Did The Wild (And Wolves) Just End Minnesota Sports Fans’ Endless Pity Party?

Fans of Minnesota's men's professional sports teams sure seem to enjoy feeling sorry for themselves.

Don't get me wrong, it's understandable. After all, there just hasn't been very much championship-level play around here for the better part of three decades.

Sure the Minnesota Wild made a surprise run to the conference finals in 2003 and the Timberwolves made a run to their conference final the next year. Until recently, that was all either franchise had to hang their hat on.

MINNESOTA SPORTS FUTILITY 

The Vikings famously have not even played in a Super Bowl for nearly 50 years, let alone won one, and the Twins set an all-time record for playoff futility before finally winning a playoff series in 2023, after which they promptly 'right-sized' their payroll and set all of their goodwill with fans on fire.

Simply put, outside of a fluke playoff run here or there there just hasn't been many solid reasons to 'believe' that a Minnesota team has a legitimate chance to win a title.

Heck, there is even a website that exists solely to chronicle all of the heartbreak surrounding Minnesota sports called "Whenesota." It's... a lot.

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN' 

However, that may have changed this season.

Is it enough to change Minnesota fans' doomer mindsets?

The Timberwolves made non-fluky runs to the Western Conference Finals each of the last two seasons and this year beat #3 seed Denver as the #6 seed in the first round, despite losing both star guards Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to long-term injuries early in the series.

After 34 years of the franchises' existence in which the Wolves had won a total of two playoff series, the Wolves have now won five series in the last three seasons with a chance for more still this season.

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars, also as the underdog, in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. It is the first series win for the Wild since 2015 and just the fifth playoff series win for team since its inception in 2000.

Most importantly, the Wild and Wolves were clearly the hunters in their first round matchups, dictating the pace and style of play as opposed to hanging on for dear life and hoping to eke by with wins.

POWER OF POSITIVITY 

Minnesota fans always seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe this spring is the one that changes all that and we start to -gasp- actually believe in our teams and fully get behind them.

A positive mindset can be a powerful thing!