ST. PAUL, Minn. – Zach Parise is a proud Minnesotan with every fiber of his being. He was raised here. He’s raising his three kids here. And someday very soon, after he cuts the laces off the skates at the bottom of his Energizer-bunny legs for good, he’ll be coaching here, whether it’s his own kids or perhaps those state champion Hornets from Edina High School.
No Minnesota-born player in the history of the NHL has scored more than Parise’s 433. When he forced overtime in the 2010 Olympics gold-medal game, there was this pride across the State of Hockey that Zach Parise was one of us. When he helped the United States win gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships two years after he also dominated the Under-18 World Championship, Minnesotans knew Zach Parise was theirs.
And when Zach Parise and Ryan Suter set off those July 4, 2012, fireworks across the Twin Cities on a 100-plus-degree day by signing dual 13-year contracts and choosing the Wild of all teams over franchises like Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and so many others that were in hot pursuit, they brought legitimacy to a franchise that lacked star power, pizzazz … and playoff wins.
Parise and Suter brought instant credibility and elevated the Wild’s status into perennial playoff participants and were part of two of the three teams in franchise history that made it past the first round.
Sure, we all know their tenures in Minnesota didn’t end the way they envisioned. Just like they arrived together, they departed together when general manager Bill Guerin made the bold decision to buy each of them out of the final four years of their contracts in July 2021.
And even though every Wild fan can roll off the tip of their tongues precisely what the cap penalty is for Parise and Suter, that $14.7 million “isn’t my fault,” Parise said with that typical Parise chuckle and wide smile Thursday morning in a conversation with The Athletic.
No, it is not.
He shouldn’t be blamed. Suter shouldn’t be blamed, nor should anybody hold them responsible for the Wild not being able to raise a Stanley Cup banner to accompany that dusty 2008 Northwest Division championship banner that sits all alone atop Xcel Energy Center.
They did their jobs.
In 558 games with the Wild, Parise ranks third with 199 goals and 400 points, first with 69 power-play goals, second with 39 game-winning goals and second with 1,707 shots. He’s the Wild’s all-time leader in the playoffs with 16 goals, 21 assists, 37 points and six power-play goals in 44 games.
He has scored the eighth-most goals in NHL history for a U.S.-born player.
He has long been one of the NHL’s hardest workers and grittiest goal scorers, and the fact of the matter is … he was born and raised in this great state.
That’s what should be remembered Thursday night when Parise takes the ice with the Colorado Avalanche in what is likely his final professional game in Minnesota.
“When I think about it this morning, no, but I think once the game starts and I start playing a little bit, I think it may be emotional,” said Parise, who may be 39 now but doesn’t look a lot older than that 27-year-old who sat next to Suter at his introductory news conference with his mom, Donna, and his late father, the legendary J.P. Parise, on hand.
“By the end of the game it’ll be on my mind. Just a lot of great memories. I think just knowing it’ll be my last game here in Minnesota, it’ll be hard.”
GO DEEPER
Zach Parise’s journey to 1,000 games, through the eyes of his wife and mother
Parise’s wife, Alisha, will be at the game with their 10-year-old twins, Jaxson and Emmy, and 6-year-old Theo. He’ll have plenty of friends in the stands, plus his daughter’s hockey team, which Parise coached this winter. Donna decided she’ll stay home and watch on TV.
Parise tries not to let the sting of the way his career with the Wild ended douse any of the memories he cherished here. All three of his children were born after he signed, and he’ll always be thankful he got to be at home when his dad was diagnosed with cancer and living in Minnesota throughout the final year of his life.
One of his greatest memories with the Wild came on March 29, 2014, when Chuck Fletcher, soon after J.P. got sick, gave J.P. the gift of a lifetime – a personal father-son trip with the Wild. It’s something he never got to do when his son played in New Jersey. On that trip, in Arizona, Parise scored his 238th and 239th goals in a 3-1 win to tie and pass his father’s career goal total.
After the game, Zach and J.P. documented the special moment with a picture from the visitors’ bench.
Shortly after his cancer diagnosis, J.P. Parise got to be in Arizona to see his son Zach match and then surpass his own career goal total. (Courtesy of Zach Parise)
“At the end of the day, no, you don’t want it to end with the Wild, but I just think the way it was trending, it was probably best for everybody,” Parise said. “And I look at it that as much as a bummer as it was, I got to spend two awesome years on the Island, which I loved. And now I get a chance to play here in Colorado and have a chance to do something special.
“So it worked out. It wasn’t what we drew up at the beginning, but I’m proud of what we did in Minnesota.”
That may be hard for Wild fans to accept, but it takes a team to win a Cup, not two individuals. And the reality is Parise became the face of the franchise, the willing spokesman after every win and every loss and the leader and top scorer on several solid teams.
“I think there’s a lot to be proud of,” Parise said, before laughing. “Of course, I think in our best years, unfortunately, it was also Chicago’s best years, too, and we kept running into them. Unfortunately, we were never able to climb that mountain, but we did a lot of good things.
“I think there was a lot of excitement about the team and I know they were short-lived, but the playoffs, it’s not easy to get there every year and I thought that was a great accomplishment by the team. I think there’s a lot to be proud of coming here. I enjoyed my time in Minnesota. I loved the fans and the organization.”
And as far as having to still live here and always hearing that “$14.7 million” figure ad nauseam, “I could care less about that. (The buyout) was not my fault. I can say confidently and proudly that we came here and we played our asses off and we did the best that we could and were proud to play for that team. That’s what you can hang your hat on.”
GO DEEPER
Halfway into Parise-Suter deals, here’s the full story of how it all went down
After scoring 21 goals in 82 games last season in his second year with the Islanders, a franchise in which his dad was a popular figure during four years there, Parise returned to Minnesota last offseason and thought he was done.
He worked out, but he didn’t train like he normally would for an NHL season. He thought he was OK with “being done.” But then he went on a golf trip to Scotland, returned to Minnesota and all his NHL buddies had left for training camp. He went to dinner with his wife for her birthday, and she even said, “I can tell you still want to play.”
“She’s like, ‘You got to do it,’” Parise recalled.
So Parise decided he’d give it a go. He treated October like it was June and began ramping up his training for an eventual 19th year over the next four months.
He worked out hard. He got bag-skated at Velocity Hockey by Noel Rahn. He did skills work with former NHLers Chris Porter and Taylor Chorney. He skated down at Shattuck St. Mary’s and even with the Hornets’ varsity team.
Most felt he’d only return and play for the Islanders, but several playoff contenders went after him and a chance to win it all in Colorado was impossible to pass up. He signed in February and now plays on a line with Ross Colton, a former Devils die-hard who idolized Parise as a kid.
“We always talk about the 2012 Devils team (that went to the Final), so that keeps me young,” Parise said. “It’s really nice to try to get one more crack at it. This is a really good team.”
Parise technically hasn’t announced he’ll retire after this season although it has been reported “this is it.”
“I was having a very casual interview like this in Denver I think even before our first practice and someone said, ‘Are you gonna play again after this year?” Parise said, laughing. “I was like, ‘I don’t think so. This is it.’ It wasn’t anything more than, ‘This is it.’ But it turned into a big, ‘This is it!’”
So, it is not definite?
“No, I think it’s definite,” Parise said, laughing hard. “You and I can talk about that at a different time, but that’s what I feel right now. But I’m not thinking about that right now. I’m thinking about something else.”
A Stanley Cup.
“That would be the dream,” Parise said.
If Parise does win the Cup, then retirement will be definitely definite.
“No doubt,” Parise said, laughing. “I’ll be like, ‘Thank you for everything. Goodbye!’ Everyone knows the image of Ray Bourque winning there in Colorado. That would be pretty awesome.”
Parise got to spend the past three days in Minnesota. He brought his kids to school, “which made them pumped,” and played a couple wild roller hockey games with them after school.
In retirement, Parise will be visible in Minnesota, whether it’s fishing on a lake, golfing in the Twin Cities or coaching hockey.
There have been lots of rumors he’d be the heir apparent to Curt Giles if he ever decides to retire from coaching Edina. Parise laughed at that, saying, “Maybe I’ll coach the Edina squirt team.”
In all seriousness, he loved helping out the Edina high school team this past season.
“I helped (assistant coach Josh Harding) with the power play and it was just great to be invested with that team and watch them win it all,” Parise said. “I talked to Hards all the time. We did video all the time. It was cool to feel part of that and I can totally see myself after hockey coaching. Like, I love to coach my kids’ teams.”
As for the NHL, he doesn’t plan on getting a job with a team.
“No, I’m done traveling,” Parise said. “But I’m not going to hang up the skates and be done with it. I just love the game.”
(Photo of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
