Top Wild Games of 2010-2011: October 30, Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Not long ago, the Blackhawks were a bottom cellar team with little publicity in the NHL. Well, that has all changed now. On October 30, the Chicago Blackhawks will battle against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center.

With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane up front, the Chicago Blackhawks have as much talent and depth at forward as anyone in the league. They also have Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith on defense. Minnesota will look at Chicago's model of rebuilding and hopefully someday attain the same success they have had. Martin Havlat and Cam Barker are two players on the Minnesota Wild that will be looking to factor in the game, as they are two former Chicago Blackhawks.

Top Wild Games of 2010-2011: November 20, New York Rangers

Over the next few weeks, I will write about the games I am most looking forward to for the Minnesota Wild. The first game I will start off with is November 20 against the New York Rangers at the Xcel Energy Center. The New York Rangers are not the most glamorous team in the NHL, I get that. What this game does bring is two former Minnesota Wild fan favorites back to the Xcel. Marian Gaborik and Derek Boogaard were two of the most popular players for the Minnesota Wild at one point.

Until Marian Gaborik had his falling out with the staff and decided to sit out games because of injury, he was the consensus face of the franchise. Derek Boogaard was a crowd pleaser with fights and big hits right up until he entered free agency. The New York Rangers offered him a contract he could not refuse this offseason. For those reasons, I am looking forward to the New York Rangers at the Xcel Energy Center on November 20th.

Xcel Energy Center Awarded 2012 Hockey Regionals

Although the Xcel Energy Center will host the 2011 NCAA Men's College Hockey Frozen Four in April, it was announced this week that the Xcel Energy Center will also be hosting the West Regional semifinals for the NCAA Tournament in March of 2012. It will be the 4th consecutive year that the Twin Cities will be the host of a Men's college hockey NCAA tournament event. The last time the Xcel Energy Center hosted the Frozen Four, the Minnesota Gophers won the tournament in 2002. Go Gophers!

Jonas Brothers Cancel St. Paul Concert

Last week, the Jonas Brothers announced they will not be visiting the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on September 8th like initially planned. The trio has cancelled other concerts in the United States and have added international ones in Mexico, South America, and Europe. Other concerts cancelled include Milwaukee, Seattle, and Phoenix. The Disney-sponsored band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel network and have sold over 8 million albums worldwide. The band consists of brothers Joe, Nick and Kevin. The brothers hail from New Jersey.

Two Concerts for Lady Gaga at Xcel Energy Center

Clear your calendars at the end of the summer, not just for the Minnesota State Fair. On August 30th and 31st, Lady Gaga will be putting on two shows at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The pop star has been known as one of the best performers in the music industry, always keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Forbes Magazine just listed the artist as #4 on the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world. Also, Time Magazine named Lady Gaga on the Time 100 Most Influential People in the world earlier in 2010. She has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Her 2 worldwide hits of 2010 are "Telephone featuring Beyonce" and "Alejandro". She has won 2 Grammy's, while being nominated for 6.

2010-2011 Wild Season Approaching

Okay, maybe the 2010-2011 NHL season isn't right around the corner but for Wild fans it feels pretty close. Even though the Chicago Blackhawks claimed Lord Stanley just two weeks ago, the Minnesota Wild have been finished since early April. The Wild will begin the NHL regular season on October 7th against the Carolina Hurricanes in Finland, which is only 105 days away for those of you counting at home. The team will be starting their preseason on September 15 in St. Louis against the Blues. However, there is an important event for the Wild this weekend which will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Staples Center will be hosting the NHL Draft and will offer another opportunity for the Wild to add another piece to the puzzle. Analysts predict the Wild will select a forward, a position the Wild could use to help the offense out. Perhaps the Wild will draft another Marian Gaborik, which would be just what Wild fans would like to see. Either way, October 7th will be approaching before we know it and the Wild will be underway for their quest of the cup.

Xcel Energy Center Events Calendar has back to back summer concerts scheduled, causing logistical problems for Xcel Energy Center Events Staff

When it comes to summer concert venues in the Twin Cities, the Xcel Energy Center tops the list this year for great concerts in almost every genre. However, in order to be at the top of the Twin Cities Concert Venues list, it takes some work… work that the Xcel Energy Center Staff is getting prepared for already. Setting up, sound checking and making sure a concert goes well takes lots of behind the scenes work and on June 21^st and June 22^nd the Xcel Energy Center is going to be doing double duty. The Xcel Energy Center Events Calendar features Sting on June 21^st followed up the next night by Tom Petty, meaning that the Xcel Energy Center will have to re-set, re-sound check and basically re-everything in a span of 24 hours. Patrons of the X are confident however that it shouldn’t be a problem for the venue, “The X is awesome, I’ve never had a bad experience there” was the praise one frequent concert attendee had to say. Tickets are still available for the Sting Concert and the Tom Petty Concert, make it worth the Xcel Energy Center Staff’s time and buy concert tickets to sell out both shows!