The Winter Classic appeared to be a double-edged sword for the Minnesota Wild. You finally get the hockey world to stop and look at your team that has been impressive the last two seasons, and take in the local weather and acknowledge how significant a market the State of Hockey is — but then you have to actually put a good performance in on the ice.
The Wild did not do that last night.
It’s easy to toss it up as a missed opportunity due to multiple factors. Whether you want to blame the absence of Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, and Joel Eriksson Ek — essentially the spine of the Wild’s entire system — or you can blame the weather, or you can even blame the fact that before the outdoor game, the Wild haven’t played in over a week due to postponements and the extended holiday break.