Was Thursday, April 30, the most magical day in Minnesota sports history?
The Minnesota Timberwolves closed out their NBA playoff series against the Denver Nuggets just before midnight local time on Thursday, April 30. Just an hour or so earlier, the Minnesota Wild finished off a first-round NHL playoff series win, knocking out the rival Dallas Stars . MORE: Lakers, LeBron on verge of major collapse Both games were at home.
Both twin cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, hosted playoff clinchers in front of raucous crowds. For the first time ever, the Timberwolves and Wild advanced to the second round in the same year.
Oh, and the Minnesota Twins collected a 7-1 home victory over the Toronto Blue Jays for good measure. It was one of the top days in Minnesota sports history. That is unquestioned.
But was it the single top sports day ever in the North Star State? Championships reign To borrow a phrase from Minnesota native Prince, “nothing compares 2” winning a championship in one of the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL). Although it has been quite a while, Minnesota has plenty of experience hoisting the ultimate prize.
Of course, the Vikings are famously 0-for-4 in the Super Bowl, though they did win the 1969 NFL title, just before the AFL-NFL merger, before losing Super Bowl IV to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Twins won World Series crowns in 1987 and 1991. And the old George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers took five NBA titles between 1949 and 1954 before moving to Los Angeles.