Thinking 'Bout Somethin' Other Than Hockey

**Disclaimer: web links, pics & videos ahead so head directly to my blog for full enjoyment purposes.     

While Brent Burns and Marty Havlat played in the All Star game I completely zoned out of hockey and into something else.  I did some serious catching up on my recorded shows.  When I say serious, I mean it.  There was pop corn - buttered and heavy salt for me, plain for Buster.  Pitcher of iced tea for me, bowl of water for Buster.  Movie size box of Dots for me, frozen beef bone for Buster.

I'm all caught up on Burn Notice and I have to say I'm a little unsure of how I feel about this series at this point.  It's getting a little too far fetched in the story lines and over the top in the blow-'em-up department.  

Good thing I'm still totally in love with Chuck!  He's just so little-boy-wants-to-be-the-man cute.    And I find myself thinking yummy thoughts about Lester which is kinda wrong when there's John Casey's upper body to drool over. 

Speaking of good things - I've been breaking out into gales of laughter 3 days after having watched the last episode of Good Guys.    

Best commercial running through my recorded shows:


Fucking clowns - axis of evil, right there. 

I'm so happy that Archer is back for another season.  This show is to me what Family Guy is to Deanna - so inappropriate and wrong that it's so right.  And freakin' funny.  Send an ecard from the website and watch your co-worker fall off their chair laughing.   

Another great show on FX is Justified.  Timothy Olyphant as US Marshal Raylan Givens makes me want to break a federal law.  FX has hit the nail on the head with almost everything they've produced so far - with the exception of cancelling Terriers.  That just plain up pisses me off.  I really hope TNT picks it up going forward. 
      
Southland is back for a second season over on TNT after not making the cut on NBC.  I think NBC really dropped the ball on this one but as long as I can see this show on my current cable package I don't care which station carries it.  Great cast, great writing - very gripping.  Remember Hill Street Blues?  Welcome to the updated version.   

Memphis Beat is the best thing Jason Lee has ever done.  I never found him to be funny as Earl and let's not even get into those stupid Chipmunk movies.  And what's with him doing shows that always have him narrating the story?  This show is intriguing though and it's got a solid cast, including Alfre Woodard.  And who knew Jason could sing?  Since I'm always as much a fan of the music used in a show as I am of the story being told this show is a treasure for me.  I'm enjoying the reruns on TNT now as they ramp up for the second season coming this summer. 

Mark your calendars for Valentine's Day, Feb 14 - and not in anticipation of roses or boxed chocolates.  Although I certainly wouldn't turn down anything in the dark chocolate category from Abdallah...  No, I'm talking about the 135th Westminster Dog Show!   Dogs rule, cats drool.

I really have been thinking 'bout somethin' other than hockey.  Here's something that will run rampant around your brain for which you'll hate me for...compliments of those little Mmmmmboppers all grown up - Hanson.   


Yep, grown woman with a Hanson tune on her iPod.
 
But here's my redemption - the original movie video the Hansons pilfered from

You Can Never Go Home...

I wonder how Cam Barker feels going into Chicago tonight with all of the talk about how the Wild got totally shafted by the Barker for Johnnson/Leddy trade a year ago?  Lou Nanne on KFAN today talking about how he hated the trade when it happened and how Barker hasn't done anything to change his mind since then.  I agree Lou, I agree.  Perhaps some Panda Express and a Wild game that doesn't start 2 hours after my bedtime will make me whole. 


1st Period
Marty Havlat gets a nice welcome from the Hawks fans and promptly scores to put the Wild up 1-0.  Okay, the guys are off to a good start and my Sweet Fire Chicken is delicious.  Just what the doctor ordered after a day of admissions meet-n-greets.

Speaking of how awful the Barker trade was, guess who goes to the penalty box because he's slow and out of position?  Three guesses and the first two don't count...and the Hawks score to tie the game on the power play.  Suddenly my dinner tastes sour.    

Tweet from Russo: "Nice first three shifts for Barker back in Chicago."  You can almost see the sarcasm dripping from that tweet...

I want Patrick Sharp the very next time he becomes available.  Make it happen, Chuck.  Oh, and I love this...


Backstrom had to make a Dobby save after being drug out of the net by our own Andrew Brunette.  FFS - what the hell is wrong with this team? 

We're lost, we're out of position, we're trapped in our own zone and the Hawks score again.  Just call me Missy Pissy.  I'm giving the t.v. the "you're fu**ing pissing me off, boys" evil eye glare.  For this period you can honestly say that Backstrom was tremendous.  He had to be.    

2nd Period
The team appears to have pulled their heads out of their asses during that first intermission.  While it sure looked like Spurgeon got his first NHL, it was not meant to be - Kobasew gets the credit.  Either way, WOO-HOO!  We're tied 2-2 and Spurgeon still gets his first point for the assist.    

Bouchard is playing some sharp hockey and he's strong against the boards as well. 

Notice the Hawks crowd is silent now compared to the first period. 

Backstrom again making some monster saves out in front of the net and in the jumble tumble of players all piled up on top of him in his crease.  Not surprised to see Greg Zanon at the bottom of the hog pile, once again the last, best defense in front of Nik.  

Too much time in our own zone again.  Jesus F'g Christ, Guys - grrrrr. 

In a text book tic tac toe play - Miettinen to Brunette back to Miettinen and we're up 3-2!  Mittens may get the goal on the books but this was all Brunette.  A beautiful cross angle pass in front of the goalie who was too busy tracking Brunette to know, or see, that Mittens was lurking, closing in on his open side.   
   
3rd Period
The Wild must be craving cake - lots of icing calls.  Despite that, we're watching much more disciplined play by both teams to start the 3rd period.    

Uh-Oh, Koivu's getting some medical attention to his face on the bench.  Vicki, you okay?

OMFG - Backstrom has had to make a ton of saves with players literally collapsing on top of him.  Again, Zanon comes in from behind the net to cover the open space Backstrom can't get to.  

BIG pressure by the Hawks during the 10 minute mark with Clutterbuck blocking a Duncan Keith slap shot that would have crippled anyone else, except Zanon.  The puck rebounds off of Clutterbuck and Keith goes all howitzer on it, clanging the puck off the pipe!  Cal is slow to get up and skates back to the bench on one leg - while getting 'attaboy' stick taps by his linemates on the way.  Robyn, you okay? 

The Wild come back with their own pressure play in the offensive zone.  PMB to Kobasew who puts the puck on their goalie who coughs up the rebound to PMB...who promptly scores! 

Hawks get screwed out of a goal by the ref blowing the whistle too soon.  On top of that, looked to me like Madden actually would have scored the goal for the Hawks.  Two and a half minutes later the fans are still booing.  Kinda don't blame them.  A puck hits the ref and the fans cheer - loudly.    

Toews punches Burns in the back of the head and Havlat gets right in there.  I love a team that sticks up for each other.  WTF, Toews?  Seabrook gets involved, shocking I know.  When all is said and done we're looking at 4-4 hockey and Chicago pulls their goalie for the extra man.  

Just over a minute to go with Backstrom standing strong, even after losing his stick.  Another two 'team goalie' saves and the buzzer sounds. 

Backstrom gets the number one for sure with the entire blue line getting the number two.  Cal gets the number three for that bruising blocked shot.  

Miettinen gets his 200th goal - I'll let him enjoy it for now by biting my tongue regarding his overall play of late.  

Four road games and we got six points in regulation.  Not too shabby.   The team gets to rest now for just under a week and then they need to come back with unwavering determination.  Congratulations to Brent and Marty who are both going to the All Star game.  I haven't watched an ASG but I just might tune in to see our very own Goober in his first appearance. 

Hockey Gods Are Just, Wild at Flames

When I'm Wrong, I Say I'm Wrong
Quick Robyn - what movie is that line from? 
Thankfully the NHL reviewed the instigator penalty to Staubitz and they've rescinded it and the game misconduct.  That means no game suspension and no hefty fine to Richards.  Instigator penalties are always reviewed so that's not unusual.  What is unusual is the clear message the league sent regarding the horrific reffing of last night's game.  Too bad the refs still cost Khudobin his second consecutive shutout.   I love Russo's Rant on how blatantly bad the refs were last night!  I'm curious as to how the officiating will be tonight, given that three out of the four refs from last night are reffing tonight's game.       

Nice anthem singer for the Calgary Flames! 

Who's This Goalie?
Oh yeah, it's Nik - back from the disabled list.  I don't know if I'm ready for Nik's laid back style of goaltending.  I'm told once you go Dobby, you never go back ;)

First Period
Havlat's on a streak again, being in the right place at the right time, resulting in a goal 4 minutes into the game.  They don't call him the Flames Killer for nothing!  This is a continuing good sign as the Wild really need that lead right off the bat to bolster their confidence.  Nice penalty draw by Staubitz to put the Wild on the power play shortly after.  Interesting to see Staubitz being escorted to the bench after the call by the ref...wouldn't you love to hear that conversation?  Mikko has the team up 2-0 over the Flames in short order!  Hmmm, this is starting to look like a replay of the Oilers game.  We take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.  Let's all join in a group prayer for a second period of strong Wild play.    

Second Period   
Calgary gets chippy right off the bat and get called for boarding.  At least the refs saw it and called it.  You better believe they're being watched in Toronto tonight, big time.  The Wild go on the 5 minute power play.  I'm seeing some issues here - puck turnovers while having the man advantage as well as too much time spent in our own zone.  Great work by PMB on the blue line in the offensive zone to keep the puck in.  Unfortunately, too much time spent passing, passing, passing and some more passing.  Three whole shots in five minutes.  Then the Wild start taking penalties...boy, this is looking all too familiar.  Come on guys, get your shit together here.  Thank God Backstrom isn't showing any rust - making a couple of tremendous saves for the guys in front of him.  As if they can hear me cursing at my t.v. back here in Minnesota the guys start driving to the offensive zone with more intensity.  It pays off with a Brunette Special (sic pass from his office behind the net) to John Madden who was lurking in front of the net and the result is a 3-0 lead.  Saweeeet!     

Third Period    
And we're playing, we're skating along, we're two minutes and thirty seconds into the period.  I'm just hearing blah-blah-blah from the dumbo duo on t.v. because I've learned to tune them out and just focus on the game - got my own commentary going on in my head.  Then, without warning BAM!  Clutterbuck snipes one in from the top of the circle!  4-0 baby!  Tons of hockey left, don't get cocky.  See, Iginla just skates through all five of our guys in our zone like we're not even on the ice to get into position behind the net.  At the 10 minute mark Calgary is just drilling over and over again at Backstrom - who calmly denies all entry requests.  The Wild show they can do the same thing and drive in on Kipper.  Kobasew makes a diving flail with his stick as he goes down and the puck goes in!   Wow, 5-0!  And to top it off Havlat picks up his second goal of the game, which is also his 200th goal!  Nice assist to Clutterbuck.  The bad news in this period is the Flames outshot the Wild 16 to 6.  The good news - Second night of back to back games on the road and we've got 4 points in our pocket!  Let's not forget for a minute that we need all 8 points from this road trip.  So, enjoy the win boys but you better be thinking about the next game in San Jose and how you're going to go at them. 

200 Level
No, I'm not referring to where Vicki and I sit for home games - although we do love our home away from home. 
I'm talking about Clutterbuck playing in his 200th NHL game tonight. 
PMB got his 200th assist in last night's game. 
Havlat hit 199 for goals in the first period of tonight's game and then the big 200 in the third.  
Miettinen is looking for his 200th assist, could happen by the end of this road trip. 

Flames Fan Facebook Update Coming Soon!
Check back later in the day on Thursday for the results of a friendly ongoing bet between Robyn and a Flames friend/fan...  God, I love hockey fans!

Holy Gordy Howe!

Ugly Hockey
That was just bad hockey played by the Wild.  I'll give you the first period - and it was a beauty with two quick goals by Matt Cullen and Brent Burns to set the tone.  But then came the second period and some of the worst hockey played by Minnesota in a long time.  It turned to ugly as the game went on and that third period...well, I have to believe there's a couple of hockey moms out there who are not very proud of their sons after that debacle.  We'll break that down in a little bit. 

I don't know if it's the youth and speed of the Oilers that gets our guys so far off their game?  I don't think there's another team in the league that gets us to take so many stupid, unnecessary penalties - and mostly because we can't keep up with the Oilers when they've got the puck.  Last night we tripped, delayed the game and interfered ourselves into the penalty box six times between the first and second period. Our passing was horrendous and we were out of position on almost every play.  Bad decisions with the puck meant turnovers - STOP PASSING the puck and START SHOOTING it instead.


The Good Old Days
Remember when the Wild were known for their Youth and Speed?  Those were the days when we didn't have any star players and had to play defensively...wait, how's that different than the team we've got today?  

Good Things

• Good thing the Oilers suck on the powerplay these days, 0 for 44 prior to their PPG in the third, or the outcome of this game would be a whole different story. 
• Good thing the Oilers are in a slump right now. 
• Good thing nhl.com shows the goals from the game - the pass from PMB to Nystrom before Eric sent the puck to Cullen on that first goal was just about as pretty as it gets.   
• Good thing Khudobin was lucky as hell - or wickedly awesome, I can't decide which one just yet.
• Good thing the Wild's penalty kill was effing MONSTER, including the 1:40 seconds of 5-3 killed off by a veteran line and a not-so-much veteran line.  They did it, as Eric Nystrom said after the game, by "sheer determination." 
• Good thing the Wild never gave up.  This was a game where, historically speaking, they would have caved in on that 5-3 penalty kill and you could have turned off the t.v. without hesitation or any remorse. 
• Good thing Brunette got his 250 goal tonight - a PPG at that!   
• Good thing 'pretty win' doesn't apply in hockey to get the 2 points.  We'll take 'em!    

Not So Good Things

• Burns gets the Gordie Howe Hat Trick: A goal, an assist and a fight...wait, what fight?  I've watched the third period about a dozen times now and I never saw Brent drop his gloves or throw a punch.  Yet he got 5 minutes for fighting and 10 minutes for misconduct.  Both penalties were apparently defined by the refs as "a player hanging on for dear life while getting punched in the head by Zack - I'm A Piece Of Shit Human Being - Stortini."
• Havlat gives Theo Peckham a retaliatory trip - which started the whole WWE mini-event in the third period and led to Brent's aforementioned Gordie Howe Hat Trick.  Peckham was pissed about the trip and pushed Marty.  Kyle Brodziak rushed in to support Havlat and was tripped up by Tom Gilbert.  Brent was on his way to the scuffle but Stortini grabbed him and we all know how that ended.
  Normally, I'm not a supporter of this kind of play since it usually means the Wild will be shorthanded and that can be costly.  I'm all about smart hockey, folks.  I'm going to cut Marty some slack though so I'm calling this one a Good Thing within a Not-So-Good Thing.  Here's my reasoning: Marty finally had just about enough of Theo Peckham's shit for one game and tripped Theo after being cross checked by him three times during the game without it ever being called.  In the ensuing 'you wanna a piece of me?' stand down between Havlat and Peckham, Theo picked up the extra 2 minutes for roughing.  The Wild go on the powerplay and just 5 seconds in Andrew Brunette scores his 250th NHL goal - nice!!  I always say the best revenge for a bad goal or penalty is quickly scoring a goal on your opponent.    
• Staubitz.  Staubitz, Staubitz, Staubitz.  I wanted to be on your side for this one buddy, I really did.  But I've watched the third period again and again to see the hit on Schultz was clean and therefore your antics were not necessary.  If the league does what it's supposed to in these cases you'll be getting what you deserve: a one game suspension and some time in your coach's dog house after that.  You just cost Richards $10,000.00 for having instigated a fight in the last five minutes of the game.  If I were you I'd be making some bank transfers in order to pay my boss back and then take whatever else he's got in mind for me with quiet humility.
• Reffing is not something I typically make reference of since it's just too easy of an excuse to use while trying to cover up bad plays/decisions by your team.  But for the love of fair play, C'Mon Refs - WTF game were you at???  Audio by Kurtz

Krazy for Khudobin!
Khudobin gives me Steve Miller Band Jungle Love - "He's driving me wild, he's making me crazy, crazy!"  


Anton is so anti-any-other-goalie-out-there!  I'm having fits watching him play.  There's no sense of being in that place of peace and zen like there is with Backstrom.  There's no sense of calm, assertive confidence like there is with Jose.  It's all just a friggin' crap shoot with Dobby as he slides to the left and then has to launch himself like a rocket back over to the right.  He glides on his pads beautifully out to the corner but then finds himself on a trajectory to the side of the net, making a bee line for behind the net!  I never get the sense that he's 'seeing' the puck.  It appears to be one big 'hey-who'dathunkit!' moment when he comes up with the puck in his glove for the save.  All of this is very frustrating to me and yet, completely exhilarating at the same time.



And pull your damn breezers up, will ya?!  I'm all for some good goalie butt crack, Sally and I got SERIOUSLY off track about this at Sunday's game, but I don't need to be distracted by your gear threatening to fall off your ass during a game.   


Wild play in Calgary tonight.  Robyn - you and your Flames friend better have be ready to go with your facebook bet! 

The Anton Khudobin Show!

And I'm not just talking about his performance during his first NHL shut out, in just his third NHL start!  We'll get into the game, piece by piece, further down in this post.  But for now let's all enjoy the open, honest and downright delightful way Anton expresses himself in his post game presser.  Wait until he starts talking about losing his stick, for the umpteenth time, and not being able to make up his mind when it would finally be safe for him to go pick it up.  I laughed so hard while listening to him I peed a little.  This kid is a flippin' hoot!  He's the answer to not having Jacques Lemaire post game pressers anymore. 

Click here for wild.nhl.com, click on Game Videos and choose KHUDOBIN POST to watch his post game presser. 
For some unknown reason, the techno genius for the Wild site has put the embedding code for the game teaser in every one of the videos from tonight's game.  Way to go, dork.   

Game puck for his first NHL Shut Out!  Photo courtesy of mnwild.com


The Wild absolutely dominated the Canucks in the first period, owning the offensive zone and putting up 9 unanswered shots on goal within the first 9 and a half minutes.  Khudobin was ALL OVER the place - he's in the net, he's out of the net, he's doing a meet-n-greet with a Canucks player to handle a puck.  At one point Brent Burns went diving into the net behind Khudobin to stop the puck from crossing the goal line.  I'm pretty sure Anton didn't know Brent was in there until after he came out of the net.  The kid was giving us all heart attacks with his antics and there were still two more periods of hockey to go! 

The second period was a testament to never giving up - something the Wild are not known for, sad but true.  Khudobin dropped his stick after every friggin' save he made or any time someone came near him, it seemed.  Warrior Zanon played goalie, stopping a point blank shot in the crease while Anton was preoccupied outside of the crease.  Even though the Canucks were putting more shots on goal, the Wild managed to get the puck into the offensive zone.  There was an intense battle for the puck in the crease with bodies landing on top of each other.  Brunette finally shoveled the puck in under Schneider's leg for the goal.  Should the ref have blown the whistle?  Perhaps, but hey - all those unlucky post pingers and bounces not going our way during the last game just got reversed.  Karma, baby!  Just over the halfway mark of the 2nd Marty Havlat got the puck and made a bee line for Canucks zone and buried the puck with a wrister for the 2-0 lead.  

The third period was the best, at least for me, due to the fact the Wild were putting in 60 full minutes of hockey.  They never let up, they didn't take any shifts off despite being outshot 15 to 6.  Anton was spot on when he needed to be and the guys collapsed down in front of him like they were ready to die for him.  It's such a beautiful thing to behold and I'm so happy to be writing positively about a game for a change.  Cullen's short handed goal was spectacular!  When he's flying up the ice, man - I could watch that over and over and over. 

Not that John Madden's goal six minutes later wasn't as nice - from Cullen behind the net to Kobasew who slid the puck across the goal mouth to Madden for the bury!  John was everywhere tonight, making huge plays long before he netted his goal in the third. 
There wasn't a Wild player who didn't leave everything out on the ice tonight and it paid off with a resounding win.  From the game teaser, to the double anthems and all the way to the final buzzer there was an energy in the arena that's been missing for too long.  It felt great to cheer for the team, shift after shift and for all three periods!  The Canucks didn't stand a chance tonight...  


Stars of the Game, NonPlayers:

• Dave and Alex at the game tonight - great to see you both!  Alex, plays defense for her high school team, and her dad were so cute talking about how the Wild defensemen were playing, positioning themselves.  Alex was all over the guys when they were 'wasting their energy' on an opponent who didn't have the puck.  I've missed the Daggets greatly this season and was overjoyed to have tonight's game with them!  
• Sally in her Wild sweatshirt, worn over her Penguins jersey which was covering her Steelers tshirt.  She had all her bases covered while cheering her lungs out for the home team tonight!  She had Dave on the ropes with her texting jabs and I was rolling with laughter after she gave Khudobin a good talking to when he wouldn't go pick up his far flung stick.  As always, a rowdy good time was had by us all :)
• Vicki in her role as audio/video replay gal at home tonight.  Even though she missed the hub-bub after the Brunette goal because she had to use the facilities, she got right back on the horse and kept us up to speed with her mad texting skilz.  

Side Notes:

• We were discussing how small Jared Spurgeon is and how he was still able to be effective, much like Clutterbuck.  Sally confirmed he's listed at 5'10" which is the same as Clutterbuck if I'm not mistaken.  It's interesting to see that Russo had the same take we did: "That's why tiny Jared Spurgeon was taking hits to make a play." 
• Chicago and Anaheim won tonight, gettting to 54 points.  This means the Wild moved up to being just three points out from the now-eighth-place Avs (52 points for the Avs, 49 for the Wild).  
• The Wild cannot afford to lose even one of the upcoming four road games prior to the All Star break. 
• Rick Rypien, the Canuck player who accosted a Wild fan during the Oct 19, 2010 game here at the X, is still on an indefinite leave of absence from the Canucks.  The club is being respectful of Rypien's right to privacy.  Rypien did have a previous multi-month leave of absence from the team two years ago.           

Fun Hockey Videos

It's Friday and I'm sensing you all need a little bit of humor to wrap up your week.  Well, I've got just the thing to get your chuckles on, folks!

The Onion Sports Network is always good for laughs: NHL Not Targeting Hispanic Fans 

This is for those Wild players who are thinking of taking the next optional practice off.  



This is why hockey fans are the best.  In any other sport the fans would have booed his little girl.  Here's adorable Elizabeth Hughes singing the national anthem at an AHL game (Admirals) when her mic cuts out. 


Hey, maybe all Nystrom, Barker and Madden need are these skates...


The Wild should consider this guy for goaltending - talk about goal save percentage!


Hockey Gear Woes


This should get you giggling, snorting and chortling your way through Friday.  Keep those smirks going on the snowy drive home tonight and you'll be home in no time...no time soon!  For those of us going to the Wild game tonight - it's a home game so expectations are low. 






P.S.

Rich, this is for you.  Isn't it good to know you're not in this alone after 25 years of marriage?  

Winter Whining, Goalie Attire, Enough Already, Classifieds

Godforsaken State Of Frozenass
Did you all realize that yesterday, Wednesday, was the first day of this new year in which we didn't get any snow?  Woo-Hoo!  And because we live in the state that never lets any good deed go unpunished...

more snow today and tomorrow!

I just LOVE to shovel and use the snowblower, don't you all?  Wait, there's that one person here who lives in a condo with underground heated parking (and car wash) who doesn't have to do any shoveling...but we still love her cuz she's a Wild fan to the core. 


Oh, I am SO over that whole "it's pretty" attitude towards this weather.  I don't care how cute the dog is when he's covered in snow - it just means that I'm also covered in snow which is cold and wet. I don't care how beautiful frost crystals are on tree branches - it just means I'm out in below zero degree weather capturing it.  I'm tired of not being able to feel my fingers enough to press the shutter button on the camera. 

My dear friend Heather will jump in at this point of my winter blues crisis by telling me that I'm just not wearing enough layers of clothing.  Her philosophy has always been that you can add more layers of clothes to keep warm in the cold months.  She makes a point in that you can take off just so many layers to cool down in the summer before you get arrested, have to pay hefty fines, answer to the association board and keep a 200 yard visual distance from the neighbor kids.  Curse Heather's rational thought process.     

I miss wearing shorts and light cotton tops.  I miss walking barefoot on the deck and thinking sandals are confining.  I miss lounging in the sun while reading books.  I miss warm breezes blowing through the bedroom windows.  I miss happy hours on verandas and dinners on patios.  Oh, for the love of heat and humidity, I miss sweating.     

Lids
I found this entertaining so maybe a couple of you will too.  Sports Illustrated has a slide show of all of the goalie masks for this season on their website: Masks of 2010-2011.  I love that they included the backup goalies - cuz they're real goalies too, ya know.  Josh Harding has certainly had some interesting and fun designs over the years.   

Goalie masks have come a long way since Jacques Plante in 1959.

The Minnesota connection to goalie mask designs is Miska Designs, including our very own Backstrom, Harding and Fernandez on the pro level.  Minnesota and Wisconsin colleges are well represented too.  

Once, Twice, Three Times Of Wasted Chances
Patrick O'Sullivan is on waivers.  There's a shock.  Since the Wild really only picked up Sully because they didn't know when PMB would be back, if ever.  Well, Butch came back - hitting the ice like he'd never been gone and in fact, a tad bit better in some ways.  Sully, instead of taking this as yet another reason to step up his game, continued in his lazy ways on the ice.  Coach even sat him for a game and still nothing's changed.  Now the Wild is doing what it said it would do all along.  Carolina has first crack at reacquiring O'Sullivan, then any of the other teams can have at it.  If there's no interest in him by 11:00 a.m. on Friday then he's Houston bound.  

Where Are They Now?
Looks like Derek Boogaard finally took one too many punches to the head.  I'm not making fun of him, simply reporting the facts.  Sounds like he may be out for the rest of the season according to Ranger Rants.  And from reading the blog, sounds like Derek wasn't exactly fitting into the lineup anyway...now where have I heard that before?  I wish the big guy a full recovery from his concussion and hopefully he'll decide that the game isn't worth turning your brain into instant oatmeal. 

Wanted: Goaltenders.  Must Be Available To Start Friday!  
It's bad enough that Backstrom is out with a strained hip, now Jose joins him on the sidelines too.  Hopefully Jose will be up and running soon.  I love me some Theodore, heavy sigh, but seriously coach, why would you let him make the decision to start in the Dallas game less than 24 hours after playing a huge game on the road?  I would think it doesn't take an armchair head coach, or a rocket scientist, to figure out you rest him - period.  Richards needs to have his head examined - maybe he's got a concussion?  I have faith in my Hobbit though and I'm really hoping he makes the most of this opportunity - go get 'em Dobby!  When did I become such a freak for goalies?  Sounds like Matt Hackett is being called up from Houston to back Anton up. 

Super Saver Award, Give A Little, Commercial of the Week

And The Free Mexico Vacation Goes To...
My friend Nan is a mother of 2 very active school aged kids.  Both she and her husband work full time and then split their evenings and weekends running the children to sports, church and school activities.  Time is tight, something we all can relate to.  Money matters to Nan too.  She's a financial analyst who loves her job and can't imagine doing anything else.  She also runs a tight ship with the family budget.  Nan gets her thrills based on the deals she finds at the second hand sports equiptment stores and clipping coupons for groceries.  Yet, Nan was always looking at me with thinly veiled disbelief when I would tell her how much money I was saving by taking advantage of the best deals between Target, Rainbow and Cub. 

I challenged her to get on board with it last year.  I told her that a financial analyst really didn't have any excuses not to.  She complained about having to go to three different stores.  She shops Cub for the convenience of only going to one place.  I countered that in our neighborhood Cub, Target and Rainbow are all within a one block area, connected by lighted intersections.  Nan was choosing to shop at the most expensive of all three stores.  She finally agreed that it was likely she 'could be' paying 'a little more' for her convenience of saving time.  Nan was also laboring under a false idea that she could only support the local union workers by shopping just at Cub - until she looked it up to find that Rainbow's employees are in the same union.  Nan freely admits she hates it when she's not the first to latch onto something that makes more sense than what she's already doing. 

Well, Nan hopped on board the super saver train in January last year.  She grumbled at first about reading through all three store ads.  When she started calculating the money she was saving over Cub (3 out of 4 weeks per month) she stopped grumbling.  Nan was already printing online coupons and making mulitple copies of them for stocking up during sales.  Now she lived for the 10 for $10 items at Cub and Rainbow (especially at Rainbow with their rewards card for the gas discount).  When she realized there were weeks she only went to one store based on their grocery needs she was completely won over. 

That's when I took her on a trip to Aldi.  Fresh produce for pennies compared to everywhere else and savings on dairy and canned goods that made her almost faint when she thought of how much she was paying elsewhere.  Nan thought she'd died and gone to savings heaven.  She hasn't complained about making a trip to Aldi in addition to her weekly tri-fecta at Cub/Rainbow/Target for 8 months or more.  

Nan stopped by this morning on her way into work.  She brought me a Caribou Coffee treat with a gift card taped to it.  When I asked what the occasion was she replied: "For our family trip to Mexico in February."  I was perplexed, to say the least.  Nan just laughed and said "If it wasn't for you challenging me to save money on our groceries we wouldn't be going."  Every time she got home from the grocery store she looked at the receipt for the savings.  When it read $18.26 in savings Nan took out $20.00 from checking and put it into their savings account.  When the receipt showed $12.50 savings she put $15.00 into the savings account.  If she saved $1.00 per gallon on her rewards card when filling up the gas tank she put that money in the savings account  - she drives a minivan, you do the math.        

I'm absolutely thrilled to share with you all that Nan saved over $4,000.00 in 12 months just by watching the local store ads, clipping her coupons (which she was doing anyway) and shopping smarter.  She no longer has an attitude about saving time vs money - not when it paid for an all-inclusive family vacation for four to Mexico!  Yes, there are weeks she's hitting all three stores but more often than not she's only shopping at one store based on their weekly eating and household needs.  She's also hooked on MGM liquor over the municiple liquor stores.  
Congratulations, Nan!  You are definitely the Super Saver of the Year!  Enjoy your trip - you deserve it!   

Feed It Forward
In these tight economic times it's sometimes hard to put food on the table.  If you're not eating well you're not thinking or performing well at work, school or other areas in life.  You're not sleeping well, the kids aren't getting the nutrition they need to grow.  There is one easy way for you to make a difference for folks who are unable to buy groceries these days.  Make a contribution to your local food shelf network.  You can bag up groceries and deliver them yourself or you can contribute money as easy as three online clicks. 

You should know that donating money is actually more effective since the food shelf networks have greater buying power than you and I do.  For every $5.00 you donate they can distribute 18 meals.  I'm asking you all, please find it in your heart to make a contribution.  You may very well be helping a friend, a neighbor, a family member or a loved one.  Doesn't that make you feel good inside?  Kind of like a hot meal makes you feel at the end of a hard day. 
Thank you, Nan - you fill my heart!  And the tummies of many good folks trying to make ends meet these days.      

Second Harvest

360 Communities

A Place Of Hope   

Swagger Wagon
Rich flagged this commercial before I did (Robyn sent it around to the hood) - great taste runs in the same pack, eh?

Sunday Afternoon With Wes

Stalking At Close Range
I'm spending the afternoon with Wes before the game this afternoon.  So, really it's just an hour, but it will be quality time nonetheless.  Today is the second of the Chalk Talk series and this time I'm going to be prepared.  I'm bringing a notebook and pen - regardless of how silly that may look to the rest of the crowd.  I will leave the camera behind today and just be a student of the game.  As a season ticket holder I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to take part in these sessions as a perk.  I'm not sure how many folks will have actually paid the club level ticket price to attend - attendance will tell. 
I can tell you this: if that price would get me a game in section 225 (love our full sheet of ice perspective/perch) with Wes sitting next to me as an in-game chalk talk experience I'd pay it twice over.  For as many times as Vicki and I have wondered out loud 'why in the world did they play it that way?' or 'what the heck was that shift all about?' it would be worth it to have Wes there to walk us through it as it happens.  Yes, that will happen...NEVER.  But a hockey fan can dream, can't she? 

More Wes, Cuz It's My Blog...
Great read from the MNHOCKEYHUB.COM site on Wes Walz Coaching his son's high school hockey team. It's a new team, just in it's second year.  So here's Wes, helping to build yet another franchise :)  And I hear really good things about the impact Darby's making on the Wild as one of the coaches.  He was the captain for the bowling team who won the tournament on the Wild team outing in Pittsburgh.  Way to effectively contribute, Darby! 
        **Bitter, table for one. 

Note to mnhockeyhub - could you have found a worse picture of Wes for all the years he played with the Wild?  C'mon - just ask me next time if you can't find any better images to use.  I have one or two, a few, okay - more than enough to get that restraining order reactivated.

Chalk Talk: Session Two
The hour with Wes went by so fast but the one thing we all came a way with is that Wes clearly needs to be coaching, whether it's his son's high school team or at the NHL level.  He's a teacher, it's in his heart and soul.  Wes is great at breaking things down to the simplest level to help people understand the point he's making.  He walked us through the three main plays he felt Dallas would use during the game later in the day and he drew them out on the board for the visual.  We heard about the type of play to expect from Brad Richards and his left handed team mates and what he expected the Wild to bring to the game.   
Wes' communication skill is tremendous and he captivates his audience with his obvious passion for what he's talking about, the game of hockey.  Never mind the fact that his little boy's grin is enough to hold my attention for the rest of my life.  Never mind the fact that his answers are honest and always true to his feelings, even in the 'pause for effect' silences before answering a tough question based on which side of the corporate fence he's currently representing. 
The proof-is-in-the-pudding moments are when Wes is answering questions from the youth in the room.  He looked these kids right in the eye, engaging them them with his gestures and the tone of his voice.  He called them 'son' and asked for their names.  Wes didn't talk over them, he didn't dismiss their questions by directing the conversation to a different topic.  He didn't correct them when they misspoke about their topic.  He couldn't have been more thrilled that raffle ticket for a signed Wes Walz jersey went to one of the kids in the room.  Wes talked about being thrilled to work with his oldest son's hockey team and he referred to his two oldest daughters, in the room with us, a number of times.     
I have no doubt that Wes will be coaching hockey for a long time to come.  It's just a question of which level he'll be doing it at.  The Wild would be stupid not to get him behind their bench at some point down the line, especially with the youth due up from Houston in the next two seasons.  But that's just my humble opinion.  

Here's a very short video from the first Chalk Talk.  You'll find it on the wild.nhl.com site.  Coach Dave tells me that Vicki and I made it on network t.v. last night as well.  Evidently Wes was interviewed during the game and they showed a different video segment from the first chalk talk in which we're both seen.  Great - now there's video evidence of me stalking Wes...and Vicki's going down with me. 


Oh yeah, there was a hockey game last night - against Dallas.  They won 4-0.  Nothing about the game is worth noting here.  Read Russo/Youngblood in the Strib for the obvious and expected results in print.   
Best thing about the game's experience: sitting with Coach Dave's mom and her husband.  Note to Dave - Mom needs to come to more games...be a good son and do the right thing.  

Wild At Pittsburgh - Mad Texting Skilz

House Keeping Stuff
Backstrom out for the time being with hip issues - Read Russo.  Khudobin (The Hobbit) is with the team to back up Jose.  Zhidlicky has separated shoulder and Miettinen has the flu.   

Battle of the Goalies
Man, was that a great game or what?  Pittsburgh is a tough team to play against, even without Sid the Kid in the lineup.  Nice to see the Wild skate with them for the majority of the game and put in another terrific effort all the way through 3 full periods.  Theodore vs. Fleury - wow, that's all I can say.  Two goalies who were zoned in but as Sally pointed out - the difference between our teams tonight is one of them had defense in front of their goalie and it wasn't hers. All I can say to that is "been there, done that, for the better portion of this season, girlfriend.'       

Normally for a Wild/Pens tilt Sally, my favorite Pens friend and fan, would be here sporting her Pens jersey and purse.  This weekend Sally is actually back home in Pittsburgh so we exchanged some lively texts throughout the game.   

First Period
It's always great to see former Wild players and Pascal Dupuis's monobrow is no exception.  How great for him to have found a home with the Pens, getting the playing time and line mates to keep him successful.  Also good to see former Golden Gopher Alex Goligoski doing well, okay - just not for this game.  He had a rough night. 

Text Content
Me:   "I see your nancy boys are wearing their baby blues tonight."
Sally: "Ya, you betcha!"
Sally: "Nice flukey goal for Kobasew."
Me:    "Be it ever so flukey, we call it a 1-0 lead."

Havlat scores, like 10 seconds later making it 2-0. 

Sally:  "Shut It."
Me:     ;<)

Second Period
Powerplays galore in the second period for Minnesota, who are enjoying the second best powerplay percentage in the NHL right now. Too bad for us that Pittsburgh has the number 1 penalty kill in the NHL - and they showed us how it was done.  Sally, not so impressed...

Text Content
Sally: "Pens leading the league in penalties is NOT a good thing."
Me:   "But it's balanced out by Wild giving up 3 shorthanded attempts to Pens while on powerplay."
Me:   "Matt Cook sucks, just sayin"
Sally: "I know."


I thought for sure we were going to be in trouble after turning over the puck 3 friggin' times on our powerplay.  I had that sinking feeling in my tummy that we were about to be in real trouble.  Then we rebounded with our own shorthanded attempt on the ensuing penalty kill when Mikko went off for highsticking.  Wild could have been a lot better at going after rebounds - Fleury was handing them out like candy at Halloween there during the second.  The Wild got trapped in their own zone late in the period but battled like their lives depended on it!  Clutterbuck blocked a Paul Martin shot which left him literally crawling down the tunnel on all fours once he got off the ice.  The Pens never let up in the second and the Wild responded with the same - Nice!

Third Period
Gorg - I don't care what the announcers and Mike Russo are saying, I love your tie!  I also loved the way Bouchard is battling in the corners without fear.  Michalek rips one at the net and hits the post so hard the ping sounded like it was in the room with me!  I can only imagine how loud it was in the arena.  The Wild again found themselves pinned down in their own zone for the better part of the first half of the third.  Finally, the Pens turn over the puck and the Wild are off the races.  O'Sully to Clutterbuck for the third goal as he slides into the boards head first.  Cal takes a moment to get up and the expression on his face as he's greeted by O'Sully is priceless: 'Hey!  We got a goal, eh?!' 
**Side Note: It dawns on my why Robyn is so in love with Cal - his expressions are identical to her hubby, Rich's.  I don't know why it's taken me this long to see it but now that I do it's unmistakable.  I'm sure Rich is comforted in knowing that his wife is puckbunnying over a guy who really resembles him when it comes down to it ;)    

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

Text Content
Sally: "Nice pass play to Cal."
Me:    "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

Wild appear to be getting stronger and are battling 100% right along with the Pens - outstanding effort!  Our guys get another powerplay late in the period but void it out with a penalty of their own.  Four on four hockey coming up, but Pens pull Fleury for the man advantage.  They applied the pressure big time.  Brodziak finally gets the puck on his stick and hurls it up in the air hoping for a lofty clock killer and a breather for his linemates.  The puck hits the ice, turns end over end and starts rolling, wobbly, towards the Pens empty net...and in the words of Carl Spackler (quick, what movie is this quote from) "It's In The Hole!"  The Wild are up 4-0 in the waning moments of the game and the S word is very likely for Theo.  But wait, the Wild are their own worst enemies, with or without Zhidlicky in the lineup, and they take a penalty to put them a man short for the remainder of the game.  For the second time tonight the Pens ping the post, but Jose comes away with the shutout and gives the Wild their 4th straight win!

Holy Uphill Climb, Hockey Fans - Wild are definitely moving up in the Western Conference!  We were in 14th place on December 18 and after tonight's game I think we're in 9th - or possibly the coveted 8th spot.  I get confused with the number of games played and the non shoot-out game wins vs losses parts of the equation.  The team is making great progress in terms of giving 100% for all 60 minutes and not giving up when their opponent is outworking them.  All of this is happening on the road, not a bad thing.  But let's see what they do at home on Sunday - less than 24 hours after the Pens game.  I'm going to go out on a limb and figure that The Hobbit will be in net for Sunday's throwdown against Dallas.  Really it's just more wishful thinking than any kind of 'hockey sense'. 

Wild at Boston: An In-Game Blog

Fast And Furious
The Bruins played a fast and aggressive game Thursday night.  They are big and they pressure their opponents without regard to where it takes them.  This is a team that doesn't sit idly by waiting for an opposing defenceman to bring the puck out from behind the net.  They skate right in on their opponent to force a turnover.  They never back away from a corner and they defend their goal with fury.  I LIKED IT ALOT!!  

That kind of play really caught the Wild off guard in the first 8 minutes of the game.  Our guys were skating furiously just to keep up with the Bruins and we were flailing about in our own zone, being outshot 5-1.  Jose was WICKED good in net for us and held his ground as our guys were desperately trying to find their game.  Good hits by both teams and some magnificent drives by our boys got us caught up in shots on goal.  The Wild took two penalties in the first period.  It was scary on both of them but Jose was tuned in to that puck like he had radar for eyes.  Love me some Jose!  No score after the first 20 minutes.  I'm wondering what happened to Mikko.  I missed if he took a shot, got tripped up or hit hard.  He actually left the game with both trainers following him down the tunnel but he was back after a few minutes. 

Second period starts with the Wild driving right into the Bruins zone and putting a shot on goal.  Mikko's looking no worse for the wear so I guess no harm, no foul?  Holy Moly, the Wild are firmly entrenched in the offensive zone for the first three minutes and have outshot the Bruins 5-1.  What a monster hit by Zanon on Krejci!  Love me some Zanon :)  My God, I'm just giddy over how the Wild are playing in the period that usually sucks the love of hockey right out of me.  Phantom penalty drawn by Burns and Havlat scores right off of the faceoff!  Shawn Thornton of the Bruins is saying the F word alot on his way from the penalty box to the bench.  I kinda don't blame him, but I kinda don't care cuz we're up 1-0...neener, neener, neener.  O'Sullivan gets his 100th assist and follows it up with a timeout in the penalty box.  Wild kill off the Bruins power play as the fans start to boo the home team.  Man, been there - done that, on any given night at the X.  The Wild seem to feel bad so they turn over the puck in their own zone (Burns) and the Bruins tie the score on a juicy rebound that Jose had no chance of getting to.  We got ourselves a game folks!  End to end, up and down the ice we go into each team's offensive zone.  I forget to breathe a couple of times, especially when Zanon turns the puck over right in front of Jose.  And again when Tukka robbed Havlat of a point blank goal.  And then when Schultz swept the puck out of the crease behind Jose.  Gotta say, it's an awesome chant: "Tuukka, Tuukka, Tuukka!"    

Third period starts with Mikko getting bumped off the puck driving to the net and ends up going 50 mph feet first into the Bruins net instead of the puck.  He's taking a licking and he keeps on ticking tonight.  Two more trips up and down the ice finds the Wild coming into the Bruins zone off of a turnover.  Clutterbuck, unassisted, rips one past Tuukka and we're up 2-1!  And just as quickly, the Wild turn the puck over (Burns) right in front of Jose but he swallows the puck up.  Thank you, Jose.  Not too much later the Bruins are ALL OVER our goalie, literally, even after Jose covers the puck by laying on it.  Shoulda been a spearing call, just sayin'.  I'll let Coach Dave correct me if necessary.  Mikko takes a bad hooking penalty... but we kill it off, thanks mostly to Burns, Schultz and Zanon.  Scandella takes a stick up high so we're on the PP and the Wild OWN the offensive zone for the first 60 seconds.  Scary second 60 minutes as the Bruins take the Wild to task on their own powerplay.  The Bruins continue to school the Wild - you can tell who's the bigger, faster team overall at this point in the game.  Our guys don't give up for a minute though and manage several drives into the Boston zone, including Kobasew pinging the puck off the post.  With 4:20 left the Wild really need to own the Bruin's zone.  At 3:15 they're doing a great job of it.  At 2:30 I'm chewing my cuticles.  At 1:15 the Bruins pull Tuukka and now I've got the eye twitch going.  Glove save by Theodore!  At 1:00 minute I think we're in big trouble but the Wild come out of the zone with the puck and Madden unselfishly tosses the puck to Mikko for the empty netter.  Wild up 3-1 with 32 seconds to go.  Ten seconds to go and Jose stops the puck for one last faceoff in our zone.  Whew!  What a game!  What an absolutely freaking awesome game!! 

Jose with 35 saves.  Could the FSN guys please interview him in the locker room with his undershirt off, please??  I digress, sorry.  Clutterbuck nets his 12 goal of the season.  The Wild's blueline was unbelievable tonight, despite some nasty turnovers.  Havlat and Koivu scored.  Bouchard created so many chances for shots on goal I couldn't keep track.                   
               
On a side note: a Russo twitter follower sent this during the second period: "Wish the crowd at Xcel would provide such energy. It's got to be one of the most quiet in the league."
Um, what the hell have the Wild given us fans to cheer about so far this season at home?? Give me a game like this one at home and I guarantee you I won't have a voice by the end of the game and neither will anyone else in the arena. 



Russo's been asking his readership who they think should be the Wild's MVP for the first half of the season. 
Backstrom and Theodore come to mind for me right off the bat for having kept this team in the game on any given night, after night, after night. 
I'm ultimately torn between Greg Zanon and Martin Havlat though.  Zanon's phenomenal defensive play and determination to be in the game at all costs must be recognized.  Greg never stops on his shifts, whether he's on his skates, knocked down and still scrambling, diving across our crease or taking pucks to every inch of his body.  Havlat is playing the way he did back in Chicago and has been more consistent with his play than any of his team mates.  Sorry, Mikko.  That's huge coming from me, having been one of Havlat's loudest critics all last season. 
Who gets your vote?        

 

Quick Hits and A Couple of Firsts!

Frozen Vulcanized Rubber
All I can say about this story/video from Puck Daddy is that I'm glad Greg Zanon doesn't have to block this kid's shots! 

What Are They Up To Now?
Dwayne Roloson is making news in Tampa Bay with the Lightning after winning in his first game in net for them Tuesday night.  Roloson, now the oldest goalie in the league, helped Tampa tie for first place in the Eastern Conference along side Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  

Brian Rolston is making news in New Jersey for being waived, re-entering and now rejoining the Devils on the ice without so much as even a 'wrong number' phone call from other teams interested in picking him up.  Russo wrote a couple of great articles about Brian and how the Free Agency machine currently works.  While Michael brings up very valid points about a flawed system, I don't have any sympathy for Brian's situation considering he's still making over $5 million dollars this season.   

Wild at New Jersey
I got all sentimental Tuesday night watching Jacques behind the bench.  I miss JL and his gum chewing.  I miss his wonderful quotes in the post game pressers.  I miss his John Wayne approach to the game.  No mamby pamby, let's-not-make-the-kids-cry crap.  Just plain old 'get your shit together or go play somewhere else' kind of approach.  I loved the fact that while he was plainly peeved about having to give an in-game interview Tuesday night, he didn't miss the opportunity to point out what his team was doing wrong in the first period.  Like, right there - in front of his team - just putting it out there for them to hear it through a microphone.  The Wild's coach on the other hand...I was half expecting him to say "we'll have to look at the tape" when he was interviewed since that's all Todd really knows how to say.  

Anyway - the Wild pulled off it's first win playing in New Jersey on Tuesday night! 
A good strong first period by the Wild with a goal from Clutterbuck, followed by a weak-assed second period, ending with a strong third period where Clayton Stoner's first NHL goal (and the game winning goal) which will very likely end up on a highlight reel for the flukiest goal in the NHL's history.



I gave Jose the number 1 star of the game for bailing out his team, YET AGAIN, in the second period where he faced 14 shots and saved 13 of them.  
Clayton gets the second star and a permanent place in the Wild's history book. 
The third star is Kyle Brodziak who needed six stitches on the right side of his nose and five under his right eye because he stopped a puck with his face.  But that's not the reason he gets the third star.  Kyle not only rejoined the game after getting sutures, he dived to block yet another puck while killing a Devils power play on his very first shift back. 
Honorable Mention goes to Jared Spurgeon for blocking a Brian Rolston slap shot and finishing his shift to tell about it on the bench afterwards. 

Bullshit Call Of The Game - giving Greg Zanon a diving penalty.  C'mon, who are you trying to kid, Devorski?  You're starting to ref like MaGoo (McGeough) used to and we really don't need another one of him in this league EVER. AGAIN.  

Players Who Need A Kick In The Pants - Patrick O'Sullivan, Eric Nystrom for obvious reasons.  

And now we're moving on to Boston to take on the Bruins.  A team steeped in hockey history and players: Gary Aldcorn, Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, Bill Goldsworthy, Al Iafrate, Cam Neely, Wes Walz - just to name a few...


 




 

End Results

All's Well That Ends Well 
Dog owners and 9 year old boys at heart will appreciate this...
So, for whatever reason Buster's been a little backed up the last two days.  Since I hold the title of Poop Patroller, I notice these things.  In the interest of moving things along I gave him a fresh beef bone last night after dinner to see if the richness of the marrow would help.  Buster was a happy dog, noisily grinding on that bone for 3 hours straight.


No results during the last potty call before retiring for the night which didn't alarm me too much.  Still nothing brewing this morning as I stood outside in the -3 degree temperature at 6:30 a.m., except the mental note in my head that I should have taken care of business myself, before standing outside in -3 degree weather waiting for the dog to do his business.


I load Buster into the truck after breakfast and off the park we go for our daily walk.  Buster excitedly bounds up the path and then back to me making sure none of my joints had frozen solid and was his usual happy-to-be-outside dog.  Typically, a good run gets things moving for Buster but still nothing for me to bag up and deposit into the garbage can as we exited the park.  I'm a little concerned and decide that I'll call the vet from home once my nose stops running and I can feel my fingers enough to dial.


Back home, I'm sitting at the table with the phone in hand - Buster's curled up to the right of my chair working on the bone from last night.  All of a sudden there's an audible signal from his rear end...and I do mean AUDIBLE.  And a good 5 seconds in length - long enough for me to realize that he's actually farting out loud (not me, really) and to see his complete surprise at his butt's ability to do that.  Buster jumped to his feet and started turning circles while barking at his butt,  pretty much the same way he barks at sounds he thinks he hears outside when there's nothing there but he needs to show me he's The Defender Of The Realm.   


Taking this a sign of things to come I quickly headed for downstairs with Buster in the lead.  We barely made it to the back yard in time.  On this day I am thankful for below zero temperatures so that what is now liquid will be a solid mass later for easier disposal, 'nuff said.


Buster is fine, no ill or lingering effects.  He's napping in a patch of sun on the living room floor now completely relieved, physically and figuratively speaking.  I'm relieved as well to have been home for this episode - ugh, I don't even want to think about what could have been... buy hey, everything worked out in the end, right?  ;)

End of Days
That's it folks, wrap it up.  The holidays are over.  Okay, there's Epiphany on Thursday this week for you Traditionalists out there but after that there's really no excuse for getting the house back to normal.  Get that dried up crispy Christmas tree out the door in time for the garbage collection this week.  It's a fire hazard.  It has been for at least a week now.  Admit it.  You stopped watering it before Christmas Eve, didn't you?  Turn those outside holiday lights off, especially the hideous blue ones...WTF does blue have to do with Christmas??  

The kids are back in school, already whining about how long it will be until their next day off, which will still come sooner than your next company paid holiday.  All you're left with now are stale Christmas cookies and the visa bill due by the 15th.  Happy...Merry...wait, nothing until Memorial day weekend: 5 months and 6 days from now.  Looking at the 3 foot snow drift on my deck really drives that point home.  
Makes you think about...

Wild vs Coyotes Recap

As if to prove a point regarding inconsistency - the Wild played yet another game tonight where they showed up for the game in short bursts during each period but didn't put in a full game's effort.  A fairly weak first period with the Wild tying the game in the waning seconds.  They built a two goal lead in the second by putting in some solid shifts, driving to the net and working at rebounds.  The Wild came out in the third period with some serious attitude problems, thinking they were all that and a bag of chips.  The Coyotes made them pay for it by scoring two goals inside of 13 seconds to tie the game.  The boos rained down on the Wild and rightfully so given the Coyotes were outshooting the Wild 10 to 4 at that point in the period.  The Wild spent the next six minutes pouting before deciding to play intense hockey again.

And look at that - they scored on a determined attack in the offensive zone, including catching a rebound to put the puck in the net.  Phoenix, not wanting to be taken lightly, promptly scored two goals by skating around our defense and from the faceoff to take the lead back.  The Wild stepped up to the challenge.  With Jose pulled the team did a great job of owning the offensive zone.  Bruno sprung the puck from behind the net to Bouchard who tied the game with 25 seconds left.  And how's this for a 'who'dathunk' finish to the game - Cam Barker gets the winning goal 46 seconds into overtime!  This is Wild Hockey at it's best...just think if they could put in three full periods of it.



Jose faced 44 shots in his 250th career win.  That's a completely unacceptable amount of shots to face and I was glad to hear Brunette say as much in his post game interview from the ice.  Seven players with minus ratings even though a couple of them had goals.  Havlat was the worst with a -4 for the night but Brokziak was right behind him with -3.  The Wild only put 29 shots on goal.  Nystrom notched his first point at home since coming to the Wild...sad, really sad.


Player of the game has to be Mikko with 4 assists and his decision to lead the team in determination. Bruno is my pick for number two.  The third spot is a tie between Burns (who had a good overall game despite a couple of really stupid plays) and Barker (who is the luckiest bastard on the face of the earth).  

New Year Resolutions, What's Wrong With The Wild

I Resolve To...
I'm not much for New Year resolutions, mostly because I tend to over-aspire which sets me up for failure and then being very hard on myself for not achieving those lofty goals.  That, and I'm incredibly lazy...really.  That being said, I did read a column today in the Pioneer Press  that made me stop and think - and then come back to it for a second read.  While I don't agree with everything she wrote most of it really rang true for me.  I hope that you will find something of value in her words as well: Kathleen Parker's Resolutions For All Time
My favorite part of her column:
Here is giving: Listening. Sparing time. Not interrupting. Holding that thought. Leaving the last drop. Staying home. Turning it off, whatever it is. Making eye contact. Picking it up. Taking the room's temperature. Paying attention. Waiting.


Wild Woes
The Wild continues to be inconsistent in their efforts.  They struggle to put more than two strong games together.  Heck, they struggle to put two strong periods together, much less two strong games.  They don't play together well, often looking lost out on the ice.  The passing is horrible.  The turnovers are too many.  The lack of puck possession is pathetic.  The time spent in our own zone is embarrassing, especially when we're on the power play.  I'm not saying anything here that we all haven't witnessed for ourselves for a season and a half now. 

The coach's response?  He hits the rewind button on his pre-recorded patent answer for the post-game pressers: "We'll look at the tape and we'll talk about it."  One time he came out with this little diddy:  "I'm sick and tired of being booed at home."  Evidently that was only valid for one well-played game.  After that it was right back to SUCKING ON ICE for the game against the Nashville Predators.  According to an interview with Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press, Todd was really bothered by that 4-1 loss to the Predators.  He actually lost sleep over it and woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday thinking about how to "get players to play better."  His answer for the next two days...

1. Saturday's practice was cut short because the arena had to be prepped for the Schwan Cup event starting at noon.  So, the coach couldn't have called the players in early in order to get a full practice in??? 
2. Sunday's practice was very optional.  Seven skaters and Jose Theodore showed up.  Yep, I'd say that Coach Richards has his finger on the pulse of this team and is making EVERY effort to make it clear what's expected of them.  In case some of you are not familiar with my writing form, that last sentence is dripping with sarcasm and loathing - bordering on hatred.  

In all fairness to the coach, the Wild's lack of effort cannot be pinned entirely on the man behind the bench.  These are professional hockey players we're talking about, right?  And haven't we heard the players say they need to step it up and lead by example?  Well, okay - after Koivu threw his temper tantrums in both Twin Cities newspapers he decided that maybe as the captain he should man up.  But it hasn't lasted for him any longer than most of his teammates.  Now one of his line mates has decided to weigh in on the Wild's serious issue of don't-give-a-shit-itis'. 

In the same interview with Bruce Brothers, Antti Miettinen states "It's the five guys on the ice", he said.  "We have all the systems; you've got to execute as a team."  He admits to the team not playing with same level of intensity Friday night as they had in the previous couple of games.  But he didn't let it bother him..in fact, he said he slept well Friday night.  Antti went on to say that he thinks the team has played pretty consistently lately and he's "not concerning himself about that."  WFT??? 
But have no fear, Wild fans because Antti also says he got ticked off about the game when he got to practice the next morning and directed that anger in the right way to get some energy from it...during a short practice on Saturday, followed by an optional practice on Sunday morning.  So, Antti - were you one of the seven skaters on the ice Sunday morning?  

Here's the full Pioneer Press article. 

With attitudes and practice routines like these - gee, I wonder what could possibly be the problem with the Wild?  Things that make you go hmmmmm.