As Dawn Wicker walked down the steps to the main concourse of the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, her popularity was obvious. Wicker surveyed the scene around her for familiar faces, but they found her first, giving her a hug as if it was routine.
In a state dominated by Hawkeyes and Cyclones, Wicker defines herself differently. She is a diehard fan of the Iowa Wild, Des Moines’ minor league hockey team.
She and her husband have been attending minor league hockey games for decades before the Wild came in 2013. “My husband and I’s first date, 34 years ago, was a Bucs game,” Wicker said, referring to the under-21 Des Moines Buccaneers.
Wicker said that in early 2020, her husband had open heart surgery, and within a week after the operation, the couple were back in their usual seats, watching their favorite team play.
Since she started watching hockey in Des Moines in the 1989-1990 season, Dawn has seen two American Hockey League (AHL) teams come and go before the Wild appeared. “We actually were season ticket holders for the team prior to this. And the team prior to that we got in like the last 10 games of the season that they were here,” Wicker said, referring to the Iowa Chops and the Iowa Stars, which existed from 2005 to 2008 and 2008 to 2009 respectively.
The AHL is the highest minor hockey league in the country, with almost every team affiliated with a National Hockey League (NHL) team. NHL teams, like the Minnesota Wild which is the affiliate of the Iowa Wild, have the ability to call up prospects from their AHL affiliate, meaning good players are not likely to play for Iowa Wild for long periods of time since they are more likely to be called up to the NHL.
“Truthfully, I want the best for the guys,” Wicker said. “We’re disappointed to lose them. But it’s great to see them achieve the goals that they are wanting to achieve, which is to play in the NHL.”
Fellow season ticket holder John Milazzo echoed Wicker’s sentiments, saying “It’s bittersweet. You know, you’re like, ‘That’s my guy. I love that guy. That guy’s my favorite player.’ But then they graduate to the NHL and you’re like ‘Now I gotta watch it from afar.’”
Like fans of the Iowa Wild, Grinnell fans also have to deal with the temporality of their favorite players. Grinnell resident William Crosby frequents Women’s Basketball games, and recalled seeing many talented players come and go. “There was one who often ended up making a lot of baskets,” he said, referring to Alissa Hirsh `16.
Crosby, Milazzo and Wicker all emphasized the personal relationship between fans and players of smaller teams like the Pioneers or the Wild. “Monday night we have ‘Hockey and Heels,’ which is for the female fans only. And we get to have a little wine tasting. We get to meet some of the players,” Wicker said.
“Actually, I ran into [Wild forward] Adam Beckman at the grocery store one day. I’m like, ‘What are you doing here?’” Wicker said that Beckman, who has since been called up to the Minnesota Wild, initially seemed confused, but became friendly upon learning that she was a season ticket holder.
“I would assume with a big league squad, you might not have as close a relationship with the players,” Milazzo said. “I had a player recognize me out in public one time and he actually waved at me first and I was like, ‘That’s so cool!’”
“There’s players on the women’s basketball team that I am acquainted with, because they come to the coffee shop,” Crosby said. As a frequent client of Saint’s Rest Coffee House, Crosby has seen many players, both on and off the court.
For Crosby, Grinnell College sports are not the biggest show in town for residents not connected to the College. “They’re way more likely to go to Grinnell High School games and be enthusiastic about Grinnell High School sports,” he said.
Despite also not being the most popular team in Iowa, Milazzo said he felt like being a Wild fan creates a different environment. “The players will treat you just like family,” he said. “It’s one of the coolest experiences.”
“Right now we are at the bottom of the barrel,” Wicker said, commenting on the Wild’s poor performance this season, “and my thought is ‘We’ve been here before.’ I’ll still be here to support them because they’re my team, and I’m just excited that we have the hockey team that we have.”
