 The Wild named Jacques Lemaire their first-ever head coach and the team picked Marian Gaborik third overall in the first round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.Gaborik would go on to score the first ever goal for the Wild in their franchise debut on October 6 at Anaheim.The Wild played their first ever home game on October 11 against the Philadelphia Flyers and skated to a 3–3 tie.