In Balsam Lake, Wisc., on Saturday, more than 20 members of the Nanne and Lettieri clan, including Vinni Lettieri’s fiancée, did a 5K.
“I did 4,” said Lou Nanne, Vinni’s grandfather. “I mean, I could have done five, but I didn’t want to spend all that time at it.”
Nanne is a Minnesota treasure.
The former North Stars general manager, coach and player and former Gophers defenseman is beloved in these parts. His spots with Dan Barreiro on KFAN will often leave you howling.
But let’s be honest: When the weather turns chilly, Nanne gets out of Dodge in a hurry, heading with his wife, Francine, to their condo in Palm Beach, Fla.
Well, Nanne plans to spend a lot more time in the Midwest this winter.
That’s because on Saturday, the first day of free agency, his 28-year-old grandson, Vinni, signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Wild — a deal that will pay him $750,000 annually when he’s in the NHL and $550,000 when he’s in the minors. In recent years, Lettieri has been the highest-paid player in the minors on an NHL contract and often leads his team in goals per game when not in the NHL.
In addition, the Wild also signed former Michigan Tech forward Jake Lucchini to a one-year, two-way $750,000 contract. He scored a goal in 11 games for Ottawa last season and…
