from Dan Myers of MinnesotaWild.com,

With its solid play and the announcement earlier this week of three representatives at the NHL All-Star Game later this month, the Minnesota Wild's strong start to the season has started to capture the attention of a national audience.

If it hasn't already, it will by the end of the weekend.

After its game against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday aired on NBC Sports Network, Thursday's game against the Montreal Canadiens and Sunday's against the Chicago Blackhawks will also be seen by a nationwide audience.

The men who broadcasted the Wild's win over the Ducks, play-by-play man Kenny Albert and color analyst Pierre McGuire, came away impressed.

"They're a team that's for real," McGuire said. "They've got an elite goaltender in Devan Dubnyk. They've got a defenseman in Ryan Suter that's probably gonna be a Norris Trophy candidate. They've got quick-strike offensive capability from a lot of different sources. They've got Zach Parise back on track. There's a lot of things going on there that are extremely positive."

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