History of Heartbreak: 100 Events That Tortured Minnesota Sports Fans

by Dan Whenesota, Dan Barreiro (Foreword by)

Overview

We Love Minnesota Sports: Win, Lose, or Missed Field Goal!

Minnesota fans have had it rough. From the Lakers leaving in 1960 to the original “Hail Mary” to perhaps the worst trade in professional sports to the departure of our beloved North Stars, we’ve cried, shrugged our shoulders, and cried some more. From generation to generation, the heartbreaks continue to pile up. But we don’t quit. We don’t give up. Minnesota’s fans of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey keep coming back, season after season, year after year.

Twin Cities filmmaker Dan Whenesota called upon the diehard fanatics in the Land of 10,000 Lakes to help him compile a list of the worst, most devastating moments in our sports history. This “Calendar of Calamity” became the basis for History of Heartbreak. It’s more than a collection of unforgettable moments. It’s a tribute to our spirit, to our unwavering loyalty. It is a celebration of our favorite teams—the Vikings, Twins, Wild, Timberwolves, Gophers, and more—and a reminder that those who have experienced the worst learn to truly cherish the best. Join Minnesota fans across the state and around the country in remembering the moments that broke our hearts and brought us back for more.

Inside You’ll Find

• Accounts of 100 heartbreaking moments in Minnesota sports history
• Beautiful full-color sports photography
• Foreword by Dan Barreiro of KFAN Radio

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781940647418
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	691,979
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dan Whenesota is a lifelong Minnesotan and a lifelong sports fan. Some of his earliest sports memories are of collecting baseball cards and memorabilia with his father. His favorite team is the Vikings, but growing up, he watched and attended all sorts of sporting events: Twins, North Stars, Strikers, Timberwolves, Saints—and now the Wild, Lynx, and Loons, as well. He attended North Dakota State Universityand the Universityof Minnesota (and Macalester, Hamline, and Inver Hills). Dan is a teacher, coach, husband, father, computer nerd, and filmmaker, as well as a movie and TV junkie.

Read an Excerpt

North Stars Lose the Stanley Cup Finals (1991)

May 25, 1991
Heartbreak Rating: 5

What Happened:

The 1991 NHL playoff bracket was grouped by division, meaning the Minnesota North Stars played teams in our own Norris Division for the first two rounds. This division included the two best teams in the entire league: the Chicago Blackhawks and the Saint Louis Blues. Minnesota eked into the playoffs with a losing record of 27–39–14. To say we were a long shot was an understatement. We matched up against the heavily favored Blackhawks in the division semifinals. The North Stars ended Chicago’s season, four games to two. In the division finals, we upset the Blues in six games. We beat the defending-champion Edmonton Oilers in the conference finals, four games to one, to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. There, we were pitted against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Minnesota magic continued in Game 1. The North Stars beat the Penguins, 5–4. We lost Game 2, but Game 3 looked promising. Minnesota was playing at home, at the Met Center. Plus, the Penguins’ best player, Mario Lemieux, was out due to injury. The North Stars seized this chance and won the game, 3–1. Lemieux was back for Game 4, and he sparked the Penguins to three goals in the first few minutes. The North Stars fought back but ultimately lost, 5–3. In Game 5, Minnesota again dug a hole, falling behind 4–0. We staged a comeback but fell short, 6–4. Game 6 was a blowout: The North Stars were blanked, 8–0, in our last chance to stay alive in the series. It was a bitter end to an otherwise dreamlike run.

Why It Hurt So Much:

This truly was a Cinderella story. Nobody expected the North Stars to win the first series, let alone get so far. We were hot at the right time and upset higher-ranked teams, only to turn back into a pumpkin before midnight. In addition, this loss was near the end of the North Stars’ time in Minnesota. We didn’t know it then, but the team would only play two more seasons here. 

The Aftermath:

The previous year (1990), the North Stars had almost moved to San Jose, but hockey legend Lou Nanne negotiated a deal with the NHL: The North Stars’ owners, brothers George and Gordon Gund, would get an expansion franchise—the San Jose Sharks—if a new owner could be found for Minnesota. On May 2, 1990, the Gunds agreed to sell the team. Part of the deal was that the roster would be divided between the North Stars and the Sharks. That “dividing” was officially called a dispersal draft; it occurred on May 30, 1991—just a few days after the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dan’s Notes: 

I remember watching the playoffs. Many fans, including my parents, were really upset that it was only on pay-per-view.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dan Barreiro

Introduction

1. The Dirty Dozen (worst moments)

2. Skating on Thin Ice (hockey)

3. Court Jesters (basketball)

4. Diamond in the Rough (baseball)

5. Purple Haze (football)

6. Disorder in Dinkytown (college)

7. Distressed of the Rest (misc)

Sources

About the Author