Northwoods Adventure: Minnesota Wild Host Second Annual Fishing Tournament

The Minnesota Wild are used to being on frozen water, but this week they were on Mille Lacs Lake as part of a fishing tournament.

Fans went wild when they saw their favorite Minnesota Wild players and coaches at this year’s Wild on the Water event. Fans who bought VIP passes were teamed up with current and former Wild players and coaches, to compete in an all-day fishing tournament.

“We have four teams of five, so we’ve got twenty participants out there with celebrities and pro guides hopefully catching some big bass,” Rachel Schuldt, Minnesota Wild Foundation Executive Director, said.

Some of the celebrities on the water included Zach Parise, Jason Zucker, head coach Bruce Boudreau, and General Manager Paul Fenton.

“It was a lot of fun, they were super casual, we had a great time,” Heather Rank, a V.I.P angler, said.

“The interaction with the fans is great,” Minnesota Wild Head Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They give us so much that anytime we can give back, we are going to do it. You get a great resort like this, the weather being beautiful, you can’t get much more of a perfect weekend than that.”

After watching the tournament, it was easy to tell why they are hockey players instead of anglers.

“I’m awful; I don’t have the patience to be a good fisherman,” Boudreau said. “Once a year I get out there and do it, I never catch anything, but I have fun.”

“Our boat caught two; I unfortunately didn’t catch any, but we had some fun out there,” Minnesota Wild Forward Luke Kunin said.

Most of the proceeds from Wild on the Water went to support the Minnesota Wild Foundation, while the other portion went to a charity of the winner’s choice along with two free tickets to a Minnesota Wild game.

“The Minnesota Wild Foundation’s mission is to grow the game of hockey and to improve the lives of families in the state of hockey, and really, our focus is on children with medical-related causes,” Schuldt said.

After the weigh in and after the prizes were handed out, the players stuck around for some autographs, and there were plenty of games for fans to test their skills at. There was plenty of fun for the whole family.

“It was a fun time on the water; anytime you get to come out with your dad and a family friend, and fish on a great body of water, it’s pretty fun,” Nick Seeler, a V.I.P angler, said.

The Minnesota Wild can do a lot of fishing until their season starts with a preseason game against Winnipeg on September 17^th.