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In the past two months, the Dallas Stars have played the Minnesota Wild twice. The last matchup was a playoff preview because these teams will officially meet in round one of the playoffs, and the Stars will have home ice. However, it’s the recurring meetings that make this matchup feel familiar.Â
First of all, both of these teams are technically from Minnesota. Although the Wild are the current Minnesota team, before them, you would have found the Minnesota North Stars. In 1993, the North Stars relocated to Dallas and dropped the North, becoming the Stars we know and love today. From Minnesota to Dallas, from the North Stars to the Stars, this might have been the easiest name rebrand.
The move to Texas would change the NHL landscape and give the state its very own team. It wouldn’t be until 2000 that we would see the Wild appear in Minnesota. Fast forward to today, both the Stars and the Wild have been sitting at the top of the Western Conference and are strangers to one another. The last two post season meetings,postseasonIn the the Stars have eliminated the Wild in the first round. We are hoping history repeats itself with this one.
Next, let’s consider the captains of these two teams. Veteran player Jamie Benn leads the Stars. Benn was drafted in the fifth round by the Dallas Stars in 2007 and has played with the Stars since. He was named captain in 2013, and he is the second Dallas Stars player to play in 1,000 games. Earlier this year, he reached another milestone by scoring his 400th goal. Benn is a staple on the Stars’ bench. He creates scoring opportunities, provides leadership, and is definitely the guy you want on your side when the gloves are thrown down.Â
On the other hand, the Wild’s captain is defenseman Jared Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a late-round draft pick in 2008, and like Benn, has played his entire NHL career for a single team. He was named the Wild’s captain in 2021. Spurgeon holds the same record as the second player in his franchise to reach 1,000 games.Â
These two teams are led by two late-round draft picks, who have played their entire career for a single NHL team. They have solidified their influence on their teams by playing over 1,000 games for each. Both the Stars and the Wild are led by one of their veteran players. Both captains were diamond-in-the-rough players who have proved their loyalty and dependability to their teams.
Wearing the captain’s sweater is no little thing in this league. It’s going to be interesting watching Benn and Spurgeon meet each other on the ice, Benn representing the Stars’ offense and Spurgeon the Wild’s defense. While there are more similarities between the Stars and the Wild, their Minnesota origins and their two captains make this feel like a familiar matchup.
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