As Wild fan favorites depart, Minnesota sports faithful hold out hope for future

There have been many more downs than ups, but fans continue to ride the rollercoaster that is Minnesota sports.

The buyouts of the Minnesota Wild’s former fan favorites Zach Parise and Ryan Suter breaks a loose promise to the State of Hockey. When they were signed to the team in 2012, the two star players were touted as the missing pieces to the championship puzzle.

As the Wild organization starts a new chapter without them, it’ll continue to work for its first Stanley Cup championship.

“As a Minnesota native I want it to happen and I think it’s going to … but it’s tough,” Chris Jahnke, of Minneapolis, said about the Wild winning a Stanley Cup.

Despite losing the stars, the team is still looking up. They’ll be heading back to the Xcel Energy Center after another playoff berth and will have an opportunity to bring back Kirill Kaprizov, the reigning winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy – given to the best performing rookie of the year.

The Minnesota Lynx — the most recent pro sports team from Minnesota to win a championship — are also creating some buzz in their current season. Heading into the Olympic break, the Lynx have a seven-game winning streak.

Minnesota sports historian and author Stew Thornley has paid closed attention to the ups and downs. Being able to count all of the state’s professional championships on his hands, Thornley says it’s hard to pinpoint the reasons for the lack of success but says he’s seen it happen when it’s least expected.

“I’ve watched sports a long time and followed specific teams a long time and have seen the surprises, and things just happen,” Thornley said.

Thornley also said the "ups and downs" of a team is all part of what sports is all about — and that hope is key for keeping that rollercoaster moving. We all just hope it moves towards more championships for the state.