Hockey Day in Minnesota, Trade Talks, & Even More Injuries
The Wild have continued to blow leads, Hockey Day has a disappointing end, looking at potential trade bait, and more!
Welcome to the THW Minnesota Wild Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Wild writers.
In today’s edition, we look at how the Wild have started to make a habit of blowing late-game leads, re-visit a great Hockey Day in Minnesota with a disappointing end, go through which Wild players may be on the trade block, and more!
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Minnesota Wild Find That Blowing Leads Could Be Habit Forming
January 28, 2024 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild were the final team to play on Hockey Day Minnesota when they took on the Anaheim Ducks at home on Saturday, Jan. 27. They were without Marcus Foligno, who was a late scratch due to illness, so they played 11 forwards and seven defense. For the second game in a row, things looked strong for the Wild as they scored first to get the game going. The Ducks found a way to answer back and tie it at one, but the Wild registered another goal to pull ahead 2-1.
The second period remained 2-1 in favor of the Wild, and despite some close calls, they held on. In the third, once again, the game started to slip from their grasp. They allowed the Ducks to score two goals to tie and take the lead 3-2. The Wild tried but couldn’t force a goal to tie the game and fell for the second straight. Ultimately, they didn’t do what they needed to do, and it cost them, which is where we’ll start.
Wild & PWHL Minnesota Celebrate Hockey Day 2024
January 27, 2024 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
It’s that time of year for every hockey-playing Minnesotan’s favorite holiday, Hockey Day Minnesota, and this year, it’s in the hockey hotbed of Warroad, Minnesota, on Saturday, Jan. 27. A town located so far north it’s almost in Canada and is just six miles away from the border but about a six-hour drive from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
With its hockey history, it’s surprising it took until the 18th year for Warroad to host the event. Just like Minnesota deserved a Winter Classic, Warroad deserves Hockey Day. Hockey will be played outdoors all day long, and it’s televised as a celebration of hockey’s original outdoor roots.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how many players in the NHL and now the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) have participated in Hockey Day, but first, we’ll look at Warroad natives and the layout of the day.
Minnesota Wild Trade Action Will Be Limited by Contract Clauses
January 27, 2024 by Tyson McKay
It is a difficult season to be a Minnesota Wild fan. The team was coming off back-to-back seasons where they had over 100 points in the regular season and looked like they were primed to make an even better run. Yet, that has not been the case. Poor play, a coaching change, and injuries have been the theme of the season, and despite their best efforts to cling to the hope of another postseason berth, time is running out.
The March 8 trade deadline is closing in rapidly as the Wild continue to flounder just about every opportunity they are given to get back in the playoff race. Losing to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 25 was a major blow. One that may force the Wild into being sellers at the deadline for the first time in a while. Let’s look at the Wild players who could possibly find themselves on a new team in the coming weeks.
Jared Spurgeon’s Injury Hurts But Is Survivable by Minnesota Wild
January 19, 2024 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The last month or so has been difficult on the Minnesota Wild regarding injuries and illness. At one time they were without seven players, six who are on the roster normally. However, as time went on, they’ve gotten nearly all those players back, with the exception of two. The first in Vinni Lettieri, who’s been in and out of the lineup most of the season. he’s out an unknown amount of time but was in a walking boot for Fleury’s 552nd win team picture.
While it’s likely Lettieri will be out for quite some time, the news for Jared Spurgeon was the worst it could get for this season. It was announced shortly before their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Jan. 18, that he would miss the rest of the season due to having both hip and back surgeries. It’s planned he’ll be back in time for the start of next season. Here, we’ll focus on this season and how the Wild will struggle and get through this without him.