This Friday, the Minnesota Wild officially report for the start of training camp. And, after this summer, this is the best thing that could happen for all parties involved -- players, staff, and most importantly, the fans.
This has not been a good off-season for the sport of hockey. Far from it. It has been, literally, the deadliest single off-season in the history of the sport. 48 players have died since the end of the last season, including 45 as a result of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl charter plane crash in Russia last week.
Two Wild alumni -- Derek Boogaard and Pavol Demitra -- were amongst those whose lives were ended all too soon during the summer. Boogaard's death is the tip of a very large and deadly iceberg, that of the pain endured every day by NHL players, who want to keep playing even when their bodies say they should retire to their favorite off-ice activity.
The fact is, however, that life goes on for the rest of us, even when the world stops for others. The fact is that even after the pain suffered though the summer, after the deaths of Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak -- all for different reasons, in different locations, at different times -- hockey goes on. People still want the game to go on. The players still want to play. The fans still want to see hockey on the ice. They still want to cheer for their team, and boo the opposition.
The fans are excited right now. Hope springs eternal, never more so than going into the start of training camp this weekend. The dramatically 'new and improved' Wild, led by Mikko Koivu, now more than ever, now with some actual first-line offensive help in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.
Finally shorn of the dead weight of Cam Barker, Antti Miettinen, and James Sheppard -- three players Wild fans learned the hard way to loathe, especially over the last two seasons, as the team's fortunes soured under another now-ex-Wild, coach Todd Richards -- replaced with the coach of the Houston Aeros, Mike Yeo, who took his team to the AHL's Calder Cup finals.
It's a lot for a dedicated fan to handle, all these changes in the sport that they love; for the casual fan, maybe it will be a bit confusing, especially in the pre-season, as the rosters will not be set until later in camp, after everyone has received a good look. Newer players, such as Colton Gillies, Jordan Henry, Mike Lundin, Darroll Powe, and Marco Scandella will become the basis of the Wild's third and fourth lines and third defensive pairing, a virtual 'quantum leap' ahead of last season's patchwork quilt of players shoring up the top two lines.
For those top two lines, the results of the massive overhaul, orchestrated by GM Chuck Fletcher means that the offense, anemic by any sport's standards, should fire on all cylinders most of the time this season, injuries not withstanding. The Wild's top 4 defensemen are finally worthy of being at least occasionally mentioned as top 4 defensemen, as the slackers and the deadbeats have been purged from the ranks of the roster. Lean and mean, Guillaume Latendresse cannot be called 'Minnesota Fats' any more. Matt Cullen can return to his natural center position, feeding Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard as the Wild's second line.
Yes, Wild fans, hope springs eternal at this time of year. Of course, no one in the NHL has played a game yet. Right now, the Islanders are just as good as the Canucks. (Well, maybe not, but go with it.)
After all, that's why we fans want them to play the games...
Showing posts with label Boogaard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boogaard. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Deal ...or No Deal?
Wild not in mood for wheeling and dealing as trade deadline looms
Satisfied with the direction the Minnesota Wild are headed as February turns into the Stretch Drive month of March, GM Chuck Fletcher has downplayed any possible moves to further infuse talent in the club, according to published reports.
Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that unless the player traded for can quickly mesh with the team's current high-level character, that player would not be added by Monday's 2:00 PM (CST) trade deadline.
"These players deserve a chance to stay together and see this thing through. This group deserves that chance; they want that chance, and it's hard to argue with them."
The Wild currently are in 6th place in the NHL's Western Conference with 72 points, two behind 5th place Los Angeles, and three behind 4th place Phoenix, who currently holds the last spot for first-round home ice advantage. The Wild have completed their season series with both clubs.
With Mikko Koivu out for two to three more weeks (broken index finger, left hand) the Wild could use another center. But until (and unless) the rest of the team could buy into a new face near them, Fletcher does not want to mess with the good chemistry in the dressing room. "...we like this team, we're competitive every night and we're winning more games than we're losing. We're content with our group."
Now...the next five games
The next five games (3 at Xcel Energy Center, 2 on the road) are vs. Chicago, two in New York (at the Islanders and Rangers, in that order), then home games against Buffalo and Colorado. Is it too much to expect to win four of those five? Yes, Chicago is a mess right now, and Stan Kroneke is trying to out-cheapen Charles Wang (if that's even possible?) with the Avs current dismantling, but the Wild are in a position to really put some distance between themselves, and the rest of the West contenders this coming week.
Monday's nationally-cablecast game (Versus, 7:00 PM) vs. the Chicago Blackhawks is the final meeting between the two teams this season, and with each game between the two teams having more meaning than the last one, this game should be a fun evening of puck. The Wild are 1-2 in their first three meetings; the Blackhawks winning October 30th at the 'X', and Feb. 16 in Chicago, both games by 3-1 scores; the Wild defeated the 'Hawks 4-2 at the United Center on January 25th, in the last game before the All-Star Break for both franchises. Chicago, although not the star-studded, fully-loaded Blackhawks of last season, are still capable of running up the score should they get going offensively. The Wild will indeed have their hands full Monday night, but so may the 'Hawks, especially if they make a trade deadline deal earlier on Monday.
Before getting back into the meat grinder of the stretch drive, the Wild get a few games which they should actually win. The New York Islanders are, well, the Islanders; all the 'goons' who tried to single-handedly drag the NHL back into the 'Slap Shot' era, will be returning to the Isles' roster in time for Wednesday night's 6:00 PM start. Even with the 'slugfest' against the Penguins two weeks ago, the Isles are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, better than the 4-6-0 record of the Rangers going into Sunday afternoon's game vs. Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers are almost as banged up as the Wild are, with five front-line Blueshirts (Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Alexander Frolov, Chris Drury, and Derek Boogaard) all out of the line-up. This is the game, I think, that may be a loss for the Wild. The Wild never play that well in Manhattan (1-4-0 all time at MSG), and the Wild will be on the second night of yet another back-to-back on the road.
What will be left of the Colorado Avalanche will make their last visit into St. Paul on March 8th, a team which is a shadow of what they were at this time last season, when they out-lasted the Calgary Flames to qualify for last season's playoffs. This is not last season's Avs by any stretch, as the team has gone on an economy kick, and is trying desperately to shed payroll, by any means possible.
So, is 4-1 in the next five games realistic? Is it the time for the Wild to show that they really ARE a team worthy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Guess we'll just have to see for ourselves, huh?
Satisfied with the direction the Minnesota Wild are headed as February turns into the Stretch Drive month of March, GM Chuck Fletcher has downplayed any possible moves to further infuse talent in the club, according to published reports.
Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that unless the player traded for can quickly mesh with the team's current high-level character, that player would not be added by Monday's 2:00 PM (CST) trade deadline.
"These players deserve a chance to stay together and see this thing through. This group deserves that chance; they want that chance, and it's hard to argue with them."
The Wild currently are in 6th place in the NHL's Western Conference with 72 points, two behind 5th place Los Angeles, and three behind 4th place Phoenix, who currently holds the last spot for first-round home ice advantage. The Wild have completed their season series with both clubs.
With Mikko Koivu out for two to three more weeks (broken index finger, left hand) the Wild could use another center. But until (and unless) the rest of the team could buy into a new face near them, Fletcher does not want to mess with the good chemistry in the dressing room. "...we like this team, we're competitive every night and we're winning more games than we're losing. We're content with our group."
Now...the next five games
The next five games (3 at Xcel Energy Center, 2 on the road) are vs. Chicago, two in New York (at the Islanders and Rangers, in that order), then home games against Buffalo and Colorado. Is it too much to expect to win four of those five? Yes, Chicago is a mess right now, and Stan Kroneke is trying to out-cheapen Charles Wang (if that's even possible?) with the Avs current dismantling, but the Wild are in a position to really put some distance between themselves, and the rest of the West contenders this coming week.
Monday's nationally-cablecast game (Versus, 7:00 PM) vs. the Chicago Blackhawks is the final meeting between the two teams this season, and with each game between the two teams having more meaning than the last one, this game should be a fun evening of puck. The Wild are 1-2 in their first three meetings; the Blackhawks winning October 30th at the 'X', and Feb. 16 in Chicago, both games by 3-1 scores; the Wild defeated the 'Hawks 4-2 at the United Center on January 25th, in the last game before the All-Star Break for both franchises. Chicago, although not the star-studded, fully-loaded Blackhawks of last season, are still capable of running up the score should they get going offensively. The Wild will indeed have their hands full Monday night, but so may the 'Hawks, especially if they make a trade deadline deal earlier on Monday.
Before getting back into the meat grinder of the stretch drive, the Wild get a few games which they should actually win. The New York Islanders are, well, the Islanders; all the 'goons' who tried to single-handedly drag the NHL back into the 'Slap Shot' era, will be returning to the Isles' roster in time for Wednesday night's 6:00 PM start. Even with the 'slugfest' against the Penguins two weeks ago, the Isles are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, better than the 4-6-0 record of the Rangers going into Sunday afternoon's game vs. Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers are almost as banged up as the Wild are, with five front-line Blueshirts (Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Alexander Frolov, Chris Drury, and Derek Boogaard) all out of the line-up. This is the game, I think, that may be a loss for the Wild. The Wild never play that well in Manhattan (1-4-0 all time at MSG), and the Wild will be on the second night of yet another back-to-back on the road.
After three days off (and the state high school wrestling tournament at the 'X'), the Wild will face a Buffalo Sabres' team which is very much hot and cold. On the cusp of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Sabres will roll into St. Paul on the second game of a back-to-back of their own, and their 4th road game in six nights, the middle game of a 7-game, two-week road trip where, after which, the Sabres play only two more games away from HSBC Arena the rest of March.
What will be left of the Colorado Avalanche will make their last visit into St. Paul on March 8th, a team which is a shadow of what they were at this time last season, when they out-lasted the Calgary Flames to qualify for last season's playoffs. This is not last season's Avs by any stretch, as the team has gone on an economy kick, and is trying desperately to shed payroll, by any means possible.
So, is 4-1 in the next five games realistic? Is it the time for the Wild to show that they really ARE a team worthy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Guess we'll just have to see for ourselves, huh?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Finland VII: Anticipation...it's making me wait...
(In this seventh installment of my blog series leading up to NHL Premiere 2010, featuring the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, we look at the season ahead, and also a few updates on other items, from earlier installments of this series.)
Well, folks, in less than three weeks the Great Adventure will indeed begin. And, there is a calm optimism in the WRT household. I am optimistic that all the planning, the research, the investigating, the hours at the computer will have all been worth it. My wife continues to say that she hopes her husband will come back to her, after the Great Adventure is over.
Her husband does, too, let me tell you. After this, all other road trips will seem extremely tame. Even the one to Detroit later this season. Tame, tame, tame, almost to the point of being boring. But, let's look ahead to the question of the day:
Where will the Minnesota Wild end up this season?
Wild fans are a hopelessly optimistic bunch, especially after the free agent signings of Moorhead native Matt Cullen, ex-Blackhawk (and NJ Devil) John Madden, and the second-generation grit of Eric Nystrom show the way to an upgraded roster, where a lot of the dead weight that ex-GM Doug Risebrough saddled the franchise with has now been swept away, and shown the door.
Granted, two fan favorites -- Owen Nolan, a.k.a. 'Cowboy' and 'the Irish God of War', or 'IGoW', and enforcer extraordinare Derek Boogaard -- were released; Boogaard winding up with DR in Gotham with the NY Rangers, Nolan still waiting for a call from one of the California clubs (he lives in San Jose, where he co-owns a restaurant) as his career winds down. Ex-SJ Shark Brad Staubitz now fills the 'enforcer' role with the Wild, but at least he can score a goal now and then, something which finally caught up with the likeable Boogaard, as no one was willing to even fight him, making his roster spot even more vulnerable. Boogaard's new $1.65M/season contract was too much for the Wild, who are now within $2.9 million of the NHL's salary cap, and that's including the contract of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who will attempt to return from his concussion first suffered March 25, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum, in a 6-3 victory against the lowly Islanders.
The right shoulder and right knee of captain Mikko Koivu, both of which required surgery following the season are both at 100%, and the young man who some Wild fans have dubbed, 'the Franchise', is ready for a return to his homeland next month, with about 23 of his closest friends, including new Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson, who leaves the Fox Sports North studios (where he was in-studio co-host, on Wild and Gopher hockey telecasts) for the bench, where he will be a 'younger influence' on the roster, a different voice that has recently played the game in this modern era. How this will sit with some of the more tenured players on the Wild roster, such as Andrew Brunette, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns, who actually played with Darby when he was a grinder with the Wild, is yet to be determined.
Optimism runs high amongst Minnesota hockey fans right now, But there has yet to be played even a pre-season game, and not even an official practice has been held. Of course, optimism runs high...as nothing has been decided, save for the fact that James Sheppard, the favorite whipping boy for many Wild fans, will not be playing hockey until after the New Year, due to an ill-advised turn on an ATV in Colorado, during a break in pre-season workouts. Most Wild fans see this unfortunate turn of events for the former first-round pick, as another reason he should be shown the door, as soon as they can find a taker for his 'services'.
My view: After the Finland trip, 8 of their next 10 games will be at home. They must rack up regulation-time wins early, to get a leg up on the rest of the West, as 13 of the following 21 (and 22 of the following 37 games) will be on the road.
This team cannot afford another disasterous start, like last season's losing eight of their first nine debacle. Should they survive the first half of the season, the second half should be an easier half, with all but 5 games played after the All-Star game being within the Western Conference.
This team cannot afford to have long losing streaks. Their talent level is not that of even the now-gutted Chicago Blackhawks, nor San Jose, nor even Detroit, as elderly as that roster looks on paper. Vancouver, everyone's darling pick for the top spot in the West? Nah. Not even close. Maybe not even Calgary or Colorado, who surprised many in hockey and made the playoffs last season, a season which was supposedly a 'rebuilding' year.
They need to score more, especially in regulation. They need to not give up multiple goals in short defensive lapses, especially on the road against divisional opponents (games in Calgary come to mind when I say that). The synergy that was the Guillaume Latendresse-Martin Havlat pairing from last season, needs to be fed from the center position this season. Often. And in bunches.
Had the Wild been able to start the season in December last season, instead of October, they might have just made the playoffs, as banged up as the roster was going into the last weeks of the season, had they not had the disasterous start that this team did last year. This cannot happen again, and the club's hierarchy KNOWS it. The hockey minds know it.
Again, optimism reigns supreme. With that, in my opinion, the Wild will wind up as a playoff team in April. Probably no better than a No. 7 seed, which will probably mean a first round match-up against either of the top two teams in the West (San Jose or Vancouver), neither of which will allow the Wild to go farther than the first round in the playoffs.
But, considering the fact that less than two years ago, this team was totally in shambles, the first round is an achieveable goal, I believe, for this group of Wild players. You have to walk before you can run, and running with the big boys in the West is the immediate goal of this franchise. Reserving the right to change my mind...
...let's see what they can do.
As promised, some updates from earlier in the series:
Seems we've booked onto the 'party cruise' from Stockholm to Turku. The Viking Line ferry boat is known throughout Scandinavia as a 'booze cruise' (those of you who've sailed on the Duluth harbor tours know what I speak of; only this one is a LOT longer). The competing Silja Line ferry, as I said in Part IV of this series, is booked out on a charter that night, as a fund-raiser (presumably) for the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra. Several people have come to me telling me they can't even remember their crossing, due to all the liquor consumed on the ships.
(And, of course, there will be us, still trying to get over jet lag...)
Laundry update: There is no guest laundry at the hotel in Helsinki, so now our question is: Do we get laundry done professionally in Helsinki, Russo-style, by sending out the wet wash? Or, do we ship a box of clean clothes over to Finland, and that same box (with dirty clothes and some papers) back to the USA? Or, do we take some laundry soap with us, and rinse the stuff out in the bathroom sink? What do we do? (We don't want to offend anyone while in Europe...)
(to be continued)
Well, folks, in less than three weeks the Great Adventure will indeed begin. And, there is a calm optimism in the WRT household. I am optimistic that all the planning, the research, the investigating, the hours at the computer will have all been worth it. My wife continues to say that she hopes her husband will come back to her, after the Great Adventure is over.
Her husband does, too, let me tell you. After this, all other road trips will seem extremely tame. Even the one to Detroit later this season. Tame, tame, tame, almost to the point of being boring. But, let's look ahead to the question of the day:
Where will the Minnesota Wild end up this season?
Wild fans are a hopelessly optimistic bunch, especially after the free agent signings of Moorhead native Matt Cullen, ex-Blackhawk (and NJ Devil) John Madden, and the second-generation grit of Eric Nystrom show the way to an upgraded roster, where a lot of the dead weight that ex-GM Doug Risebrough saddled the franchise with has now been swept away, and shown the door.
Granted, two fan favorites -- Owen Nolan, a.k.a. 'Cowboy' and 'the Irish God of War', or 'IGoW', and enforcer extraordinare Derek Boogaard -- were released; Boogaard winding up with DR in Gotham with the NY Rangers, Nolan still waiting for a call from one of the California clubs (he lives in San Jose, where he co-owns a restaurant) as his career winds down. Ex-SJ Shark Brad Staubitz now fills the 'enforcer' role with the Wild, but at least he can score a goal now and then, something which finally caught up with the likeable Boogaard, as no one was willing to even fight him, making his roster spot even more vulnerable. Boogaard's new $1.65M/season contract was too much for the Wild, who are now within $2.9 million of the NHL's salary cap, and that's including the contract of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who will attempt to return from his concussion first suffered March 25, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum, in a 6-3 victory against the lowly Islanders.
The right shoulder and right knee of captain Mikko Koivu, both of which required surgery following the season are both at 100%, and the young man who some Wild fans have dubbed, 'the Franchise', is ready for a return to his homeland next month, with about 23 of his closest friends, including new Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson, who leaves the Fox Sports North studios (where he was in-studio co-host, on Wild and Gopher hockey telecasts) for the bench, where he will be a 'younger influence' on the roster, a different voice that has recently played the game in this modern era. How this will sit with some of the more tenured players on the Wild roster, such as Andrew Brunette, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns, who actually played with Darby when he was a grinder with the Wild, is yet to be determined.
Optimism runs high amongst Minnesota hockey fans right now, But there has yet to be played even a pre-season game, and not even an official practice has been held. Of course, optimism runs high...as nothing has been decided, save for the fact that James Sheppard, the favorite whipping boy for many Wild fans, will not be playing hockey until after the New Year, due to an ill-advised turn on an ATV in Colorado, during a break in pre-season workouts. Most Wild fans see this unfortunate turn of events for the former first-round pick, as another reason he should be shown the door, as soon as they can find a taker for his 'services'.
My view: After the Finland trip, 8 of their next 10 games will be at home. They must rack up regulation-time wins early, to get a leg up on the rest of the West, as 13 of the following 21 (and 22 of the following 37 games) will be on the road.
This team cannot afford another disasterous start, like last season's losing eight of their first nine debacle. Should they survive the first half of the season, the second half should be an easier half, with all but 5 games played after the All-Star game being within the Western Conference.
This team cannot afford to have long losing streaks. Their talent level is not that of even the now-gutted Chicago Blackhawks, nor San Jose, nor even Detroit, as elderly as that roster looks on paper. Vancouver, everyone's darling pick for the top spot in the West? Nah. Not even close. Maybe not even Calgary or Colorado, who surprised many in hockey and made the playoffs last season, a season which was supposedly a 'rebuilding' year.
They need to score more, especially in regulation. They need to not give up multiple goals in short defensive lapses, especially on the road against divisional opponents (games in Calgary come to mind when I say that). The synergy that was the Guillaume Latendresse-Martin Havlat pairing from last season, needs to be fed from the center position this season. Often. And in bunches.
Had the Wild been able to start the season in December last season, instead of October, they might have just made the playoffs, as banged up as the roster was going into the last weeks of the season, had they not had the disasterous start that this team did last year. This cannot happen again, and the club's hierarchy KNOWS it. The hockey minds know it.
Again, optimism reigns supreme. With that, in my opinion, the Wild will wind up as a playoff team in April. Probably no better than a No. 7 seed, which will probably mean a first round match-up against either of the top two teams in the West (San Jose or Vancouver), neither of which will allow the Wild to go farther than the first round in the playoffs.
But, considering the fact that less than two years ago, this team was totally in shambles, the first round is an achieveable goal, I believe, for this group of Wild players. You have to walk before you can run, and running with the big boys in the West is the immediate goal of this franchise. Reserving the right to change my mind...
...let's see what they can do.
As promised, some updates from earlier in the series:
Seems we've booked onto the 'party cruise' from Stockholm to Turku. The Viking Line ferry boat is known throughout Scandinavia as a 'booze cruise' (those of you who've sailed on the Duluth harbor tours know what I speak of; only this one is a LOT longer). The competing Silja Line ferry, as I said in Part IV of this series, is booked out on a charter that night, as a fund-raiser (presumably) for the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra. Several people have come to me telling me they can't even remember their crossing, due to all the liquor consumed on the ships.
(And, of course, there will be us, still trying to get over jet lag...)
Laundry update: There is no guest laundry at the hotel in Helsinki, so now our question is: Do we get laundry done professionally in Helsinki, Russo-style, by sending out the wet wash? Or, do we ship a box of clean clothes over to Finland, and that same box (with dirty clothes and some papers) back to the USA? Or, do we take some laundry soap with us, and rinse the stuff out in the bathroom sink? What do we do? (We don't want to offend anyone while in Europe...)
(to be continued)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
So, now what's next?
The hype has died down from the Wild Prospect Camp, the Wild Road tour, the release of the 2010-2011 NHL schedule (three weeks early, thank you NHL) and the Free Agent Frenzy of July 1st. So now, we blithely throw this question out for the multitudes to ponder:
OK, Minnesota Wild. What do you guys do for an encore? What little tidbit do you all dream up now, in order to keep the hockey-starved public happy until the start of Training Camp, scheduled for Sept. 17th?
Yes, we who go online regularly know about the 'State of Jääkiekko' Finnish-based hockey quiz, that those of us who actually do WORK while online at work, cannot ever join in. That we know about. We know the sales staff is busy. It's their time of the year to turn some on-the-fence people into 10-and-20 game ticket holders.
But what about the hockey staff? The rest of the organization? Do they all get the month of August off? Or are things being done to make the organization better, top to bottom?
We know the roster will be greatly improved, as much by subtractions (no more Boogaard, Hnidy, Irmen, Sifers, Dubielewicz, as examples) as by additions made thru free agency and the NHL Draft. We also know that the rest of the coaching staff (that is, what didn't change following the departure of Doug Risebrough and Jacques Lemaire after 2008-09) will also change going into this season. Mind you, we don't exactly agree with all the subtractions (Owen Nolan, for example), but the dead weight on the Wild's roster had to be eliminated. And, not all of them will find NHL jobs for next season. For some of the eliminated, the future in hockey looks, at best, very bleak, indeed.
On the other hand, relative newcomers such as Colton Gillies (coming off his 2009-10 year with the Houston Aeros), Casey Wellman, Nate Prosser, Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella will all be on hand, pushing the established veterans hard enough so that some of them may just become something the Wild have rarely had, in their 10-year history:
Trade bait.
OK, Minnesota Wild. What do you guys do for an encore? What little tidbit do you all dream up now, in order to keep the hockey-starved public happy until the start of Training Camp, scheduled for Sept. 17th?
Yes, we who go online regularly know about the 'State of Jääkiekko' Finnish-based hockey quiz, that those of us who actually do WORK while online at work, cannot ever join in. That we know about. We know the sales staff is busy. It's their time of the year to turn some on-the-fence people into 10-and-20 game ticket holders.
But what about the hockey staff? The rest of the organization? Do they all get the month of August off? Or are things being done to make the organization better, top to bottom?
We know the roster will be greatly improved, as much by subtractions (no more Boogaard, Hnidy, Irmen, Sifers, Dubielewicz, as examples) as by additions made thru free agency and the NHL Draft. We also know that the rest of the coaching staff (that is, what didn't change following the departure of Doug Risebrough and Jacques Lemaire after 2008-09) will also change going into this season. Mind you, we don't exactly agree with all the subtractions (Owen Nolan, for example), but the dead weight on the Wild's roster had to be eliminated. And, not all of them will find NHL jobs for next season. For some of the eliminated, the future in hockey looks, at best, very bleak, indeed.
On the other hand, relative newcomers such as Colton Gillies (coming off his 2009-10 year with the Houston Aeros), Casey Wellman, Nate Prosser, Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella will all be on hand, pushing the established veterans hard enough so that some of them may just become something the Wild have rarely had, in their 10-year history:
Trade bait.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Centers of attention
Well, folks, Chuck Fletcher and the Minnesota Wild staff said they would go out and get some help at center, the on-ice position of greatest need. The result after two days of free agency:
Mission. Accomplished.
The signing of ex-Ottawa Senator Matt Cullen (who actually won the Stanley Cup when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes, in 2007) and ex-Texas Star Warren Peters (for depth) signify that the further erosion of the center position will not be allowed to happen.
(Sorry about that, Doug Risebrough.)
And for those of you that feel that the Wild lacked 'grit' at the end of last season, let's introduce some second-generation 'grit', namely Eric Nystrom, the son of ex-NY Islander great Bob Nystrom, he of the four Stanley Cup winning Islander teams of the 1970's. Nystrom was signed as a 'depth forward', hopefully to play alongside Cal Clutterbuck and, hopefully, rookie Casey Wellman at fourth line center (although some, including Michael Russo, hockey scribe extraordinaire at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, think that James Sheppard will be the fourth-line center coming out of training camp.)
(And before some of you complain, I do apologize in advance for putting the names of 'Russo' and 'Sheppard' in the same sentence. One is no way in the league of the other. We all know that.)
Granted, some of the best Wild 'additions' were, in fact, 'additions by subtraction', as a good deal of the Wild's accumulated 'dead weight' are no longer on the roster, as Derek Boogaard now can honestly say, 'I am a Ranger', no thanks to his greedy, selfish ol' buddy, Marian Gaborik, who helped lure Boogaard to Manhattan after the Rangers' previous goon, Jody Shelley, signed a multi-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who are indeed re-creating the 'Broad Street Bullies' of the mid-1970's at the south end of SEPTA's Broad Street Subway.
For those of you who participated last season in the 'Big John Scott' drinking game, we hope you enjoyed yourselves, as Scott signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on Day 1 of free agency.
Owen Nolan? Still out there, but rumor has it he may go to the Washington Capitals or any of the three California teams (Nolan just built a new house near San Jose, where he has business interests; Nolan was a Shark for 11 seasons).
Andrew Ebbett signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, so now Ed Jovanovski now owes Ebbett dinner for butt-ending Ebbett last season during a Wild-Coyotes game in Glendale. Just make sure the dinner isn't at Whataburger, OK?
Robbie Earl? Still available. Don't hesitate, don't everyone push all at once, now...
Granted, most Wild fans are waiting for the first-round draft choice of this season, 18-year-old Finnish SM-liiga wunderkind Mikael Granlund, already playing at the top level of one of Europe's top leagues, to start paying dividends after 2010-11, where he will remain with his Finnish Helsinki team for one more season, then come across the North Atlantic and probably compete right away for the third center position (unless the Wild manage to trade way one or both of their top centers.)
And then, there's the Pierre Marc-Bouchard saga to deal with. Will he be able to return from a severe concussion which has kept him out for all (except one game) of last season and the last three weeks of 2008-09? Even if he comes back, at what level will he be able to safely operate at? He will always have the fear of one more good bell ringing ending certainly his hockey career, and possibly his life. You have to ask yourself: at what point is it really WORTH it to continue playing hockey?
PMB comes with a very hefty $4.08M cap hit. The only way the Wild get out from under that permanently is for PMB to voluntarily retire. We know he really doesn't want to do that. He may, however, have no choice if his concussion symptoms continue. There is a long-term injured reserve exception to the salary cap, but the minute PMB steps back on the ice in a game situation, the LTIR is lifted, and the Wild are that much more over the salary cap.
So how are the Wild doing? Like all NHL teams, July is the time your team gets better. But, so does everyone else. The amount of dead weight around the League in general you would think would push those on the lower end of the scales to get better faster. Some will retire (Keith Tkaczuk, as example); some will play elsewhere (Martin Skoula signing with the KHL Avangard Omsk, for one. There are others. I'm just happy that Skoula will not be over here anymore) and some will just sit at home, waiting for the phone to ring...
--WRT
Mission. Accomplished.
The signing of ex-Ottawa Senator Matt Cullen (who actually won the Stanley Cup when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes, in 2007) and ex-Texas Star Warren Peters (for depth) signify that the further erosion of the center position will not be allowed to happen.
(Sorry about that, Doug Risebrough.)
And for those of you that feel that the Wild lacked 'grit' at the end of last season, let's introduce some second-generation 'grit', namely Eric Nystrom, the son of ex-NY Islander great Bob Nystrom, he of the four Stanley Cup winning Islander teams of the 1970's. Nystrom was signed as a 'depth forward', hopefully to play alongside Cal Clutterbuck and, hopefully, rookie Casey Wellman at fourth line center (although some, including Michael Russo, hockey scribe extraordinaire at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, think that James Sheppard will be the fourth-line center coming out of training camp.)
(And before some of you complain, I do apologize in advance for putting the names of 'Russo' and 'Sheppard' in the same sentence. One is no way in the league of the other. We all know that.)
Granted, some of the best Wild 'additions' were, in fact, 'additions by subtraction', as a good deal of the Wild's accumulated 'dead weight' are no longer on the roster, as Derek Boogaard now can honestly say, 'I am a Ranger', no thanks to his greedy, selfish ol' buddy, Marian Gaborik, who helped lure Boogaard to Manhattan after the Rangers' previous goon, Jody Shelley, signed a multi-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, who are indeed re-creating the 'Broad Street Bullies' of the mid-1970's at the south end of SEPTA's Broad Street Subway.
For those of you who participated last season in the 'Big John Scott' drinking game, we hope you enjoyed yourselves, as Scott signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on Day 1 of free agency.
Owen Nolan? Still out there, but rumor has it he may go to the Washington Capitals or any of the three California teams (Nolan just built a new house near San Jose, where he has business interests; Nolan was a Shark for 11 seasons).
Andrew Ebbett signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, so now Ed Jovanovski now owes Ebbett dinner for butt-ending Ebbett last season during a Wild-Coyotes game in Glendale. Just make sure the dinner isn't at Whataburger, OK?
Robbie Earl? Still available. Don't hesitate, don't everyone push all at once, now...
Granted, most Wild fans are waiting for the first-round draft choice of this season, 18-year-old Finnish SM-liiga wunderkind Mikael Granlund, already playing at the top level of one of Europe's top leagues, to start paying dividends after 2010-11, where he will remain with his Finnish Helsinki team for one more season, then come across the North Atlantic and probably compete right away for the third center position (unless the Wild manage to trade way one or both of their top centers.)
And then, there's the Pierre Marc-Bouchard saga to deal with. Will he be able to return from a severe concussion which has kept him out for all (except one game) of last season and the last three weeks of 2008-09? Even if he comes back, at what level will he be able to safely operate at? He will always have the fear of one more good bell ringing ending certainly his hockey career, and possibly his life. You have to ask yourself: at what point is it really WORTH it to continue playing hockey?
PMB comes with a very hefty $4.08M cap hit. The only way the Wild get out from under that permanently is for PMB to voluntarily retire. We know he really doesn't want to do that. He may, however, have no choice if his concussion symptoms continue. There is a long-term injured reserve exception to the salary cap, but the minute PMB steps back on the ice in a game situation, the LTIR is lifted, and the Wild are that much more over the salary cap.
So how are the Wild doing? Like all NHL teams, July is the time your team gets better. But, so does everyone else. The amount of dead weight around the League in general you would think would push those on the lower end of the scales to get better faster. Some will retire (Keith Tkaczuk, as example); some will play elsewhere (Martin Skoula signing with the KHL Avangard Omsk, for one. There are others. I'm just happy that Skoula will not be over here anymore) and some will just sit at home, waiting for the phone to ring...
--WRT
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Beat Down Sunday: Wild double up, punch out Blues 4-2
As Koivu, Harding shine, Boogaard wins fight, but you'd never know it by looking at him
By Wild Road Tripper
To look at the face of Derek Boogaard as he left the ice following his first-period scrap with St. Louis Blues enforcer D.J. King, you'd never know that Boogaard's Minnesota Wild was, at that very moment, en route to a 4-2 win on Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center, before an announced 18,580 who were just as happy for Boogaard, as for the rest of the squad.
After all, Boogaard was doing what he is paid to do -- enforce -- and the rest of the Wild, most notably goaltender Josh Harding (36 saves) and Mikko Koivu (goal, two assists) were doing what they get paid to do -- that is, win hockey games -- as the Wild gain a needed two points to place them still on the cusp of the fast-fading Western Conference playoff chase. The Wild win against St. Louis, coupled with Dallas losing at home to Colorado, now finds the Wild in 11th place in the West, six points behind eighth place Detroit, with 14 games left to play this season.
Boogaard's face looked like he had been in a fight, but King's head was primarily used as a) a helicopter beanie holder, b) a punching bag, or c) a conveinent place to put ice after the fight was over. The correct answer was d) all of the above, as Boogaard went around and around with him (literally, they kept sticking and moving thru the zone) until King's helmet was in the corner, he was behind the net, and the linesmen were just happy it didn't escalate into worse.
(The fight rates nearly even, with a slight advantage to Boogaard, according to Hockeyfights.com)
The game? Oh, that. Yeah, yeah, let's talk: Andrew Brunette started the scoring 1:54 in as he tipped a Cam Barker shot past starting St. Louis goalie Chris Mason. Guillaume Latendresse had a textbook tip-in goal in the first period from a Martin Havlat give-and-go. The Koivu goal was a beauty, also, insofar as he didn't give up on the bouncing puck in the slot when the first shot didn't get by the St. Louis defense. Even Antti Miettinen managed a 'pretty' goal, when Koivu's backhand pass in the slot in the second period found Miettinen alone against relief Blues goaltender Ty Conklin.
Is this a case of too little, too late? Or are Wild fans just resigned to the fact that this team will not make the playoffs, no matter what they do, and should just ride it out until the NHL Draft in late June in Los Angeles, and the start of Free Agency on July 1st?
Face it, the Wild are 3-2-2 since coming back from the Olympic break, and that just won't cut it. They are entering a stretch that in the next three games they could easily pick up six points, as they take on the two worst teams in the West (Edmonton, Tuesday night at home, and at Columbus on Saturday) and a team which they have defeated each of the last two seasons on the road (Nashville, Friday night away) in the next six days. The schedule becomes considerably tougher after that point, so for the Wild, this week is critical to answer this burning question:
Will they finish low enough to aim for the draft? Or high enough to be in the playoffs?
We'll talk later.
Until then, let's remind you of the Next Game: vs. Edmonton, Tuesday, March 16, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Oilers' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
By Wild Road Tripper
To look at the face of Derek Boogaard as he left the ice following his first-period scrap with St. Louis Blues enforcer D.J. King, you'd never know that Boogaard's Minnesota Wild was, at that very moment, en route to a 4-2 win on Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center, before an announced 18,580 who were just as happy for Boogaard, as for the rest of the squad.
After all, Boogaard was doing what he is paid to do -- enforce -- and the rest of the Wild, most notably goaltender Josh Harding (36 saves) and Mikko Koivu (goal, two assists) were doing what they get paid to do -- that is, win hockey games -- as the Wild gain a needed two points to place them still on the cusp of the fast-fading Western Conference playoff chase. The Wild win against St. Louis, coupled with Dallas losing at home to Colorado, now finds the Wild in 11th place in the West, six points behind eighth place Detroit, with 14 games left to play this season.
Boogaard's face looked like he had been in a fight, but King's head was primarily used as a) a helicopter beanie holder, b) a punching bag, or c) a conveinent place to put ice after the fight was over. The correct answer was d) all of the above, as Boogaard went around and around with him (literally, they kept sticking and moving thru the zone) until King's helmet was in the corner, he was behind the net, and the linesmen were just happy it didn't escalate into worse.
(The fight rates nearly even, with a slight advantage to Boogaard, according to Hockeyfights.com)
The game? Oh, that. Yeah, yeah, let's talk: Andrew Brunette started the scoring 1:54 in as he tipped a Cam Barker shot past starting St. Louis goalie Chris Mason. Guillaume Latendresse had a textbook tip-in goal in the first period from a Martin Havlat give-and-go. The Koivu goal was a beauty, also, insofar as he didn't give up on the bouncing puck in the slot when the first shot didn't get by the St. Louis defense. Even Antti Miettinen managed a 'pretty' goal, when Koivu's backhand pass in the slot in the second period found Miettinen alone against relief Blues goaltender Ty Conklin.
Is this a case of too little, too late? Or are Wild fans just resigned to the fact that this team will not make the playoffs, no matter what they do, and should just ride it out until the NHL Draft in late June in Los Angeles, and the start of Free Agency on July 1st?
Face it, the Wild are 3-2-2 since coming back from the Olympic break, and that just won't cut it. They are entering a stretch that in the next three games they could easily pick up six points, as they take on the two worst teams in the West (Edmonton, Tuesday night at home, and at Columbus on Saturday) and a team which they have defeated each of the last two seasons on the road (Nashville, Friday night away) in the next six days. The schedule becomes considerably tougher after that point, so for the Wild, this week is critical to answer this burning question:
Will they finish low enough to aim for the draft? Or high enough to be in the playoffs?
We'll talk later.
Until then, let's remind you of the Next Game: vs. Edmonton, Tuesday, March 16, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Oilers' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Wild throttle Canucks, 6-2, as Olympics, trade deadline loom
Final game of homestand becomes old-fashioned beatdown of divisonal rival
By Wild Road Tripper
With the eyes of the sporting world focused on their home town, the Vancouver Canucks ended their first half of a 14-game marathon road trip in grand style. Grand style, that is, for fans of the Minnesota Wild.
As 19,342, the third largest regular-season crowd in Wild franchise history, watched on Valentine's Day at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild systematically took apart the current Northwest Division leaders with one of the better efforts of the season, as the Wild proceeded to force Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo from the nets with 11:56 remaining in the game, after giving up the Wild's 5th goal, an incredulous scene where Cal Clutterbuck put the off the back boards rebound of a Kyle Brodziak breakaway shot past Luongo, to make it 5-1 Wild at that point.
The Wild had all cylinders firing in this one; even Derek Boogaard had an assist, was a +2 for the afternoon, and got the better of Darcy Hordichuk after Hordichuk horse-collared and cartwheeled Boogaard from behind, as Boogaard went along the boards to retrieve a loose puck. The Wild scored almost immediately after Hordichuk, who received the full package (2 minutes for instigating, 5 for fighting, 10-minute misconduct) for his derring-do. The goal was one of 4 power-play goals for the Wild, who went 4-for-7 in power plays, a most jarring turnaround for a power play unit which had been rather anemic earlier this season.
In fact, 10 different Wild players, including Brodziak and newcomer Cam Barker, acquired only on Friday afternoon for Kim Johnsson, tallied points, Barker's point a laser-shot goal which eluded relief Vancouver goalie Andrew Raycroft en route to finding twine. The Wild outshot the normally shot-happy Canucks 41-29, and held the normally effective Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, to just one assist. Even Greg Zanon got in on the act, saving a sure goal by Henrik Sedin in the first moment of the third period, by robbing Sedin while prone in the crease as Niklas Backstrom scrambled to get back into position.
So what now for the Wild? With the team now on a 17-day break for the Winter Olympics, and the NHL trade deadline looming a mere 63 hours after the Olympic roster freeze ends, we may have seen the last of at least some of the seven remaining Wild unrestricted free agents-to-be. The Wild end the pre-Olympic portion of the schedule in 13th place in the Western Conference, 64 points, five points behind the eighth and final playoff spot. The team occupying that spot will be the opponent in two of the next three Wild games:
Next Game: at Calgary, Wednesday, March 3, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pengrowth Saddledome. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Flames TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. TBA)
By Wild Road Tripper
With the eyes of the sporting world focused on their home town, the Vancouver Canucks ended their first half of a 14-game marathon road trip in grand style. Grand style, that is, for fans of the Minnesota Wild.
As 19,342, the third largest regular-season crowd in Wild franchise history, watched on Valentine's Day at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild systematically took apart the current Northwest Division leaders with one of the better efforts of the season, as the Wild proceeded to force Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo from the nets with 11:56 remaining in the game, after giving up the Wild's 5th goal, an incredulous scene where Cal Clutterbuck put the off the back boards rebound of a Kyle Brodziak breakaway shot past Luongo, to make it 5-1 Wild at that point.
The Wild had all cylinders firing in this one; even Derek Boogaard had an assist, was a +2 for the afternoon, and got the better of Darcy Hordichuk after Hordichuk horse-collared and cartwheeled Boogaard from behind, as Boogaard went along the boards to retrieve a loose puck. The Wild scored almost immediately after Hordichuk, who received the full package (2 minutes for instigating, 5 for fighting, 10-minute misconduct) for his derring-do. The goal was one of 4 power-play goals for the Wild, who went 4-for-7 in power plays, a most jarring turnaround for a power play unit which had been rather anemic earlier this season.
In fact, 10 different Wild players, including Brodziak and newcomer Cam Barker, acquired only on Friday afternoon for Kim Johnsson, tallied points, Barker's point a laser-shot goal which eluded relief Vancouver goalie Andrew Raycroft en route to finding twine. The Wild outshot the normally shot-happy Canucks 41-29, and held the normally effective Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, to just one assist. Even Greg Zanon got in on the act, saving a sure goal by Henrik Sedin in the first moment of the third period, by robbing Sedin while prone in the crease as Niklas Backstrom scrambled to get back into position.
So what now for the Wild? With the team now on a 17-day break for the Winter Olympics, and the NHL trade deadline looming a mere 63 hours after the Olympic roster freeze ends, we may have seen the last of at least some of the seven remaining Wild unrestricted free agents-to-be. The Wild end the pre-Olympic portion of the schedule in 13th place in the Western Conference, 64 points, five points behind the eighth and final playoff spot. The team occupying that spot will be the opponent in two of the next three Wild games:
Next Game: at Calgary, Wednesday, March 3, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pengrowth Saddledome. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Flames TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. TBA)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Khudobin goes Wild, downs Flyers 2-1
Rookie in second NHL game saves day with 38-save stellar performance
By Wild Road Tripper
Some old-time Minnesota Wild hockey came out of the dressing room at Xcel Energy Center Saturday night. Rookie Anton Khudobin, making his second NHL appearance and first start at hockey's top level, is sure appreciative that it did.
The Wild ran its home winning streak to four straight, and eight of its' last nine, as they rode Khudobin's 38-save performance to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers' second straight loss on their Western road swing.
Khudobin's game was the difference, according to Wild Head Coach Todd Richards in the post-game press conference. From my own point of view, as well as the team's, he really DID hold the Wild in the game, especially in the first period, as lacklustre a stanza as the Wild have produced since the disasterous first week of November, where they lost two games in three nights, at home, to Vancouver and Dallas. The Wild came out tentative and the Flyers were just willing to let the Wild do that, although Cal Clutterbuck's surprise goal 15:37 in opened the scoring, it didn't take the Flyers long, as Daniel Carcillo, a All-Star 'Blackheart' if there ever was, cashed in a rebound as Marek Zidlicky failed (once again) to take out his man in front of Khudobin, to tie it up with just over 4 minutes remaining.
The second period was much better for the Wild as the tempo -- and the hitting -- started getting fierce, punctuated with Derek Boogaard's de-helmeting of ex-Canuck Lukas Krajicek near the mid-way point. Shortly afterwards, Owen Nolan's rebound goal made it 2-1 Minnesota, and that's where it stayed.
The third period was a throwback to the Jacques Lemaire era: get the puck, play the puck, dump the puck, repeat. Again, and again, and again, and again. The Flyers were becoming more frustrated with every shift. But, there was nothing they could really muster. Even in the waning seconds, after goalie Michael Leighton was pulled for the extra attacker, did the Wild stray from what they were formerly famous for -- defense. And, this time, they were successful.
As the crowd of 18,640 (minus a few Flyers' fans, mostly decked out in their blaze orange) cheered their approval, the traditional 'goalie huddle' after a victory probably never was so well-earned. The boys actually did it; they beat the Flyers, for the first time in five meetings since 2003, and they have their rookie call-up to thank for it.
Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth in HD; No Coyotes' TV; XM Radio, Ch. 209)
By Wild Road Tripper
Some old-time Minnesota Wild hockey came out of the dressing room at Xcel Energy Center Saturday night. Rookie Anton Khudobin, making his second NHL appearance and first start at hockey's top level, is sure appreciative that it did.
The Wild ran its home winning streak to four straight, and eight of its' last nine, as they rode Khudobin's 38-save performance to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers' second straight loss on their Western road swing.
Khudobin's game was the difference, according to Wild Head Coach Todd Richards in the post-game press conference. From my own point of view, as well as the team's, he really DID hold the Wild in the game, especially in the first period, as lacklustre a stanza as the Wild have produced since the disasterous first week of November, where they lost two games in three nights, at home, to Vancouver and Dallas. The Wild came out tentative and the Flyers were just willing to let the Wild do that, although Cal Clutterbuck's surprise goal 15:37 in opened the scoring, it didn't take the Flyers long, as Daniel Carcillo, a All-Star 'Blackheart' if there ever was, cashed in a rebound as Marek Zidlicky failed (once again) to take out his man in front of Khudobin, to tie it up with just over 4 minutes remaining.
The second period was much better for the Wild as the tempo -- and the hitting -- started getting fierce, punctuated with Derek Boogaard's de-helmeting of ex-Canuck Lukas Krajicek near the mid-way point. Shortly afterwards, Owen Nolan's rebound goal made it 2-1 Minnesota, and that's where it stayed.
The third period was a throwback to the Jacques Lemaire era: get the puck, play the puck, dump the puck, repeat. Again, and again, and again, and again. The Flyers were becoming more frustrated with every shift. But, there was nothing they could really muster. Even in the waning seconds, after goalie Michael Leighton was pulled for the extra attacker, did the Wild stray from what they were formerly famous for -- defense. And, this time, they were successful.
As the crowd of 18,640 (minus a few Flyers' fans, mostly decked out in their blaze orange) cheered their approval, the traditional 'goalie huddle' after a victory probably never was so well-earned. The boys actually did it; they beat the Flyers, for the first time in five meetings since 2003, and they have their rookie call-up to thank for it.
Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth in HD; No Coyotes' TV; XM Radio, Ch. 209)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Blue Jackets show why they're 14th in West as Wild win, 4-2
By Wild Road Tripper
The Columbus Blue Jackets showed again tonight why they are 14th in the NHL's Western Conference, and why teams like the Minnesota Wild beat them, 4-2, as in Saturday night's 'Hockey Day Minnesota' feature game, as the Wild played a solid 59 minutes of good, quality hockey. The victory ran the Wild's all-time record on 'Hockey Day Minnesota', to 2-1-1.
But, about that 60th minute; we'll get to that later.
The first 59 were good, solid hockey, punctuated by the two goals of Mikko Koivu, Eric Belanger's surprise throw-in towards tough-luck Jackets goalie Steve Mason, and Robbie Earl showing again why he could be a finisher-in-training for the offensively-beleagured Wild. And, for good measure, Derek Boogaard made short work of Jared Boll, as Boogaard showed again why he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the NHL. Even maligned defenseman Marek Zidlicky wound up a +3 for the night.
But it was that 60th minute that shocked the 18,173 in attendance, as the Jackets, behind goals by Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette, not only blew Niklas Backstrom's shutout, but closed the gap quickly to 4-2, but the last goal was scored with 3 seconds left in the contest, and the Wild walked away, victorious in regulation time for the first time in a week and a half, but the Jackets late antics (including a Nash-Nick Schultz fight; yes, you read it correctly, folks -- Schultzie dropped the purse!) left a bitter taste in the mouth of Head Coach Todd Richards, as he explained in his post-game press conference.
Jeff Rimer, Jackets play-by-play announcer, wrote yesterday for his blog on Bluejackets.com that the Jackets believe that they are still a legitimate playoff contender. After last night, the two most descriptive words about the playoff hopes of Columbus would be:
Fat. Chance.
Next Game: vs. Detroit, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Detroit TV: FSDetroit; both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 208)
The Columbus Blue Jackets showed again tonight why they are 14th in the NHL's Western Conference, and why teams like the Minnesota Wild beat them, 4-2, as in Saturday night's 'Hockey Day Minnesota' feature game, as the Wild played a solid 59 minutes of good, quality hockey. The victory ran the Wild's all-time record on 'Hockey Day Minnesota', to 2-1-1.
But, about that 60th minute; we'll get to that later.
The first 59 were good, solid hockey, punctuated by the two goals of Mikko Koivu, Eric Belanger's surprise throw-in towards tough-luck Jackets goalie Steve Mason, and Robbie Earl showing again why he could be a finisher-in-training for the offensively-beleagured Wild. And, for good measure, Derek Boogaard made short work of Jared Boll, as Boogaard showed again why he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the NHL. Even maligned defenseman Marek Zidlicky wound up a +3 for the night.
But it was that 60th minute that shocked the 18,173 in attendance, as the Jackets, behind goals by Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette, not only blew Niklas Backstrom's shutout, but closed the gap quickly to 4-2, but the last goal was scored with 3 seconds left in the contest, and the Wild walked away, victorious in regulation time for the first time in a week and a half, but the Jackets late antics (including a Nash-Nick Schultz fight; yes, you read it correctly, folks -- Schultzie dropped the purse!) left a bitter taste in the mouth of Head Coach Todd Richards, as he explained in his post-game press conference.
Jeff Rimer, Jackets play-by-play announcer, wrote yesterday for his blog on Bluejackets.com that the Jackets believe that they are still a legitimate playoff contender. After last night, the two most descriptive words about the playoff hopes of Columbus would be:
Fat. Chance.
Next Game: vs. Detroit, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Detroit TV: FSDetroit; both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 208)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Antti-Swede: Miettinen scores 2 as Wild beat, beat up Canucks
By Wild Road Tripper
Were the Vancouver Canucks trying to make a statement tonight? If they were, after all was said and done, was this what they meant? Really??
If this was what they meant to say, perhaps it's good that the Olympics will be in Vancouver in less than 5 weeks. Because the Canucks sure didn't make the statement they wanted to. Which is a good thing, if you are a Minnesota Wild fan. The Wild beat the Canucks, 5-2, before 18,356 at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday night, and beat the Canucks up as well, as three (well, actually two, we'll get to that later) fights in the third period -- all of which also wound up in Minnesota's favor -- and an early end to Roberto Luongo's night in the Vancouver goal spelled defeat for the Canucks, for the first time in St. Paul since March, 2008.
Antti Miettinen continues on his goal-scoring tear, as he twice found twine with a shot from the slot on a 4-on-3 power play early in the third, then scored again near midway thru the third period to put the game hopelessly out of reach. Kyle Brodziak, Mikko Koivu and Owen Nolan also scored for the Wild as they won their fourth straight game, all at home, to climb to within one point of idle Detroit and to within two points of Los Angeles.
No mention of the Canucks would be complete without a mention of, 'Pinky and the Brain', better known as the Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik, who were held completely off the scoreboard tonight as the Wild shut down Vancouver's top line all evening.
In the midst of all the hubbub, Niklas Backstrom won his 21st game of the season, and his 114th overall, eclipsing the mark for most Wild goaltender victories, set by Manny Fernandez.
The three fights were like this: First, Derek Boogaard squares off against Darcy Hordichuk, a 'fight' in name only, since only Hordichuk threw punches (and not many of those) and Boogaard backed off after pulling Hordichuk's sweater over his head.
The second fight was indeed the most brutal, as 'Big' John Scott proceeded to systematically destroy Alexandre Bolduc, landing a minimum (by my own count) 12 punches clean to the head of the recent call-up. When the fight was over, Bolduc had to be helped off the ice by the officials, as he definitely had checked in on Dream Street. This fight was almost as one-sided as Scott's destruction last March of the Islanders' Joel Rechlicz at Nassau Coliseum. If this doesn't make someone's fight card, nothing in hockey will.
The last fight of the evening took place just 6 seconds before the coaches would have been fined $25,000 if a fight had taken place. This one featured Shane Hnidy vs. Tanner Glass, two guys who would have really liked not fighting each other at all. This fight came out close to even.
The Wild now go on the road for the next week, starting a stretch where 6 of the next 9 are away from St. Paul, with the Next Game: at St. Louis, tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 14), 7:00 PM, Scottrade Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Blues TV: FSMidwest (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 237)
Were the Vancouver Canucks trying to make a statement tonight? If they were, after all was said and done, was this what they meant? Really??
If this was what they meant to say, perhaps it's good that the Olympics will be in Vancouver in less than 5 weeks. Because the Canucks sure didn't make the statement they wanted to. Which is a good thing, if you are a Minnesota Wild fan. The Wild beat the Canucks, 5-2, before 18,356 at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday night, and beat the Canucks up as well, as three (well, actually two, we'll get to that later) fights in the third period -- all of which also wound up in Minnesota's favor -- and an early end to Roberto Luongo's night in the Vancouver goal spelled defeat for the Canucks, for the first time in St. Paul since March, 2008.
Antti Miettinen continues on his goal-scoring tear, as he twice found twine with a shot from the slot on a 4-on-3 power play early in the third, then scored again near midway thru the third period to put the game hopelessly out of reach. Kyle Brodziak, Mikko Koivu and Owen Nolan also scored for the Wild as they won their fourth straight game, all at home, to climb to within one point of idle Detroit and to within two points of Los Angeles.
No mention of the Canucks would be complete without a mention of, 'Pinky and the Brain', better known as the Sedin Twins, Daniel and Henrik, who were held completely off the scoreboard tonight as the Wild shut down Vancouver's top line all evening.
In the midst of all the hubbub, Niklas Backstrom won his 21st game of the season, and his 114th overall, eclipsing the mark for most Wild goaltender victories, set by Manny Fernandez.
The three fights were like this: First, Derek Boogaard squares off against Darcy Hordichuk, a 'fight' in name only, since only Hordichuk threw punches (and not many of those) and Boogaard backed off after pulling Hordichuk's sweater over his head.
The second fight was indeed the most brutal, as 'Big' John Scott proceeded to systematically destroy Alexandre Bolduc, landing a minimum (by my own count) 12 punches clean to the head of the recent call-up. When the fight was over, Bolduc had to be helped off the ice by the officials, as he definitely had checked in on Dream Street. This fight was almost as one-sided as Scott's destruction last March of the Islanders' Joel Rechlicz at Nassau Coliseum. If this doesn't make someone's fight card, nothing in hockey will.
The last fight of the evening took place just 6 seconds before the coaches would have been fined $25,000 if a fight had taken place. This one featured Shane Hnidy vs. Tanner Glass, two guys who would have really liked not fighting each other at all. This fight came out close to even.
The Wild now go on the road for the next week, starting a stretch where 6 of the next 9 are away from St. Paul, with the Next Game: at St. Louis, tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 14), 7:00 PM, Scottrade Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Blues TV: FSMidwest (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 237)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
One Quacked Up Evening: Wild lose bizarre game
Bobby Ryan just wanted to make sure no one missed any of his Anaheim Ducks teammates. You know, the ones that are injured...like Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks' leading scorer, who was 'sliced and diced' by a skate during last Saturday's game at San Jose. Like Teemu Selanne. Like Joffrey Lupul.
The Ducks made sure that their fans went home happy with a 4-2 win Tuesday night at Honda Center over the Minnesota Wild. Ryan, with two goals and one assist, made sure that the 16,960 in the house had no worries as the Ducks frustrated the Wild, again standing four across the blue line late in the game as the Wild pressed for the tying goal.
The Ducks made sure that their fans went home happy with a 4-2 win Tuesday night at Honda Center over the Minnesota Wild. Ryan, with two goals and one assist, made sure that the 16,960 in the house had no worries as the Ducks frustrated the Wild, again standing four across the blue line late in the game as the Wild pressed for the tying goal.
Unfortuantely, Josh Harding was offered as 'sacrificial lamb' again in this one, as the lack of stellar defense in front of him led to three goals against in two periods. Harding's record this season drops to 2-5, all of those games being on the road (Harding has not played at home in over a year). A personal best for Kim Johnsson, as he scored for the third straight game, the first time in his NHL career that he has scored in three straight games.
Although the Wild kept both Derek Boogaard and John Scott in the line-up, the Ducks decided to scratch birthday boy (age 30, Tuesday) George Parros, Ducks' enforcer and porn-moustache pugilist, due to a supposed hand injury. No matter: the officials were more than enough to keep the Wild in check, as dumb penalties were compounded for the worse by dumb decisions, once those penalties were handed out. Clayton Stoner tweaked his groin during morning skate on the slushy Honda Center ice surface, making him unavailable. That led to one of the most bizarre sequences I have ever seen in over 40 years of following the NHL.
Boogaard, taking on Nick Boynton after Boynton took exception to a missed Boogaard check on Apple Valley, Minnesota-native Dan Sexton, proceeded to attempt to beat the much smaller Boynton into last month when in stepped the linesmen to break up the rout; Boogaard, while wailing away on Boynton, threw a right into the ribs of linesman Tony Sericolo, who got in the way of Boogaard. Sericolo, for his part, said the punch was accidental (it was) and that nothing other than the 10-minute misconduct for touching an official would be meted out.
Then, seconds after that, Scott started to go after Troy Bodie, and (now) lone linesman Lonnie Cameron tried to break both of them up as they began to swing away. Scott swatted Cameron out of the way like you or I shoo away a gnat, but Cameron came back and indeed stopped the fight before damage was done. Yet another 10-minute misconduct doled out to the Wild.
The Wild failed to gain ground on the teams directly above them (Dallas, Detroit) in the Western Conference, still leaving them in 11th place in the West with 43 points.
Next Game: vs. Los Angeles, Thursday (New Year's Eve), 7:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Pacific), Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Kings TV: FSWest, both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
-- WRT
Friday, December 11, 2009
Torched! Havlat, Shep beat the 'Dome, Wild douse Flames in OT
And just like that, the Saddledome curse for the Wild is history.
Martin Havlat's give-and-go goal with Marek Zidlicky gave the Minnesota Wild a very well-deserved 2-1 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames and the 'C of Red' Friday night, in front of the usual 19,289 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Havlat's goal, his first since returning from a hamstring injury, capped off a wild night, one which the Flames fans probably had never before seen, as the Wild peppered Mikka Kiprusoff with 46 shots, the second-most in Wild team history on the road.
The James Sheppard era continued as the former first-rounder took a Shane Hnidy rebound, and flipped it over a prone Kiprusoff to tie the game at 1-1 and send it to the extra session. But, this was not your Wild overtimes of the past. Unlike previous seasons, when Jacques Lemaire would have sat back and held out for the shootout, this group was aggressive, taking chances (especially late in the 3rd period) and kept the Flames bottled up in their half of the ice a good part of the evening. The Flames, for their part, seemed not to get anything sustained going the first 45 minutes of the contest.
Even Derek Boogaard had a victory tonight, as his fourth punch in his second period fight with Calgary's Bryan McGratton sent the ex-Ottawa Senator directly to Dream Street, with a right that connected flush with McGratton's left cheekbone.
The Wild, now 3-1 on this five-game Western swing, could possibly move into third place in the Northwest Division if they can be victorious in their Next Game: at Vancouver, Saturday, Dec. 12 (tomorrow), 9 PM Central (7 PM Pacific) Time, GM Place. (Wild TV: FSNorth; CBC 'Hockey Night in Canada' in HD (doubleheader game); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Martin Havlat's give-and-go goal with Marek Zidlicky gave the Minnesota Wild a very well-deserved 2-1 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames and the 'C of Red' Friday night, in front of the usual 19,289 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Havlat's goal, his first since returning from a hamstring injury, capped off a wild night, one which the Flames fans probably had never before seen, as the Wild peppered Mikka Kiprusoff with 46 shots, the second-most in Wild team history on the road.
The James Sheppard era continued as the former first-rounder took a Shane Hnidy rebound, and flipped it over a prone Kiprusoff to tie the game at 1-1 and send it to the extra session. But, this was not your Wild overtimes of the past. Unlike previous seasons, when Jacques Lemaire would have sat back and held out for the shootout, this group was aggressive, taking chances (especially late in the 3rd period) and kept the Flames bottled up in their half of the ice a good part of the evening. The Flames, for their part, seemed not to get anything sustained going the first 45 minutes of the contest.
Even Derek Boogaard had a victory tonight, as his fourth punch in his second period fight with Calgary's Bryan McGratton sent the ex-Ottawa Senator directly to Dream Street, with a right that connected flush with McGratton's left cheekbone.
The Wild, now 3-1 on this five-game Western swing, could possibly move into third place in the Northwest Division if they can be victorious in their Next Game: at Vancouver, Saturday, Dec. 12 (tomorrow), 9 PM Central (7 PM Pacific) Time, GM Place. (Wild TV: FSNorth; CBC 'Hockey Night in Canada' in HD (doubleheader game); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Fives are Wild in Nashville as Wild win 5th straight
By Wild Road Tripper
Remember the last Minnesota Wild five-game road trip? Remember how bad that trip started out, and how bad it finished??
Those days were banished, possibly for good tonight in Nashville, where the Wild spotted the Nashville Predators the first goal, then came roaring back by scoring the next five straight, en route to a 5-3 Wild victory, their fifth in a row, at Sommet Center in front of 13,145 mostly stunned patrons. The victory marked the third straight game in which the Wild scored five goals, a team record.
Ten different Wild players tallied points in the game, led by Andrew Brunette's goal and assist, and Martin Havlat's two assists. Even the enforcer got in on the act, as Derek Boogaard assisted on Andrew Ebbett's first period goal, a goal which tied the game at one all late in the first period. James Sheppard scored his first goal since last March 28th, and Antti Miettinen extended his goal scoring run to six in 6 games as the contest became the domain of the Wild. The victory was the second of the season for Josh Harding, who made 26 saves. It is the Wild's fifth straight win, their longest winning streak since October of 2007; the Wild now have 29 points, good for 13th place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Edmonton, who also won on Saturday.
Dan Ellis started in goal for Nashville, but was replaced by Pekka Rinne for the third period, as the Wild outshot the Preds 39-29. Nashville, with the loss, now is tied for 7th place with Dallas, a 3-2 shootout loser to Edmonton on Saturday. The Preds also wore their newly-released third jerseys for the second time at home tonight. They are 0-2 in the new duds.
The Wild may be able to enjoy the victory for a while tonight, as they travel to the Valley of the Sun for the Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Monday, Dec. 7, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Jobing.com Arena. Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Coyotes TV: FSArizona (both feeds in HD); XM Radio: Ch. 238)
Remember the last Minnesota Wild five-game road trip? Remember how bad that trip started out, and how bad it finished??
Those days were banished, possibly for good tonight in Nashville, where the Wild spotted the Nashville Predators the first goal, then came roaring back by scoring the next five straight, en route to a 5-3 Wild victory, their fifth in a row, at Sommet Center in front of 13,145 mostly stunned patrons. The victory marked the third straight game in which the Wild scored five goals, a team record.
Ten different Wild players tallied points in the game, led by Andrew Brunette's goal and assist, and Martin Havlat's two assists. Even the enforcer got in on the act, as Derek Boogaard assisted on Andrew Ebbett's first period goal, a goal which tied the game at one all late in the first period. James Sheppard scored his first goal since last March 28th, and Antti Miettinen extended his goal scoring run to six in 6 games as the contest became the domain of the Wild. The victory was the second of the season for Josh Harding, who made 26 saves. It is the Wild's fifth straight win, their longest winning streak since October of 2007; the Wild now have 29 points, good for 13th place in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Edmonton, who also won on Saturday.
Dan Ellis started in goal for Nashville, but was replaced by Pekka Rinne for the third period, as the Wild outshot the Preds 39-29. Nashville, with the loss, now is tied for 7th place with Dallas, a 3-2 shootout loser to Edmonton on Saturday. The Preds also wore their newly-released third jerseys for the second time at home tonight. They are 0-2 in the new duds.
The Wild may be able to enjoy the victory for a while tonight, as they travel to the Valley of the Sun for the Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Monday, Dec. 7, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Jobing.com Arena. Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Coyotes TV: FSArizona (both feeds in HD); XM Radio: Ch. 238)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Kobasew launches hat sale as Wild beat back Avs, 5-3
Three goals by ex-Bruin turn 'Dog day Afternoon' into 'Thank God it's Friday' as Wild go .500 for November
By Wild Road Tripper
Chuck Kobasew made sure his teammates had a good day Friday, as the Minnesota Wild rode Kobasew's hat trick, the first 3-bagger for the Wild in 23 months, to a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche Friday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center, as an announced 18,365 enjoyed what was, at least in the opinion of this blogger, the Wild's best team effort, start-to-finish, in nearly three weeks.
Kobasew led the charge as seven different Wild players tallied points against the Northwest Division-leading Avs, as the Wild beat the Avs for the second time this season. Kobasew's hat trick was the second of his career; the first was also against Colorado, on Jan. 24, 2006, when he was with the Calgary Flames.
The hat trick set off a 'hat trick hat sale' at the team's Hockey Lodge team stores for the rest of the day, as is custom when a Wild player scores three goals in the same game. The last time a Wild player scored three goals in the same game, was Marian Gaborik's five-goal bonanza against Henrik Lundquist and the New York Rangers on December 20, 2007.
Owen Nolan, the NHL's oldest active player, rang up another goal, his 7th, at 9:28 of the first period, moving away from a surprised Avs defense in doing so as well. Derek Boogaard's pass in front, bounced off the goal and into Kobasew's wheelhouse, where he buried it behind Avs goalie Craig Anderson early in the second period, to give the Wild a brief 2-1 lead. Kobasew struck again just over 3 minutes later when, on the power play, Kobasew took a pass again directly in front of Anderson from Andrew Brunette, and gave the Wild a 3-2 lead.
In the third, with the score tied at 3-3, it was Brunette's turn to score after Mikko Koivu received a pass from Marek Zidlicky, that was a result of the Avs not being able to stay away from the sin-bin, as Darcy Tucker was off on a slashing penalty at the time. Kobasew finished off the afternoon's scoring, as he took a pass from Koivu in front of an empty net after Colorado had pulled Anderson for the extra attacker, and calmly slid it into the empty net with 18 seconds left in the contest.
The Wild move to 6 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie (2002, vs. Colorado) all-time on the day after Thanksgiving, as they get their 4th Western Conference win of 2009-10. The home record of the Wild now goes to 7-3-1 for the season (4-2 against the West), as the scene now shifts to Denver's Pepsi Center for 'Beanie Night', and the rematch tomorrow evening, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time (Wild TV: FSNorth; Colorado TV: Altitude; both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 241).
By Wild Road Tripper
Chuck Kobasew made sure his teammates had a good day Friday, as the Minnesota Wild rode Kobasew's hat trick, the first 3-bagger for the Wild in 23 months, to a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche Friday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center, as an announced 18,365 enjoyed what was, at least in the opinion of this blogger, the Wild's best team effort, start-to-finish, in nearly three weeks.
Kobasew led the charge as seven different Wild players tallied points against the Northwest Division-leading Avs, as the Wild beat the Avs for the second time this season. Kobasew's hat trick was the second of his career; the first was also against Colorado, on Jan. 24, 2006, when he was with the Calgary Flames.
The hat trick set off a 'hat trick hat sale' at the team's Hockey Lodge team stores for the rest of the day, as is custom when a Wild player scores three goals in the same game. The last time a Wild player scored three goals in the same game, was Marian Gaborik's five-goal bonanza against Henrik Lundquist and the New York Rangers on December 20, 2007.
Owen Nolan, the NHL's oldest active player, rang up another goal, his 7th, at 9:28 of the first period, moving away from a surprised Avs defense in doing so as well. Derek Boogaard's pass in front, bounced off the goal and into Kobasew's wheelhouse, where he buried it behind Avs goalie Craig Anderson early in the second period, to give the Wild a brief 2-1 lead. Kobasew struck again just over 3 minutes later when, on the power play, Kobasew took a pass again directly in front of Anderson from Andrew Brunette, and gave the Wild a 3-2 lead.
In the third, with the score tied at 3-3, it was Brunette's turn to score after Mikko Koivu received a pass from Marek Zidlicky, that was a result of the Avs not being able to stay away from the sin-bin, as Darcy Tucker was off on a slashing penalty at the time. Kobasew finished off the afternoon's scoring, as he took a pass from Koivu in front of an empty net after Colorado had pulled Anderson for the extra attacker, and calmly slid it into the empty net with 18 seconds left in the contest.
The Wild move to 6 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie (2002, vs. Colorado) all-time on the day after Thanksgiving, as they get their 4th Western Conference win of 2009-10. The home record of the Wild now goes to 7-3-1 for the season (4-2 against the West), as the scene now shifts to Denver's Pepsi Center for 'Beanie Night', and the rematch tomorrow evening, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time (Wild TV: FSNorth; Colorado TV: Altitude; both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 241).
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