The Minnesota Wild's 6-1 victory over rival Chicago on Sunday was the perfect cap to an incredibly fun and nostalgic Stadium Series weekend in the State of Hockey.

Playing outdoors in front of more than 50,000 fans at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota, the Wild - led by several former Golden Gophers - looked dominant against the Blackhawks, starting fast and sustaining pressure throughout the nationally televised contest.

The experience was a special one for players, coaches and fans alike, and, along with Saturday's North Stars/Wild/Hawks alumni game, the entire weekend helped warm the hearts of hockey fans despite the cold temperatures outside.
 
 

"Being back home, and the setting was kind of set when the snow flew in the first,” Wild forward Ryan Carter told the Star Tribune after the game. “I look up in the stands, there’s a group of White Bear jerseys, too. Then, you hear the band playing and it brings you back to your college days [at Minnesota State Mankato] a little bit.

“It was kind of like a time warp through my career and into pro hockey. And in the third there, we got up, what was it, 5-0, 6-1, and I sat back and said, ‘This is pretty cool. This is pretty neat.’ ”

On Saturday, it was tough to find spectators without smiles from ear to ear, as more than 30,000 people watched former North Stars and Wild legends take the ice together in the Alumni Game against legends from Chicago.

For fans of the old North Stars, it was a step back in time, seeing the North Stars' logo and hearing old songs and cheers that were once so prevalent in the Met Center in Bloomington. A pre-game video message and "Let's Play Hockey" bellow from former North Stars' radio voice Al Shaver left some fans misty eyed and perfectly set the tone for the nostalgic event.

Once the puck was dropped, it was pure enjoyment for Minnesota hockey fans who so fondly remembered the great North Stars-Blackhawks rivalry: Dino Ciccarelli mixing it up with Chicago's Denis Savard, Dennis Maruk scoring the first goal of the game and goaltender Gilles Meloche flopping around his crease, defying his age of 65-years-old. 

From the ceremonial puck drop with the wives of deceased North Stars Bill Goldsworthy, Murray Oliver and J.P. Parise, to Izzy Beaupre, the daughter of former North Star netminder Don, serving as State of Hockey flag bearer, to a between-periods ceremony on Sunday honoring some of Minnesota's greatest players and teams - including Phil Housley, Dave Christian, the Broten brothers and the championship Golden Gopher women's squad, to the countless youth hockey jerseys in the crowd, all the right notes were hit to help make the weekend music to any Minnesota hockey fan's ears.

More on the Wild's 6-1 win 

More on the Alumni Game

Watch Alumni Game highlights, courtesy of Fox Sports North