The Minnesota Wild

2022-23 Playoff Campaign “GRIT FIRST”

When you’re looking to get the fanbase to double-down for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best postseason themes often will come directly from the team and “the room.” The 2022-23 edition of the Minnesota Wild was a physical, blue-collar group that decided to commit to grit embracing a playoff style of hockey for most of the regular season. For the 2023 playoff theme we circled a phrase that head coach Dean Evanson had been preaching all season long, “GRIT FIRST.” Said simply, if the Wild were going to win in the playoffs, their approach had to be “GRIT FIRST.”

To best resemble the team, the “Grit First” playoff theme required some sandpaper. We used stencils, and distressed design with paint dripping and rugged materials like corrugated metal throughout the execution.