It's been almost 32 years since a major Minnesota men's pro sports team competed in a final game or series with a championship on the line — let alone actually won one.
In Minnesota playoff drought, Wild's stumbles are most perplexing
A team that has plenty of advantages — or at worst a level ice sheet — has won just four playoff series in its history, a frustrating piece of Minnesota's collective struggle in major men's sports.
June 15, 2023 at 12:30AM
The 1991 Twins appear more distant in the rearview mirror every day, with the frustrations of more recent playoffs obscuring the collective view of Minnesota sports fans.
The Lynx championship dynasty of the 2010s stands on its own merit, but it does not wipe away the rest of what has happened.
The Vikings have lost four NFC title games since the Twins last won it all. The Wolves have won two playoff series in their entire existence. The Twins have lost 18 consecutive playoff games, a North American pro sports record.
But perhaps the most perplexing of all the local teams contributing to the men's sports playoff woes: the Wild, as I talked about on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast.
The Wild have been in the playoffs 13 times — more than half of their seasons since joining the NHL in 2000. But they have won just four playoff series, with two of them coming in their third season of existence. All-time in postseason games, the Wild are just 34-62.
What makes it perplexing is this: The NHL is perhaps the league in which a Minnesota team has the most inherent advantages, and it is the league with the most equitable salary system.
The Wild have been able to lure free agents like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter because they wanted to play here — something the Timberwolves have struggled to do.
They've had a strong fan base and attendance since their inception. How that hasn't translated into more playoff success is as surprising as it is disappointing.
It was all heightened Tuesday, of course, watching Vegas players hoist the Stanley Cup. They won a title in their sixth year of existence, having previously reached the finals in their very first year.
Success is happening everywhere, it seems, except here.
I still think the Wild have the potential to be great as they add more high-level players around Kirill Kaprizov and, after two more years, for the most part shed the baggage of the Parise and Suter buyouts.
Their best days better be ahead of them because it would be really disappointing to find out their best days had already happened.
Here are four more things to know today:
*The Twins are suddenly clutch? It was the four-run ninth inning on Tuesday, and in Wednesday's matinee against the Brewers it was three-straight two-out, run-scoring hits in a four-run third inning. Carlos Correa, with a homer Tuesday and two-run triple Wednesday, was in the middle of both rallies.
*It was fun to read La Velle E. Neal III's catch up with Luis Arraez in Chicago, even if Twins fans are terrified of what Arraez has been doing this season.
*Former Vikings WR Stefon Diggs was a participant in Bills minicamp practice Wednesday, a day after some internal drama made headlines. With Diggs, the smart guess is always that we haven't seen the end of the story yet.
*I'll probably do more on this tomorrow, but Karl-Anthony Towns was a guest on Patrick Beverley's podcast. Feel free to listen, but only after finishing Daily Delivery.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
