Ducks Gameday: Minnesota Gets Their Pity-Game

Nineteen teams have had the honor of playing an outdoor game, and none of those 19 are the Minnesota Wild. Despite this, Wild fans are pretty self-satisfied with the fact that the NHL had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and give in to their tantrums, and are planning an outdoor game in 2016 for Minnesota.

Congratulations, Minnesota! You did it!

... After these teams did it first:

Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Calgary Flames
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals

Minnesota has the honor of being taken less seriously by the league than all 19 of these teams, and rightfully so. I'd take any combination of these 19 teams in a game over Minnesota and any other team. Buffalo and Edmonton? Hilarious; bring it on! Anaheim and San Jose? Another great excuse to showcase California's domination of the sport.

But Minnesota and and the Blackhawks come February 21st, 2016?

Well, Minnesota should just be thankful that Chicago is participating, so that people might actually tune in. But at least the outdoor experience will be fun for them, right?

What's the weather like in Minnesota in February, anyway?

Oh... oh my. Yes, that's definitely worth pretending that this game is something fun to struggle through, Minnesota!

Enjoy your Participation Trophy from the league, Wild fans! You did it! You exist!

I wonder what watchable games will be on that day...

Gameday

Ducks @ Wild

Friday, Mar 13, 2015, 5:00 PM PDT

Xcel Energy Center

Prediction

Bruce Broudreau juggles some lines.