5 random players you forgot were on the Minnesota Wild
1. Owen Nolan
At his peak, Nolan (6-foot-1, 214 pounds) was a dictionary definition of a power forward in hockey parlance. From 1991-92 through 2002-03, he had at least 29 goals seven times (30 or more six times, over 40 twice). Over that span, had had double-digit power play goals in a season eight times.
The Wild signed a 36-year old Nolan in the summer of 2008, on the idea he he would provide scoring punch as he always had. He scored his 400th career goal during that first season in Minnesota, on his way to 25 goals and 45 points in 59 games. As could have been expected, he also had a team-high 12 power play goals in 2008-09.
Nolan played 73 games for the Wild during the 2009-10 season. But he put up just 33 points (16 goals), with just four power play goals and a -12 plus/minus in what would be his final NHL season. He signed with a team in Switzerland early in October of 2010, then landed a tryout with the Vancouver Canucks in August of 2011 before being signed and released by them in September.
Nolan was more name than game by the time he landed with the Wild, which makes it likely that the effective ending to his hockey career has been widely forgotten.
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