Before a home game Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Wild honored two Burnsville police officers and a Fire Department medic who were fatally shot a day earlier by a man during a standoff at a residence.
Minnesota Wild honor Burnsville officers, medic fatally shot on duty
The recognition before Monday afternoon’s game came during the Wild’s previously planned appreciation for law enforcement, first responders and other public safety personnel.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 19, 2024 at 11:04PM
The names of officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, appeared on the scoreboard over center ice during a moment of silence, while players from the Wild and Vancouver Canucks stood on their respective blue lines in the dimly lit Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.
The recognition came during the Wild’s previously planned appreciation event for law enforcement, first responders and other public safety personnel.
The team dedicated a portion of ticket sales to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, which is based in Washington, D.C. Part of its mission includes funding for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which is in the nation’s capital and honors those who have died in the line of duty while protecting their communities.
The team has continued to play high-level hockey for long enough that it’s no longer a surprise. President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin sees the reasons for that and sees no reason for it to stop.
