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.