James Willis takes a look at the formation and development of Minnesota Wild.
Founded in 2000, having been granted a franchise at the same time as the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Minnesota Wild have had slightly more success than their fellow newbies.
When the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, the state was left without an NHL team. It took seven years for the league to grant a new franchise to the area, when the Minnesota Wild were born.
Playing their games in the state capital of St. Paul, Minnesota Wild began their on ice story in the 2000-2001 NHL season. With Jacques Lemaire as their head coach and Marian Gaborik leading their offense, the Minnesota Wild struggled early on but showed plenty of potential.
Finishing last in their division for the first two seasons, the Minnesota Wild were still fighting to make an impact on the league. They had earned a few notable results in their opening seasons, but it had never helped them achieve a particularly high finishing position. Then in 2002-2003, the team’s third season, they reached the playoffs. Many people would have written them off, but with Gaborik now playing better than ever, the Wild went on a surprise run through the playoffs all the way to the Western Conference finals.
Two contract hold outs for the first month of the following season, from Marian Gaborik and Pascal Dupuis, left the Wild struggling for goals. Despite the problems eventually being sorted out, it had impacted the team’s season enough already and they could not repeat their success from the previous season.
After the lockout in the 2004 – 2005 season, the Minnesota Wild took a little while to find their best form again. It was in the 2007-2008 season that they made another impact on the league. With a reignited offence, the Wild managed to win their first ever Division Championship earning them another post season chance as well.
They were disappointingly knocked out of the playoffs in the first round though, by the Anaheim Ducks who would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season.
The Wild have since struggled to reach the playoffs with Gaborik having injury issues before his eventual departure. They began the 2011-2012 season very promisingly, sitting atop of their division for the first part of the season although injuries and a drop in form saw them eventually miss out on the playoffs again.
Despite their struggles to reach the playoffs regularly, the team have seen their fair amount of success and look to be a very promising franchise for the future. Their winning percentage over their first 10 seasons has been far higher than that of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were founded at the same time.
Despite having had their struggles, the Minnesota Wild can be proud of their adventures so far.
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