Minnesota Wild Playing for Hard Trophy
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Minnesota Wild are currently one of the NHL’s best teams. Kirill Kaprizov is playing out of his mind, and John Hynes’ squad is putting up points on a nightly basis. This all comes on the back of a year in which Minnesota missed the playoffs. Rather than go through another tough season, this collection decided to play hard instead.
New outlook generates Hard trophy for the Minnesota Wild
No one in the Minnesota Wild locker room thought last season was fun. A sixth place finish in the Central division had them starting their offseason early. Rather than go through that again, the team adopted the phrase, “choose your hard” during training camp. Lots of different things in sports are hard. It comes down to deciding which path you are willing to take, and how much you’re willing to fight. That mentality sparked a now viral postgame trophy designed by Ryan Hartman. The Athletic’s Michael Russo got to the bottom of it.
“The day before the season opener, Hartman went to Home Depot and bought the thickest steel chain he could find — one that can pull a 1,500-pound load. He also bought green and red spray paint, giant lettering and ‘one of those wood things for address numbers you drill into a house,’ Hartman said.”
Michael Russo on the Wild’s Hard Trophy (The Athletic)
Hartman built the trophy just before Minnesota kicked off their season. With a “Hero of the Game” designation every night, the Hard Trophy gets passed around the locker room. It isn’t just designed to stay with Kirill Kaprizov as he dominates the league in scoring. It’s more meant as a gesture to point out who most embodies the “choose your hard” mantra on a nightly basis.
Possibly our favorite one yet 💚 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/8XILuVfToo
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 2, 2024
Related: Kirill Kaprizov’s Next Contract is Going to be Massive
Thus far the trophy has been given to players and support staff. Rather than simply recognize the athletic excellence, this sort of practice has allowed the Wild to remain focused. There is a level of camaraderie to these sorts of things. We see it in baseball with home run celebrations, and team dances take place in football all of the time. The Wild are achieving that while cementing a message that has propelled them forward.
another chain for Gus 🚌 pic.twitter.com/wmhfoogm6L
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 9, 2024
Related: Filip Gustavsson Scores Historic Goal for Minnesota Wild
Minnesota would certainly love to see one of their players win the NHL’s Hart Trophy. That is given to the MVP of an entire season. Kaprizov may very well be on his way to grabbing that. Along the way, the team can keep winning as long as they continue chasing the Hard Trophy on a nightly basis.
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