It seems like a forgone conclusion that Minnesota will be getting an outdoor game in the not-too-distant future -- Winter Classic or Stadium Series remains to be seen -- but there is some discrepancy about who the Wild would be hosting.
From the Minnesota Star-Tribune:
The Wild continues its quest to host a Winter Classic. But there are plans to bring a stadium-series game to Minnesota as soon as next season.
The Wild wants the opponent to be the Blackhawks, but the NHL is pushing the Dallas Stars as the opponent. If the game happens, it looks as if it will be played at Target Field.
The Dallas connection certainly gives the game a “hook” with the history between the two organizations. The North Stars left Minnesota in 1993 when then-owner Norm Green controversially relocated the team to Dallas, and it would be seven seasons before NHL hockey returned in 2000, with the expansion Wild.
That inaugural season, the Wild scored one of the most memorable wins in franchise history by waxing Dallas 6-0 in the Stars’ return to Minnesota.
From an alumni perspective, the Minnesota-Dallas matchup would wield plenty of storylines, and would give fans a chance to celebrate all the great North Stars -- Neal Broten, Brian Bellows, Dino Ciccarelli, Bobby Smith, Cesare Maniago -- all the great Dallas Stars (Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher, Ed Belfour) and honor the figures that contributed to both organizations, like Mike Modano and Bob Gainey.