Who are the players who have gotten the Minnesota Wild off to the best start in franchise history?
Here's a rundown of the depth chart with things you may and may not know about each player:
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LEFT WING
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CENTER
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RIGHT WING
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Richard Park
You know: Had logged 170 games in the IHL and AHL before being called up to the Wild in November 2001.
Did you know? First job as a kid was as a puck-fetcher at a hockey camp.
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Cliff Ronning
You know: Minnesota is his sixth NHL team in 16 seasons (St. Louis, Vancouver, Phoenix, Nashville and Los Angeles).
Did you know? The Minnesota Vikings are his favorite non-hockey team.
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Stephane Veilleux
You know: Minnesota's third-round draft pick in 2001.
Did you know? Played for Victoriaville and Val D'Or in the QMJHL.
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Antti Laaksonen
You know: Is the only player to skate in all 177 games in franchise history.
Did you know? Played four seasons at the University of Denver and still spends summers in Colorado.
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Pierre-Marc Bouchard
You know: Drafted 8th overall by the Wild in 2002.
Did you know? Is living with a family in St. Paul to help him adjust to life in the NHL.
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Andrew Brunette
You know: Has played for three of the four most recent expansion teams (Nashville, Atlanta and Minnesota).
Did you know? Favorite TV show is SportsCenter and favorite ESPN announcers are Rich Eisen, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan.
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Pascal Dupuis
You know: Scored a goal in his NHL debut April 2, 2001 at San Jose.
Did you know? Rooted for the Michel Goulet and the Quebec Nordiques as a kid.
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Sergei Zholtok
You know: His 29 points last season were a career-best.
Did you know? Won a silver medal with Team Latvia at the 1994 World Hockey Championships.
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Wes Walz
You know: Scored a career-best 18 goals during the Wild's first season.
Did you know? He receives a good luck rock from his son, Kelvin, before every game.
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Matt Johnson
You know: Began the season as the Wild's all-time penalty minutes leader with 320.
Did you know? Didn't begin playing hockey until age 10.
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Jim Dowd
You know: Was the only New Jersey native on the Devils' 1995 Stanley Cup team.
Did you know? Also won an NCAA title at Lake Superior State as a freshman in 1988.
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Marian Gaborik
You know: Tied for the league lead in goals (10) through 13 games.
Did you know? His brother Branislav is a scout for the Wild.
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LEFT DEFENSE
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RIGHT DEFENSE
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GOAL
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Lubomir Sekeras
You know: At age 32, was one of the NHL's oldest rookies in 2000-01.
Did you know? He and wife Zelmira have dogs named Demi and Christie.
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Filip Kuba
You know: Scored the overtime game-winner the first time the Wild beat Detroit at home (Jan. 5, 2001).
Did you know? Favorite musical acts include The Offspring, Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit.
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Manny Fernandez
You know: Set the NHL record for lowest goals-against average for an expansion team goalie (2.24) in 2000-01.
Did you know? Says that Formula One racer Jacques Villeneuve is an athlete he'd pay to see.
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Brad Bombardir
You know: Has his name on Stanley Cup after logging one playoff game for the Devils in June 2000.
Did you know? Makes his off-season home in Walker, Minn., on Leech Lake.
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Willie Mitchell
You know: Averaged one penalty minute per game (68 PIM in 68 games) last season.
Did you know? His grandfather Les Mitchell played in the West Coast Hockey League and once tried out with the New York Rangers.
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Dwayne Roloson
You know: As a Sabre, notched 28 saves to beat the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the 1999 Eastern Conference finals.
Did you know? Was a finalist for the 1994 Hobey Baker Award as a senior at UMass-Lowell.
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Ladislav Benysek
You know: Picked by the Wild from Anaheim in 2000 expansion draft, although he never skated for the Mighty Ducks.
Did you know? Favorite food is duck and dumplings.
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Brad Brown
You know: Was the Wild's captain in December 2001 and January 2002.
Did you know? Played for North Bay in the OHL and still makes his off-season home there.
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