By Mikki Tuohy -
The PWHL Minnesota team did the unthinkable. After a late-season slide, they entered the playoffs as the bottom seed, beat the top seed to move on, and won it all. So why, then, did the Minnesota Wild do the absolute bare minimum to shine the spotlight on them?
Last time I checked, Minnesota is still the State of Hockey. Until the championship, the Wild had a great partnership with the PWHL team. They were more welcoming than any other NHL team, quickly agreeing to share Tria Rink as a practice facility and the Xcel Center as their game day rink.
While every other team was relegated to various, smaller facilities to play, the Minnesota team was able to piggyback off of the NHL team. That isn’t meant to be disparaging, but it seemed like the start of a symbiotic relationship. The PWHL team can pull in new fans from communities that might not usually feel comfortable at a professional hockey game but can also benefit from the existing fan base. In turn, the Wild can use their support of the PWHL to pull some fans over from the PWHL team. Overall, they can work together to grow the game of hockey.
So it came as a complete surprise when the Wild re-shared a post about the championship on their social media and then didn’t mention it ever again. I understand not having a post ready to go. It's the off-season, and I’m sure the social media manager is more focused on content for next year, along with some rest. But how hard would it be to share a picture of some PWHL players at a Wild game and share your own words of congratulations?
During Pride month, where fans were disappointed but not surprised to hear crickets when it came to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, it was like a slap in the face to have little to no recognition of the hard work that the PWHL team put in to win the championship.
Not only did the team account do the bare minimum, but the Wild players were also a disappointment. Jared Spurgeon is the only one who shared anything about the Walter Cup win, showing once again what an absolute stand-up guy and captain he is.
In contrast, the Boston Bruins team account put together a short video as the PWHL teams headed into the championship round. They had three different players who made short videos congratulating the Boston team on their success that far and wishing them luck with the upcoming series. It was simple but showed a level of support that was encouraging for the continued success of professional women’s hockey.
There are plenty of Wild players who stay in the Twin Cities area for the off-season. But even reaching out further, it takes little effort to record a 15-second snippet saying congratulations.
The only thing I can think of is that they are so jealous of the success of the Minnesota team that they’ve turned bitter. After a weird season that ended without the usual first-round playoff run, the PWHL success must’ve burned their buns.
As the State of Hockey, it is important to support the success of hockey teams at all levels. From local youth programs and special hockey to the professional women’s team, hockey is for everyone. The Wild need to get their act together, remember that, and do better from here on out.
[Correction: An earlier headline transposed letters in the PWHL acronym. We regret the error.]
Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.
-
2
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.