Pulling On The Same Rope, Barker Still Blows, Living The Dream!

Wild vs Canucks - Bastards Won, We Lost

It wasn't for a lack of trying, especially on Cal Clutterbuck's part Tuesday night against the dreaded rival Vancouver Canucks.  Cal was hitting everything in his line of sight and when he wasn't delivering bone-crushing hits he was scoring the Wild's only goal of the night in the first period.  It was a beautiful Bad Angle goal, one that I got to see up close and personal thanks to a brand new hockey friend I met at Sunday's Aeros game.  But Cal didn't stop there.  He continued throwing pucks on the net, hitting the post and getting robbed by Schneider time after time.    

It wasn't just Cal putting forth a monster effort, Nystrom was busy forechecking and coming out of corners with the puck.  Bruno was, well - he was Bruno.  Say what you will about his speed or age, this guy NEVER gives up around the net and makes plays happen out of nowhere.  Cullen was all about the do or die on every one of his shifts.  Our defense was mostly stellar, but struggled, here and there (Burns and Spurge).  Backstrom gave up a goal that he admitted he should have had - but that shit happens on any given night to any given team. 

A loss never feels good, especially against the Canucks, but last night's drive home was a happy one for me.  I mean, shit - when was the last time the Wild OUTSHOT their opponent??  When was the last time the Wild owned the opponent's zone for ENTIRE period??  I was thrilled with the effort and filled with happy anticipation for Wednesday's game in Chicago.   

At the very first Chalk Talk the Wild hosted this season Wes Walz was asked what he thought the problem with the Wild was regarding their lack of consistency and work ethic.  This was back when the team wasn't showing up for entire games at a time.  Back when we fans were calling out the coach, the players, the GM and the owner because we just couldn't understand what or who was the problem.  Wes didn't hesitate for a second before responding that it was the players who needed to come together and find a way to make it work as a team.  He used the phrase "pulling on the same rope" and the need for certain players to step up and work with their team mates to get them on the same page. 

What I saw last night, despite the 4-1 loss on the jumbotron, was a Wild team pulling on the same rope right down to the last second of the third period.  To be fair, the team has been playing as one synchronized unit for some time and the wins have been tremendous.  But it's during a loss, like last night to a division rival, that tests the character of a team.  Keep pulling on that rope together guys and you'll find the way to win.  

Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

Cam Barker is stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.  He's never been the player he was hyped up to be when he came to the Wild via a trade with Chicago that netted them Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy.  He was called out for it almost immediately, by the fans and the media.  Yet he did nothing to change his game or our perception of his ability.  Coach Richards took a whole year to FINALLY notice and even went so far as to publicly call Barker out in the media.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  Coach called up Jared Spurgeon who grabbed hold of his opportunity and has given us every reason to believe he belongs on the team permanently.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  Coach started playing Clayton Stoner when Zhidlicky went IR and Stoner recognized his opportunity to show the team he finally understands what it takes to be an NHL defenseman.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  The Wild players started to click together, to buy into Coach Richards' style of play.  This included a defense that could step up into plays and score - something that Cam was supposed to have brought to the team in the first place, although if you look at his career stats I'm not sure where that delusion came from.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.   

And why should he?  I mean, the guy's got it made.  He's making millions of dollars regardless of how sub par his play is.  He can't be sent down to the farm team because he'd have to clear waivers.  He can't be traded because who the hell would want him.  What's the worst that could happen - he spent a couple of nights in the press box.  Really, what incentive was there for Cam to do anything but what he was already doing which was simply collecting a big fat paycheck from his $3,083,333 per season cap hit?

Well, apparently it's pride in workmanship.  At least that's what he's quoted with in Russo's column.  From the article: But Barker says he's feeling much more confident about his game and it starts with "being more assertive, more aggressive. For my sake, I just wanted to start playing better, especially with the playoff push here. I want to help this team."   Evidently the decision to man up and play had nothing to do with the fact that Richards made it clear in the local print that Cam is the obvious choice to sit out now that Zhidlicky is ready to play again.  Yeah, right.  Well, whatever the motivation is for Barker, I can't help but think it's too little too late.  This is a guy who's well into his career and is just now deciding he can, and will play hockey with his team.  Despite his better play and attempts at 'fighting' in the last four games there are two guys on the team right now who've worked their asses off to make Richards take notice - Stoner and Spurgeon.  They deserve the spot, not Barker - In My Humble Opinion.      

Best Hockey Weekend Of My Life!

• Wild beats the Blues in St. Louis on Friday night in an epic battle that came down to the last seconds of the third period to tie the game, through overtime and nine one-on-one attempts for the win in the shootout.  I did not drive home from the local watering hole, having consumed large quantities of tequila.     
• Tour of the Excel Energy Center on Saturday Vicki's first time) and a Rookie Roundup session with the Wild's GM, the Aeros coaching staff and three of Aeros players.  These two fun things would have been enough to send Vicki and me to bed with sweet dreams all by themselves but then you add... 
• Wild beat the Blues on our pond later on Saturday night in the second of a home-and-home series.  There was blood letting and scoring and it was good.  Vicki and I played through our own back pains to be there for the team, cuz they need us, right!   
• Picked up my Year Ten jersey...DEE-ICING proudly lettered on the back! 
• Wild hosted an autograph session at the X on Sunday morning for which I had to be totally caffinated for in order to have the energy at that point.  It was a challenge but I ended up with Zhidlicky, Cullen, Scandella, Zanon, Brunette, Spurgeon, Madden, Theodore, Schultz, Stoner, Bouchard and Latendresse signatures on my new DEE-ICING jersey!  Once again, I'm amazed at how big Latendresse is - I'm standing, he's sitting and we're eye to eye.  
• Houston Aeros played the Peoria Rivermen in a Wild/Blues "baby teams" match up Sunday afternoon.  With Robyn and Rich, Vicki and Dan joining the fun it was a grand afternoon of watching our Wild youth and the future of the team.  Oh, and Coach Dave showed up at some point - he was busy reffing games through the late morning/early afternoon.  And now Robyn, Rich and Dan are able to put the face on the man Vicki and I talk about all the time.  Unfortunately, it wasn't such a grand afternoon for the Aeros.  Our babies were very nervous to be playing in front of the parent club fans and it didn't go well for them.  In addition to losing 3-1 to the Rivermen the Aeros were hit even harder.  Tyler Cuma who, in true injury-riddled fashion, tore his ACL in a freakish turn of events that sent him crashing into the boards feet first.  He was taken off the ice by stretcher and will be out for six months.  This kid can't seem to catch a break from the injuries early on in his career.  
• Aeros players signed autographs after their game and while they weren't happy about the loss they were thrilled beyond words to find hordes of Minnesota fans waiting just to see them.  Kudos to the Houston fans who made the trek to the State of Hockey for the weekend's events, including Hockey Day in Minnesota, and to see 'their' boys play on the NHL ice.  I had some of the best conversations with these folks and I'll tell you what - a true hockey fan is the same no matter what GodForsaken state you come from...ours or theirs ;)  

I'll dedicate an entire blog this week to the pictures from the weekend's events cuz there's some great ones and I don't want them to be cut off because of too much text...ie: STFU, Dee.