For Minnesota hockey fans, the phrase “State of Hockey” feels like it has always been there. But the nickname actually traces back to a Minnesota Wild marketing campaign in the team’s first NHL season, 2000-01, when the franchise was trying to reintroduce top-level hockey to the state after the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993.
That campaign stuck, and over time it grew into something bigger than a slogan. It became a shorthand for the way hockey runs through Minnesota at every level, from youth rinks to high school tournaments to college arenas and beyond.
The roots of that identity go back well before the Wild arrived. Minnesota’s first organized hockey game at the university level was played against Winnipeg in February 1895, and the sport kept building from there.
Today, the state produces the most hockey players for USA Hockey and the most NHL players, including some who have worn a Wild sweater. Minnesotans show up in force for the game across the board, whether it’s high school, college, pro women’s hockey, or the NHL.
That’s why the Wild’s use of “State of Hockey” never felt like a stretch. The numbers around the sport in Minnesota back it up, too. The Minnesota men’s high school hockey tournament drew over 135,000 attendees in 2015, and the state’s five Division 1 men’s college teams regularly rank among the NCAA’s highest-attended programs.
The Wild have kept the nickname alive long after that original campaign ended. It has shown up in team marketing and advertising through the years, including during the 20th- and 25th-anniversary seasons. The phrase has also become part of the way players talk about Minnesota itself, not just the team.
The club still maintains traditions tied to the nickname, including the State of Hockey flag and the State of Hockey anthem. What began as a branding idea has settled into the state’s hockey identity, and as long as the sport remains central in Minnesota, the State of Hockey label looks built to stay.
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Wild Just Lost Two More Pieces Of Its Draft Pipeline
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Carson Lambos Suddenly Faces A Defining Season With The Wild
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The challenge now is that Minnesota has layered in more left-side competition, giving the 2021 first-round pick a tougher climb than he has had before. Lambos has shown some progress in the minors, but with veteran presence and other prospects in the mix, this season feels like a real test of whether he can force his way into a full-time role rather than keep waiting for the opening to come to him. [Read more 🡒]