Minnesota's Professional Women's Hockey Team, Timberwolves titles within reach
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota sports fans are in the middle of a playoff party as the Timberwolves and the Women's Pro Hockey team, PWHL Minnesota, make a run for the championship.
For the first time in 20 years, the Timberwolves are returning to the Western Conference Championship. KFAN producer and host, Maxx Fuller, is a long-time Wolves fan and hasn't missed a game all year. He's been able to share all of his fandom for this team on the KFAN radio shows during the playoffs and his enthusiasm for the team is contagious. Fuller has been following the Wolves through the highs and lows.
"When they damn near needed to break into your car and give you tickets to get you to go to the game," said Fuller.
Right now, the Wolves have the NBA's best defense, two of the league's biggest superstars in Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, the top defensive player of the year in Rudy Gobert, and the sixth man of the year, Naz Reid, who's become a pop culture phenomenon.
"Every team has their fan favorite, their cult hero, but the relationship between Naz Reid and Wolves fans needs to be studied, honestly," said Fuller.
Fuller says this team is taking off, and people should forget about the misery tied to Minnesota sports.
"The Wolves are on a spaceship and spaceships don't have rearview mirrors, you can't see what's behind you," Fuller explained. "Those dark days are in the past."
Minnesota PWHL fought its way to the finals in their inaugural season. Heather Rule, the executive editor of MN Hockey Magazine, has been following professional women's hockey in our state for several years, including the PWHL.
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"They barely made the playoffs, had to get a little help to do so, so I think the way they ended up making the playoffs was a bit of a surprise," said Rule.
Minnesota started off strong going 5 - 0 in March, thinking they'd easily skate into the post-season, but in April they went 0-5... barely securing their spot.
Then they lost the first two games of the playoffs against Toronto but refused to get defeated and surprised fans by winning the next three games in a row.
"Although not surprising to the team and the players in the room. They talked a lot about that saying, ''We never lost faith. We knew we were going to be here,'" said Rule.
This team is packed with homegrown talent. 14 players are from Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The future is looking bright for both of these winter teams, who have a lot of young players on them.
"I'm fully expecting [The Wolves] to win the NBA championship and give this town the title we have been waiting for, for over 30 years," said Fuller.
