No longer will the ice at Xcel Energy Center be just any old frozen water.
Starting in 2017-18, the Minnesota Wild plan to use donated collections of fans' pond, lake and rink water for their own home ice.
With support from team president Matt Majka for a campaign called "This Is Our Ice," the Wild announced Thursday they will gather water donations at the arena, filter that water and then freeze it for use right beneath the skates this season. From Aug. 24 to Sept. 4 at the Minnesota State Fair, the team plans to distribute portable water containers, which can be used for collecting local H2O, and a Sept. 16 "Flood the Rink" event will allow fans to empty those containers into a Zamboni.
Majka said it's all about embracing the Midwestern cold front and uniting Wild fans with the team they call their own.
"Every winter, when our ponds and lakes freeze over, a rebirth happens as we embrace the frozen beauty of our state," he said via NHL.com. "Lake bays become our hockey home, and everywhere you turn, kids young and old play pick-up hockey. That's what 'This Is Our Ice' is all about -- inviting fans throughout the State of Hockey to bring a piece of their hometown hockey heritage to our arena."
