Wild players sport Elks jerseys before game

Pair of Wild stars wear Elk River hockey jerseys before home game against the Colorado Avalanche

by Erik Nelson

Sports Reporter

Elk River received some representation on Thursday, April 4, before the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Wild center Joel Eriksson-Ek, along with Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, wore an Elk River jersey as the Wild players arrived to the arena before the game.

Wild left winger and former NHL Rookie of the Year Kirill Kaprizov also wore the same style of Elk River jersey as he walked in to Xcel Energy Center before the game. The jerseys were all part of the team’s annual “Skate for State” initiative that Wild does.

The jerseys didn’t give the players luck, though, as the Avalanche left St. Paul with a 5-2 win.

Wild eliminated from playoff contention for first time since 2020

The Wild (37-32-9) were eliminated from Stanley Cup playoffs contention after losing 5-2 to the Avalanche (49-24-6) on Tuesday, April 9, at Ball Arena in Denver. Minnesota didn’t qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2020 when the team was eliminated in the then COVID-19 era qualification round to the Vancouver Canucks three games to one. The Wild have three games remaining on its 2023-24 schedule before the team will turn its attention to the NHL Draft June 28-29 in Las Vegas.