Right now in Minnesota, the college hockey frozen four is going on in Saint Paul. The building is sold out for an amateur version of a sport that barely gets covered on ESPN, and you can’t say it’s all because of the teams involved. I can’t imagine North Dakota could fill the Xcel Energy Center if everyone in the state went to the game.
Last month, the Minnesota State High School tournament was underway and saw similarly high attendance figures. Also, it was such a big deal that someone took the time to create this loving tribute to the hair of Minnesota high school hockey players. On second thought, that sounds creepy.
So, given the affinity for hockey in Minnesota, and the dedication of fans willing to show up and idolize even the lowest ranks of the game, doesn’t it seem awful that the Wild can’t do anything? Their best player is Marty Havlat, then maybe the other Koivu and the other Nick Backstrom. It seems a travesty that the team was so mismanaged under Doug Risebrough that they can’t dig themselves back to respectability, and a team like Phoenix makes the post season two years in a row.
I mean, really, can you imagine the outcrry if a hockey proud city like Toronto never made the postseason? The Wild disgust me.
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