Zach Parise will suit up for the first time against his former team when the Islanders visit Minnesota on Sunday night. The Isles are in the heart of their long season-opening road trip and will be looking to extend their point streak to eight games after a 2-0 win over Winnipeg last night. After spending the past nine seasons as an alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild, Parise’s return will be bittersweet. He still has family in Minnesota and had no intention of playing anywhere else before his contract was bought out in the offseason. 

Zach Parise on his return to Minnesota on Sunday: "(My return to) Jersey was different. Jersey I left on my own. I didn't leave (Minny) on my own." #Isles

— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) November 3, 2021

Parise’s roots in Minnesota run deep. His father J.P., a former Islander, spent nine seasons playing for the Minnesota North Stars, including one as their captain in the 1978-79 season. He was the assistant coach of the North Stars for six years after his playing career ended, and his second wife gave birth to Zach in Minneapolis in July of 1984. Zach gained the attention of the hockey world as a teenager dominating at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN, where his father served as Hockey Director. He spent nearly ten years after high school playing away from his home state but returned when he signed a 13-year contract with the Wild in 2012. After getting his contract bought out this past offseason, he signed a one-year deal with the Islanders in an attempt to further his career and try to get his name on the cup. 

Parise has fit in well on the Islanders’ third line, playing on the left side of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom. He registered his first two assists of the season vs Montreal on Thursday and will be looking for his first goal of the year against his former team on Sunday night. Despite being away from his wife and kids, he has made the best of his opportunity with New York and is taking things one day at a time. There may be some animosity given the way his time in Minnesota ended, as his playing time decreased and he was scratched for regular season and playoff games, but he will surely have many good memories of his time with the Wild and will be happy to be back in his home state, the state where his family still resides.

John Smark