History of Minnesota Wild in Timeline

The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, competing in the NHL's Central Division within the Western Conference. Their home games are played at the Xcel Energy Center. The team is owned by Craig Leipold. The Wild maintain affiliations with the Iowa Wild in the AHL and the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL.

1985: Jacques Lemaire inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame

Jacques Lemaire, who later coached the Minnesota Wild, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a player in 1985.

1993: First Visit of Dallas Stars

The most notable game of the year was the first visit of the Dallas Stars since a neutral-site game in 1993, who had formerly played in Minnesota as the Minnesota North Stars. The Wild rode an emotional sellout crowd to a 6-0 shutout in Dallas' first regular season game in Minnesota.

June 25, 1997: Minnesota Awarded NHL Expansion Franchise

On June 25, 1997, the NHL awarded Minnesota an expansion franchise, which would begin playing in the 2000-01 season. This marked a significant step in bringing NHL hockey back to Minnesota after the departure of the North Stars.

November 20, 1997: Finalist Team Names Announced

On November 20, 1997, the six finalist team names (Blue Ox, Freeze, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, White Bears, and Wild) for the new NHL franchise were revealed.

1997: Franchise formed by Bob Naegele, Jr.

In 1997, the Minnesota Wild franchise was originally owned by a limited partnership formed by former majority owner Bob Naegele, Jr. of Naegele Sports, LLC.

January 22, 1998: Team Officially Named the Wild

On January 22, 1998, the team was officially named the Wild at an unveiling at the Aldrich Arena. The announcement included the song "Born to Be Wild."

April 1998: Legislation for Xcel Energy Center Funding

In April 1998, the State of Minnesota adopted legislation to loan $65 million to the City of Saint Paul to fund 50% of the project costs for the Xcel Energy Center. The legislation also provided that only $48 million of the loan needed to be repaid if the team met specific agreement requirements.

2000: Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 retired

At the 2000 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams.

2000: Start of rotating captaincy

In 2000, the Minnesota Wild began rotating the captaincy on a monthly basis among several players each season.

2000: Wild's First NHL Entry Draft and First Goal

In 2000, the Wild named Jacques Lemaire their first head coach and drafted Marian Gaborik. Gaborik also scored the first-ever goal for the Wild on October 6 at Anaheim.

2000: Minnesota Wild to Begin Play

In 2000, the expansion franchise that would become the Minnesota Wild, was preparing to begin play in the 2000-01 season, bringing the NHL back to Minnesota.

2000: Inaugural goal songs

In the inaugural 2000-01 season, the Minnesota Wild used "Born to Be Wild" and "Rock and Roll Part 2" as their first goal songs.

2000: Lemaire's Tenure

Jacques Lemaire had been the head coach of the Wild since the team's inception in the 2000-01 season and resigned at the end of the 2008-09 season.

2001: Strong Start and Solid Performances

In the 2001-02 season, the Wild started strong by earning at least one point in its first seven games. Second-year speedster Gaborik had a solid sophomore season with 30 goals, including an invite to the NHL YoungStars Game, and Andrew Brunette led the team in scoring with 69 points.

2002: First Playoff Appearance, Run to Conference Finals

In 2002-03, the Wild made their first-ever playoff appearance. They advanced to the conference finals before being swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Previously, they beat the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

2003: Struggles, Signings, and Missed Playoffs

During the 2003-04 season, the Wild struggled initially due to holdouts by Pascal Dupuis and Marian Gaborik. Although they eventually signed, the team missed the playoffs. The Wild also traded away older players, gearing up for the future.

2003: Wild Make First Playoff Appearance

In 2003, the Wild made their first Stanley Cup playoffs appearance, surprising many by advancing to the Western Conference Finals. They ultimately lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

2003: Green Jersey Becomes Home Jersey

In 2003–04, with the NHL reversing the convention regarding the home and road jersey colors, the green jersey became the home jersey while the white one became the road jersey.

2004: NHL Lockout and Tragedy

The 2004-05 season was canceled due to an NHL lockout. Former Wild player Sergei Zholtok tragically died from a heart condition during a game in Europe. He died in the arms of former Wild player Darby Hendrickson.

2004: Continuation of "Rock and Roll Part 2"

Through 2004, the Minnesota Wild continued using "Rock and Roll Part 2" as one of their goal songs.

2005: Cover of "Rock and Roll Part 1"

Following the lockout in 2005, the Wild used a cover of "Rock and Roll Part 1" for the 2005-06 season as their goal song.

2005: Playoff Team with Worst Record Since 2005-06

In 2016, the Wild made the playoffs with a total of 87 points, the worst record of any playoff team in the shootout era (since 2005–06).

2005: Fifth Place Finish

In the 2005-06 season, the first after the lockout, Minnesota finished in fifth and last place in the Northwest Division, eight points behind fourth-placed Vancouver Canucks.

2006: Adoption of "Crowd Chant"

For the 2006-07 season, the Minnesota Wild switched their goal song to "Crowd Chant" by Joe Satriani shortly after the song's release.

2006: Gaborik and Rolston Set New Records

In the 2005-06 season, Marian Gaborik set a new franchise record for goals in a season at 38, and Brian Rolston set a new highest point total by a Wild player in a season at 79. The goaltender controversy between Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson ended when Roloson was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft.

January 2007: Gaborik Returns from Injury

In January 2007, All-Star winger Marian Gaborik returned from a groin injury and made an immediate impact, bringing a new spark to a lacking offense.

December 7, 2007: Leipold sells Nashville Predators

On December 7, 2007, Craig Leipold completed the sale of the Nashville Predators to a local ownership group.

2007: Playoff Appearance and Elimination

In 2007, the Wild made the playoffs for the second time in team history, but were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions Anaheim Ducks in the conference quarterfinals.

2007: Jerseys Converted to Reebok Edge Uniform System

In the 2007–08 season, when all jerseys were converted to the new Reebok Edge uniform system, the white jersey was retained and the home jersey replaced with a new one.

2007: Inaugural Hockey Day Minnesota

Since 2007, Hockey Day Minnesota has been celebrated every year as part of the Minnesota Wild Foundation's efforts to support the game of hockey.

2007: 2007-08 Regular Season

The 2013-14 regular season was the best the Wild had since the 2007-08 season, good enough to claim the first Wild Card position.

January 10, 2008: Sale announcement to Craig Leipold

On January 10, 2008, the sale of the Minnesota Wild franchise to former Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold was announced.

April 3, 2008: Wild Clinch Division Title

On April 3, 2008, the Minnesota Wild clinched their first-ever Northwest Division title with a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames. Jacques Lemaire recorded his 500th career coaching win.

April 10, 2008: NHL approves Leipold's purchase

On April 10, 2008, the NHL's Board of Governors officially approved Craig Leipold's purchase of Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE).

2008: Off-Season Acquisitions

During the 2008 off-season, the Wild re-acquired Andrew Brunette from Colorado and traded for defenseman Marek Zidlicky. The Wild also signed free agents Antti Miettinen and Owen Nolan to multi-year deals.

2008: Introduction of "Nordy"

In 2008, "Nordy" was introduced as the official mascot of the Minnesota Wild.

2008: Wild Win Division Championship

In 2008, the Minnesota Wild achieved a significant milestone by winning their first and only division championship. This marked a peak in the team's performance during that era.

2008: Koivu captains for the third time

In the 2008-09 season, Mikko Koivu was rotating captain for the third time.

2008: Missed Playoffs and Coaching Changes

In the 2008-09 season, the Wild fell to ninth place in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs. Much of this was in part due to a lack of scoring, injuries to star forward Marian Gaborik, and Jacques Lemaire's defensive system. Lemaire resigned at season's end and Risebrough was fired.

August 30, 2009: Third/Alternate Jersey Unveiled

On August 30, 2009, the team unveiled another third/alternate jersey, which is predominantly green with wheat accents. It says "Minnesota Wild" in script writing across the chest.

October 20, 2009: Mikko Koivu named first permanent captain

On October 20, 2009, Mikko Koivu, who previously served as a rotating captain, was named the franchise's first permanent captain under head coach Todd Richards.

2009: Permanent captaincy begins

In 2009, the Minnesota Wild began using a permanent captain.

2009: End of rotating captaincy

In 2009, the Minnesota Wild ended its practice of rotating the captaincy among players.

2009: Gaborik Signs with Rangers, New GM and Coach Hired

In the 2009 off-season, Marian Gaborik signed with the New York Rangers, Chuck Fletcher was hired as general manager, and Todd Richards was selected as head coach. The team also signed Martin Havlat to offset Gaborik's departure.

2009: Disappointment and Draft

The 2009-10 season ended in disappointment for the Wild as they missed the playoffs.

2010: Matt Cullen Previously Played in Minnesota From 2010

In the 2017 off-season, Minnesota native Matt Cullen was signed as a free agent and returned to the Wild to shore up the fourth line (Cullen had previously played in Minnesota from 2010 to 2013).

2010: Draft and European Games

The 2010 NHL entry draft saw the Wild select Mikael Granlund. The Wild opened the 2010-11 season with two games at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki against the Carolina Hurricanes.

2011: Draft and Trades

During the 2011 NHL entry draft, the Wild selected Jonas Brodin. The club traded Brent Burns and a second-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and Zack Phillips. Later, they traded Martin Havlat for Dany Heatley.

2011: Winnipeg Jets Relocation and Rebranding

In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated and rebranded as the Winnipeg Jets. This meant Winnipeg was once again Minnesota's second-closest geographical rival after Chicago. The move led the NHL to reconsider its divisional alignment.

2012: Miss Playoffs for First Time Since 2012

During the 2018–19 season, The Wild finished the season with 83-points, finishing last in the division and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

2012: Key Signings Overshadowed by Lockout

In the 2012 off-season, the Wild signed Mikael Granlund, drafted Matt Dumba, and signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to 13-year contracts. However, the 2012-13 NHL lockout overshadowed the team's busy off-season.

2012: Franchise Record

The Minnesota Wild set a franchise record for most wins in one month with 11 in November 2011, but injuries prevented a playoff appearance in the 2011-2012 season.

January 2013: End of the Lockout

The busy off-season of 2012 was overshadowed by the 2012-13 NHL lockout, which ended in January 2013.

April 27, 2013: Playoff Berth

On April 27, 2013, the Wild reached the postseason for the fourth time in franchise history after a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

2013: Iowa Wild relocation

In 2013, the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) relocated from Houston and became the minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, owned by the parent club.

2013: Wild Move to Central Division

In 2013, the NHL collapsed its six divisions into four and dissolved the Northwest Division. Consequently, the Wild moved into the Central Division along with the Jets and Avalanche.

2013: Away Jersey Updated

In 2013, the lettering on the away jersey was updated to match the home and alternate sweaters, at the same time updating the sweater's look to a more traditional design.

2013: Matt Cullen Previously Played in Minnesota Through 2013

In the 2017 off-season, Minnesota native Matt Cullen was signed as a free agent and returned to the Wild to shore up the fourth line (Cullen had previously played in Minnesota from 2010 to 2013).

2013: Wild Have Best Season Since 2007-08

The 2013-14 regular season was the best the Wild had since the 2007-08 season, good enough to claim the first Wild Card position.

2014: Wild Acquire Bryzgalov, Moulson and McCormick

At the 2014 trade deadline, the Wild's general manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Ilya Bryzgalov from the Edmonton Oilers, and Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick from Buffalo.

2014: Wild Sign Thomas Vanek

During the 2014 off-season, the Wild signed forward Thomas Vanek as a free agent.

April 2016: Tribute to Prince with "Let's Go Crazy"

In April 2016, following the death of Minneapolis native Prince, the Wild paid tribute during a playoff game against the Dallas Stars by adopting "Let's Go Crazy" as their goal song.

2016: Wild Trade 2nd Round Pick in 2016

At the 2014 trade deadline, general manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick from Buffalo in exchange for Torrey Mitchell and a second-round pick in 2014 and 2016.

2016: Mike Yeo Fired as Head Coach

In 2016, after a franchise record start followed by a losing streak, head coach Mike Yeo was fired. John Torchetti was named interim head coach. Also in 2016, Eric Staal was signed to a three-year contract and Bruce Boudreau was hired as the new head coach, replacing John Torchetti.

2016: Wild set Franchise-Record 12-Game Win Streak

In 2017, the Wild set a franchise-record 12-game win streak that was snapped on New Year's Eve 2016 by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

April 4, 2017: Wild Honor North Stars

On April 4, 2017, the Wild honored the Minnesota North Stars by wearing North Stars jerseys for warm-ups.

June 20, 2017: New Home Uniform Introduced

On June 20, 2017, the Wild introduced a new home uniform, as the NHL switched from Reebok to Adidas.

2017: Introduction of "This Is Our Ice" tradition

In 2017, the Wild introduced a new tradition called "This Is Our Ice", encouraging fans to contribute water from local sources to the Xcel Energy Center ice.

2017: Franchise Records for Points, Wins and Goals

In 2017, the Wild set new franchise records for points (106), wins (49) and goals for (266).

2017: Wild Experience Roster Turnover

In the 2017 off-season, the Wild experienced significant roster turnover. Erik Haula was lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella were traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Matt Cullen returned to the Wild.

2017: First Alternate Jersey Since 2017

On September 23, 2023, the Wild unveiled an alternate green jersey based on the "Reverse Retro" look they wore the previous season. This was the first time that Wild had an official alternate jersey since 2017.

April 23, 2018: Fletcher Fired as General Manager

On April 23, 2018, shortly following the Wild's exit from the playoffs, owner Leipold announced he had fired general manager Fletcher after nine seasons with the team.

May 21, 2018: Paul Fenton Hired as General Manager

On May 21, 2018, Paul Fenton was hired as the third general manager in franchise history.

2018: "Crowd Chant" returns as goal song

For the 2018-19 season, the Minnesota Wild brought back "Crowd Chant" as their goal song, while "Let's Go Crazy" became the win song.

2018: Lowest Total Since 2018-19 Season

The Wild finished the 2023 season with 87 points, their lowest total since the 2018–19 season, and missed the playoffs for the first time since that year.

July 30, 2019: Paul Fenton Fired as General Manager

On July 30, 2019, Paul Fenton was fired as general manager of the Wild, just 14 months after being hired to that position.

August 21, 2019: Bill Guerin Hired as General Manager

On August 21, 2019, the Wild hired Bill Guerin as the fourth general manager in franchise history.

2019: Mikko Koivu Signs Two-Year Extension

In the 2017 off-season, Captain Mikko Koivu signed a two-year extension, ensuring he would remain with the Wild through the 2019–20 season.

February 14, 2020: Bruce Boudreau Fired as Head Coach

On February 14, 2020, the Wild fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and named Dean Evason as interim head coach.

2020: Breakout Performances

Despite breakout performances from Faber and the 2020 ninth overall pick Marco Rossi, as well as Kaprizov's third consecutive 40-goal season, injuries to nearly every player in the starting lineup hindered the team.

2020: "Reverse Retro" Jersey Unveiled

In the 2020–21 season, the Wild unveiled a "Reverse Retro" jersey in collaboration with Adidas. The uniform was a callback to the late 1970s Minnesota North Stars white uniform, with the Wild logo recolored to match the team's green and gold scheme.

January 2021: Kirill Kaprizov Plays First NHL Game

Kirill Kaprizov played his first NHL game with the Wild in January 2021, scoring the overtime winner against the Los Angeles Kings during his debut.

September 21, 2021: Kirill Kaprizov Signs Five-Year Contract

On September 21, 2021, Kirill Kaprizov signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild, becoming the highest-paid sophomore player in NHL history.

2021: "Shout" becomes goal song

In the 2021-22 Season, the Minnesota Wild selected "Shout" by The Isley Brothers as their goal song, while retaining "Let's Go Crazy" as the win song.

July 7, 2022: Cam Talbot Traded to Ottawa Senators

On July 7, 2022, the Wild traded goaltender Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Filip Gustavsson.

2022: Special edition jersey unveiled

In 2022, the Minnesota Wild introduced a special edition jersey for the Winter Classic, drawing inspiration from early Minnesota hockey teams, featuring a green base, red shoulder yoke, and the "MPLS.–ST. PAUL" identifier around symbols referencing Minnesota and Gemini.

2022: Team Sets Franchise Season Highs

In 2022, the team set franchise season highs in points (113) and wins (53). Kirill Kaprizov set franchise records in points (108), goals (47), and assists (61).

2022: "Reverse Retro" Design Reused

In the 2022–23 season, the "Reverse Retro" jersey design was reused again, but with green now the base color.

September 23, 2023: Wild Unveiled Alternate Green Jersey

2023: The Wild Re-signed Gustavsson

In the 2023 off-season, The Wild re-signed Gustavsson but did not make any notable trades or acquisitions, opting instead to "run it back" with the previous year's squad.