Rumor: Minnesota Wild Have New Partner for Renamed Xcel Energy Center

Most of the professional stadiums are the Twin Cities have nicknames in which their fans affectionately refer to them. Among them, the Minnesota Wild’s Xcel Energy Center may be the best.

“The X” easily rolls off the tongue and has become synonymous with our favorite hockey team. Previous reports suggested a name change could be coming, and it looks like we’ll have an answer soon.

It’s typical for a stadium or arena to change naming rights partners. While fans gravitate towards what something has been known the longest, money fuels every single sports organization.

New name for Minnesota Wild’s “X” will take time

Nonetheless, when reports first trickled out suggesting that The X would no longer be the home of the Minnesota Wild, it was a bit shocking. But now, Charley Walters is hearing whispers on who will take the new name of the Wild’s home arena. Local based, Securian Financial.

“St. Paul-based Securian Financial is still getting whispered as new corporate sponsor, replacing Xcel Energy Center.”

Charley Walters on the new Minnesota Wild naming rights partner (Pioneer Press)

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It makes sense that the new corporate sponsor would be a locally-based company. This isn’t “The Bank” going from TFC to Huntington though. “Securian Financial Center” won’t be able to replace the easily abbreviated “Xcel Energy Center” but there are worse arena names, that’s for sure. Want a new nickname? How about… “The Vault”?

This could wind up being a similar scenario to one that the Milwaukee Brewers have faced. Although their home is now called American Family Field, no one has stopped calling it Miller Park. From a branding perspective, and corporate recognition, that’s obviously a nightmare.

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Securian Financial will pay a pretty penny for these rights, and they won’t want their investment disregarded. We still don’t know for sure that this deal will come to fruition, but Charley has been on this story from the very beginning so there’s no reason to think he’s wrong.