With the season of thankfulness upon us, I found now was a great time for me to take stock of what I was truly thankful for—in regard to my beloved Minnesota Wild. While holding out high hopes we get win fourteen of the season tonight in Buffalo, here are my fourteen thankful ramblings concerning the greatest hockey team in the land.
-I am thankful to have the opportunity to watch Marc-André Fleury as a part of the Minnesota Wild. He is one of a kind and truly a legend. This Wild fan is holding out hope that he goes back on his retirement and plays at least one more season.
-I am thankful that the Minnesota Wild has done such a tremendous job in their selection of team captains. Two people have filled the position since the 2009-10 season (Mikko Koivu; Jared Spurgeon), and earlier seasons did not have that kind of consistency (well… no consistency would be a better way to describe it). The trend has changed, and these two guys are unbelievable long-term choices.
-I am thankful the Wild scouts ended up in Novokuznetsk during the 2014-15 KHL season, and all of the other NHL teams somehow missed the boat on Kirill Kaprizov.
-I am thankful that Filip Gustavsson came into the 2024-25 season as a different goalie, one that has dominated (for the most part) the NHL up to this point in the season.
-I am thankful that the Minnesota Wild has returned to the yellow and green as a part of the Reverse Retro jersey collection. I would be more thankful if they made that combination their regular team colors.
-I am thankful that John Hynes looks good with a shaved head.
-I am thankful that the Minnesota Wild franchise hasn’t done things like other NHL franchises have begun to do… moving their AHL team to the same city/metro as the NHL team (E.g., Winnipeg Jets/Manitoba Moose or Toronto Maple Leafs/Toronto Marlins). Growing the game means getting teams in places without NHL representation, and Des Moines loves the Wild and fans attend their games well. Many NHL/AHL double-ups are in the bottom half of AHL attendance.
-I am thankful that Brett McLean is the head coach of the Iowa Wild and not the Minnesota Wild.
-I am thankful that I didn’t pick the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, or Nashville Predators as my favorite team NHL team because, quite frankly, those teams are gross. I’m indifferent about the Utah Hockey Club.
-I’m thankful I no longer have to cheer for Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba, Nick Seeler, Eric Staal, Victor Rask, Calen Addison, or Kevin Fiala. I much prefer cheering against them or not thinking about them at all.
-I am thankful the NHL was smart enough to put a team back in Minnesota… Mostly because of the fans who were heartbroken with the departure of the North Stars, but partly because the NHL looked silly that the State of Hockey was without a team.
-I am thankful that Jake Middleton has worked his way into my Inner Circle of Minnesota Hockey Excellence and Trustworthiness. He is a glorious human being.
-I am thankful that Dean Evason found another head coaching job in the NHL.
-I am thankful that the Los Angeles Kings were stupid enough to give us Brock Faber in a trade.