That's our Minnesota Wild, folks! Still sitting on top of the NHL, despite losing the last two games. And yet, the national sports media machine is still having a hard time finding Minnesota on a map of the United States. I'm reminded of the scene in the movie Major League when the team (Cleveland Indians) is doing a commercial for American Express credit card. I tried really hard to find the actual video of this scene but couldn't come up with it on youtube. This is from the IMD movie quotes site:
Everybody: Hello. Do you know us?
[Everybody, except Rick, puts on their caps]
Everybody: We're a Major League Baseball team.
Jake Taylor: But since we haven't won a pennant in over 30 years, nobody recognizes us - not even in our own home town.
Eddie Harris: That's why we carry the American Express card.
Rick Vaughn: No matter how far out of first we are, it's cool. You know, it keeps us from getting shut out at our favorite hotels and restaurant-type places.
Pedro Cerrano: [pointing to us] So if you're looking for some Big-League clout, apply for that little green home-run hitter.
Roger Dorn: Look what it's done for US. People still DON'T recognize us but...
[Roger snaps his fingers]
Lou Brown: We're contenders now.
[Also dressed in a tuxedo, Willie slides into home plate and holds up a green credit card]
Willie Mays Hayes: The American Express card: Don't steal home without it.
This is totally a snapshot of the Wild right now. We'll just continue to do our thing quietly and consistently and see where the chips have fallen come late March. Of course, if the injuries keep piling up we're going to run out of Houston Aeros to call up.
Bring Out Your Dead
Nobody's dead, don't anybody panic out there, but I can't help but think of the scene out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
- Gui is out again after basically one game with "post-concussion" symptoms, meaning his mushed melon still needs time to solidify.
- Seto is recovering from a knee, er - I mean Lower Body injury. While nobody on the Wild is committing to any timeframe there is speculation that it's at least a couple of weeks before he skates by himself.
- Koivu limped off the ice near the end of the overtime at the X Wednesday night against the Hawks.
- PMB got his nose caved in during the waning moments of the Jets game in Winnipeg Tuesday night. Still waiting to hear about the CT results and from Butch whether or not he feels concussion-like symptoms returning since his whole face hurts right now.
- Clutterbuck has just returned from dealing with back to back leg injuries (charley horses).
- Zidlicky (I'll refrain from using my favorite nickname for him for the time being - and thanks to Jane's hubby for coming up with it) has just returned from missing 13 games with concussion issues.
- Cullen missed a game due to the flu bug - let's all pray that he was completely recovered when he played Wednesday night otherwise it will spread like the plague through the locker room.
It's still pending the players union approval but I don't think anyone in the NHL is doubting that the proposed realignment isn't as good as a done deal. Here's how the conferences will look beginning next season:
| East | West | ||
| Conference 1 | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 |
| Carolina | Boston | Chicago | Anaheim |
| New Jersey | Buffalo | Columbus | Calgary |
| NY Islanders | Florida | Dallas | Colorado |
| NY Rangers | Montreal | Detroit | Edmonton |
| Philadelphia | Ottawa | Minnesota | Los Angeles |
| Pittsburgh | Tampa Bay | Nashville | Phoenix |
| Washington | Toronto | St. Louis | San Jose |
| Winnipeg | Vancouver | ||
Say goodbye to those sleep deprivation game starts on the West Coast (at least so friggin' many of them). Say hello to building new (out of old) rivalries with teams that are in our time zone. It's clear that there is no love lost between the Wild and the newly anointed Winnipeg Jets so are we seeing the beginning of something beautiful in terms of a good old fashioned conference rivalry? With Chicago and St. Louis in the same conference as the Wild will there be a return of the Black and Blue series rivalries? All of this remains to be seen but I'm calling the realignment a Winner just based on the extra hours of sleep I'll gain from not having to stay up until 10:30 p.m. before a game STARTS anymore.
Home And Hearth
No matter where I end up at the end of any day as long as my dog is with me I'll be home. Lots of friends have asked me how hard it was to be without a permanent home until getting to Georgia. I just tell them Home Is Where My Dog Is. A very wise person once said: "You can take my money and my job, my house and my home. But leave me my dog for without the love of that precious soul I'd truly be alone."
My home these days is coming along nicely. Some of my MN near-n-dears have been asking for updates so check out the Through The Lens tab for some pictures of the space I share with Buster. As you'll see we're quite comfortable and happy to be here!
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