IOWA WILD: TEN INCREDIBLE MOMENTS
Oct 13, 2022As the Iowa Wild enters its tenth season of hockey in Des Moines, the team will highlight significant moments from the previous decade while also looking forward to seasons to come.
Josh Fisher served as the Senior Director of Digital Content and Communications for the first five years of the Iowa Wild. He was instrumental in developing relationships with local media, building broadcasts, creating the foundation for published materials, and more. Josh knows the history of the club inside and out. Ahead of opening night, Josh reflects on some of the most significant Iowa Wild moments between 2013 and today.
By Josh Fisher
When the puck drops this October, it will mark the 10th season for the Iowa Wild in Des Moines. It’s a huge accomplishment and one that should not be overlooked or taken for granted. In honor of the lengthy and incredible run, I decided to go back and look at some of the bigger moments for the franchise. With that said, here are my top 10 moments in Iowa Wild history.
10. Chris Sutter’s Visit
Some of the best stories from the locker room involve family visits. Perhaps one of the best family visits was that of Chris Sutter in December of 2014. Chris, who suffers from Down syndrome, is the younger brother of former Wild center Brett Sutter. His stay in Des Moines could not have been more memorable. Brett scored twice that night in a 4-1 Iowa win over the San Antonio Rampage. Chris Sutter was the centerpiece of the celebration once the game ended. After winning a “dance off” in the locker room against assistant equipment manager Nathan Belliveau, he joined his older brother to speak with the media about the evening.
9. First Postgame Concert
In the club’s fourth season, the game promotions and marketing crew put on a show, literally. The team signed rising country artist “Cam” to perform in the first ever postgame concert on Jan. 16, 2016. It was a resounding hit with a new team attendance record (at the time) of 12,445 fans at Wells Fargo Arena. The Wild delivered a thrilling 2-1 OT victory over the visiting San Jose Barracuda. After the game, Cam put on a show of her own, beginning a tradition of excellent pregame and postgame music lineups.
8. Pink in The Rink – Sam’s Night
As I mentioned in the 10th spot, family visits are some of the best, and one of the most touching moments in Iowa history was Pink in the Rink 2017. On Feb. 11, 2017, 10,580 fans packed the arena for a night dedicated to breast cancer awareness. The evening belonged to the Anas family, as forward Sam Anas welcomed his mother and father for a weekend of games in Des Moines. More importantly, his mother Deme was a two-time survivor of breast cancer, and the game meant so much to the family as a remembrance of the battle she endured. Deme and fellow survivors were honored in a pregame ceremony. As part of the pregame festivities, each survivor participated in the pregame ceremonial faceoff.
When it came time for Deme, Captain Mike Weber stepped aside and Sam came off the bench for the puck drop, something that rarely happens for a rookie. But the moment was special, as Sam scooped up the puck to hand to his mother the two embraced. They exchanged an “I love you” and Sam said he would get one for her tonight. You can watch the puck drop in the video clip below.
Sure enough, with the Wild trailing midway through the second period, Sam scored the equalizer at the 12-minute mark. When he began his celebration he gave a point to his mother, as he knew where she was sitting. Hockey has a strange way of making the incredible happen in the real world. This is a night I will never forget.
7. Army’s 100th Win
While the franchise is entering year ten, Tim Army kicks off his fifth year in Des Moines. During his time, Army has been a consistent winner and developer on the Iowa bench. As a matter of fact, he is the architect of a lot of the big moments on this list. He is the winningest coach in team history and by far the longest tenured. No other coach had started a third season in Iowa prior to his arrival.
On November 27, 2021, Iowa edged the Henderson Silver Knights 2-1 in Las Vegas, giving Coach Army his 100th career win with Iowa.
6. Adding the Big Screen at Wells Fargo Arena
When the team took the ice in 2013, it was obvious that the original scoreboard, which was installed in 2005 when the building opened, was extremely outdated. For the first two years of Wild hockey, the big screen ran in standard definition. Yes, I said SD. The screen was significantly smaller and was in desperate need of a serious update. A new monster screen arrived in 2015, changing the atmosphere and viewing pleasure for Wild fans and all Wells Fargo Arena visitors. The board measures at 28 feet, 1 inch wide by 15 feet, 7 inches tall and a “curved” screen for easier corner viewing.
The Wild have always worked with a high-end video production company. Originally called DPD Productions, the company was purchased by Trilix and has offices directly across the street from Wells Fargo Arena. The big screen allowed everyone to see the extreme talent of the Trilix production crew, from video head shots to amazing opening videos, it was all in 1080 HD and crystal clear. Even better, fans could now see game action, replays, highlights, and more!
5. Securing the First Winning Season in Team History
Once you get into the top five, it gets tougher to figure out the order and it could be shuffled in a few directions, except for the top two picks. Though the team struggled to find success on the ice in the first few years, the Iowa Wild found their footing in season four, posting the first winning record in team history.
The 2016-17 season gave fans a taste of what was to come with the club heading in the right direction. With Derek Lalonde behind the bench, Iowa finished five games above .500 at 36-31-7-2. Unfortunately, the team missed the playoffs by a nose and Wild fans would be forced to wait a little longer for the postseason.
4. Clinching the First Playoff Spot in Team History
In 2018-19, the team was looking to build off the previous success of the past two years, but a playoff spot seemed to be the only thing Wild fans really yearned for. After back-to-back seasons with a record above .500 and failing to qualify, Tim Army was named head coach, and Iowa secured the first playoff appearance for the franchise in 2018-19. Army’s club posted a team record 37 wins and 87 points, and more importantly, the team clinched its first ever Calder Cup playoff appearance. Which gets us to moment #3.
3. Winning a Playoff Series
I think the trend is obvious. The gains on the ice were coming together and the team was ready for the next step. After becoming the first group in team history to clinch a playoff spot, the 2018-19 squad took it a step further. Iowa claimed the No. 3 seed with a first-round matchup against the Milwaukee Admirals, who finished just one point ahead of Iowa in the regular season.
The Wild blasted Milwaukee in Game 1, scoring seven goals and posting a shutout behind a 29-save performance by Andrew Hammond. Game 2 was almost more of the same with Iowa continuing its hot play and taking a 2-0 series lead after a 6-1 victory. Then Milwaukee turned the tide, taking the next two games at UW Milwaukee Arena and forcing a pivotal Game 5 at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa hunkered down at home and claimed a 2-1 victory, securing the first playoff series win in team history. The run came to an end when Iowa was ousted by the Chicago Wolves in a six-game second round series. Wild fans have seen the playoffs one time in the team’s tenure and they are clamoring for more hockey come springtime.
2. NHL Preseason Game
This is serious kudos to the entire Minnesota Wild organization from Saint Paul to Des Moines. A big shoutout to Iowa Wild President Todd Frederickson and VP of Business Operations Allie (Brown) Korinek for spearheading the effort to set up the first NHL game to be played in the state of Iowa. For years, pieces were put in place to eventually one day get the Minnesota Wild to play an NHL preseason game in Des Moines. That day came to fruition on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The Wild hosted the St. Louis Blues, falling 3-2 in front of 14,282 fans, the largest crowd to witness a hockey game in the state of Iowa.
1. First Game in Team History
We all know hockey is the consummate team sport. With that said, Frederickson crafted a special front office group for the inaugural season. The group had little time to pull off the transition of the franchise from Houston to Des Moines. The franchise was announced with a press conference in Des Moines on April 21, 2013. Opening Night was scheduled for October 12th, leaving just over four full months to complete the task. That all but eliminated any buffer of time to get organized and prepared to launch a season, let alone a franchise. BUT THEY PULLED IT OFF, and hockey has never been better in Des Moines because of it.
10,213 fans packed Wells Fargo Arena that night and the Wild treated them to a 1-0 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Barons. The lone goal was scored by Brett Bulmer and goalie Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves for the shutout.
That front office group was special, and after 10 years they can all look back and be proud of starting it from the ground up. It was everything from forging a fan base and building a team, to creating a culture within its new community. I know I am proud, and I always will be.
We can all look forward to hockey living in Des Moines for a long, long time. 10 years down and so many more to go.