An NHL game had to be delayed 24 minutes because one team didn't account for New York City traffic the night before Thanksgiving

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An NHL game had to be delayed 24 minutes because one team didn't account for New York City traffic the night before Thanksgiving
Nick Bjugstad and Ryan Graves.AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
  • The Minnesota Wild were late for a game against the New Jersey Devils due to Thanksgiving traffic.
  • The Wild's bus wound up stuck in Manhattan, forcing the game to be pushed back 24 minutes.
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Holiday traffic can ruin anyone's plans, even a professional hockey team.

On Wednesday night, a game between the Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils had to be delayed 24 minutes after the Wild's team bus got stuck in New York City traffic.

According to ESPN, the Wild didn't arrive at the Devils' Prudential Center until 6:26 p.m. after getting stuck in Manhattan traffic on their way to the stadium. Matters were only made worse by the closure of the Holland Tunnel, which forced the team to find an alternate route out of the city.

With the Wild arriving late, the start of the game was pushed back from just after 7 p.m. to 7:33 p.m.

While many of us have been pushed to our worst selves stuck in traffic during the holidays, members of the Wild adopted a somewhat zen attitude towards their predicament.

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"It is what it is," said teammate Nico Sturm, according to CBS New York. "At some point on the bus, we just accepted the fact that that's how it was going to be."

"We took a nice beautiful, scenic route in New York City," Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said of his team's traffic misadventure, per ESPN.

Despite their late start and limited time to get ready, stretch, and warm up, the Wild got off to a hot start, leading the Devils 2-0 after the first period. New Jersey fought back in the third period to tie the game 2-2, but eventually fell to Minnesota in a shootout.

After the game, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff was not very pleased with the Wild's tardiness.

"My opinion is it's a little bit irresponsible on their part," Ruff said.

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The Wild's next game isn't until Friday, when they host the Winnepeg Jets in Minnesota. Here's to hoping everyone makes it to the game on time.

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