Minnesota Wild Mount Rushmore

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Anaheim Teemu Selanne Paul Kariya Ryan Getzlaf J-S Giguere	ARI/WPG Shane Doan Dale Hawerchuk Keith Tkachuk Teemu Selanne	Boston Bobby Orr Ray Bourque Eddie Shore Phil Esposito
Buffalo Dominik Hasek Gilbert Perreault Ryan Miller Pat LaFontaine	Calgary Jarome Iginla Al MacInnis Lanny McDonald Miikka Kiprusoff	CAR/HAR Ron Francis Rod Brind'Amour Eric Staal Cam Ward
Chicago Stan Mikita Bobby Hull Tony Esposito Patrick Kane	COL/QUE Joe Sakic Peter Forsberg Patrick Roy Peter Stastny	Columbus Rick Nash Sergei Bobrovsky Zach Werenski Cam Atkinson
DAL/MIN Mike Modano Sergei Zubov Jere Lehtinen Ed Belfour	Detroit Gordie Howe Steve Yzerman Nicklas Lidstrom Ted Lindsay	Edmonton Wayne Gretzky Mark Messier Paul Coffey Connor McDavid
Florida Aleksander Barkov Roberto Luongo Pavel Bure Jonathan Huberdeau	Los Angeles Marcel Dionne Wayne Gretzky Luc Robitaille Anze Kopitar

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[x Tame Impala]

Kaprizov should get zero votes

 

[jetsforever]

Suter, Koivu, Gaborik, and I want to say... Clutterbuck?

 

[AKL]

Kaprizov should get zero votes

Best player to ever put on the jersey is worth something

 

[Bouboumaster]

Koivu, Gaborik and Suter/Parise (At one point, Parise will be replaced but for now, he is on)

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

First 3 are pretty easy. My would-be 4th pick isn't on the board.

Gaborik - first best/most talented player
Koivu - tenure, captain, career records, etc...
Kaprizov - best/most talented player, season scoring records
Brunette - biggest goal in franchise history

Since no Brunette, I'd probably go with Suter for 4th. Top 10 player at his position during his time with us, Norris nomination.

 

[Regal]

Gaborik, Koivu and Suter seem fairly straightforward. Ended up with Kaprizov for the best player to play (like Panarin with Columbus).

I feel like Spurgeon deserves a shoutout though.
I think he’s a lot closer to Suter for best defenseman in franchise history than a lot of people think and could maybe be an option here instead given he’s played longer for the team and at this point only played for them. I think he’s a much better option than Parise and Backstrom as well. He’s played more games, more seasons and has a higher average level of play than either. I think they’re getting votes on name recognition. Spurgeon has 329 more games played for the team than Parise, and is only 50 points behind him on the all time team scoring list, while being a very good all around defenseman.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Koivu/Gaborik/Suter are automatic.

I went with Kaprizov over Parise and Backstrom. It's pretty simple, Kaprizov is a way better player and we will still be talking about him years/decades from now. Nobody is going to be talking about Parise's years with the Wild other than to note the infamous contract.

 

[AKL]

First 3 are pretty easy. My would-be 4th pick isn't on the board.

Gaborik - first best/most talented player
Koivu - tenure, captain, career records, etc...
Kaprizov - best/most talented player, season scoring records
Brunette - biggest goal in franchise history

Since no Brunette, I'd probably go with Suter for 4th. Top 10 player at his position during his time with us, Norris nomination.

I like the Brunette pick, didn't even consider that, just went Backstrom cause he was right there, but I'm not tied to him being up there.

I think with the way things ended, Suter-Parise are disqualified from being here. It'll be interesting to see what franchises they identify with when it's all said and done.

 

[KevinRedkey]

People are forgetting how good Backstrom was.

 

[Regal]

People are forgetting how good Backstrom was.

He really wasn’t that good. Had three high save percentage years behind a good defensive team, and pretty average numbers after that. Was never all that impressive visually either.

 

[dirtydanglez]

slim pickings. koivu and gaborik i guess.

 

[KevinRedkey]

He really wasn’t that good. Had three high save percentage years behind a good defensive team, and pretty average numbers after that. Was never all that impressive visually either.

He was top-10 in Vezina voting on 4 different occasions, and had a .916 or better five times out of only 7yrs where he could be considered the starter.

How many other Wild players can claim they did something similar exactly?

 

[Mr Kot]

I might be reaching with him, but I think I put Backstrom there simply because he just completely stoned the oilers everytime they played.

 

[biturbo19]

Gaborik, Koivu, and Backstrom are pretty easy. That last spot is a bit tricky.

Suter was good there for a lot of years, but he's still very split with the Preds Rushmore. I still kind of thing of him as a Predator, first and foremost. I actually went ham and decided Kaprizov probably deserves that final spot.

It's tough because it's barely been a minute, but it feels like Kaprizov is on pace to potentially become the best offensive player in franchise history. If he stays with the Wild for an extended stretch, i don't think there's any way you can keep him off there. But it's definitely a "projection" pick.


I also weirdly thought about voting for Pavol Demitra here. Which isn't even an option, and doesn't really make sense. But for whatever reason, i associate him with the Wild.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Gaborik, Koivu, and Backstrom are pretty easy. That last spot is a bit tricky.

Suter was good there for a lot of years, but he's still very split with the Preds Rushmore. I still kind of thing of him as a Predator, first and foremost. I actually went ham and decided Kaprizov probably deserves that final spot.

It's tough because it's barely been a minute, but it feels like Kaprizov is on pace to potentially become the best offensive player in franchise history. If he stays with the Wild for an extended stretch, i don't think there's any way you can keep him off there. But it's definitely a "projection" pick.


I also weirdly thought about voting for Pavol Demitra here. Which isn't even an option, and doesn't really make sense. But for whatever reason, i associate him with the Wild.

It's not even a projection pick. He has the season records for goals, assists and points. He's our only major award winner (even though it's just the Calder). It's not like we have a 50 year history with Cup winners and MVPs that we have to sift through. He was as easy of a pick for me as Koivu and Gaborik were.

 

[biturbo19]

It's not even a projection pick. He has the season records for goals, assists and points. He's our only major award winner (even though it's just the Calder). It's not like we have a 50 year history with Cup winners and MVPs that we have to sift through. He was as easy of a pick for me as Koivu and Gaborik were.

Fair enough. It's just hard to go with him, when he's only played...a couple seasons with the team. Who knows where the rest of his career with be.

 

[Boreal01]

Koivu, Gaborik, Dubnyk, Spurgeon

 

[Ratelleitlikeitis]

Koivu, Gaborik, Suter and Parise. Parise because he scored 200 goals in nine seasons for the team. He served as an alternate captain and he had a Minnesota connection with his dad JP ( although he was a North Star). I felt the longevity offset any early career stages of greatness. For me it's hard to carve a face after three seasons.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

3 out of 4 isn't bad I guess.

 

[biturbo19]

Koivu, Gaborik, Suter and Parise. Parise because he scored 200 goals in nine seasons for the team. He served as an alternate captain and he had a Minnesota connection with his dad JP ( although he was a North Star). I felt the longevity offset any early career stages of greatness. For me it's hard to carve a face after three seasons.

It feels to me as a non-Wild fan at least, like Parise's "legacy" with the team is kind of tainted by all of the "contract stuff" hanging over him. Does that whole situation not kind of poison the attitude towards him there, given how sour it went toward the end, and the lasting repercussions? Or does the "homecoming" free agent aspect still carry enough positive weight to offset that?


Parise and Suter are definitely significant players in the Wild's history. A pretty pivotal moment for the franchise...which i suppose makes for "Rushmore material", but it still feels a bit of a mixed bag. Too soon? Perhaps somewhere down the line, that will feel more right? When they're not still being hammered with the consequences of that whole summer. Though obviously at that point...Kaprizov will have probably cemented himself a place there, if he stays with Minnesota. Making those Rushmore spots more scarce.

 

[innitfam]

Koivu and Gaborik are obvious automatics

Kaprizov only has 2 years but he is up there IMO

I picked Spurgeon as the 4th as I agree with others that the buyouts negatively affect Parise and Suter's standing

 

[Gurglesons]

Koivu, Gaborik, Backstrom, Spurgeron

 

[Kranix]

Where's Brunette and Ronning

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Gaborik, Koivu, Kaprizov were pretty easy. Went Backstrom 4th.