MINNEAPOLIS -- For years, he electrified crowds in the Twin Cities, luring national intrigue to the frozen North and lending a dose of legitimacy to a populace that often bristles at the flyover-country slights tossed its way from the coasts. He was honored with a league MVP at 27, during his finest season. He talked of playing his whole career in Minnesota, and he gave fans hope that he could deliver a long-awaited championship to a state that has been starving for one since the 1991 World Series.
Yet, but for one brush with the potential of a conference title, and a few one-and-done playoff exits, he never got to the promised land.