Minnesota Wild

About the Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild franchise was established in 1997 and began playing in the NHL during the 2000-01 season.

The Wild brought NHL hockey back to Minnesota seven years after the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas. Minnesota reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in just its third season and made an unexpected run to the Western Conference Final.

Since then, the Wild have become regular postseason contenders, although deep playoff runs have been relatively rare.

Division History

When the Wild joined the NHL in 2000, Minnesota was placed in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.

The Wild remained in the Northwest Division until the NHL reorganized its conferences and divisions in 2013. Minnesota then became a member of the Central Division, where it remains today.

The exception was the shortened 2020-21 season, when the NHL temporarily reorganized its divisions and the Wild competed in the West Division.

Championship History

The Wild made their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance during the 2002-03 season and immediately produced the deepest postseason run in franchise history.

Minnesota overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round, winning Game 7 in overtime. The Wild then fell behind 3-1 against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round before winning three consecutive games to advance.

Minnesota's run ended in the Western Conference Final, where the Anaheim Mighty Ducks swept the Wild in four games.

The Wild won the first division championship in franchise history in 2007-08, finishing 44-28-10 to capture the Northwest Division. Colorado eliminated Minnesota in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Minnesota reached the second round in consecutive seasons in 2014 and 2015. The Wild defeated Colorado in seven games in 2014 before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, then eliminated the St. Louis Blues in 2015 before again falling to Chicago.

Another extended stretch without a playoff series victory followed.

That ended in 2026, when Minnesota defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the opening round. It was the Wild's first playoff series victory in 11 years. Minnesota advanced to face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round but was eliminated in five games.

The 2003 Western Conference Final remains the deepest postseason run in franchise history. The Wild have yet to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Home of the Wild

The Wild play their home games at Grand Casino Arena in downtown Saint Paul.

The arena opened in 2000 as Xcel Energy Center, the same year the Wild began play in the NHL. It was built on the former site of the St. Paul Civic Center and served under the Xcel Energy Center name for the franchise's first 25 seasons.

The venue was renamed Grand Casino Arena in September 2025 as part of a new naming-rights agreement.

Grand Casino Arena has a hockey capacity of 17,954 and has hosted numerous major hockey events in addition to Wild games, including NCAA Frozen Four tournaments and Minnesota state high school hockey championships.

Notable Wild Players

Mikko Koivu became one of the defining players of the Wild's first two decades.

Minnesota selected Koivu with the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, and he went on to spend 15 seasons with the Wild. He served as the franchise's first permanent captain from 2009 until 2020.

Koivu remains the Wild's all-time leader in regular-season games played, assists and points, recording 205 goals, 504 assists and 709 points in 1,028 games for Minnesota.

In 2022, his No. 9 became the first player's number formally retired by the Wild.

Marian Gaborik was the first player ever selected by the Wild in the NHL Draft, taken with the third overall pick in 2000.

The Slovak forward quickly became Minnesota's first offensive star. He scored 219 goals and recorded 437 points during eight seasons with the Wild and held the franchise goals record for nearly two decades.

Gaborik also played a major role in Minnesota's run to the 2003 Western Conference Final, recording 17 points during the playoffs.

Kirill Kaprizov ushered in another era after making his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season.

Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies in goals and points. He then became the first player in Wild history to record 100 points in a season when he produced 108 points in 2021-22.

In March 2026, Kaprizov scored his 220th career goal to surpass Gaborik and become the Wild's all-time leading goal scorer.

Jared Spurgeon has become one of the most accomplished defensemen in franchise history.

Spurgeon made his NHL debut with Minnesota in 2010 and was named team captain in 2021. In March 2026, he became the second player to appear in 1,000 regular-season games for the Wild, following Koivu.

He holds the franchise records among defensemen for games played, goals and points and has spent more seasons with the Wild than any other player in team history.

Zach Parise was another major figure during Minnesota's run of playoff appearances in the 2010s. A Minnesota native, Parise joined the Wild in 2012 and spent nine seasons with the organization. He recorded 199 goals and 400 points for Minnesota and helped the team advance to the second round of the playoffs in both 2014 and 2015.

Other prominent players in Wild history include Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Niklas Backstrom, Ryan Suter, Devan Dubnyk, Matt Dumba and Eric Staal.