Wild players represent home countries at World Championships

Team Finland, with Mikko Koivu, celebrate a goal in 2010. Koivu will be captain of the team this year. (Photo from Creative Commons.)

It's not surprising that many of the Minnesota Wild players come from traditionally cold countries. What is surprising is that a grand total of six Wild players are returning this May to play in the World Championships in Helsinki and Stockholm. Wild center Mikko Koivu will be captaining Team Finland, last year's champions. Mikael Granlund, fellow Finnish-born center, will be joining him.


Last year's runner up, Team Sweden, who lost to Team Finland in the final round, also has two Wild players on the roster - defenseman Jonas Brodin and left wing Johan Larsson. Will this lead to the victory they almost achieved last year? Maybe.

Goalkeepers Matt Hackett and Dennis Endras will be playing for Team Canada and Team Germany. Endras was the first German to win the Most Valuable Player in 2010, will he bring his team to victory this year? We'll just have to see.

Be sure to show your support of the Wild players during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship! Click here for a schedule.

Xcel Energy Center Food

At the Xcel Enegy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota there are great food options avaliable for every event. From concession stands to restaurants, the Xcel Energy Center has it all. For any Minnesota Wild game, there are countless options to choose from.

Some of the restaurants at the Xcel Energy Center are Iron Range Grill, Headwaters Express Carvery, Headwaters Bistro, Headwaters Cafe at Saint Paul RiverCentre, and Levy Restaurants. These different restaurants offer great and tasty food for any Minnesota Wild fan. Xcel Center Food has been considered one of the best arena foods offered.

Besides the restaurants, the Xcel Energy Center Food offers great concession stands food. From chicken fingers, french fries, hot dogs, bratwursts, popcorn, hamburgers, and more.

Minnesota Wild History

The Minnesota Wild are a professional hockey team located in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Minnesota Wild began play in the 2001-2002 season and have been building history ever since. In the 2002-2003 season, the Minnesota Wild advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Anaheim Ducks. They defeated the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks after being down 3 games to 1 in both series.

The Minnesota Wild have had mutliple NHL All-Stars including Marian Gaborik, Brent Burns, Martin Havlat, Niklas Backstrom, Filip Kuba, and Brian Rolston. In the 2006-2007 season, the Minnesota Wild qualified for the playoffs but were defeated 4 games to 1 by eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. The next season they won the Northwest Division but were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. T

he Minnesota Wild are building a history for the young franchise, be there for the history!

Erik Christensen, Wild Center

What does Erik Christensen, the new Center for the Minnesota Wild, like to do off the ice?

Play golf! Apparently Christensen holds a 2 (handicap). He plays a lot of golf, usually an evening round or two after morning training. Christensen claims to have a long drive as well as a soft touch.

What a guy!

Van Halen at the Xcel Energy Center

The Wild season may be over, but there are plenty of great shows and concerts that take place at the Xcel Energy Center during the off season.

 Van Halen is coming to the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday, May 19th. The show starts rockin' at 7:30pm.

Some of Van Halen's most popular songs include:
Right Now
Jump
When It's Love
One I Want
Dreams
Fire in the Hole
Poundcake
Humans Being
Without You

Catch Van Halen in concert at the X! Current band members include: David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Wolfgang Van Halen.

Coaching Spotlight: Mike Yeo

Meet Mike Yeo, the head coach for the Minnesota Wild.

Mike Yeo was named to the Minnesota Wild coaching staff in 2011. Yeo was formerly an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach of the Houston Aeros.

Yeo was a prospect for the Pittsburgh Penguins and had made his was up to their top minor league affilite. However, after only 19 games, Yeo suffered a career-ending knee injury.

Minnesota Wild Fan Appreciation Night

The Minnesota Wild hockey team hosted their fan appreciation night on the final home game of the season. The fan appreciation events were well received, but Wild fans were disappointed with the loss.

The Coyotes came to town looking for a win against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild skated hard, but couldn't finish the season on a high note. The Wild lost to the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1.

Hockey Tickets Minnesota.com appreciates Minnesota Hockey fans! Thanks for the fun season. 

Minnesota Wild Fans Rock!

Thank you, Minnesota Wild fans! We had a fun season, despite all the ups and downs. You supported the Minnesota Wild and that support has not gone unnoticed!

 

Keep checking back for Wild team updates!

Nashville Predators Beat Wild in Shootout

Anders Lindback has taken part in several shootouts in his NHL career. In front of 17,113 screaming fans, Lindback turned away all three Wild shooters in a 2-1 victory on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

The win helped the Predators tighten their grasp on the 4-5 matchup.

The Wild continued their downward spiral into the NHL abyss. Go figure...

Wild Falls to Sabres

Thanks to the Minnesota Wild, if the season ended today, the Buffalo Sabres would make the playoffs.

With a 3-1 victory over Minnesota at First Niagara Center on Saturday night, the Sabres moved into the top eight in the Eastern Conference for the first time since Dec. 19.

That’s two days after the Wild fell from the tippy-top of the NHL standings, meaning the Sabres’ upswing has been about as astonishing as the Wild’s downswing.