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32 Backstrom25 Belanger47 Bergeron24 Boogaard96 Bouchard15 brunette8 burns26 foster10 Gaborik29 Harding5 johnsson9 koivu20 miettinen11 nolan2 reitz55 schultz51 Sheppard41 skoula19 Veilleux12 Weller3 ZidlickyRadio AnnouncersBob KurtzRADIO PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCERBob Kurtz enters his ninth year behind the radio play-by-play microphone of the Minnesota Wild.Kurtz’s distinctive voice and smooth delivery has been a staple of every Wild game during the club’sfirst seven seasons. He, along with radio analyst and former NHL defenseman, Tom Reid, can be heardon WCCO® Radio (830 AM), the official flagship station of Minnesota Wild hockey and the extensiveradio network which blankets the State of Hockey. In addition to calling Wild games, Kurtz and Reidwere previously paired on Minnesota North Star telecasts and have worked side by side on Universityof Minnesota and Michigan State hockey broadcasts as well.The Detroit, Mich., native spent 11 years (1989-00) working with New England Sports Network (NESN)in Boston, Mass., prior to joining the Wild for its inaugural season. He was the network’s play-by-playvoice of the Boston Red Sox and also broadcast an array of sports including Boston Bruins hockey,Boston University hockey, the Hockey East Game of the Week and the American Hockey League.Kurtz has strong Minnesota ties having served as the lead television announcer for the Minnesota North Stars for seven seasons on KMSP (1979-84) and KXLI (1987-88). He also performed play-by-play duties for the Minnesota Twins on KMSP from 1979 to 1986, and could be heard onUniversity of Minnesota hockey, football and basketball broadcasts in 1988-89. During that same year, he worked as the sports director at KSTPradio (Minneapolis/Saint Paul) overseeing both the morning sports shows and sports talk shows.A graduate of Michigan State University, Kurtz returned to his alma mater to call Spartans hockey, football, baseball and basketball from 1974 to1979. He has also done free-lance play-by-play assignments with The Baseball Network (1994-95) and WJR Radio in Detroit.He and his wife, Lorri, reside in Saint Paul. They have two sons, Paul and Danny.Tom ReidRADIO ANALYSTTom Reid begins his ninth year with the Minnesota Wild and his sixth season as the club’s radioanalyst. Reid and Bob Kurtz will work together as the voices of Wild hockey on the club’s official flagshipstation WCCO® Radio (830 AM), and the extensive radio network which blankets the State ofHockey. In addition to their work with the Wild, the pair served as television broadcast partners withthe North Stars beginning in 1980.The former NHL defenseman spent his first two years with the club as Minnesota’s television analystsharing his hockey knowledge with millions of hockey fans across Minnesota. Reid joined the organizationon August 10, 2000, and along with his analyst duties, has been fully integrated into theorganization’s communications, sponsorship, marketing and community relations’ efforts.Reid spent 11 years playing in the NHL beginning with the Chicago Blackhawks (1967-69) and then with the Minnesota North Stars (1969-78). In701 career regular season games, the defenseman tallied 130 points on 17 goals and 113 assists, and notched 654 penalty minutes. He added14 points (one goal, 13 assists) and 49 penalty minutes in 43 career Stanley Cup playoff games.Following his playing career, Reid spent the next 12 years as a television/radio analyst for the North Stars. Prior to his coming on board with theWild, he served as the television analyst for University of Minnesota Gopher hockey telecasts and was a television analyst for the Minnesota statehigh school hockey tournament.The Fort Erie, Ontario, native has been very active in community service projects since moving to Minnesota more than 30 years ago. Reid is presentlyinvolved with Minnesota’s newest children’s wish granting organization “Wishes & More”. He was a co-founder of the Minnesota chapter ofthe Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1982, and served as the organizations volunteer vice president for 16 years.He currently serves as the president of the Minnesota chapter of the NHL Alumni Association. Reid is also the owner of Tom Reid’s Hockey CityPub in downtown Saint Paul.He and his wife, Patty, currently reside in Eagan, Minn.mse community givingThe Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) CommunityGiving Fund is a donor-advised fund ofthe Minnesota Community Foundation. We focusour support on children’s medical related causes,educational initiatives and the growth and developmentof youth athletic programs.Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the parentcompany of the Minnesota Wild, understandsthat, although success on the ice is extremely important,it is even more important to make a positiveimpact in our community. We are proud of ourplayers and our staff and their desire to make a differenceand touch the lives of so many in our greatstate. We realize that in the State of Hockey, oursport reaches far beyond the rink. That’s why ourgoals go beyond just building the game of hockey.Since our inception in 2000, MSE Community Givinghas invested more than $3million back into the community.We have providedautographed and nonautographedmerchandisefor community fundraisersand benefits, made contributionsto non-profit organizations, implementedsuccessful events, provided awareness and brandconnectivity for smaller non-profit organizationsand our players and staff have made countless appearancesin the community.MSE Community Giving is the largest non-memberfunding source for Minnesota Hockey and providesfundraising opportunities for youth athletic associationsacross the state. We administer a readingprogram in Minnesota grade schools and MSE employeesvolunteer hundreds of hours each year asmentors in a fourth grade classroom. In addition,the Fund has made significant contributions toChildren’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota andsupported numerous other children’s charities.Our work in the community and on the ice is neverdone. We pledge to continue raising funds and givingback to our community,while being inspiredby our passion for hockeyand our compassion forthose in need.40 2008-09 MINNESOTA WILD TEAM GUIDE 2008-09 MINNESOTA WILD TEAM GUIDE 41Table of contents Hockey Operations Wild THings The Players Team History Team Records Playoff History The NHL