Oct 19, 2022
A version of this article was first published on ZoneCoverage.com. It has been updated for time clarity.
By Joe Bouley (@JoeBou15)
On Sep. 20, 2018, the Iowa Wild were weeks away from commencing their sixth season in Des Moines. But that night, it wasn’t the AHL squad who packed Wells Fargo Arena to capacity. Those fans were there to take in an NHL preseason game featuring the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues.
Even if the Wild faithful wanted a better result than a 3-2 loss, the organization — including Iowa Wild President and Minnesota Wild VP of Marketing Todd Frederickson — were beaming with pride. The Wild’s AHL affiliate had just signed a new five-year lease extension with the building, and hosting a preseason NHL game was vindication for everyone involved. After years of grinding to put down roots in Iowa’s capital city, Des Moines was finally a Hockey Town.
“It literally felt like [a] celebration that hockey was going to work long-term in Des Moines,” Frederickson recalled. “I remember we all kinda sat back with a big smile on our face, and we said, ‘What a great hockey market Des Moines is, and it’s here, and it’s here to stay.’”
A record crowd of 14,282 poured into the Wells Fargo Arena, nestled in between downtown Des Moines and the Des Moines River. That figure remains the largest attendance for a hockey game in the state of Iowa.
Now, four seasons removed from that magical day, the Iowa Wild plan to pay tribute to all the hard work that led to this moment. This season marks the tenth anniversary of the Iowa Wild, and this season is one of the most highly anticipated in their history.
A HOCKEY LEGACY LEFT BEHIND
The Iowa Wild were created out of necessity. Things fell apart for the Wild’s AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros. Talks to renew the lease at the Toyota Center hit an impasse during the 2012-13 season. Les Alexander, the owner of the Houston Rockets, demanded a 550% rent increase as part of the negotiations. It’s a price that Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group of the Minnesota Wild, and the Aeros couldn’t pay and continue to operate competitively.
The Aeros went 40-36-5-5 that final year, losing to the Grand Rapids Griffins in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Ask those around the team, and they’ll tell you the tension of losing their home lingered all year.
“It was definitely a pretty unique…
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