Tuesday’s pregame skate was extra sentimental for Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise.
As part of the club’s Fan Celebration Night, the team hit the ice for warmups wearing throwback Minnesota North Stars sweaters, and Parise brought it a step closer to home with some of his late father’s vintage North Stars gear.
J.P. Parise spent more than a decade in the NHL and played 588 of his 890 career games with the North Stars. He was also part of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. The longtime NHLer died of lung cancer in January 2015 at age 73.
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Zach Parise wearing J.P. Parise’s North Stars gloves and helmet. #mnwild
Zach Parise, who grew up in Minnesota, has long worn No. 11 in honour of his dad.
Martin Hanzal also honoured a former member of the the North Stars during the warmup. Hanzal swapped his usual No. 19 for 91 out of respect for Bill Masterton, whose No. 19 North Stars sweater was retired by the club.
Masterton died in January 1968 at age 29. He is the only player in league history to die as a direct result of in-game injury. An annual award is given out in his honour to a player who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.
The North Stars were relocated to Dallas in 1993 after 26 seasons in Minnesota, and became the Stars. The Wild were introduced to the NHL via expansion in 2000.
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