"I remember going to games with my dad and parents when they had time," recalled Penkivech, a hockey player and official himself. "Now I get to go, mostly with Madelynn, sometimes with my dad and Madelynn, and just passing along that love of the game."
The North Stars wove an already deep hockey tradition in Minnesota even deeper. The Wild have continued to ingrain it within the culture of the state. The way that the Wild have embraced not only the history of the state's previous professional team but of the sport in Minnesota as a whole is what particularly strikes Penkivech as unique.
"The Wild do such a good job of staying with the history and tradition of the game in Minnesota," he explained. "They didn't sell out, per se, but they are defending the history and tradition and have kept that going, which as a North Stars fan I really enjoy."
Even more than he enjoys the game himself, Penkivech admits seeing it through his daughters' eyes each season is pretty special. Madelynn had a Wild-themed birthday party last summer, with a guest appearance from mascot Nordy.
"Now she thinks she has to have a Wild birthday party every year," Penkivech said with a laugh. "(Madelynn) loves it. (Goaltender Devan Dubnyk) is her favorite player -- which scares me a little bit because I don't want her to be a goalie -- but she's all about it. Whenever there's a game on TV, she's asking about it, and now she can recognize it and enjoys going to games when she can."
Penkivech adds that the family-friendly environment, complete with the HyVee First Wild Game puck and acknowledgement, makes every fan feel welcome. It nearly brings him back to his youth, attending North Stars and Wild games with his own parents.
"I'm now starting to understand why my parents got season tickets for us," he said. "I wouldn't change it for the world. The entire experience is just really cool, and I think it's great to have this to share with my daughters as they learn the game like I did."
