MINNESOTA WILD ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER HOCKEY TALKS PROGRAM ON MARCH 24 SPECIAL PREGAME SEMINAR TO FEATURE CLINT AND JOANIE MALARCHUK AND CHRIS HAWKEY 

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild today announced the team will host its first-ever Hockey Talks program on Thursday, March 24 when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m.    

Hockey Talks is a program that was inspired by Rick Rypien, former Vancouver Canucks forward, who tragically lost his battle with mental health issues in 2011. Minnesota is one of 17 NHL teams that are encouraging conversations about mental health and are sharing support and information from leading exerts in the hopes of alleviating the misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness.    

Fans can purchase a special Hockey Talks ticket package to the March 24 game. The ticket package includes admission to a pregame seminar at the Saint Paul RiverCentre from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. that will feature guest speakers Clint and Joanie Malarchuk and Chris Hawkey. Proceeds from the Hockey Talks ticket package will benefit The Ranch Teammates For Life. Located in Sauk Centre, The Ranch’s objective is to serve, love and build up those who suffer from mental illness. The Ranch was the vision of Mark Pavelich, Barry Beck and Mark’s sister, Jean. Barry was a former captain of the New York Rangers and teammate of Mark’s.    

Clint Malarchuk is a former NHL goalie with the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres. After retiring, he became a head coach in the IHL and served as a goaltending coach for the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Clint and his wife, Joanie, married in 2006. Joanie is a former Gold Test figure skater and currently coaches figure skating and power skating with hockey players. Clint and Joanie are mental health advocates and speak professionally throughout North America on mental health, PTSD, depression and their own struggles with mental health and how it affects your loved ones.  

Chris Hawkey is the co-host and producer of the Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN 100.3 FM, the number one rated morning show in the Twin Cities and one of the top rated shows in the United States. Chris also has incredible musical talent. The Chris Hawkey Band has released six albums, and he recently released another brand of music called “Hawk,” a hard rock genre. Chris released his first audio book, “Possibilities Lined In Chalk”, in 2020. He and his wife, Kim, are proud supporters of children based charities throughout the Midwest.    

Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at www.wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office. Please visit tickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting 651-222-WILD (9453) for more information on full, partial & flexible season ticket memberships.    Visit wild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, multimedia content and daily statistics.