Where do teams go when they’re looking to return to the postseason? Just a couple hours north of here, my friends, to a magical utopia called “Duluth.”
The Minnesota Wild will be up there starting Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon for a little retreat/team bonding with a week off between the final preseason game and the home opener on October 8. The boys will do some team building exercises, play a little golf and also hold two practices (closed to the general public) at AMSOIL Arena, home to the 2011 National Champion UMD Bulldogs. It’s also home to the 2010 Women’s National Champions, and up the road is Malosky Stadium, home to the 2010 Football National Champions.
That’s a lot of champions right there, but let’s face it, when you’re in Duluth, you just feel like a champion. And that has to be why the Wild is taking this retreat.
Last year, the Wild had a built in team bonding location in Finland, spending a full week there before opening up the season against Carolina. That included a visit to Sauna Island.
There is no Sauna Island in Duluth, but there is the Lakewalk along the shores of Lake Superior. So don’t be surprised if next week you see a group of about 25 guys in black and green warmup suits, walking along the Lakewalk, sipping malts from the Portland Malt Shoppe and gazing out at the splendor of the Lake and surrounding majesty.
Thanks for telling the masses where they can go to gawk at the Wild on their days off. The Wild are trying to get away from it all, let them.