Is the five-game winning streak for real? It will get tested this week
Are the Minnesota Wild for real? Are they actually going to make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs? Or are they going to fold, like they did last season? And who will be there to heckle them, as they do?
Well, we hate to break it to you, folks, but this team is for real. With five straight wins, including wins at two of the NHL's toughest venues, Vancouver's Rogers Arena (ex-Canada Hockey Place, nee-General Motors Place) and Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, the Wild seem to be wanting to be that team that breaks away from the nine-team pack in the Western Conference, and join the likes of the Conference's two front-runners, Chicago and Anaheim, not only to make the playoffs, but to secure home ice advantage in the first round, something the Wild have not experienced since their Northwest Division championship season of 2007-08, the only earned banner that hangs in the rafters of Xcel Energy Center.
This Wild team, the most talent-laden club in the history of the franchise, has finally started to play like the talent they actually have. The kids that were brought in by GM Chuck Fletcher (Jonas Brodin, Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker) have turned out to be great additions to a primarily veteran-laden roster, one with enough depth that when one gets injured (as hockey players do over the course of a season), another one can be plugged in and the level of play does not significantly suffer.
And that does really not set well with a lot of NHL people.
The lack of respect that the Wild are getting is borderline appalling. Now, some of that is indeed deserved, as the team hasn't qualified officially for anything...yet. The fact of the matter is that the league's media outlets, mostly tightly controlled by the league's Toronto offices, refuse to accept the fact that a team not based in British Columbia, might actually win the final Northwest Division title.
The League has stated that the Wild will not participate in any special event games (Winter Classic, NHL Premiere in Europe) until -- and unless -- they start making the playoffs. The Wild are particularly adept at getting pushed down the line in League-operated media, such as the 'NHL Tonight' highlight package TV show, on the NHL Network. The fact that they are in the Western Conference in an Eastern Conference-based media doesn't help; no national respect is coming for this Wild team. But as long as they are in the same division as perennially-whiny Vancouver, whose fan base -- like the team itself -- cries after every game, win OR lose, the Wild will always be treated like the country cousin who never gets any respect, even after they have re-invented the wheel.
The Wild now heading into a particularly dicey stretch of the season, with 6 of the next 7 games (and 7 of the 8, including yesterday's game vs. San Jose) against teams in the Pacific Division, a division which currently is Anaheim, and then, everyone else. Six points separate second-place LA from last-place Phoenix; the current trend for the division (excluding Anaheim) is 2-6. The old adage of 'it's not who you play, it's when you play them' may just work in the Wild's favor here. The fact of the schedule being what it is, with two games vs. the Dallas Stars with the lone visit to Minnesota by the Phoenix Coyotes thrown in the middle, is not fun, but the alternative -- a two-game 'mini-series' in the Metroplex vs. the Stars -- might just have been that much worse. And, at the back end, the Wild will finally face the LA Kings, for the first time this abbreviated season, at home on Saturday.
The Stars are the '2' in that 2-6 Pacific Division streak trend I mentioned earlier. They have taken a patchwork lineup of players on their last go-rounds (Jaromir Jagr, Ray Whitney, Vernon Fiddler, Stephane Robidas) and have kept themselves relevant in the Conference, despite the presence of Anaheim in the same division. The Stars will not play between Monday's game vs. the Wild, and Friday's rematch at American Airlines Center. The Wild will be hard-pressed to win one, much less both, of the two games. But they can do it, IF they play their game like they have shown they can in the past five games.
Wild fans just keep on hoping, that the joy ride doesn't end for a long, long time.
Showing posts with label Phoenix Coyotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix Coyotes. Show all posts
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Back to earth...sort of...
February rough start vs. Anaheim believed no reason to panic; Coyle gets his shot at Wild roster
It hasn't been the best of times for the Minnesota Wild lately.
After the Anaheim Ducks did what they normally do to the Wild at Honda Center -- namely, beat them into submission, then turn those mistakes caused by the opposition into goals -- the Wild arrived into Phoenix early Saturday looking at a few days in the Arizona desert, with only practice staring them in the face.
And, according to most observers, including the coaching staff, practice is what they really NEED right now. As the 4-3-1 Wild prepare to face the 3-4-2 Phoenix Coyotes -- soon to be the NHL's version of Nomads, if what is being said around the game is to be believed -- on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena in near-bankrupt Glendale, they have help coming to replace the injured Matt Cullen, who crashed (with help) into the boards on Friday night.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the real reason they traded Brent Burns in 2011. Charlie Coyle, welcome to Minnesota. Coyle, who lit up the QMJHL in the half-season he was there after he left Boston College, was called up by the Wild on Saturday afternoon following their off-day practice, to replace the injured Cullen in the line-up for Monday night's tilt. Coyle, who has 14 goals, 10 assists for AHL Houston this season, is called a 'power forward' by the Wild, and his 6-foot-2, 222-lb frame has been called the prototypical size for that position.
Coyle was included with Devin Setoguchi in the NHL Draft night trade in 2011, when the draft was at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Traded for defenseman Burns, who has been in-and-out of the Sharks' lineup since then, Coyle is in his first full season as a pro, and has played 44 games for the Aeros this season.
Power forward, you say?
The position of power forward -- the guy who is not afraid to mix it up in front of the net, to create as much havoc as possible, in order to get nice juicy rebounds and deflections -- is somewhat a novel concept for the Wild. But, it hasn't been like it hasn't been tried before.
Andrew Brunette, slow as he was, is probably the best example of a power forward the Wild has ever had on their roster. Guillaume Latendresse was supposed to be that next version of that, but his concussion problems last season, and his contract status did not allow that to succeed. Zach Parise has some of that in him, but the fact is, he's better than that (we've already seen it). Others that you could put in that category are LA's Dustin Brown, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, St. Louis' David Backes, Boston's Milan Lucic, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, and when healthy, Ryan Kesler of Vancouver.
The combination is one that is tough to get, and one that is even tougher to keep up, as the number of players that who have tried to play the position and have failed are many. Teams that have a good power forward are normally teams that go relatively far in the playoffs. And that is where the Wild want to be on the evening of April 27th. Going relatively far. In the playoffs.
Next 5 games: Key Stretch?
Are the next 5 games a key stretch of the season? With three of those five games on the road -- where the Wild only have one point after three games so far -- the next nine days will tell much about the Wild's real chances to not only make the playoffs, but to gain home ice advantage in the first round.
Two games vs. Vancouver (home and away), and games at Phoenix, at Calgary, and the second (of two) games vs. Nashville at the 'X' round out the next five games on the schedule. Do the Wild have a chance to put some points in their column before the season gets too out of hand? Or will the combination of their brutal travel schedule and the shortened season get the better of the roster?
Will Chuck Fletcher have to pull the trigger on a trade, in order to infuse more offense into what has been an underperforming bottom 2/3rds of the roster? Can the roster even respond without a trade being made? And what would be the best trade to make? Do you look towards the future and effectively 'salary dump' UFA's to be before the April 4 trade deadline? Or is 'the future is now' the prevailing view at 317 Washington St., St. Paul, MN? Do you keep the two primary future UFA's (Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) or do you move them? Does UFA-to-be goalie Niklas Backstrom remain to see the playoffs, should the Wild make it into the post-season? Or do you 'let it ride', like a shaky poker bet, past the trade deadline?
Like the rest of us fans, I just wait and see what will develop. And worry, like some of you do.
It hasn't been the best of times for the Minnesota Wild lately.
After the Anaheim Ducks did what they normally do to the Wild at Honda Center -- namely, beat them into submission, then turn those mistakes caused by the opposition into goals -- the Wild arrived into Phoenix early Saturday looking at a few days in the Arizona desert, with only practice staring them in the face.
And, according to most observers, including the coaching staff, practice is what they really NEED right now. As the 4-3-1 Wild prepare to face the 3-4-2 Phoenix Coyotes -- soon to be the NHL's version of Nomads, if what is being said around the game is to be believed -- on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena in near-bankrupt Glendale, they have help coming to replace the injured Matt Cullen, who crashed (with help) into the boards on Friday night.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the real reason they traded Brent Burns in 2011. Charlie Coyle, welcome to Minnesota. Coyle, who lit up the QMJHL in the half-season he was there after he left Boston College, was called up by the Wild on Saturday afternoon following their off-day practice, to replace the injured Cullen in the line-up for Monday night's tilt. Coyle, who has 14 goals, 10 assists for AHL Houston this season, is called a 'power forward' by the Wild, and his 6-foot-2, 222-lb frame has been called the prototypical size for that position.
Coyle was included with Devin Setoguchi in the NHL Draft night trade in 2011, when the draft was at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Traded for defenseman Burns, who has been in-and-out of the Sharks' lineup since then, Coyle is in his first full season as a pro, and has played 44 games for the Aeros this season.
Power forward, you say?
The position of power forward -- the guy who is not afraid to mix it up in front of the net, to create as much havoc as possible, in order to get nice juicy rebounds and deflections -- is somewhat a novel concept for the Wild. But, it hasn't been like it hasn't been tried before.
Andrew Brunette, slow as he was, is probably the best example of a power forward the Wild has ever had on their roster. Guillaume Latendresse was supposed to be that next version of that, but his concussion problems last season, and his contract status did not allow that to succeed. Zach Parise has some of that in him, but the fact is, he's better than that (we've already seen it). Others that you could put in that category are LA's Dustin Brown, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, St. Louis' David Backes, Boston's Milan Lucic, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, and when healthy, Ryan Kesler of Vancouver.
The combination is one that is tough to get, and one that is even tougher to keep up, as the number of players that who have tried to play the position and have failed are many. Teams that have a good power forward are normally teams that go relatively far in the playoffs. And that is where the Wild want to be on the evening of April 27th. Going relatively far. In the playoffs.
Next 5 games: Key Stretch?
Are the next 5 games a key stretch of the season? With three of those five games on the road -- where the Wild only have one point after three games so far -- the next nine days will tell much about the Wild's real chances to not only make the playoffs, but to gain home ice advantage in the first round.
Two games vs. Vancouver (home and away), and games at Phoenix, at Calgary, and the second (of two) games vs. Nashville at the 'X' round out the next five games on the schedule. Do the Wild have a chance to put some points in their column before the season gets too out of hand? Or will the combination of their brutal travel schedule and the shortened season get the better of the roster?
Will Chuck Fletcher have to pull the trigger on a trade, in order to infuse more offense into what has been an underperforming bottom 2/3rds of the roster? Can the roster even respond without a trade being made? And what would be the best trade to make? Do you look towards the future and effectively 'salary dump' UFA's to be before the April 4 trade deadline? Or is 'the future is now' the prevailing view at 317 Washington St., St. Paul, MN? Do you keep the two primary future UFA's (Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) or do you move them? Does UFA-to-be goalie Niklas Backstrom remain to see the playoffs, should the Wild make it into the post-season? Or do you 'let it ride', like a shaky poker bet, past the trade deadline?
Like the rest of us fans, I just wait and see what will develop. And worry, like some of you do.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Calm before the Storm
Final weekend before draft, summer tour, free agency day allows Wild, fans to think of 'what if?'
Well, folks, we're almost there.
Next week at this time, there will be new players for the Minnesota Wild, courtesy of the NHL Draft being held this coming Friday and Saturday in Pittsburgh. There will be limo buses being gassed up and inspected, for the Wild Summer Tour starting the following Monday. And, as we have all had drilled into us for months, the start of Free Agency on Sunday, July 1st.
Now, I'll digress at this point, as we all know which free agents that the Wild covet, and which ones they don't. We all know that the Wild have carloads of cash and cap space to spend; but so do others, others who are closer to the Stanley Cup Finals than the rebuilding Wild are.
There are also issues with the current roster, as well, as there is the Guillaume Latendresse question to answer: Will he return to the Wild roster, after basically two seasons of suffering concussions? Will Latendresse sign a lesser contract, one that will be incentive-laden, to remain on the roster? Or will GM Chuck Fletcher say that enough is, indeed, enough, and that the coming influx of new talent will be enough, to allow a potential 30-plus goal scorer in Latendresse to get away? Even Gui knows he won't be getting the $2.5M qualifying offer that, as a restricted free agent, he would be eligible for. But the fact that this Wild team was 30th in the NHL last season in scoring, is a statistic that screams out at everyone involved -- management, players, and fans alike.
There is the also continuing Pierre-Marc Bouchard issue as well. Three seasons when he has had his season cut short with head issues. Again, the question is: How long do you hang onto the talent, knowing that you've seen what he can do, but not knowing when -- or, if -- you can depend on him to play a regular spot?
There are issues surfacing at a spot -- defense -- which Wild fans are not used to dealing with, either, with the departure (via trade) of Nick Schultz and the arrival (in the same trade) of Tom Gilbert, Bloomington native and defensive liability, IMO. Whomever pairs with him had better be fast, as Gilbert's lack of speed and unfamiliarity with the ways of Mike Yeo, and the rest of the roster, were very apparent as the season's final weeks played out this past season.
As offensively challenged as Schultz was, his defensive work more than made up for his lack of point punch. The replacement? Who knows? That will be decided in training camp, as one of the six (or more) spots on the roster to be filled, by the load of newbies coming down the restocked pipeline.
And what of the new blood? We all know about Mikael Granlund, he will be on the roster on Opening Day; but what of the other youngsters? Who will make the cut? Who goes to Houston for Gulf Coast seafood and hockey seasoning? And who gets traded (if anyone) for 'NHL talent'?
Does 'trader Chuck' make an appearance in Pittsburgh during the draft? Or do the Wild, with extra picks from trades made during the past season, stand pat and continue to restock the larder following the end of the Risebrough era?
And then, there is the Free Agency scenarios, many of whom have hit the light of day in the last few weeks as the date approaches. Parise, Suter, Joe Corvo, the list goes on and on. I won't bore you with all the various details, but suffice it to say, that the end results will more help the Wild, than hurt it, again IMO. (And don't ask me who or how...)
Yes, the schedule also comes out this week as well. But, until there is agreement between owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement, any schedule will not be worth the paper (or, bandwidth) that it's printed on. Labor peace must be obtained before the puck is dropped again. The Phoenix Coyotes situation must be dealt with (again), as any sale must have the de facto approval of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of Liberty") before the sale is finalized. Then there is Quebec City, who is building a new arena (in the parking lot of the current Colisee Pepsi), hoping to land an NHL franchise. But which franchise will it be? Phoenix? Or, another franchise of the six NHL teams in financial trouble?
Only the NHL knows for sure, And, no one in Gary Bettman's office is talking.
Well, folks, we're almost there.
Next week at this time, there will be new players for the Minnesota Wild, courtesy of the NHL Draft being held this coming Friday and Saturday in Pittsburgh. There will be limo buses being gassed up and inspected, for the Wild Summer Tour starting the following Monday. And, as we have all had drilled into us for months, the start of Free Agency on Sunday, July 1st.
Now, I'll digress at this point, as we all know which free agents that the Wild covet, and which ones they don't. We all know that the Wild have carloads of cash and cap space to spend; but so do others, others who are closer to the Stanley Cup Finals than the rebuilding Wild are.
There are also issues with the current roster, as well, as there is the Guillaume Latendresse question to answer: Will he return to the Wild roster, after basically two seasons of suffering concussions? Will Latendresse sign a lesser contract, one that will be incentive-laden, to remain on the roster? Or will GM Chuck Fletcher say that enough is, indeed, enough, and that the coming influx of new talent will be enough, to allow a potential 30-plus goal scorer in Latendresse to get away? Even Gui knows he won't be getting the $2.5M qualifying offer that, as a restricted free agent, he would be eligible for. But the fact that this Wild team was 30th in the NHL last season in scoring, is a statistic that screams out at everyone involved -- management, players, and fans alike.
There is the also continuing Pierre-Marc Bouchard issue as well. Three seasons when he has had his season cut short with head issues. Again, the question is: How long do you hang onto the talent, knowing that you've seen what he can do, but not knowing when -- or, if -- you can depend on him to play a regular spot?
There are issues surfacing at a spot -- defense -- which Wild fans are not used to dealing with, either, with the departure (via trade) of Nick Schultz and the arrival (in the same trade) of Tom Gilbert, Bloomington native and defensive liability, IMO. Whomever pairs with him had better be fast, as Gilbert's lack of speed and unfamiliarity with the ways of Mike Yeo, and the rest of the roster, were very apparent as the season's final weeks played out this past season.
As offensively challenged as Schultz was, his defensive work more than made up for his lack of point punch. The replacement? Who knows? That will be decided in training camp, as one of the six (or more) spots on the roster to be filled, by the load of newbies coming down the restocked pipeline.
And what of the new blood? We all know about Mikael Granlund, he will be on the roster on Opening Day; but what of the other youngsters? Who will make the cut? Who goes to Houston for Gulf Coast seafood and hockey seasoning? And who gets traded (if anyone) for 'NHL talent'?
Does 'trader Chuck' make an appearance in Pittsburgh during the draft? Or do the Wild, with extra picks from trades made during the past season, stand pat and continue to restock the larder following the end of the Risebrough era?
And then, there is the Free Agency scenarios, many of whom have hit the light of day in the last few weeks as the date approaches. Parise, Suter, Joe Corvo, the list goes on and on. I won't bore you with all the various details, but suffice it to say, that the end results will more help the Wild, than hurt it, again IMO. (And don't ask me who or how...)
Yes, the schedule also comes out this week as well. But, until there is agreement between owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement, any schedule will not be worth the paper (or, bandwidth) that it's printed on. Labor peace must be obtained before the puck is dropped again. The Phoenix Coyotes situation must be dealt with (again), as any sale must have the de facto approval of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of Liberty") before the sale is finalized. Then there is Quebec City, who is building a new arena (in the parking lot of the current Colisee Pepsi), hoping to land an NHL franchise. But which franchise will it be? Phoenix? Or, another franchise of the six NHL teams in financial trouble?
Only the NHL knows for sure, And, no one in Gary Bettman's office is talking.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Last Lap in this race might just be Coyotes' last howl in Arizona
Final game in disheartening Wild season may double as last gasp for NHL in Arizona
By Wild Road Tripper
Well, the three-season-plus saga of the ownership problems of the Phoenix Coyotes may just finally end -- at least in the regular-season sense -- Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center, as the beat-up and bloodied Minnesota Wild, still having to make multiple roster moves in order to field a competitive team, plays their last game of the 2011-2012 season.
For the Wild, the end of this 'tale of two seasons' season cannot come soon enough. The dividing point, the Dec. 13 game at Winnipeg's MTS Centre, stands out like the Grand Canyon does, dividing a 19-game stretch of unparalled success and a 41-game stretch of absolutely miserable failure, injury, and despair. The fact that the end of the season is coming at the end of a six-game stretch, the first five games where the Wild have 'amassed' a somewhat respectable (for a team out of the playoffs, that is) 4-0-1 record provides a ray of hope, while the rest of March was a series of drubbings, the likes of which Wild fans had not seen since...last March, when the Wild were throttled by Montreal, Toronto and St. Louis in four nights, after losing in overtime to the lowly (then, as now) Columbus Blue Jackets.
The fact that the Wild's roster has had to have basically been reconstructed, more than Todd Fedoruk's face following the Boogaard fight, says a lot about this organization's resiliency. The fact that the Houston Aeros are still doing anything at all in the AHL's Western Conference shows that the 'build from within' policy, adopted when Wild GM Chuck Fletcher tried to make chicken salad from the leavings of the Doug Risebrough administration, despite the club record number of callups to the 'big club' this season (47 players will have worn Iron Range Red by the end of Saturday night's game), shows promise for the near future.
And then, there's the draft picks, many of whom (maybe as many as six) will make the 'big club' roster by the time the puck drops for real again in October (assuming, of course, the NHL and its' players don't make the same mistake the NBA and its' players did this past fall, and stage a labor dispute, with millionaires and billionaires bickering about salaries, while the fans watch NFL and CFL football, and don't even care about missing hockey).
Sign a free agent (especially, say, one who is building a new home less than an hour's drive west of the 'X') or two (a certain offensive defenseman, currently playing South of the Mason-Dixon Line, would be nice, too) and you might be ready to rise from the ashes...
...like a Phoenix. But this will happen in Minnesota, and not in Phoenix, where the Coyotes are standing on the precipice between staying and moving, with one foot on the proverbial banana peel, and the other on a base of very loose rock. Since the City of Glendale will not be allowed to further subsidize the operation of the Coyotes franchise, no thanks to the butt-inski attitude of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of liberty"), whose current chair is none other than the wife of the majority owner of MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks, another Arizona sports team which hasn't exactly fared well in the last few seasons.
For all the complaining about the NHL Players Association that we as fans of hockey do, in my opinion, this time the NHLPA does have a valid point: the Coyotes are losing copious amounts of cash, upwards of $45-50 Million annually, with the NHL (read: every other team) and the City splitting the losses. The NHLPA is saying 'hey, wait a minute: if this team is losing that much money, where's our cut of the profits?'
They have a valid point. Any other team that loses $50 million dollars annually for more than three seasons in any other sport would either be moved or disbanded. But the NHL hierarchy refuses to give in (so far) to the calls to do something with the Coyotes franchise, as no one has an additional $140 million laying around right now with nothing else to do in this recession-ravaged economy, especially in ultra-conservative Arizona, where every little issue seems to set off major consternation.
Yes, the Coyotes have made the playoffs, something this franchise didn't do often when they were the original Winnipeg Jets. More than likely, the Coyotes will face off against either Chicago or Detroit (should they win Saturday versus the Wild), Vancouver (should they lose in regulation Saturday night), or St. Louis (should they lose in overtime or shootout, and San Jose wins at home vs. LA Saturday night). Yes, there will be a few more 'white-outs' in Jobing.com Arena next week. But the prospects for the Coyotes playing beyond the first round are very slim at best. And their prospects for playing beyond this year's playoffs in Arizona?
Even worse.
By Wild Road Tripper
Well, the three-season-plus saga of the ownership problems of the Phoenix Coyotes may just finally end -- at least in the regular-season sense -- Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center, as the beat-up and bloodied Minnesota Wild, still having to make multiple roster moves in order to field a competitive team, plays their last game of the 2011-2012 season.
For the Wild, the end of this 'tale of two seasons' season cannot come soon enough. The dividing point, the Dec. 13 game at Winnipeg's MTS Centre, stands out like the Grand Canyon does, dividing a 19-game stretch of unparalled success and a 41-game stretch of absolutely miserable failure, injury, and despair. The fact that the end of the season is coming at the end of a six-game stretch, the first five games where the Wild have 'amassed' a somewhat respectable (for a team out of the playoffs, that is) 4-0-1 record provides a ray of hope, while the rest of March was a series of drubbings, the likes of which Wild fans had not seen since...last March, when the Wild were throttled by Montreal, Toronto and St. Louis in four nights, after losing in overtime to the lowly (then, as now) Columbus Blue Jackets.
The fact that the Wild's roster has had to have basically been reconstructed, more than Todd Fedoruk's face following the Boogaard fight, says a lot about this organization's resiliency. The fact that the Houston Aeros are still doing anything at all in the AHL's Western Conference shows that the 'build from within' policy, adopted when Wild GM Chuck Fletcher tried to make chicken salad from the leavings of the Doug Risebrough administration, despite the club record number of callups to the 'big club' this season (47 players will have worn Iron Range Red by the end of Saturday night's game), shows promise for the near future.
And then, there's the draft picks, many of whom (maybe as many as six) will make the 'big club' roster by the time the puck drops for real again in October (assuming, of course, the NHL and its' players don't make the same mistake the NBA and its' players did this past fall, and stage a labor dispute, with millionaires and billionaires bickering about salaries, while the fans watch NFL and CFL football, and don't even care about missing hockey).
Sign a free agent (especially, say, one who is building a new home less than an hour's drive west of the 'X') or two (a certain offensive defenseman, currently playing South of the Mason-Dixon Line, would be nice, too) and you might be ready to rise from the ashes...
...like a Phoenix. But this will happen in Minnesota, and not in Phoenix, where the Coyotes are standing on the precipice between staying and moving, with one foot on the proverbial banana peel, and the other on a base of very loose rock. Since the City of Glendale will not be allowed to further subsidize the operation of the Coyotes franchise, no thanks to the butt-inski attitude of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of liberty"), whose current chair is none other than the wife of the majority owner of MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks, another Arizona sports team which hasn't exactly fared well in the last few seasons.
For all the complaining about the NHL Players Association that we as fans of hockey do, in my opinion, this time the NHLPA does have a valid point: the Coyotes are losing copious amounts of cash, upwards of $45-50 Million annually, with the NHL (read: every other team) and the City splitting the losses. The NHLPA is saying 'hey, wait a minute: if this team is losing that much money, where's our cut of the profits?'
They have a valid point. Any other team that loses $50 million dollars annually for more than three seasons in any other sport would either be moved or disbanded. But the NHL hierarchy refuses to give in (so far) to the calls to do something with the Coyotes franchise, as no one has an additional $140 million laying around right now with nothing else to do in this recession-ravaged economy, especially in ultra-conservative Arizona, where every little issue seems to set off major consternation.
Yes, the Coyotes have made the playoffs, something this franchise didn't do often when they were the original Winnipeg Jets. More than likely, the Coyotes will face off against either Chicago or Detroit (should they win Saturday versus the Wild), Vancouver (should they lose in regulation Saturday night), or St. Louis (should they lose in overtime or shootout, and San Jose wins at home vs. LA Saturday night). Yes, there will be a few more 'white-outs' in Jobing.com Arena next week. But the prospects for the Coyotes playing beyond the first round are very slim at best. And their prospects for playing beyond this year's playoffs in Arizona?
Even worse.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
As the other shoe drops...again, and again, and again, and again...
Disasterous Minnesota Wild season nears its' inevitable conclusion, minus seven regulars, give or take
Three weeks remaining. 11 games. 7 at home, 4 on the road. When Wild fans looked at the schedule in July, they saw a golden, once-in-a-decade opportunity to make most of your run for a playoff spot at home, in front of your own fans, with sell-out after sell-out, despite the weak economy.
Yeah, right. wasn't there a song about this, from the 70's? 'I Like Dreamin'...'
The reality is nearly the exact opposite of what I have stated above. Oh, there is the 11 games at home during March and April, of the last 19 games overall. But with a record since March 1 of 1-6-1, and since the Dec. 13 beatdown at Winnipeg's MTS Centre -- the game which, quite frankly, derailed the Wild season's juggernaut -- this Wild team has done the nearly impossible, gone from best record in the NHL on Dec. 13 to the third-worst record in the league this Sunday morning -- and no one can seem to find the switch to turn on the old Wild once again.
The Wild's record-setting futility streak, of losing five straight in front of the home folks, emphasizes the need for further development of the roster, not only for depth but for breadth as well. You not only need more players, but you need better players as well. Cleaning house just isn't enough. You really need to blow this thing to hell and start over. If you haven't adopted another team for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, you are wholeheartedly advised by this blogger to do so. Now.
For this Wild season will end, three weeks from yesterday, with possibly the last game ever for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise, as an Arizona sports team. Nobody attends their games at Jobing.com Arena, but they are still in the playoff chase. But the Wild, and their 'Team of 18,000', are not.
Did I want the Wild to make the playoffs, even though I was as skeptical as everyone else when the Wild were going thru their November winning streak? Sure did! Did they disappoint me this January and February? Sure did! This 'March into hell' month is just depressing as a Wild fan. (Now I know how Toronto Maple Leafs fans feel. Just think of this times 40, and you somewhat understand your Leafs' fans frustrations.)
But the selling of hope -- as the 'new generation' of Wild players, led by the (hopefully, he's not signed yet) arrival of Mikael Granlund from Finland's HIFK -- continues, even as the NHL and the Players' Association veer ominously towards a labor dispute, one which threatens to disrupt, if not cancel, the 2012-13 season in its' entirety. The fact that two of the most stubborn figures in North American sport -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, he who helped make the Mendoza-line banjo-hitting baseball player a multi-millionaire -- are squaring off against each other, does not bode well for the hockey-loving NHL fan.
So enjoy the losing, Wild faithful. For in three weeks, it will all be over. Except the angst of 'we should have been there'. Because a season which started with so much promise, cannot end soon enough.
Three weeks remaining. 11 games. 7 at home, 4 on the road. When Wild fans looked at the schedule in July, they saw a golden, once-in-a-decade opportunity to make most of your run for a playoff spot at home, in front of your own fans, with sell-out after sell-out, despite the weak economy.
Yeah, right. wasn't there a song about this, from the 70's? 'I Like Dreamin'...'
The reality is nearly the exact opposite of what I have stated above. Oh, there is the 11 games at home during March and April, of the last 19 games overall. But with a record since March 1 of 1-6-1, and since the Dec. 13 beatdown at Winnipeg's MTS Centre -- the game which, quite frankly, derailed the Wild season's juggernaut -- this Wild team has done the nearly impossible, gone from best record in the NHL on Dec. 13 to the third-worst record in the league this Sunday morning -- and no one can seem to find the switch to turn on the old Wild once again.
The Wild's record-setting futility streak, of losing five straight in front of the home folks, emphasizes the need for further development of the roster, not only for depth but for breadth as well. You not only need more players, but you need better players as well. Cleaning house just isn't enough. You really need to blow this thing to hell and start over. If you haven't adopted another team for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, you are wholeheartedly advised by this blogger to do so. Now.
For this Wild season will end, three weeks from yesterday, with possibly the last game ever for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise, as an Arizona sports team. Nobody attends their games at Jobing.com Arena, but they are still in the playoff chase. But the Wild, and their 'Team of 18,000', are not.
Did I want the Wild to make the playoffs, even though I was as skeptical as everyone else when the Wild were going thru their November winning streak? Sure did! Did they disappoint me this January and February? Sure did! This 'March into hell' month is just depressing as a Wild fan. (Now I know how Toronto Maple Leafs fans feel. Just think of this times 40, and you somewhat understand your Leafs' fans frustrations.)
But the selling of hope -- as the 'new generation' of Wild players, led by the (hopefully, he's not signed yet) arrival of Mikael Granlund from Finland's HIFK -- continues, even as the NHL and the Players' Association veer ominously towards a labor dispute, one which threatens to disrupt, if not cancel, the 2012-13 season in its' entirety. The fact that two of the most stubborn figures in North American sport -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, he who helped make the Mendoza-line banjo-hitting baseball player a multi-millionaire -- are squaring off against each other, does not bode well for the hockey-loving NHL fan.
So enjoy the losing, Wild faithful. For in three weeks, it will all be over. Except the angst of 'we should have been there'. Because a season which started with so much promise, cannot end soon enough.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
'...'cuz Two out of Three ain't bad...'
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The refrain line from the Meat Loaf single kind of summarizes the week for the Minnesota Wild, doesn't it?
With two wins in their first three post-All-Star games, the Wild find themselves still on the precipice of falling out of playoff contention...or falling into as high as 5th place in the NHL's Western Conference.
It all depends on your point of view, I guess.
As the Wild trudge thru the mire that is the February schedule, the lack of scoring by the Wild in Saturday's game here in the desert, against the formerly-hapless Phoenix Coyotes, a game where one mistake (an early third-period turnover by Martin Havlat), an illness (Jared Spurgeon was scratched, account being sick), combined with the continued inability of Cam Barker to be anything other than a human stalagmite, allowed ex-Vancouver Canuck Taylor Pyatt to score the game's only goal. The miscues in front of the Wild net wiped out yet another stand-on-his-head performance by Niklas Backstrom, who stopped 40 of the 41 shots sent his way by a Coyotes team who, quite frankly, saw this game as an opportunity to get back into the Western Conference race, having lost three in a row prior to last night.
So the Wild move on to a stretch where they now play 5 of the next 7 at home, a place which has not exactly been the 'friendly confines' for the Wild this season. With a less-than-scintillating 12-11-2 home record at Xcel Energy Center, should this team wish to qualify for the post-season, they need to get that number of wins up -- in regulation time, no overtimes, no shootouts (like last Tuesday's game vs. LA) -- and quickly, because the next three weeks will determine the Wild's fate for this season, as well as probably next season also, due to the number of impending free agents the team has, after this season ends.
Three weeks from tomorrow -- Feb. 28th -- is the NHL Trade Deadline, as teams try to pick up that missing 'piece of the puzzle' in order to bolster their rosters for the playoff push. My question, despite what Wild GM Chuck Fletcher says, is still the same one I've had for most of the regular season:
Will the Wild be buyers at the trade deadline? Or, will they be sellers?
As even though the Wild will get some of their 'walking wounded' off of injured reserve (most notably Guillaume Latendresse, out since late October, and Marek Zidlicky, out since Dec. 29) they will have some assets which they could actually get something for, even though that 'something' may just be draft picks. The fact of the matter is, for the first time in years, younger players are pushing established members of the roster for spots. And, that really IS a good thing, because then there is hope that the team will be that much better overall.
But for now, we fans just wait. And hope that this team can actually do something. We hope that this team can actually be consistent in their efforts and in their overall play.
In short, for the rest of this season, we don't need games like last night's disaster in the desert anymore.
With two wins in their first three post-All-Star games, the Wild find themselves still on the precipice of falling out of playoff contention...or falling into as high as 5th place in the NHL's Western Conference.
It all depends on your point of view, I guess.
As the Wild trudge thru the mire that is the February schedule, the lack of scoring by the Wild in Saturday's game here in the desert, against the formerly-hapless Phoenix Coyotes, a game where one mistake (an early third-period turnover by Martin Havlat), an illness (Jared Spurgeon was scratched, account being sick), combined with the continued inability of Cam Barker to be anything other than a human stalagmite, allowed ex-Vancouver Canuck Taylor Pyatt to score the game's only goal. The miscues in front of the Wild net wiped out yet another stand-on-his-head performance by Niklas Backstrom, who stopped 40 of the 41 shots sent his way by a Coyotes team who, quite frankly, saw this game as an opportunity to get back into the Western Conference race, having lost three in a row prior to last night.
So the Wild move on to a stretch where they now play 5 of the next 7 at home, a place which has not exactly been the 'friendly confines' for the Wild this season. With a less-than-scintillating 12-11-2 home record at Xcel Energy Center, should this team wish to qualify for the post-season, they need to get that number of wins up -- in regulation time, no overtimes, no shootouts (like last Tuesday's game vs. LA) -- and quickly, because the next three weeks will determine the Wild's fate for this season, as well as probably next season also, due to the number of impending free agents the team has, after this season ends.
Three weeks from tomorrow -- Feb. 28th -- is the NHL Trade Deadline, as teams try to pick up that missing 'piece of the puzzle' in order to bolster their rosters for the playoff push. My question, despite what Wild GM Chuck Fletcher says, is still the same one I've had for most of the regular season:
Will the Wild be buyers at the trade deadline? Or, will they be sellers?
As even though the Wild will get some of their 'walking wounded' off of injured reserve (most notably Guillaume Latendresse, out since late October, and Marek Zidlicky, out since Dec. 29) they will have some assets which they could actually get something for, even though that 'something' may just be draft picks. The fact of the matter is, for the first time in years, younger players are pushing established members of the roster for spots. And, that really IS a good thing, because then there is hope that the team will be that much better overall.
But for now, we fans just wait. And hope that this team can actually do something. We hope that this team can actually be consistent in their efforts and in their overall play.
In short, for the rest of this season, we don't need games like last night's disaster in the desert anymore.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Road Warriors, Home Alone
Two very different movies. Two very different settings. Two very different results.
Sounds like the Minnesota Wild of late, doesn't it?
On the road, away from the distractions of family, home, expectations of their own fans, etc., the Wild have quietly built a 3-1-1 December road record. The only game in which the Wild looked bad was the blowout last weekend at Anaheim (not entirely unexpected, given the Wild's history at the Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center), where the Ducks relentlessly gave the Wild a well-deserved 6-2 pounding.
On the other hand, when the Wild are at home, in the Xcel Energy Center, they proceed to continually lay more eggs than an Eggland's Best contractor farm. They relax, play with absolutely NO urgency whatsoever, let the other team get out to a lead, then get beat by continuing to not play well, and basically anger their most loyal followers, their biggest stakeholders, their season ticket fan base, by their continued lack of offensive punch.
The Wild are a paltry 1-4-1 in their last six home games, for a grand total of three -- THREE -- points in the standings. Three points at home, while the rest of the West administers drubbing after drubbing. There is no rhyme nor reason for this. The good teams -- the teams that will actually make the playoffs in April -- play their best hockey at home, where the fans are friendly, the routine familiar, the cooking not in a restaurant (recent call-up Jared Spurgeon notwithstanding), the bed after the game their own.
Maybe the Wild and the Minnesota Vikings -- the NFL's 'prodigal sons', who may never go home (to the Metrodome) again -- should change places. The Wild should stay on the road, and the Vikings should move into the 'X' and play. The Vikings have only one road win since October, 2009, and that was two weeks ago against Washington. Maybe the Vikes should just play at home, and the Wild should go on a 50-game road trip to end their season.
Then, the Wild might just have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Wild should really get the act together, come out during the holidays and beat some of the upcoming teams, teams that they SHOULD BE ABLE to defeat in regulation time.
The next five home games for the Wild:
Calgary, Monday (Dec. 20) -- this is the same Flames team that YOU JUST WON against in the Saddledome. Put some effort into this, and sweep the back-to-back.
Detroit, Dec. 26 (Sunday) -- play better than you have in your last month at home. This will be the first game for both teams after the Christmas holiday break. What better way for Wild fans to celebrate the end of the Christmas holiday, than to boo the hell out of Todd Bertuzzi, instead of their own team? Or, to watch as the 'X' is over-run with Red Wings fans, a good number of whom will spend the entire day coming down from Michigan's UP.
San Jose, Dec. 29 (Wednesday) -- this is NOT the San Jose team of the recent past. This team is beatable, but you have to shadow the Sharks' top line (Thornton-Heatley-Marleau) to keep the Sharks in check. But, at least they no longer have Evgeni Nabokov to worry about in goal.
Nashville, Dec. 31 (Friday, New Years' Eve) -- too bad this opponent doesn't generate the same excitement as the evening. In a party mood, this crowd probably will be more amped up than either of the teams will. Nashville head coach Barry Trotz will have his New Years' Eve costume on ... Oh, wait: that ISN'T a costume? That's his real face??
Phoenix, Jan. 2 (Sunday) -- Just hours after the end of a disasterous Vikings season, the Wild's season could very well also end, if the Wild don't pull a win out of this game, as the Wild will end their 5-games-in-8-days holiday hockey marathon, with the final visit this season by the up-and-coming Coyotes, who have shown that they can beat any team on any given night.
So win now, boys. Because after the Phoenix game, 8 of the next 11 Wild games are back in the 'friendly confines'...of the road.
Sounds like the Minnesota Wild of late, doesn't it?
On the road, away from the distractions of family, home, expectations of their own fans, etc., the Wild have quietly built a 3-1-1 December road record. The only game in which the Wild looked bad was the blowout last weekend at Anaheim (not entirely unexpected, given the Wild's history at the Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center), where the Ducks relentlessly gave the Wild a well-deserved 6-2 pounding.
On the other hand, when the Wild are at home, in the Xcel Energy Center, they proceed to continually lay more eggs than an Eggland's Best contractor farm. They relax, play with absolutely NO urgency whatsoever, let the other team get out to a lead, then get beat by continuing to not play well, and basically anger their most loyal followers, their biggest stakeholders, their season ticket fan base, by their continued lack of offensive punch.
The Wild are a paltry 1-4-1 in their last six home games, for a grand total of three -- THREE -- points in the standings. Three points at home, while the rest of the West administers drubbing after drubbing. There is no rhyme nor reason for this. The good teams -- the teams that will actually make the playoffs in April -- play their best hockey at home, where the fans are friendly, the routine familiar, the cooking not in a restaurant (recent call-up Jared Spurgeon notwithstanding), the bed after the game their own.
Maybe the Wild and the Minnesota Vikings -- the NFL's 'prodigal sons', who may never go home (to the Metrodome) again -- should change places. The Wild should stay on the road, and the Vikings should move into the 'X' and play. The Vikings have only one road win since October, 2009, and that was two weeks ago against Washington. Maybe the Vikes should just play at home, and the Wild should go on a 50-game road trip to end their season.
Then, the Wild might just have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Wild should really get the act together, come out during the holidays and beat some of the upcoming teams, teams that they SHOULD BE ABLE to defeat in regulation time.
The next five home games for the Wild:
Calgary, Monday (Dec. 20) -- this is the same Flames team that YOU JUST WON against in the Saddledome. Put some effort into this, and sweep the back-to-back.
Detroit, Dec. 26 (Sunday) -- play better than you have in your last month at home. This will be the first game for both teams after the Christmas holiday break. What better way for Wild fans to celebrate the end of the Christmas holiday, than to boo the hell out of Todd Bertuzzi, instead of their own team? Or, to watch as the 'X' is over-run with Red Wings fans, a good number of whom will spend the entire day coming down from Michigan's UP.
San Jose, Dec. 29 (Wednesday) -- this is NOT the San Jose team of the recent past. This team is beatable, but you have to shadow the Sharks' top line (Thornton-Heatley-Marleau) to keep the Sharks in check. But, at least they no longer have Evgeni Nabokov to worry about in goal.
Nashville, Dec. 31 (Friday, New Years' Eve) -- too bad this opponent doesn't generate the same excitement as the evening. In a party mood, this crowd probably will be more amped up than either of the teams will. Nashville head coach Barry Trotz will have his New Years' Eve costume on ... Oh, wait: that ISN'T a costume? That's his real face??
Phoenix, Jan. 2 (Sunday) -- Just hours after the end of a disasterous Vikings season, the Wild's season could very well also end, if the Wild don't pull a win out of this game, as the Wild will end their 5-games-in-8-days holiday hockey marathon, with the final visit this season by the up-and-coming Coyotes, who have shown that they can beat any team on any given night.
So win now, boys. Because after the Phoenix game, 8 of the next 11 Wild games are back in the 'friendly confines'...of the road.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
WRT's This 'n' That
A column of facts, opinions and an occasional rant from the Wild Road Tripper (WRT)
We haven't done 'This 'n' That' in a while. So, allow me to comment on some of the NHL stories of the day...
1. Anyone else surprised that the San Jose Sharks haven't collapsed yet?
The fact that 'Little Joe' Pavelski has more influence on Sharks' playoff chances that 'Jumbo Joe' Thornton (still the softest player in the NHL, IMO) has something to do with it. The other thing the Sharks have going for them, are three lines that can actually play havoc with the opposition's defense. After having been thumped Thursday night in Game 4 in Detroit, the Sharks came back in Game 5 and closed out the Red Wings, getting another 800-pound gorilla off their collective backs. The fact it only took five games to eliminate Detroit is a reminder that the Red Wings can actually be beaten in their own rink. (Minnesota Wild: Are you listening?)
2. The Vancouver Canucks and Roberto Luongo are made for each other.
Two of the biggest crybabies in pro sports -- the Vancouver Canucks, and goaltender Roberto Luongo -- will be in high whine tonight for Game 5 of their Western Conference series at the United Center, as the usual 22,000-plus will definitely be in full throat as the Chicago Blackhawks look to close out the Canucks at home. Vancouver thought that they could play their normal, dirty style of play and whine their way thru this series. Chicago has found that the key to beating Vancouver, is to let them go to the penalty box and not to retaliate, when Messrs. Burrows, Kesler, Edler, Sedin & Sedin, and Co., do the stupid things that they usually do. When will Luongo quit working the referees, trying to get penalties called against the much speedier Hawks, and worry about his own Swiss-cheese defense? Two Blackhawks (Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews) scored hat tricks in the last two games, both of which were played in Vancouver, where this blogger has observed firsthand the aftermath of Canuck losses.
The planning for the 2010 Stanley Cup Parade on Vancouver's Robson St., can now officially end.
3. The NHL is asking the City of Glendale, Arizona, to help subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes' $30 million annual losses. The City and Ice Edge Holdings are in an exclusive negotiation agreement; meanwhile, after the most successful season in 12 years, will the 'Yotes move back to Winnipeg in time for next fall's season start?
As for the subisdy, in uber-conservative Arizona, to subsidize anything is considered repulsive, conjuring up images of Barry Goldwater to back their point up. The fact of the matter is that the City of Glendale can't afford to subsidize anything, much less a pro sports franchise. In a state that doesn't even want to subsidize public transportation, with "Massive" immigration problems (if you listen to what the Governor says,) to subsidize any pro sports team directly -- especially a team which is currently owned and operated by the league in which they play in -- is sheer folly.
As for Ice Edge Holdings, they are willing to split the losses with the City, but they will want an out clause to move the team after as little as two seasons. They want the 'Yotes at a bargain-basement price, something the NHL is loathe to do. IEH would also play as many as 5 Coyotes games in Saskatoon, Sask., which would lead to the 'Where is this game tonight' syndrome which permeated the KC-Omaha Kings of the NBA in the late 1970's.
The NHL could just flat-out move the team back to Winnipeg, where they came from in 1995. The MTS Centre, a 15,200-seat arena (with plenty of room for expansion) might just be the best place for the wayward franchise; at least there are HOCKEY FANS in Winnipeg, and lots of 'em! The largest problem with Winnipeg, as a city, is the lack of large corporate presence, as no large Canadian corporations are based there. Ticket prices (the NHL is still a gate-driven league) would have to be carefully planned in order to keep the tickets within reach of Winnipeggers' budgets.
As for the planned move, what would it do to the schedule? The fact is that the NHL would want to keep as many Canadian franchises in the same division as possible; one rumored plan would be to move the 'Yotes to the Northwest Division, and move Colorado to the newly re-constituted 'Southwest' division, with Dallas, Anaheim, LA and San Jose.
The NHL has given IEH and the City until May 21 to negotiate an agreement; otherwise, the League's Board of Governors will take matters into their own hands. You have to ask yourself: how much money is the League willing to continue to lose, in order to keep a franchise in Phoenix? The annual losses over the last three seasons has dwarfed the $100 Million mark. When is enough really enough? With at least four other franchises (Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay) in financial difficulty, how much of a drag on the sport has the Phoenix situation become?
Time to cut the losses. Move 'em back to Winnipeg. Welcome back the Jets. Plan the road trip to MTS Centre, Wild fans.
We haven't done 'This 'n' That' in a while. So, allow me to comment on some of the NHL stories of the day...
1. Anyone else surprised that the San Jose Sharks haven't collapsed yet?
The fact that 'Little Joe' Pavelski has more influence on Sharks' playoff chances that 'Jumbo Joe' Thornton (still the softest player in the NHL, IMO) has something to do with it. The other thing the Sharks have going for them, are three lines that can actually play havoc with the opposition's defense. After having been thumped Thursday night in Game 4 in Detroit, the Sharks came back in Game 5 and closed out the Red Wings, getting another 800-pound gorilla off their collective backs. The fact it only took five games to eliminate Detroit is a reminder that the Red Wings can actually be beaten in their own rink. (Minnesota Wild: Are you listening?)
2. The Vancouver Canucks and Roberto Luongo are made for each other.
Two of the biggest crybabies in pro sports -- the Vancouver Canucks, and goaltender Roberto Luongo -- will be in high whine tonight for Game 5 of their Western Conference series at the United Center, as the usual 22,000-plus will definitely be in full throat as the Chicago Blackhawks look to close out the Canucks at home. Vancouver thought that they could play their normal, dirty style of play and whine their way thru this series. Chicago has found that the key to beating Vancouver, is to let them go to the penalty box and not to retaliate, when Messrs. Burrows, Kesler, Edler, Sedin & Sedin, and Co., do the stupid things that they usually do. When will Luongo quit working the referees, trying to get penalties called against the much speedier Hawks, and worry about his own Swiss-cheese defense? Two Blackhawks (Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews) scored hat tricks in the last two games, both of which were played in Vancouver, where this blogger has observed firsthand the aftermath of Canuck losses.
The planning for the 2010 Stanley Cup Parade on Vancouver's Robson St., can now officially end.
3. The NHL is asking the City of Glendale, Arizona, to help subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes' $30 million annual losses. The City and Ice Edge Holdings are in an exclusive negotiation agreement; meanwhile, after the most successful season in 12 years, will the 'Yotes move back to Winnipeg in time for next fall's season start?
As for the subisdy, in uber-conservative Arizona, to subsidize anything is considered repulsive, conjuring up images of Barry Goldwater to back their point up. The fact of the matter is that the City of Glendale can't afford to subsidize anything, much less a pro sports franchise. In a state that doesn't even want to subsidize public transportation, with "Massive" immigration problems (if you listen to what the Governor says,) to subsidize any pro sports team directly -- especially a team which is currently owned and operated by the league in which they play in -- is sheer folly.
As for Ice Edge Holdings, they are willing to split the losses with the City, but they will want an out clause to move the team after as little as two seasons. They want the 'Yotes at a bargain-basement price, something the NHL is loathe to do. IEH would also play as many as 5 Coyotes games in Saskatoon, Sask., which would lead to the 'Where is this game tonight' syndrome which permeated the KC-Omaha Kings of the NBA in the late 1970's.
The NHL could just flat-out move the team back to Winnipeg, where they came from in 1995. The MTS Centre, a 15,200-seat arena (with plenty of room for expansion) might just be the best place for the wayward franchise; at least there are HOCKEY FANS in Winnipeg, and lots of 'em! The largest problem with Winnipeg, as a city, is the lack of large corporate presence, as no large Canadian corporations are based there. Ticket prices (the NHL is still a gate-driven league) would have to be carefully planned in order to keep the tickets within reach of Winnipeggers' budgets.
As for the planned move, what would it do to the schedule? The fact is that the NHL would want to keep as many Canadian franchises in the same division as possible; one rumored plan would be to move the 'Yotes to the Northwest Division, and move Colorado to the newly re-constituted 'Southwest' division, with Dallas, Anaheim, LA and San Jose.
The NHL has given IEH and the City until May 21 to negotiate an agreement; otherwise, the League's Board of Governors will take matters into their own hands. You have to ask yourself: how much money is the League willing to continue to lose, in order to keep a franchise in Phoenix? The annual losses over the last three seasons has dwarfed the $100 Million mark. When is enough really enough? With at least four other franchises (Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay) in financial difficulty, how much of a drag on the sport has the Phoenix situation become?
Time to cut the losses. Move 'em back to Winnipeg. Welcome back the Jets. Plan the road trip to MTS Centre, Wild fans.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dog Daze: Pass-happy Wild lose to 'Yotes 3-2
Too many passes, not enough shots equal home loss as Wild position becomes precarious
By Wild Road Tripper
The future for the season of the Minnesota Wild rarely looked so bleak. After starting out against the Phoenix Coyotes with more optimism than they had in weeks -- after all, starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom was fully healthy again, for the first time in a fortnight -- and actually scoring the first goal of the game, for the seventh time in their last eight games -- the 'Yotes came roaring back to beat the Wild Wednesday night, 3-2, before 18,178 at Xcel Energy Center, to sweep the season series from the Wild, 4 games to none.
Well, I wouldn't say 'roaring' back. More like, 'boring' back. This game was a real snoozer, folks. The Wild had plenty of opportunity to score, but time after time, they never went for the ugly, garbage goal. They wanted the 'pretty' goals, the mis-directions into the open net, the no-look passes to open men. One problem:
There weren't any men open very often to pass TO.
The Coyotes defense, stellar all night, clamped down hard in the third period, yet the Wild forwards just didn't get it. You had to go inside on this group to get goals. There were goals to be had. The Wild just didn't want to get their noses bloody enough to go get them.
Now, with the Wild clinging to the slightest of playoff hope, they must sweep the final two games of the pre-Olympic homestand, beginning with the Next Game: vs. Atlanta, Friday, Feb. 12, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Atlanta TV: SportSouth; XM radio, Ch. 209)
By Wild Road Tripper
The future for the season of the Minnesota Wild rarely looked so bleak. After starting out against the Phoenix Coyotes with more optimism than they had in weeks -- after all, starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom was fully healthy again, for the first time in a fortnight -- and actually scoring the first goal of the game, for the seventh time in their last eight games -- the 'Yotes came roaring back to beat the Wild Wednesday night, 3-2, before 18,178 at Xcel Energy Center, to sweep the season series from the Wild, 4 games to none.
Well, I wouldn't say 'roaring' back. More like, 'boring' back. This game was a real snoozer, folks. The Wild had plenty of opportunity to score, but time after time, they never went for the ugly, garbage goal. They wanted the 'pretty' goals, the mis-directions into the open net, the no-look passes to open men. One problem:
There weren't any men open very often to pass TO.
The Coyotes defense, stellar all night, clamped down hard in the third period, yet the Wild forwards just didn't get it. You had to go inside on this group to get goals. There were goals to be had. The Wild just didn't want to get their noses bloody enough to go get them.
Now, with the Wild clinging to the slightest of playoff hope, they must sweep the final two games of the pre-Olympic homestand, beginning with the Next Game: vs. Atlanta, Friday, Feb. 12, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Atlanta TV: SportSouth; XM radio, Ch. 209)
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wild to start 2010-11 season in Finland
Two games vs. Carolina Hurricanes to start NHL season, game vs. Finnish club highlight overseas start in October
By Wild Road Tripper
The National Hockey League announced Tuesday afternoon that the Minnesota Wild will be one of six teams who will begin the 2010-11 season in Europe, playing back-to-back games vs. the Carolina Hurricanes on October 7 & 8, Thursday and Friday, in Helsinki, Finland, at Hartwell Arena, the nation's largest hockey facility. In addition, the Wild will play against TPS Turku, the Finnish Sm-liiga team partially owned by Wild team captain Mikko Koivu, in his hometown.
Other teams and locations announced Tuesday for the 'NHL Premiere' games will include the San Jose Sharks vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Boston Bruins vs. the Phoenix Coyotes in Prague, Czech Republic. There will be two games per day for two of the four days of NHL Premiere. All NHL Premiere games will be carried on the NHL Network; no local TV arrangements were announced Tuesday.
The Wild and Hurricanes currently roster three Finns each: Koivu, Helsinki-native Niklas Backstrom, and Antti Miettinen make up the Finnish Wild contingent, while Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu make up the 'Canes roster of Finns. The trip will shove the pre-season earlier into September as they will play primarily the other five teams going overseas (so they all can stay on the same schedule) before crossing the Swamp -- er, North Atlantic -- to the Land of the REAL Reindeer (hey, Lapland is only a few hours' train ride away!)
And, of course, Finnish saunas...more on this story as it develops.
By Wild Road Tripper
The National Hockey League announced Tuesday afternoon that the Minnesota Wild will be one of six teams who will begin the 2010-11 season in Europe, playing back-to-back games vs. the Carolina Hurricanes on October 7 & 8, Thursday and Friday, in Helsinki, Finland, at Hartwell Arena, the nation's largest hockey facility. In addition, the Wild will play against TPS Turku, the Finnish Sm-liiga team partially owned by Wild team captain Mikko Koivu, in his hometown.
Other teams and locations announced Tuesday for the 'NHL Premiere' games will include the San Jose Sharks vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Boston Bruins vs. the Phoenix Coyotes in Prague, Czech Republic. There will be two games per day for two of the four days of NHL Premiere. All NHL Premiere games will be carried on the NHL Network; no local TV arrangements were announced Tuesday.
The Wild and Hurricanes currently roster three Finns each: Koivu, Helsinki-native Niklas Backstrom, and Antti Miettinen make up the Finnish Wild contingent, while Jussi Jokinen, Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu make up the 'Canes roster of Finns. The trip will shove the pre-season earlier into September as they will play primarily the other five teams going overseas (so they all can stay on the same schedule) before crossing the Swamp -- er, North Atlantic -- to the Land of the REAL Reindeer (hey, Lapland is only a few hours' train ride away!)
And, of course, Finnish saunas...more on this story as it develops.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late: Wild lose second straight
Talk about possible hollow victories...ask the Phoenix Coyotes after Saturday night's game at Jobing.com arena, where the Minnesota Wild came back from four goals down, mounting a comeback for the second straight Saturday, this time only to lose to the Pacific Division-leading 'Yotes, 6-4, before an announced 12,631 attendance, throwing the Wild into a two-game losing streak.
With Guillaume Latendresse's first career hat trick leading the way, the Wild didn't even begin to score until the 17:38 mark of the second period, and even with that, the Wild still were outscored 4-3 in the third period by the Coyotes, who won their second straight and 18th of the season at home overall.
Ed Jovanoski, Phoenix's 'senior' defenseman, thumbed his nose and collected four assists on the night, while the 'Yotes Petr Prucha scored twice and added an assist, just two of nine different Phoenix players padding their point totals this evening.
For the Wild, the first two periods were a higher-speed version of Thursday's game in St. Louis, as thru two periods, they had only managed the one goal and 12 shots on Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. The top line for the Wild -- Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, and Andrew Brunette, a.k.a. "Two Blondes and a Brunette" -- were a combined -13 on the evening, with Bruno leading the 'retreat' at a -5, an all-time record bad night for a single Wild player. The Wild were found chasing the faster Coyotes around the ice all night, even when they made their push to get back in the game, and that was the difference, for as we all know:
Speed kills.
Now that the Wild are back with the pack (they fell to 11th with tonight's loss) in the NHL's Western Conference, they better not look behind them, especially as to their opponent in the NEXT GAME: at Dallas, Monday, Jan. 18, 7:00 PM Central Time, American Airlines Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2 (in HD); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204).
With Guillaume Latendresse's first career hat trick leading the way, the Wild didn't even begin to score until the 17:38 mark of the second period, and even with that, the Wild still were outscored 4-3 in the third period by the Coyotes, who won their second straight and 18th of the season at home overall.
Ed Jovanoski, Phoenix's 'senior' defenseman, thumbed his nose and collected four assists on the night, while the 'Yotes Petr Prucha scored twice and added an assist, just two of nine different Phoenix players padding their point totals this evening.
For the Wild, the first two periods were a higher-speed version of Thursday's game in St. Louis, as thru two periods, they had only managed the one goal and 12 shots on Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. The top line for the Wild -- Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, and Andrew Brunette, a.k.a. "Two Blondes and a Brunette" -- were a combined -13 on the evening, with Bruno leading the 'retreat' at a -5, an all-time record bad night for a single Wild player. The Wild were found chasing the faster Coyotes around the ice all night, even when they made their push to get back in the game, and that was the difference, for as we all know:
Speed kills.
Now that the Wild are back with the pack (they fell to 11th with tonight's loss) in the NHL's Western Conference, they better not look behind them, especially as to their opponent in the NEXT GAME: at Dallas, Monday, Jan. 18, 7:00 PM Central Time, American Airlines Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2 (in HD); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204).
Note: For those of you in the Twin Cities Metro Area, there are organized watch parties available for those of you affected by the Versus-DirecTV dispute. For locations, please see http://www.wild.com/ .
-- WRT
Monday, December 7, 2009
Snooze to Lose II: Wild shutout, lose 2-0 in the desert
For the first half of Monday night's game at Jobing.com Arena, you could have virtually heard a pin drop. It was, indeed, THAT boring. And that boredom spelled the end of the Wild's 5-game winning streak.
For the second half, the Phoenix Coyotes made sure that the Minnesota Wild stayed that way, as the Wild sleep-walked their way to a 2-0 loss in front of 8,981 announced (actual attendance? Who really knows?) hardy souls on a rainy night in the Valley of the Sun.
Ex-Predator Scottie Upshall and ex-Canuck Taylor Pyatt scored for the 'Yotes 44 seconds apart in the second period, both gift goals due to Minnesota mistakes (by Eric Belanger and Shane Hnidy, respectively) which built the 2-0 lead after the second period.
In the third, the Coyotes played the Dave Tippett trap game to perfection for over 14 minutes, as the Wild were held to just two shots on goal in that time frame. The frustration continued thru the rest of the game, as goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and the Phoenix defense shut down the Wild, as their 5-game win streak went by the wayside. As the game ended, a melee ensued with James Sheppard the recipient of a few punches by Phoenix' Vernon Fiddler. Both received 5-minute fighting majors (huh?) for the end-of-game scrum.
Anyhow, the road trip continues with the Next Game vs. Colorado, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pepsi Center. (TV: Versus (Wild viewing parties at Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants for those of you who do not get Versus, info at Wild.com); XM Radio, Ch. 238)
-- WRT
For the second half, the Phoenix Coyotes made sure that the Minnesota Wild stayed that way, as the Wild sleep-walked their way to a 2-0 loss in front of 8,981 announced (actual attendance? Who really knows?) hardy souls on a rainy night in the Valley of the Sun.
Ex-Predator Scottie Upshall and ex-Canuck Taylor Pyatt scored for the 'Yotes 44 seconds apart in the second period, both gift goals due to Minnesota mistakes (by Eric Belanger and Shane Hnidy, respectively) which built the 2-0 lead after the second period.
In the third, the Coyotes played the Dave Tippett trap game to perfection for over 14 minutes, as the Wild were held to just two shots on goal in that time frame. The frustration continued thru the rest of the game, as goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and the Phoenix defense shut down the Wild, as their 5-game win streak went by the wayside. As the game ended, a melee ensued with James Sheppard the recipient of a few punches by Phoenix' Vernon Fiddler. Both received 5-minute fighting majors (huh?) for the end-of-game scrum.
Anyhow, the road trip continues with the Next Game vs. Colorado, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pepsi Center. (TV: Versus (Wild viewing parties at Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants for those of you who do not get Versus, info at Wild.com); XM Radio, Ch. 238)
-- WRT
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