Matt Hendricks recently became General Manager of the Iowa Wild. Before that he starred at St. Cloud State and played for six different NHL teams between 2004 and 2019 – including the Minnesota Wild.
“Yeah it was special,” Hendricks said. “Probably a little bit rare for it to happen as late with my age being 27, 28 years old. I think that doesn’t happen too often.”
But for Hendricks the pinnacle of his pucks career came when he skated for Blaine and became part of Bengals hockey history.
“At the time I thought it would get better, but it never really did,” Hendricks said. “I think there’s something special about playing in the state of Minnesota, the state of hockey and winning a championship with the kids, the young men that you grew up playing with. I mean playing knee hockey in your basement, playing roller hockey in the church parking lots around town. You’re best friends and you’re connected at the hip for years and years and years. To go out on top it’s pretty unique, pretty special.”
Time tunnel
Hendricks recently returned to Blaine High School – which gave him a chance to go back in the time tunnel.
“Home games at Fogarty,” Hendricks said. “Baseball at Paul Parkway. Obviously football was here.”
Hendricks was a multi-sport athlete who cherishes his days with the Bengals.
“This brings back lots of great memories,” Hendricks said. “Whether it was on the football field, the hockey rink or the baseball field. This is a special place.”
These days Hendricks is embracing his new job with the Iowa Wild in the AHL – the Minnesota Wild’s top minor league affiliate.
“It’s a very unique league,” Hendricks said. “It’s a tough league. A fast league and a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to this new opportunity.”
Stanley Cup hopes
Hendricks primary role is player development – getting guys ready to make the jump from the AHL in Des Moines to the NHL in St. Paul.
“You’re trying to help them grow,” Hendricks said. “You’re trying to help them understand how hard it is to get there. Now stepping into a management role I get to not only work with the players and help them reach their dreams, but now I get to work with young coaches that are trying to aspire to be in the National Hockey League. Equipment managers, medical trainers, broadcasters. All of these individuals are a part of my team.”
Hendricks reports to Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin. Hendricks hopes Iowa can feed enough talent to Minnesota so the Wild can bring a championship to the title-starved Twin Cities.
Said Hendricks: “Nothing would make me more happy than to be a part of bringing a Stanley Cup here.”
As a player Hendricks got close but never won a cup, so he knows how challenging that is.
“Conference finals in Winnipeg,” Hendricks said. “We lost to Vegas the year they lost to Washington in the finals.”
Hendricks certainly knows plenty about minor league hockey. He played for a combined seven teams in the AHL and the ECHL.
