KIRILL KAPRIZOV – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wild Skate, Wolves Hoop but Both on Common Ground

Posted on May 1, 2026May 1, 2026 by David Shama

The Wild be skatin’ against the Avalanche next week, while the Timberwolves will be hoopin’ versus the Spurs. Minnesota’s NHL and NBA teams both advanced to the second round of their playoffs last night by closing out the Stars and Nuggets in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Wild play on ice in a game invented in Canada while the Wolves play on a hardwood court in a sport created by American James Naismith. It might seem the two franchises have little in common but think again.

From the trivial to the significant, there is common ground:

Both teams won their opening best of seven games playoff series by 4-2 margins. Both did so in raucous arenas that are building reputations this spring as among the loudest in the NHL and NBA.

In beating the Stars, the Wild took down a prize rival from its division that just happens to be the franchise once known as the North Stars and was based in Bloomington until moving to Dallas after the 1992-1993 season. The Nuggets, who have lost in the playoffs to the Wolves twice in the last three years, have an intense rivalry with Minnesota and this spring players from both teams lost their cool on the court.

Both teams advanced in the playoffs with textbook defense. The Stars managed just 15 goals over six games, with Dallas frustrated by Minnesota’s team defense and rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt. The Wild showed why its defense might be the best of any team in the playoffs.

The Wolves held the Nuggets under 100 points in three of the last four games, bothering Denver with their team length and athleticism. Offensive production was slowed and even stopped at times with Jaden McDaniels’ shutdown of Denver All-Star guard Jamal Murray who made four of 17 shots last night. Center Nikola Jokic, revered as one of the NBA’s all-time greats, struggled to score at times because of Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert.

The Wild and Wolves are playing in front of adoring fans who have long known frustration and are treasuring the good times of 2026. Since the Wild’s inception in 2000 this is a franchise that can claim just one deep playoff run, losing in four straight games in the conference finals to the Ducks in 2003. Last night’s win was the first time Minnesota has won its opening playoff series since 2015.

The Wolves have been to the conference finals three times, including twice in the last two years, but the franchise historically has been known more for losing than winning. From 2005-2017 the Wolves didn’t make the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons.

Both franchises have known their ups and downs in front office decision making but now have the right leaders in place. Bill Guerin, hired in 2019, had to escape the financial burden of long-term deals with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter but now has assembled a roster with several players who rank among the NHL’s best. This, of course, includes the in-season acquisition of star defenseman Quinn Hughes who scored two goals last night in the 5-2 victory over the Stars. Guerin also persuaded franchise record setting scorer Kirill Kaprizov to commit long-term to the franchise.

Tim Connelly, hired in 2022, has been calculated but at the right times aggressive in building the Wolves roster. His historic 2022 trade involving players and draft picks with Utah brought defensive savant Gobert to Minneapolis. He also maneuvered a difficult financial situation before the season in 2024, trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks in return for two key contributors in Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. A savvy in-season 2026 move acquired guard Ayo Dosunmu who is the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs at 21.8 points per game.

Timberwolves owner Marc Lore — Marc Lore

The Wild and Wolves, both expansion franchises, have solid owners. Wild owner Craig Leipold is a personable leader who has plenty of NHL experience, previously owning the Predators and now being the boss in Minnesota. It was Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, when they were minority owners back in 2022, who pushed for hiring Connelly. Sitting at courtside, fans can see the passion of the two men who are now majority owners and reveled in last night’s 110-98 win.

The owners of both franchises are lobbying for improved or new arenas. Leipold hopes to complete a major renovation of Grand Casino Arena that may include money from the Wild, city of St. Paul and state. The Wolves want a new arena in Minneapolis with many details yet to be confirmed.

Both teams are moving on to play second round foes against whom they will be underdogs. The Avalanche is the wagering favorite to win the Stanley Cup. The Spurs are considered by authorities to be second only to the Thunder in likelihood to win the NBA title.

Last evening the Wolves and Wild became the seventh pair of NBA and NHL teams from the same metropolitan area to win out in a seven-game playoff series on the same day, per the Timberwolves PR Department. The duo is the third pair to do it at home and the first twosome to accomplish that in Game 6.

Wild and Wolves play vastly different sports, but the St. Paul and Minneapolis teams have enough in common to be “kissin’ cousins.”

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Unique Night May See Both Wild & Wolves ‘Cookin’ at Home

Posted on April 29, 2026April 29, 2026 by David Shama

Years ago, legend was that a certain media member had a strategy when the Wild and Timberwolves were playing at home on the same night. The formula for deciding where to go was this:

Catch the pregame media meal in St. Paul and then head for Minneapolis to watch the Wolves. Why? The food was too good to pass up at the “X,” but he preferred to spend most of the evening covering basketball.

On a rare, perhaps unique evening on Thursday, Minnesota’s NHL and NBA teams will both host games leading 3-2 in best of seven playoff series. Fans can make their own choices on culinary offerings, but whether you go to St. Paul or Minneapolis things will be “cookin.”

The taste in the mouths of Wild fans is likely to be sweeter near midnight Thursday than for Wolves patrons. The Wild has a healthier roster and is coming off a 4-2 win last evening in Dallas against the Stars. The Wolves are without two injured starters, including their best player in Anthony Edwards, and lost in Denver Monday to the Nuggets in a game that may have changed the series’ momentum.

The Wild hasn’t given up more than four goals in a game so far. Last night Minnesota blocked 25 Dallas shots and allowed 22 on goal, the franchise’s lowest postseason total in almost five years. Wild rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped 20 shots. Starting in all five games, he has 2.05 goals against average and .926 save percentage. After last night’s game ESPN hockey analyst P.K. Subban told a national audience the Wild is playing the best of any NHL team defensively.

Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizove — Kirill Kaprizov

This is a series that could already be over with the Wild winning 4-2. A what-if happened in the third game. In the first overtime period Minnesota superstar Kirill Kaprizov had a near miss winning goal in a double overtime 3-2 loss in St. Paul.

After last night’s game Kaprizov was leading all NHL players in points during the playoffs with nine (two goals and seven assists). He’s part of a talented roster that includes veterans and newcomers.

Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin boosted the team’s Stanley Cup playoff chances with the December trade acquiring Quinn Hughes. He’s considered one of the sports’ best defensemen. Just last month the Wild added forward Mike McCarron who has two goals in the series with the Stars. With 7:47 in the third last night he had a clutch goal sending the Wild ahead 3-1 in the game.

Timberwolves GM Tim Connelly made a savvy in-season move, too, when he acquired guard Ayo Dosunmuin in a multiplayer deal with the Bulls. The trade has been a godsend for the Wolves who gave up guard Rob Dillingham who has made minimal impact in Chicago while Dosunmu is showing star potential.

In 42:01 minutes off the bench last Saturday, Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including 5-of-5 from three and a 12-of-12 from the free throw line. The Wolves needed that performance because Edwards only played about 17minutes before a knee injury sidelined him in that game and for the series.

Minnesota went up 3-1 in the series last Saturday, but things are cozier now after Denver’s 125-113 win on Monday night. The Wolves were playing not only without Edwards, but also a second starter in guard Donte DiVincenzo, who tore his right Achilles tendon last Saturday. The Nuggets played without key starter Aaron Gordon on Monday because of a serious calf strain and he is questionable for tomorrow night.

Defensive strategy, intensity and skill is likely to decide Game 6 tomorrow night at Target Center. Wolves center Rudy Gobert, 33, has at times played some of his best career defense in the series against Denver center Nikoa Jokic—regarded by some authorities as the best basketball player in the world. In Saturday’s game he was -12 in the NBA plus-minus ratings impact but Monday was +12.

Wolves defender Jaden McDaniels has made scoring an uphill battle for All-Star Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray. In the series he has three games shooting under 40 percent (including two under 32 percent). In three of the games his plus-minus has been -13, -12 and -4.

The Nuggets’ best strategy against what can be a hounding Wolves defense could be early in the game positioning Jokic in the low block and consistently giving him the basketball in an effort to put Gobert in foul trouble. As Gobert and other defenders sag on Jokic, the spacing could open up better looks at the hoop for Murray.

Worth Noting

April is National Humor Month which brings to mind Minnesota sports characters who made us laugh.

The late Sid Hartman mangled more than a few words during his WCCO Radio career. A favorite was when he described an athlete that tore his “Khrushchev.”

Former WCCO colleague Dark Star’s phone voice mail said if it’s good news or money, leave a message.

A friend sent this quote by former Twins owner Calvin Griffith: “I can’t tell you exactly what I intend to do, but I can tell you one thing. It won’t be anything rational.”

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Wild Owner: Team Will Get New Contract with Quinn Hughes

Posted on April 12, 2026April 12, 2026 by David Shama

The playoffs start next Saturday for the Minnesota Wild but that doesn’t mean there’s been no discussion about a contract extension for Quinn Hughes. Owner Craig Leipold and GM Bill Guerin have talked about making it happen.

The skilled defenseman, acquired during the season by the Wild from the Canucks, has helped elevate the club to a place among the elite teams in the NHL. “Quinn Hughes is a massive difference maker,” Leipold told Sports Headliners.

Hughes, who set a team record this season for most points by a defenseman (76), is in the fifth season of a six-year $47,100,000 deal. The 26-year-old, a past Norris Award winner recognizing the best defenseman in the NHL, is likely to excel for many more seasons and if he becomes a free agent after next season, he will be among the most coveted players in recent league history.

Hughes is also a workhorse, averaging a league best of over 27 minutes per game on the ice. He was tops in that category for the gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team last winter.

Leipold sees Hughes’ long-term future in a Wild sweater. “He’s going to be our no. 1 goal…to get him signed and we will.”

Wild owner Craig Leipold — Craig Leipold

The next contract, of course, will include a large increase in compensation and perhaps more than six years in length. But the potential terms don’t seem to discourage the Wild’s owner who is willing to be patient in negotiations. “We’ll take it as long as he wants,” said Leipold who has owned Minnesota’s NHL team since 2008.

Leipold spoke about how Hughes enjoys playing for his new team and is a fan of his in-season home, Minnesota. Regarding prospects for a future signing of the Michigan native, Leipold said he “can’t imagine why he wouldn’t” do a new deal.

In the phone interview with Sports Headliners last Friday, Leipold praised the talent on the team including Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and his goalie tandem (Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt). “Yes, this is our best team (in franchise history),” Leipold said.

That franchise history dates back to the 2000-2001 season, but Leipold said no team has been as deep in talent as this one. He sees four quality lines where “everybody can score.” The defense is the best ever and the goalies form a quality rotation.

Ironically, though, the Wild plays in the Central Division against the NHL’s No. 1 ranked team, the Avalanche, and also the Stars, considered no worse than the third best. The Wild opens the playoffs against the Stars in Dallas on Saturday.

“We’re playing the two best teams in the National Hockey league. It’s going to be a tough one,” Leipold said about the prospect of getting by the Stars but then having to play the Avalanche.

The Wild and Stars split their season series with two wins each. The last Thursday night 5-4 loss in Dallas was frustrating.

“We know we can play with them,” Leipold said. “We should have won that game. You’re ahead by two (goals twice in the game). That’s happened too many times this year. In fact, this has happened at two (goal leads) throughout the league. A two-goal lead is no longer that safe.

“We have to play with more intensity. I think we have to be more defensively minded. And I think every game…is going to be a tossup against them. So, we’re going to have to get the edge.”

Leipold calls it “very unfortunate” that the Wild play in perhaps the NHL’s best division but said the positive is the competition “prepares you” for the playoffs.

The Wild hasn’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2015 and that’s a factor in odds makers predicting the Stars will win the series.

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