Minnesota has long been a hotbed of professional, amateur, collegiate and hockey. Professional hockey was a mainstay in Minneapolis beginning in 1967 when the expansion Minnesota North Stars were added to the NHL. The North Stars moved south to Dallas in 1993, leaving a large hockey void within the state. Four years later in 1997, the National Hockey League announced the return of hockey to the Minneapolis-St. Paul twin cities, along with three other expansion franchises. The team name "Wild" was announced in January 1998 following a local contest that ran for six months. Former Calgary Flame player and general manager Doug Risebrough was hired as GM of the Wild and former Montreal Canadiens great and New Jersey Devil coach Jacques Lemaire was handed the reins behind the bench.

The Minnesota Wild began regular season play in the 2000-01 NHL season. They featured a mix of young players and hard working journey men NHLers who fit in well with Lemaire's tight defensive style of hockey. The Minnesota Wild made thei NHL regular season debut on October 6, 2000, losing 3-1 to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Rookie first round pick Marian Gaborik scored the first-ever goal in Wild history in the second period. Their home debut at the brand new Xcel Energy Center was later that week against the Philadelphia Flyers, ending in a 3-3 tie. Ten days later they would shutout the Florida Panthers behind goalie Jamie McLennan to record their first ever franchise win. Led in scoring by the rookie Gaborick, the Wild finished their first year at the bottom of the Northwest division with a 25-39-13-5 record for 63 points. Their second season saw a marked increase in point production during the regular season though once again they trailed their division with a 26-35-12-9 record for 73 points and a second straight year out of the playoffs. Buy Minnesota Wild Tickets.