On November 4 when it faces the Nashville Predators at Grand Casino Arena, the team will don its 25th anniversary jersey for the second of four times this season and celebrate the Wild’s all-time leading scorer, Mikko Koivu, with a limited edition bobblehead. Former Wild players, Niklas Backstrom, Devan Dubnyk and Josh Harding will be in attendance taking part in the celebration of 25 seasons.
Koivu spent 15 years in Minnesota (2005-20), collecting a total of 709 points (205-504=709), 60 power-play goals, 33 game-winning goals and a plus-70 rating in 1,028 games. He ranks first all-time in franchise history in points, assists and games played, second in goals and third in power-play goals and game-winning goals. He was named Minnesota’s first permanent captain in 2009 and remains the only player to have his number retired by the franchise.
Backstrom spent nine seasons with Minnesota (2006-15) and collected 194 wins, 28 shutouts, a 2.48 GAA and a .915 SV% in 409 career games (391 starts). He is Minnesota’s all-time leader in wins, shutouts, and games played among goaltenders. Backstrom’s eight shutouts during the 2008-09 season is a franchise record and his 37 wins is the second-highest single-season total among Wild goaltenders. He teamed up with Manny Fernandez to win the William M. Jennings Award in 2007 as the Wild allowed the fewest goals against in the NHL. Backstrom was also a finalist for Vezina Trophy in 2009.
Dubnyk collected a 177-113-27 record, 23 shutouts, a 2.41 GAA and a .918 SV% in 328 games (321 starts) over a span of six seasons with Minnesota (2014-20). He ranks second all-time in Wild history in wins, shootouts and games played among goaltenders. One night after being acquired by the Wild in a trade with Arizona on Jan. 14, 2015, Dubnyk stopped all 18 shots faced in a 7-0 win at Buffalo. He would go on to post a 27-9-2 record with a 1.78 GAA, a .936 SV% and five shutouts in 39 games with Minnesota in 2014-15 and help the Wild quality for the Stanley Cup playoffs after an 18-19-5 start. His 40 wins in the 2016-17 season remain the most in team history for a single season. He recorded five shutouts in a season four times with the Wild, T-2nd most in team history. Dubnyk was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2015 and the recipient of the 2015 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Harding spent eight seasons with Minnesota (2005-14), collecting a record of 60-59-11 with 10 shutouts, a 2.45 GAA and a .918 SV% in 151 career games (124 starts). He ranks sixth among Wild goaltenders in games played and shutouts and is seventh in wins. His 1.66 GAA during the 2013-14 season is the lowest single-season total in franchise history (Min. 25 games played). He also posted a career-high in wins (18) and shutouts (3) in the same season. Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November of 2012. In his final season in the NHL in 2013-14, he went 18-7-3 with a 1.66 GAA, a .933 SV% and three shutouts and was the named the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Fans who purchase a special 25th Anniversary Bobblehead ticket will receive a Mikko Koivu bobblehead and have the opportunity to get an autograph from Backstrom, Dubnyk and Harding at a special pre-game signing. Tickets for the limited edition 25th Anniversary Bobblehead ticket pack and autograph opportunity can be purchased here.
