Playoff Season Begins

Bitter, Table For One
How wrong is this - Phoenix and Nashville are in the playoffs but Minnesota isn't.  It's just fucking wrong.  I mean, desert hockey and grand ole opry hockey makes it but the State Of Hockey doesn't make it to the playoffs.  Jesus Christ, why do I follow this team??    

2011 NHL Playoffs - Round One 
Before I get into things here's my Cup Prediction: 
Western Conference comes down to San Jose and Vancouver with the Sharks taking it.  
Eastern Conference comes down to Pittsburgh and Boston with the Pens taking it.  
Stanley Cup goes to Pittsburgh (limited play by Crosby due to concussion issues) 
***DISCLAIMER***  those of you thinking of betting based on this you should know I've NEVER picked a winner. 

This is my favorite time of year, hockey peeps!  Well, next to 100 degree sunny time of year this is my favorite time of year.  Playoff hockey everywhere you turn!  I was watching the Phoenix/Detroit game, hearing how rockin' loud the fans were, and thinking to myself - 'Man, I miss that vibration and physical buzz you get when you're in a playoff arena.'  And who is texting me while I'm thinking this thought?  Well, that would be the Greatest Hockey Partner In The World, Vicki - telling me she's feeling the exact same thing.  Don't ever try to tell either one of us that we're not hockey twins.  It's pretty much a psychic connection thing between us.

First Round Match Ups

Chicago vs Vancouver 
L.A. vs San Jose
Phoenix vs Detroit
Nashville vs Anaheim
     
New York Rangers vs Washington
Buffalo vs Filthadelphia
Montreal vs Boston
Tampa Bay vs Pittsburgh

Where Are They Now?
I put together a list of former Wild players who are logging extra ice time in the playoffs instead of feeling like shit for having gotten their coach fired...oops, was that out loud?  Anywho - 

• John Scott and Nick Leddy are playing for the Hawks.  I'm not trying to beat a dead horse with Johnsson for Barker and Leddy trade but...
• Derek Boogaard and Marian Gaborik are playing for the Rangers.  Okay, Derek's not really making any impact with the Rangers but he was beloved here in Minnesota at one time.  Gaborik?  Well, he's pretty much the waaay overpaid version of Marty Havlat - plays when he feels like it and it's a beautiful thing when he does.  But we all know it's short-lived because he only likes to work part time...just like Marty Havlat.  
• Sean O'Donnell is playing for the Flyers.  I only mention him because he was with the Wild during our inaugural season and he was the team's very first captain.  He complained the whole time he was here and demanded a trade after that first season, stating that he'd never wanted to come here in the first place.  You can all pretty much guess I'm hoping for a quick and embarrassing first round exit for the Flyers.  
• Pascal Dupuis and Zybenik Michalek are playing for the Penguins.  Good old "Mono Brow" and "Squirrel Nut Zippers."  I wish them well on their quest for the cup. 
• Benoit Pouliot is playing for the Canadians.  PouDiddy is doing better than Patrick O' Sullivan in that he's still up in the NHL and hasn't been shipped off to the farm team - yet.  It's rumored that Benny will likely spend the playoffs in the press box making popcorn in French, kinda like he did for the Wild, only in English. 
• Andy Sutton is playing for the Ducks.  Andy was a total pylon of a defenseman while he was with the Wild but he could land the hay makers when necessary.  I have a signed picture of Andy during his peroxide blond days. 
• Willie Mitchell is playing for the Kings.  Willie's been around the league since leaving the Wild and he's managed to alienate every team he's left with his exit interview comments.  Go San Jose!  
• Eric Belanger and Andrew Ebbett are playing for the Coyotes.  Eric's infamous self-dental work on the Capitals bench during the playoffs last year.  Say what you will about this guy being a cancer in the locker room - at least he shows up every night and guts it out for every team he's been with.  Something Marty Havlat could learn from... Andrew Ebbett is a hard worker, grinder kind of player who probably won't see a ton of ice time but he's in the show, which is more than I can say about anyone on the Wild this season.
• Dominic Moore (yummy, please, may I have some Moore), Adam Hall, Marc-Andre Bergeron (Tea Cup) and Dwayne Roloson are all suited up for the Lightning going into the first round of the playoffs.  All of these players hold special places in my heart but that doesn't sway me into thinking their current team will go far.  I'm saying first round exit but valiant effort, thanks mostly to Roli The Goalie... You go, you old fart!    
• Shane Hnidy and Anton Khudobin are playing for the Bruins.  My Hobbit's in the Cup Playoffs!!  How fucking awesome is that?  Here's an excerpt from one of the articles this week on BostonBruins.com: "Khudobin will take his time in Boston to learn from two of the league’s best goaltenders in Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask." 
“Timmy has really good stats and he’s an unbelievable goalie. Tuukka, he’s an intensive goalie who has a really good glove,” Khudobin said.  “We will have enough days to talk about hockey.”  Asked about his own style, Khudobin said, "I just try to stop the puck."   I just love my little hobbit - he's so genuine...sigh.    

That makes 18 former Wild players who are sharpening their skates and taping their sticks for the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.  Not that I'd want to take all of them back but it does make you wonder...how come they're good enough to play on a team actually in the playoffs but not good enough to still be with the Wild?  

I gotta get back to watching hockey.  Going forward I'll post series scores and updates at the top of the blog and then get into things.  I also have some notes to share from listening to Russo on ESPN 1500 AM earlier tonight.  Here's the replay of the show, including a Twins review that's worth listening before Russo Radio starts. 
    

Year Ten Review

But First, Some Housekeeping...
Yep, I called it - April 11, 2011 and Todd Richards is fired. 

Was Richards thrown under the bus, made to be the sacrificial lamb?  Sure - a little.  Did he have a team with a couple of superstars to work with?  No.  Did he have the buy-in of the players he was coaching?  No.  And that's the difference.  I wasn't in the room, on the ice or in the meetings with the players so all of my ramblings are purely speculation.  Any similarities to what actually plays out in the press in the following weeks and months should be seen as purely lucky conjecture. 
Here's my take - Richards never took control of the team from the get go.  He never earned the respect of the players by showing them he had an actual plan of action they could follow.  Todd was lost, in over his head and it showed on a nightly basis.  Richards didn't hold his key players responsible for executing his vision, whatever that was.  The way he stumbled through every post game press conference led me to believe he probably stumbled through practices and team meetings.  We all saw the results on the ice come game time. 
The top two complaints I'm reading today are the same ones Vicki, Dave and I have had for the last two seasons:
1.  Richards refused to match lines putting the wrong line combos on the ice which gave the visiting team a huge advantage every home game.  Gee, do you think there's a correlation to how crummy our record was at home this season? 
2.  Richards didn't hold his key players responsible for their actions (or should I say non-actions?) and either wouldn't or couldn't communicate with them until the damage was permanently done.  Gee, do you suppose that has something to do with Koivu acting like a spoiled child for much of the season and Havlat acting like a prima dona for the entire season?

I wish the best for Todd as he moves forward with his life and career.  Even though he's not totally to blame - see my Accountability rant further down in this post - he really was out of his element and not fully prepared to do what needed to be done with this team.  Jacques Lemaire left some really big coaching shoes to fill and Todd's still wearing coaching booties, if you will.   

Along with Todd, assistant coach Dave Barr and video coach PJ DeLuca were also fired.  Hmmmm, Rick Wilson - the defensive coach, still on staff.  The one guy who clearly did his job all season long, witnessed by the development of Clayton Stoner, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Falk and Marco Scandella, is still standing.  Of course, Rick's job could also be in peril but it's just not public as of now.  I really think Rick will be here through his last year on his contract.  He's a solid defensive coach and he's the only one in a suit behind the bench that was ever actively guiding the players during a game.  As for Darby Hendrickson, I'm surprised his release wasn't announced along with Barr's and DeLuca's.  My assumption is that Darby will be walking out the front door of the X within minutes of our new head coach walking in the front door.  Let's be honest with each other here, putting Darby behind the Wild bench was the dumbest, emptiest PR move the Wild have ever made.  How else can you explain this man, with ZERO previous coaching experience, getting handed the job if it's not for his hometown/hometeam connection to the Wild?  

And Now - Year Ten Review...
Home Opener, 2011 - Vicki and I are excitedly making our way to our seats for another season of Wild hockey.  We made a pact that we wouldn't speak of this being our last year together as season ticket holders.  The both of us agreed that this season was probably going to suck from a hockey perspective and we didn't need to add any more stress to the mix.  Afterall, we'd lived through the first year of Coach Richards during the previous season and knew we were in for a big dose of 'same story, different season.'  We told each other we'd just enjoy the season for what it was - two friends watching the sport they love, played by the team they love. 
We bounded down the stairs of our section, eager to hear the announcer herald our Call To Arms.  Reaching our seats we found them draped with Year Ten Towels.  The motto for Year Ten was "It's In Our Blood."  This was printed on the towels in large bold black print with the Wild logo just below it and off to the left corner was "EST. 2000" in smaller black print.  Kinda impressive.  Behind the motto/logo the following words were printed in gray shadow:

TENACITY    TRADITION    SPEED    AGILITY    VISION    UNSELFISHNESS    PASSION    HONESTY   COMMITTMENT    FOCUSED    DETERMINATION    MOTIVATION    HARDWORKING    DISCIPLINE    PREPARATION        

Fine upstanding words, these.  Quite an impressive mission statement.  Too bad the players didn't have these towels hanging in their lockers all season long.  Maybe Havlat would have put in a full season's worth of HARDWORKING and UNSELFISHNESS.  Just think if these towels were on the bench during each game.  Maybe Koivu would have more HONESTY and VISION when his team was faltering, including his own performance.  What if the towels were draped across their plane seats each time the team boarded for an out of town series.  Perhaps Gui Latendresse would have put in the proper PREPARATION.  Miettinen might have found his MOTIVATION and Chuck Kobasew could have been more FOCUSED.  If these towels had been passed around at morning practice maybe the players would have united in their PASSION and COMMITTMENT to playing 60 minutes every game.  Or, the players would have the TENACITY and DISCIPLINE it takes to play when they were down by a goal or two.

Yep, fine upstanding words, these.  I've got one more and I'm hoping it will be the word that's tattooed on each player's forehead with a new coach coming in.  That word is ACCOUNTABILITY.  You know, like the players being held ACCOUNTABLE for taking shifts, periods or entire game nights off.  Please, oh great and benevolent Hockey Gods, hear my prayer.  Starting next season make each Wild player, regardless of the size of their paycheck or which letter they wear on their sweater, ACCOUNTABLE.  

It Comes Down To This

Well, here I am - at the end of ten years as a Wild season ticket holder.  I have a pain that can only be described as heartache from the loss of a true love.  Except that this true love will remain a presence in my life; on tv, on the radio, online and the occasional trip home to the X.  My true love also lives on in the 10 years of memorabilia that I've been sorting through and organizing this week.  Oceans of tears have been mixed in with silent smiles broken up by giggles and chuckles as each of the seasons have once again played out for me. 
I have it all, folks - starting with the seat deposit confirmation in 1997 to the naming of the team to the unveiling of the logo and first jersey to the very first game program in 2000 to the 2003 playoff tickets to the hockey survival kit during the lockout to the division title to the end of an era seeing Jacques Lemaire go and now through Year Ten.  
There are game programs, ticket stubs, calendars - both wall and magnet types.  There are mugs - ceramic and glass, drinking glasses and shot glasses, posters and player cards.  There are renewal packages with themes for each season followed by season ticket packages with patches and pins.  There are playoff towels and pom-poms, t-shirts and doggie kerchiefs.  There are mittens, stocking caps and headbands.  There are lunch bags, wrapping paper, key chains, pucks and bobble heads.  That's before I even touch the three expanding cases filled with signed player pictures.  And yes, one of those cases holds only Wes Walz...ALOT of Wes Walz...more Wes Walz than one stalking fan probably deserves or needs.  But he's mine, all mine...
How can I possibly feel so heartbroken and lost surrounded by 13 years of Wild history?  It comes down to having been there.  From wearing a hard hat for the construction tour of the X to getting my picture taken with the Stanley Cup on Opening Night.  Season One through Season Ten, game after game - it comes down to being there.  In my seat, on the edge of my seat, leaping to my feet to cheer and feeling the building vibrate.  Being there, regardless of the weather outside, the kind of day I had leading up to the drop of the puck or even how poorly the Wild played on some nights. 
It comes down to being surrounded by fellow fans who love the team as much as I do, who love hockey as much as I do.  It comes down to Vicki - the best hockey partner EVER.  Who else would have let me profess my love for Wes (at the top of my lungs) as he skated out on the ice before the start of every game?  Or share in the delight of watching Manny Fernandez doing the butterfly splits?  We completed each other's sentences - including the appropriate curse words - when yelling at the team.  She smells her game programs and signs us up for the raffles.  It's all about Vicki singing the Wild Anthem, the National Anthem and Oh, Canada with equal bravado, but REALLY belting out the Bon Jovi tunes during the tv time outs.  It comes down to Vicki being as thrilled as I am at the start of every game when the announcer says: "Okay Minnesota, On Your Feet!  Here They Come...Your Minne-Sota Wild!"      
Vicki will take good care of the seats, along with Dave, going forward and who better to entrust them to?  Still, it comes down to knowing I won't be there for the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of the next Wild season. 

I'm going to try to be done with being maudlin but I ain't promising anything.  I am working on a post which hopefully will purge all of the anger and disappointment I'm feeling towards the team.  They say it's good to get your feelings out in the open...