There seems to be much pessimism among followers of the Wild over the theory that this could be the spring when the box office heroes from St. Paul make a serious push for Minnesota’s first Stanley Cup.
Pessimistic Wild fans should look to 1990-91 North Stars’ good example
Those North Stars had a chaotic start, then came together after the All-Star Game to pull off a run to the Stanley Cup Final. Never say never.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 3, 2024 at 12:09AM
This does not take into account our Wild-ings are a mere seven points removed from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, they will be extremely well-rested when the 33-game push to the finish resumes Wednesday vs. Chicago, and Kirill Kaprizov had found his sterling game before heading off to this weekend’s All-Star events in Toronto.
Or perhaps I’m just bubbling with optimism after reading Kevin Allenspach’s fully researched book on the 1990-91 North Stars, and was reminded that astounding, against-all-odds events are possible in this wacky game we call hockey.
The first thought was, “Why this team?,” and then the light shone upon me: “He’s right. This was the most twist-filled, incomprehensible drama in Minnesota’s 49 seasons in the modern NHL.”
Not that it was overly modern in 1990-91, when the league had 21 teams, with 16 reaching the playoffs. There were three five-team divisions and one six, with the top four in each making the playoffs.
Thus, the North Stars had an 80% chance to make the playoffs — officially in the Norris Division, although the “Snore-Us” to all watching Chris Berman on Sports Center.
Allenspach’s chronicle, “Mirage of Destiny: The Story of the 1990-91 Minnesota North Stars,” has the comedic drama of the team’s sale starting in the spring of 1990, to the alcohol-fueled youth filling the Met Center parking lot before the pucks were dropped during a 1991 playoff run.
First, Howard and Karen Baldwin were going to be the featured owners in a purchase from the Gund brothers (who wanted to put a team in a San Jose).
The Baldwins needed an added infusion of cash for the $31 million purchase price and brought in Norm Green, a part owner of the Calgary Flames. That was their last mistake in Minnesota: Norm soon wound up with the team.
Allenspach was entering a senior year at the University of Minnesota and saw a notice at the Minnesota Daily for a PR internship with the North Stars.
He was hired — and then:
“Norm was firing people every day,” Allenspach said. “He was Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. He fired Joni Preston and had to bring her back three days later because the PR operation was in chaos.”
Bobby Clarke came in as general manager and Bob Gainey as coach. Clarke was Bill Guerin-like in his demeanor as GM and Gainey was like no other coach with his minimal words in interviews.
The North Stars were 13-28-8 when the brief break took place for the All-Star Game on Jan. 19, 1991 in Chicago. The first Iraq War started at the same time.
The telecast of the game on NBC was pre-empted for a time in the third period for a Pentagon briefing. Dave Gagner and Bobby Smith (a special addition to the Campbell roster) represented the North Stars.
The Stars did put together a 12-5-6 stretch after the All-Star Game and a spot in the playoffs over woeful Toronto was clinched on March 17.
They would finish 27-39-14, 68 points, which was 38 behind Chicago, 37 behind St. Louis and eight behind Detroit.
You wondered how this team could be that bad, considering Gagner had 40 goals, Brian Bellows 35, young Mike Modano 28, Brian Propp 26, and Neal Broten led with 56 assists.
Mark Tinordi was an excellent defender and Neil Wilkinson kept getting better there, as did Jon Casey in goal.
Guess what? They weren’t that bad. The North Stars upset both the Blackhawks and Blues in six games.
By then, Green had commissioned a visible owner’s box seating 15 to be built in a corner. The young, frenzied fans would chant “Norm … Norm,” and he would wave Nero-style.
Next came Edmonton, much diminished from its glory days, and the North Stars thumped ‘em in five.
Now it was the Stars vs. Pittsburgh and Mario Lemieux in the finals. They won Game 1, came home at 1-1, and then came true Norm:
The home games only could be watched on pay-per-view in the Twin Cities. I wrote a piece declaring Green to be “Norm Greed.”
Dark Star had told me we were as “close as brothers,” but he did have that plan to take a date for an evening in Norm’s Nero-like perch for the Finals.
The North Stars won Game 3 at Met Center. I was driving home from covering that game, turned on the Big Neighbor and the Darkman was repeating the radio topic for the night:
“Does the Twin Cities really need a negative sportswriter like Patrick Reusse? Call me now!”
I would’ve expected nothing less from my man.
As for the “Mirage” in Allenspach’s book, available on Feb. 20, those North Stars lost in six and two years later “Norm, Norm, Norm” moved them to Dallas.
For the Wild, four points behind the league-leading Jets, this will be their most anticipated matchup against a division rival since they lost 2-1 to the Stars on Nov. 16.
