Save for a minor-league game a few years back in Texas, Keenum said the Wild's
6-2 win
against the Buffalo Sabres was the first time he's watched a hockey game live.
"Little to none, if I'm being honest," Keenum said of his exposure to hockey as a kid. "My dad was a football coach, grew up a football family and we put on a different kind of pads. But this is impressive to watch; it's been a lot of fun."
If the smile on his face was any indication, Keenum may become a regular at Xcel Energy Center.
"It's great. It's fast, those guys are fast on the ice," Keenum said. "It's faster than I can even watch. I look away one second and the first goal is already going on."
Keenum, in the midst of an MVP-caliber season as the Vikings signal caller, said he got the same sense watching the Wild on Thursday as he did growing up ensconced in the football culture in Texas.
While the sports are very different, hockey in Minnesota and football in Texas are each time-honored traditions to the people who live there.
"They know football and hockey," Keenum said. "They've surpassed my expectations with all of it. But they definitely love their hockey, that's for sure."
Keenum and Rudolph had to be impressed with the loud "Skol!" chant that broke out midway through the third period, a chant Vikings fans began at U.S. Bank Stadium when it opened and have taken with them to numerous stadiums around the NFL this season.
