minnesota wild history
minnesota wild history
Minnesota Wild tickets may be the surprise NHL ticket of the year as the young Wild set out to make their mark in the NHL. Marian Gaborik is still the axis of this team and head coach Jacques Lemaire is regarded as one of the better coaches in the NHL. Should the defense hang together, fans with Minnesota Wild tickets may be in for a wild ride into the postseason.
The Minnesota Wild hit the NHL scene in with Jacques Lemaire as the team’s first head coach. The Wild play their home games at the Xcel energy Center decked out in uniforms featuring a collage of Green, Red, Yellow, Wheat, and White. The team name comes from the vast expanses of wild and untamed forest land that mark the state of Minnesota.
After a loss in their road debut and a home game tie in their first outing at the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild collected the first victory in team history with a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. The first goal in the history of the Wild was scored by rookie Marian Gaborik in their opening game. As usual with an expansion team the Wild finished their first season occupying the bottom spot in the Northwest Division by posting a 29 win season.
The beginning of year 3 would see the Wild get off to a fast start as the young team put up an impressive 8-1-2 record. That shot out of the gate would help the Wild on their way to the team’s first ever playoff appearance after a 42 win season and a third place finish in the Northwest Division. A back and forth battle ensued in the Wild’s first playoff series. After winning their first game against the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota would drop the next three and face elimination, a fate they avoided with a 3-2 victory in game five. Heading into the last period of game six, the Wild had a comfortable lead only to watch the Avalanche force overtime with a pair of goals in the waning minutes of the game. Richard Park became an instant hero with his overtime goal that sent the Wild and the Avalanche on to a Game 7 showdown. Keeping Wild fans on the edge of their seats through overtime, Andrew Brunette sealed the 3-2 win and Minnesota advanced another round.
The 2nd round would start badly for the Wild as the Vancouver Canucks took a 3-1 series lead. Once again facing elimination, the Wild pulled off an improbable rally to even the series and create another 7th game showdown. Showing their ability to come from behind, the Wild scored four times to take the series win and move on to the Conference Finals. Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, the Wild dropped four straight and were knocked out by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
While Minnesota Wild ticket holders suffered through somewhat of a scoring drought last season, the 2005-2006 campaign should be better. While head coach Jacques Lemaire isn’t known for high scoring squads, the Wild defense should be improved enough to have Minnesota in the division hunt and keep the fans filling the Xcel Energy Center as Wild tickets provide hockey fans with high quality entertainment.
