Wild Fandom Builds As Team Breaks Records
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The State of Hockey is abuzz, as the Minnesota Wild have been red-hot lately.
Going into Thursday night's game against the New York Islanders, the Wild were riding an 11-game winning streak -- which is a franchise record.
And the Wild had won seven-straight home games, which tied a franchise record.
The Wild went on to beat the Islanders 6-4 Thursday night, extending their streak to 12-straight games.
Those streaks have fans believing that this year is different.
"Win or lose, we love the Wild," said a Wild fan in downtown St. Paul. "But now it's really great."
To know just how great, all you need to do is stop by Tom Reid's in St. Paul. These days, there is already a crowd four hours before game time.
"It feels different than it has the past couple years, where you've been slumping in December," said Wild fan Laine Herman. "It feels good to have a streak going in December of the winning kind, not the losing kind."
For Tom Reid himself, business is good at the pub and also in the broadcast booth, where he is an analyst for Wild games.
"Especially with the winning ways, too, it brings more people downtown to be a part of it," Reid said. "The team isn't just talking about, 'We want to be in the playoffs.' Of course that's the number-one issue. Now they're talking about winning a division title."
That goal also has fans on the power play. From first-timers to season-ticket holders, fans are hoping the energy at the X that they feel in December can last all the way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Wild's game on New Year's Eve will be a big one. They play the Columbus Blue Jackets at the X, a team that had won 14-straight games.
