Random Hockey Thoughts

Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?
I get that it's an honor to be acknowledged, to get the nod to play in the All Star Game.  Quite honestly, I'd love to see OttoawaGhost put his hysterical spin on Koivu's trip to The Show.  But beyond the need for a good belly laugh I'm struggling with the fact that the Wild, and Mikko himself, were even entertaining the thought of Mikko playing for anyone except his own team right now. 
I'm sorry, but when I was growing up if I was too sick to go to school then I was too sick to go out to the movies with my friends that night.  
Mikko's injury has been listed as a Week-to-Week serious shoulder injury which is keeping him out of the Wild's nightly lineup. At a time when injuries are already wreaking havoc on this team Chuck Fletcher called Brendan ShanaBan and asked him to delay naming a replacing for Koivu in hopes that a few DAYS would make enough difference so that Mikko could be a Fuckin' All Star, just like Dany Heatley.  I'm guessing Chuck is one of those parents who lets his kids go to the movies tonight even though they were too sick to go to school today.
Mikko should be leading 'his' team by doing the right thing at this crucial time.  The Wild is a team of individuals in desperate need of a true leader.  I don't think Mikko Koivu is that guy - and it isn't all just about whether or not he plays in the All Star Game.  I've felt this way for some time, a little over two seasons.  The temper tantrums when called out for his personal alck of play, or the team as a whole, have soured me on our second-ever appointed 'franchise' player. 
I get that other players will be taking advantage of the time off this week and doing some family bonding, perhaps traveling to warmer climates.  I also get that this week is a time of sleeping in their own beds, letting those physical bumps and bruises heal.  But for some of our key players I would think the time would be best spent getting back to what works to make this Wild team a...well, a TEAM.  So I'm struggling with the fact that Mikko didn't just come out last week to say "thanks for the honor but my priority is here with my team while we're working to come back together."  Instead, he and Fletcher waited until they just couldn't put it off any more due to the nature of the long healing process.    
It really is a shame that Mikko won't be making an appearance at the All Star Game.  Maybe the extra three days that make up the All Star Weekend will be just the ticket for Mikko.  Maybe he'll be back in the lineup next Tuesday when the Nashville Predators come to town.  Maybe he'll pick right up where his red hot season left off before the shoulder injury kept him out of school, and out of the movie theater.  

A More Deserving All Star!
Nick Johnson, one of the few real 60 Minute Men on the Wild, will be representin' as a rookie at the All Star Game Weekend by taking part in the skills competition on Saturday.  Nick is currently tied for 10th in rookie scoring with 16 points in 44 games.  CONGRATS, Nick!!  Side note: Nick Johnson was picked up off of waivers from the Penguins before the season started.  This leads me to the next random thought...

Pens NW
So Sally and I were smack-talking our way through the Pens/Caps game on NATIONAL tv on Sunday afternoon when she mentioned that her team was quietly becoming Canada South.  I countered with the fact that my home team had not so quietly become Pens NW.  I was basing this on the fact that our management team has a definite Pittsburgh Penguins vein running through it.  Mike Yeo, having coached our Houston Aeros to the Calder Cup finals last season, has passed that DNA on to many on our current player roster as well.  Add to that the two players who've been in the Pittsburgh system: Nick Johnson and Kyle Brodziak.  Coming to this Pens-R-Us realization I was stunned to think that this would somehow make me a Pens fan by relativity.
 
Swear to God, I heard Sally's evil laugh through her texts.  

The Reason NBC & VS Will Always Televise Any Other Team But The Wild

I simply refer you to the Penguins vs Capitals game aired on NBC this past Sunday.  It was fast paced and both teams played all 60 minutes.  There was give-n-go & back-n-forth, digging in corners, races for pucks, drives to the net, heart stopping goalie saves, oohs & aahs and OHMYFUCKINGGOD's galore.  I'm fairly certain that Sally and I would have been covered in bruises had we been watching the game together.  Over a thousand miles apart we were both on the edges of our seats and unable to text fast enough to cover the last exciting play before the next beautiful odd-man rush appeared out of nowhere.  I needed a nap afterwards!  When, and I am ever the optimist, when the Wild decide to start playing 60 minute hockey night and night out they will not only find themselves back on top of the NHL but also in the limelight that is NATIONALLY televised hockey games on the NBC National Network channel & the NBCSPORTS cable channel on a regular basis.  Hint to Craig - this also goes for getting the Winter Classic here in the great state of hockey.

Hockey Day In Minnesota!

Gotta say I was feeling sorry for myself on Saturday, missing out on Hockey Day in Minnesota.  Hockey from morning till night!  The only thing better, in my estimation, would be a trip to the All Star Game simply for the tour of the crowded locker rooms after each of the assorted competitions and games. 

But I digress. 

Vicki and Emily promised to cheer the Wild on to a win to bring Hockey Day to a perfect close and they didn't disappoint!  Neither did the Wild, in a game they desperately need to win for a moral booster alone.  Of all of the games the Wild have played against the Stars in the last eleven years this one was one of the top three for me.  I love NHL debuts, the Cinderalla story of it all.  Chad Rau's debut was certainly the stuff hockey dreams are made of.  I really enjoy the camera shot of the parents standing in the crowd and cheering their son on.  All those years of expensive equipment, early morning practices, missed family events, cold arenas and lack of sleep melt away into sheer joy watching their son reach a goal he's been skating towards all of his life.  

And now on to the last game before the guys get a week off - Colorado Avs on Tuesday night.  Are the Wild on the right track back to finding their mojo?  

Weather Report

It rained pretty much all weekend here.  At one point the winds whipped up to 35 miles per hour which prompted the local tv weathermen/women to advise folks to take shelter.  Bitch, please!  I'm from the land of 70 mph straight line winds and tornadoes.  While the rain did come down in a wall you couldn't see through it was just that, only rain.  Apparently we're getting the rain which was missing all during the fall season.  This week calls for rain every day through Friday.  Georgia needs it in order to end the drought.  For that reason alone, I'm all for thirsty trees and shrubs getting what they need, I'm content to curl up with books and blogging to get through the dreary days.  The extended forecast calls for the sun to return in force on Saturday.