 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Minnesota Wild Playoffs
|
|
BUY Minnesota Wild Playoff TICKETS
NOW! |
Minnesota's newest franchise in the four major sports leagues, the Minnesota Wild is a young franchise with an already impressive playoff resume. There's nothing quite like NHL playoff hockey, and when the Wild get there, St. Paul turns frenzied, packing the Xcel Energy Center and scooping up tickets before your mom can even get on the internet ticket site for you.
While many new NHL teams don't make their NHL playoff debut until many years after their inaugural season, the Minnesota Wild made it in only their third season in 2002-03. That season, their cornerstone player, Marian Gaborik, had an amazing campaign for the team, contending for the league-lead in scoring all year. The Wild drew a first round meeting with hated division rival the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks jumped out to a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, and the Wild's first playoff campaign looked like it was about to come to an end. But the Wild fought back to win the series 4-3 and in the process captured the hearts of Minnesotans for years to come. The Wild went on to be down again 3-1 in the next round of the playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche, but the Wild miraculously came back again to win the series as Andrew Brunette literally ended legendary Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy's career on a beautiful deke move to win game seven. The young Wild were treading on unknown ground, entering the Western Conference Finals against the powerhouse Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The Wild appeared prepared but could not penetrate the massive pads of Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The Wild fell in four games to end a magical run where they became the NHL's only team to come back from consecutive 3-1 playoff series deficits.
The Wild's latest playoff campaign came last season, when the team put together its best regular season in franchise history. The Wild was just barely snubbed out of the third seed in the Western Conference, finishing only a single point behind the Vancouver Canucks in their division. Rather, the Wild was forced to play as the number seven seed, drawing them a first-round matchup with none other than the Anaheim Ducks team that knocked them out of the playoffs in 2003. The Ducks had a number of players from their 2003 club on the 2007 playoff team, including the goal-stubborn Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The story of the series however wasn't as much the goaltending as it was the size and strength of the Ducks defenders, including Chris Pronger and Rob Niedermayer. The Wild offense was suffocated, and they ended up falling 4-1 in the first round to the eventual 2007 Stanley Cup Champion.
The Wild has been a scary team in both of the playoff campaigns they embarked on. When they are underdogs, they shock the world. When the Minnesota Wild makes it back to the NHL playoffs, make sure not to miss it. This team is dedicated to winning, and in this town, that's always a hot ticket.
|
|
BUY Minnesota Wild Playoff TICKETS
NOW! |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
