Minnesota Wild Jersey Number One Retirement Debate

With the postseason out of reach, it's time to talk about jersey numbers, specially number one

With the Minnesota Wild being out of the postseason and their choice to bring up Jesper Wallstedt to get some time in, made me think of a fun debate that started as soon as the Wild drafted Wallstedt or very shortly after. That debate is over jersey numbers, and if you’re a Minnesota Wild fan or know quite a bit about their traditions, then you know exactly what I’m referring to. I’ll give a quick recap for those who don't before we get into the debate. 

The Wild have been around for over 20 seasons, and when they came into the league, they did something other teams haven’t. They put the number one on a jersey with the word fans in the spot the name would typically go and hung it in their rafters to show they have the number one fans in the league. That may not seem significant, but that number one is not allowed to be worn by any of their players because it is for the fans only. 

This had been discussed on and off over the years, but it didn’t become an issue until Wallstedt came around. He wore number one before signing with the Wild, and it was hotly debated whether the number should finally be allowed to be worn. Some even thought Wallstedt wouldn’t sign if he weren’t allowed to wear the number.