As others see it: A real Wild day

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The state of hockey went Wild on a heat-induced Fourth of July afternoon Wednesday after learning Minnesota scored twice in signing free agent players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

Both players agreed to 13-year $98 million deals, which brought a smile to every hockey fan in Minnesota.

For the Minnesota Wild and the National Hockey League too, it is a big deal. It is the biggest hockey story since the Minnesota North Stars arrived in 1967 and left in 1993 and when the Wild returned professional hockey to Minnesota in 2001.

The Wild’s signing of both players was no easy task. Both players were pursued by their original teams — Parise by the New Jersey Devils and Suter by the Nashville Predators —as well as other NHL teams.

Team owner Craig Leipold and general manager Chuck Fletcher successfully put together the necessary information and the right financial resources to see the two players signing with Minnesota.

The draw of Minnesota and family played a role in attracting both players to pass up better financial offers to come back to the Midwest.

Parise, whose father, J.P. Parise, played for the Minnesota North Stars and still coaches in Minnesota, grew up in Minnesota and played his college hockey at the University of North Dakota. He now lives in Orono and his fiancé is from North Dakota.

Suter, whose father, Bob Sutter, played on the 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medal team, grew up in Wisconsin and played his college at the University of Wisconsin. He still lives in Wisconsin and his wife is a Minnesota native from Bloomington.

The Fourth of July Wednesday was a good day in the State of Hockey.

West Central Tribune

Tags: opinion, editorials, sports, minnesota, hockey