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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 ZidlickyOn January 22, 1998, Minnesota and hockey fans all over the worldwere introduced to the Minnesota Wild. During a historic ceremonyat Maplewood, Minnesota’s Aldrich Arena, the organization revealedthe name which was chosen from thousands of suggestions offeredby Minnesota hockey fans over a six-month period.In front of a capacity crowd of hockey fans young and old, thelogo was unveiled on the side of a large puck which descendedfrom above at center ice. The mark depicted the word “Wild”designed in an organic, naturalist form and included the team’sofficial colors of Iron Range Red, Forest Green, Harvest Gold andMinnesota Wheat.“We think it [Wild] represents what Minnesota hockey fans holdmost dear — our rugged natural wilderness, the premier brand ofhockey that’s native to Minnesota and the great enthusiasm of allour hockey fans,” said Minnesota Wild CEO Jac Sperling.The Wild continued to honor the history and naturalistic traditionof the state of Minnesota when it unveiled its sweater on November18, 1999. Again, the club turned to its hockey roots by holding aceremony to reveal the sweater at the Roseville Skating Center infront of a sold-out crowd of season ticket deposit holders. The crestof the jersey, one of the most unique and striking marks in all ofprofessional sports, is a Minnesota Wilderness pictogram includinga wild animal, the North Star, evergreen trees, a red sky, thesun and/or moon and a stream. It now appears on the front of theroad sweaters. The road jersey is white, trimmed in Iron Range Red,Harvest Gold and Forest Green. The numbering and lettering on thejersey is tri-color with an organic design, which also ties into theoverall wilderness theme the club has established.In 2003, the Wild unveiled a third sweater – now the team’s homejersey – inspired by the heritage and tradition of hockey in Minnesota.The jersey incorporated the same colors found in the club’soriginal home and road editions. The main color is Iron Range Red,with Forest Green stripes highlighted by Minnesota Wheat trim onteam identity44 2008-09 MINNESOTA WILD TEAM GUIDEthe bottom band and shoulders of the jersey. The new crest featuredthe team’s traditional animal head mark in a classic chennile iconwith the team name, Minnesota Wild, offset by a Harvest Gold NorthStar on each side of the logo. The new sweater paid tribute to theheritage of hockey with a traditional lace-up collar in MinnesotaWheat. Also, in keeping with the simplicity of design and vintagelook of the new jersey, no shoulder patches were created.The unique color scheme and logo, along with its connection withthe roots of the game, has made Minnesota Wild merchandise oneof the league’s most popular among its fans. Over its first six seasons,the club has ranked in the top five among NHL teams in totalmerchandise sold throughout North America. In addition, each ofthe Wild’s sweater designs has become a fan favorite throughoutthe world’s hockey community and has ranked among the NHL’s topsellers since its unveiling.On September 15, 2007, at the Mall of America rotunda, the MinnesotaWild unveiled its new jerseys as designed by Reebok.The National Hockey League (NHL) and Reebok teamed to create theRbk EDGE Uniform System to meet the performance demands oftoday’s NHL player. The result of more than two years of researchand testing, the system features technologically advanced materialsand fabrics that are more breathable, more water-resistant,more comfortable and more compatible with equipment.The Rbk EDGE Uniform System will be worn by all 30 NHL teams intheir respective colors and designs. The introduction of this systemfor the 2007-08 season marked the first time in the history of NorthAmerican professional sports that a uniform innovation has beenimplemented League-wide.The PlayersTable of contents Hockey Operations Wild THings The Players Team History Team Records Playoff History The NHL