duo seemed destined to launch the Wild into upper echelons of the NHL.
That didn't quite happen. While Parise and Suter had some solid seasons, the Wild could never quite make it to the top. Both contracts would be bought out prior to their end, saddling the team with dead money that just now, this past summer, they were finally released from. It was an ambitious plan by owner Craig Leopold and general manager Cliff Fletcher to invest so much time and money into two players. While in the end it didn't work out, Parise in particular had some solid seasons with the Wild. So much so that, when coupled with the rest of his hockey career, he earned a spot in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Parise, Scott Gomez, Joe Pavelski, Tara Mounsey, and photographer Bruce Bennett were announced as the 2025 inductees that will be welcomed into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame during a celebration in St. Paul on December 10, 2025.
Prior to being selected in the first round of the 2003 draft by the New Jersey Devils, Parise played his prep hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's before choosing the college route with the University of North Dakota. He debuted in the NHL in the 2005-06 season with a respectable 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games. He would go on to become a legitimate NHL star, scoring more than 30 goals in five of the next seasons.
He was one of the most sought-after free agents in the summer of 2012 and it took a few days for him to decide to sign with the Wild. The return of the home-grown star sparked a rabid frenzy in the Twin Cities with press reports claiming that 700 new season tickets were sold in the hours after the news broke that Parise and Suter had signed with the team. It was a true package deal as one of Parise's goals in free agency that summer was to play with his long-time friend, Suter. To do it for his hometown team made it even better.
""Just the opportunity to play at home, it really meant a lot to me, it meant a lot to my family. Every kid who's grown up in Minnesota would love to play for the Wild. That's the way it is.""Zach Parise^
Over the next nine seasons Parise would appear in 558 games for the Wild and record 400 points (199 goals, 201). While the numbers were good enough to make him the all-time leader in points, there was a feeling that a little meat was left on the bone. Injuries started to take their toll and his first season, the 2012-13 lockout-shortened one, would be the only one where he would play every game of the regular season.
Following the 2020-21 season, general manager Bill Guerin made the decision to buy out the final four seasons of both Parise and Suter's contracts. The two players became free agents, and the Wild were left with eight seasons of cap hits, including three seasons where more than $12 million of their cap was tied up by the two deals. For the next three years, the hit will be just $1.6 million, a mere fraction of the $14.7 million that they took up last year.
Parise would go on to play three more seasons (two with the Islanders and one with the Avalanche) before retiring following the 2023-24 season. In all, he appeared in 1,254 NHL games, scored 434 goals, and added 445 assists. He's eighth all-time in US-born goal scorers and 18th in points. Is that good enough for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame? Maybe.
In addition to his NHL numbers, Parise had a solid career internationally representing Team USA. He played for two Olympic teams (2010 and 2014) registering 9 points in 12 games. He added another 10 points in 11 games at World Championships as well as 19 points in 13 games in U20 World Junior Championships.
It's a well-deserved honor for him and hopefully the Wild will acknowledge it during the season. There is a home game scheduled for December 11 against the Stars, the day after the induction ceremony, and it seems as good a time as any to celebrate one of the best players in franchise history.
^ Russo, M. (2012 July 5) Wild Lands Biggest Catch, Minneapolis Star Tribune retrieved from newspapers.com 09/03/25