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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 ZidlickyTeam ManagementJohn MaherVICE PRESIDENT, BRAND MARKETINGJohn Maher is entering his second season as Vice President of Brand Marketing for the NHL MinnesotaWild. In this role, John leads the management of brand, creative and advertising efforts,as well as supervising staff responsible for game presentation, events, promotions, publications,Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE) Creative Services and media production. Themarketing group also works closely with the sales and service group to target and attain salesobjectives, and support the National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Minnesota Swarm marketing andevents efforts.Maher joined the organization in July of 2000, as Director of Production Services, and was firsttasked with building the creative and technical capabilities needed to launch all elements ofthe Wild’s Inaugural Season game and event presentation at Xcel Energy Center. He was namedSenior Director of Creative Services in 2002 and Senior Director of Marketing in 2005. In 2004, he coordinated MSE’s launch of the MinnesotaSwarm franchise, and was named NLL Marketing Executive of the Year in 2005.Prior to joining the Wild, Maher worked in a variety of event management and game presentation roles for Twin Cities-based teams, includingthe Minnesota North Stars, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Juntunen Media/Minnesota Timberwolves, and University of MinnesotaMen’s Athletics.Maher is a 1984 Graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. A Bloomington, Minn. native, John and his wife Linda havetwo sons, Joe and Andrew, and a daughter, Lindsay. The family resides in Lakeville, Minn.Bill RobertsonVICE PRESIDENT,COMMUNICATIONS & BROADCASTINGBill Robertson enters his 12th season as the Vice President, Communications and Broadcasting for the MinnesotaWild and its parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE). Since joining the organizationin January of 1998, Robertson’s responsibilities have included overseeing the organization’s media relations,community giving, team publications, website content and overall broadcasting efforts, along with the club’sNHL and local broadcast schedules. He also oversees communications efforts for all events at Xcel EnergyCenter along with the Saint Paul RiverCentre complex. He is the organization’s main spokesperson. In addition,Robertson plays a role in the club’s team marketing and corporate partner initiatives. He served as theorganization’s main liaison and led the strategic planning of the 2004 NHL All-Star Weekend events, World Cupof Hockey 2004 held in Saint Paul and the 2008 Lester Patrick Awards Banquet in St. Paul held in October.Robertson is involved in all aspects of the business planning and execution of these high-profile events, which showcased MSE, Xcel Energy Center and the Cityof Saint Paul on a national and international stage.Robertson, 47 (3/21/61), has played a major role in the inception of four professional sports franchises (Minnesota Timberwolves, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Swarm) and the opening of four major sporting venues – Target Center, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Edison International Fieldof Anaheim and Xcel Energy Center. He came to the Minnesota Wild from The Walt Disney Company, where he joined the organization in May of 1993 and oversawthe media relations efforts of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim during its inaugural season. Following Disney’s purchase of Major League Baseball’s CaliforniaAngels in 1996, his duties expanded to include the management of media relations, team publications and community relations for the Mighty Ducks andAngels. Prior to joining Disney, Robertson worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Target Center from 1989 to 1993.The 1983 speech communication graduate of California State University–Fullerton has received several distinguished media awards including the prestigious2005-06 Dick Dillman Award, given to the NHL’s top public relations staff. Robertson was also a recipient of the award four consecutive seasons in Anaheim(1994-97). In 2003, The Hockey News selected the Minnesota Wild as possessing the NHL’s best media relations department in its “The Best of Everything inHockey” issue. In 2000, Robertson was honored as one of the “100 People to Watch” in Minnesota by Minneapolis/Saint Paul Magazine and one of Twin CitesBusiness Journal’s “40 Under 40.” He also has twice been chosen to serve as media relations liaison for the U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s ice hockey teamsat both the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He also worked the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in LosAngeles, California as a media relations liaison.The Saint Paul native is active with several Minnesota-based philanthropic charities and serves on many local community committees. Robertson enjoys playinggolf and tennis in his spare time. He and his wife, Beth, have a son, Brett, and a daughter, Brooke. The family resides in Eagan, Minn.Team ManagementJamie SpencerVICE PRESIDENT, CUSTOMER SALES & SERVICEJamie Spencer enters his second season as Vice President, Customer Sales & Service for theMinnesota Wild. He joined the organization in June of 1997 and is the longest tenured employee.Spencer’s responsibilities include overseeing all Minnesota Wild Ticket Sales and Service.The Wild begin its ninth NHL season having sold out every home game in franchise history, posting321 consecutive contests (287 regular season, 21 preseason, 13 playoff), the longest currentstreak in the NHL. The total attendance for the Wild’s first seven seasons stands at 5,940,730.Minnesota ended the 2007-08 season with 16,500 season ticket holders and a waiting list ofmore than 7,500 people.Prior to joining the Wild, Spencer enjoyed a collegiate hockey career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as captain hissenior year. He then joined the professional ranks playing in the East Coast and American Hockey Leagues, within the Anaheim Mighty Ducksminor league system. He also represented the United States as a member of Team USA at the 1995 World Championships in Stockholm,Sweden.Spencer, 35 (8/11/73), is a member of the NHL Ticket Advisory Board. He has a passion for sports and spends a lot of his spare time at therink, teaching hockey to children of all ages. The University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate is a native of Indianapolis, Ind. He and his wife,Kindra, daughter, Emmy, and son, Levi, reside in Rosemount.14 2008-09 MINNESOTA WILD TEAM GUIDE 2008-09 MINNESOTA WILD TEAM GUIDE 15Table of contents Hockey Operations Wild THings The Players Team History Team Records Playoff History The NHL