Catching Some Z's
I meant to stay up last night and post my game review but I chose to sleep instead. I'm coming off of a two week little-to-no-sleep binge which has been totally self-inflicted, it's Horror and Hockey Month, people! Anyway, by the time I was done flossing, brushing and rinsing the bucket of popcorn from between my teeth, the Ambien had kicked in so I let it take me off to the land of nod. Man, what a difference six hours of really good sleep makes! And now, on to some puck thoughts before I spend the afternoon in a dark theater watching Paranormal 2 - for the second time. This movie is the best of the 2010 Horror Season so far!
Mostly Gooder Hockey!
Look, I'm thrilled with the win over my boyfriend's team just as much as the next person (no pun intended to Vicki who was the person next to me at the game). I'm a realist at heart though, an analyst who needs to look at things from all perspectives. I'm also a fan who's been watching this team since the Lemaire era and I've come to know that one well-played game out of the last three does not a play off berth make. Last night was nothing new for this team. When they feel like it, this team plays like they really do belong in the NHL.
Was it great fun and delightful to watch? You Betcha! Casey Wellman, my puppy for this season, has made some strides and continues to make a bid for a permanent spot. He just needs to start trusting his own shooting instincts more. I thought Gilles did pretty well and if he's in the lineup for Saturday's game I'm betting he'll impress even more. Falk is doing so well that this morning he was told to move out of the hotel and find himself some permanent digs. **cough, cough: Ahem - "paging Cam Barker - you're time is up...paging Cam Barker..." This doesn't mean Falk is permanent addition, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with how many games and/or days he's been at the NHL level, but I like that a message is being sent to a slacker.
I had completely forgotten that Kobasew could shine when on a line with the right team mates. I'm sure Vicki thought I was going into seizures over seeing Chuckie out there with Koivu and Bruno. Speaking of Koivu - a HUGE miss on a break away but he did the right thing and got us the game winning goal. Backstrom appears to have found his sacred place of zen and peace. He's simply SPECTACULAR when he's found his center. And did you catch how many times all five of our guys were standing in front of Backs and Just Saying No to the Capitals? No laundry being hung out to dry last night.
Did the game also leave me thinking we're in for a flaming bag of poo from our guys when the Hawks come to play tomorrow? Ya, Sure Dontcha Know. It's exhausting trying to figure out which team will actually show up for each game. It's very tiring, riding this roller coaster of emotions going into every single game. And this is coming from two very avid, passionate fans that have been known to leave sick family at home in order to be at the games. Vicki and I both concurred last night that the lack of effort, more often than not, is wearing us down, making it harder to get excited about making the trek to the arena. Does that mean we're giving up our seats for tomorrow night's game? Heck No!
The song streaming through my Wild brain - which should have Robyn falling off her chair considering I hate disco
Fan-tastic:
There was a very enthusiastic Martin Havlat fan in full Hawks gear in our section last night. He was really vocal in his support of Marty every time #24 was on the ice. In the section next to us was a very enthusiastic Not-A-Havlat-Fan in full Wild gear. The banter back and forth all game was hilarious, and more so for every time Marty whiffed, stood on the blue line or just floated off to wherever the play wasn't. But it was especially entertaining when Martin made his solo breakaway attempt, skating into the Capitals zone - 5 on 1 - and didn't score that got our two sections howling with laughter.
I'm always thrilled to see opposing fans come to town to support their team. Last night was all in good fun and I really hope this particular Havlat Fan is here for the weekend and that we'll get to see him again tomorrow night. Over the last ten years I'm pleased to say that Minnesota Nice has come through for visiting fans in the upper sections 225 & 226. I can't say the same for the some of the lower bowl sections I've sat in over the years. What is about sitting in the lower level that turns Minnesotans into complete idiots? They go out of their way to harass every nearby visiting team fan to the point of fisticuffs and being tossed out of the game. Upper level, doesn't happen - that I've ever witnessed. I guess money really can't buy you class, just a nasty hangover and a recommendation to never come to a Wild game again.
Swiss Miss
So Marty, how's Petr Sykora doing these days? Oh yeah, he's in Switzerland. Tell your agent to shut his trap and then take that into consideration yourself. Talk about harshing the mellow, way to divide a locker room. It irritates me even more considering that you've yet to put a full season in on Wild ice. You spent last season being referred to as Martin Half-Time and Martin Half-Flat. Might I suggest a sincere apology to your team mates and then taking them all out for steaks and bakers at Mancini's.
Great, now I want steak - two days before Sunday.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Numbers Don't Lie, Team United As One, Mad Magazine
Cookin' The Numbers
The announced crowd was just over 17,000 tonight at the X. Do they realize we fans can look around the arena and see the HUGE chunks of empty seats, upper and lower levels as well as the two empty suites? Please, stop lying to yourselves, Wild. It only makes you look worse. Of course nothing looks worse than the product on the ice so who cares if you're fibbing about a thousand empty seats?
Unanimous Vote?
Once again, the Wild came out smoking hot in the first period. Once again the Wild took a vote during the 1st intermission to take the rest of the night off. And Coach Richards seems to have seconded and carried the motion himself. He didn't look upset or distraught or worked up about the lack of COMPETE out of his players for the 2nd and 3rd period. Compete implies that the players showed up for all three periods. Compete infers an honest effort was given by all who took to the ice wearing Wild sweaters. I got a new word for ya, coach: lallygagging. Here it is used in the context to which I am referring:
Now, change some words from baseball vernacular to hockey, such as: " you lallygag the puck around the defensive zone" and "you lallygag your way down to the offensive zone" and "you lallygag on and off the bench".
What, Me Worry?
Coach Richards - NOT CONCERNED about the sudden loss of power play capability... we're 0-8. You're right coach, don't worry about that - worry about cleaning out your desk.
Koivu - downright pissy at reporters asking about the "alleged" fizzled out power play. You're right - worry instead about the 7 penalties your team took tonight...oops, you were in the box for two of them.
For those of you too young to get the What, Me Worry reference: Mad Magazine, scroll down to the Alfred E. Nueman section. For those of you who got the reference - way to be hip beyond your years!
My boyfriend comes to town for Thursday's game. In case some of you aren't familiar with him:
The announced crowd was just over 17,000 tonight at the X. Do they realize we fans can look around the arena and see the HUGE chunks of empty seats, upper and lower levels as well as the two empty suites? Please, stop lying to yourselves, Wild. It only makes you look worse. Of course nothing looks worse than the product on the ice so who cares if you're fibbing about a thousand empty seats?
Unanimous Vote?
Once again, the Wild came out smoking hot in the first period. Once again the Wild took a vote during the 1st intermission to take the rest of the night off. And Coach Richards seems to have seconded and carried the motion himself. He didn't look upset or distraught or worked up about the lack of COMPETE out of his players for the 2nd and 3rd period. Compete implies that the players showed up for all three periods. Compete infers an honest effort was given by all who took to the ice wearing Wild sweaters. I got a new word for ya, coach: lallygagging. Here it is used in the context to which I am referring:
Now, change some words from baseball vernacular to hockey, such as: " you lallygag the puck around the defensive zone" and "you lallygag your way down to the offensive zone" and "you lallygag on and off the bench".
"This is a simple game: you pass the puck, you get the puck, you shoot the puck."
24-13: Kings' advantage in shots on goal over Wild during the final two periods & overtime.
What, Me Worry?
Coach Richards - NOT CONCERNED about the sudden loss of power play capability... we're 0-8. You're right coach, don't worry about that - worry about cleaning out your desk.
Koivu - downright pissy at reporters asking about the "alleged" fizzled out power play. You're right - worry instead about the 7 penalties your team took tonight...oops, you were in the box for two of them.
For those of you too young to get the What, Me Worry reference: Mad Magazine, scroll down to the Alfred E. Nueman section. For those of you who got the reference - way to be hip beyond your years!
My boyfriend comes to town for Thursday's game. In case some of you aren't familiar with him:
Saturday, October 23, 2010
UGLY HOCKEY
Clothes-Lined
Not much else to say about last night's debacle of a hockey game. The Wild hung Jose Theodore out to dry in his team debut. Here's a quote from Burns after the game: "I feel bad. He played great," Wild defenseman Brent Burns said. "Not much help from us. It's tough to throw him to the wolves like that. It felt like we were in our zone a lot. We didn't seem to get it out much." Gee - ya think so, hockey mental giant?? You must have been educated by the great and all-knowing hockey mind of James Sheppard.
Absolutely Inexcusable Hockey Playing
Second night of back to back games - EVERY team does it, suck it up and be an NHL player for God's sake. How come we're consistently the team that lies down and takes a nap on the second game? How many times have we seen our opponent hit the ice after playing the night before and promptly KICK OUR ASS? Too Many! For the kind of money you all make you should be out there doing cartwheels on blades in order to clear the zone, drive to the goal and put the puck in the net. Instead you took the night off because you were tuckered out...from having spent the previous night killing 20 minutes worth of penalties. That's all your own doing as well. You got lucky in that Backstrom decided to stay in his yard and concentrated on just stopping the pucks within his reach. This could have very easily been an O-fer road trip with two division rivals taking big bites out of our butts.
Richards - were you screaming your head off in the locker room after the 1st period? Were you ready to throw Miettinen and Havlat and Latendresse to the back of the bus? Nope, you just let them get away with horrid play - including MIkko Koivu. There's no excuse for your captain to take a night off - ever. That's why he wears the C. He should have been on that bench reaming his team mates for taking shifts off, not moving their feet, not looking where they're passing to and taking the blame for his own actions. That's what unites a team, not everybody just sitting in their own sullen silence. Every time the camera panned our bench it was just a bunch of babies quietly pouting.
Greatest quote of the season, if not ever, from Russo's Blog: "Malhotra was saying fans should stay out of his workspace. He wasn't saying the Wild should stay out of his workspace."
There were very few players who didn't screw the pooch last night. I'm not blind to that.
But for the love of Bobby Orr can somebody, anybody, tell me why:
Not much else to say about last night's debacle of a hockey game. The Wild hung Jose Theodore out to dry in his team debut. Here's a quote from Burns after the game: "I feel bad. He played great," Wild defenseman Brent Burns said. "Not much help from us. It's tough to throw him to the wolves like that. It felt like we were in our zone a lot. We didn't seem to get it out much." Gee - ya think so, hockey mental giant?? You must have been educated by the great and all-knowing hockey mind of James Sheppard.
Absolutely Inexcusable Hockey Playing
Second night of back to back games - EVERY team does it, suck it up and be an NHL player for God's sake. How come we're consistently the team that lies down and takes a nap on the second game? How many times have we seen our opponent hit the ice after playing the night before and promptly KICK OUR ASS? Too Many! For the kind of money you all make you should be out there doing cartwheels on blades in order to clear the zone, drive to the goal and put the puck in the net. Instead you took the night off because you were tuckered out...from having spent the previous night killing 20 minutes worth of penalties. That's all your own doing as well. You got lucky in that Backstrom decided to stay in his yard and concentrated on just stopping the pucks within his reach. This could have very easily been an O-fer road trip with two division rivals taking big bites out of our butts.
Richards - were you screaming your head off in the locker room after the 1st period? Were you ready to throw Miettinen and Havlat and Latendresse to the back of the bus? Nope, you just let them get away with horrid play - including MIkko Koivu. There's no excuse for your captain to take a night off - ever. That's why he wears the C. He should have been on that bench reaming his team mates for taking shifts off, not moving their feet, not looking where they're passing to and taking the blame for his own actions. That's what unites a team, not everybody just sitting in their own sullen silence. Every time the camera panned our bench it was just a bunch of babies quietly pouting.
Greatest quote of the season, if not ever, from Russo's Blog: "Malhotra was saying fans should stay out of his workspace. He wasn't saying the Wild should stay out of his workspace."
There were very few players who didn't screw the pooch last night. I'm not blind to that.
But for the love of Bobby Orr can somebody, anybody, tell me why:
- we think Schultz is soo worth hanging on to?
- we signed Madden?
- Kobasew is still here?
Note to Craig Liepold - you think you're losing money on this team? Visit craigslist some time to see Wild tickets being sold for less than face value by season ticket holders trying to get something, anything in return for their initial investment. And these aren't just game-day dumps, these are dates for games well in advance. I remember the days when you couldn't get near a Wild game without paying twice the face value of a ticket.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Backstrom To The Rescue, GM On The Prowl, Rypien Saga, Nancy's Boyfriend
Wild at Edmonton Recap
Hey, what do you know? There's hockey going on! It's not all lawsuits, disciplinary hearings and multiple Canucks players lying about it despite video proof to the contrary
I was nervous going into tonight's game. Backstrom sucks in Edmonton and looking at Jose's stats, he's even worse. On top of that, the Wild have a proven history of not showing up the game after playing like professional NHLers. I turned on the t.v. at 8:30 to see which team would show up. Five and a half minutes later, we've got a 2-0 lead. Huh, maybe this is our night? At the 6:19 mark our guys starting marching to the penalty box, three consecutive times. The third one cost us a goal and Edmonton is on the board. The Oilers finally get called for hooking and LetsUndress gets the tip-in making it 3-1 Wild heading into the second period.
The second period, well - it was a typical Wild second period. We're not moving our feet, we're feeling cocky, we're being overly non-aggressive...we're taking three more penalties. We spent the majority of the period in the defensive zone, watching as Backstrom stood on his head. He faced 15 shots in the second period. We managed to get the puck on their net 8 times...whoopie. No scoring in the second, but not because Edmonton wasn't trying. There's a reason Taylor Hall was the number one draft pick in June. Good Lord, this kid is going to give us fits in the very near future.
The third period is a study in the migration habits of the Wild Hockey Players. These animals are internally driven to make the trek to the penalty box and nobody seems to know why. It appears it's in their genes to spend 20 minutes per game in the sin bin. Frickin' Horcoff scores on the power play and they're within one goal of evening up the score. Where's my Pepcid??? The Wild manage to play ten and a half minutes without taking a penalty...so that's what Brunette looks like...for awhile there I thought maybe he didn't make the trip. The Oilers are still crossing our blue line like it's a welcome mat - come one, come all! Where the frick is our defense?? Havlat takes a tripping call, it's what he does when he's tired and out of gas - look up his stats. I thought for sure we were heading for overtime even though Backstrom has performed miracles to this point. Give credit to our penalty killing lines but they shouldn't be on the ice for over half the game. Edmonton has had their goalie pulled for like, forever and we PIPE an empty net attempt. It's sad, really. With three minutes left Edmonton goes to the box. Even though the Oilers have a man in the penalty box they're even strength on the ice because their goalie is sitting on the bench. Second time is a charm and Burns pots the empty netter with a single assist to Kaptain Koivu! Vicki is please, no doubt.
20 minutes of penalty time - unacceptable. Greg Zanon is the defenceman of the year already - how many blocked shots did he have for tonight? It's the beard...fear the beard. Hmmm, Zanon...could be in the running to becoming my new last name.
Credit to GLats for playing even though he's sick. Matt Cullen...Is. The. Man.
Can someone explain to me why Madden is supposed to have been such a great signing?
What's Up, Doc?
Could our GM, Chuck Fletcher, be ready to pull the trade lever? Trades In The Making? It appears he's looking to the team's performance in Edmonton and Vancouver this week to see what kind of shake up needs to happen next. I don't think this is just a matter of Todd Richards' job being on the line. I think we're about to see who's the real problem in the locker room. You don't have players making comments such as 'there's been a storm brewing for some time' and not know there's a player or two who've become a weight around the team's neck. I thought since Belanger had been let go the locker room was clear of negativity, but that's not the case. Eric may have been Mr. Crabby Pants, with no sense of humor, but it turns out he wasn't the issue in terms of not showing up out on the ice. This story is just coming into focus and I'm betting we'll be seeing it play out over the next month. Russo's a sleuth, picking up on the subtle things.
Rypien vs Engquist - The "Assault" Continues
Local coverage of this as Russo covers the story from both angles: MN Hockey Fan Hires Attorney. Whether or not you're in the Sue Rypien For All You Can camp or Man Up, Nancy Boy camp, what bothers me the most at this stage of the game is the apparent lack of concern over how the NHL has responded to the James Engquist personally at this point.
From the above-linked Russo article:
"Engquist said nobody from NHL headquarters had called him as of late Wednesday afternoon, so he called Mark Stoffel, Xcel Energy Center's senior director of operations, who gave him the number for NHL security.
"The guy [at NHL security] actually asked me, 'What brings you calling me today?' " said Engquist, "and I was kind of shocked and said, 'What do you think I'm calling for? I'm not asking about the weather in New York right now.' ...
"The only information I got out of him was that this player is going to have some hearing and that's he's been suspended. I asked what the outcome would be, and he said they'll have the hearing and take it from there."
Engquist said he has received no apology from the NHL, the Canucks or Rypien. He said he is "definitely" seeking legal representation.
I would think Bettman himself would be knocking on this guy's door in a gesture of good will, wanting to personally apologize for starters. I realize that Rypien won't be meeting with Colin Campbell until Friday but Gary should reach out to show that it's not all about Rypien, that it's about the fans who make the NHL possible. Without fans in seats, fans buying NHL products there wouldn't be an NHL. For a professional sport that wants so desperately to be back in the realm of the NFL, MLB & NBA I'm surprised that Bettman didn't send a dozen roses and a box of chocolates overnight express. This thing will play itself out, unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to look at it. In the meantime, some of the best, non-sensationalized, national coverage can be found at Puck Daddy
Where's Owen?
I was talking with seat mates at the game last Saturday and there was some thought that Owen Nolan had landed in Phoenix. The last I read on him was that he hadn't signed anywhere in the NHL. So, I googled our favorite Irishman and here's what I found: Nolan To Switzerland. Seems he's determined to have a go in the NHL and playing in Switzerland is a means to that end. I wish him well in his endeavors.
Hey, what do you know? There's hockey going on! It's not all lawsuits, disciplinary hearings and multiple Canucks players lying about it despite video proof to the contrary
I was nervous going into tonight's game. Backstrom sucks in Edmonton and looking at Jose's stats, he's even worse. On top of that, the Wild have a proven history of not showing up the game after playing like professional NHLers. I turned on the t.v. at 8:30 to see which team would show up. Five and a half minutes later, we've got a 2-0 lead. Huh, maybe this is our night? At the 6:19 mark our guys starting marching to the penalty box, three consecutive times. The third one cost us a goal and Edmonton is on the board. The Oilers finally get called for hooking and LetsUndress gets the tip-in making it 3-1 Wild heading into the second period.
The second period, well - it was a typical Wild second period. We're not moving our feet, we're feeling cocky, we're being overly non-aggressive...we're taking three more penalties. We spent the majority of the period in the defensive zone, watching as Backstrom stood on his head. He faced 15 shots in the second period. We managed to get the puck on their net 8 times...whoopie. No scoring in the second, but not because Edmonton wasn't trying. There's a reason Taylor Hall was the number one draft pick in June. Good Lord, this kid is going to give us fits in the very near future.
The third period is a study in the migration habits of the Wild Hockey Players. These animals are internally driven to make the trek to the penalty box and nobody seems to know why. It appears it's in their genes to spend 20 minutes per game in the sin bin. Frickin' Horcoff scores on the power play and they're within one goal of evening up the score. Where's my Pepcid??? The Wild manage to play ten and a half minutes without taking a penalty...so that's what Brunette looks like...for awhile there I thought maybe he didn't make the trip. The Oilers are still crossing our blue line like it's a welcome mat - come one, come all! Where the frick is our defense?? Havlat takes a tripping call, it's what he does when he's tired and out of gas - look up his stats. I thought for sure we were heading for overtime even though Backstrom has performed miracles to this point. Give credit to our penalty killing lines but they shouldn't be on the ice for over half the game. Edmonton has had their goalie pulled for like, forever and we PIPE an empty net attempt. It's sad, really. With three minutes left Edmonton goes to the box. Even though the Oilers have a man in the penalty box they're even strength on the ice because their goalie is sitting on the bench. Second time is a charm and Burns pots the empty netter with a single assist to Kaptain Koivu! Vicki is please, no doubt.
20 minutes of penalty time - unacceptable. Greg Zanon is the defenceman of the year already - how many blocked shots did he have for tonight? It's the beard...fear the beard. Hmmm, Zanon...could be in the running to becoming my new last name.
Credit to GLats for playing even though he's sick. Matt Cullen...Is. The. Man.
Can someone explain to me why Madden is supposed to have been such a great signing?
What's Up, Doc?
Could our GM, Chuck Fletcher, be ready to pull the trade lever? Trades In The Making? It appears he's looking to the team's performance in Edmonton and Vancouver this week to see what kind of shake up needs to happen next. I don't think this is just a matter of Todd Richards' job being on the line. I think we're about to see who's the real problem in the locker room. You don't have players making comments such as 'there's been a storm brewing for some time' and not know there's a player or two who've become a weight around the team's neck. I thought since Belanger had been let go the locker room was clear of negativity, but that's not the case. Eric may have been Mr. Crabby Pants, with no sense of humor, but it turns out he wasn't the issue in terms of not showing up out on the ice. This story is just coming into focus and I'm betting we'll be seeing it play out over the next month. Russo's a sleuth, picking up on the subtle things.
Rypien vs Engquist - The "Assault" Continues
Local coverage of this as Russo covers the story from both angles: MN Hockey Fan Hires Attorney. Whether or not you're in the Sue Rypien For All You Can camp or Man Up, Nancy Boy camp, what bothers me the most at this stage of the game is the apparent lack of concern over how the NHL has responded to the James Engquist personally at this point.
From the above-linked Russo article:
"Engquist said nobody from NHL headquarters had called him as of late Wednesday afternoon, so he called Mark Stoffel, Xcel Energy Center's senior director of operations, who gave him the number for NHL security.
"The guy [at NHL security] actually asked me, 'What brings you calling me today?' " said Engquist, "and I was kind of shocked and said, 'What do you think I'm calling for? I'm not asking about the weather in New York right now.' ...
"The only information I got out of him was that this player is going to have some hearing and that's he's been suspended. I asked what the outcome would be, and he said they'll have the hearing and take it from there."
Engquist said he has received no apology from the NHL, the Canucks or Rypien. He said he is "definitely" seeking legal representation.
I would think Bettman himself would be knocking on this guy's door in a gesture of good will, wanting to personally apologize for starters. I realize that Rypien won't be meeting with Colin Campbell until Friday but Gary should reach out to show that it's not all about Rypien, that it's about the fans who make the NHL possible. Without fans in seats, fans buying NHL products there wouldn't be an NHL. For a professional sport that wants so desperately to be back in the realm of the NFL, MLB & NBA I'm surprised that Bettman didn't send a dozen roses and a box of chocolates overnight express. This thing will play itself out, unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to look at it. In the meantime, some of the best, non-sensationalized, national coverage can be found at Puck Daddy
Where's Owen?
I was talking with seat mates at the game last Saturday and there was some thought that Owen Nolan had landed in Phoenix. The last I read on him was that he hadn't signed anywhere in the NHL. So, I googled our favorite Irishman and here's what I found: Nolan To Switzerland. Seems he's determined to have a go in the NHL and playing in Switzerland is a means to that end. I wish him well in his endeavors.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Sixty Minute Men, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Classy Canuck Fans
Sixty Minute Men!
Now that's what I paid the big bucks for tonight! Great all around effort from the ENTIRE team for ALL three periods! I say bag skate 'em every practice, coach. Especially considering we're going into Edmonton and Vancouver in the next 48 hours. No sitting on laurels boys, now is not the time to think your farts don't stink. The kind of game we witnessed tonight is what we all know these players have in them and how joyous it was to watch it play out before us. As Deanna texted: "the whole game is a highlight reel." She's not wrong.
I have to admit it was hard multi-tasking tonight: shooting pictures, watching the kind of Wild hockey that makes me giddy, razzing the Canucks fans next to us, and worrying about the drunk Wild homers behind us with their beer muscles all flexed up. I'll try to sum it up and if I miss something hopefully Bobbi will catch it.
I'm guessing Gary Bettman will be reading the part of the rule book that talks about never-ever-ever-ever touching a fan to Rick on Wednesday morning.
Russo's Blog, Russo's Game Coverage, Russo's Collective Thoughts Article
• Oh Yeah, Back To The Game - Note to Coach Richards: leave GLat on the line with Havlat and Cullen. Don't ever change it. Or I will bag skate your sorry butt. One game does not a changed player make, but seriously - the way he and Havlat connected last season and now tonight's performance. Let my boy out of the doghouse, coach.
• Barker - didn't blow tonight. In fact, he and Schultz actually had some impressive moves out there. Not that I wouldn't trade them both in a nano second if the opportunity arose, but they didn't suck the life out of their shifts tonight so credit where it's due.
• Matt Cullen - Is. The. Man.
• Staubitz - Boogaard Who? Brad's plenty tough and he can actually skate, pass, shoot and keep up with his line mates on the ice - all at the same time.
• Backstrom - you're like a wandering dog who needs to be neutered in order to get him to STAY IN YOUR OWN YARD. It's ridiculous how far out you're wandering this season, like you'd really rather be anywhere but in our net. Knock It Off. I'll send Vicki after you and that's just not going to be pretty. You did have some very pretty saves tonight. I'm hoping I got a good shot of at least one of them to share with my friends here.
That's it for my recap - Bobbi will let me know if I missed something and we can post it up later in the day. Be sure to read Mr. Russo's coverage of the Rypien Ruckus as it plays out. In the meantime, I'm off to watch Friday The 13th - the original. None of the part 2, III or The Remake crap. Kevin Bacon and six degrees of separation - now that's spooky! Hockey and Horror - my life is good :)
Now that's what I paid the big bucks for tonight! Great all around effort from the ENTIRE team for ALL three periods! I say bag skate 'em every practice, coach. Especially considering we're going into Edmonton and Vancouver in the next 48 hours. No sitting on laurels boys, now is not the time to think your farts don't stink. The kind of game we witnessed tonight is what we all know these players have in them and how joyous it was to watch it play out before us. As Deanna texted: "the whole game is a highlight reel." She's not wrong.
I have to admit it was hard multi-tasking tonight: shooting pictures, watching the kind of Wild hockey that makes me giddy, razzing the Canucks fans next to us, and worrying about the drunk Wild homers behind us with their beer muscles all flexed up. I'll try to sum it up and if I miss something hopefully Bobbi will catch it.
- Bobblehead Night - Got Mikko gettin' jiggy wif' it - got an extra for Vicki so she didn't have to go to bed crying tonight.
- Double Anthem Night - nuff said, except to say that our singer screwed up O' Canada. Both Bobbi and I apologized to the Canuck fans sitting next to us. It's a Minnesota Nice thing I guess, we just felt really bad about it. They thanked us for singing it out loud. I think Bobbi gave them a pass on our anthem cuz it's really hard to sing.
- Vancouver Fans Galore - four of them sitting next to us, all the way from Winnipeg! That's some true fans and they wore their sweaters proudly for all three periods right down to the bitter end. Not like 3/4 of the Wild fans who left half way through the third period to 'avoid the traffic'. They were delightul to talk to and they took pretty much all the crap my fellow Minnesotans dished out with good grace and humor.
- Chasing Luongo from the net. Never. Gets. Old. Ever. Six goal routing of a gold medal olympian feels great, just great! At two goals Wild fans were prematurely chanting Sieve, Sieve, Sieve. At four goals I was leaning towards joining them but there was still a lot of hockey left and it was the second period - you know, the one where the Wild usually takes a steaming dump at center ice and then skates around pretending it's not there. When we went up 5-1 I gave in and chanted right along with the rest and offered my condolences to our Canadian seat mates.
- Unsportsmanlike Conduct - Canuck Rick Rypien went at with Stuabitz in the 2nd, right in front of and leaning into the Wild bench. Our guys took offense and a HUGE group hug ensued, including warm and fuzzies for the refs and linesman. Rypien was escorted to his bench to be given a 10 minute rest in the visitors locker room. Rick decided to get a little frisky with the ref at this point, not a smart move on his part. That's a big no-no in the NHL, somebody should probably read the rule book to him. I'm guessing Colin Campbell will do that, huh? Rypien is just out of control at this point. He's literally being drug down the ramp to the locker room by a number of his team mates when he looks up to see he's being cheered on by a Wild fan, presumably wishing him well for the evening...and all Hell breaks loose.
I'm guessing Gary Bettman will be reading the part of the rule book that talks about never-ever-ever-ever touching a fan to Rick on Wednesday morning.
Russo's Blog, Russo's Game Coverage, Russo's Collective Thoughts Article
• Oh Yeah, Back To The Game - Note to Coach Richards: leave GLat on the line with Havlat and Cullen. Don't ever change it. Or I will bag skate your sorry butt. One game does not a changed player make, but seriously - the way he and Havlat connected last season and now tonight's performance. Let my boy out of the doghouse, coach.
• Barker - didn't blow tonight. In fact, he and Schultz actually had some impressive moves out there. Not that I wouldn't trade them both in a nano second if the opportunity arose, but they didn't suck the life out of their shifts tonight so credit where it's due.
• Matt Cullen - Is. The. Man.
• Staubitz - Boogaard Who? Brad's plenty tough and he can actually skate, pass, shoot and keep up with his line mates on the ice - all at the same time.
• Backstrom - you're like a wandering dog who needs to be neutered in order to get him to STAY IN YOUR OWN YARD. It's ridiculous how far out you're wandering this season, like you'd really rather be anywhere but in our net. Knock It Off. I'll send Vicki after you and that's just not going to be pretty. You did have some very pretty saves tonight. I'm hoping I got a good shot of at least one of them to share with my friends here.
That's it for my recap - Bobbi will let me know if I missed something and we can post it up later in the day. Be sure to read Mr. Russo's coverage of the Rypien Ruckus as it plays out. In the meantime, I'm off to watch Friday The 13th - the original. None of the part 2, III or The Remake crap. Kevin Bacon and six degrees of separation - now that's spooky! Hockey and Horror - my life is good :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Opening Night Photos, Traveling, Spooky Stuff
Sharing The Love
Here are some pictures from the home opener and festivities:
Hockey Road Trip!
The flight is booked, Buster's daycare is lined up and I'm set to visit my family in Georgia for a few days in November. It's a trip to see Vance for his birthday, albeit a week late, but the timing allows us to see the Thrashers host the Wild while I'm there! Okay, I'll be the little kid with a plate full of cake and ice cream over this but I'll pretend it's all about Vance's birthday
Kate's settled in to 2nd grade with one perfect report card so far. She's also landed a solo in the Christmas Musical so I'm strutting around like she's actually got my genes which entitles me to be a proud parent. How is that I'm not living in Georgia? Oh right, something about a hockey team that holds the strings to my soul... and a house that still bears my name on the title.
Here are some pictures from the home opener and festivities:
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| Opening Face Off 2010 |
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| First Wild Goal At Home 2010 |
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| Clutterbuck In A Suit - Yummy! |
I'll post a link to more photos when I've finished editing them and do that copyright thing to them.
Horror Flicks Galore...change that to Gore!
You all know this is a favorite time of the year for me just based on the start of a new hockey season. What some of you may not know, prepare to cringe, is that I'm hooked on horror flicks. This is the time of year when cable channels roll marathons of classic horror movies. The theaters are brimming with newly released slasher/paranormal/don't-go-into-the-dark-basement movies. I love being scared to death, while having my sensibilities tested...do the graphics work, do the body parts look real, does the plot follow to a somewhat believable conclusion, is it just gore for the sake of gore? Do you suppose eHarmony has a category for 'must love horror movies' in their profiles? Buster does the happy dance in the kitchen every night during this time of year. While I'm popping my personal favorite scary movies into the DVD player, he's excitedly waiting by the microwave for the popcorn to finish popping. It's the small things in life that make him happy and I'm glad to oblige. Who else is going to curl up with me on the couch while I watch Pinhead go to town in the Hellraiser movie series and not pass judgement?
Hockey Road Trip!
The flight is booked, Buster's daycare is lined up and I'm set to visit my family in Georgia for a few days in November. It's a trip to see Vance for his birthday, albeit a week late, but the timing allows us to see the Thrashers host the Wild while I'm there! Okay, I'll be the little kid with a plate full of cake and ice cream over this but I'll pretend it's all about Vance's birthday
Kate's settled in to 2nd grade with one perfect report card so far. She's also landed a solo in the Christmas Musical so I'm strutting around like she's actually got my genes which entitles me to be a proud parent. How is that I'm not living in Georgia? Oh right, something about a hockey team that holds the strings to my soul... and a house that still bears my name on the title.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
In The Harsh Light Of Day, Reality Sets In
I didn’t want to rain on anybody’s warm and fuzzy feelings about the Year Ten kick off and the home opener. That’s the reason I’ve held on to this post since the Finland Fiasco. After last night’s game I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to start trusting my instincts. Here’s the post I’ve been holding since the games in Finland:
More Questions Than Answers
Ten years into the Wild franchise and we’ve got no definition, no set path, no clear vision for the near future or the next ten years. The team exceeded expectations early in the Wild’s infancy but that glorious run in 2002/2003 is a very distant memory at this point. We’ve gone from being billed as Gaborik’s team to being his bitches as he skated out of town without any regrets. We’ve gone from the Lemaire era to the I-dunno-wtf-we’re-doing era. Most say this is Mikko’s team, and I don’t think that’s a wrong assertion. Heck, Vicki and I (along with fans who’ve been there game in and game out over the seasons) have been calling Mikko captain for far longer than he’s been wearing that C. He’s been the one constant over the last five years. Gaborik showed up on the ice when he felt like it. Bruno was summarily dismissed and then graciously came back. Wes is gone. Yeah, there’s Schultz but really – he’s only just started coming to camp without 10 extra pounds to lose and in the right mental frame of mind. We’ve seen lots of other players come and go over the years, at trade deadlines or at the end of contract terms. We’ve seen a change at the helm and said goodbye to the only father figure we had to that point.
Ten years later, the Wild marketing team wants you to buy in to the whole "Year Ten" thing like there's been a boatload of successes to celebrate during those ten years. We're being hammered with the 10 best games, the 10 best moments, the ten best players, the 10 best bowel movements...I digress. The whole Year Ten concept is truely based on that run to the Cup in 2003. Wake up! That was 7 friggin' years ago and we've been just short of the laughing stock of the NHL since then thanks to Doug Risebrough and an owner that let him run wild - no pun intended.
Being a lifelong hockey fan in the state of Minnesota, there’s nothing like the smell of a brand new hockey season. On top of that we’ve got a new owner, new GM, new coaching staff, a whole lotta new players in the last year – sounds like a new start, right? Yet, there’s no ‘new team’ smell. The new owner states he’s in this to win it, not lose. The new GM states he’s not waiting for push to come to shove when in need of players or trades. The new coach touted a 'run and gun' style of play that would put pucks in the net and a division/conference leading points total on the board. Well let's see: the new owner is already claiming losses in the ten million dollar range. The new coach already finds himself on the career dissipation watch while still using that irritating ‘compete factor’ phrase.
How does that make you feel towards this franchise? What am I feeling towards a team that ties my soul to this state when nothing else does? I'm disgusted - and it’s okay to feel that way toward your hockey team. I'm not a blind homer who does the rah-rah-sis-boom-bah dance that signifies mindless fans who think losing is a great thing and a group hug is all we need to get through the hard times. Is this feeling of disgust aimed at the owner, the GM or the coach? Sure, there’s enough blame to go around but I have to admit that I’m really disgusted with the players.
How is it that other teams in the NHL can put it all out there night after night, regardless of who’s coaching or GM’g or their given styles of coaching and GM’g? How do other teams get through adversity such as traded star players or injured star players? Yes, players come and go from teams. But so do coaches and GM’s. Yeah, I get that you can’t fire a whole team of players. But let’s look at things openly and honestly. How many years has this team been horrible on the power play? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. Don’t kid yourselves – this ‘newfound’ power play kick the team is on isn’t because the team has gelled or is clicking. How long have we been trapped in our own zone thanks to horrid defensive play? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. How long have our players not given 100% for an entire game? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. How long have the players not been held accountable for their actions? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here.
And yet, who will be accountable for all of this? The head coach will take the fall. So, let’s say Richards is outta here before the end of the month. Then what? More excuses about how the team will need to gel with the new coach and yet another system? In the blink of an eye we’ll be on the other side of the first half of the season with nothing more to show for it than an empty arena with no hope of making it to the playoffs.
Here’s a word of advice to outgoing Coach Richards. Some have accused Richards of being emotionless – and they wouldn’t be wrong. Well Todd, you’ve got nothing to lose at this point so let your effinghiemers fly. Let the guys have it when they don’t want to play in any given period. Don’t be afraid to use that interview in between periods to call out individual players for their horrid play in the previous period. It’s become painfully clear that the whole Minnesota Nice thing isn’t really working. This whole ‘not in front of the chidren’ approach isn’t exactly working either. Throw a tirade on the bench, get jiggy with it and call out some names during those post game interviews. This isn’t a private matter between coach and players. I don’t know if you and the rest of the Wild management have figured this out yet but your fans/season ticket holders pay your salary. Stop singing the praises of a team who only showed up for five minutes of the entire game. This ain’t Tee Ball for Toddlers. Not everyone is a winner and gets a trophy to ensure nobody’s feelings are hurt.
News Bulletin 10.17.2010:
Well, it seems that my angst, along with many other's has been heard. According to Russo's Tweets, it sounds like our coach doesn’t plan on going down without taking some players with him. It’s about time. The fans booed the team off the ice after the first period last night against Columbus and rightly so. Once again, the players made a conscious decision to take an entire period off. Once again, the players made us fans (all 17,000 non-sell out fans, that is) look like idiots for continuing to support this team. Read Russo's Blog for the full scoop.
I'll let you chew on this while I step off my rant box and take a deep breath. I'm sure I'll hear from all the "can't we all just love the Wild blindly" fans that think it's sacrilege to ever say a disparaging word about the home team. Whatever. Grow a pair and schedule a vision exam because you need a reality check, not a group hug.
More Questions Than Answers
Ten years into the Wild franchise and we’ve got no definition, no set path, no clear vision for the near future or the next ten years. The team exceeded expectations early in the Wild’s infancy but that glorious run in 2002/2003 is a very distant memory at this point. We’ve gone from being billed as Gaborik’s team to being his bitches as he skated out of town without any regrets. We’ve gone from the Lemaire era to the I-dunno-wtf-we’re-doing era. Most say this is Mikko’s team, and I don’t think that’s a wrong assertion. Heck, Vicki and I (along with fans who’ve been there game in and game out over the seasons) have been calling Mikko captain for far longer than he’s been wearing that C. He’s been the one constant over the last five years. Gaborik showed up on the ice when he felt like it. Bruno was summarily dismissed and then graciously came back. Wes is gone. Yeah, there’s Schultz but really – he’s only just started coming to camp without 10 extra pounds to lose and in the right mental frame of mind. We’ve seen lots of other players come and go over the years, at trade deadlines or at the end of contract terms. We’ve seen a change at the helm and said goodbye to the only father figure we had to that point.
Ten years later, the Wild marketing team wants you to buy in to the whole "Year Ten" thing like there's been a boatload of successes to celebrate during those ten years. We're being hammered with the 10 best games, the 10 best moments, the ten best players, the 10 best bowel movements...I digress. The whole Year Ten concept is truely based on that run to the Cup in 2003. Wake up! That was 7 friggin' years ago and we've been just short of the laughing stock of the NHL since then thanks to Doug Risebrough and an owner that let him run wild - no pun intended.
Being a lifelong hockey fan in the state of Minnesota, there’s nothing like the smell of a brand new hockey season. On top of that we’ve got a new owner, new GM, new coaching staff, a whole lotta new players in the last year – sounds like a new start, right? Yet, there’s no ‘new team’ smell. The new owner states he’s in this to win it, not lose. The new GM states he’s not waiting for push to come to shove when in need of players or trades. The new coach touted a 'run and gun' style of play that would put pucks in the net and a division/conference leading points total on the board. Well let's see: the new owner is already claiming losses in the ten million dollar range. The new coach already finds himself on the career dissipation watch while still using that irritating ‘compete factor’ phrase.
How does that make you feel towards this franchise? What am I feeling towards a team that ties my soul to this state when nothing else does? I'm disgusted - and it’s okay to feel that way toward your hockey team. I'm not a blind homer who does the rah-rah-sis-boom-bah dance that signifies mindless fans who think losing is a great thing and a group hug is all we need to get through the hard times. Is this feeling of disgust aimed at the owner, the GM or the coach? Sure, there’s enough blame to go around but I have to admit that I’m really disgusted with the players.
How is it that other teams in the NHL can put it all out there night after night, regardless of who’s coaching or GM’g or their given styles of coaching and GM’g? How do other teams get through adversity such as traded star players or injured star players? Yes, players come and go from teams. But so do coaches and GM’s. Yeah, I get that you can’t fire a whole team of players. But let’s look at things openly and honestly. How many years has this team been horrible on the power play? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. Don’t kid yourselves – this ‘newfound’ power play kick the team is on isn’t because the team has gelled or is clicking. How long have we been trapped in our own zone thanks to horrid defensive play? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. How long have our players not given 100% for an entire game? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here. How long have the players not been held accountable for their actions? Way longer than Coach Richards has been here.
And yet, who will be accountable for all of this? The head coach will take the fall. So, let’s say Richards is outta here before the end of the month. Then what? More excuses about how the team will need to gel with the new coach and yet another system? In the blink of an eye we’ll be on the other side of the first half of the season with nothing more to show for it than an empty arena with no hope of making it to the playoffs.
Here’s a word of advice to outgoing Coach Richards. Some have accused Richards of being emotionless – and they wouldn’t be wrong. Well Todd, you’ve got nothing to lose at this point so let your effinghiemers fly. Let the guys have it when they don’t want to play in any given period. Don’t be afraid to use that interview in between periods to call out individual players for their horrid play in the previous period. It’s become painfully clear that the whole Minnesota Nice thing isn’t really working. This whole ‘not in front of the chidren’ approach isn’t exactly working either. Throw a tirade on the bench, get jiggy with it and call out some names during those post game interviews. This isn’t a private matter between coach and players. I don’t know if you and the rest of the Wild management have figured this out yet but your fans/season ticket holders pay your salary. Stop singing the praises of a team who only showed up for five minutes of the entire game. This ain’t Tee Ball for Toddlers. Not everyone is a winner and gets a trophy to ensure nobody’s feelings are hurt.
News Bulletin 10.17.2010:
Well, it seems that my angst, along with many other's has been heard. According to Russo's Tweets, it sounds like our coach doesn’t plan on going down without taking some players with him. It’s about time. The fans booed the team off the ice after the first period last night against Columbus and rightly so. Once again, the players made a conscious decision to take an entire period off. Once again, the players made us fans (all 17,000 non-sell out fans, that is) look like idiots for continuing to support this team. Read Russo's Blog for the full scoop.
I'll let you chew on this while I step off my rant box and take a deep breath. I'm sure I'll hear from all the "can't we all just love the Wild blindly" fans that think it's sacrilege to ever say a disparaging word about the home team. Whatever. Grow a pair and schedule a vision exam because you need a reality check, not a group hug.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Red Carpet Disaster, Wild Alumi, Home Opener Tradition
How Not To Host A Red Carpet Event Featuring Wild Players at Year Ten Home Opener
1. Have fans show up 4 hours before the puck drops for said red carpet event - leaving work & school early to attend
2. Don't prep the players on how a red carpet event works
3. Have the players show up 30 minutes late to event
4. Have players straggle in anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes in between each arrival
5. Have the players sprint down the red carpet without acknowledging the fans
6. Have FSN, Wild cameramen completely surround players, blocking them from being seen by fans
7. Make Kevin Falness beg each player for a comment before they continue sprinting to locker room
8. Interview players behind archway of balloons and pillars, surrounded by cameramen so fans can't see them
9. Don't have food vendors cook hot dogs/brats during red carpet event that finishes...45 minutes late
10. Don't prep for the coming hordes at giveaway tables during the 1.5 hour red carpet event - just wait to put out pencils and forms when there are 200 hungry and thirsty people screaming at you
Where Has The Time Gone?
I was wearing my age defying glasses yesterday. I saw the same young players sitting before me as were pictured on the 10 year old programs I was giving them to sign. No battle scars from a Cinderella run at the Stanley Cup yet, no career-ending concussion or injuries yet, no Iron Fin title for consecutive games played yet. Just four young players who were looking to make their mark with a brand new team in this place dubbed the State of Hockey.
Cam Stewart - The Small But Impactful. For those of you who weren't really watching the Wild in Year One - think Cal Clutterbuck and you've pegged Cam. Small in size but BIG on finished hits. Sorry Cam, but there's no way you've got an an inch on Wes, as indicated inside the game program you signed. You were standing next to Wes last night and clearly you were not taller, or even the same height. Cam was delightful to chat with and even joked with 'Walzy' about his one and only program cover from March 25, 2001. It appears that this may be the only picture the Wild ever took of Cam in action as 9 years later it's the photo being used on the stack of cards he's now signing for the fans lined up to greet him. All four players got a huge laugh out of it and Cam thanked me for holding on to the program for all these years. Like I wouldn't have it???
Jeff Nielsen - Home Boy Extraordinaire. He honestly doesn't appear to have aged at all. He looks just the same as his picture in the 2000/2001 team yearbook he signed all those years ago. He's quietly charming and in complete awe over the line of fans wrapped around the RiverCenter waiting for their chance to speak to him.
Antti Laaksonen - The Iron Fin. He's the original Antti, the original Fin on the team. Laakso still has piercing blue eyes and is still pretty shy about this whole fan idolizing thing. He was stunned to see the program I brought for him to sign. He read the date (December 17, 2000 vs Dallas Stars) out loud to Wes who was sitting next to him. Antti then asked to see the program I had Wes sign - it was dated February 8, 2002. Antti told Wes he clearly wasn't as important, with a 2002 program after all...Wes looked at me and we both just laughed. Antti didn't quite get it but that's okay - Wes and I did. The truth is, I was completely surprised to find a program (or anything Wild for that matter, that Wes hadn't already signed for me). I came across it while I was digging through my bins of Wild memorabilia in prep for this event. Yes, there are bins - six of them for all of the seasons that have come and gone for the Wild to date.
Wes Walz - Consummate Team Player. Always there, both on the ice and off during his playing career with the Wild. Always on hand for special events afterwards, even while coaching for an opposing Eastern Conference team. Moved his family back to Minnesota after parting ways with Tampa Bay. The Wild keep calling him to do appearances and he always says yes. Lucky for them, lucky for all of us fans who know that he's always been the heart and soul of this team - and likely always will be. There isn't another player, current or past, who gets louder applause and more public affection than he does. Some day, in the not so distant future, Mikko will attain the same status. He's got the same drive and intensity as Wes. But for the first ten years it's Wes who represents what this team was built for. Lemaire may have molded Wes into a defensive forward, but Wes provided the dedication and determination to make himself into whatever it took to successfully play the game he loves. Considering the hard work and effort it took to get the NHL back to Minnesota, it's easy to see why we consider Wes to be the player who best represents the State of Hockey.
My thanks to all four gentlemen for having taken the time out of their personal lives to help celebrate the first ten years of Wild memories.
Wild Home Opener Tradition Still Stands!
There was an undertone of concern going into last night's game. It kind of kept the fans from really getting into the pre-game video and player introductions. The house didn't rock like it has in years past on opening night at the X. There wasn't that physical hum and buzz that you normally feel. Sure it was the Oilers - who've been our bitches for some time now. Sure it was double anthem night. Sure there were cheers for our players as they were announced. But it wasn't thunderous. The concrete didn't vibrate beneath our feet. It just wasn't the same as all the other home openers. There was tension in the air. There was that one nagging question hanging on everyone's mind...would the Wild show up for this game?
Our boys got off on the wrong foot by taking two penalties just minutes apart. For a crowd that was already nervous this didn't give us much to cheer about. The Oilers took their first penalty about six minutes in. Normally this makes Vicki and I both cringe. We're all for the Wild adopting the NFL rule where you can decline a penalty. The Wild's power play hasn't exactly been powerful for a number of seasons now - which, BTW, has nothing to do with who's been coaching - look it up. It seems our guys have figured it out, at least for the time being. On a beautiful sequence of passing, which I have to begrudgingly give sole credit to Cam Barker for starting, the 'new' Antti scored and the Wild were up 1-0. The lead would hold in the first period, despite the Wild taking penalty numbers 3 and 4 - so our penalty kill was looking much better than the previous two games.
The second period seems to be our vexing hour. The Wild always find a way to self-implode during this period. Dustin Penner scored on an Oiler power play thanks to GLat being sooo slow on his skates this year that he has to trip an opponent in order to overtake them. Five minutes later Tom Gilbert (home-boy) scored an even strength goal with a slap shot that Backstrom never even saw. The assist went to Horcoff (boooo, hissssss) and you could visibly see the Wild deflate, slump and start lagging. The Oilers got too full of themselves and started taking consecutive penalties in the last five to six minutes of the period. The Wild did themselves a favor and scored on two of the three power plays Edmonton provided. Captain Koivu gets credit for both goals, one a tip-in and the second one was a beautiful wrist shot. OMG - where did our power play come from? Can we keep it, can we, huh, huh, huh?? I promise to feed it and care for it, pretty please?!!
We go into the third period up 3-2 and former Wild player Kurtis Foster seems determined to give his former team a present. He goes to the box twice within 7 minutes and that second time was a charm for the Wild. Yet another power play goal for the home team - this one from newcomer Matt Cullen (wearing my lucky number, thanks for getting it off of Stoner's back). The arena is loud and proud for sure now with a two goal lead! This is the worst time of the game for Vicki and me - way too much time left in the third period and the Wild's history of sitting back on a lead gives us both acid indigestion. Our guys made a couple of WTF-are-you-doing plays, including Backstrom deciding to wander out of his yard AGAIN. Staubitz, who was determined ALL game to get into a fight, finally settled for a hooking penalty but the Wild held strong on the penalty kill.
After having earned the tie in their inaugural home opener way back on October 11, 2000 the Wild have won each of their consecutive home openers afterwards. The tenth season is truly underway now!!
While we've got this win under our belts there's still that uneasy feeling creeping into our minds. There are far too many questions regarding the Wild's future as a real contender for the cup after ten years of blind puppy love. I've got a post in the wings on that, but for now let's savor the Wild Home Opener 2010 and the this beautiful autumn day.
Notable Game Memories:
I was conversing with Robyn and Vicki earlier in the day and had mentioned how Vicki is always good luck which meant we were bound to win one of the give-away items during the game. Well, neither of us went home with a game worn jersey, or free tickets to a future game but I did receive two wonderful surprises. And being a type A person, surprises aren't something I normally take a liking to.
First, Vicki made homemade Wild scarves for each of us. She used red, green and white fleece which her mother had picked up prior to having passed on. It had been her mom's intent to make something for Vicki to wear while watching the Wilds play. Her mom always referred to the team as the Wilds. It was endearing coming from Vicki's mom so there was never really much effort put into correcting her. I am so honored that Vicki would consider sharing this piece of her mom with me. I wore my scarf proudly and will do so for every game going forward. In fact, it was the scarf that got me my second surprise...
I was taking pictures of the alumni players (translate: intent to stalk Wes, but ended up getting great shots of Cam instead). I was proudly talking up my new scarf to a fellow fan when I was approached by one of the Wild event personnel folks. She asked if I had tickets to the game and my response was "10 years running!" She asked if I wanted to ride the Zamboni after the team was done with the pregame skate. Of course my response was "for 10 years and running!" After 10 years of wanting to drive the Zamboni, at least I was going to ride it, woo-hoo!! I got to watch the pregame skate from the Zamboni tunnel - translate: nice ass, Backstrom ;) I got to meet the Color Guard representatives and the Wild flag bearer. I got to realize my worst fears - heights and moving while being on something high. Holy Wayne Gretzky, those suckers sit high up off the ground! There were portable stairs and an alley oop move involved just to reach my seat and get buckled in. Then the driver (30 years in the business) started up the engine and we were off. Totally different perspective of the arena from my perch and the driver couldn't have been nicer, talking with me the whole time. At least I didn't cry or puke - two very likely outcomes when it's me dealing with heights. There will be pictures coming in the next week or two and I'll share them here.
The best thing about the night was of course, being in the arena for the start of another hockey season. Sharing it with the best hockey partner anybody could ask for made it feel like home. Welcome to Year Ten, Vicki. You're right - it's OUR season, let's make it the most fun one yet!
Robyn - sorry you're missing the games because of the tiff between Dish and FSN. But the bright spot - I LOVE MY CAMERA!! I'll post game pictures very soon. Thanks again to the eBay Queen.
1. Have fans show up 4 hours before the puck drops for said red carpet event - leaving work & school early to attend
2. Don't prep the players on how a red carpet event works
3. Have the players show up 30 minutes late to event
4. Have players straggle in anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes in between each arrival
5. Have the players sprint down the red carpet without acknowledging the fans
6. Have FSN, Wild cameramen completely surround players, blocking them from being seen by fans
7. Make Kevin Falness beg each player for a comment before they continue sprinting to locker room
8. Interview players behind archway of balloons and pillars, surrounded by cameramen so fans can't see them
9. Don't have food vendors cook hot dogs/brats during red carpet event that finishes...45 minutes late
10. Don't prep for the coming hordes at giveaway tables during the 1.5 hour red carpet event - just wait to put out pencils and forms when there are 200 hungry and thirsty people screaming at you
Where Has The Time Gone?
I was wearing my age defying glasses yesterday. I saw the same young players sitting before me as were pictured on the 10 year old programs I was giving them to sign. No battle scars from a Cinderella run at the Stanley Cup yet, no career-ending concussion or injuries yet, no Iron Fin title for consecutive games played yet. Just four young players who were looking to make their mark with a brand new team in this place dubbed the State of Hockey.
Cam Stewart - The Small But Impactful. For those of you who weren't really watching the Wild in Year One - think Cal Clutterbuck and you've pegged Cam. Small in size but BIG on finished hits. Sorry Cam, but there's no way you've got an an inch on Wes, as indicated inside the game program you signed. You were standing next to Wes last night and clearly you were not taller, or even the same height. Cam was delightful to chat with and even joked with 'Walzy' about his one and only program cover from March 25, 2001. It appears that this may be the only picture the Wild ever took of Cam in action as 9 years later it's the photo being used on the stack of cards he's now signing for the fans lined up to greet him. All four players got a huge laugh out of it and Cam thanked me for holding on to the program for all these years. Like I wouldn't have it???
Jeff Nielsen - Home Boy Extraordinaire. He honestly doesn't appear to have aged at all. He looks just the same as his picture in the 2000/2001 team yearbook he signed all those years ago. He's quietly charming and in complete awe over the line of fans wrapped around the RiverCenter waiting for their chance to speak to him.
Antti Laaksonen - The Iron Fin. He's the original Antti, the original Fin on the team. Laakso still has piercing blue eyes and is still pretty shy about this whole fan idolizing thing. He was stunned to see the program I brought for him to sign. He read the date (December 17, 2000 vs Dallas Stars) out loud to Wes who was sitting next to him. Antti then asked to see the program I had Wes sign - it was dated February 8, 2002. Antti told Wes he clearly wasn't as important, with a 2002 program after all...Wes looked at me and we both just laughed. Antti didn't quite get it but that's okay - Wes and I did. The truth is, I was completely surprised to find a program (or anything Wild for that matter, that Wes hadn't already signed for me). I came across it while I was digging through my bins of Wild memorabilia in prep for this event. Yes, there are bins - six of them for all of the seasons that have come and gone for the Wild to date.
Wes Walz - Consummate Team Player. Always there, both on the ice and off during his playing career with the Wild. Always on hand for special events afterwards, even while coaching for an opposing Eastern Conference team. Moved his family back to Minnesota after parting ways with Tampa Bay. The Wild keep calling him to do appearances and he always says yes. Lucky for them, lucky for all of us fans who know that he's always been the heart and soul of this team - and likely always will be. There isn't another player, current or past, who gets louder applause and more public affection than he does. Some day, in the not so distant future, Mikko will attain the same status. He's got the same drive and intensity as Wes. But for the first ten years it's Wes who represents what this team was built for. Lemaire may have molded Wes into a defensive forward, but Wes provided the dedication and determination to make himself into whatever it took to successfully play the game he loves. Considering the hard work and effort it took to get the NHL back to Minnesota, it's easy to see why we consider Wes to be the player who best represents the State of Hockey.
My thanks to all four gentlemen for having taken the time out of their personal lives to help celebrate the first ten years of Wild memories.
Wild Home Opener Tradition Still Stands!
There was an undertone of concern going into last night's game. It kind of kept the fans from really getting into the pre-game video and player introductions. The house didn't rock like it has in years past on opening night at the X. There wasn't that physical hum and buzz that you normally feel. Sure it was the Oilers - who've been our bitches for some time now. Sure it was double anthem night. Sure there were cheers for our players as they were announced. But it wasn't thunderous. The concrete didn't vibrate beneath our feet. It just wasn't the same as all the other home openers. There was tension in the air. There was that one nagging question hanging on everyone's mind...would the Wild show up for this game?
Our boys got off on the wrong foot by taking two penalties just minutes apart. For a crowd that was already nervous this didn't give us much to cheer about. The Oilers took their first penalty about six minutes in. Normally this makes Vicki and I both cringe. We're all for the Wild adopting the NFL rule where you can decline a penalty. The Wild's power play hasn't exactly been powerful for a number of seasons now - which, BTW, has nothing to do with who's been coaching - look it up. It seems our guys have figured it out, at least for the time being. On a beautiful sequence of passing, which I have to begrudgingly give sole credit to Cam Barker for starting, the 'new' Antti scored and the Wild were up 1-0. The lead would hold in the first period, despite the Wild taking penalty numbers 3 and 4 - so our penalty kill was looking much better than the previous two games.
The second period seems to be our vexing hour. The Wild always find a way to self-implode during this period. Dustin Penner scored on an Oiler power play thanks to GLat being sooo slow on his skates this year that he has to trip an opponent in order to overtake them. Five minutes later Tom Gilbert (home-boy) scored an even strength goal with a slap shot that Backstrom never even saw. The assist went to Horcoff (boooo, hissssss) and you could visibly see the Wild deflate, slump and start lagging. The Oilers got too full of themselves and started taking consecutive penalties in the last five to six minutes of the period. The Wild did themselves a favor and scored on two of the three power plays Edmonton provided. Captain Koivu gets credit for both goals, one a tip-in and the second one was a beautiful wrist shot. OMG - where did our power play come from? Can we keep it, can we, huh, huh, huh?? I promise to feed it and care for it, pretty please?!!
We go into the third period up 3-2 and former Wild player Kurtis Foster seems determined to give his former team a present. He goes to the box twice within 7 minutes and that second time was a charm for the Wild. Yet another power play goal for the home team - this one from newcomer Matt Cullen (wearing my lucky number, thanks for getting it off of Stoner's back). The arena is loud and proud for sure now with a two goal lead! This is the worst time of the game for Vicki and me - way too much time left in the third period and the Wild's history of sitting back on a lead gives us both acid indigestion. Our guys made a couple of WTF-are-you-doing plays, including Backstrom deciding to wander out of his yard AGAIN. Staubitz, who was determined ALL game to get into a fight, finally settled for a hooking penalty but the Wild held strong on the penalty kill.
After having earned the tie in their inaugural home opener way back on October 11, 2000 the Wild have won each of their consecutive home openers afterwards. The tenth season is truly underway now!!
While we've got this win under our belts there's still that uneasy feeling creeping into our minds. There are far too many questions regarding the Wild's future as a real contender for the cup after ten years of blind puppy love. I've got a post in the wings on that, but for now let's savor the Wild Home Opener 2010 and the this beautiful autumn day.
Notable Game Memories:
I was conversing with Robyn and Vicki earlier in the day and had mentioned how Vicki is always good luck which meant we were bound to win one of the give-away items during the game. Well, neither of us went home with a game worn jersey, or free tickets to a future game but I did receive two wonderful surprises. And being a type A person, surprises aren't something I normally take a liking to.
First, Vicki made homemade Wild scarves for each of us. She used red, green and white fleece which her mother had picked up prior to having passed on. It had been her mom's intent to make something for Vicki to wear while watching the Wilds play. Her mom always referred to the team as the Wilds. It was endearing coming from Vicki's mom so there was never really much effort put into correcting her. I am so honored that Vicki would consider sharing this piece of her mom with me. I wore my scarf proudly and will do so for every game going forward. In fact, it was the scarf that got me my second surprise...
I was taking pictures of the alumni players (translate: intent to stalk Wes, but ended up getting great shots of Cam instead). I was proudly talking up my new scarf to a fellow fan when I was approached by one of the Wild event personnel folks. She asked if I had tickets to the game and my response was "10 years running!" She asked if I wanted to ride the Zamboni after the team was done with the pregame skate. Of course my response was "for 10 years and running!" After 10 years of wanting to drive the Zamboni, at least I was going to ride it, woo-hoo!! I got to watch the pregame skate from the Zamboni tunnel - translate: nice ass, Backstrom ;) I got to meet the Color Guard representatives and the Wild flag bearer. I got to realize my worst fears - heights and moving while being on something high. Holy Wayne Gretzky, those suckers sit high up off the ground! There were portable stairs and an alley oop move involved just to reach my seat and get buckled in. Then the driver (30 years in the business) started up the engine and we were off. Totally different perspective of the arena from my perch and the driver couldn't have been nicer, talking with me the whole time. At least I didn't cry or puke - two very likely outcomes when it's me dealing with heights. There will be pictures coming in the next week or two and I'll share them here.
The best thing about the night was of course, being in the arena for the start of another hockey season. Sharing it with the best hockey partner anybody could ask for made it feel like home. Welcome to Year Ten, Vicki. You're right - it's OUR season, let's make it the most fun one yet!
Robyn - sorry you're missing the games because of the tiff between Dish and FSN. But the bright spot - I LOVE MY CAMERA!! I'll post game pictures very soon. Thanks again to the eBay Queen.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Are We There Yet, Are We There Yet, Are We There Yet, Are We There Yet...
Hockey's back! In just a few more hours Vicki will be smelling her program and I'll be tearing up as our boys take to the ice for the home opener. It's a full evening of events, and that's before the puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
The day begins at 6:00 a.m. with a drive to the X for breakfast and a Wild Calendar. Don't worry, Vicki, we'll get calendars on the way in to the game tonight. Then it's home to organize things for Wes, Cam, Antti and Jeff to sign.
Vicki will bestalking the players having lunch with the boys to be sure we start off the season on the right foot with game day rituals intact.
Vicki and I will then synchronize our watches and phones in order to meet up at RiverCenter in time to get the perfect spot for the red carpet event from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
After the players’ red carpet entrance, we'll be stalking alumni players for autographs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The man who draws more fans than any current player, Wes Walz, will be signing along side his team mates from 2000: Antti Laaksonen, Jeff Nielsen and Cam Stewart. I'm most looking forward to seeing Cam again as he was one of my favorite players from the get-go.
Vicki is blessed with the luck of the Irish, even though she's Polish. With all of the prizes being given away her good karma will surely mean a trip to Vegas for the NHL Awards Show, lower level tickets or possibly one of the nine game-worn jerseys being given away during the game.
The puck will drop around 7:30 but not before Vicki and I get to belt out O' Canada along with our National Anthem. That's right - home opener and double anthem night! The Oilers are here to get their butts kicked which means we'll get to see the number one draft pick this year, Talyor Hall, and a favorite Wild player from the past - Kurtis Foster.
We'll be missing Coach Dave for the home opener but Dan and Emily will fill the seats next to us shouting out Wild cheers and Oiler jeers. If there's ever any doubt in the Brousseau house as to Emily being her mom's or her dad's girl - you only have to ask her about hockey and you know immediately she's Vicki's daughter through and through.
Great articles in the Strib so go support your local beat writer for the best hockey coverage in town. There's not much else to say except....
GAME ON!!
The day begins at 6:00 a.m. with a drive to the X for breakfast and a Wild Calendar. Don't worry, Vicki, we'll get calendars on the way in to the game tonight. Then it's home to organize things for Wes, Cam, Antti and Jeff to sign.
Vicki will be
Vicki and I will then synchronize our watches and phones in order to meet up at RiverCenter in time to get the perfect spot for the red carpet event from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.
After the players’ red carpet entrance, we'll be stalking alumni players for autographs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The man who draws more fans than any current player, Wes Walz, will be signing along side his team mates from 2000: Antti Laaksonen, Jeff Nielsen and Cam Stewart. I'm most looking forward to seeing Cam again as he was one of my favorite players from the get-go.
Vicki is blessed with the luck of the Irish, even though she's Polish. With all of the prizes being given away her good karma will surely mean a trip to Vegas for the NHL Awards Show, lower level tickets or possibly one of the nine game-worn jerseys being given away during the game.
The puck will drop around 7:30 but not before Vicki and I get to belt out O' Canada along with our National Anthem. That's right - home opener and double anthem night! The Oilers are here to get their butts kicked which means we'll get to see the number one draft pick this year, Talyor Hall, and a favorite Wild player from the past - Kurtis Foster.
We'll be missing Coach Dave for the home opener but Dan and Emily will fill the seats next to us shouting out Wild cheers and Oiler jeers. If there's ever any doubt in the Brousseau house as to Emily being her mom's or her dad's girl - you only have to ask her about hockey and you know immediately she's Vicki's daughter through and through.
Great articles in the Strib so go support your local beat writer for the best hockey coverage in town. There's not much else to say except....
GAME ON!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
That New Car Smell
That's what a new hockey season reminds me of, that new car smell. Of course, for Vicki it's all about the smell of the game programs. To each her own - she doesn't judge me and I don't judge her . The great thing about a new hockey season is that it's a clean slate from the previous year. Well, usually that's what it means but the Wild aren't exactly off to a better start than last season so I'm not sure what the message is just yet. I know it's only been two games so far but add that to a winless preseason and it's grim, at best. Yeah, yeah, yeah - we won a meaningless exhibition game against the crappiest local team in Finland. Now there's something to hang your season hopes on!
The Wild's Home Opener is just days away and I couldn't be more excited. Okay, I could be, but I'm not smoking the same crack that's got our owner and GM publicly stating we're playoff bound. That doesn't mean I'm an unemotional blob - refer to the current head coach for an example of what that looks like. Of course, I'm not sure how excited I'd be if I were only two games into the season and already expecting to be fired. Multiple unofficial polls I've seen have Richards gone by the end of this month unless we have 8 wins under our belt by the 30th.
I've got a whole rant thing I'm working on about the history of this team's performance and I'll post it this week or next. For now I'm revelling in hockey overload on VS and FSN. The only thing better about cable over Dish - I've got both hockey channels without any disruption of service. Regardless of who the coach is next month or come April, it's time to drop the puck and I can always find a reason why it's good to be in the arena compared to just about anywhere else.
Of course I'll be spending this week watching hockey favorites on DVD: Mystery Alaska, Slap Shot, Miracle, and all of the MN Wild DVD's. Mr. Flask is standing by, ready to spice up the sodas. Vicki and I have the whole popcorn thing down now so I think we're in good shape.
Game On!!
. The great thing about a new hockey season is that it's a clean slate from the previous year. Well, usually that's what it means but the Wild aren't exactly off to a better start than last season so I'm not sure what the message is just yet. I know it's only been two games so far but add that to a winless preseason and it's grim, at best. Yeah, yeah, yeah - we won a meaningless exhibition game against the crappiest local team in Finland. Now there's something to hang your season hopes on! The Wild's Home Opener is just days away and I couldn't be more excited. Okay, I could be, but I'm not smoking the same crack that's got our owner and GM publicly stating we're playoff bound. That doesn't mean I'm an unemotional blob - refer to the current head coach for an example of what that looks like. Of course, I'm not sure how excited I'd be if I were only two games into the season and already expecting to be fired. Multiple unofficial polls I've seen have Richards gone by the end of this month unless we have 8 wins under our belt by the 30th.
I've got a whole rant thing I'm working on about the history of this team's performance and I'll post it this week or next. For now I'm revelling in hockey overload on VS and FSN. The only thing better about cable over Dish - I've got both hockey channels without any disruption of service. Regardless of who the coach is next month or come April, it's time to drop the puck and I can always find a reason why it's good to be in the arena compared to just about anywhere else.
Of course I'll be spending this week watching hockey favorites on DVD: Mystery Alaska, Slap Shot, Miracle, and all of the MN Wild DVD's. Mr. Flask is standing by, ready to spice up the sodas. Vicki and I have the whole popcorn thing down now so I think we're in good shape.
Game On!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Dereliction of Duties
First, A General Housekeeping Note:
Folks have asked if I could somehow alert the masses of links, pics and/or videos in my posts ahead of time so that they know to click on the link to my blog right away or can just read the text within the email notification. Answer: Just assume there's a link, a pic or a video included in all of my posts. It will be very rare that I won't have links, pictures, emoticons and videos to share. That's kind of the whole point of blogging versus just text emailing, right? And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging...
Holy Where You Been, Man?
I’ve been slacking off. I only have one good excuse and I’m gonna use it cuz it’s a cool one. I’ve been busy with a new obsession in my life. No, I’m not in Finland stalking Casey Wellman
. I have a new camera so I’ve been submerged in the manual and learning what all those buttons and settings mean. It couldn’t have come at a better time of year. As much as I absolutely LOATHE this state’s cold weather I am not blind to the spectacular display in nature this time of year. This is a good year for fall foliage thanks to this extended run of sunny days and cool nights. It’s really kind of a good thing that the Wild are in Finland right now so that we can get our fix of fall walks and day trips in before the bitter end comes. I’m referring to the weather, not what we’ll ultimately be calling the Wild’s season 
Hockey In Helsinki
Michael Russo’s coverage of the Wild’s trip to Helsinki has been informative and very amusing so far and that’s before the guys have even played their first game. Please take the time to read his BLOG and ARTICLES. I also follow him on twitter for breaking information and very entertaining pictures and videos that don’t make it into the paper. Today our guys take on the Ilves Tampere at the Tampereen Jaahalli Arena. Say that three times really fast, I dare ya. This morning’s game (11:00 a.m. our time) won’t be televised nor is it on the radio so by all means follow Russo on twitter: www.twitter.com/russostrib . BTW, that's really Wes Walz (@walz3737) tweeting with Russo. Michael also has that facebook thingy on the internets so you can go here too: www.facebook.com/startribunemikerusso.
I think it’s awesome for the NHL and our guys to have this experience in Europe. But here’s something for all of you to chew on: given the hero/cult status our team, and especially our resident Fins, are experiencing right now, do you think there will be some “rock star syndrome” issues when they return home?
There’s a TON of information to keep up with these days due to injuries, the Helsinki trip and the overall landscape of the Wild going into this season. I’ll bullet point for you as best as I can but you all should be following Mr. Russo. What a great job he has – must feel like a kid these last few days!
My Precious
• Wild signed goalie Jose Theodore to a one year deal in response to Josh Harding’s season-ending injury. Jose is in Houston getting the kinks worked out and it appears that Khudobin will be Houston-bound shortly upon arriving back in the Twin Cities. I’m torn about this, you all know how I love my hobbit, but I’m also happy to see our GM doing what’s best for the team. Side Note: Matt Hackett is off to a great start in the net in Houston with a solid show in their only preseason game last night.
Chopping Block
• Having signed a new goalie and needing to keep Khudobin on the roster until the team is home again, the Wild will need to make two cuts come Wednesday. Here’s what Russo thinks and I’m prone to agree: one forward - Matt Kassian or Casey Wellman, and one defenseman – Drew Bagnall or Clayton Stoner (regardless of his NHL-sized salary).
It’s a tough decision between Matt and Casey. Matt’s got the size to take on the enforcer role and any lack of real minutes per game isn’t a true loss at this point. Casey’s the real deal – he’s proven himself already. But if he’s really not going to get the playing time here then he should go to Houston to keep his development on track. On defense – to me this is a no brainer…send Stoner back. Fletcher should munch Stoner’s salary hit while thinking about penning that kind of contract, ever again. I’m sorry Clayton, but it really appears as though you’re under the same black cloud as Sheppard these days.
Suspended?
• Speaking of Mr. Know-It-All Sheppard…I’ve read this several places, including in Russo’s blog: James will likely find himself suspended come Wednesday this week. Beyond the “God Punishes” reason to suspend him there is now a rather large financial reason. Our owner finds himself in the position of being way too close to the cap ceiling and we won’t start the regular season until Thursday this week. Leipold will have to carry Harding’s salary while he’s on the long term injury list plus the new Jose salary. Getting the $800,000.00 breathing room from Sheppard’s salary is needed now.
The Times, They Are A-Changin’
• We haven’t played a regular season game yet and look who’s already battling ‘tweaks’, ‘twinges’, ‘boo-boos’ and ‘owies’: Burns, Barker, Latendresse, Zidlicky. Then add in Bouchard who’s practicing but still nowhere near game-ready. What if we lose another player to serious injury? We’d be in a really tight spot financially. Under the Doug Risebrough/Bob Naegle regime the biggest complaint from ‘fans’ was the lack of spending by the owner. Now we have an owner/GM team, just two seasons in, and we’re so close to cap before playing our first regulation game it’s kinda painful. My, how times have changed.
New Blood
• Mikael Granlund (Wild’s 2010 first round pick) looks to be the real deal and if he is, woo-hoo! This kid is only 16 years old, but he’s playing on a team with men twice his age and he’s lighting it up big time. Okay, he’s playing with 32-36 year old guys – that’s not ancient, but it kind of puts things into perspective. But the fact that he’s skating circles around these guys and is already a leader in goals and assists speaks well for our future.
• Dennis Endras (Wild signed him in July – supposed to be the next Backstrom) will be joining the team on Wednesday as the third goalie for the Wild. GOD FORBID, anything happen to either Backstrom or Khudobin during the Thursday or Friday game Dennis will be ready to play. Here’s the reason this guy isn’t already in the net, given Harding’s injury: Fletcher promised to Endras that he could spend this season with his team in Germany. Um, Fletch – how does Stoner’s salary and that side of Endras’s Promise taste right now?
A Hint Of Things To Come?
Mario Tremblay has nothing to gain from saying this and I give credit to Russo for printing this, regardless of how it may affect his relationship with Richards going forward.
From the September 30, 2010 Russo's Rants Blog entry:
"Even before the season starts, the heat is on coach Todd Richards. Former Wild assistant coach Mario Tremblay took his old job back at CKAC in Montreal. He's also working for RDS TV. On CKAC Thursday, Tremblay had this to say (in French of course -- this is the translation) regarding my report yesterday that Michel Therrien is working for the Wild as a part-time scout."
Quoting Mario Tremblay: "Things are heating up in Minnesota. Some players are displeased. They don't have a good training camp. The haven’t won, yet. It seems the owner is starting to put pressure on Mr. Fletcher to make sure the team will have a good start. Michel is not there to be a long time pro scout. I hope Todd Richards realizes his days are numbered. I think the season will still be young when he’s going to be replaced. It could even happen before the season because the Wild hasn’t won yet."
"Now, this is definitely opinion, not a statement of fact by Mario. But there's no doubt the pressure is on. I don't see a slow start being accepted again after destroying the Wild's season last year. I don't think this is going to be a repeat of Joel Quenneville and Denis Savard in Chicago though. Two years ago, Savard had to look over his shoulder when Quenneville was hired as a scout, and he eventually did take over five games in. I've chatted with people that would know, and I don't buy that Therrien is a coach in waiting here. If something ever happens, it'll be somebody else, I believe."
Here's the link to the entire blog entry: Sept 30, 2010 Russo's Rants
Okay folks – that’s it for now. It’s gorgeous outside and I’m toting an empty 8gb card in my camera. Bobbi – let's hit the road, girlfriend!
For the Ebay Queen:
Folks have asked if I could somehow alert the masses of links, pics and/or videos in my posts ahead of time so that they know to click on the link to my blog right away or can just read the text within the email notification. Answer: Just assume there's a link, a pic or a video included in all of my posts. It will be very rare that I won't have links, pictures, emoticons and videos to share. That's kind of the whole point of blogging versus just text emailing, right? And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging...
Holy Where You Been, Man?
I’ve been slacking off. I only have one good excuse and I’m gonna use it cuz it’s a cool one. I’ve been busy with a new obsession in my life. No, I’m not in Finland stalking Casey Wellman
. I have a new camera so I’ve been submerged in the manual and learning what all those buttons and settings mean. It couldn’t have come at a better time of year. As much as I absolutely LOATHE this state’s cold weather I am not blind to the spectacular display in nature this time of year. This is a good year for fall foliage thanks to this extended run of sunny days and cool nights. It’s really kind of a good thing that the Wild are in Finland right now so that we can get our fix of fall walks and day trips in before the bitter end comes. I’m referring to the weather, not what we’ll ultimately be calling the Wild’s season Hockey In Helsinki
Michael Russo’s coverage of the Wild’s trip to Helsinki has been informative and very amusing so far and that’s before the guys have even played their first game. Please take the time to read his BLOG and ARTICLES. I also follow him on twitter for breaking information and very entertaining pictures and videos that don’t make it into the paper. Today our guys take on the Ilves Tampere at the Tampereen Jaahalli Arena. Say that three times really fast, I dare ya. This morning’s game (11:00 a.m. our time) won’t be televised nor is it on the radio so by all means follow Russo on twitter: www.twitter.com/russostrib . BTW, that's really Wes Walz (@walz3737) tweeting with Russo. Michael also has that facebook thingy on the internets so you can go here too: www.facebook.com/startribunemikerusso.
I think it’s awesome for the NHL and our guys to have this experience in Europe. But here’s something for all of you to chew on: given the hero/cult status our team, and especially our resident Fins, are experiencing right now, do you think there will be some “rock star syndrome” issues when they return home?
There’s a TON of information to keep up with these days due to injuries, the Helsinki trip and the overall landscape of the Wild going into this season. I’ll bullet point for you as best as I can but you all should be following Mr. Russo. What a great job he has – must feel like a kid these last few days!
My Precious
• Wild signed goalie Jose Theodore to a one year deal in response to Josh Harding’s season-ending injury. Jose is in Houston getting the kinks worked out and it appears that Khudobin will be Houston-bound shortly upon arriving back in the Twin Cities. I’m torn about this, you all know how I love my hobbit, but I’m also happy to see our GM doing what’s best for the team. Side Note: Matt Hackett is off to a great start in the net in Houston with a solid show in their only preseason game last night.
Chopping Block
• Having signed a new goalie and needing to keep Khudobin on the roster until the team is home again, the Wild will need to make two cuts come Wednesday. Here’s what Russo thinks and I’m prone to agree: one forward - Matt Kassian or Casey Wellman, and one defenseman – Drew Bagnall or Clayton Stoner (regardless of his NHL-sized salary).
It’s a tough decision between Matt and Casey. Matt’s got the size to take on the enforcer role and any lack of real minutes per game isn’t a true loss at this point. Casey’s the real deal – he’s proven himself already. But if he’s really not going to get the playing time here then he should go to Houston to keep his development on track. On defense – to me this is a no brainer…send Stoner back. Fletcher should munch Stoner’s salary hit while thinking about penning that kind of contract, ever again. I’m sorry Clayton, but it really appears as though you’re under the same black cloud as Sheppard these days.
Suspended?
• Speaking of Mr. Know-It-All Sheppard…I’ve read this several places, including in Russo’s blog: James will likely find himself suspended come Wednesday this week. Beyond the “God Punishes” reason to suspend him there is now a rather large financial reason. Our owner finds himself in the position of being way too close to the cap ceiling and we won’t start the regular season until Thursday this week. Leipold will have to carry Harding’s salary while he’s on the long term injury list plus the new Jose salary. Getting the $800,000.00 breathing room from Sheppard’s salary is needed now.
The Times, They Are A-Changin’
• We haven’t played a regular season game yet and look who’s already battling ‘tweaks’, ‘twinges’, ‘boo-boos’ and ‘owies’: Burns, Barker, Latendresse, Zidlicky. Then add in Bouchard who’s practicing but still nowhere near game-ready. What if we lose another player to serious injury? We’d be in a really tight spot financially. Under the Doug Risebrough/Bob Naegle regime the biggest complaint from ‘fans’ was the lack of spending by the owner. Now we have an owner/GM team, just two seasons in, and we’re so close to cap before playing our first regulation game it’s kinda painful. My, how times have changed.
New Blood
• Mikael Granlund (Wild’s 2010 first round pick) looks to be the real deal and if he is, woo-hoo! This kid is only 16 years old, but he’s playing on a team with men twice his age and he’s lighting it up big time. Okay, he’s playing with 32-36 year old guys – that’s not ancient, but it kind of puts things into perspective. But the fact that he’s skating circles around these guys and is already a leader in goals and assists speaks well for our future.
• Dennis Endras (Wild signed him in July – supposed to be the next Backstrom) will be joining the team on Wednesday as the third goalie for the Wild. GOD FORBID, anything happen to either Backstrom or Khudobin during the Thursday or Friday game Dennis will be ready to play. Here’s the reason this guy isn’t already in the net, given Harding’s injury: Fletcher promised to Endras that he could spend this season with his team in Germany. Um, Fletch – how does Stoner’s salary and that side of Endras’s Promise taste right now?
A Hint Of Things To Come?
Mario Tremblay has nothing to gain from saying this and I give credit to Russo for printing this, regardless of how it may affect his relationship with Richards going forward.
From the September 30, 2010 Russo's Rants Blog entry:
"Even before the season starts, the heat is on coach Todd Richards. Former Wild assistant coach Mario Tremblay took his old job back at CKAC in Montreal. He's also working for RDS TV. On CKAC Thursday, Tremblay had this to say (in French of course -- this is the translation) regarding my report yesterday that Michel Therrien is working for the Wild as a part-time scout."
Quoting Mario Tremblay: "Things are heating up in Minnesota. Some players are displeased. They don't have a good training camp. The haven’t won, yet. It seems the owner is starting to put pressure on Mr. Fletcher to make sure the team will have a good start. Michel is not there to be a long time pro scout. I hope Todd Richards realizes his days are numbered. I think the season will still be young when he’s going to be replaced. It could even happen before the season because the Wild hasn’t won yet."
"Now, this is definitely opinion, not a statement of fact by Mario. But there's no doubt the pressure is on. I don't see a slow start being accepted again after destroying the Wild's season last year. I don't think this is going to be a repeat of Joel Quenneville and Denis Savard in Chicago though. Two years ago, Savard had to look over his shoulder when Quenneville was hired as a scout, and he eventually did take over five games in. I've chatted with people that would know, and I don't buy that Therrien is a coach in waiting here. If something ever happens, it'll be somebody else, I believe."
Here's the link to the entire blog entry: Sept 30, 2010 Russo's Rants
Okay folks – that’s it for now. It’s gorgeous outside and I’m toting an empty 8gb card in my camera. Bobbi – let's hit the road, girlfriend!
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