Mavs fans embrace former Gopher

Photo by John Cross

When the Minnesota Wild made its Wells Fargo Road Tour stop in Mankato on Wednesday, the most popular member of the group clearly was Erik Haula. The former Minnesota Gopher had a solid second half of his rookie season and made quite a splash in the playoffs.

Haula didn't mind posing for pictures with folks in Minnesota State gear. He went out of his way to praise Mavericks coach Mike Hastings, whom he got to know when Hastings was a Minnesota assistant recruiting him, and has followed the coach's progress.

"I know (Hastings) really well," Haula said. "He's a great, great coach."

Read more about Haula and the Wild's Mankato stop here.