The modern-day NHL can feel a bit cliché. In a league brimming with oversized players and nepo babies, the feel-good, “worked his way to the top” player is harder to find. Oftentimes, they seem to be relegated to the background to make way for the loud, over-the-top, lifelong celebrity-type players that rule the hockey headlines. 

Jared Spurgeon just played in his 1000th NHL game, and not only that, but they were all for one team, the Minnesota Wild. While Spurgeon has always been a good player, he’s had more going against him than he has for him. The fact that he has made it as far as he has and even become the long-tenured captain of the Wild is a mixture of family support, a good franchise, and a love of the game.

As I was waiting to go into the arena for Spurgeon’s 1000th game, the person behind me had the absolute audacity to look up at the picture of Spurgeon on the side of the building and say, “Wait, who is that?” In a way, that says so much about how Spurgeon leads as captain and why he is the perfect choice to lead this team. 

Some teams pick the best player to be the captain, the superstar. Some teams pick the loudest guy, the one who gives the best interviews. There is a reason why Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Foligno each wear an A. But Spurgeon is an interesting case study of his leadership. After surviving a toxic locker room when he came in as a rookie, Spurgeon vowed to make his locker room a place where everyone should feel comfortable.

Out of anyone, Spurgeon understands what it takes to make it in the league. The New York Islanders drafted him in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft, but they never signed him. The Wild invited him to the 2010-11 training camp, where he played in the prospect tournament. Spurgeon impressed them so much that he earned an entry-level contract and was assigned to their AHL team, which was the Houston Aeros. Most of the time, PTO players are there to fill the tournament roster, especially someone like Spurgeon. Teams usually don’t sign them to a contract. 

At best, most would assume that the incredibly undersized Spurgeon (5-foot-9, 166 lbs.) would be relegated to a career in the AHL. But as with most scrappy underdogs, that wasn’t enough. He worked his tail off in the AHL, eventually earning a call-up on his 21st birthday. At that point, he was already married with a baby, but still looked 14. The call-up was so unlikely that some sports reporters assumed it was either a joke or a mistake. The only jersey small enough to fit Spurgeon was No. 46, which he’s worn ever since. 

The Wild have had only two full-time captains in their 25-year franchise history: Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon. Bill Guerin named the latter captain on January 2, 2021, after he had played for the team for a full ten years. The small, quiet defenseman is still standing the test of time, in the middle of his 16th season. He’s battled injuries, including one severe enough to keep him out of most of the ill-fated 2023-24 season that had him considering retirement. 

But Spurgeon has battled back from the brink, and his tenacity continues to inspire the team. At a time when teams are tanking for the next big prospects, and those young kids have been scouted, talked about, and scrutinized practically from the first time that they stepped on the ice, the players that hold teams together and keep the love of hockey alive are the Jared Spurgeons of the world. The quiet, soft-spoken players who love the game of hockey so much that they are willing to battle all of the odds just to get a chance to play in the NHL. 

Spurgeon has been down and counted out his entire career, and he has leveraged that into leading a team that has had a similar franchise run. “Yes, they’re good, but…” could be used against both Spurgeon and the Wild. But neither will let that stop them. The Wild will continue to forge ahead to one day bring home the Cup, and hopefully, Jared Spurgeon will be the first one to heft Lord Stanley’s Cup into the air when the battle is done.

Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we’ll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.