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.
Showing posts with label Coach: Richards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coach: Richards. Show all posts
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Did anyone think it was going to be THIS bad?
Did you think it was going to be this bad to be a Minnesota Wild fan this season? Really?
Well, it has indeed gotten to the point where we are officially looking for 'moral' victories, not the two-points-in-the-standings kind. Because, for this group of Wild players, that kind of victory is the kind that is seemingly out of reach right now.
The fact that the Columbus Blue Jackets have a better record since Dec. 13 (8-19-2) than the Wild (5-16-6), despite the Jackets sacking their head coach and replacing him with ex-Wild coach Todd Richards, shows the depths of which the Wild face the rest of the season with.
Yes, Minnesota. It's THAT bad.
The fact that this Wild team cannot score, and cannot stop other teams from scoring, can no longer be denied by anyone who has even half a concept, as to how NHL hockey should be played. Yesterday's embarrassing 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues -- a team which the Wild toyed with in November, and lost to in a shootout in January -- again showed not only the depth but the breadth of the Wild's woes.
And today, the rest of North America will see how bad the Wild can get, as the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins, will take on the Wild in a game seen nationally in the USA on NBC, and in Canada on TSN2. This game should be a cakewalk for the B's, as the Wild will feature no less than seven players who, realistically, should be with the Houston Aeros this Sunday morning.
With Chad Rau and Jeff Taffe arriving this morning from Abbottsford, B.C., -- where the Aeros were getting swept in a two-game series vs. the Heat this weekend -- the number of Aeros players currently up with the 'big club' exceeds the half-dozen mark, for God-only-knows how long, as the chess game which is the Wild roster gets played once again.
(I only wish I could get the commission for all those airline tickets, shuttling players between the Aeros and the Wild.)
The fact is that most Wild fans were somewhat realistic in the beginning of the season regarding the team's playoff chances. I even said before the season started that this team could be anywhere between a 7 seed in the playoffs and in 10th place in the West, two positions out of the playoffs. I changed it later to say that they would make the playoffs, in the midst of the team's record 9-game winning streak.
Well, folks, I'm changing it back. Back to anywhere down to 10th place. And, maybe even worse than that.
The only team this Wild club can beat right now with any regularity is the Colorado Avalanche, a team whose lineup is actually weaker than the Wild's impudent roster. The Wild can't beat anyone else in the NHL right now. In the last week, the Wild have lost to three teams who, if the season ended today, would be out of the playoffs, like they are (Columbus, Anaheim and Winnipeg). In fact, if you want to go back to Feb. 1, they could add a fourth non-playoff team (Dallas) and throw in another loss to the Jackets in that mix.
And then, if you go back one more day, there was the embarrassing, destructive, come-from-ahead throw-away loss to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 31st. No one, most notably GM Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Mike Yeo, can seemingly do anything to stop the slide down the mountain. The players have seemingly given up trying to win games (sorry, I'm not buying that they are still buying into the system.)
The Wild's system is broken. It's time to fix the system. Before more irreparable damage is done.
Well, it has indeed gotten to the point where we are officially looking for 'moral' victories, not the two-points-in-the-standings kind. Because, for this group of Wild players, that kind of victory is the kind that is seemingly out of reach right now.
The fact that the Columbus Blue Jackets have a better record since Dec. 13 (8-19-2) than the Wild (5-16-6), despite the Jackets sacking their head coach and replacing him with ex-Wild coach Todd Richards, shows the depths of which the Wild face the rest of the season with.
Yes, Minnesota. It's THAT bad.
The fact that this Wild team cannot score, and cannot stop other teams from scoring, can no longer be denied by anyone who has even half a concept, as to how NHL hockey should be played. Yesterday's embarrassing 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues -- a team which the Wild toyed with in November, and lost to in a shootout in January -- again showed not only the depth but the breadth of the Wild's woes.
And today, the rest of North America will see how bad the Wild can get, as the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Boston Bruins, will take on the Wild in a game seen nationally in the USA on NBC, and in Canada on TSN2. This game should be a cakewalk for the B's, as the Wild will feature no less than seven players who, realistically, should be with the Houston Aeros this Sunday morning.
With Chad Rau and Jeff Taffe arriving this morning from Abbottsford, B.C., -- where the Aeros were getting swept in a two-game series vs. the Heat this weekend -- the number of Aeros players currently up with the 'big club' exceeds the half-dozen mark, for God-only-knows how long, as the chess game which is the Wild roster gets played once again.
(I only wish I could get the commission for all those airline tickets, shuttling players between the Aeros and the Wild.)
The fact is that most Wild fans were somewhat realistic in the beginning of the season regarding the team's playoff chances. I even said before the season started that this team could be anywhere between a 7 seed in the playoffs and in 10th place in the West, two positions out of the playoffs. I changed it later to say that they would make the playoffs, in the midst of the team's record 9-game winning streak.
Well, folks, I'm changing it back. Back to anywhere down to 10th place. And, maybe even worse than that.
The only team this Wild club can beat right now with any regularity is the Colorado Avalanche, a team whose lineup is actually weaker than the Wild's impudent roster. The Wild can't beat anyone else in the NHL right now. In the last week, the Wild have lost to three teams who, if the season ended today, would be out of the playoffs, like they are (Columbus, Anaheim and Winnipeg). In fact, if you want to go back to Feb. 1, they could add a fourth non-playoff team (Dallas) and throw in another loss to the Jackets in that mix.
And then, if you go back one more day, there was the embarrassing, destructive, come-from-ahead throw-away loss to the Nashville Predators on Jan. 31st. No one, most notably GM Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Mike Yeo, can seemingly do anything to stop the slide down the mountain. The players have seemingly given up trying to win games (sorry, I'm not buying that they are still buying into the system.)
The Wild's system is broken. It's time to fix the system. Before more irreparable damage is done.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Almost out of the Abyss
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...
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...
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Dog Days of NHL Summer
You haven't heard a lot of NHL news lately, have you?
There's a reason for that. It's because no one is in the offices, the arenas, the training centers. The fact of the matter is that the NHL, like most of France, hangs out the 'On Vacation' sign each August.
Oh, there's a few things that have come out lately; Chris Drury's retirement, the release of the NHL on NBC/Versus/NBCSN schedule, the NHL's R&D camp in Toronto, and the anti-climactic first day of Minnesota Wild single-game ticket sales (an event which used to get Wild fans really excited. Then along came Todd Richards.)
In short, there's a whole lotta nothin' goin' on. The staffs are getting ready for the upcoming season; the players are getting the last rounds of golf in, before the calendar passes Labor Day and training camps start; the fans are getting ready to pony up for tickets (most other teams will follow Minnesota's lead, and start selling single-game tickets within the next 2-3 weeks).
So enjoy your last bit of summer, folks. In Minnesota, next week begins State Fair time. Load up at the Fairgrounds, and play like an NHL'er. Because most of them aren't skating right now, either.
Training camp only 30 days away...
There's a reason for that. It's because no one is in the offices, the arenas, the training centers. The fact of the matter is that the NHL, like most of France, hangs out the 'On Vacation' sign each August.
Oh, there's a few things that have come out lately; Chris Drury's retirement, the release of the NHL on NBC/Versus/NBCSN schedule, the NHL's R&D camp in Toronto, and the anti-climactic first day of Minnesota Wild single-game ticket sales (an event which used to get Wild fans really excited. Then along came Todd Richards.)
In short, there's a whole lotta nothin' goin' on. The staffs are getting ready for the upcoming season; the players are getting the last rounds of golf in, before the calendar passes Labor Day and training camps start; the fans are getting ready to pony up for tickets (most other teams will follow Minnesota's lead, and start selling single-game tickets within the next 2-3 weeks).
So enjoy your last bit of summer, folks. In Minnesota, next week begins State Fair time. Load up at the Fairgrounds, and play like an NHL'er. Because most of them aren't skating right now, either.
Training camp only 30 days away...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Chuck Fletcher: Grenade Launcher
By Wild Road Tripper
When it comes to trading players in North American pro sports, a few names from the past come to mind. 'Trader Jack' McKeon of several MLB clubs, Al Davis of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Ted Stepien (remember HIM, Cleveland fans??) of the NBA's Cavaliers, just to name a few.
Add Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to that illustrious list after Sunday night's mammoth trade, which sent Martin Havlat to the San Jose Sharks for Dany Heatley, a player who already comes equipped with enough personal baggage, to fill an Amtrak baggage car.
Havlat, the penultimate 'pass-first' winger, has four years left on his six-season, $30M contract. Heatley has three seasons left on his deal at a cap hit of $7.5M/season. On paper, the trade seems even. On paper. Let's go behind the numbers and see what really precipitated this swap:
Havlat, quite frankly, became more of a liability for the Wild than an asset when his play necessitated less playing time. On several occasions last season, he was flat-out benched. That brought some somewhat cryptic social media action from his agent, Allan Walsh, stating that his client was not receiving enough playing time. A lot of that was directed at then-coach Todd Richards, but I can assure you that the Wild brass (including Fletcher) was receiving every tweet. And, the more they protested, the more the Wild was looking for a way out. Any way they could get out.
Sounds like the Sharks were looking for the same thing, but for different reasons. Accused of being a cancer in the locker room, the oft-maligned Heatley, another Walsh client who does have a bit of a party reputation, has been with three different organizations (Atlanta, Ottawa, San Jose) in his 10 seasons since leaving the Wisconsin Badgers, following the 2000-01 season. The B.C. native has played in at least 71 games each of the last six seasons, as some have called him 'brittle' and 'oft-injured'. And, San Jose was looking for some cap help as well; Havlat only comes with a $5M/season cap hit for the next four years.
So what does one make of all this?
Well, in my opinion this was trading one man's problems for another. In Minnesota, the Wild had to do something to get off the schneid, after missing the playoffs three seasons in a row. Both franchises needed to show their fans that they were committed to winning. The Wild are still building (or rebuilding, depending on your point of view) but the acquisition of Heatley, averaging a +17 since the end of the NHL players' strike/lockout in 2005, means that the offense, long a Wild sore spot, has taken a quantum leap forward. The Wild now have two legitimate scoring lines, when all of their new top 6 forwards (Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen, Guillaume Latendresse) are all healthy.
San Jose needed to shake up its' roster after three successive seasons failing to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks, with Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Torrey Mitchell all facing free agency after the upcoming season, need every dollar of cap room they can possibly get as the current CBA runs out after this coming season. Some new blood to team up with returnees Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau is also in the Sharks' favor, as there will be very little room for error, especially after next season when, in divisional realignment, the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks will more than likely be placed in the same divison. Every bit of experience you can get, when going up against the Sedin twins and the rest of that team is a good thing. As consistently one of the top 4 seeds in the NHL's Western Conference, Sharks fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Sharks' playoff failures, something that the management is hearing all too well from the Bay Area media.
Conclusion/One Man's opinion: This was a great trade overall. Wild needed scoring punch; Heatley is one of the best finishers of this last decade. Indeed, you don't make him a checking line winger; but playing alongside Mikko Koivu, Heatley can be the 'cherry-picker' that the Wild used to have with Marian Gaborik. Wild can now afford to wait, if some of their up-and-coming 'kiddie korps' doesn't develop as fast as they'd like them to. Sharks need speed forward and someone hungry to be in playoffs. Havlat fills both of those roles. Putting Havlat with Marleau and Thornton would re-dimensionalize the Sharks' No. 1 line, and the Sharks may finally get over the hump, and make that Cup run that Bay Area hockey fans have been wishing about for most of the last 5 seasons.
BTW: Guess which team opens the home season for the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 11th? Yep. The Wild, now featuring Heatley, the man Sens' fans love to hate. Should be 'must-see TV' for Wild followers.
When it comes to trading players in North American pro sports, a few names from the past come to mind. 'Trader Jack' McKeon of several MLB clubs, Al Davis of the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Ted Stepien (remember HIM, Cleveland fans??) of the NBA's Cavaliers, just to name a few.
Add Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to that illustrious list after Sunday night's mammoth trade, which sent Martin Havlat to the San Jose Sharks for Dany Heatley, a player who already comes equipped with enough personal baggage, to fill an Amtrak baggage car.
Havlat, the penultimate 'pass-first' winger, has four years left on his six-season, $30M contract. Heatley has three seasons left on his deal at a cap hit of $7.5M/season. On paper, the trade seems even. On paper. Let's go behind the numbers and see what really precipitated this swap:
Havlat, quite frankly, became more of a liability for the Wild than an asset when his play necessitated less playing time. On several occasions last season, he was flat-out benched. That brought some somewhat cryptic social media action from his agent, Allan Walsh, stating that his client was not receiving enough playing time. A lot of that was directed at then-coach Todd Richards, but I can assure you that the Wild brass (including Fletcher) was receiving every tweet. And, the more they protested, the more the Wild was looking for a way out. Any way they could get out.
Sounds like the Sharks were looking for the same thing, but for different reasons. Accused of being a cancer in the locker room, the oft-maligned Heatley, another Walsh client who does have a bit of a party reputation, has been with three different organizations (Atlanta, Ottawa, San Jose) in his 10 seasons since leaving the Wisconsin Badgers, following the 2000-01 season. The B.C. native has played in at least 71 games each of the last six seasons, as some have called him 'brittle' and 'oft-injured'. And, San Jose was looking for some cap help as well; Havlat only comes with a $5M/season cap hit for the next four years.
So what does one make of all this?
Well, in my opinion this was trading one man's problems for another. In Minnesota, the Wild had to do something to get off the schneid, after missing the playoffs three seasons in a row. Both franchises needed to show their fans that they were committed to winning. The Wild are still building (or rebuilding, depending on your point of view) but the acquisition of Heatley, averaging a +17 since the end of the NHL players' strike/lockout in 2005, means that the offense, long a Wild sore spot, has taken a quantum leap forward. The Wild now have two legitimate scoring lines, when all of their new top 6 forwards (Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen, Guillaume Latendresse) are all healthy.
San Jose needed to shake up its' roster after three successive seasons failing to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sharks, with Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Torrey Mitchell all facing free agency after the upcoming season, need every dollar of cap room they can possibly get as the current CBA runs out after this coming season. Some new blood to team up with returnees Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau is also in the Sharks' favor, as there will be very little room for error, especially after next season when, in divisional realignment, the Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks will more than likely be placed in the same divison. Every bit of experience you can get, when going up against the Sedin twins and the rest of that team is a good thing. As consistently one of the top 4 seeds in the NHL's Western Conference, Sharks fans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Sharks' playoff failures, something that the management is hearing all too well from the Bay Area media.
Conclusion/One Man's opinion: This was a great trade overall. Wild needed scoring punch; Heatley is one of the best finishers of this last decade. Indeed, you don't make him a checking line winger; but playing alongside Mikko Koivu, Heatley can be the 'cherry-picker' that the Wild used to have with Marian Gaborik. Wild can now afford to wait, if some of their up-and-coming 'kiddie korps' doesn't develop as fast as they'd like them to. Sharks need speed forward and someone hungry to be in playoffs. Havlat fills both of those roles. Putting Havlat with Marleau and Thornton would re-dimensionalize the Sharks' No. 1 line, and the Sharks may finally get over the hump, and make that Cup run that Bay Area hockey fans have been wishing about for most of the last 5 seasons.
BTW: Guess which team opens the home season for the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 11th? Yep. The Wild, now featuring Heatley, the man Sens' fans love to hate. Should be 'must-see TV' for Wild followers.
Monday, April 11, 2011
What part of the Todd Richards era was YOUR favorite?
We hope you enjoyed the Todd Richards era with the Minnesota Wild.
Because, as expected, it ended Monday morning, as shortly after 10:00 AM the Wild released a statement, which announced that the 44-year-old Richards had been relieved of his duties, after a 2-season record of 77-71-16.
Richards had been the second head coach in team history, following the eight-season era of Jacques Lemaire, who himself re-resigned yesterday following the final game of the New Jersey Devils' season.
No replacement for Richards has yet been named.
Because, as expected, it ended Monday morning, as shortly after 10:00 AM the Wild released a statement, which announced that the 44-year-old Richards had been relieved of his duties, after a 2-season record of 77-71-16.
Richards had been the second head coach in team history, following the eight-season era of Jacques Lemaire, who himself re-resigned yesterday following the final game of the New Jersey Devils' season.
No replacement for Richards has yet been named.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A moment, while we inject some reality into your Wild playoff run...
(Updated 1-10-2011 with updated second game total after Dallas game.)
Fans of the Minnesota Wild have enjoyed the first week of 2011 immensely. Four games in the New Year, four wins (three in regulation, all on the road), eight points, and the Wild have finally managed to pull themselves off the scrap heap of the NHL's Western Conference.
To what do we attribute this largesse? The system instilled by the coaching staff, led by second-year head Coach Todd Richards? Better talent obtained by GM Chuck Fletcher? Better play inspired by the likes of Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck and the now-injured Marek Zidlicky?
The fact of the matter is that all of it contributes to the sudden surge in Wild success. But so does one more important item...one overlooked except in hindsight after games have been played:
The old facet that 'It's not who you play, it's when you play them', comes into play after the games have been played.
Would the Wild have been better off playing the New Jersey Devils right after their NHL Premiere experience in Finland? Or in January, after the Devils' ship of state took on so much water it looked more like the Andria Doria than a hockey team ready to win games?
Are the Wild better off that three of the four games against the Phoenix Coyotes have already been played?
Were the Boston Bruins looking ahead to their game Saturday night in Montreal, when they played the Wild Thursday night at TD Garden?
We know the Wild caught a major break against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Sidney Crosby got his clock cleaned not once, but twice, in the week leading up to last night's 4-0 Wild win, the second worst game in the STK era for the Pens versus the Wild. Crosby did not play last night as he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms after the second bell-ringing, which took place in their Wednesday night 8-1 drubbing of Tampa Bay.
When the Wild catch a team at or near full strength, especially in St. Paul, they have frequently had their lunch handed to them, as in New Year's Eve's 4-1 drubbing against a Nashville Predators team at full strength; a Detroit Red Wings team which came in on Boxing Day, and in Grinch-like fashion, wrested a 4-1 win from the Wild in a game so bad, the fifth-largest crowd in Wild history booed the team off the ice after the second period; an Ottawa Senators team who came in to St. Paul and used two power-play goals to earn a 3-1 comeback win, their fifth straight against the Wild; the Coyotes' first visit into the 'X', as lifeless a loss (4-2) as you could get; and the two straight home blowouts in November, the easy (for them) 5-2 NY Rangers win, and the 6-1 Philadelphia Flyers drubbing, two of the worst home games in Wild history.
Now, this afternoon, the Dallas Stars, another team which the Wild have precious little success with (9-7-2 all time in St. Paul, and an absolutely hid-e-ous 3-11-4 in 'Big D') play in a 5:00 PM start, Dallas having rested on Saturday, while the Wild were in Pittsburgh. The Stars have three players (Karlis Skrastins and Minnesotans Matt Niskanen (Virginia), Toby Petersen (Minneapolis) ) on the injured list, as do the Wild (Guillaume Latendresse, Niklas Backstrom, Zidlicky) so what does that portend?
The 1-6-3 record of the Wild this season, in the second game of back-to-backs, should speak volumes. The fact that Dallas rested yesterday, while the Wild flew back from Western PA, should speak volumes. The fact that Backstrom, the Wild's No. 1 goaltender, is possibly facing more hip surgery, maybe putting him out for the rest of the season, should speak volumes. The fact that the West is so tight (the Wild will be within two points of the Stars in the West if they win in regulation time today) should speak volumes, also.
What it speaks volumes OF, however, is subject to debate, specualtion, and of course, blogging!
Fans of the Minnesota Wild have enjoyed the first week of 2011 immensely. Four games in the New Year, four wins (three in regulation, all on the road), eight points, and the Wild have finally managed to pull themselves off the scrap heap of the NHL's Western Conference.
To what do we attribute this largesse? The system instilled by the coaching staff, led by second-year head Coach Todd Richards? Better talent obtained by GM Chuck Fletcher? Better play inspired by the likes of Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck and the now-injured Marek Zidlicky?
The fact of the matter is that all of it contributes to the sudden surge in Wild success. But so does one more important item...one overlooked except in hindsight after games have been played:
The old facet that 'It's not who you play, it's when you play them', comes into play after the games have been played.
Would the Wild have been better off playing the New Jersey Devils right after their NHL Premiere experience in Finland? Or in January, after the Devils' ship of state took on so much water it looked more like the Andria Doria than a hockey team ready to win games?
Are the Wild better off that three of the four games against the Phoenix Coyotes have already been played?
Were the Boston Bruins looking ahead to their game Saturday night in Montreal, when they played the Wild Thursday night at TD Garden?
We know the Wild caught a major break against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Sidney Crosby got his clock cleaned not once, but twice, in the week leading up to last night's 4-0 Wild win, the second worst game in the STK era for the Pens versus the Wild. Crosby did not play last night as he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms after the second bell-ringing, which took place in their Wednesday night 8-1 drubbing of Tampa Bay.
When the Wild catch a team at or near full strength, especially in St. Paul, they have frequently had their lunch handed to them, as in New Year's Eve's 4-1 drubbing against a Nashville Predators team at full strength; a Detroit Red Wings team which came in on Boxing Day, and in Grinch-like fashion, wrested a 4-1 win from the Wild in a game so bad, the fifth-largest crowd in Wild history booed the team off the ice after the second period; an Ottawa Senators team who came in to St. Paul and used two power-play goals to earn a 3-1 comeback win, their fifth straight against the Wild; the Coyotes' first visit into the 'X', as lifeless a loss (4-2) as you could get; and the two straight home blowouts in November, the easy (for them) 5-2 NY Rangers win, and the 6-1 Philadelphia Flyers drubbing, two of the worst home games in Wild history.
Now, this afternoon, the Dallas Stars, another team which the Wild have precious little success with (9-7-2 all time in St. Paul, and an absolutely hid-e-ous 3-11-4 in 'Big D') play in a 5:00 PM start, Dallas having rested on Saturday, while the Wild were in Pittsburgh. The Stars have three players (Karlis Skrastins and Minnesotans Matt Niskanen (Virginia), Toby Petersen (Minneapolis) ) on the injured list, as do the Wild (Guillaume Latendresse, Niklas Backstrom, Zidlicky) so what does that portend?
The 1-6-3 record of the Wild this season, in the second game of back-to-backs, should speak volumes. The fact that Dallas rested yesterday, while the Wild flew back from Western PA, should speak volumes. The fact that Backstrom, the Wild's No. 1 goaltender, is possibly facing more hip surgery, maybe putting him out for the rest of the season, should speak volumes. The fact that the West is so tight (the Wild will be within two points of the Stars in the West if they win in regulation time today) should speak volumes, also.
What it speaks volumes OF, however, is subject to debate, specualtion, and of course, blogging!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
How long...will this keep goin' on?
Like the old song, we ask this question of Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher:
'How long...will this keep goin' on?'
The Wild enter this week with a morbid 1-5-2 record since the OT win in Detroit on Nov. 19th (and 3-7-2 in their last 12 since the Atlanta disaster on Nov. 11, the date I have been using for the last month to show the ineptitude of this Wild club).
Yes, there is reason for optimism (Martin Havlat's sudden upsurge, the return of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the continued goaltending of 'Backodore') despite the number of bad goals against them lately, most as a result of inopportune screening by the Wild defense.
But, therein lies the rub. The problems of the Wild, as many of them as there are, in my opinion:
1. Not enough shots on net. You don't win if you don't score, and you don't score if you don't shoot. You shouldn't have 13-15,000 people at the 'X' screaming 'SHOOT!!!' and then still wind up passing it...to the boards, because the forward moved to set up for a shot. I've seen this all too often this season. And the next time I see no one in front of the net, when the puck is ready to come out from behind the goal, I may just be besides myself.
2. Too many players are moving too slow. Granted, some of this is due to age (Andrew Brunette, as an example), but a lot of it is players taking the night off, for whatever reason. The first line (Brunette, Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen) especially has looked slow and erratic the last two weeks. None of those three wish to go after a puck in the corners. The lack of speed and/or urgency in their game has cost the Wild dearly, as they either get penalized after they get caught, the Wild generate no offense, or at worst, the Wild give up yet another easy goal.
3. Someone want to shake up the third line? The John Madden-Eric Nystrom combination is getting beat up fast, especially when the Wild are shorthanded (they are both -11 as of now). This is where Miettinen should reside, until either he is traded or the unrestricted free agent-to-be is allowed to go elsewhere. The fact of the matter is that the third line needs help, and right now they're not getting it.
4. I'll say it: Cam Barker is a STIFF. How can you be that well paid, and yet that much of a lumbering oaf on skates? This week, rookie Jared Spurgeon has been paired with the Human Pylon II, which has made on-ice life very difficult for the young defenseman, who some have called 'minnow'. Barker, a -9 as of today, has really worn out his welcome with his passive-non-aggressive play, and his standing at the blue line, too inept to do anything, allowing opposing forwards to spring free for breakaways.
5. We fans all love the shot-blocking exploits of Greg Zanon. However, maybe, just maybe, sometimes the right play doesn't always mean sacrificing the body to block the puck. Especially when your defensive partner (Marek Zidlicky) is on the ice more for offense, than defense.
Zanon is a good defenseman. He deserves to be a top-4 on any NHL club. Zidlicky, for all his known problems, is actually having his best season as a member of the Wild. Maybe not statistically, but in overall play, he has never been better. Any defensive pairing works better when both members are upright and skating. Zanon has been getting caught out of position way-y-y too often, then tries to make up for it by blocking shots. If the Wild are to get better, they must play better positional hockey. Starting with the No. 2 defensive pairing.
The Wild now have four days off until their Thursday night game at Phoenix, against a Coyotes team who came into St. Paul, and exposed every weakness of the Wild in one pathetic evening of puck. After that, the Wild make their annual December visit to Southern California, two arenas (STAPLES Center, Honda Center) which the Wild have not fared well in over the last few seasons.
Will the winds of change blow thru St. Paul this week? The best answer is...'we'll see'.
'How long...will this keep goin' on?'
The Wild enter this week with a morbid 1-5-2 record since the OT win in Detroit on Nov. 19th (and 3-7-2 in their last 12 since the Atlanta disaster on Nov. 11, the date I have been using for the last month to show the ineptitude of this Wild club).
Yes, there is reason for optimism (Martin Havlat's sudden upsurge, the return of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, the continued goaltending of 'Backodore') despite the number of bad goals against them lately, most as a result of inopportune screening by the Wild defense.
But, therein lies the rub. The problems of the Wild, as many of them as there are, in my opinion:
1. Not enough shots on net. You don't win if you don't score, and you don't score if you don't shoot. You shouldn't have 13-15,000 people at the 'X' screaming 'SHOOT!!!' and then still wind up passing it...to the boards, because the forward moved to set up for a shot. I've seen this all too often this season. And the next time I see no one in front of the net, when the puck is ready to come out from behind the goal, I may just be besides myself.
2. Too many players are moving too slow. Granted, some of this is due to age (Andrew Brunette, as an example), but a lot of it is players taking the night off, for whatever reason. The first line (Brunette, Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen) especially has looked slow and erratic the last two weeks. None of those three wish to go after a puck in the corners. The lack of speed and/or urgency in their game has cost the Wild dearly, as they either get penalized after they get caught, the Wild generate no offense, or at worst, the Wild give up yet another easy goal.
3. Someone want to shake up the third line? The John Madden-Eric Nystrom combination is getting beat up fast, especially when the Wild are shorthanded (they are both -11 as of now). This is where Miettinen should reside, until either he is traded or the unrestricted free agent-to-be is allowed to go elsewhere. The fact of the matter is that the third line needs help, and right now they're not getting it.
4. I'll say it: Cam Barker is a STIFF. How can you be that well paid, and yet that much of a lumbering oaf on skates? This week, rookie Jared Spurgeon has been paired with the Human Pylon II, which has made on-ice life very difficult for the young defenseman, who some have called 'minnow'. Barker, a -9 as of today, has really worn out his welcome with his passive-non-aggressive play, and his standing at the blue line, too inept to do anything, allowing opposing forwards to spring free for breakaways.
5. We fans all love the shot-blocking exploits of Greg Zanon. However, maybe, just maybe, sometimes the right play doesn't always mean sacrificing the body to block the puck. Especially when your defensive partner (Marek Zidlicky) is on the ice more for offense, than defense.
Zanon is a good defenseman. He deserves to be a top-4 on any NHL club. Zidlicky, for all his known problems, is actually having his best season as a member of the Wild. Maybe not statistically, but in overall play, he has never been better. Any defensive pairing works better when both members are upright and skating. Zanon has been getting caught out of position way-y-y too often, then tries to make up for it by blocking shots. If the Wild are to get better, they must play better positional hockey. Starting with the No. 2 defensive pairing.
The Wild now have four days off until their Thursday night game at Phoenix, against a Coyotes team who came into St. Paul, and exposed every weakness of the Wild in one pathetic evening of puck. After that, the Wild make their annual December visit to Southern California, two arenas (STAPLES Center, Honda Center) which the Wild have not fared well in over the last few seasons.
Will the winds of change blow thru St. Paul this week? The best answer is...'we'll see'.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Time for a Change?
Something -- nee, anything -- needs to be done if the Minnesota Wild are to salvage anything from the 2010-2011 season.
After getting shelled for 5 or more goals in three of their last four games, two of which were at home, the time has come for the Wild management to do something about this team's malaises. The days of taking whole periods of games off has to stop. And, it has to stop NOW.
Yes. different players (most notably Nick Schultz and Captain Mikko Koivu) have taken the 'fall on the sword' for recent team bad performances. But, it's not just one or two players that take whole periods off. It's the whole damn TEAM that is taking periods off.
This cannot be allowed to continue. The fact of the matter is that if the Wild are serious in an attempt to even qualify for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to right the ship of state NOW, or else face a long, cold winter of discontent -- something, quite frankly, that this franchise has never really faced before. Unless they get going, and soon, the only post-season activity that will be hockey-related at the 'X', will be the 2011 NHL Entry Draft June 24 & 25.
Should this poor performance continue, it will make four seasons since the Wild will have qualified for the post-season. The statistics (yes, I know, lies, damn lies, and statistics; but these don't lie, people) speak for themselves:
After getting shelled for 5 or more goals in three of their last four games, two of which were at home, the time has come for the Wild management to do something about this team's malaises. The days of taking whole periods of games off has to stop. And, it has to stop NOW.
Yes. different players (most notably Nick Schultz and Captain Mikko Koivu) have taken the 'fall on the sword' for recent team bad performances. But, it's not just one or two players that take whole periods off. It's the whole damn TEAM that is taking periods off.
This cannot be allowed to continue. The fact of the matter is that if the Wild are serious in an attempt to even qualify for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to right the ship of state NOW, or else face a long, cold winter of discontent -- something, quite frankly, that this franchise has never really faced before. Unless they get going, and soon, the only post-season activity that will be hockey-related at the 'X', will be the 2011 NHL Entry Draft June 24 & 25.
Should this poor performance continue, it will make four seasons since the Wild will have qualified for the post-season. The statistics (yes, I know, lies, damn lies, and statistics; but these don't lie, people) speak for themselves:
- The Wild are being outshot 117-54 in the second period of the last nine games (going back to the game in Atlanta, Nov. 11), and 79-24 in the second period of the last five games alone. In fact, the Wild rank 30th -- that's right, dead last -- in shots on goal overall this season. And this for a team which is supposed to have a 'new and improved' offense, under Head Coach Todd Richards.
- Niklas Backstrom, who was held out of the Nashville victory on Friday, should start thinking of getting a lawyer, and suing his defense for non-support. His goals-against average has ballooned from 1.90 to 2.66 in his last three starts, all of which 'featured' the Wild giving up five, six, and seven goals, against the NY Rangers, Philadelphia and Colorado, respectively. Should the Wild start Jose Theodore in their next game (against Calgary on Monday night, in the Saddledome), Backstrom would start against the Phoenix Coyotes at home, on Wednesday night, against a Coyotes team which has scored 4 or more goals in 5 of their last 8 games, winning 7 of those last 8 games, including a sweep of all three Western Canadian teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) on the road last week (something the Wild have never achieved, by the way).
- The next seven games for the Wild (five of which are, thankfully, on the road...I don't feel as guilty shutting the TV off and going to bed, as leaving a home game early) are against Calgary (twice, home and away), Phoenix (same, home and away) and at Dallas, LA Kings and Anaheim. The fact is that the Wild, as they are playing now, stand a better-than-even chance of losing at least 5 of those 7 games, and realistically could find themselves out of the playoff race in the Western Conference before Dec. 19, the start of the NHL's Christmas holiday roster freeze.
The Wild are also hamstrung with three players on injured reserve (Josh Harding, Guillaume Latendresse, Pierre-Marc Bouchard) for which GM Chuck Fletcher stubbornly refuses to request Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) status to get cap relief, to bring in another player who may actually help this club turn its' fortunes around, whether it be via trade, free-agent signing (Owen Nolan is still out there, as example) or otherwise. Now, whether he is trying to 'save' his cap space, so he has more to use later on or whatever, the fact remains that there may not be a 'LATER', if he doesn't do something about turning the fortunes of the club NOW.
The Wild are in free fall, and everyone -- from Owner Craig Leipold, to the most casual fan -- knows it. Will anything be done before they hit rock bottom? The people who DO have all the answers, aren't saying. And the paying public? Those who are 'stakeholders' in this franchise? We're not pleased. And if we aren't pleased, we won't come to games anymore. We'll stop helping pay the bills.
For as fans, the best response to apathetic play, is our own apathy.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Maybe, they need '5-Hour Energy'
It's kind of weird being a fan of the Minnesota Wild these days. You see your team come out like gangbusters, then continually take the second period off, then make for the big finish in the third period. And, this has been happening, game after game after game, most of the season so far.
In fact, the Wild have been outshot 71-37 in the second period of the last six games alone. So, maybe, just maybe the Wild might need that boost in the second period. Maybe they are feeling a bit tired, a bit fatigued, a bit out of it in the middle of the game. Like a lot of us feel in the middle of our shifts on our own jobs.
So, maybe the Wild should do what is advertised on both TV and Radio stations, and get some energy. Namely, 5-Hour Energy, the supplement that is readily available just a few blocks from the 'X' in numerous convenience store/gas stations.
Just think of it. The Wild dressing room at the first intermission, the boys enter the room and find a table with 25 5-Hour Energy bottles lined up in a row as they enter. Everyone grabs one, drink the contents, and then actually go out and play a decent second period, one where they outshoot the opposition and actually score a goal (or two, or three).
Coach Todd Richards says he has no answers for what ails the Wild in the second period of recent games. Maybe, just maybe he's looking in the wrong place. Maybe the answer isn't within his coaching staff, the players, or any other layer of the hockey staff or management.
Maybe it's down the street, next to the donut case, near the cash register.
In fact, the Wild have been outshot 71-37 in the second period of the last six games alone. So, maybe, just maybe the Wild might need that boost in the second period. Maybe they are feeling a bit tired, a bit fatigued, a bit out of it in the middle of the game. Like a lot of us feel in the middle of our shifts on our own jobs.
So, maybe the Wild should do what is advertised on both TV and Radio stations, and get some energy. Namely, 5-Hour Energy, the supplement that is readily available just a few blocks from the 'X' in numerous convenience store/gas stations.
Just think of it. The Wild dressing room at the first intermission, the boys enter the room and find a table with 25 5-Hour Energy bottles lined up in a row as they enter. Everyone grabs one, drink the contents, and then actually go out and play a decent second period, one where they outshoot the opposition and actually score a goal (or two, or three).
Coach Todd Richards says he has no answers for what ails the Wild in the second period of recent games. Maybe, just maybe he's looking in the wrong place. Maybe the answer isn't within his coaching staff, the players, or any other layer of the hockey staff or management.
Maybe it's down the street, next to the donut case, near the cash register.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
'Blackhawks South' scalps hapless Wild
Thrashers win 5-1; as for the Wild, the night the lights went out in Georgia
By Wild Road Tripper
ATLANTA -- Thank God the Minnesota Wild Official Road Trip was not scheduled for tonight's game at Philips Arena. Because, they would have been better off across the street, doing the 'Dirty Bird' with 71,500 Atlanta Falcons fans.
At least, they would have had more fun. I know, sitting in the stands tonight, that I would have.
The Wild came out after what Coach Todd Richards called 'one of the best pre-game skates' of the season, with as lacklustre an effort this blogger has seen, since Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, en route to a 5-1 thrashing by the Atlanta Thrashers, in front of an announced 10,055 (were they tickets distributed or seats empty? Only the Thrashers know for sure.)
All three of Atlanta's signings from Chicago this past summer -- Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Andrew Ladd -- figured in the scoring. Byfuglien with two assists, Eager and Ladd a goal each, with Ladd adding an assist on Atlanta's last goal, as the Wild flat out failed to launch any offensive pressure tonight at all.
No one had a good game tonight. NO one. They all sucked. And, they know it. They'll spend tomorrow in Sunrise, Fla., prior to facing the Florida Panthers tomorrow night at BankAtlantic Center. Hopefully, the Wild will bring their 'A' game along, because it sure wasn't here in Georgia this evening.
By Wild Road Tripper
ATLANTA -- Thank God the Minnesota Wild Official Road Trip was not scheduled for tonight's game at Philips Arena. Because, they would have been better off across the street, doing the 'Dirty Bird' with 71,500 Atlanta Falcons fans.
At least, they would have had more fun. I know, sitting in the stands tonight, that I would have.
The Wild came out after what Coach Todd Richards called 'one of the best pre-game skates' of the season, with as lacklustre an effort this blogger has seen, since Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, en route to a 5-1 thrashing by the Atlanta Thrashers, in front of an announced 10,055 (were they tickets distributed or seats empty? Only the Thrashers know for sure.)
All three of Atlanta's signings from Chicago this past summer -- Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, and Andrew Ladd -- figured in the scoring. Byfuglien with two assists, Eager and Ladd a goal each, with Ladd adding an assist on Atlanta's last goal, as the Wild flat out failed to launch any offensive pressure tonight at all.
No one had a good game tonight. NO one. They all sucked. And, they know it. They'll spend tomorrow in Sunrise, Fla., prior to facing the Florida Panthers tomorrow night at BankAtlantic Center. Hopefully, the Wild will bring their 'A' game along, because it sure wasn't here in Georgia this evening.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Dear Wild: Why did you all stop skating?
Kings skate by Wild, win in shootout: why not Latendresse?
By Wild Road Tripper
Oh, boy, was THAT apparent last night.
What was THAT?
Speed Kills.
That road kill on the ice last night at Xcel Energy Center? That was the Minnesota Wild, snatching defeat from victory's grasp once again, as they just flat-out stopped skating in the last 45 minutes (2nd & 3rd periods, and overtime) of their game against the young, aggressive and very, very speedy Los Angeles Kings, as the Wild let a 2-0 lead collapse, en route to a disgusting 3-2 shootout loss in front of 17,094 fairly disgruntled patrons.
As the Kings continually outhustled the Wild for the last two-thirds of the contest, the glaring lack of Wild speed became evident, especially in players such as Martin Havlat (why so slow lately, Marty? Groiner??), and Guillaume Latendresse (little too much poutine during the summer, Gui?), as well as the five penalties for infractions caused by not keeping up (two interference penalties, two hooking penalties, and one trip) over the last 48 minutes of the game. The first line (which has always been slow) didn't look any better than the fourth line last night.
Niklas Backstrom, 1-8 in shootouts over the last calendar year, couldn't stop a Michael Handzus snap shot, and the Wild's fate was sealed when Antti 'Missedthenetagain' Miettinen tried to deke LA goalie Jonathan Quick, and Quick didn't fall for the ruse. I certainly question Coach Todd Richards' choice of Miettinen in the shootout when Latendresse, who has points in his last three games, was still on the bench.
Wild go (down) to 3-3-2 on the season, and Game 9 features, amongst the opponents, the best scorer in hockey: 'Alexander the Gr8'...
...Next Game: vs. Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: FSNorth, CSN-MidAtlantic; both feeds in HD)
By Wild Road Tripper
Oh, boy, was THAT apparent last night.
What was THAT?
Speed Kills.
That road kill on the ice last night at Xcel Energy Center? That was the Minnesota Wild, snatching defeat from victory's grasp once again, as they just flat-out stopped skating in the last 45 minutes (2nd & 3rd periods, and overtime) of their game against the young, aggressive and very, very speedy Los Angeles Kings, as the Wild let a 2-0 lead collapse, en route to a disgusting 3-2 shootout loss in front of 17,094 fairly disgruntled patrons.
As the Kings continually outhustled the Wild for the last two-thirds of the contest, the glaring lack of Wild speed became evident, especially in players such as Martin Havlat (why so slow lately, Marty? Groiner??), and Guillaume Latendresse (little too much poutine during the summer, Gui?), as well as the five penalties for infractions caused by not keeping up (two interference penalties, two hooking penalties, and one trip) over the last 48 minutes of the game. The first line (which has always been slow) didn't look any better than the fourth line last night.
Niklas Backstrom, 1-8 in shootouts over the last calendar year, couldn't stop a Michael Handzus snap shot, and the Wild's fate was sealed when Antti 'Missedthenetagain' Miettinen tried to deke LA goalie Jonathan Quick, and Quick didn't fall for the ruse. I certainly question Coach Todd Richards' choice of Miettinen in the shootout when Latendresse, who has points in his last three games, was still on the bench.
Wild go (down) to 3-3-2 on the season, and Game 9 features, amongst the opponents, the best scorer in hockey: 'Alexander the Gr8'...
...Next Game: vs. Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: FSNorth, CSN-MidAtlantic; both feeds in HD)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
It was SO bad, I went to bed
Canucks strike back at weary Wild, JT60 with 5-1 trashing
The Minnesota Wild ship, which fans thought had come in after last Sunday's 'bag skate' practice, ingloriously sank near the mouth of the Fraser River late Friday night.
The Vancouver Canucks, showing how and why they are considered one of the front-runners in the NHL's Western Conference, trashed the Wild with a 5-1 beating, so as to say 'Oh, Yeah? Sez You!!' after Tuesday night's Wild 6-2 win, against the Canucks in St. Paul.
Backup goaltender Jose 'JT60' Theodore took the loss, but made 35 saves in the process. The Canucks took 70 shot attempts, which had to have been some sort of record. This Wild team had no jump at all. This game reminded me of the pre-season. It was so bad, I actually went to bed after the second period. I knew the boys didn't have it in them.
Anyhow, the Wild start a 5-game homestand next Monday; 4 of the 5 are against teams which made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. This may, or may not, be the end of the line for Coach Todd Richards, depending on how far out of hand things get in the next two weeks.
Next Game: vs. Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 25, 7:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Pacific) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2; both in HD)
The Minnesota Wild ship, which fans thought had come in after last Sunday's 'bag skate' practice, ingloriously sank near the mouth of the Fraser River late Friday night.
The Vancouver Canucks, showing how and why they are considered one of the front-runners in the NHL's Western Conference, trashed the Wild with a 5-1 beating, so as to say 'Oh, Yeah? Sez You!!' after Tuesday night's Wild 6-2 win, against the Canucks in St. Paul.
Backup goaltender Jose 'JT60' Theodore took the loss, but made 35 saves in the process. The Canucks took 70 shot attempts, which had to have been some sort of record. This Wild team had no jump at all. This game reminded me of the pre-season. It was so bad, I actually went to bed after the second period. I knew the boys didn't have it in them.
Anyhow, the Wild start a 5-game homestand next Monday; 4 of the 5 are against teams which made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. This may, or may not, be the end of the line for Coach Todd Richards, depending on how far out of hand things get in the next two weeks.
Next Game: vs. Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 25, 7:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Pacific) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2; both in HD)
Friday, October 15, 2010
It's a start...but now what do they do for an encore?
As Wild perform PP lube job, Oilers fall for 14th straight in St. Paul
By Wild Road Tripper
Would the sellout crowd of 18,449 Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center believe, that the Minnesota Wild team they saw win 4-2 against the Edmonton Oilers, was a harbinger of things to come? Or would they say that this game was just a fluke, an aberration, another step in the development of the young, baby Grease, and the Wild were just there for the ride?
Whatever the point of view you take towards the Wild's North American home opener, it was a chance for the three Finns on the Wild roster -- Mikko Koivu (2 goals, 1 assist), Antti Miettinen (1 goal, 1 assist) and Niklas Backstrom (26 saves) -- to make up for their team's lack of scoring punch in Helsinki last week. Throw in the efforts of Matt Cullen (1 goal, 1 assist) and Andrew Brunette's two assists, and you have finally enough scoring punch to get some goals. Granted, all 4 were with the man advantage, but considering the last two games were about as interesting as watching reindeer graze, well, you get the idea.
Now, the question: What will they do for an encore? They will play a Columbus Blue Jackets team who will be on the second half of a back-to-back (the Jackets face off Friday night, against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena) while facing their own offensive demons (but at least the Jackets won one of their two games vs. San Jose in Stockholm, Sweden, last weekend, despite scoring only five goals in the two Swedish games).
Indeed, the coffin destined for the career of Wild Head Coach Todd Richards has halted upholstery, at least for now. Two of the next three games are against teams the Wild should be able to beat, if they put the same amount of effort into the next game, as into this last one.
But, as Wild fans saw as they chowed down while watching from Finland, with this club, that's always a big, BIG 'IF'.
Best moment: Greg Zanon's crushing cross-check on Gilbert Brule. Instant highlight.
Worst moment: In-arena Emcee Jim Cunningham introducing a new, even dumber in-arena intermission activity. At what point do fans throw their hands up (or, just throw up)? To watch another 'great Zamboni race' on the scoreboard, driven by fan noise? Sounds like 'Section 303' Nashville stuff to me. What's next? 'Face-Off Live' from FSNorth?
Where were you, Mikko Koivu? Now that the Finnish press isn't hounding the Captain constantly, he can concentrate on scoring goals, winning games...you know, the stuff the folks back home WANTED to see from Mikko.
Need a new barn picture: Antti Miettinen missed twice from point-blank range. So what else is new?
Next Game: vs. Columbus, Saturday, Oct. 16, 7:00 PM Central Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: KSTC-45, FSOhio (both feeds in HD)
By Wild Road Tripper
Would the sellout crowd of 18,449 Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center believe, that the Minnesota Wild team they saw win 4-2 against the Edmonton Oilers, was a harbinger of things to come? Or would they say that this game was just a fluke, an aberration, another step in the development of the young, baby Grease, and the Wild were just there for the ride?
Whatever the point of view you take towards the Wild's North American home opener, it was a chance for the three Finns on the Wild roster -- Mikko Koivu (2 goals, 1 assist), Antti Miettinen (1 goal, 1 assist) and Niklas Backstrom (26 saves) -- to make up for their team's lack of scoring punch in Helsinki last week. Throw in the efforts of Matt Cullen (1 goal, 1 assist) and Andrew Brunette's two assists, and you have finally enough scoring punch to get some goals. Granted, all 4 were with the man advantage, but considering the last two games were about as interesting as watching reindeer graze, well, you get the idea.
Now, the question: What will they do for an encore? They will play a Columbus Blue Jackets team who will be on the second half of a back-to-back (the Jackets face off Friday night, against the Chicago Blackhawks at Nationwide Arena) while facing their own offensive demons (but at least the Jackets won one of their two games vs. San Jose in Stockholm, Sweden, last weekend, despite scoring only five goals in the two Swedish games).
Indeed, the coffin destined for the career of Wild Head Coach Todd Richards has halted upholstery, at least for now. Two of the next three games are against teams the Wild should be able to beat, if they put the same amount of effort into the next game, as into this last one.
But, as Wild fans saw as they chowed down while watching from Finland, with this club, that's always a big, BIG 'IF'.
Best moment: Greg Zanon's crushing cross-check on Gilbert Brule. Instant highlight.
Worst moment: In-arena Emcee Jim Cunningham introducing a new, even dumber in-arena intermission activity. At what point do fans throw their hands up (or, just throw up)? To watch another 'great Zamboni race' on the scoreboard, driven by fan noise? Sounds like 'Section 303' Nashville stuff to me. What's next? 'Face-Off Live' from FSNorth?
Where were you, Mikko Koivu? Now that the Finnish press isn't hounding the Captain constantly, he can concentrate on scoring goals, winning games...you know, the stuff the folks back home WANTED to see from Mikko.
Need a new barn picture: Antti Miettinen missed twice from point-blank range. So what else is new?
Next Game: vs. Columbus, Saturday, Oct. 16, 7:00 PM Central Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: KSTC-45, FSOhio (both feeds in HD)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Minnesota Wild in Finland: Failure to Launch
The point of the matter was, that those NHL Premiere games the Minnesota Wild were supposed to play in Helsinki against the Carolina Hurricanes? Those were supposed to be confidence builders for the rest of the 2010-2011 season.
The reality, however, was much, much different. If the Wild actually had played two decent periods over the two games, they should consider themselves lucky. Confidence builders, they weren't, by any stretch of the imagination.
The way the series played out, the biggest disappointment is the lack of intensity right now amongst the current players. No urgency whatsoever in anything that they do. Time's a wastin', and the season has already started. The same players are making the same mistakes. Niklas Backstrom got caught out of his net twice (once in the exhibition game at Tampere, and again on Friday in the second Carolina game) and got burned both times. Greg Zanon leads in penalties (granted, he's second in time on ice to Brent Burns) but it's not only why you take penalties, it's also when you take them. None of Zanon's penalties came at good times for the Wild.
And, continued poor shooting by Martin Havlat and Antti Miettinen did the Wild in also in the Friday game. Both had wide open chances to score. Both missed the net. Dumb puck luck? Hardly. Bad ice? Perhaps (the ice at Hartwall Areena seemed slushy and snowy). Poor aim, where a picture of a barn should be placed in a net? Probably.
You could tell that the Finnish players for the Wild (Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Miettinen) were under a lot of pressure to do well in front of their countrymen. And, the media circus which the NHL put all six Finns thru was unrelenting. Daily press briefings, very little time for themselves to just go out and enjoy the town, etc., was their daily grind, as the time change screwed up their internal clocks, as well as those of the fans who came over from North America to see them (about 350 Carolina fans came to Finland, as did about 125 Wild fans from Minnesota).
The end result was, that for a trip which was to promote team unity, as Coach Todd Richards had hoped it would, the mission was NOT accomplished. The team seems as fragmented as ever. The Wild are about as inconsistent a hockey team as there is right now. And that is an ill wind which blows no good, for an organization trying desperately to sell tickets these days.
The reality, however, was much, much different. If the Wild actually had played two decent periods over the two games, they should consider themselves lucky. Confidence builders, they weren't, by any stretch of the imagination.
The way the series played out, the biggest disappointment is the lack of intensity right now amongst the current players. No urgency whatsoever in anything that they do. Time's a wastin', and the season has already started. The same players are making the same mistakes. Niklas Backstrom got caught out of his net twice (once in the exhibition game at Tampere, and again on Friday in the second Carolina game) and got burned both times. Greg Zanon leads in penalties (granted, he's second in time on ice to Brent Burns) but it's not only why you take penalties, it's also when you take them. None of Zanon's penalties came at good times for the Wild.
And, continued poor shooting by Martin Havlat and Antti Miettinen did the Wild in also in the Friday game. Both had wide open chances to score. Both missed the net. Dumb puck luck? Hardly. Bad ice? Perhaps (the ice at Hartwall Areena seemed slushy and snowy). Poor aim, where a picture of a barn should be placed in a net? Probably.
You could tell that the Finnish players for the Wild (Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Miettinen) were under a lot of pressure to do well in front of their countrymen. And, the media circus which the NHL put all six Finns thru was unrelenting. Daily press briefings, very little time for themselves to just go out and enjoy the town, etc., was their daily grind, as the time change screwed up their internal clocks, as well as those of the fans who came over from North America to see them (about 350 Carolina fans came to Finland, as did about 125 Wild fans from Minnesota).
The end result was, that for a trip which was to promote team unity, as Coach Todd Richards had hoped it would, the mission was NOT accomplished. The team seems as fragmented as ever. The Wild are about as inconsistent a hockey team as there is right now. And that is an ill wind which blows no good, for an organization trying desperately to sell tickets these days.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
So what else is new?
New season. Different players. And, so far, same old style of result.
If this is what the Minnesota Wild have in store for their fans this season, it's really a bad harbinger of things to come.
The fact of the matter is that they still will not shoot when shooting lanes develop. This team is still looking for the 'pretty play' goal, the perfect tip-in, the 'wait for the puck' rebound. Yes, I know, it's the pre-season. EX-hibition hockey. So far, what they've ex-hibited after three games is not ex-actly what Coach Todd Richards and his ex-panded staff have wanted to see being ex-pounded by the players.
After Friday night's disasterous trip to St. Louis, where the young, up-and-coming Blues once again demolished the Wild, 5-0, while the Wild watch as Josh Harding blows out two ligaments in his right knee, ending his season, the Wild then come home on Saturday night, and actually score twice, but their lack of effort on the back end allows the Philadelphia Flyers, playing with only a limited amount of their regular lineup (which is standard in the pre-season), to come from behind and win in the shootout, 3-2, as 16,742 (supposedly...looked like about 11,000 in the house to me) saw the Wild end their scoreless streak at just over 122 minutes.
You have to ask yourself: Could the pre-season schedule be strung differently so as to avoid the disasterous start to the season? Yes, teams are limited as to the amount of time available to make roster decisions, and get the team into game shape. And, as we have seen, to also sustain devastating injuries. 4 games in 5 nights is really too much. Even the NHL should know this. So should the NHLPA. This pre-season scheduling issue really needs to be a labor/management issue.
Not saying, just sayin'...
If this is what the Minnesota Wild have in store for their fans this season, it's really a bad harbinger of things to come.
The fact of the matter is that they still will not shoot when shooting lanes develop. This team is still looking for the 'pretty play' goal, the perfect tip-in, the 'wait for the puck' rebound. Yes, I know, it's the pre-season. EX-hibition hockey. So far, what they've ex-hibited after three games is not ex-actly what Coach Todd Richards and his ex-panded staff have wanted to see being ex-pounded by the players.
After Friday night's disasterous trip to St. Louis, where the young, up-and-coming Blues once again demolished the Wild, 5-0, while the Wild watch as Josh Harding blows out two ligaments in his right knee, ending his season, the Wild then come home on Saturday night, and actually score twice, but their lack of effort on the back end allows the Philadelphia Flyers, playing with only a limited amount of their regular lineup (which is standard in the pre-season), to come from behind and win in the shootout, 3-2, as 16,742 (supposedly...looked like about 11,000 in the house to me) saw the Wild end their scoreless streak at just over 122 minutes.
You have to ask yourself: Could the pre-season schedule be strung differently so as to avoid the disasterous start to the season? Yes, teams are limited as to the amount of time available to make roster decisions, and get the team into game shape. And, as we have seen, to also sustain devastating injuries. 4 games in 5 nights is really too much. Even the NHL should know this. So should the NHLPA. This pre-season scheduling issue really needs to be a labor/management issue.
Not saying, just sayin'...
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.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
MoDo'd Over: Wild lose finale in SO as Stars shine, 4-3
Modano brought to tears twice by appreciative Minnesota hockey fans
By Wild Road Tripper
It was the final game for the Minnesota Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center, as the 2009-2010 season drew to a close. Normally, that would be the big event if your team was not going on to the playoffs. Normally, the last game would be a chance to say farewell to the local hockey club as they swing into their summer hiatus.
Saturday night, 19,109 -- announced as the sixth largest crowd in Wild regular-season history -- saw as abnormal a finish as the NHL can provide, with a four-round shootout which featured a future Hall of Famer, both teams' leading scorers, and a rookie in only his 12th NHL game. And then, there was Jamie Benn and his shootout winner, the only goal scored by either side in the four-round shootout, as the Dallas Stars completed the comeback with a 4-3 shootout win to end the NHL regular season for both teams.
And then, there was what happened after the game.
As for the game itself, Mikko Koivu and Steve Ott each scored twice, as the back-and-forth nature of this game made it only moderately entertaining knowing that this game was the end of the string for both teams. Rookie free-agent signee Casey Wellman also scored his first NHL goal, tying a team record for fastest goal from the start of the period, :09 into the third (tying Brian Rolston for that Wild team record). Neither had anything of consequence to play for going in: the Wild will pick 9th in the NHL Entry Draft June 25-26 in Los Angeles, and the Stars will draft either 12th or 13th (depending on results of Sunday's games).
The Wild will disperse on Monday (physicals) and Tuesday (exit interviews) with many, including head coach Todd Richards, destined for the IIHF World Championships in Germany which will begin at the end of April.
With six regulars out of the Wild lineup (Zidlicky, Nolan, Havlat, Latendresse, Harding, and Sheppard) the Wild were down to the bare minimum -- 18 players, 2 goalies -- as they limped across the finish line to close out their ninth season of play. They looked like a tired, beaten-up bunch of hockey players. They've played like it for weeks, tho. And that's the hard part.
Next Game: Next season. Schedule TBA (expected schedule release date: July 14th).
(BTW: This blog will continue all summer long. So, keep reading!) -- WRT
By Wild Road Tripper
It was the final game for the Minnesota Wild tonight at Xcel Energy Center, as the 2009-2010 season drew to a close. Normally, that would be the big event if your team was not going on to the playoffs. Normally, the last game would be a chance to say farewell to the local hockey club as they swing into their summer hiatus.
Saturday night, 19,109 -- announced as the sixth largest crowd in Wild regular-season history -- saw as abnormal a finish as the NHL can provide, with a four-round shootout which featured a future Hall of Famer, both teams' leading scorers, and a rookie in only his 12th NHL game. And then, there was Jamie Benn and his shootout winner, the only goal scored by either side in the four-round shootout, as the Dallas Stars completed the comeback with a 4-3 shootout win to end the NHL regular season for both teams.
And then, there was what happened after the game.
Mike Modano, ending his 20th NHL season and weeks away from age 40, was voted the No. 1 Star of the Game. He celebrated it very appropriately, at least for being in Minnesota.
He came out in a white late-80's Minnesota North Stars jersey -- the ones that he wore at the late, lamented Met Center -- to a second standing ovation, having been given pucks to sign and throw out to the lower bowl crowd. He was still wowed by the response after the game when he faced the press post-game (link: http://wild.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=842&id=65712).
It was a fitting tribute to the only No. 1 overall draft choice of either Minnesota NHL team to make it long-term in the NHL. Twenty seasons is a very long time. 1,538 points, more than any other U.S.-born player in NHL history. And now, it could be all over. Modano was also feted during a TV timeout in the first period, as a Wild-produced video (link: http://wild.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=849&id=65693) celebrated his career as fans, players and even the game officials cheered for well over three minutes.As for the game itself, Mikko Koivu and Steve Ott each scored twice, as the back-and-forth nature of this game made it only moderately entertaining knowing that this game was the end of the string for both teams. Rookie free-agent signee Casey Wellman also scored his first NHL goal, tying a team record for fastest goal from the start of the period, :09 into the third (tying Brian Rolston for that Wild team record). Neither had anything of consequence to play for going in: the Wild will pick 9th in the NHL Entry Draft June 25-26 in Los Angeles, and the Stars will draft either 12th or 13th (depending on results of Sunday's games).
The Wild will disperse on Monday (physicals) and Tuesday (exit interviews) with many, including head coach Todd Richards, destined for the IIHF World Championships in Germany which will begin at the end of April.
With six regulars out of the Wild lineup (Zidlicky, Nolan, Havlat, Latendresse, Harding, and Sheppard) the Wild were down to the bare minimum -- 18 players, 2 goalies -- as they limped across the finish line to close out their ninth season of play. They looked like a tired, beaten-up bunch of hockey players. They've played like it for weeks, tho. And that's the hard part.
Next Game: Next season. Schedule TBA (expected schedule release date: July 14th).
(BTW: This blog will continue all summer long. So, keep reading!) -- WRT
Friday, April 2, 2010
Final Bite: Sharks officially eliminate Wild with 3-2 win
San Jose officially starts Minnesota Wild golf season
By Wild Road Tripper
Who is Logan Couture? And, what will he mean in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The call-up from AHL Worcester scored the game winner with 3:51 remaining in the game as the San Jose Sharks once again defeated their favorite 'chum' -- the Minnesota Wild -- 3-2 before 18,584 on the first half of 'Fan Celebration Nights' at Xcel Energy Center.
Manny Malhotra (he lives!) and Scott Nichol also scored for the Sharks, who now have won 5 of their last 6 since thumping the Wild 4-1 on March 23. The 'compete level' as is the catchphrase of Wild head coach Todd Richards, was up, way up, over the dismal effort of Wednesday night's game vs. Chicago. Unfortunately, the result was the same.
And, with the loss, the Wild were officially eliminated from playoff contention as their 'tragic number' came up tonight, at home, in their second-to-last home game of the season. As the final week progresses, it will be interesting to note how the teams in the East are doing; going into tonight, the Wild will draft tenth in the June NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles.
So, let the speculation officially begin. The Wild are done like dinner, just in time for Easter. And, speaking of which:
Next Game: at Vancouver, Easter Sunday, April 7th, 9:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Pacific) Time, General Motors (nee-Canada Hockey) Place. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Canucks TV: Canucks' PPV (including select theatres on BC Lower Mainland); XM Radio, Ch. 208)
By Wild Road Tripper
Who is Logan Couture? And, what will he mean in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The call-up from AHL Worcester scored the game winner with 3:51 remaining in the game as the San Jose Sharks once again defeated their favorite 'chum' -- the Minnesota Wild -- 3-2 before 18,584 on the first half of 'Fan Celebration Nights' at Xcel Energy Center.
Manny Malhotra (he lives!) and Scott Nichol also scored for the Sharks, who now have won 5 of their last 6 since thumping the Wild 4-1 on March 23. The 'compete level' as is the catchphrase of Wild head coach Todd Richards, was up, way up, over the dismal effort of Wednesday night's game vs. Chicago. Unfortunately, the result was the same.
And, with the loss, the Wild were officially eliminated from playoff contention as their 'tragic number' came up tonight, at home, in their second-to-last home game of the season. As the final week progresses, it will be interesting to note how the teams in the East are doing; going into tonight, the Wild will draft tenth in the June NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles.
So, let the speculation officially begin. The Wild are done like dinner, just in time for Easter. And, speaking of which:
Next Game: at Vancouver, Easter Sunday, April 7th, 9:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Pacific) Time, General Motors (nee-Canada Hockey) Place. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Canucks TV: Canucks' PPV (including select theatres on BC Lower Mainland); XM Radio, Ch. 208)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Demolished in the 'D': Wings crush Wild, 5-1
In a city whose residents know all too well how to demolish what has been built over time, the Detroit Red Wings practiced Detroit's second favorite activity -- demolition -- with a 5-1 dismantling of the Minnesota Wild at Joe Louis Arena Thursday night before an announced crowd of 19,327.
The current Wild theme of not showing up to start the game began 2:25 into the contest as Johan Franzen started the show with a deflection into the goal behind last-minute starter Josh Harding, thrust into the start after Niklas Backstrom had come up with what head coach Todd Richards called 'a tweaked groin' in the pre-game.
We'll save the details for the likes of Chip Scoggins, Minneapolis Star-Tribune Vikings beat writer, who is filling in on this two game road trip for Michael Russo, who luckily had arranged to take this road trip off after his Olympic adventure.
Let's leave it at this: the difference in the game was the fact that the Red Wings are on the cusp of the playoffs, and the Wild are not. The Wings played like the playoffs were in their future, and the Wild played like they had already searched Teemaster.com thoroughly, looking ahead for April warm-weather times.
To make matters worse, Wild leading scorer Guillaume Latendresse did not come out for the third period, as he was clobbered by an errant Brian Rafalski stick in the back of the neck, late in the second period. Latendresse was taken to Detroit Medical Center for observation.
If you dare, the Next Game: at Buffalo, Friday (tomorrow), 6:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Eastern) Time, HSBC Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Sabres' TV: MSG-Buffalo; XM Radio, Ch. 206)
-- WRT
The current Wild theme of not showing up to start the game began 2:25 into the contest as Johan Franzen started the show with a deflection into the goal behind last-minute starter Josh Harding, thrust into the start after Niklas Backstrom had come up with what head coach Todd Richards called 'a tweaked groin' in the pre-game.
We'll save the details for the likes of Chip Scoggins, Minneapolis Star-Tribune Vikings beat writer, who is filling in on this two game road trip for Michael Russo, who luckily had arranged to take this road trip off after his Olympic adventure.
Let's leave it at this: the difference in the game was the fact that the Red Wings are on the cusp of the playoffs, and the Wild are not. The Wings played like the playoffs were in their future, and the Wild played like they had already searched Teemaster.com thoroughly, looking ahead for April warm-weather times.
To make matters worse, Wild leading scorer Guillaume Latendresse did not come out for the third period, as he was clobbered by an errant Brian Rafalski stick in the back of the neck, late in the second period. Latendresse was taken to Detroit Medical Center for observation.
If you dare, the Next Game: at Buffalo, Friday (tomorrow), 6:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Eastern) Time, HSBC Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Sabres' TV: MSG-Buffalo; XM Radio, Ch. 206)
-- WRT
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