Well, the Minnesota Wild are, indeed, in outright free-fall now. There is no sugar-coating it anymore. No excuses that can easily be accepted. No way to hide the inimitable fact:
This is a bad hockey team right now.
The last three games (Phoenix at home, at Vancouver, at Calgary) are prima facie evidence as to the 'Limbo theory' of hockey: 'How low can you go'?
The Wild have managed to lose to two teams, which you should have beaten like a drum (Phoenix and Calgary), and one that your talent level should have been able to keep up with (Vancouver), in an eight-day stretch where you returned two of your top-6 forwards and one of your top-4 defensemen to the lineup. Yes, the Wild have had injuries, but what team this season hasn't? The Wild are without Guillaume Latendresse, but other players (Sidney Crosby, Chris Pronger, others) have also been concussed, and their teams carry on without them. (In fact, four of the next five Wild opponents now have players on their rosters who are suffering post-concussion symptoms.) The good teams learn to get along without pieces of their puzzle when players are injured. The good teams find ways to persevere. The good teams find ways to turn adversity into triumph. Good teams find ways to win.
The Wild are now finding different ways to lose. There is no depth as to the embarrassment this team will drag itself into. The 2011-2012 Wild find themselves now inexorably linked to the 1999 Vikings, the 1994 Twins, and numerous Gopher football teams (of the last 50 seasons) as Minnesota sports team public embarrassments, that allowed major milestones by opposing players to happen against them. Jarome Iginla's 500th goal, a double-deflection Saturday night off the skates of Marek Zidlicky and Mikko Koivu, is just another sign as to the depths that this franchise has driven itself into. Like Rod Carew's 3,000th hit, the biggest collapse in NFL conference championship history, and numerous Big Ten and NCAA record football record days (not to mention two losses to 1-AA -- or whatever division they call it these days -- North Dakota State), the Wild have managed to be reminded of the embarassing way they played Saturday night, for all time. The players will be at home in the Czech Republic (Zidlicky) or Finland (Koivu), watching old NHL 'remember when' video, and watching that lack of effort again, and again, and again, and again...
And, then, if you could add injury to the insult that was the last game in Calgary for this season, inexplicably, one of the forwards dissed Minneapolis Star-Tribune Wild beat writer Michael Russo after the game when Russo, doing nothing other than what he was hired to do, asked the player for a moment of his time. The player responded with, 'I have #*$& to get done'.
Uh, excuse me there. Part of your job is to interact with this man. Part of the reason you exist is the excitement in the community from what Russo generates. Part of the reason you have a contract, a contract that allows you a living playing a game, a contract that can feed you, and your family, is the buzz that is reported in the newspaper, on the radio, online, and thru social media. (Including this blog, by the way.) Russo (and Bruce Brothers, at the St. Paul Pioneer Press) are the two people you should least consider to brush off. The fact that you did it at all is bad enough. The fact that it was done, when your team needs all the friends it can get right now, especially in light of a 1-7-2 record in your last ten games, makes it that much worse. The fact that you did it to one of the two people that basically you can't get away from, (as they are assigned by their employers to follow you), makes it absolutely inexcusable.
Can you be disappointed? Yes. Can you be angry? I hope you are! (Might make you play better.) Can you improve your game? I hope you can! But don't take your frustrations out on those who attempt to help keep that lifestyle, which your talent and work up to this point have allowed you to earn, in the public eye. The fact is that without a Russo, this team could have easily been the second coming of the Atlanta Thrashers; a team which played to half-empty houses, garnered no press, couldn't get on TV, generated absolutely zero buzz in the community, and finally packed up and moved out after losing so often, that the fans just stopped coming, and the bills stopped getting paid.
So, dear Wild player, please stop and think, before you blow off the everyday beat writer. He's doing his job, just like you're doing yours. You need him, in order for you to survive and thrive in this environment, more than he needs you. Your environment is a product of your poor play in the last month. Don't like your environment? Change it. Work harder. Play smarter. Start winning again.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Will the real Wild please return to St. Paul?
Watching the Minnesota Wild lately is like watching the NFL during 'replacement football'. Fans are just waiting for the real players to return to the arena, and start playing.
What? You mean...these ARE the real Wild players?
You're kidding, aren't you? Where is the team that took 'come-from-behind' as a mark of pride, a mantra for working within 'the system' and having the proper 'battle level' to succeed?
You mean they were all injured? And half of them still ARE off the active roster?
The fact is that the Wild, dear people, have indeed seen the highs and lows of life in the NHL. In the same month. Like a bad stock market, volatility reigns supreme right now at 317 Washington St., St. Paul.
The injuries continue to mount, as now in nearly every game at least one Wild player winds up on the injured list. Setoguchi, Latendresse, Stoner, and now Spurgeon. Every game, another pain. Every game, another way to lose. And this from the team which just two weeks ago was creating new ways to win. And now, the final, ultimate indignity: the Vancouver Canucks, winners of 15 of their last 17 games, have overtaken the Wild atop the Northwest Division.
The Wild's month on top has officially ended, as most of us thought it would eventually, with a resounding thud.
Were the Wild playing 'over their heads'? Perhaps. But the fact that this team came off the top of the mountain in such a spectacular fashion, to a group of teams that, mostly, they really should have defeated, is as much a condemnation of how the NHL as a whole plays these days, as the individual failings of its' players.
Think about it: if the season ended today (Dec. 27), 5 of the 7 teams the Wild have lost to would not make the playoffs. The only two that would (Chicago and Vancouver), are now 1-2 in the Western Conference. The other five teams (Winnipeg, NY Islanders, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado) are a combined 78-for-177 (.441 winning percentage), and the two losses to the lowly Islanders -- hockey's second worst team (only Columbus is worse) -- are especially telling, as the Wild did not look like they even wanted to play in either game.
The Wild play 12 games between now and the All-Star break; eight of those 12 are on the road, including a pair of games (at Philadelphia and Toronto) against two of the hottest teams in hockey. With only three home games in January, the Wild need to pull out of this funk. Now. Before the road gets so long, they find themselves on the outside, looking in, once again. For if that happens, the Vikings won't be the only Minnesota pro sports team in need of a total rebuild.
What? You mean...these ARE the real Wild players?
You're kidding, aren't you? Where is the team that took 'come-from-behind' as a mark of pride, a mantra for working within 'the system' and having the proper 'battle level' to succeed?
You mean they were all injured? And half of them still ARE off the active roster?
The fact is that the Wild, dear people, have indeed seen the highs and lows of life in the NHL. In the same month. Like a bad stock market, volatility reigns supreme right now at 317 Washington St., St. Paul.
The injuries continue to mount, as now in nearly every game at least one Wild player winds up on the injured list. Setoguchi, Latendresse, Stoner, and now Spurgeon. Every game, another pain. Every game, another way to lose. And this from the team which just two weeks ago was creating new ways to win. And now, the final, ultimate indignity: the Vancouver Canucks, winners of 15 of their last 17 games, have overtaken the Wild atop the Northwest Division.
The Wild's month on top has officially ended, as most of us thought it would eventually, with a resounding thud.
Were the Wild playing 'over their heads'? Perhaps. But the fact that this team came off the top of the mountain in such a spectacular fashion, to a group of teams that, mostly, they really should have defeated, is as much a condemnation of how the NHL as a whole plays these days, as the individual failings of its' players.
Think about it: if the season ended today (Dec. 27), 5 of the 7 teams the Wild have lost to would not make the playoffs. The only two that would (Chicago and Vancouver), are now 1-2 in the Western Conference. The other five teams (Winnipeg, NY Islanders, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado) are a combined 78-for-177 (.441 winning percentage), and the two losses to the lowly Islanders -- hockey's second worst team (only Columbus is worse) -- are especially telling, as the Wild did not look like they even wanted to play in either game.
The Wild play 12 games between now and the All-Star break; eight of those 12 are on the road, including a pair of games (at Philadelphia and Toronto) against two of the hottest teams in hockey. With only three home games in January, the Wild need to pull out of this funk. Now. Before the road gets so long, they find themselves on the outside, looking in, once again. For if that happens, the Vikings won't be the only Minnesota pro sports team in need of a total rebuild.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Limping along at the top
(Revised and updated, with status of Wild injured)
Sorry, Vancouver Canucks fans. Your team still isn't in first this morning.
Despite injuries which have taken more than 120 man-games away (as of Saturday night's game vs. the NY Islanders), the Minnesota Wild still have managed to limp along in first place in the entire NHL.
Despite losing four of their top six forwards (Mikko Koivu, Devin Setoguchi, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse) to various and sundry ailments (leg, knee, face and concussion, respectively), the Wild continue to earn points, despite a week where the hockey gods did not exactly smile good fortune on them.
In the last game of a 5-game road trip, the Wild finally played a game in their own time zone, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at MTS Centre, in front of 14,904 Jets fanatics (and about 100 Wild fans, spread out thru the arena, including this blogger). In that game, Casey Wellman, filling in for the ailing Setoguchi, was slashed in the second period by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian, another injury that was totally missed by the game officials (no penalty was assessed on the play). Then, with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, Bogosian tried to obliterate Bouchard by running him into the dasher separating the boards from the glass as Minnesota was pressing for the tying goal in the Winnipeg end. Bogosian was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the act, but no supplemental discipling was assessed later, while Bouchard was left to bleed all the way back to Minnesota.
Wednesday, the Wild came back twice from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to take the Chicago Blackhawks to (and thru) overtime and into the shootout, where Patrick Kane out-deked Niklas Backstrom to win the game for the Hawks. In that game, Koivu injured his leg late in the third period, right as he scored the tying goal to send the game into overtime. Latendresse also suffered post-concussion syndrome symptoms, after a hit on Chicago's Viktor Stalberg midway thru the first period. Latendresse has since been put on injured reserve.
Saturday night, vs. the lowly Islanders, the patchwork lineup that the Wild presented at the 'X' was decidedly 'Houston-heavy', as no less than four Aeros call-ups permeated the roster. Unfortunately, the four call-ups and Backstrom were the only reasons the Wild were still in the game after two lacklustre periods, and a booing off the ice by the faithful at the end of the second period.
Newly-minted Wild-killer Al Montoya was easily stopping everything loosely thrown at him, as there was no sustained effort by the Wild offense to press the attack in the Islanders zone. The fact that the Islanders are the worst team in the East, did not stop the Wild from playing down to their level thru the first 35 minutes of the game. That the Wild got a point out of this snoozer of a contest, is as much the work of Backstrom, as anything any forward or defenseman did.
And now, the Wild take to the road for their third (of 4 this season) western Canadian trip, the only one where they travel to all three cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, respectively), in as bad a condition physically as they have been in for years. The Canucks just finished a five-game Eastern road trip where they went 3-1-1, including wins at Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Calgary is on a 3-game winless streak (not including Sunday's game at Chicago) of its' own, while the Oilers are 1-5 in their last six games (not including Monday night's home game vs. Detroit).
Koivu and Bouchard will both travel with the team on this trip; Koivu may not play in Vancouver, but is expected back vs. the Flames. Setoguchi may begin practicing while the team is on the road trip. Bouchard is day-to-day. Latendresse will be sidelined for a while with his PCS problems.
What does all this mean? There may be -- MAY be -- light at the end of the injury tunnel. As the team goes into the holiday break, the schedule will actually turn and FAVOR the Wild, as the long western road trips will have been put behind them; in fact, only 6 games in the New Year will start after 7:30 PM (and after January 7, no games will start later than 8:00 PM Central Time). The injuries will subside (hopefully) and the Mike Yeo-inspired system, ingrained into this group of players, will propel them towards a playoff spot.
Hang on, Wild fans. Better times are indeed ahead. Patience is indeed a virtue.
Sorry, Vancouver Canucks fans. Your team still isn't in first this morning.
Despite injuries which have taken more than 120 man-games away (as of Saturday night's game vs. the NY Islanders), the Minnesota Wild still have managed to limp along in first place in the entire NHL.
Despite losing four of their top six forwards (Mikko Koivu, Devin Setoguchi, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse) to various and sundry ailments (leg, knee, face and concussion, respectively), the Wild continue to earn points, despite a week where the hockey gods did not exactly smile good fortune on them.
In the last game of a 5-game road trip, the Wild finally played a game in their own time zone, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at MTS Centre, in front of 14,904 Jets fanatics (and about 100 Wild fans, spread out thru the arena, including this blogger). In that game, Casey Wellman, filling in for the ailing Setoguchi, was slashed in the second period by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian, another injury that was totally missed by the game officials (no penalty was assessed on the play). Then, with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, Bogosian tried to obliterate Bouchard by running him into the dasher separating the boards from the glass as Minnesota was pressing for the tying goal in the Winnipeg end. Bogosian was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the act, but no supplemental discipling was assessed later, while Bouchard was left to bleed all the way back to Minnesota.
Wednesday, the Wild came back twice from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to take the Chicago Blackhawks to (and thru) overtime and into the shootout, where Patrick Kane out-deked Niklas Backstrom to win the game for the Hawks. In that game, Koivu injured his leg late in the third period, right as he scored the tying goal to send the game into overtime. Latendresse also suffered post-concussion syndrome symptoms, after a hit on Chicago's Viktor Stalberg midway thru the first period. Latendresse has since been put on injured reserve.
Saturday night, vs. the lowly Islanders, the patchwork lineup that the Wild presented at the 'X' was decidedly 'Houston-heavy', as no less than four Aeros call-ups permeated the roster. Unfortunately, the four call-ups and Backstrom were the only reasons the Wild were still in the game after two lacklustre periods, and a booing off the ice by the faithful at the end of the second period.
Newly-minted Wild-killer Al Montoya was easily stopping everything loosely thrown at him, as there was no sustained effort by the Wild offense to press the attack in the Islanders zone. The fact that the Islanders are the worst team in the East, did not stop the Wild from playing down to their level thru the first 35 minutes of the game. That the Wild got a point out of this snoozer of a contest, is as much the work of Backstrom, as anything any forward or defenseman did.
And now, the Wild take to the road for their third (of 4 this season) western Canadian trip, the only one where they travel to all three cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, respectively), in as bad a condition physically as they have been in for years. The Canucks just finished a five-game Eastern road trip where they went 3-1-1, including wins at Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Calgary is on a 3-game winless streak (not including Sunday's game at Chicago) of its' own, while the Oilers are 1-5 in their last six games (not including Monday night's home game vs. Detroit).
Koivu and Bouchard will both travel with the team on this trip; Koivu may not play in Vancouver, but is expected back vs. the Flames. Setoguchi may begin practicing while the team is on the road trip. Bouchard is day-to-day. Latendresse will be sidelined for a while with his PCS problems.
What does all this mean? There may be -- MAY be -- light at the end of the injury tunnel. As the team goes into the holiday break, the schedule will actually turn and FAVOR the Wild, as the long western road trips will have been put behind them; in fact, only 6 games in the New Year will start after 7:30 PM (and after January 7, no games will start later than 8:00 PM Central Time). The injuries will subside (hopefully) and the Mike Yeo-inspired system, ingrained into this group of players, will propel them towards a playoff spot.
Hang on, Wild fans. Better times are indeed ahead. Patience is indeed a virtue.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Wild sweep thru California, finally get noticed by NHL 'Glitterati'
Four-game Western road sweep finally gets Wild noticed by mainstream hockey media; next stop Winnipeg
In my last entry, we opined on the fact that the NHL's media machine, while over-focusing on the upcoming Winter Classic game in Philadelphia on January 2, Sidney Crosby's concussion troubles and the lack of respect Alexander Ovechkin gave ex-Capitals coach Bruce Bourdeau, was giving very short shrift to the team that was at the top of the League's standings, the Minnesota Wild.
As the media darlings who call California home finally come around to the fact that Minnesota does have a team that can be competititve away from St. Paul, the begrudging acceptance has, albeit very slowly, been finally coming. Even NHL.com, the League's on-line outlet, tweeted this morning:
Did You Know? The #1 team in the#NHL is the #mnwild AND they've won 7 in a row. You should!
From The Hockey News: "Wild life: Meet Minnesota, the best team in the NHL."
Two ratings (NHL.com, THN) have Minnesota as No. 1. Two others will release their weekly rankings on Monday.
And the best thing about all this? There's still more than half the season left to play, which means there's plenty of time for Wild fans to really get behind this group of young, talented players.
The bandwagon still has plenty of room. And then, there's the on-line group for the true Wild fanatics:
"The Church of Yeo." Look it up online. You know you REALLY want to.
Believe.
In my last entry, we opined on the fact that the NHL's media machine, while over-focusing on the upcoming Winter Classic game in Philadelphia on January 2, Sidney Crosby's concussion troubles and the lack of respect Alexander Ovechkin gave ex-Capitals coach Bruce Bourdeau, was giving very short shrift to the team that was at the top of the League's standings, the Minnesota Wild.
As the media darlings who call California home finally come around to the fact that Minnesota does have a team that can be competititve away from St. Paul, the begrudging acceptance has, albeit very slowly, been finally coming. Even NHL.com, the League's on-line outlet, tweeted this morning:
Did You Know? The #1 team in the
From The Hockey News: "Wild life: Meet Minnesota, the best team in the NHL."
Two ratings (NHL.com, THN) have Minnesota as No. 1. Two others will release their weekly rankings on Monday.
And the best thing about all this? There's still more than half the season left to play, which means there's plenty of time for Wild fans to really get behind this group of young, talented players.
The bandwagon still has plenty of room. And then, there's the on-line group for the true Wild fanatics:
"The Church of Yeo." Look it up online. You know you REALLY want to.
Believe.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Wild Wild West: NHL media can't deal with Minnesota, ignores them on radio, TV
While still promoting Caps, Flyers, Rangers and Penguins, NHL, accompanying media all but totally ignore Minnesota Wild 2011 season success story
By Wild Road Tripper
Hey, Minnesota! You have a team that's in first place this morning. One small problem, however:
They don't wear purple, and they sure as hell aren'tasking begging for threatening to leave for Los Angeles if they don't get wanting a $1 Billion stadium.
Your Minnesota Wild are in first place in the NHL's Western Conference today. They are one point (as of Sunday morning, Dec. 4) out of first place in the entire National Hockey League. And this is with a talent level which most NHL pundits say are all smoke and mirrors.
Yet, watch NHL-produced programming. Watch 'NHL: On The Fly', the nightly show produced and shown on the NHL Network. Watch 'Hockey Night in Canada'. Watch any NHL-produced program. What do you see?
Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby, and Ovechkin. Ovie, and Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, and Scott Hartnell. All Pens, all the time. All Rangers. Caps ad nauseum. And the NBC Sports Channel (soon-to-be-formerly-called Versus) may as well be 'the national channel of your Philadelphia Flyers.'
Yes, the VERSUS schedule has featured the Wild, but only to feature the stars of the opposing team (Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, Washington) or just to fill a time slot (Colorado in January and March, Anaheim in February, LA in February). Not one game against any Western Conference opponent that would actually feature the Wild's up-and-coming stars, as opposed to the likes of Sid The Kid, Vinny 'I got shut out in Minnesota' Lecavalier, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, Ovie, et. al.
Even when the league's TV outlets do get around to showing the Wild, it's only as supposed 'cannon fodder' for teams such as Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, and Washington, or to fill a late time slot (such as two games in Colorado, and two home games in February against the two Southern California teams) with something that would be palatable to (very few) US hockey fans.
Not even on the NHL's radio outlets do they get any respect. The Wild frequently get trashed on HNIC radio on SIRIUS and get dissed daily on XM's 'NHL Home Ice' channel. They are routinely dismissed as 'the team that still plays the Trap', years after Jacques Lemaire left the organization, after which they move on to such exciting subjects, as what STK had for breakfast, or the latest (false) Bobby Ryan trade-to-Toronto rumor. When they do run out of real NHL news, they may get to the Wild, only after their latest regurgitation of James Reimer's save percentage, Patrick Kaleta's face-off stats, and after a rambling, 15-to-20-minute phone interview with the latest Ranger to get lost en route to their Rye, NY practice complex. Just don't say a word about Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding, though. That team is playing way-y-y-y over their heads. Never utter a word about Matt Cullen's season, or the kiddie-corps defense in Minnesota. But, we'll be back, right after this Andrei Markov update, live from his surgical suite...
Wild fans will know when this team has been 'accepted' by the NHL media. Just keep winning, guys. Just keep winning, and angering the likes of the uber-Wild-haters, such as E. J. Hradek of NHL Network, and the Denver Post's Adrian Dater. Just keep winning, guys. Because, they all hate you. They hate the fact that the Wild are winning. They hate the fact that statistics don't lie, and that the Wild are at the top of the Western Conference. Sorry, but the Sedins are no longer the be-all-end-all in the Northwest Division.
Maybe, someday, even Gary Bettman will actually like the Wild. (Nah. I doubt that will ever happen.)
By Wild Road Tripper
Hey, Minnesota! You have a team that's in first place this morning. One small problem, however:
They don't wear purple, and they sure as hell aren't
Your Minnesota Wild are in first place in the NHL's Western Conference today. They are one point (as of Sunday morning, Dec. 4) out of first place in the entire National Hockey League. And this is with a talent level which most NHL pundits say are all smoke and mirrors.
Yet, watch NHL-produced programming. Watch 'NHL: On The Fly', the nightly show produced and shown on the NHL Network. Watch 'Hockey Night in Canada'. Watch any NHL-produced program. What do you see?
Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby, and Ovechkin. Ovie, and Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, and Scott Hartnell. All Pens, all the time. All Rangers. Caps ad nauseum. And the NBC Sports Channel (soon-to-be-formerly-called Versus) may as well be 'the national channel of your Philadelphia Flyers.'
Yes, the VERSUS schedule has featured the Wild, but only to feature the stars of the opposing team (Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, Washington) or just to fill a time slot (Colorado in January and March, Anaheim in February, LA in February). Not one game against any Western Conference opponent that would actually feature the Wild's up-and-coming stars, as opposed to the likes of Sid The Kid, Vinny 'I got shut out in Minnesota' Lecavalier, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, Ovie, et. al.
Even when the league's TV outlets do get around to showing the Wild, it's only as supposed 'cannon fodder' for teams such as Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, and Washington, or to fill a late time slot (such as two games in Colorado, and two home games in February against the two Southern California teams) with something that would be palatable to (very few) US hockey fans.
Not even on the NHL's radio outlets do they get any respect. The Wild frequently get trashed on HNIC radio on SIRIUS and get dissed daily on XM's 'NHL Home Ice' channel. They are routinely dismissed as 'the team that still plays the Trap', years after Jacques Lemaire left the organization, after which they move on to such exciting subjects, as what STK had for breakfast, or the latest (false) Bobby Ryan trade-to-Toronto rumor. When they do run out of real NHL news, they may get to the Wild, only after their latest regurgitation of James Reimer's save percentage, Patrick Kaleta's face-off stats, and after a rambling, 15-to-20-minute phone interview with the latest Ranger to get lost en route to their Rye, NY practice complex. Just don't say a word about Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding, though. That team is playing way-y-y-y over their heads. Never utter a word about Matt Cullen's season, or the kiddie-corps defense in Minnesota. But, we'll be back, right after this Andrei Markov update, live from his surgical suite...
Wild fans will know when this team has been 'accepted' by the NHL media. Just keep winning, guys. Just keep winning, and angering the likes of the uber-Wild-haters, such as E. J. Hradek of NHL Network, and the Denver Post's Adrian Dater. Just keep winning, guys. Because, they all hate you. They hate the fact that the Wild are winning. They hate the fact that statistics don't lie, and that the Wild are at the top of the Western Conference. Sorry, but the Sedins are no longer the be-all-end-all in the Northwest Division.
Maybe, someday, even Gary Bettman will actually like the Wild. (Nah. I doubt that will ever happen.)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Rarified Air: Wild now 1st in entire NHL as quarter-post nears
In first place and loving it, workman-like Wild keep proving naysayers, NHL scribes wrong
Look at your favorite source for NHL standings, be it NHL.com, TSN.ca, ESPN.com, wherever. The Vancouver Canucks are not atop the Northwest Division this Sunday morning. The Chicago Blackhawks are not leading the Western Conference this morning. The Philadephia Flyers are not atop the NHL league standings this morning.
In fact, there is another team, a team very few chose to even make the playoffs, a team which has gone through three years of upheaval and roster overhaul, in first place in all three categories this Sunday morning.
That team? The Minnesota Wild.
It took time. It took a lot of effort. It took talent, patience and a will to win, no matter what the circumstances. But, the boys in Iron Range Red have once again proved the naysayers and the NHL's media elite (read: anyone based in Toronto, the 'Center of the Hockey Universe') wrong. The Wild have indeed gone 'all in' on Head Coach Mike Yeo's system of play, and they are being rewarded for it. And how.
Yeo's continued emphasis on 'effort' and 'battle zone' has bolstered the talent of this group of mostly kids, kids who came into the season fron the Houston Aeros, where Yeo shaped and molded this team, then drove them to the Calder Cup finals despite being a No. 3 seed in the West going into the post-season.
The Wild's 'kiddie corps' defense -- 4 of their top 6 who played vs. St. Louis Saturday night were under age 25 -- was soundly getting ripped by most media outlets prior to the season's start. The goaltending, considered good, but not great, has been nothing less than spectacular in November, leading the Wild to an 8-2 record since November 1st. The second and third offensive lines have been carrying this team, as the first line has struggled to find itself, most notably captain Mikko Koivu, who got off the schneid Saturday night, with two goals in regulation, and one of the two goals in the shootout to win the game.
Yes, it's a lot easier to cheer when they win like they have. This is a return to the close, low-scoring Wild of years gone by. The Wild still haven't had the offensive explosion that some fans really think this team needs; by contrast, the lack of goals against keeps the Wild in games until the offense gets an opportunity to catch up. Unlike in the Jacques Lemaire era, however, when you lose a player to an injury or a bad night, there is depth in the system to replace the injured/ineffective player, depth that this franchise has never been able to avail itself of.
And, with the future of the franchise looming for the likes of Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Brett Bulmer, all blue-chip prospects who will be with this team at the NHL level within 2-3 years, the future of the Wild has never looked this bright.
So, a little friendly advice from your Road Tripper. Save some vacation days. Got any PTO you can use? Save it. You'll need it for a playoff run. Real soon.
Look at your favorite source for NHL standings, be it NHL.com, TSN.ca, ESPN.com, wherever. The Vancouver Canucks are not atop the Northwest Division this Sunday morning. The Chicago Blackhawks are not leading the Western Conference this morning. The Philadephia Flyers are not atop the NHL league standings this morning.
In fact, there is another team, a team very few chose to even make the playoffs, a team which has gone through three years of upheaval and roster overhaul, in first place in all three categories this Sunday morning.
That team? The Minnesota Wild.
It took time. It took a lot of effort. It took talent, patience and a will to win, no matter what the circumstances. But, the boys in Iron Range Red have once again proved the naysayers and the NHL's media elite (read: anyone based in Toronto, the 'Center of the Hockey Universe') wrong. The Wild have indeed gone 'all in' on Head Coach Mike Yeo's system of play, and they are being rewarded for it. And how.
Yeo's continued emphasis on 'effort' and 'battle zone' has bolstered the talent of this group of mostly kids, kids who came into the season fron the Houston Aeros, where Yeo shaped and molded this team, then drove them to the Calder Cup finals despite being a No. 3 seed in the West going into the post-season.
The Wild's 'kiddie corps' defense -- 4 of their top 6 who played vs. St. Louis Saturday night were under age 25 -- was soundly getting ripped by most media outlets prior to the season's start. The goaltending, considered good, but not great, has been nothing less than spectacular in November, leading the Wild to an 8-2 record since November 1st. The second and third offensive lines have been carrying this team, as the first line has struggled to find itself, most notably captain Mikko Koivu, who got off the schneid Saturday night, with two goals in regulation, and one of the two goals in the shootout to win the game.
Yes, it's a lot easier to cheer when they win like they have. This is a return to the close, low-scoring Wild of years gone by. The Wild still haven't had the offensive explosion that some fans really think this team needs; by contrast, the lack of goals against keeps the Wild in games until the offense gets an opportunity to catch up. Unlike in the Jacques Lemaire era, however, when you lose a player to an injury or a bad night, there is depth in the system to replace the injured/ineffective player, depth that this franchise has never been able to avail itself of.
And, with the future of the franchise looming for the likes of Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Brett Bulmer, all blue-chip prospects who will be with this team at the NHL level within 2-3 years, the future of the Wild has never looked this bright.
So, a little friendly advice from your Road Tripper. Save some vacation days. Got any PTO you can use? Save it. You'll need it for a playoff run. Real soon.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Can we REALLY talk re-alignment?
Eastern NHL teams hem, haw, stammer against making re-alignment really happen
Reportedly, 12 of the 15 NHL Eastern Conference teams do not want any form of re-alignment to occur after this season. They want to protect their little 'cliques' of local teams, where divisional games are no more than a one-hour plane ride away. The fact that by simple geography and franchise stability, that the NHL is a Northeast-based league. Always has been. Always will be. (Despite Commissioner Gary Bettman's 'Southern Strategy'.)
I can imagine the teams that don't want it, so let's project the three, in my own opinion, who might actually consider it. They're all in the same division:
1. Tampa Bay. The Lightning have no reason not to let the Western teams re-align, especially when they bring fans (and money) into the St. Pete Times Forum. To have an annual visit guaranteed by cold weather Western teams like Chicago, Minnesota, St. Louis, Detroit (if they don't move to the East), Columbus, and the three western Canadian clubs (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) is like free money rolling in. You're not taking away from the existing 'Cash Cows' (the 3 NYC-area teams, Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia), you're enhancing them.
2. Florida. Same as Tampa. In fact, the Panthers now charge premium rates for games against the Cash Cows; why not extend that to Detroit (if they stay in the west), Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg and the three Western Canadian teams? You could, if you could be guaranteed an annual visit.
3. Carolina. Same rules apply, but for a different reason; there are so many transplants into the Triangle from western states (California, Minnesota, Illinois) that the 'Canes are looking squarely into their own pocketbooks. And, they're liking what they are seeing on the horizon.
Will it cost the NHL more money in the long run? Yes. After all, the Eastern teams' (soon to be) annual California golf outings have to be paid for by someone. Not to mention the off nights in Vancouver (when the city isn't in riot mode), and the extra cold weather gear Western teams will need for trips to Winnipeg. Yes, it will cost more overall. But at some point, don't you just have to say 'STOP! We need to do this for the good of the game, so let's do this now.'
But - and this is a major BUT - none of this can or will happen, until the continuing situation with the Phoenix Coyotes has been resolved. The NHL's other franchises cannot go on forever propping up a franchise, in a metro area in which the interest is clearly NOT THERE. The League and the City of Glendale have secured enough funding to operate the franchise this season. But there will be no local funding beyond this spring, and without that, there is no reason for the 'Yotes to remain in the Valley of the Sun.
So, what do we assume? Can we assume anything at all when it comes to re-alignment?
Re-alignment needs to placate at least 20 different team agendas (of the 29 NHL teams who count, discounting League-operated and subsidized Phoenix). The most pressing needs seem to be in the Midwest, where teams are spread in three different divisions, two of which have teams (Dallas and Minnesota) where divisional games are played in three different time zones. So then, what to do?
One thing we CAN assume in any re-alignment scenario is that the playoff format will stay the same, that the top 8 teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. So for those teams that don't want to change, let's leave them alone, AS IS, in a 3-division, five-teams-each Eastern Conference. In fact, the only change in the East should be the removal of Winnipeg, replacing them with long-suffering Detroit, which would then become the newest Cash Cow. And then, if Phoenix does move to Quebec City, all the better!
In the West, where the geography does not allow for five-team 'cliques' simply due to distance, there should be two divisions; one primarily of the seven Western-most remaining franchises (Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver); the other the remaining seven teams (Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg). The playoffs would be the top eight qualifying, just like they are now.
So, if the Eastern teams want their way, they can HAVE it. If the Western teams want their way, they can HAVE it, too. A 'hybrid' NHL, such as this would become, really is the way to go in order to keep everyone happy, and the $$ flowing in, even in this bad economy. Not everyone will be happy for this. I'm sure that there will be limitations to even this system. But the current system is flawed, and someone needs to fix it. And, soon.
The latest CBA, with its' hard salary cap, allowed 'cost certainty' to the point that small-market teams like Winnipeg, Buffalo, Carolina and Minnesota (yes, Wild fans, we're considered a small market) can compete with the New Yorks, Torontos and the Vancouvers of the world. Keeping cost certainty at the forefront, by re-aligning the conferences to better represent geographical reality is the way the NHL should head.
The Wild will not play a game away from home in the Central Time Zone until Dec. 13 at Winnipeg. How are you supposed to draw TV viewers with that kind of schedule? 14 of the first 20 road games are at least partially played after 10:00 PM Central Time. Not good for advertisers; not good for fans; and certainly not good for the game itself.
But they don't care about that in Midtown Manhattan or on Bloor Street in Toronto, do they?
Reportedly, 12 of the 15 NHL Eastern Conference teams do not want any form of re-alignment to occur after this season. They want to protect their little 'cliques' of local teams, where divisional games are no more than a one-hour plane ride away. The fact that by simple geography and franchise stability, that the NHL is a Northeast-based league. Always has been. Always will be. (Despite Commissioner Gary Bettman's 'Southern Strategy'.)
I can imagine the teams that don't want it, so let's project the three, in my own opinion, who might actually consider it. They're all in the same division:
1. Tampa Bay. The Lightning have no reason not to let the Western teams re-align, especially when they bring fans (and money) into the St. Pete Times Forum. To have an annual visit guaranteed by cold weather Western teams like Chicago, Minnesota, St. Louis, Detroit (if they don't move to the East), Columbus, and the three western Canadian clubs (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) is like free money rolling in. You're not taking away from the existing 'Cash Cows' (the 3 NYC-area teams, Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia), you're enhancing them.
2. Florida. Same as Tampa. In fact, the Panthers now charge premium rates for games against the Cash Cows; why not extend that to Detroit (if they stay in the west), Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg and the three Western Canadian teams? You could, if you could be guaranteed an annual visit.
3. Carolina. Same rules apply, but for a different reason; there are so many transplants into the Triangle from western states (California, Minnesota, Illinois) that the 'Canes are looking squarely into their own pocketbooks. And, they're liking what they are seeing on the horizon.
Will it cost the NHL more money in the long run? Yes. After all, the Eastern teams' (soon to be) annual California golf outings have to be paid for by someone. Not to mention the off nights in Vancouver (when the city isn't in riot mode), and the extra cold weather gear Western teams will need for trips to Winnipeg. Yes, it will cost more overall. But at some point, don't you just have to say 'STOP! We need to do this for the good of the game, so let's do this now.'
But - and this is a major BUT - none of this can or will happen, until the continuing situation with the Phoenix Coyotes has been resolved. The NHL's other franchises cannot go on forever propping up a franchise, in a metro area in which the interest is clearly NOT THERE. The League and the City of Glendale have secured enough funding to operate the franchise this season. But there will be no local funding beyond this spring, and without that, there is no reason for the 'Yotes to remain in the Valley of the Sun.
So, what do we assume? Can we assume anything at all when it comes to re-alignment?
Re-alignment needs to placate at least 20 different team agendas (of the 29 NHL teams who count, discounting League-operated and subsidized Phoenix). The most pressing needs seem to be in the Midwest, where teams are spread in three different divisions, two of which have teams (Dallas and Minnesota) where divisional games are played in three different time zones. So then, what to do?
One thing we CAN assume in any re-alignment scenario is that the playoff format will stay the same, that the top 8 teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. So for those teams that don't want to change, let's leave them alone, AS IS, in a 3-division, five-teams-each Eastern Conference. In fact, the only change in the East should be the removal of Winnipeg, replacing them with long-suffering Detroit, which would then become the newest Cash Cow. And then, if Phoenix does move to Quebec City, all the better!
In the West, where the geography does not allow for five-team 'cliques' simply due to distance, there should be two divisions; one primarily of the seven Western-most remaining franchises (Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver); the other the remaining seven teams (Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg). The playoffs would be the top eight qualifying, just like they are now.
So, if the Eastern teams want their way, they can HAVE it. If the Western teams want their way, they can HAVE it, too. A 'hybrid' NHL, such as this would become, really is the way to go in order to keep everyone happy, and the $$ flowing in, even in this bad economy. Not everyone will be happy for this. I'm sure that there will be limitations to even this system. But the current system is flawed, and someone needs to fix it. And, soon.
The latest CBA, with its' hard salary cap, allowed 'cost certainty' to the point that small-market teams like Winnipeg, Buffalo, Carolina and Minnesota (yes, Wild fans, we're considered a small market) can compete with the New Yorks, Torontos and the Vancouvers of the world. Keeping cost certainty at the forefront, by re-aligning the conferences to better represent geographical reality is the way the NHL should head.
The Wild will not play a game away from home in the Central Time Zone until Dec. 13 at Winnipeg. How are you supposed to draw TV viewers with that kind of schedule? 14 of the first 20 road games are at least partially played after 10:00 PM Central Time. Not good for advertisers; not good for fans; and certainly not good for the game itself.
But they don't care about that in Midtown Manhattan or on Bloor Street in Toronto, do they?
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