| The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice
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| | the accident. To date, this remains the
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| hockey team based in Saint Paul,
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| | first and only death in NHL history
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| Minnesota. They play in the National
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| | resulting from an on-ice injury. The
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| Hockey League (NHL).
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| | North Stars retired his jersey, and later
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| Franchise history 2000-01 — The
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| | that year hockey writers established the
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| Minnesota Wild pick Marian Gaborik #3 in
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| | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which
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| Round 1 of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
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| | would be given annually to a player who
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| 2001-02 — The Wild would get off to a
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| | best exemplifies the qualities of
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| strong start by getting at least 1 point
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| | perseverence, sportsmanship and
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| in their first 7 games. However the Wild
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| | dedication to hockey.
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| would come back to earth and would finish
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| | By the mid-Seventies, with Worsley and
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| in last place again with a record of
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| | Harris retired, the North Stars had
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| 26-35-12-9. However, along the way their
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| | fallen on hard times, perennially
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| were signs the Wild were improving as 2nd
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| | attaining poor records and usually
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| year speedster Marian Gaborik had a solid
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| | finishing out of the playoffs. However,
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| season with 30 goals and Andrew Brunette
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| | in 1978 the struggling team was bought by
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| led the team in scoring with 69 points.
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| | the owners of the NHL Cleveland Barons,
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| 2002-03 — The Wild, in their first ever
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| | who were permitted to merge the two teams
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| playoff appearance, make it all the way
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| | in an unprecedented arrangement. A few
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| to the Western Conference Finals before
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| | skilled players -- notably goaltender
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| being swept 4-0 by the Mighty Ducks of
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| | Gilles Meloche and forwards Al MacAdam
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| Anaheim. Previously, the Wild had beaten
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| | and Mike Fidler -- bolstered the
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| the heavily favored and third seeded
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| | Minnesota lineup. Furthermore, Minnesota
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| Colorado Avalanche in the first round in
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| | had drafted Bobby Smith who would go on
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| seven games, coming down from a 3-1
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| | to win the Calder Trophy that year. With
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| series deficit and winning both Game 6
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| | the additions of fine new players such as
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| and 7 in overtime. Andrew Brunette scored
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| | Minnesota native and ex-1980 Olympian
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| the series clincher. In the Western
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| | Neal Broten and sniper Dino Ciccarelli,
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| Conference Semi-finals, the Wild beat the
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| | the North Stars had five straight winning
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| fourth seeded Vancouver Canucks, again in
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| | seasons starting in 1979-1980 and reached
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| seven games, and again after being down
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| | the Stanley Cup finals in 1980-81.
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| 3-1 in the series. In the process, the
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| | Thereafter, success would elude the North
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| Wild became the first team in playoff
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| | Stars. After 1984 the franchise would
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| history to capture a seven game series
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| | only have one more winning season in
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| twice after facing elimination during
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| | Minnesota before the move to Dallas.
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| Game 5.
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| | While the Nineties saw the franchise
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| 2003-04 — Coming off a trip to the
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| | draft what would turn out to be their
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| Western Conference Finals there was an
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| | greatest player -- forward Mike Modano --
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| air of optimism. However as the season
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| | chronic attendance problems spurred the
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| started the Wild were short-handed with
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| | owners to threaten to move the club to
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| Pascal Dupuis and Marian Gaborik holding
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| | the San Francisco area which went against
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| out. After struggling in the first month
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| | the league's wishes.
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| the Wild finally got their two young
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| | A compromise was implemented for the
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| stars signed but both struggled to get
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| | 1990-1991 season whereby the Barons-North
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| back into game shape as the Wild
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| | Stars merger would be dissolved, and the
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| struggled through much of November. In a
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| | then-current owners would receive players
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| deep hole the Wild could not climb back
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| | via a dispersal draft for the expansion
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| into the playoffs despite finishing the
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| | San Jose Sharks). A new ownership team
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| season strong with wins in 5 of their
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| | took over in Minnesota led by a man who
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| last 6 games as they finished last in the
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| | would become notorious in the annals of
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| competitive Northwest Division with a
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| | Minnesota hockey, Canadian shopping mall
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| record of 30-29-20-3. Along the way the
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| | developer Norman Green.
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| Wild began to gear up for the future
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| | In that 1991 season, despite a losing
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| trading away several of their older
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| | record in the regular season, the North
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| players that were apart of the franchise
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| | Stars made it to the Stanley Cup finals.
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| from the beginning including Brad
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| | They knocked off the arch-rival Chicago
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| Bombardir, and Jim Dowd.
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| | Blackhawks in six games, the St. Louis
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| 2004/05 — Season cancelled due to
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| | Blues in five games and the defending
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| lockout.
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| | Stanley Cup Champion Edmonton Oilers in
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| 2005-06 — Finish, again, dead last in
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| | five games. The team fought hard against
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| Northwest Division; but along the way
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| | the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins
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| Gaborik sets new franchise record for
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| | led by Mario Lemieux. They won two out of
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| goals (37) and Brian Rolston sets highest
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| | the first three contests before being
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| point total by a "Wildman" (79).
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| | obliterated 8-0 in Game 6 of the
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| The Minnesota North Stars were a team in
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| | best-of-seven series. It was the most
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| the National Hockey League between 1967
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| | one-sided defeat in a deciding game of
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| and 1993. In the fall of 1993, the
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| | the Stanley Cup Finals since the Ottawa
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| franchise moved to Dallas, Texas, where
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| | Silver Seven defeated the Dawson City
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| it is now known as the Dallas Stars. The
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| | Nuggets 23-2 in 1905.
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| team's colors (for most of their history)
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| | The shocking loss seemed to let the air
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| were green, gold and white.
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| | out of the franchise for good. Owner
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| In the 1967-1968 season the NHL expanded
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| | Green's mercurial personality and
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| from its long-time base of six teams
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| | mounting financial and legal problems
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| (that is commonly referred to as the
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| | also began to grate on the area's fan
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| Original 6 era) to twelve teams.
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| | base. Local support for the franchise
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| Minnesota was a well-known hockey hotbed
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| | rapidly dwindled. Finally, with his
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| and was a natural site for a franchise.
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| | northern mall empire threatening to fall
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| The Minnesota North Stars played their
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| | into receivership and a sexual harassment
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| home games in the new Metropolitan Sports
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| | lawsuit against him working its way
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| Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. Behind
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| | through the Minnesota court system, Green
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| a skilled management team, the North
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| | demanded concessions for his team that
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| Stars had respectable success in the
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| | the area and state were unwilling to
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| early years, prospering behind
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| | give, so he moved the team to Dallas,
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| goaltending duo Lorne "Gump" Worsley and
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| | Texas, in the fall of 1993.
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| Cesare Maniago. Defenseman Ted Harris was
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| | Departure to Dallas When the Dallas Stars
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| the North Stars captain. The first Stars
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| | won the 1999 Stanley Cup, their official
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| team also included high-scoring winger
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| | video "Nothing Else Matters" not only
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| Bill Goldsworthy and other quality
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| | included their past seasons'
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| players such as Barry Gibbs, Jude Drouin,
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| | disappointments, but also paid tribute to
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| J.P. Parise, Danny Grant and Dennis
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| | the North Stars' 1991 run to the final,
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| Hextall.
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| | of which Mike Modano, Derian Hatcher,
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| Early in their first season the North
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| | Richard Matvichuk, and Bob Gainey had
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| Stars suffered a terrible tragedy. On
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| | been part.
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| January 13, 1968, forward Bill Masterton
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| | In the next wave of NHL expansion the
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| suffered a fatal injury during a game
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| | Twin Cities were granted a new franchise,
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| against the Oakland Seals. After getting
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| | the Minnesota Wild, which began play in
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| hit by Seals forward Ron Harris,
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| | the 2000-01 season.
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| Masterton (who was not wearing a helmet)
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| | As of the 2005-06 season, Modano, Hatcher
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| fell backwards, hitting the back of his
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| | and Matvichuk are the last active North
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| head on the ice. He never regained
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| | Stars. Mike Modano is the only remaining
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| consciousness and died on January 15,
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| | player that has been with the team since
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| 1968, at the age of 30, two days after
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| | the team was in Minnesota.
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