Every NHL team believes their city/state/province is the best of the best, and the Minnesota Wild are no different. However, for many in the state of Minnesota, the sport of hockey is a family tradition built into their culture. That’s been displayed more publicly in the last decade with “Hockey Day Minnesota”, a day typically in the month of January that showcases not only the Wild but nearly all levels of hockey in Minnesota in a different city throughout the state each year.
From little kids to NHL alumni, teams of different levels take the game outside and show the true hockey spirit in Minnesota. Three high school level games are televised outside and then they move inside for a college game followed by the Wild game to wrap it up. It may not be January but that won’t stop the Wild from having hockey in the summer. They’ve been talking about it for quite some time now and it’s nearly here; the “Crazy Game of Hockey” event will take place this coming weekend July 7 and 8, it looks like a lot of fun that’ll even include several Wild players like Matt Boldy.
Wild’s “Crazy Game of Hockey”
It was announced at the end of March that the Wild would be hosting a charity event called the “Crazy Game of Hockey” along with the band O.A.R. and Minnesota native and Grammy-nominated guitarist Cory Wong. It’s not just one big game of hockey but rather three events that will take place over two days. There will be an admission charge for each event but it will be going to a good cause.
Many may be wondering why on earth they would be hosting hockey in July but it’s to help advertise the newly formed Wild Alumni Association. While that will be the main focus, a certain amount of the proceeds will be going to another wonderful cause, the Minnesota Wild Foundation. For those who aren’t aware, the Minnesota Wild Foundation raises money to help support children’s medical-related charities as well as youth hockey associations from around the state and also supports Minnesota Hockey.
Wild’s 3 Events Broken Down
The first event will be at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis on Friday evening (July 7), hosted by Cory Wong and O.A.R’s Marc Roberge. It is a VIP exclusive event that’ll include a red carpet entrance, beverages, food, and entertainment by Natalie Friedman, Tigirlily Gold, and Yam Haus. Plus every fundraising event needs an auction and they’ll have both a silent and live auction.
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Saturday (July 8) is when the hockey-related fun begins with the “Crazy Game of Hockey” charity game in the early afternoon between “Team O.A.R.” and “Team Cory Wong”. The event will move to St. Paul at the Wild’s practice facility that’s also home to the Minnesota Whitecaps, TRIA Rink. It will be set up like a normal game with three 20-minute periods and two intermissions lasting 16 minutes. The fun part about this is who’s playing in each game from current and former Wild and NHL players to local celebrities and even some former Minnesota Vikings, Twins, and a former NBA player.
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The third and final event to wrap up a fun-filled weekend will head back to Minneapolis Saturday night and the famous Armory for a night of music. Cory Wong and O.A.R. will play a couple of sets and then bring on special guests to finish out the night. Now we’ll take a look at who will be playing in this game from NHL players to local celebrities.
Wild Celebrities to See
Now the part everyone has been waiting to see, who will be playing in this big “crazy” hockey game. There will be around 57 players and coaches combined and among them will be Wild players Ryan Hartman, Matt Boldy, Alex Goligoski, Jon Merrill, and Jared Spurgeon who will continue to fulfill a captain’s role but this time for Cory Wong’s team. Mason Shaw will also be in attendance but due to his ACL tear during the season, he will be coaching on the bench for O.A.R.’s team.
As far as current NHL players not tied to the Wild, they have a former Wild player, currently an unrestricted free agent, Alex Stalock, and a former Wild player, current New Jersey Devil, Erik Haula. Now to the list of Wild alumni who no longer play in the NHL; Darby Hendrickson, Ryan Carter (who’s one of the captains of O.A.R’S team), Kyle Brodziak, Wes Walz, Devan Dubnyk, Keith Ballard, Matt Cullen, Thomas Vanek, Niklas Bäckström, Nate Prosser (another captain on Cory Wong’s team), and finally the spin-o-rama master himself, Pierre-Marc Bouchard.
There are many other big names involved including former NHL players such as Mike Modano and Drew Stafford, NHL Network TV host and Minnesota native Jamie Hersch, former Twin Joe Mauer and USA Hockey’s Natalie Darwitz, Hilary Knight, and Hannah Brandt. Finally, Greg Ostertag who’s a former NBA player, and Randall McDaniel who’s a former Viking and NFL Hall of Famer will be on the bench as one of the coaches.
The Wild are a team that is deeply involved with the community around it and the entire state itself. This is just another of many events they have done over the years to get fans and players involved together. Hopefully, this event will be as successful as those in the past and maybe they’ll be able to make it a yearly tradition to bring the community together for hockey in the summer.
