The Minnesota Wild finished the 2007-08 season at the top of the Northwest Division and scored a playoff berth, though they were knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. The off-season was a busy one, as veterans Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston left for free agency and General Manager Doug Risebrough scrambled to fill the hole. Risebrough did just that, re-acquiring Andrew Brunette (a Wild from 2001-04) from the Colorado Avalanche, five-time All-Star Owen Nolan from the Calgary Flames and Antti Miettinen from the Dallas Stars. The defense was strengthened by trading Ryan Jones and a second-round draft pick in 2009 to the Nashville Predators for Marek Zidlicky (the Preds’ top defenseman last season with 43 points). The Wild had a good season in 2007-08, but the 2008-09 season promises to be great. Get your tickets to Xcel Energy Center and help the Minnesota Wild make it to the 2009 Stanley Cup!

The Wild are not the first NHL team to play in Minnesota. The Minnesota North Stars played there from 1967 until 1993, when owner Norm Green moved the team to Dallas, Texas, and renamed it the Stars. Soon after the North Stars departed, a group of Minnesota investors began searching for a new team. On June 25, 1997, the NHL officially awarded expansion team franchises to Minnesota; Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; and Columbus, Ohio.