MINNESOTA WILD UNVEILS HOME SWEATER DURING SKATING FESTIVAL AT THE ROSEVILLE SKATING CENTER

[November 18, 1999] --

Bill Robertson
Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild unveiled the official Wild home sweater today before a capacity crowd at the Roseville Skating Center. The official Wild home sweater was revealed to a sell-out crowd of Minnesota Wild season ticket deposit holders at 6:04 p.m. (C.S.T.). The crest of the sweater incorporates a new icon for the Minnesota Wild; the pictogram includes a wild animal, the North Star, evergreen trees, a red sky, the sun and/or moon and a stream.

“This is a special day for hockey fans across Minnesota,” said Minnesota Wild CEO Jac Sperling. “The Wild home sweater reflects the power, energy and speed prevalent in both the Minnesota wilderness and the sport of hockey.”

The home sweater featuring a brilliant color palette exemplifies the Minnesota environment. The Minnesota Wild word mark introduced in January 1997 will be used as the shoulder patch on the team sweater and other applications. The new icon is the crest of the team’s sweater and provides an additional element to the team’s identity program that graphically interprets the meaning of the team’s name. The icon adds flexibility and depth to the team’s overall identity program, complimenting the existing Minnesota Wild word mark.

The official Minnesota Wild team sweater and other Wild merchandise were available immediately following the sweater unveiling in a 30’ x 40’ merchandise tent. Wild merchandise is also available for purchase by calling the team directly at 1-888-WILD-NHL or through the following local retailers on Friday, November 19th: Dave’s Sport Shop, Front Row Sports, Galyan’s, Gold Country, Gold Medal Sports, JC Penney’s, Kohl’s, MarJons, Mervyn’s California, Nick’s, Oshman’s, Scheels, Sportmart, Target (no sweaters) and Westwood Sports.

“The Minnesota Wild logo is the embodiment of the untamed spirit of the Minnesota wilderness – meandering rivers, verdant forests under a canopy of moons and stars,” said NHL Vice President of Consumer Product Marketing Brian Jennings.

The Minnesota Wild, the NHL, New York-based SME Design and hundreds of Minnesota hockey fans that participated in design focus groups combined to create the official design for the Minnesota Wild home sweater. The manufacturer of the Wild sweater is New Hampshire-based Pro Player.

The Minnesota Wild will release the team’s road sweater in mid-2000. The Minnesota Wild home sweater will debut in the fall of 2000 during the club’s inaugural NHL season. For more information on the Minnesota Wild please call 651-222-WILD (9453) or to purchase Minnesota Wild merchandise call 1-888-WILD-NHL.