Zach Parise grew up in Minnesota. He understands the frustration of sports fans in the Twin Cities.
That's why, he said, he can feel the desire fans have to watch one of the local teams make a deep run in the playoffs.
Now, as the Wild's opening-round series with the St. Louis Blues heads to St. Paul for Game 3, Parise hopes they can provide a reason for hope.
"I think so," Parise said when asked whether he can sense the fans' hunger to watch a winning team. "From all sports -- but hockey in particular.