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Are the Wild turning into North Stars for their retro jersey?

The Minnesota Wild are set to be the next NHL team with a new ‘retro jersey’ and it might bring back some painful memories.

By Thomas P. Williams

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Minnesota North Stars v Boston Bruins Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images

At the end of the latest notes blog from the desk of The Athletic’s Michael Russo, he left us with a couple of sentences that would make any Minnesota Wild fan’s eyes widen.

“The Wild’s retro jerseys are expected to be announced and released for sale in less than two weeks. Wild, and old North Stars fans, should find ’em sweet,” Russo wrote on Thursday.

Several NHL franchises around the league have been slowly announcing new threads for the upcoming 2020-21 season. Although some are just rumors with grainy screenshots, like the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins reverse retro jerseys, others, like the Vegas Golden Knights’ golden sweater, are a reality.

A total of 20 teams currently have a third jersey in their wardrobe and the Wild might just be the 21st. If they follow the trend that the Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, and the Buffalo Sabres, they will be returning to their hockey roots as the North Stars.

The green, white and gold will be a stark contrast from the usual muted tones of the Wild’s jerseys throughout their two decades, but it could bring some excitement on the ice.

According to Russo in an April 2019 mailbag, a third jersey would have had to wait if the franchise was awarded the 2021 Winter Classic. Well, we all know how that turned out now. With the outdoor event postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team’s plans for their jerseys might have changed.

Instead of holding the retro North Stars sweater, the team could have viewed the Winter Classic-less year as an opportunity to bring something else for the fans.

Of course, the Wild have already possessed the best third jersey in NHL history — its beautiful cream-colored script displaying the State of Hockey’s name on the perfect shade of green. But if it all goes well, they will be able to knock this one out of the park as well, since the North Stars is just a well-known logo and color scheme for a former franchise.

Big things are coming and I can’t wait to buy everything with the vintage emblem.

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