The Wild has the happiest fans among the four major teams in the Twin Cities. The NHL also has the most contented fans in the four major leagues. The key word there is “contented,” not “most,” since hockey numbers still suffer in TV audiences compared to the NFL (as do all leagues) and the NBA.

The people that are hooked, though, have no complaints. The arenas and the ice sparkle, the action is rapid, the games are close, the playoff results are totally unpredictable (see Blues 4, Wild 1) and the players will stand in a fairly straight line not only for one but two anthems when necessary.

-Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune. Reusse looks at the other major sports...