Wild fans played critical role in memorable comeback win

ST. PAUL -- Bally Sports North broadcaster and former Wild forward Wes Walz harkened immediately back to some of the best games from the team's early days when he saw the inside of Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets.
Seeing fans four or five people deep around the Wild's end of the rink during warmups was reminiscent of some of the first games at home in team history, like Opening Night in 2000 against the Philadelphia Flyers or the first time the Dallas Stars came to town that December.

There was a buzz inside the arena that hasn't been seen in many years, from warmups right through Joel Eriksson Ek's winning goal in overtime as the Wild rallied from two goals down in the third period in a 6-5 victory.
"There energy in there was unbelievable," Walz said. "That was as good as I can remember it."
For sure, a nearly two-year absence had Wild fans itching for a full barn in downtown St. Paul, which was essentially empty until the very end of last season. By the time the playoffs rolled around, 3,000 people were allowed inside the building.
On Tuesday, the Wild welcomed more than 18,000 fans into Xcel Energy Center for the first time since March 3, 2020 ... and it didn't take long for them to make their presence felt.

"We wanted to win the first one at home and give our fans something to cheer about because it's been a long time without them. Nothing better than picking right back up with a rivalry with Winnipeg," said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. "It's a lot of fun these games playing against rivals and it's just nice to have that back."
While there was a rise in the intensity level as last season wore on, and the Wild repeatedly played games against non-traditional rivals like Los Angeles and Anaheim, there was a question on just how long it would take Minnesota and Winnipeg to find that old level of animosity that was a hallmark of this rivalry since the Atlanta Thrashers moved north of the border a decade ago.
As it turned out: not much. And Wild fans played a critical role in that.

"The crowd was absolutely incredible," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "Like in the third period, we all got goosebumps the way they stood up in unison at one point during a timeout and cheered. It gave us a boost, it gave us a kick at the end to go forward and our guys appreciated it. We appreciated it.
"It's so exciting to have fans back, the whole league, the whole world is excited to have people back in stadiums but our fans were absolutely phenomenal."

The hope now is that the excitement of that game can carry forward as the Wild embarks on games two and three of the home schedule this weekend, when it hosts the Ducks on Saturday and another traditional Central rival, the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
Puck drop for both games is 5 p.m. and
tickets for each game are still available
. There's even a
season kickoff party beginning at 1 p.m.
at Herbie's On The Park and Rice Park, adjacent to Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul on Saturday.
"I know that they're excited about our group and it's funny that our group's kind of transformed into kind of an exciting group that plays the game," Evason said. "I think our fans are excited to watch us.
"Our guys are excited to be playing in front of them. I know a lot of stuff has been made about the crowd, but it's legit. The energy that was in that building helped us."
Related:
- Single-game tickets available now - Wild, Herbie's, Downtown Alliance to host Season Kickoff Party