It’s a milestone season for the Minnesota Wild as they celebrate 25 years. But behind the professional men’s hockey team are several women in charge, who help make game day possible.
Kelly McGrath is the vice president and general manager of Grand Casino Arena. While game day can run without her, she still shows up to be with her staff.
“They’re so valuable to the work that we do here, it’s important that we just let people know that they’re really appreciated,” said McGrath.
Maria Trojepoitras is the vice president of sales. She’s proof that you can start from the bottom and make it to the top.
“I actually started as a 2-day temporary employee right as the first [Wild] season was about to begin,” said Trojepoitras. “So I was really like an intern and worked my way up.”
Kate Setley is the vice president and general manager of St. Paul River Centre, and has fond memories of the first-ever home game for the Wild.
“I’ll never forget when the fans were standing outside the gates waiting to be open, almost shaking the gates, and we were still trying to get the venue ready,” said Setley.
Carin Anderson is the senior vice president of corporate sponsorships. Her favorite memory is when the Wild made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2003.
“My son, who is now 23 [years old], was 9 months old at the time, and he’s sitting on my lap at 1 in the morning, and we win in Game 7, and 22 years later, we are wearing those jerseys that we were wearing back then on this anniversary night,” said Anderson.
These four powerhouse women have all been with the Wild since day one.
“You almost have to take a deep breath and a pause to be like, ‘Wow, how have we come this far over a quarter of a century?'” Said Trojepoitras.
Their tenure with the team has made them lifelong fans, but also friends. They say success has never broken their bonds.
“It’s been really easy just to cheer each other on,” said Anderson.
The next Wild 25th Anniversary game is on Tuesday at home against the Nashville Predators. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.