Dog o' Day
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Minnesota Wild pup Breezer graduates, moves on to next phase of training

By Wesley Coburn

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 05: Jordan Greenway #18 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates scoring a goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period of the game at Xcel Energy Center on January 5, 2020 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Flames defeated the Wild 5-4 in a shootout. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 05: Jordan Greenway #18 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates scoring a goal against the Calgary Flames during the third period of the game at Xcel Energy Center on January 5, 2020 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Flames defeated the Wild 5-4 in a shootout. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Wild pup Breezer has graduated from his time with the team.

Minesota Wild pup Breezer has graduated from his time with the team, the Wild reported on Twitter on Thursday morning, July 9. As such, the ranks of hockey dogs grew a little thinner, even though this is ultimately a good thing that will help a deserving veteran.

According to the team website, Breezer, a male yellow Labrador Retriever, was born in Joplin, Missouri, on March 11, 2019. He was adopted by the Wild from the Wisconsin-based Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue, and now will receive further training from the Minnesota-based organization Soldier’s 6 to fulfill his mission of helping a veteran with PTSD readjust to civilian life.

According to the SB Nation Minnesota Wild site Hockey Wilderness, Breezer (whose name comes from a slang term for hockey pants) was fostered by team president Matt Majka and his wife Kym.

Breezer is roughly college-aged in dog years, so it makes sense that this further training is sometimes called “Puppy College.”

“We will miss you so much, Breezer!” the Wild wrote on their Twitter account commented, in a fancy graduation announcement that included a picture of him wearing a cap and gown.

“A Big day for me! Loves all my Wilds humans,” Breezer wrote on his Twitter account (@MNWildPup).

“I’m not crying, you are,” our FanSided Network sister site Gone Puck Wild commented on the news.

GPW hosted the fantasy hockey league that Wesley’s team, Bark Attack, represented the site with this season. They finished fifth of eight teams after the playoffs were canceled halfway through the first round.

Among Breezer’s social media highlights and community appearances, he visited the Minnesota State Fair, which is pretty pawesome.

During the crazy coronavirus-impacted 2019-20 NHL season, the Minnesota Wild finished 10th in the Western Conference and in the Central Division, playing 69 regular season games with a winning percentage of .558, with a record of 335 wins, 27 losses and seven overtime losses.

This qualifies them for the expanded playoffs, as they will face the No. 7 seed Vancouver Canucks in a best-of-five series in the qualifying round, which should take place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

Next. The case for Major League Baseball batdogs. dark

For more hockey news, analysis and opinions, be sure to check out our sister site Puck Prose as well.

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