'Mamma Otter' should be ashamed

Steve Ott's mother should call up her son, one of the NHL's biggest instigators, the reigning Western Conference's biggest cheap-shot artist (now that Matt Cooke is a Penguin, and Chris Neil is still in Ottawa), and tell him he gets no more presents.

If I was a Dallas Stars fan, I'd be embarrassed in Ott's performance last night. Now, granted, he was once again a beast in the face-off circle (winning 5 of 6), but the nine minutes in penalties he took last night, trying in vain to aggravate the Minnesota Wild, was one of the dumbest exhibitions of 'me first' hockey even I had seen in a while. (And, as a Wild fan, we've seen a lot of those this last five weeks.)

Ott's antics, which grow especially weary on the offensively-challenged and thin-rostered Wild, need to be reviewed by the League, if they are indeed concerned for 'player safety'. Is hitting a player (Darroll Powe) after the whistle a good example of 'safe play'? Is hitting a player when he is already down after the play has been blown dead (Cal Clutterbuck) an example of 'safe play'? Is hitting a player (Powe, again) in a fight, after the other combatant has stopped fighting, and has been restrained by the official, an example of 'safe' conduct?

Hardly, except in the eyes of the NHL, where 'Sheriff' Brendan Shanahan, will once again turn a blind eye to Ott's antics, based in part to what team it was done to. Shanahan hated the Wild when he played for Detroit, hated them when he was a Ranger, and still hates the Wild today, when he is a NHL pseudo-big shot.

Ott will skate away, to terrorize other teams whom have already been victimized (like Anaheim, the Stars' opponent in each of the next two games) and whose roster is about to be gutted at the upcoming trade deadline.

Saying 'I don't hate your team' is one thing, Shanny. Doing something about the problem of incidiary pugilism, for the sole purpose of personal vendetta, is a whole 'nother can o' worms.

The Wild took this Ott-inspired attack as inspiration for the 5-2 win Saturday night, as the Wild took their vengeance out in the right way, the proper way. The way you should. Scoreboard!

(Maybe Shanahan will have a hearing on the Wild, for taking advantage of the poor, hapless Stars.)

Now, on the other side of the coin, Chad Rau's family should be absolutely ecstatic this Sunday morning. Chad scored his first NHL goal, in his first NHL game, in front of his family, while just 6 miles to the west, little brother Kyle was just leaving Mariucci Arena, after helping the University of Minnesota split a weekend series with Colorado College.

Rau's mom and dad were beaming, like only parents who have their offspring achieve the success they never could, can. There is nothing like this for a parent. You say to yourselves, 'we've done our job'. And so, we congratulate the Rau family on their child's achievements. You done good.

Now, two of the remaining three games between the Wild and the Stars will be at the AAC in Dallas, including one less than two weeks from now, And, more than likely, it will denegrate into a donnybrook, more than likely led by...Ott. The Wild have lost their last 14 games in Texas; will the rememberance of this game be enough to break the NHL's longest visitor's losing streak in the same arena?

And as for Steve Ott's mom? He'd better watch out, or she'll be sitting outside his condo in the 'Plex, rolling pin in hand...

Wild go o-fer-Big 'D' for sixth year as Stars win 4-2

Last-minute injury, 'dirtiest player in game' combine to help Dallas extend Wild losing streak in Metroplex to six full seasons

The Wild just can't get a victory out of Victory Station.

The Dallas Stars, behind Steve Ott's two fights against Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck, fought -- literally -- their way to a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, as an announced 16,729 roared their approval for Mike Modano's goal and assist, which propelled the Stars to victory at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, whose commuter train stop (for trains to Fort Worth) is named 'Victory Station'. The victory solidfied Dallas in 10th place in the NHL Western Conference.

Without Derek Boogaard and John Scott in the lineup, the Stars' Steve Ott, widely known as one of the dirtest players in the NHL, was allowed to run roughshod over the overmatched Wild, playing their fourth game in seven nights, as they ended a three-game road trip with a 1-2 record.

The problems were exacerbated prior to the game, as the Wild's Josh Harding, the scheduled starting goalie, somehow re-aggravated his hip injury in warm-ups, necessitating the use of emergency call-up Wade Dubleiewicz, who was re-recalled to the big club after being sent down on Monday to the Houston Aeros. Dubleiewicz played in the Aeros' game vs. Abbotsford on Monday night, after traveling from San Jose to Houston on Monday, after having been sent back when Niklas Backstrom, who had been ill, was declared OK to play on Sunday. Tuesday morning, Backstrom was sent back to Minnesota, as he still was not feeling well.

The Wild now are home for the next month; two weeks of that, however, is the Olympic break, when locker rooms are closed. Prior to that, there is a five-game homestand, beginning with the Next Game: vs. Edmonton, Thursday, Feb. 4, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (including FSWisconsin) in HD; Oilers' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. 238)

-- WRT