4 October 2023
DULUTH — From all the No. 97 jerseys in the stands of Amsoil Arena to the roar of the crowd when he finally stepped on the ice for Tuesday’s open practice, it was easy to tell who Duluth’s favorite player was on the Minnesota Wild.
Kirill Kaprizov received the biggest ovation from the estimated 2,200 fans that packed the lower bowl of Amsoil Arena for the Wild practice on Tuesday, a pop that prompted stick taps from his teammates on the ice at the time.
The second-biggest ovation came a half hour before practice began for the first player to take the ice. Mason Shaw, the only injured player skating prior to practice on Tuesday, is six months removed from tearing his anterior cruciate ligament for a fourth time.
Whether fans knew who he was or even recognized the significance of his appearance, the cheers meant a lot to the 24-year-old Shaw, who said he laughed a little bit because he couldn’t put on more of a pre-practice show for the fans who got to the rink early.
“It just definitely gives a big lift to your spirits,” said Shaw, who turns 25 in November. “There’s some days where you’re skating on your own by yourself. It’s early in the morning and those skates can be really hard mentally. When you have some people in the building cheering you on, it’s just a little more motivation. That’s kind of what’s been getting me through. I feel like I’m as motivated as I’ve ever been before.”
The Wild announced Tuesday morning the organization had signed Shaw to a one-year, one-way contract with the Iowa Wild, the franchise’s American Hockey League affiliate. A fourth-round pick in 2017, he played in 59 games last season — his first full season in the NHL after four seasons in Iowa — with Minnesota before tearing his ACL in April against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had seven goals and 10 assists.
Shaw said he still is not medically cleared to play and practice fully after what was his fourth ACL surgery last spring. He’ll will be visiting with doctors in the coming weeks to see what is the next step. He’s unsure when he’ll report to Iowa, but plans to skate in Minnesota in the meantime as part of his rehabilitation.
Shaw was on the ice in Duluth for about a half hour on Tuesday before leaving about 10 minutes into the official practice.
“He’s recovered very well and very quickly, but now we just have to be careful with his progression,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “It’s nice that he’s signed, and he has an opportunity now to continue working himself back.”
While he had been with the team all summer, Shaw said it felt good to be part of the Wild’s trip to Duluth and Minnesota’s North Shore the last few days. There’s still work to be done, but Shaw hopes he’s one step closer to playing hockey again.
“It’s just a really unfortunate situation in terms of what happened with the injury, but everyone in this organization has been so supportive and has been amazing throughout all this,” Shaw said. “You keep your eyes up and your head down and just keep working. So that’s what I’ll do until I’m ready to play.”
Quebec connection
In addition to Shaw, Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was back on the ice for the first time since Thursday’s preseason win over the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center. The absence was described as maintenance for the 38-year-old goalie, who is entering his 20th NHL season. He turns 39 in November.
“I’m all good, all good,” Fleury said. “I just took a couple of days. It’s fun to be back on the ice with the rest of the guys and have some fun.”
Among the estimated 2,200 watching the Wild practice on Tuesday were members of both the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s hockey teams. The women practiced prior to the Wild in the morning while the men took the ice afterward.
The early ice time allowed a few members of the Bulldogs’ women’s team to secure some spots on the bench to watch the Wild work. That included UMD freshman goaltender Eve Gascon, whose hometown of Mascouche, Quebec, is just under 50 miles from Fleury’s hometown of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec.
While the two Canadian goalies — one already a star and the other hopefully on her way there — have a few common acquaintances, Tuesday was the first time they had met.
“He’s a nice guy, I was excited to meet him,” said Gascon, adding it was nice to have someone to speak French with. “I had heard a lot of good words about him. I wanted to talk to him and get to know him a little. He was very nice.”
Gascon said she spent much of the practice observing how Fleury went about his business, and one thing stood out the most about the veteran goalie.
“He’s always having fun at practice,” Gascon said. “He’s having fun playing hockey. That’s nice to see.”
North Shore team building
This was the Wild’s first trip back to Duluth and the North Shore for a preseason practice and team building since 2021. Prior to that, the team hadn’t been up this way since the 2015 preseason.
The organization arrived on Sunday afternoon, staying at Larsmont Cottages on Lake Superior and golfing until dark on Monday at Northland Country Club. Other activities included a pig roast and jump in Lake Superior.
Former Minnesota Gopher Sammy Walker, in just his second season with the Wild organization, led a sing-a-long at Larsmont with his guitar.
Evason said it was the perfect time for the team to get away for a little bit before they play their final two preseason games Thursday at the Chicago Blackhawks and Saturday at home against the Dallas Stars.
“The most important part is having the group together,” Evason said. “We had a guitar and guys are playing and singing. They’re together, they’re a team. That’s what bonding is. Sure we had fun, but we got to know each other a little bit better off the ice. It’s the perfect time of year to do it leading into the season.”