Article: A Brief History Of The NHL Sticking It To the Minnesota Faithful

[Sean Flick]

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[Protec]

Credit to MN Wild owners, they have been good and okay. Neagle got the ball rolling. OCL has languished but the attendance hasn't been a problem. The GMs have been poor but Guerin has built a nice foundation. 

Maybe MN will catch another break? Kaprizov was a much needed boost on the path from nowhere to somewhere for the Wild. Even though we clearly haven't reached the destination. 

[mnfaninnc]

Sadly, back at that time I had already moved to Carolina when all of the shenanigans happened. While I tried to follow the North Stars, unfortunately, there just wasn't a lot of hockey in my area and since they were bad, national games weren't very often. 

I ended up rooting for the Stars in Dallas, since it was the same group of guys, but as players aged, I became a free agent until about 2006. That was the year Carolina won the Cup. And, the way they did it, I could get behind a team like that....until Paul Maurice became coach and the ownership was cheap and Rutherford kept signing bad free agent deals and had to bribe someone to take the contract off his hands. 

I did attend a couple of Wild-Hurricanes games thinking this should be good, I'll be happy either way, but found myself actually rooting more for the Wild, a team I had no personal connection with. But, the Canes became unwatchable, so I slid over into the Wild column.

Now, the Canes are also unwatchable, but for a different reason for me. I cut the cord and refused to pay Bally's ransom, so ESPN+ allowed me to watch Wild games, most of them, on quite a nice budget. 

In between, I did have the Center Ice package for a few seasons, and watched both teams, but the Canes were still building and the Wild were getting good. Plus, I hated most Eastern Conference teams and preferred to watch the West. 

And, here we are, I'm a displaced Wild fan living in the heart of Carolina where there is very little hockey talk among neighbors. I'm also in the midst of College Basketball territory, so everything this time of year is geared towards that. 

While I can see how the NHL keeps sticking it to Minnesota, there were a few bright spots. The big one was when the North Stars, a pitiful team merged with an even more pitiful team in the Cleveland Barrons. The draft capital they earned from selling off pieces was amazing and they quickly built a young, exciting team. I left around '81, but still came back home for a few games, and went to see the team in the Checkerdome when I could. 

And this is where the Gunds lost. They completely wasted the wealth of draft capital from 1982 forward until they were gifted Mike Modano. The team was really good when I left, but something went wrong in the FO. It was like they just threw darts at a bunch of names and announced those as their draft picks. They whiffed on 4 2nd rounders that year. Do you want to know where the dark ages of the '80s came from? Starting with that draft!

Before I left, the Met was electric! Standing room only were the tickets I'd usually get, and the arena was very loud. I can remember coming back in '87 for a broomball tournament, attended a game where the fans were disguised as empty seats and the place was maybe 40% full. Very sad. 

But, with Sean remembering these times, it puts into perspective, a bit, why Leipold demands that this team make the playoffs. He also demands butts in the seats! And, he understands that a good product needs to be on full display and the fanbase will not put up with a 5 year tank plan. 

I believe, however, that if you had a team that was training the prospects, and they were hustling, the fans would come. To me, a solid effort was just as important as winning, and if the guys were working their butts off, they'd be supported. Of course, a team with a lot of skill potential working their butts off would probably win their fair share, but that would be the style I think that sells in MN. And just to be clear, working butts off does not include a bunch of flyby stick checks, it includes finishing checks as part of playing the right way. 

With this history, I can understand fully the rivalry with Dallas, but how is there not a more fierce rivalry with San Jose? The fans tend to have more power than they realize. So, it's time for the fans to let their voices be heard.

How? Yurov chants in a full house! YuuuRoooov! And maybe, "We Want YuuuuRooov!" Make it organic! Some forward thinker could start the "Let's Play Hockey" intro with a couple of rounds of "We Want Yurov" and then the "Let's Play Hockey" motto. Make the building sing!!!!

[FredJohnson]

I blame Minnesota for not having more kids. Clearly the NHL wants teams in larger metro areas.

(sarcasm)

[jabuyer]

I mean, lets not lose sight of the fact that in 1978-79 the NHL allowed the Gunds to merge the Cleveland Barons and  the North Stars and keep the  best from both rosters.  That made the North Stars infinitely better. The North Stars got  Mike Fidler, Rick Hampton, Al MacAdam, Dennis Maruk, Greg Smith and goalie Gilles Meloche.

They went to the finals in 1980-81.

[bisopher]

FNG, now and forever...

[Protec]

15 minutes ago, jabuyer said:

I mean, lets not lose sight of the fact that in 1978-79 the NHL allowed the Gunds to merge the Cleveland Barons and  the North Stars and keep the  best from both rosters.  That made the North Stars infinitely better. The North Stars got  Mike Fidler, Rick Hampton, Al MacAdam, Dennis Maruk, Greg Smith and goalie Gilles Meloche.

They went to the finals in 1980-81.

Not to be a wise guy but that’s forty years ago. Guerin just needs to be careful here at the deadline not to go too big. Timing isn’t right. Let the penalties expire next season and then see where the organization stands without NoJo. For the Wild, the NHL will no longer have their least favorite club in detention. 

[Need4speed99]

The problem in ALL major mn sports team is inept ownership or gm or coaching OR a combo of all 3... the wild seem to have 2 of the 3 locked solid. 

Anyone arguing that fact can look at how for the past 10 years they have been the DEFINITION of mediocrity. And this fan base still bli dly follows liepold and guerin.

[AKwildkraken]

This reminded me of my early childhood having "Secord sucks" stamped firmly in my conscious and subconscious.  

I don't know if he did something wrong or wright, but to get 18000 fans screaming that you sucked in unison, you definitely did something...

I know someone who worked with Secord at American Airlines and said he was actually really cool.

[Up North Guy]

21 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Sadly, back at that time I had already moved to Carolina when all of the shenanigans happened. While I tried to follow the North Stars, unfortunately, there just wasn't a lot of hockey in my area and since they were bad, national games weren't very often. 

I ended up rooting for the Stars in Dallas, since it was the same group of guys, but as players aged, I became a free agent until about 2006. That was the year Carolina won the Cup. And, the way they did it, I could get behind a team like that....until Paul Maurice became coach and the ownership was cheap and Rutherford kept signing bad free agent deals and had to bribe someone to take the contract off his hands. 

I did attend a couple of Wild-Hurricanes games thinking this should be good, I'll be happy either way, but found myself actually rooting more for the Wild, a team I had no personal connection with. But, the Canes became unwatchable, so I slid over into the Wild column.

Now, the Canes are also unwatchable, but for a different reason for me. I cut the cord and refused to pay Bally's ransom, so ESPN+ allowed me to watch Wild games, most of them, on quite a nice budget. 

In between, I did have the Center Ice package for a few seasons, and watched both teams, but the Canes were still building and the Wild were getting good. Plus, I hated most Eastern Conference teams and preferred to watch the West. 

And, here we are, I'm a displaced Wild fan living in the heart of Carolina where there is very little hockey talk among neighbors. I'm also in the midst of College Basketball territory, so everything this time of year is geared towards that. 

While I can see how the NHL keeps sticking it to Minnesota, there were a few bright spots. The big one was when the North Stars, a pitiful team merged with an even more pitiful team in the Cleveland Barrons. The draft capital they earned from selling off pieces was amazing and they quickly built a young, exciting team. I left around '81, but still came back home for a few games, and went to see the team in the Checkerdome when I could. 

And this is where the Gunds lost. They completely wasted the wealth of draft capital from 1982 forward until they were gifted Mike Modano. The team was really good when I left, but something went wrong in the FO. It was like they just threw darts at a bunch of names and announced those as their draft picks. They whiffed on 4 2nd rounders that year. Do you want to know where the dark ages of the '80s came from? Starting with that draft!

Before I left, the Met was electric! Standing room only were the tickets I'd usually get, and the arena was very loud. I can remember coming back in '87 for a broomball tournament, attended a game where the fans were disguised as empty seats and the place was maybe 40% full. Very sad. 

But, with Sean remembering these times, it puts into perspective, a bit, why Leipold demands that this team make the playoffs. He also demands butts in the seats! And, he understands that a good product needs to be on full display and the fanbase will not put up with a 5 year tank plan. 

I believe, however, that if you had a team that was training the prospects, and they were hustling, the fans would come. To me, a solid effort was just as important as winning, and if the guys were working their butts off, they'd be supported. Of course, a team with a lot of skill potential working their butts off would probably win their fair share, but that would be the style I think that sells in MN. And just to be clear, working butts off does not include a bunch of flyby stick checks, it includes finishing checks as part of playing the right way. 

With this history, I can understand fully the rivalry with Dallas, but how is there not a more fierce rivalry with San Jose? The fans tend to have more power than they realize. So, it's time for the fans to let their voices be heard.

How? Yurov chants in a full house! YuuuRoooov! And maybe, "We Want YuuuuRooov!" Make it organic! Some forward thinker could start the "Let's Play Hockey" intro with a couple of rounds of "We Want Yurov" and then the "Let's Play Hockey" motto. Make the building sing!!!!

I remember the North Star games from back in the late 60's. I was a high school/college player (not very good) from the northern suburbs at that time. The northern suburbs were decidedly blue collar. I would scrape together enough ash to take a date to a NS game a few times a year. I always found it hilarious to sit next to folks from Edina or some such city. The gals would be decked out in furs and jewelry and the guys would all be wearing posh suits and such. It was quite a spectacle. The point partly is that the team sucked at marketing. The owners thought it was great attracting the wealthy crowd and not making it palatable for the average joe. Maybe there is a lesson for owners today...ie. don't forget who your core fans are.

[mnfaninnc]

19 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

The northern suburbs were decidedly blue collar. I would scrape together enough ash to take a date to a NS game a few times a year. I always found it hilarious to sit next to folks from Edina or some such city. The gals would be decked out in furs and jewelry and the guys would all be wearing posh suits and such. It was quite a spectacle.

There were a couple of times where season ticket holders didn't show up and we'd spot some open seats in the lower bowl. It wasn't nearly as fun as the standing room area, as the crowd was much different, but sitting on the glass with an SRO ticket was like winning the lottery! But, that was right around the turn of the decade. 

My 1st game was against the Blackhawks. They beat us 5-1. Tony Espisito was in net. I learned from an early age to hate the Blackhawks!!! Tim Young became my favorite player and was pretty much the only holdover after the merger, and the kids came on. Of course, a lot of the guys just aged out. 

Sure, the "rich" fans were who they catered to, and tried to recruit, but it was the rabid blue collar fans that made it fun....and sometimes a little too rowdy in the upper bowl. 

[Protec]

14 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

The problem in ALL major mn sports team is inept ownership or gm or coaching OR a combo of all 3... the wild seem to have 2 of the 3 locked solid. 

Anyone arguing that fact can look at how for the past 10 years they have been the DEFINITION of mediocrity. And this fan base still bli dly follows liepold and guerin.

This seems a little contradictory. Is Guerin & OCL the problem? Or Just OCL? 

Personally, I gave OCL credit for firing Fletcher & Fenton but hiring Fenton was a blunder. Guerin has turned the Wild around from the previous trajectory. This past 9 months doesn't destroy his successes but hasn't been amazing. The Johansson signing sucks. Fred is gonna need to bounce back or that looks bad too. Gustavsson doing the typical Euro thing after signing a new deal. Complacent. 

OCL has been okay but the big goals for winning are still out there somewhere we hope. It's a decent outlook with youth, and talent. Coaching is okay, money is tight which isn't helping get over the hump currently.

[Willy the poor boy]

19 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

The problem in ALL major mn sports team is inept ownership or gm or coaching OR a combo of all 3... the wild seem to have 2 of the 3 locked solid. 

Anyone arguing that fact can look at how for the past 10 years they have been the DEFINITION of mediocrity. And this fan base still bli dly follows liepold and guerin.

I've said this before and I'll keep saying it. It would frustrate me to no end when media and fans would brag on Risebrough and Lemaire, and still do with Lemaire to a degree. 

They WAY overstayed their welcome with me and set the franchise back years. To this day when I talk to other Hockey fans from other areas the Wild still have the 'boring team' reputation.

[Wanderinginmn]

Yes, yes, God hates MN and all of our male sports teams.  This is not news.

As someone who moved here around the time the Wild came to be, and grew up in the midwest south where hockey was not, but has grown to love it as my son was born here and played goalie through the years.

Why the fucking fuck, are we going back to the god awful green and yellow of the North Stars?!?  They left.  The are the Dallas Stars now, and are as dead as the Whale.  Why, for the love of God are we trying to bring back that jersey?

 

 

 

[Sean Flick]

@Wanderinginmn - For those of us that cheered and cried with the MN North Stars, that jersey is revered. That was OUR team before it got ripped away from us. IMHO, I think the Wild paying homage, and even making a third jersey with it, is really classy. Hope that helps. 🙂

[Wanderinginmn]

It does not.  They left, let it go and embrace the new.

Your spouse divorced you and years later you got over it and married a new person and had a better life. 

Why, in what hell, would you wear your first wife's perfume?

 

 

[Protec]

Haha! Good debate topic but the green, yellow, black, and white when Modano was a Rookie was great. That combination is still so good IMO. Edina has also made it look good for MN. It's pretty classic and I would agree revered in MN amongst the majority.

[WildWest Fan]

15 hours ago, Wanderinginmn said:

It does not.  They left, let it go and embrace the new.

Your spouse divorced you and years later you got over it and married a new person and had a better life. 

Why, in what hell, would you wear your first wife's perfume?

 

Because it turns out the new wife is no better than the old wife.