With his eye-popping offensive numbers in the first fourth of this season, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is establishing himself as a marquee attraction in the NHL and is being mentioned in the conversation about league MVP. Following the team’s Wednesday morning skate in Buffalo, reporters asked the Wild coach what is fueling Kaprizov’s jump.
“He’s got such a passion for the game. He’s an elite talent that loves every part of it,” John Hynes said. “What I mean by that is he loves the game. He’s the first guy on, last guy off (the ice), great practice player, unbelievable physical condition, coachable, willing to get better and learn how he can do things better … and I think that combination is where you go from a really talented player in the league to possibly an elite, superstar type of player is when you have that type of a package. He certainly has that.”
In his first 20 games this season, Kaprizov has had multiple points in 12 of them, which leads the NHL.
Wild to honor Native American communities Friday
In recognition of the first Minnesotans and the vibrant Indigenous communities throughout the state, the Minnesota Wild will hold their annual Native American Heritage Day when they host the Chicago Blackhawks for a 1 p.m. game Friday.
Among the events planned around the Central Division battle will be an auction of Native American Heritage themed memorabilia, which will include new, unworn jerseys, locker room nameplates, baseball hats and mini helmets autographed by current members of the Wild. The Wild have partnered with the Prairie Island Indian Community for the game, which will feature members of the Minnesota Native American community leading the pregame “Let’s Play Hockey” cheer and a drum performance on the ice between periods. The team is also hosting a coat drive, where fans can bring winter clothes to the arena, which will then be donated to the American Indian Family Center.
Team officials have said there is no correlation between the event and the fact that the Wild are playing Chicago – one of a dwindling number of teams in American sports that still use an Indigenous nickname and imagery. The Blackhawks were founded in 1926 by Frederic McLaughlin, who had fought in World War I in a machine gun unit named after Black Hawk, a legendary war leader from the Sauk tribe in Illinois and Wisconsin in the 1800s. The team is thus named, and their logo is an image of Black Hawk.
While franchises like the Washington Redskins, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Indians have either changed their name (Washington is now the Commanders and Cleveland is now the Guardians) or dropped all Native imagery from their logos, the Blackhawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves are the only remaining members of the “big four” pro sports that maintain their Native American nicknames and imagery.
The name “Minnesota” is derived from the Dakota words “mni sota,” which mean “sky-tinted waters.”
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