It wasn’t a memorable game by any stretch at Xcel Energy Center last night, as the Minnesota Wild dropped a 5-1 exhibition game to the St. Louis Blues. But it was noteworthy for one big reason: it was the first game in franchise history that wasn’t a sellout.
With a crowd of 16,219, the Wild had its consecutive sellout streak snapped at 409. It was the first non-sellout at any Wild game in franchise history including preseason, regular-season and postseason.
The Minnesota sporting landscape has changed since those early Wild days. With a spiffy arena and a competitive team, the Wild drew both the hardcore hockey fans and the bandwagoners. Now that the Twins have a new ballpark and the Vikings making a run last season, the Wild are arguably third in the market (and maybe fourth, behind Gopher hockey) — so it’s no surprise the sellout streak ended.
It’s a pretty amazing record, but it doesn’t come close to the NHL record: The Colorado Avalanche once sold out 487 consecutive games.
Sign up for the free weekly Arena Digest newsletter and keep up with the latest happenings! You can sign up here.
