Former Wild Player Talks Life After Hockey

It's been five years since former NHL great Mark Parrish parted ways with his home team, the Minnesota Wild.

And according to the St. Cloud Times, while Parrish, who played for the St. Cloud State University Huskies, was disappointed when the split happened, it took him a while to realize how much he had been affected:

“It was very difficult on me,” said Parrish ...

“I didn’t realize just how much it really affected me until a few years later. That was when I started to see how it did change me as a person. Minnesota was the place I wanted to end my career. And to have it not work out that way was hard.”

Parrish, a Bloomington native who now lives in Plymouth with his wife and children, spent two seasons with the Wild before his contract was bought out. He retired after the 2011-2012 season. Last winter, Parrish was the color analyst on television broadcasts of St. Cloud State hockey games, according to the Times.

Do you have a memory of Parrish from his days as a high school, college or NHL player? Share it in the comments section below.

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