The Minnesota Wild took a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series with the Dallas Stars on Friday night but the matchup within Game 3 was Wild fans against Stars defenseman Ryan Suter.
Suter spent nine seasons with the Wild after signing a 13-year, $98 million contract in July 2012, but was bought out in July of 2021. Suter signed with the Stars a few weeks later and played the antagonist in the first two games of the series, delivering a series of cross-checks to Wild star Kirill Kaprizov.
Going after Kaprizov – who has achieved the same savior-like status that Suter and Zach Parise did after signing with Minnesota – was enough for Wild fans, who showed their displeasure with the 38-year-old even before the game started at the Truck Park in downtown St. Paul.
When fans made their way into the Xcel Energy Center, the crowd gave Suter an even more hostile welcome, serenading the Stars with "Suter sucks!" chants prior to the opening faceoff and booing Suter every time he touched the puck.
The crowd continued to hound Suter throughout the night, cheering as he broke his stick on a shot attempt early in the game and continuing to chant "Suter sucks!"
Even Wild coach Dean Evason acknowledged the intensity of the Wild crowd as a big factor in their Game 3 victory.
"It's been incredible," Evason said. "Absolutely incredible. But tonight it was a level that was off the charts. They were ready to go like our group was with the drop of the puck."
Fans' hatred toward Suter may only grow as this series continues but if the Wild have its way, they may have only one more chance to show their feelings if Minnesota wins the series in five games.
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