The Fourth of July fireworks amped up a few decibels, after this year's most coveted free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signed for the Minnesota Wild, in an incredible coup for the franchise.
The likes of Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks made a serious pitch for the two, but after consultation between themselves, Parise and Suter chose Minnesota.
"This is a great day in the history of the Minnesota Wild," general manager Chuck Fletcher said.
"We are extremely excited to add the collective skill, experience and character of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to an already promising roster.
"We view this as a rare opportunity for us to transform our franchise by adding two marquee players, who are both in the prime of their careers, at the same time.
"I am grateful to Zach and Ryan and I am also thankful for the substantial commitment and support of Craig Leipold throughout this process. This is a huge step forward in our quest to bring a Stanley Cup to the deserving fans of the State of Hockey."
Both were signed to identical 13-year $98 million contracts.
Parise, a Minnesota native, said the chance to play in his hometown was a big factor in his decision.
"The opportunity to play at home meant a lot to me, and my family," the 27-year-old told the Wild's official website.
"Every kid that's growing up in Minnesota would love to play with the Wild.
"Now, I'm lucky we were able to make that happen."
Parise and Suter are USA team-mates and looked like they were destined to sign for different teams when the free agent period opened on July 1. However, the idea to play together came up a couple of days back and after much discussion, the offensive and defensive duo decided to become team-mates.
"I know how great of a player Ryan is," Parise said. "To have the opportunity to play with a guy of his caliber, this is a great opportunity.
"Ryan and I talked about this. We like what they are doing here in Minnesota.
"We like the pieces. Our hope is that we can come in and help this team get to where we want to go."
"The fact that Minnesota has a lot of good young players, I think will help make this team successful," Suter added.
Suter is the first free-agent defenseman to agree to terms with the Wild this summer and, along with Parise, will join free agent signings Jake Dowell, Zenon Konopka, and Torrey Mitchell as new faces in the Wild line-up.
Suter totalled 46 points last season for the Predators last campaign while Parise, who had spent his entire 7-year career with the Devils leading them to the Stanley Cup finals last season, had 31 goals and 38 assists in the regular season for a total of 69 points. The left-wing has 410 points in 501 career games.
