Being a Minnesota sports fan means many moments of heartbreak and sadness. I wrote a blog last week called “The Five Minnesota Sports Moments That About Killed Me” that was difficult to whittle down to just five moments. But there have also been many moments that brought more excitement and jubilation than I ever could imagine as a fan. Today, I’m going to outline the five moments that brought me the most excitement as a Minnesota sports fan.
5. 2014 Gophers vs. North Dakota- Frozen Four Semifinals
This is the infamous 0.6 game, where the Gophers scored with just 0.6 seconds on the clock to beat North Dakota in the Frozen Four semifinals.
I was a sophomore at the U of M when this happened which probably enhanced the whole moment for me. I remember watching it with my roommates in our apartment and jumping up and down when this goal occurred. Is there anything sweeter than crushing the hearts of your bitter rival in the national semifinals? It’s hard to top.
There were a lot of great moments that came from this game. I have been digging around for that video of the Fox 9 reporter at Blarneys getting mauled by drunk students but can’t seem to find it anywhere. If you know where to find it please send it to me.
And yes, I went to Dinkytown with my friends after the game. No, I did not climb any street lights.
4. 2014 Wild vs. Avalanche Game 7
This remains the greatest NHL playoff series I have ever seen. I was (again) a sophomore in college during this series and I hung onto every goal and every moment like it was life or death. This series was full of emotional swings, so if I start graying at an early age I’ll blame some of that on this series.
Game 7 encapsulated this series. Going into Game 7, the home team won every game. The Wild were down 2-0 and 3-2 in the series and came roaring back each time. In Game 7, the Wild found themselves trailing on four different occasions and each time managed to get a goal to tie that game back up. I’ll never forget Jared Spurgeon’s goal in the final minutes of the third period to tie the game at 4-4.
And then in overtime, who can forget Nino Niederreiter’s absolute snipe on Semyon Varlamov to win Game 7 and send the Wild to the second round.
What made this so exciting for me is it was really the first time I experienced and appreciated a playoff series win. Prior to this moment, it was the 2003 Wild and 2004 Timberwolves when I got to experience a seven game playoff series win, and I was in elementary school when those happened. Pretty crazy that it took until my sophomore year of college to experience that again. Only in Minnesota…
3. 2024 Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 7
This was yet another crazy series featuring a Minnesota team versus a team based in Denver. The Wolves won games one and two in Denver. They then proceeded to lose the next three games to go down 3-2 in the series, and then obliterated the Nuggets in Game Six to force a Game 7.
The Wolves were down twenty (!!) points in Game 7 before they came roaring back to not only win game seven, but win it pretty decisively. You knew they had it going when Rudy Gobert hit a FADEAWAY over Nikola Jokic…
And then that sequence where Naz gets the put back dunk, followed by the Mike Conley steal, who dishes it to Naz, who then dishes it to Ant in the corner for the three was absolutely incredible. Kevin Harlan going crazy on the call. Ant pointing at and calling out grown men in the crowd. That was the moment where you felt like it was going to happen, the Wolves were going to win and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
I said it in my previous blog that I thought the Wolves were guaranteed to go the NBA Finals after winning that game. I thought no way would they lose to a lesser Mavericks team with home court advantage. The thought of the Wolves being favorites to play in the NBA Finals literally gave me that anxious, heart-in-my-throat feeling.
I should have known not to get my hopes up.
2. Gophers vs. Penn State 2019
This was the biggest and most anticipated game I have ever experienced in my Gopher football lifetime. Both teams came in at 8-0, with Penn State ranked #4 in the nation and the Gophers at #17 and needing to win a “prove-it” type game to gain more respect in the polls.
I was at this game, and it remains the best game and atmosphere I have ever been to in-person. What I remember most is that every single person in the stadium was on their feet the entire game. And not just on their feet, but hanging on to every play like it was life or death. Nobody was looking at their phone or conversing with their friends. Everyone was completely focused on what was happening on the field. That type of atmosphere is rarely seen nowadays.
There were so many electric plays from this game. The Rashod Bateman touchdown along the sideline. The Chris Autman-Bell bubble screen. Antoine Winfield Jr. with not one but two interceptions. It might have been one of the best games I have seen the Gophers play in my time watching them. And yet it still came down to the wire and for a second, it felt like they were going to lose the game in the last two minutes.
One of the biggest what ifs from this game that rarely gets brought up- what if Jahan Dotson doesn’t fall on that long catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter? He had nothing but open field in front of him and fell out of nowhere. If he scores on that play, which he should have, Penn State likely wins the game.
But he fell, and Sean Clifford threw an interception to Jordan Howden in the end zone to seal the biggest win in Huntington Bank Stadium history.
1. The Minneapolis Miracle – Vikings vs. Saints 2017 NFC Divisional Round
This was the ultimate “where were you moment” as a Minnesota fan. Every Vikings fan remembers where they were when this moment happened. I was at my parents house watching it in the basement with my mom and dad.
I remember the Vikings came out and pretty much controlled the first half of this game, going into halftime with a 17-0 lead. And then the Saints flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Vikings 24-6 prior to the Diggs touchdown.
Had the Vikings not scored that walk-off touchdown, this would have gone down as yet another classic Vikings playoff loss. Come out hot and get a three score lead before choking it away and letting the road team win. Luckily, for once in our life the football gods were on our side that day, creating a moment that every Vikings fan will never forget.
And when that happened, it just felt like destiny that the Vikings were going to go to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, the football gods were NOT on the Vikings side the following week, and that Super Bowl never happened…
Typical Minnesota sports.
Honorable Mentions
2009 Twins vs. Tigers Game 163
This is the first moment I left off. I missed a chunk of this game because I was in high school when this game occurred and had captains practice for hockey. If I had been able to sit down and watch this game in its entirety it probably would have made the list. But I was indeed watching when Alexi Casilla got that base hit to score Carlos Gomez, and I remember how cool of a moment that was. I miss those 2000’s Twins teams and the magic of the Metrodome.
2023 Twins vs Blue Jays Wild Card Round
Both of these games make the list. Game One for ending that insane 18-game playoff losing streak, a streak that almost seems impossible when you think about it. And then Game Two for clinching the series and advancing to the ALDS. Probably the most electric I have ever seen Target Field. And still crazy to think that after all of that, the Pohlads still decided to cut payroll after the season… #SellTheTeam
2002 Twins vs. A’s ALDS Game 5
I again was a little young for this one but do have some vague memories of it. I saw a Torii Hunter interview recently where he pointed out that the Twins ruined everything good about that Moneyball A’s team. They beat them at the Dome to end their 20-game winning streak, and then later they eliminated them in the playoffs. How fun was that 2002 Twins team? If only the Twins hadn’t run into that stupid Rally Monkey in the next series.
2003 Wild vs. Avalanche Game 7
Again, I was a little young for this one but still find it crazy that the Wild beat that dynamic Avalanche team and ended Patrick Roy’s career. If you’re catching on to one thing from this list, it’s that Minnesota owns Colorado teams in Game 7’s played in Denver.
April 30th, 2026: Wild eliminate Stars, Wolves eliminate Nuggets
This was the first year ever that the Wild and Wolves both advanced out of the first round in the same season. Not only that, they did it at home on the same night. This was just an overall fun night to be a Minnesota sports fan, and almost surreal in a way. The Wild advance out of the first round for the first time in forever, and do it at home in front of their fans. The Wolves eliminate Nikola Jokic and the favored Nuggets at Target Center.
What’s the elephant in the room with all of these moments? The stories of all those teams inevitably ends in heartbreak and sadness. Because that’s what Minnesota sports does.
Game 163 should be in top 5