I know, Minnesota Wild faithful. I'm looking at the glass and saying it's half-empty. But, in the words of the bard himself, William Shakespeare, 'Those who do not remember from history, are thereby doomed to repeat it.'
And so it goes for the seventh edition of 'The Six-Pack of Suck', six games that really should have gone the Wild's way, but the hockey gods (along with some really bad defense from the local six,) conspired to think otherwise. The lack of offense didn't help things, especially in the crucial holiday period, where visions of sugarplums danced in their heads, instead of visions of victories.
Oh, well...here we go...
1. October 5, 2013. Anaheim 4 at Minnesota 3 (OT). In this, Anaheim's only regular-season appearance in St. Paul, the Wild managed to lose in the last five seconds of the OT period after Mathieu Perrault (who the Ducks had just acquired from Washington) went in on Niklas Backstrom, and just like in the (supposedly) upcoming shootout, five-holed Minnesota's opening-season starter after both Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon failed to stop the Anaheim rush. Not even the lack of Teemu Selanne (held out by Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, as the next night Selanne would be feted in Winnpeg, where Selanne started his career) held back the Ducks, who started their season on a 3-game road trip.
2. November 27, 2013. Phoenix 3 at Minnesota 1. The Thanksgiving season has traditionally not been a good one for the Wild, and 2013's Thanksgiving Eve game was yet another served-up turkey, as the Wild basically stopped skating against the hungrier Coyotes. Zach Parise had been injured the previous game in St. Louis, taking a shot off his left instep; Mikael Granlund joined him on the IR after the first shift of the game, when he took a head shot and gained a concussion. This really started the Wild's downward spiral, which lasted most of the next six weeks.
3. November 29, 2013. Colorado 3 at Minnesota 1. 'Black Friday' took on a whole new meaning for the Wild, as the hottest team in the NHL in the first 60 days of the season -- the Avs -- rolled into the 'X' and basically laid down the law, as old Wild nemesis J. S. Giguere moved onto an easy victory, as the Wild went 2-2 on Black Friday in the last 4 full seasons. Matt Duchene, Nathan McKinnon, and an empty-net goal made sure the Wild would have rather gone shopping, than play hockey.
4. December 29, 2013. NY Islanders 5 at Minnesota 4. The Wild jumped out to a 3-goal lead on the Islanders, then sat back and watched as Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Okposo (two goals) and Thomas Vanek (two assists) brought the Isles all the way back, in this Sunday night stinker. Wasted in this snooze-fest was Mikko Koivu's two-assist night and Nino Niederreiter's goal and assist. The Isles would win their third straight in a eight-win-in-nine-game stretch, to propel themselves onto the cusp of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Wild, at this point, lost their fifth straight, and the future of Mike Yeo as Wild head coach was in jeopardy after this one.
5. January 14, 2014. Ottawa 3 at Minnesota 0. Following the Islanders game (listed above), the Wild went out and won five of the first six in 2014, and then were soundly brought back to Mother Earth, by a Senators' squad in a game which was exciting as watching paint dry. The Wild only managed three shots on goal in the first period, allowing Ottawa goalie Robin Lehner a virtual night off as the Sens went home victorious. 'We weren't moving our feet', said Mike Yeo after the game. No kidding, Mike.
6. March 11, 2014. Edmonton 4 at Minnesota 3 (SO). In the midst of a four-game homestand, with every point crucial in the Western Conference playoff race, one would think that a three-goal lead after 16 minutes would be a good thing for the home team, right? Think again, as the Oilers came back to tie the game, then win it in the shootout as the Oilers went 3-for-4 in the deciding session, sending Darcy Kuemper and the Wild off with an in-your-face, four round shootout loss. Despite Edmonton drawing a penalty with :09 left in regulation, the Wild fumbled, bumbled and blew a 2-goal lead in the last 8:54 of regulation time. Ugly loss, especially after blowing the big lead.
So, there it is. Six games, 10 points blown, and all home games! If the Wild want more noise and more fans in the seats, they cannot come up with games like these against inferior quality opponents. Only two of the six opponents listed even made the Stanley Cup Playoffs; and, no thanks to this group of lousy games, the Wild were relegated to wild-card status. If the Wild wish to take their coming of age seriously, they cannot have games like this affect their season. Two points are two points, regardless of when you get them. November points are just as good as March points.
I really hope the Wild gets the point when it comes to letting inferior teams off the hook. Next season, you can't do that. Just play better. Every night.
Showing posts with label 'Six Pack of Suck'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 'Six Pack of Suck'. Show all posts
Friday, May 23, 2014
Monday, June 10, 2013
'Six-Pack of Suck': The Light edition
Honestly. We couldn't do this even though we are still disappointed that the Minnesota Wild didn't do more against the Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. But, since everyone else is putting the season away, I thought I might as well do the same.
But, we also have to be somewhat fair. The Wild only played 48 regular-season (and 5 post-season) games. About 60% of the regular season schedule. So, with less of a pool of games to choose from, there are less games to really say 'God, they sucked that night.' And so, with all that as a backdrop, here is the 'light' edition of the Six-Pack of Suck, or three games the Wild really wished later they had won:
1. February 14, 2013. Colorado 4, Minnesota 3 (SO). In front of a raucous, Valentine's Day crowd of 18,822 at Xcel Energy Center, the Avs came back right after Mikko Koivu put the Wild ahead with just eight minutes remaining in regulation. On the next shift, Colorado's Matt Duchene tied it up as the Wild once again tried to lay back and cruise to a win. Not so, as the Avs went 2-for-2 against Niklas Backstrom to win it in the extra session. The Wild would go on to win 4 of the next 5, but really, Valentine's Day would have been that much better with a 'W' by the home squad.
2. April 21, 2013. Calgary 4, Minnesota 1. The last week of the regular season started with this God-awful showing by the Wild, who managed to bumble and stumble their way to losing at home to a Calgary team, which was 2/3rds Flames and 1/3rd Abbotsford Heat players, pushing the Wild's April loss streak at home to a sickening 5 straight games.
The Wild just couldn't get the deal done, as they threw away their chance to clinch a playoff spot (and also play either St. Louis or San Jose in the first round, as opposed to Anaheim or Chicago) with this lack of finish in this game.
Despite outshooting the Flames 35-24 for the game as a whole, the Flames outshot the Wild 12-10 in the crucial 3rd period, as the Flames scored twice against Backstrom in the last 7:20 (one an empty net goal) as the Wild slunk away into the night.
The Wild ended the night three points ahead of the ninth-place Dallas Stars, a team which gutted its' roster three weeks earler at the trade deadline, as their April record waned to a wretched 3-7-1.
3. April 26, 2013. Edmonton 6, Minnesota 1. 'Fan Appreciation Night' at the 'X' turned into 'Fan Apprehension Night', after only 27 seconds in this one, where by that time, there was a Zenon Konopka fight, an Edmonton goal, and a Wild team in really desperate straits.
And it would only go downhill from there. I was so 'appreciated' by the half-way mark of this game, I walked out and did not see either of Nail Yakupov's two goals (on consecutive shifts, by the way). I wasn't alone, as the place was half-empty by the time Koivu scored in the 3rd, to break up Nikolai Khabibulin's shutout.
The only thing I could 'appreciate' about this game is that I could go to bed on time, as I was home well before the final horn sounded to end this turkey of a contest. The Oilers were going nowhere, and if not for the Wild's game the next day at Colorado, neither were the Wild going anywhere.
Jeff Rimer, the play-by-play man for the Columbus Blue Jackets, surmised that the Jackets would have been a better opponent for the Blackhawks than were the Wild. We can argue that forever, but I don't think that anyone could have stopped the Blackhawks in the first round, save for the Hawks themselves.
Bring on the post-season, folks. Time to remodel the roster.
But, we also have to be somewhat fair. The Wild only played 48 regular-season (and 5 post-season) games. About 60% of the regular season schedule. So, with less of a pool of games to choose from, there are less games to really say 'God, they sucked that night.' And so, with all that as a backdrop, here is the 'light' edition of the Six-Pack of Suck, or three games the Wild really wished later they had won:
1. February 14, 2013. Colorado 4, Minnesota 3 (SO). In front of a raucous, Valentine's Day crowd of 18,822 at Xcel Energy Center, the Avs came back right after Mikko Koivu put the Wild ahead with just eight minutes remaining in regulation. On the next shift, Colorado's Matt Duchene tied it up as the Wild once again tried to lay back and cruise to a win. Not so, as the Avs went 2-for-2 against Niklas Backstrom to win it in the extra session. The Wild would go on to win 4 of the next 5, but really, Valentine's Day would have been that much better with a 'W' by the home squad.
2. April 21, 2013. Calgary 4, Minnesota 1. The last week of the regular season started with this God-awful showing by the Wild, who managed to bumble and stumble their way to losing at home to a Calgary team, which was 2/3rds Flames and 1/3rd Abbotsford Heat players, pushing the Wild's April loss streak at home to a sickening 5 straight games.
The Wild just couldn't get the deal done, as they threw away their chance to clinch a playoff spot (and also play either St. Louis or San Jose in the first round, as opposed to Anaheim or Chicago) with this lack of finish in this game.
Despite outshooting the Flames 35-24 for the game as a whole, the Flames outshot the Wild 12-10 in the crucial 3rd period, as the Flames scored twice against Backstrom in the last 7:20 (one an empty net goal) as the Wild slunk away into the night.
The Wild ended the night three points ahead of the ninth-place Dallas Stars, a team which gutted its' roster three weeks earler at the trade deadline, as their April record waned to a wretched 3-7-1.
3. April 26, 2013. Edmonton 6, Minnesota 1. 'Fan Appreciation Night' at the 'X' turned into 'Fan Apprehension Night', after only 27 seconds in this one, where by that time, there was a Zenon Konopka fight, an Edmonton goal, and a Wild team in really desperate straits.
And it would only go downhill from there. I was so 'appreciated' by the half-way mark of this game, I walked out and did not see either of Nail Yakupov's two goals (on consecutive shifts, by the way). I wasn't alone, as the place was half-empty by the time Koivu scored in the 3rd, to break up Nikolai Khabibulin's shutout.
The only thing I could 'appreciate' about this game is that I could go to bed on time, as I was home well before the final horn sounded to end this turkey of a contest. The Oilers were going nowhere, and if not for the Wild's game the next day at Colorado, neither were the Wild going anywhere.
Jeff Rimer, the play-by-play man for the Columbus Blue Jackets, surmised that the Jackets would have been a better opponent for the Blackhawks than were the Wild. We can argue that forever, but I don't think that anyone could have stopped the Blackhawks in the first round, save for the Hawks themselves.
Bring on the post-season, folks. Time to remodel the roster.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
At long last...'The Six-Pack of Suck', Volume IV
The fourth season of the worst of the Wild features too many 'targets of opportunity', tough to choose
By Wild Road Tripper
For the fourth season, I am only somewhat proud to present 'The Six-Pack of Suck', six games which defined the Minnesota Wild's 2011-2012 season. There were a LOT of choices to choose from this season, with the 5-23-7 stretch between Dec. 13 and March 27, there were too many games for my selection. Way-y-y too many.
But, with that said, let's get to the worst of the worst. The six games which just flat out defined the haplessness of the Minnesota Wild this past season:
1. November 25, 2011. Edmonton 5, Minnesota 2. The traditional 'Black Friday' game really WAS a black friday for the Wild, as the young and speedy Oilers blew the doors off the older, slower Wild as the Oilers ended their 14-game loss skein at the 'X' by crushing the Wild, as the entire Wild first line (Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi) wound up a -3 for the afternoon. This must have been the game where the seed was planted for Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to trade Nick Schultz for Tom Gilbert, as the ex-Jefferson star defenseman was one of two Oilers to be a +3 for the afternoon.
2. December 31, 2011. Phoenix 4, Minnesota 2. New Year's Eve, 2011 should have been re-named 'Vrbata's Revenge', as Radim Vrbata scored two goals on consecutive shifts, as the Coyotes proved that they were going to be a playoff team, and the Wild weren't. Despite the penalty shot goal of Matt Cullen, the last 17 minutes of this contest was pretty much all 'Yotes, punctuated by the empty-net goal by the ancient dog, Ray Whitney, with 19 seconds left in the game. Nice way to send your fans out for New Years, boys.
3. January 31, 2012. Nashville 5, Minnesota 4. This game pretty much summed up the Wild season, all in less than one evening, as the Predators scored 4 goals in 10 minutes, 13 seconds, as the Wild watched as their dwindling playoff chances crash and burn, as the season from Hell descended into February, no thanks to the Wild themselves, who forgot in the last 11 minutes of the game what offense even was. The third period of this game was like watching a constant Nashville power play, as the Wild just stopped even trying to shoot against Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, and the resulting comeback, topped off by two Mike Fisher goals 2:39 apart in the last three minutes of the game, was the most disgusting period of hockey Wild fans had seen in years. Even Josh Harding, the tough-luck losing goalie said, "No way in 100 years we should have lost that game." We agree.
4. February 11, 2012. Columbus 3, Minnesota 1. The theme of this game would become 'play 20 minutes every period, boys.' The Wild didn't, and once again they paid for it, as the lowly Blue Jackets saw that the Wild penchant for taking the last minute of the period off, presented scoring opportunities that even they could take advantage of. With their roster (and their season) in freefall, the Jackets, the worst team in the NHL, with ex-Wild coach Todd Richards running the show, took two R. J. Umberger goals and made them count, as the hapless, offensively-challenged Wild could not get anything going, blowing a 1-0 lead at home with three straight Columbus goals, including yet another empty-net goal in the last minute of the game.
5. Detroit 6, Minnesota 0. Now, we know that traditionally, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit is a house of horrors (6-15-1 all time) for the Wild. Despite winning the first game played in Motown in November, the Wild could have just stopped at Metro Airport, said 'we forfeit', and kept on going. That's how bad this game was. Valteri Flippula made the Wild his personal punching bag, scoring twice and adding an assist as the Wings annhilated the hapless Wild, one night after the Wild put on one of their best periods of the season the previous night in Montreal. Ian White (Detroit defenseman) was a +4, while Dany Heatley was a -4. To make matters worse, the Red Wings drove Josh Harding from the net, as Matt Hackett relieved him for the last 14:30 of the game. Said Wild head coach Mike Yeo: 'We didn't respond well.' No kidding.
6. Colorado 7, Minnesota 1. The Wild, playing the Avs for the second time in three nights, were as flat as Pepsi in a week-old-opened bottle, as the home team scored three times in a 1:56 span, in the second period to drive Hackett from the nets, as the Wild might have hit rock bottom in Denver, in their second-to-last game west of St. Paul. The Avs had seven different scorers, as the lone bright spot for the Wild was a Devin Setoguchi penalty shot, awarded in the third period. The Wild had no way to stop the Avs, who were in their zenith as to their playoff chances that Tuesday evening; the Avs would then fall off the playoff radar soon afterwards.
So, that's it. Six games which defined the haplessness, the hopelessness which was the Wild's season. Will this team improve enough to make the playoffs by next April? We can only hope.
By Wild Road Tripper
For the fourth season, I am only somewhat proud to present 'The Six-Pack of Suck', six games which defined the Minnesota Wild's 2011-2012 season. There were a LOT of choices to choose from this season, with the 5-23-7 stretch between Dec. 13 and March 27, there were too many games for my selection. Way-y-y too many.
But, with that said, let's get to the worst of the worst. The six games which just flat out defined the haplessness of the Minnesota Wild this past season:
1. November 25, 2011. Edmonton 5, Minnesota 2. The traditional 'Black Friday' game really WAS a black friday for the Wild, as the young and speedy Oilers blew the doors off the older, slower Wild as the Oilers ended their 14-game loss skein at the 'X' by crushing the Wild, as the entire Wild first line (Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi) wound up a -3 for the afternoon. This must have been the game where the seed was planted for Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to trade Nick Schultz for Tom Gilbert, as the ex-Jefferson star defenseman was one of two Oilers to be a +3 for the afternoon.
2. December 31, 2011. Phoenix 4, Minnesota 2. New Year's Eve, 2011 should have been re-named 'Vrbata's Revenge', as Radim Vrbata scored two goals on consecutive shifts, as the Coyotes proved that they were going to be a playoff team, and the Wild weren't. Despite the penalty shot goal of Matt Cullen, the last 17 minutes of this contest was pretty much all 'Yotes, punctuated by the empty-net goal by the ancient dog, Ray Whitney, with 19 seconds left in the game. Nice way to send your fans out for New Years, boys.
3. January 31, 2012. Nashville 5, Minnesota 4. This game pretty much summed up the Wild season, all in less than one evening, as the Predators scored 4 goals in 10 minutes, 13 seconds, as the Wild watched as their dwindling playoff chances crash and burn, as the season from Hell descended into February, no thanks to the Wild themselves, who forgot in the last 11 minutes of the game what offense even was. The third period of this game was like watching a constant Nashville power play, as the Wild just stopped even trying to shoot against Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, and the resulting comeback, topped off by two Mike Fisher goals 2:39 apart in the last three minutes of the game, was the most disgusting period of hockey Wild fans had seen in years. Even Josh Harding, the tough-luck losing goalie said, "No way in 100 years we should have lost that game." We agree.
4. February 11, 2012. Columbus 3, Minnesota 1. The theme of this game would become 'play 20 minutes every period, boys.' The Wild didn't, and once again they paid for it, as the lowly Blue Jackets saw that the Wild penchant for taking the last minute of the period off, presented scoring opportunities that even they could take advantage of. With their roster (and their season) in freefall, the Jackets, the worst team in the NHL, with ex-Wild coach Todd Richards running the show, took two R. J. Umberger goals and made them count, as the hapless, offensively-challenged Wild could not get anything going, blowing a 1-0 lead at home with three straight Columbus goals, including yet another empty-net goal in the last minute of the game.
5. Detroit 6, Minnesota 0. Now, we know that traditionally, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit is a house of horrors (6-15-1 all time) for the Wild. Despite winning the first game played in Motown in November, the Wild could have just stopped at Metro Airport, said 'we forfeit', and kept on going. That's how bad this game was. Valteri Flippula made the Wild his personal punching bag, scoring twice and adding an assist as the Wings annhilated the hapless Wild, one night after the Wild put on one of their best periods of the season the previous night in Montreal. Ian White (Detroit defenseman) was a +4, while Dany Heatley was a -4. To make matters worse, the Red Wings drove Josh Harding from the net, as Matt Hackett relieved him for the last 14:30 of the game. Said Wild head coach Mike Yeo: 'We didn't respond well.' No kidding.
6. Colorado 7, Minnesota 1. The Wild, playing the Avs for the second time in three nights, were as flat as Pepsi in a week-old-opened bottle, as the home team scored three times in a 1:56 span, in the second period to drive Hackett from the nets, as the Wild might have hit rock bottom in Denver, in their second-to-last game west of St. Paul. The Avs had seven different scorers, as the lone bright spot for the Wild was a Devin Setoguchi penalty shot, awarded in the third period. The Wild had no way to stop the Avs, who were in their zenith as to their playoff chances that Tuesday evening; the Avs would then fall off the playoff radar soon afterwards.
So, that's it. Six games which defined the haplessness, the hopelessness which was the Wild's season. Will this team improve enough to make the playoffs by next April? We can only hope.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
It's back! The 'Six-Pack of Suck' returns
Nominations are now being accepted from M&G readers: what were the worst games of the Wild season?
It's that time of year again. Like the tax deadline, and the annual migration north of our fine feathered friends, it's time to look back on yet another failed Minnesota Wild season. So, we unapologetically announce the fourth annual 'Six-Pack of Suck', where we nominate six games from throughout the season, now done like dinner, for special 'recognition'.
It's time to look back and ask: what were the worst of the worst in 2011-2012? Our list is set, but I want to know what YOUR worst Wild game (or, games) was in 2011-2012. Let's see if we agree, or if we agree to disagree.
Use the comments section for your nominations! Deadline is a short one (because there are too many targets of opportunity this season); have your comments on here by Noon on Monday, April 9 (told you it was short!)
Let's hear from you, Wild fans. Let it all out...
It's that time of year again. Like the tax deadline, and the annual migration north of our fine feathered friends, it's time to look back on yet another failed Minnesota Wild season. So, we unapologetically announce the fourth annual 'Six-Pack of Suck', where we nominate six games from throughout the season, now done like dinner, for special 'recognition'.
It's time to look back and ask: what were the worst of the worst in 2011-2012? Our list is set, but I want to know what YOUR worst Wild game (or, games) was in 2011-2012. Let's see if we agree, or if we agree to disagree.
Use the comments section for your nominations! Deadline is a short one (because there are too many targets of opportunity this season); have your comments on here by Noon on Monday, April 9 (told you it was short!)
Let's hear from you, Wild fans. Let it all out...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The 'Six-Pack of Suck', Volume III: Go East, Young Men
Six games which determined Minnesota Wild's 2010-2011 season had same recurring theme
By Wild Road Tripper
Well, we've all survived the first week without the local NHL franchise playing. Which means, of course, that some will immediately want the franchise to move to some sunny Southern market. Or, failing that, to Hamilton, Ontario. Of course, some fans would come back with 'you can HAVE them, they were THAT bad,' or some derivative of that.
But, in effect, it was the story of three seasons; the first was from the pre-season (I include that, as it set the pattern; just wait for it) to early December; the second from a fortuitous Western road swing in mid-December thru the end of February; and the third, as we all saw for ourselves, was indeed the 'March to Hell', from a disastrous night on Long Island to the end of what was a very disturbing stretch drive.
With that, let's delve into the worst of the worst...the six worst games of the year:
6. October 7, 2010. Hartwall Areena, Helsinki, Finland. Carolina 4, Minnesota 3. What a way to start the season, rolling over against the Hurricanes in the season opener in Europe and dying, as the 'Canes scored 3 times in the second period, and made it stand up, as the Wild just flat out couldn't get anything going, just like their 1-5 pre-season record (0-5 against NHL teams) would indicate. Although the Wild did get a goal with 3:21 remaining to keep it close, it just wasn't to be, as the Wild would show time and again throughout the season ahead.
5. November 12, 2011. BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Fla. Florida 2, Minnesota 1. Another game where the Wild's lack of offensive punch cost them as the Panthers scored twice in less than one minute in the first period...then made it stand up, as the Wild just couldn't get anything going in the last two periods. This haplessness against the Panthers came on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing, at the hands of the Thrashers the night before in Atlanta, before next to no one attending, at Philips Arena.
4. December 16, 2010. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. Ottawa 3, Minnesota 1. A game featuring what would be two of the NHL's ten worst teams almost a year to the day after the Wild's team equipment truck caught fire after an acetylene torch started burning hockey gear inside the van in Ottawa. After this stinker, some wished that the favor could have been returned. Or, at least, repeated. With the Sens' fathers in the stands, Ottawa scored twice on the power play (one of which was the result of a too many men on the ice penalty, which negated a Wild goal as well) then made it stand up against the hapless Wild's lack of offensive punch.
3. March 2, 2011. Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, L.I., N.Y. Islanders 4, Minnesota 1. This game will forever be known, as the game when everyone found out the Wild juggernaut of the previous three months had been irreparably broken, and unable to be salvaged in time for the playoffs. In what was the Wild's most embarrassing road game of the season, the Wild managed to give up three goals in a 10:04 stretch of the first and second periods, which spelled the end of the night for Niklas Backstrom, who was pulled just 41 seconds into the second period after giving up the three goals on just 19 shots. Of course, the Wild did not score until it was way-y-y too late, getting their lone goal in the third period, after all was said and done.
2. March 20, 2011. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Montreal 8, Minnesota 1. Any time you give up a 'snowman' in one game you KNOW you've got a Six-Pack candidate. If this game didn't convince the Wild fan base to start planning their spring season without playoff hockey, I really don't know what would. The fact that this season had deteriorated to this point, shows how low the Wild had gone down the 'March to Hell' road. With well over 1,000 Montreal fans in the stands, the Habs proceeded to slice and dice the Wild more completely than one of Mr. Popeil's inventions. Only the awarding of a penalty shot to Mikko Koivu saved the Wild from the additional embarrassment of a shutout, but since by that point the score was 7-0, what more embarrassment could you have possibly heaped on this bunch of slugs anyhow?
1. March 22, 2011. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. Toronto 3, Minnesota 0. You would think that the Wild would have had enough professionalism to at least play decently against one of the really bad teams of the East, as the Maple Leafs shut out the Wild, as the Wild still were reeling after the previous game's blowout. With again well over 1,000 visiting fans in the stands, by the end of the game they were the only ones cheering as the Wild managed to lose their seventh straight game and eighth in their last nine. But this time, the Wild fans were so disgusted, booing didn't even help. Apathy reigned, both on the ice and off, as nothing the team did to improve the roster helped.
So, there it is folks. Six games, all vs. the Eastern Conference, that defined (and, debunked) the Wild's season. Twelve points gift-wrapped and served up by the Wild as their season waned on.
But wait! There were six other games, games which didn't live up (or, down) to the standards of the 'Six-Pack', but were still notable as to their suck-ability. These six games didn't make the cut:
12. November 11, 2010. Philips Arena, Atlanta. Thrashers 5, Wild 1. 'Blueland' did the 'Dirty Bird' as the Wild couldn't keep up with the younger, speedier Thrashers. No one saw it, though, as the NFL Falcons were playing the Baltimore Ravens next door, at the Georgia Dome, at the exact same time.
11. November 24, 2010. Xcel Energy Center. Flyers 6, Wild 1. The best team at the time in the East came in and stuffed the Wild, in a real turkey of a Thanksgiving Eve game. When Jody Shelley scores against you, you KNOW it has been a long, long night.
10. December 31, 2010. Xcel Energy Center. Predators 4, Wild 1. New Year's Eve. Full house. Amped-up crowd. Flat home team. No offense. Frustrating way to start the New Year.
9. March 10, 2011. Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. Predators 4, Wild 0. Realistically, the beginning of the end for the Wild's playoff chances.
8. March 11, 2011. American Airlines Arena, Dallas. Stars 4, Wild 0. Realistically, the end of the end for the Wild's playoff chances.
7. March 19, 2011. Xcel Energy Center. Blue Jackets 5, Wild 4 (OT). With 33 seconds left in OT, Brent Burns gives up the puck on an errant pass in his own zone, teeing it up for the Jackets' Antoine Vermette to score, giving away points and continuing the Wild tailspin in the precursor to the Montreal blowout the next afternoon, in what was the worst stretch of hockey in Wild history.
By Wild Road Tripper
Well, we've all survived the first week without the local NHL franchise playing. Which means, of course, that some will immediately want the franchise to move to some sunny Southern market. Or, failing that, to Hamilton, Ontario. Of course, some fans would come back with 'you can HAVE them, they were THAT bad,' or some derivative of that.
But, in effect, it was the story of three seasons; the first was from the pre-season (I include that, as it set the pattern; just wait for it) to early December; the second from a fortuitous Western road swing in mid-December thru the end of February; and the third, as we all saw for ourselves, was indeed the 'March to Hell', from a disastrous night on Long Island to the end of what was a very disturbing stretch drive.
With that, let's delve into the worst of the worst...the six worst games of the year:
6. October 7, 2010. Hartwall Areena, Helsinki, Finland. Carolina 4, Minnesota 3. What a way to start the season, rolling over against the Hurricanes in the season opener in Europe and dying, as the 'Canes scored 3 times in the second period, and made it stand up, as the Wild just flat out couldn't get anything going, just like their 1-5 pre-season record (0-5 against NHL teams) would indicate. Although the Wild did get a goal with 3:21 remaining to keep it close, it just wasn't to be, as the Wild would show time and again throughout the season ahead.
5. November 12, 2011. BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Fla. Florida 2, Minnesota 1. Another game where the Wild's lack of offensive punch cost them as the Panthers scored twice in less than one minute in the first period...then made it stand up, as the Wild just couldn't get anything going in the last two periods. This haplessness against the Panthers came on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing, at the hands of the Thrashers the night before in Atlanta, before next to no one attending, at Philips Arena.
4. December 16, 2010. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. Ottawa 3, Minnesota 1. A game featuring what would be two of the NHL's ten worst teams almost a year to the day after the Wild's team equipment truck caught fire after an acetylene torch started burning hockey gear inside the van in Ottawa. After this stinker, some wished that the favor could have been returned. Or, at least, repeated. With the Sens' fathers in the stands, Ottawa scored twice on the power play (one of which was the result of a too many men on the ice penalty, which negated a Wild goal as well) then made it stand up against the hapless Wild's lack of offensive punch.
3. March 2, 2011. Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, L.I., N.Y. Islanders 4, Minnesota 1. This game will forever be known, as the game when everyone found out the Wild juggernaut of the previous three months had been irreparably broken, and unable to be salvaged in time for the playoffs. In what was the Wild's most embarrassing road game of the season, the Wild managed to give up three goals in a 10:04 stretch of the first and second periods, which spelled the end of the night for Niklas Backstrom, who was pulled just 41 seconds into the second period after giving up the three goals on just 19 shots. Of course, the Wild did not score until it was way-y-y too late, getting their lone goal in the third period, after all was said and done.
2. March 20, 2011. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Montreal 8, Minnesota 1. Any time you give up a 'snowman' in one game you KNOW you've got a Six-Pack candidate. If this game didn't convince the Wild fan base to start planning their spring season without playoff hockey, I really don't know what would. The fact that this season had deteriorated to this point, shows how low the Wild had gone down the 'March to Hell' road. With well over 1,000 Montreal fans in the stands, the Habs proceeded to slice and dice the Wild more completely than one of Mr. Popeil's inventions. Only the awarding of a penalty shot to Mikko Koivu saved the Wild from the additional embarrassment of a shutout, but since by that point the score was 7-0, what more embarrassment could you have possibly heaped on this bunch of slugs anyhow?
1. March 22, 2011. Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul. Toronto 3, Minnesota 0. You would think that the Wild would have had enough professionalism to at least play decently against one of the really bad teams of the East, as the Maple Leafs shut out the Wild, as the Wild still were reeling after the previous game's blowout. With again well over 1,000 visiting fans in the stands, by the end of the game they were the only ones cheering as the Wild managed to lose their seventh straight game and eighth in their last nine. But this time, the Wild fans were so disgusted, booing didn't even help. Apathy reigned, both on the ice and off, as nothing the team did to improve the roster helped.
So, there it is folks. Six games, all vs. the Eastern Conference, that defined (and, debunked) the Wild's season. Twelve points gift-wrapped and served up by the Wild as their season waned on.
But wait! There were six other games, games which didn't live up (or, down) to the standards of the 'Six-Pack', but were still notable as to their suck-ability. These six games didn't make the cut:
12. November 11, 2010. Philips Arena, Atlanta. Thrashers 5, Wild 1. 'Blueland' did the 'Dirty Bird' as the Wild couldn't keep up with the younger, speedier Thrashers. No one saw it, though, as the NFL Falcons were playing the Baltimore Ravens next door, at the Georgia Dome, at the exact same time.
11. November 24, 2010. Xcel Energy Center. Flyers 6, Wild 1. The best team at the time in the East came in and stuffed the Wild, in a real turkey of a Thanksgiving Eve game. When Jody Shelley scores against you, you KNOW it has been a long, long night.
10. December 31, 2010. Xcel Energy Center. Predators 4, Wild 1. New Year's Eve. Full house. Amped-up crowd. Flat home team. No offense. Frustrating way to start the New Year.
9. March 10, 2011. Bridgestone Arena, Nashville. Predators 4, Wild 0. Realistically, the beginning of the end for the Wild's playoff chances.
8. March 11, 2011. American Airlines Arena, Dallas. Stars 4, Wild 0. Realistically, the end of the end for the Wild's playoff chances.
7. March 19, 2011. Xcel Energy Center. Blue Jackets 5, Wild 4 (OT). With 33 seconds left in OT, Brent Burns gives up the puck on an errant pass in his own zone, teeing it up for the Jackets' Antoine Vermette to score, giving away points and continuing the Wild tailspin in the precursor to the Montreal blowout the next afternoon, in what was the worst stretch of hockey in Wild history.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
So many stinkers. So little time. The 'Six-Pack of Suck' returns!
Ah, yes. Spring.
Birds chirping. Grass growing. Time for playoff hockey. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild are once again packing it in, after yet another losing season.
So, what WERE the 'worst of the worst' this past season? Which Wild games do you think were the most damaging games, in a season of basically damaged goods?
Yes, it's nomination time for the third annual 'Six-Pack of Suck' -- six games which, by their very outcome, defined the Wild's 2010-2011 season.
Add a comment to this blog entry, to add the game you loved to hate from this past season. We'll pick the 'worst of the worst' -- literally -- and include them in the list. Nominations close April 16th at 4 PM Central Time, and we'll post the results next weekend, when we review this disaster of a season.
Thank you!
Birds chirping. Grass growing. Time for playoff hockey. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild are once again packing it in, after yet another losing season.
So, what WERE the 'worst of the worst' this past season? Which Wild games do you think were the most damaging games, in a season of basically damaged goods?
Yes, it's nomination time for the third annual 'Six-Pack of Suck' -- six games which, by their very outcome, defined the Wild's 2010-2011 season.
Add a comment to this blog entry, to add the game you loved to hate from this past season. We'll pick the 'worst of the worst' -- literally -- and include them in the list. Nominations close April 16th at 4 PM Central Time, and we'll post the results next weekend, when we review this disaster of a season.
Thank you!
Monday, April 12, 2010
The 'Six-Pack of Suck', 2009-2010 edition
Six games which made -- and broke -- the Wild season
By Wild Road Tripper
The Minnesota Wild, by all definitions, was a .500 hockey club this season. Finishing as close to .500 as was possible (38-36-8), the Wild dug themselves a hellacious hole with a 0-8 road record pre-Halloween, including 0-4 against the Pacific Division before the end of Teachers' Weekend in Minnesota (Oct. 17th). When you have so many targets of opportunity to say that this team was bad, picking six games where they really stood -- or, in this case, stank -- out was really a challenge.
But, when you have as many games that went bad on them as this team did, you also could almost do a 12-pack of Futility, or a Case of Calamity. In this case, however, we'll leave it at six (in deference to those in the organization who may actually be as frustrated as we fans are). Sadly, four of the six are against the NHL's weakest division this season -- the Southeast, the division where only one team (President's Trophy winner Washington) even made the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
So let's take a trip down memory lane, and relive six of the nightmares in a nightmarish season:
(in chronological order)
1. Nov. 12 at Tampa Bay: Lightning 4, Wild 3 (SO). The Wild took a 3-1 lead against the NHL's second-worst team at the time into the third period. After Steve Downie scored at 9:17, the two teams actually played a tight-checking game until Marek Zidlicky took one of the laziest penalties of the season, a hooking minor, at 18:42. With 15 seconds left in regulation, Ryan Malone scored to send the game into OT. Despite outshooting the 'Bolts 4-0 in the extra session, the game went to a shootout, where Vinny Lecavalier scored the eventual game winner, in a game which should have never gone to that point.
2. Nov. 15 at Carolina: Hurricanes 5, Wild 4 (SO). Was the barbecue outside RBC Center that tempting? Or was it the warm Carolina afternoon? Whatever it was, the Wild decided to take the first half of Sunday afternoon off, as the 'Canes scored the first three goals of the game (two of those on the power play), as six penalties in a row were whistled against the Wild, all of them in a 16 minute period stretching over the latter 4 minutes of the first period, and the first half of the second. Robbie Earl and John Scott scored twenty seconds apart; Earl scored again to tie it early in the third, but no more goals were forthcoming, as Jussi Jokinen scored in another shootout which should have never been allowed to happen.
3. Dec. 7 at Phoenix: Coyotes 2, Wild 0. This game single-handedly managed to put extreme confidence into the 'Yotes, as two goals by Phoenix, 44 seconds apart, decided the outcome of this game. The Wild only had 3 shots on goal in the third period. The loss snapped the Wild's season-high 5-game winning streak. Fortunately, there were only 8,981 in attendance to see this embarrassing game.
4. Jan. 14 at St. Louis: Blues 1, Wild 0. T.J.Oshie's goal, 26 seconds into the third period, stood up as the futility level of the Wild reached new heights. Josh Harding stopped 36 of 37 shots, as the Wild only managed a measly 19 shots against Blues goalie Chris Mason. Adding to the frustration in this game, was the fact that the Blues were shorthanded for 4 of the game's first 8 minutes, and the Wild failed to score during either advantage. With the Wild starting a 3-road-game-in-4-night trip, this was definitely not the way to start out January's longest journey.
5. Feb. 12 vs. Atlanta: Thrashers 3, Wild 2. Dumb penalties and lack of focus doomed the Wild in this game, not to mention being out-shot 15-3 in the second period, as the Thrashers scored the only goal in the last two periods. Marek Zidlicky and Shane Hnidy were both sent off on penalties in the last two minutes of the first; Nik Antropov scored on the resulting 5-on-3 with 14 seconds left in the first period, and then the frustration ramped up in the last two periods as the Thrashers out-shot the Wild 25-12 over the last 40 minutes. The booing at the end of the second and third periods was noticible throughout the 'X', as the Wild let two easy points slide away.
6. March 9 vs. Florida: Panthers 3, Wild 2. The worst shooting team in the NHL -- the Panthers -- looked like they were big-time snipers on this Tuesday night, as both of their two shots on goal in the third period found twine, as the Panthers came back to take a two-goal lead way from the Wild, who had out-shot the Panthers by a 3 to 1 margin going into the period. In the third, the 18,191 in attendance at the 'X' let the Wild have it, as the team stood back and watched as their lead, and their last hope for the playoffs, evaporated before their very eyes. This was the third game in a four game losing streak (2 in OT, 2 in regulation) which sealed the Wild's post-season fate.
So, that's it. Nine points that slipped away where the Wild either out-shot the opposition by a significiant margin, or had a lead in the latter stages of the game, and then let it slip. Granted, it still might not have been enough to make the playoffs, but a little effort -- 'compete level', as head coach Todd Richards would say again and again during the season -- would have gone a long, long way in these six games.
Would it have made a difference? Probably not, as the Wild ended the season against Dallas in probably the worst physical shape the roster had been in throughout the club's existence. If they had made the playoffs, they would not have been more than a No. 7 seed anyhow, and would have been lucky to have won one game in a series.
In the pre-season, I had the Wild not to make the playoffs, but to be a No. 9 or 10 seed. I wasn't expecting a No. 13 placement; but again, I didn't have the Phoenix Coyotes in the playoffs, either. IMO, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has shown he is not afraid to try and tinker with the roster, in order to make the roster that much better. Looks like there is still tinkering to be done.
By Wild Road Tripper
The Minnesota Wild, by all definitions, was a .500 hockey club this season. Finishing as close to .500 as was possible (38-36-8), the Wild dug themselves a hellacious hole with a 0-8 road record pre-Halloween, including 0-4 against the Pacific Division before the end of Teachers' Weekend in Minnesota (Oct. 17th). When you have so many targets of opportunity to say that this team was bad, picking six games where they really stood -- or, in this case, stank -- out was really a challenge.
But, when you have as many games that went bad on them as this team did, you also could almost do a 12-pack of Futility, or a Case of Calamity. In this case, however, we'll leave it at six (in deference to those in the organization who may actually be as frustrated as we fans are). Sadly, four of the six are against the NHL's weakest division this season -- the Southeast, the division where only one team (President's Trophy winner Washington) even made the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
So let's take a trip down memory lane, and relive six of the nightmares in a nightmarish season:
(in chronological order)
1. Nov. 12 at Tampa Bay: Lightning 4, Wild 3 (SO). The Wild took a 3-1 lead against the NHL's second-worst team at the time into the third period. After Steve Downie scored at 9:17, the two teams actually played a tight-checking game until Marek Zidlicky took one of the laziest penalties of the season, a hooking minor, at 18:42. With 15 seconds left in regulation, Ryan Malone scored to send the game into OT. Despite outshooting the 'Bolts 4-0 in the extra session, the game went to a shootout, where Vinny Lecavalier scored the eventual game winner, in a game which should have never gone to that point.
2. Nov. 15 at Carolina: Hurricanes 5, Wild 4 (SO). Was the barbecue outside RBC Center that tempting? Or was it the warm Carolina afternoon? Whatever it was, the Wild decided to take the first half of Sunday afternoon off, as the 'Canes scored the first three goals of the game (two of those on the power play), as six penalties in a row were whistled against the Wild, all of them in a 16 minute period stretching over the latter 4 minutes of the first period, and the first half of the second. Robbie Earl and John Scott scored twenty seconds apart; Earl scored again to tie it early in the third, but no more goals were forthcoming, as Jussi Jokinen scored in another shootout which should have never been allowed to happen.
3. Dec. 7 at Phoenix: Coyotes 2, Wild 0. This game single-handedly managed to put extreme confidence into the 'Yotes, as two goals by Phoenix, 44 seconds apart, decided the outcome of this game. The Wild only had 3 shots on goal in the third period. The loss snapped the Wild's season-high 5-game winning streak. Fortunately, there were only 8,981 in attendance to see this embarrassing game.
4. Jan. 14 at St. Louis: Blues 1, Wild 0. T.J.Oshie's goal, 26 seconds into the third period, stood up as the futility level of the Wild reached new heights. Josh Harding stopped 36 of 37 shots, as the Wild only managed a measly 19 shots against Blues goalie Chris Mason. Adding to the frustration in this game, was the fact that the Blues were shorthanded for 4 of the game's first 8 minutes, and the Wild failed to score during either advantage. With the Wild starting a 3-road-game-in-4-night trip, this was definitely not the way to start out January's longest journey.
5. Feb. 12 vs. Atlanta: Thrashers 3, Wild 2. Dumb penalties and lack of focus doomed the Wild in this game, not to mention being out-shot 15-3 in the second period, as the Thrashers scored the only goal in the last two periods. Marek Zidlicky and Shane Hnidy were both sent off on penalties in the last two minutes of the first; Nik Antropov scored on the resulting 5-on-3 with 14 seconds left in the first period, and then the frustration ramped up in the last two periods as the Thrashers out-shot the Wild 25-12 over the last 40 minutes. The booing at the end of the second and third periods was noticible throughout the 'X', as the Wild let two easy points slide away.
6. March 9 vs. Florida: Panthers 3, Wild 2. The worst shooting team in the NHL -- the Panthers -- looked like they were big-time snipers on this Tuesday night, as both of their two shots on goal in the third period found twine, as the Panthers came back to take a two-goal lead way from the Wild, who had out-shot the Panthers by a 3 to 1 margin going into the period. In the third, the 18,191 in attendance at the 'X' let the Wild have it, as the team stood back and watched as their lead, and their last hope for the playoffs, evaporated before their very eyes. This was the third game in a four game losing streak (2 in OT, 2 in regulation) which sealed the Wild's post-season fate.
So, that's it. Nine points that slipped away where the Wild either out-shot the opposition by a significiant margin, or had a lead in the latter stages of the game, and then let it slip. Granted, it still might not have been enough to make the playoffs, but a little effort -- 'compete level', as head coach Todd Richards would say again and again during the season -- would have gone a long, long way in these six games.
Would it have made a difference? Probably not, as the Wild ended the season against Dallas in probably the worst physical shape the roster had been in throughout the club's existence. If they had made the playoffs, they would not have been more than a No. 7 seed anyhow, and would have been lucky to have won one game in a series.
In the pre-season, I had the Wild not to make the playoffs, but to be a No. 9 or 10 seed. I wasn't expecting a No. 13 placement; but again, I didn't have the Phoenix Coyotes in the playoffs, either. IMO, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher has shown he is not afraid to try and tinker with the roster, in order to make the roster that much better. Looks like there is still tinkering to be done.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Do you have a favorite Wild game that sucked? Let me know!
Dear Readers:
I am starting to put together the second 'Six Pack of Suck', six games that broke the Wild's season. Now, I have a few ideas, but I need to know if yours are the same as mine. So nominate the game you loved to hate, the one where you said, 'they're screwed, they're not making the playoffs,' the game where you walked away from the arena shaking your head, vowing 'never again with the Wild', the game where you went away angry, disappointed, and/or flat-out pissed.
Let me know in the comments section, or on Twitter (twitter address; wildroadtripper). And, thanks in advance for the games that you really hated. Believe me, the way this season progressed, there were a LOT of 'em.
-- WRT
I am starting to put together the second 'Six Pack of Suck', six games that broke the Wild's season. Now, I have a few ideas, but I need to know if yours are the same as mine. So nominate the game you loved to hate, the one where you said, 'they're screwed, they're not making the playoffs,' the game where you walked away from the arena shaking your head, vowing 'never again with the Wild', the game where you went away angry, disappointed, and/or flat-out pissed.
Let me know in the comments section, or on Twitter (twitter address; wildroadtripper). And, thanks in advance for the games that you really hated. Believe me, the way this season progressed, there were a LOT of 'em.
-- WRT
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