3ITB’s Top 33 Wild Players of All Time – #7

Kenney

7. Brian Rolston – C

3 Seasons,  241 Games,  96 Goals,  106 Assists,  202 Points

Brian Rolston singed with the Wild as a UFA in July of 2004. As a power forward, he averaged over 20 minutes of TOI under the Lemaire regime and had .84 points per game. Under Lemaire’s alternating captaincy, Rolston wore the C multiple times, which include the unheard of of, back to back months.

With his bomb of a slapshot, Rolston made Anaheim goalie  Giguere duck and cover for a goal as well as dazing Vancouver goalie Robert Luongo, firing a shot that hit him in the mask and dropped him to the ice. Multiple times during penalty or shootout shots Rolston used his powerful slapshot to gain the Wild an extra point. It’s a bummer we never got to see him in the hardest shot competition. “Thanks, Bettman” After his retirement, Sports Illustrated rated his slapshot at #8 of all time in March 2013.

His negotiating rights were traded to Tampa Bay in June 2008 for a conditional draft pick in 2009nor 2010, but he couldn;t come to terms with TB and the following day signed back to his original team, the NJ Devils.

Some of his accolades include a bronze in the World Juniors for the USA in 1992, a Bronze with the USA in the World Championships in 1996, a silver medal in the 2002 Olympic Games, representing the Wild in 2007 at the NHL All-Star Game and winning the Stanley cup with the NJ Devils in 1995, which also included FSN commentator Tom Chorske.

Previously on our list:

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