NHL
Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise stand out in Wild history for more reasons than their on-ice contributions. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
You had your chance picking your all-time Minnesota Wild lineup ahead of the team’s 25th anniversary season, and 33,000 of you weighed in.
Pretty solid.
We thought we’d have a bit more fun with the idea by introducing a guest panel to offer their takes on the Wild’s best ever.
Some went more by the book, like former Wild center Wes Walz, who picked his “If I had to win one game” lineup, and Brandon Mileski, who gave us his best “fits together” lineup. But others offered different twists. Color analyst Ryan Carter chose an “All Style” team. Anthony LaPanta went with a “One of Us” lineup of all Minnesotans. And perhaps the most unique: Aaron Sickman, the team’s PR man since the beginning, dug deep for his all-good-guy team, rating players on a combination of off-ice interactions and on-ice play.
Enjoy, and debate all you want!
Sickman has worked for the Wild since … before Day 1. In his 27th year with the organization, he runs one of the most highly regarded media relations departments in the NHL. Fittingly, he came up with an all-time Wild roster that takes into consideration off-ice interaction with players combined with on-ice performance.
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“I have enjoyed many wonderful experiences over 25 years of hockey with the Minnesota Wild, and most of them are a direct result of how great hockey players are,” Sickman said. “There are many players not included on this list that made a big impact on our team and community while playing for the Wild. I have been blessed to work with so many great people … players, coaches, staff, and management. This was much more difficult than I expected.
“It’s hard to believe this is the 25th season of Minnesota Wild hockey. Time flies by!”
Sickman’s team, in alphabetical order:
Niklas Backstrom: “He didn’t speak to media at morning skates, and everyone knows about his slow pregame ‘walk’ around the rink, but he was very intelligent and analytical. He is one of the good people in the world, despite his ability to take cheap shots at anyone at any time. It’s always fun to see Backy in the press box when we play Columbus.”
Marc-Andre Fleury: “Fantastic human being, on and off the ice. We were lucky to have him on our team for 3 ½ years. He did so many wonderful things behind the scenes that made such a positive impact on fans, including hopping on the ice with kids at a practice in Pittsburgh, wearing a special mask to raise resources and awareness for the American Family Indian Center and joining teammate Freddy Gaudreau for last year’s Hockey Without Limits Camp in the freezing cold.”
Honorable mentions: Manny Fernandez, Filip Gustavsson, Dwayne Roloson
Derek Boogaard: “Gentle giant. Derek introduced me to sushi one day in Vancouver. Growing up in the Midwest, it wasn’t something I had tried before. We went to a place where you could grab plates off a conveyor belt as they went by. Derek crushed many, many, many rolls at lunch that day. I enjoyed the experience tremendously and now try to have sushi on the road as much as possible, especially in Vancouver. I have received a lot of tough phone calls over the years while at home with my family. I will never forget the phone call telling me he had passed away. Heartbreaking. I had to come up with a statement from the team, and I simply couldn’t focus that night. So sad.”
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Pierre-Marc Bouchard: “Butch was a heck of a player. Injuries really took their toll on his career, unfortunately. He still has the same great smile and looks like he could still play.”
Andrew Brunette: “When you score the most memorable goal in team history, it’s hard not to be on this list! Lots of fun conversations with Bruno over the years about sports, life and the questionable shirt-tie-and-sports-coat combinations my wife picks out for me on game days.”
Joel Eriksson Ek: “Ekker loves to give the PR staff a tough time, especially me! Unfortunately for me, it doesn’t take very much for Joel to offer feedback on a wide range of topics. I admire how hard he works every day. He’s a force on the ice!”
Marcus Foligno: “Moose is the best! Always willing to help when asked, and such a great person. He has made countless interactions with fans over the years. His cheerful outlook is awesome for everyone connected with the team! Marcus is never in a bad mood.”
Marian Gaborik: “We haven’t had a lot of players with talent like Marian’s over the years. Will never forget his five-goal game. It will be awesome to have Gabby come back for his bobblehead game on Oct. 28.”
Freddy Gaudreau: “It’s hard to imagine meeting a nicer, more caring person. Freddy did a lot of wonderful things to help support our community and foundation efforts. His passion for Down Syndrome is fabulous! It’s always fun to help someone raise money and awareness for a cause they are deeply passionate about.”
Darby Hendrickson: “He scored some very memorable goals our first few seasons — first goal by a Wild player at Xcel Energy Center, game-winner in Game 7 at Vancouver in 2003 — and then served as an assistant coach for 13 years. Fantastic human being. Always positive, always smiling and always working hard. Darby was asked to do a lot because of his State of Hockey upbringing, and he was happy to share his passion and insight about hockey whenever he could.”
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Kirill Kaprizov: “Best player to ever wear a Wild sweater. Can’t imagine how difficult his rookie season was, moving to a new country and culture during COVID-19. He has a great personality and loves to say inappropriate things about me in Russian that make everyone laugh but me. His smile is infectious.”
Mikko Koivu: “A lot of responsibility comes with being named the first-ever full-time captain of a team. Humble and extremely hard-working, nobody cared more about the Minnesota Wild than Mikko. His stare would cause a lot of uneasiness among the media and our PR team after tough losses, but he always answered the bell. He never got enough credit for all his charitable work and support of our community initiatives, including his efforts at Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul.”
Zach Parise: “Nothing but respect for Zach. He was a great player that really helped our team become competitive again. The Wild ranked sixth in the NHL in wins during the time he and Ryan Suter played for the team. Minnesota ranked 23rd in wins in the three seasons before the arrival of Zach and Ryan. Nobody worked harder than Zach!”
Eric Staal: “He was a pleasure to work with and fun person to interact with. True professional!”
Honorable mentions: Charlie Coyle, Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin, Nino Niederreiter, Marco Rossi, Jason Zucker
Jonas Brodin: “Always happy and always smiling. Countless fun conversations with Jonas and his Swedish sidekick, Joel Eriksson Ek, and/or our video coach Jonas Plumb about everything but hockey. Not sure why they all think I don’t work hard enough!”
Brent Burns: “Twenty-one years later, he is still playing hockey. Simply amazing. What a career! His unique personality and interests created so many fun stories, including visits to his house to check out his collection of reptiles, birds and anything else he fancied. He also enjoyed hitting certain people in the crown jewels when you least expected it … just ask Kevin Gorg!”
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Matt Dumba: “Another player that has a big, big heart! Matt did so much to try and help those in need during his time here. From the Hockey Without Limits camp he created to his Rebuild Minnesota initiative to supporting Athletes Committed to [Educating Students (ACES)] to the Hockey Diversity Alliance, Matt was not afraid to speak his mind, and he deserves a lot of credit for it.”
Brock Faber: “Brock has done a ton of things for our organization already, thanks to being really good at hockey and growing up in Minnesota. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for this 23-year-old!”
Nick Schultz: “The Hammer played a ton of games in a Wild sweater. Another player that enjoyed making fun of the PR staff, especially my outfits. The year we won the Northwest Division, he had an appendectomy and missed our first-round series. What a buzzkill that was.”
Jared Spurgeon: “Soft-spoken but carries a huge heart! Not a better person than Jared to have ever worn the Wild sweater. He and his family continue to do so much to help those that are less fortunate here in the State of Hockey. Can’t believe he will hit 1,000 games this season. He still looks so young. I really appreciate how quickly he responds to text messages, too!”
Ryan Suter: “Ryan and Zach were huge parts of making the Wild relevant again after Marian Gaborik departed. Ryan and I didn’t agree completely on everything (or most things), which led to many fun conversations that never changed anything. He was very good during his nine seasons with the Wild (two-time All-Star, second all-time in scoring by defensemen) and bounced back from a horrific injury. Ryan deserves recognition for what he did to help make us competitive again.”
Honorable mentions: Brad Hunt, Jon Merrill, Marco Scandella
Walz, one of the Wild’s TV color analysts and pregame and postgame analysts, was an all-time Wild heart-and-soul player and Jacques Lemaire’s go-to in every key situation in the team’s early years. This isn’t just his all-Wild team. This is a team that he’d want to deploy if he had to win just one game. And let’s be honest: Walz would know, since he was part of the 2003 team that made history by winning three must-win games in Rounds 1 and 2 to rally back from 3-1 series deficits against the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks.
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As a side note, Walz was too humble to put himself on this team, even though he made the fans’ all-Wild team Tuesday, so we basically forced him … with a caveat.
“The first line, you obviously have to put Marian and Kirill. Just those two guys can fly and do whatever they want offensively, and then you’ve got the best defensive center that we’ve had in our organization in Mikko.
“The second line, you could have flipped Eriksson Ek and Mikko, honestly, because of Eriksson Ek’s net-front, but Boldy and Parise are the next best wingers in Wild history. Boldy’s got a ways to go yet to get past Marian and what he’s done, but his trajectory, for me, is on a path that would be ahead of Gabby. Matt Boldy brings so much more of a 200-foot game than Marian ever did.
“The third line, Eric Staal, I know he was only here three years for the Wild, but he had one huge year with 42 goals, and I just loved his compete, and you could see why he was a captain. Brian Rolston, I had a chance to play with him for a short period of time before I retired, but he was just a true leader in the locker room and somebody that was very well-respected. He had that presence about him, the way he goes about his business. And Bruno scored the biggest goal in Wild history, and I went through a lot with him during that ’03 run, and he was a true leader and very skilled player.
“The fourth line would be a situation where you’ve got to win one game and you need a checking line or possibly some fourth-line scoring. Laakso was the winger that I played with all the time, and then it was either Gabby, Bruno or Richard Park, depending on opponents, road or home. And Richard Park was just an unbelievable defensive player and skater.
“And with me, if we score first and we’re up 1-nothing, then I flip Bouchard and me. We’re down 1-nothing, Bouchard is going in and Walz is going out. The wingers stay the same.”
“The first pair, Brodin and Spurgeon are just pillars in our organization — guys that have been here for such a long time. Those two guys speak for themselves.
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“The second pair, a lot of young fans probably wouldn’t remember how instrumental Willie was in some of those early years. He was the guy that jumped over the boards and played with me and Laako all the time against top lines. He was just a warrior. In ’03, I think he played with a broken jaw for us. Brent Burns had an incredible career, and maybe a lot of that came after he left, but it started here.
“The third pair, that’s the old guy with the young guy. One of the best defensemen in Wild history with one guy who could end up being the best.
“And Nick Schultz, he was close to sliding into the top six, but just a warrior. Just a great dude.”
“Backy had the most wins in Wild history, so he’s first. Dwayne Roloson, for me, the few years he played with the Minnesota Wild, I mean, he was just an absolute gamer. Never shut up. I loved him so much because he talked so much on the ice, he made my job so easy. And Duby, that was one of the best trades in Wild history in 2015. That season was going down the tank, and he flipped that on its head by himself. I still say to people that stretch of 30-40 games might have been one of the greatest goaltending exhibitions I’ve watched for half a season.”
As a born-and-bred Minnesotan who worked his way up the ranks to land the Wild’s television play-by-play job, which he’s held since 2012-13, LaPanta decided to go with players with Minnesota ties — either growing up or playing college hockey in the state.
“Vanek and Haula each played college hockey at Minnesota, and Vanek piled up 93 points in just 154 games with the Wild. Hendrickson is a no-brainer. He scored the first goal at home in Wild history. Parrish often gets overlooked for scoring 35 goals in 142 games with the Wild. Fontaine played at UMD, and prior to the current crop of stars (Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov), he had the third-most goals ever by a Wild rookie (2014). He scored 27 in 197 games with the Wild. Carter, one of my color analysts, had 25 points with the Wild but also gets extra credit for scoring in the Stadium Series game and for carrying television broadcasts for the last several years.”
When asked about a fourth line, LaPanta said, “We’re a three-line team.”
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“The third pair of Soucy (UMD) and Hunt (Bemidji State) were both great guys who filled roles solidly with the Wild.”
“The affable Stalock is our starting goalie, and Curry makes the team in spite of playing only four games with the Wild.”
(Russo note: Not many people know, but Curry was also on the ice during the 2014 Game 7 celebration in Colorado because he was suited up in the back serving as emergency goalie after Darcy Kuemper left the game in the third period for Ilya Bryzgalov.)
Carter, one of the funniest players in team history, is known for his schnoz because it was broken so many times as a player. He went with the all-style team.
The absurd visor line: Cliff Ronning, Dany Heatley and Pierre-Marc Bouchard
“Visors in general are kinda silly because they serve a purpose, but it’s a small purpose. These three wore visors below their chins, more or less.”
Ridiculous sticks/socks line: Petr Sykora, Mikko Koivu and Jimmy Dowd
“Koivu’s stick-and-knob combo in general was awful. He used like a whole roll of tape on the top. Bigger than a goalie’s knob. I don’t even know how he could use it. Jim Dowd, too, had a terrible stick, and Sykora’s stick almost was like a boat paddle. It was like a square toe on the stick, which looked silly. Also, all three wrapped their socks over the front and back of their skates, so that would look funny — especially Sykora — whenever they’d skate. The heel or back of their skate would push out against their sock. I don’t know how they could skate comfortably.”
Tongues out line: Jason Pominville, Brian Rolston and Kevin Fiala
“Most players tuck the tongue of their skate into their shin pad and sock. Some people leave it out. Tongues out has historically been seen as a style move.”
GQ line: Matt Boldy, Matt Cullen and Marian Gaborik
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“Not just that they look good, but on the ice, too. Like their gear on the ice, when they skate, it’s just perfect. Like tongues out, it looks kinda sloppy and floppy. These guys keep it tight around the ankle and up above their leg. Their equipment is just clean-looking. Their gear is buttoned up, so they look good, which makes you play good.”
The scary as f— line: Derek Boogaard, Marcus Foligno and Cal Clutterbuck
“Didn’t matter what their style was, scary. If you saw a taped wrist like Boogey and Moose, you were running. Plus, I have Foligno PTSD for obvious reasons. And Clutter would put you through a wall.”
“Bogo just looks scary with the beard, and Scott was a monster in general with his size and appearance alone. Both intimidating.”
Tickle the rafters pair: Marc-Andre Bergeron and Marek Zidlicky
“Both guys had huge slapper winders. Their stick was literally up in the rafters with their slap-shot windup.”
The beautiful skater pair: Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon
“Both Minnesota Wild staples and incredible skaters and why they’ve played so long.”
Best flair: Marc-Andre Fleury
“Who had a better pads-color combo than Flower? And he just made it fun on and off the ice.”
A KFAN fixture since 2001, Mileski is a diehard Wild fan, former player at Totino-Grace High and former head coach at Coon Rapids High. Listening to him on the radio, he’s one smart hockey guy, so we were sure to include him.
Mileski went with Eriksson Ek as the No. 1 center, saying his combination of offensive and defensive abilities make him “the best center in Wild history.” Having Kaprizov and Boldy together made sense from a chemistry standpoint and wasn’t an indication that Boldy has caught Gaborik. “I don’t know if Boldy has reached Gaborik status yet,” Mileski said. “I think he will. I think he’s going to be a superstar.”
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The second line has similar logic, with Gaborik and Demitra’s experience together. “They were the first ever legitimate skilled line that we had,” Mileski said. “That was the first moment, ‘Oh, this is what it’s like to have two guys on a line that have chemistry together.’” And Brunette had the versatility to fit well.
“If you’re a Wild fan, there’s nostalgia,” he said. “The greatest moment in Wild history, he was the one that executed it. He was a pretty underrated player here. He was consistently a good scorer. He would also fit well with skilled players. Bruno can finish and go to those dirty areas. He can play below the goal line as well as anyone we’ve seen in franchise history.”
With the third line, Mileski said, “When Koivu was here, the knock on him was always: ‘He’s a great player but not a first-line center on a Stanley Cup-winning team. Here we finally got him in a spot where people are going to love him again. The beauty of Mikko is he’s defensively responsible — you can put him in a shutdown role. Parise as well. He’s a guy that can play well in both ends. He’s great around the net, going to get those hardworking goals. Fiala, there was a stretch there where post-Gaborik he was our first glimpse at a superstar.”
The fourth line is centered by Walz. “As good a skating center we’ve ever had,” Mileski said, adding that he fits as a right-shot center who can kill penalties. On Rolston, he said, “I don’t think anyone shoots the puck like him anymore,” adding that he can kill penalties. Staal was Mileski’s toughest pick, a 40-goal scorer who deserved to be on the roster and a center who could also play wing. Zuccarello got the nod as the 13th forward, Mileski quipped, because he “may be the sole reason Kirill Kaprizov is still in Minnesota.”
Despite how it ended with Suter, Mileski said, “He was a legitimate first-line defenseman, and we didn’t really have that until he came along.” Spurgeon made an ideal fit as a former partner. “In their primes, (they) were a top D-pairing in the National Hockey League,” he said.
On the second pair, he has a long-tenured player (Brodin) paired with one who didn’t stay for his best years (Burns). On Burns, he said, “His career took off after he was here. When he was here, he was a super athletic, skilled player that was still trying to figure it out.”
And on the Mitchell-Faber pair: “Willie Mitchell, during that 2003 run, maybe was one of the most unheralded guys. He was going against top lines. He’s not the most skilled defenseman in the world, but he was a great defensive defenseman who was rugged, who was mean. Faber, it’s hard to argue if any defenseman had a more immediate impact at such a young age. … Maybe eight years from now, maybe we’re talking about the best defenseman in Wild history.”
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“Goalies were hard. I felt like we had a lot of quality goalies, but not a slam-dunk best goalie in franchise history. I went with a guy I liked personally the most — his style of play. When (the Wild) got to the Western Conference final, (Roloson) at least contributed enough to put (him) No. 1. … No. 2 was hard. Had a lot of options. Backstrom, Manny Fernandez. Even Gustavsson the last couple seasons. But that season was a train wreck about to happen, and (Dubnyk) saved a lot of bacon that year — probably saved some jobs. A really good goalie for a long stretch.”
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