Brooks Suter raced ahead of his dad, Ryan, eager to get on the outdoor ice at TCF Bank Stadium. Brooks' skates already were laced up, his helmet strapped, gloves on and hockey stick in his hands.
Avery Suter was more interested in what was on the ice. Tucked in her dad's arms, she caught a glimpse of Nordy, the Wild's mascot, and smiled. By the time the family arrived rinkside, Avery was overwhelmed with excitement and squealed when Nordy met her at the edge of the ice.
Brooks sped onto the rink and began skating around.
Ryan, the Wild's star defenseman, took out his phone and snapped a photo of Avery with Nordy. He had to rein in Brooks for another photo of the many that Wild players and their families captured during Friday evening's family skate to kick off the NHL Stadium Series this weekend on the University of Minnesota campus.
About 100 grandparents, wives, sisters, brothers, parents, young children and one mascot skated across the freshly frozen ice surface on a mild night. Wild forward Justin Fontaine was impressed with how good the ice felt, even hours after a rainstorm moved through the Twin Cities.
"They get to share that special moment with them and I think it's a big night for everyone and you can kind of relax and spend time with your family and friends," Fontaine said. "Everyone was enjoying it. There were a lot of smiles out there and the weather was nice for you. It was raining. So it was a good night for everyone. … So I'm looking forward to Sunday."
The Wild host the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in the first professional outdoor hockey game in Minnesota history.
Charlie Coyle enjoyed the evening with his sister, Jess, and girlfriend, Erin. The Wild center said the experience was a nice reminder that hockey should be fun after the trials the team has gone through over the past six weeks that led to the firing of coach Mike Yeo.
