Throughout the past 25 years, the Minnesota Wild have been trying to escape the shadow of their predecessor, the Minnesota North Stars. Founded four years after Norm Green moved the North Stars to Dallas (and created the Wild’s biggest rivalry), the Wild have tried to forge their own identity with a red, green and wheat color scheme and a team that may finally be ready to challenge for a Stanley Cup.
While newer fans cling to that identity, older fans gravitate to the old North Stars look with the iconic “N” with a star at the top and a kelly green and yellow color scheme. But as the Wild enter a new era that could become the golden age of the franchise, it may be the perfect time to pull the trigger and give the Wild a new identity.
Where did the North Stars and Wild’s color schemes come from?
According to Pro Stock Hockey, the original North Stars colors were chosen as a nod to Minnesota’s natural landscape and the identity of the North Star itself. The logo was designed by George Karn, who was a Twin Cities commercial artist who also created Count Chocula and the Trix Rabbit for General Mills and won a design contest sponsored by the original management team.
The “N” logo pointing up at the North Star has held up over the years and while the jersey changed multiple times to include black and gold, the original color scheme is the most popular and unique.
For instance, the last team to wear green as a primary color before the North Stars were the Toronto Maple Leafs, who played as the St. Pats in the 1920s. Combining the kelly green with the gold is also tied into Minnesota’s official motto “L’Étoile du Nord” which is French for “The Star of the North.”
Unfortunately, when Green moved the North Stars to Dallas, he took their history with them. According to Heather Brown of CBS Minnesota, there was a similar idea to honor the outdoor landscape in the state of Minnesota while also choosing a unique palette of colors when the Wild were founded in 1997.
Those colors make sense as Forest Green is a nod to Minnesota’s pine forests, Iron Range Red honors the Mesabi Vermillion and Cyuna Ranges located in the state while Harvest Gold honors the agricultural history in the state.
With Minnesota Wheat as a trim, the Wild created something unique. But both schemes have their detractors. While older fans love the kelly green and yellow scheme of the North Stars, younger fans are reminded of Subway or – even worse – the Green Bay Packers. Although those fans prefer the current colors, older fans think they look like a red and green Christmas scheme and blend in too much.
The Wild have compromised over the years with their Reverse Retro jerseys for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and re-introduced the latter as a North Stars-inspired ‘78 jersey as an official alternate in 2023. Still, some fans believe the change should be permanent and the current state of the franchise serves as a solid turning point.
The Wild’s change is a perfect time for an identity shift
The Wild have been around for 25 years but the crazy part is they mostly have blended together. There have been pop-up seasons like the 2003 run to the Western Conference Finals or the other playoff runs that have ended in the second round, but there hasn’t been a true defining moment for fans to hang onto.
Some would argue those moments have come over the past couple of seasons including Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal in the closing seconds of regulation which helped the Wild reach the playoffs in 2025. Others would point to last year where the Wild advanced in the playoffs for the first time in a decade. But even if they want to lump that in, it doesn’t change the fact that things are changing.
The Wild have their most marketable set of superstars in franchise history going into next season. With Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, there are multiple players that fans can gravitate toward and not in the folk-hero way that previous players have become popular.
There’s also a $600 million modernization project scheduled for Grand Casino Arena, Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the St. Paul RiverCenter that could have the home of the Wild looking much different in the coming years. While the project still depends heavily on state funding, it also could come with a championship team, which is something that Wild fans haven’t said in a long time.
To some, this may not be enough for a rebrand, but it is a chance to endear a new wave of fans. The Minnesota Vikings are integrated into the state’s sports scene with their purple and yellow color scheme while the Twins have leaned on dark blue and red (although there was an ill-received cameo by “Kasota Gold” beginning in the late 2010s.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also made a push to return to their roots this offseason with a blue and green scheme. The change has been well-received even though they have yet to play a game in their new threads and it represents one of the worst eras in franchise history before Kevin Garnett arrived in 1995.
While the Wild have their scheme, it has not identified with most Minnesotans. Perhaps winning will make that happen. But if they want to get creative, a change wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
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