Wild at Columbus, Owen Nolan Retires, Little of This and a Little of That

Wild 1, Blue Jackets 3

After appearing to have gotten back on track for a couple of games the Wild rolled into Columbus and promptly played down to, I mean BELOW the level of the worst team in the NHL this season.  And to a team coached by Todd Richards no less.  And to a team who claimed Colton Gilles off of waiver no less.  There was one highlight for me in this game: Nate Prosser scoring his first NHL goal.  Russo's tweets regarding the Wild's power play kept me laughing through the tears over a game that the Wild should have dominated and come away with 2 points from.  Instead they lose to Todd Richards, Colton Gilles and a team that is ranked 30the in NHL by 11 points.  I could name names of Wild players who failed epically tonight but this just says it all:  Boooooo.       

The Angry Irishman Retires
Not too many NHL players are classier than Owen Nolan.  The fact that he played for the Wild during his 1200 game tenure makes me ever so proud.  Owen logged 132 games in Minnesota from 2008 thru 2010: 41 goals, 37 assists.  In every one of those games Owen gave 110% of himself.  He scored, he fought, he threw checks like nobody's business and even played on a broken ankle.  Cuz that's what a real NHL'r does.  He melted this Irishwoman's heart on more than one occasion.  He was capable of single-handedly carrying the team on his back during a game changing shift or by offering up his personal time at the Children's hospital or at one of the many player appearances I had the pleasure of attending.  Owen finished his career with the same team he led as their captain when he was a younger man, the San Jose Sharks.  They paid tribute to his career:
 
Did you catch that crushing check to Dany Heatley?  Click here for a trip down memory lane when Owen scored 25 goals for MN in his 2008-2009 season. 

Prosser's Legit
Nate did his hometown of Elk River, MN proud on Monday when he signed his first one-way NHL contract extension.  Nate's worked his butt off to get here and it's paid off.  How did Nate celebrate?  Well, by offering up his face as a punching bag in a decidedly one-sided fight with CBJ's Dorsett in Tuesday's game.  Not wanting that to be the last impression Nate shook that off and scored his first NHL goal to tie the game later in the same period.  Congratulations Nate!  
     
Zanon Pissing Me Off
Who the hell does Greg think he is, not talking to the press after bad games?  I'm really tired of him having no comment and refusing to speak to Russo when his play adversely affects the outcome of the game.  He's one of the veteran players on this team.  He's been lauded as Chuck-Norris-Tough and one of the most stand-up kind of guys you'd ever want on a team.  Where's your inner honey badger?  Where's your fortitude of steel?  Where's your balls, Greg?  Be a man, for the love of hockey.  

Blaming The Refs
People, just stop this.  Seriously, the Wild have been and always will be their own worst enemies.  Yes, refs blow calls on occasion but by and large the Wild get what they deserve, as do the rest of the teams in the NHL.   

Wild Trade...Ooh - Ahh!
Casey Wellman was traded to the New York Rangers for Erik Christensen(& Rangers 7th round pick in the 2013 draft) in an attempt to fill the holes left by injured Latendresse and Bouchard.  I'm not sure what went wrong with Casey's chance to crack to the Wild lineup given that he's a product of Yeo's coaching in Houston.  But it was clear he didn't 'pop' whenever he was called up.  I really like Casey and had high hopes for him.  I wish him all the best in New York.  I expect we'll be seeing and hearing good things about him soon, like we do for 90% of all the players the Wild trade away. 
On to Erik Christensen: played under Yeo and Fletcher before so the Wilds' transformation to becoming the Penguins Midwest continues.  He has NHL experience, not at the Seto or Heatley level but more than most of our Aeros boys do.  Erik is cheap, compared to a big name/top six forward.  He's looked really good in his first few games with us.   

How Much Is That Zhidlicky In The Window?
Mr. Whiney got to lace his skates up for the game in Dallas in an attempt to showcase his mad NHL skills to the rest of the teams in the league.  For a defenseman who's supposed to be known for his booming shots on goal and offensive play...well, that wasn't what we saw Saturday night.  Marek is apparently not familiar with the phrase "put up or shut up."  In Columbus he knocked into Backstrom, causing Nik to lose his stick.  As Falk handed Nik his stick to use Marek decided to leave his position to retrieve Nik's stick, thereby allowing CBJ's David Savard to score his first NHL goal.  I'm guessing a bag of used pucks is all we'll be offered for this loser.  Good thing we got Erik Christensen and a draft pick out of the Wellman trade.  And the signing of Nate Prosser - you better believe that's a clear indication that Zidlicky is sooo outta here. 

News Bulletin - Backstrom Sucks In The Shootout
Okay, this isn't really news to any of us Wild fans.  We've known it for years now.  And the fans are rabid to have Nik pulled in the shootout in favor of bringing in Josh Harding for a real chance at getting that 2nd important point of the game.  Russo and Gorg did a great Point - Counterpoint discussion on this subject during the Russo Radio segment on KFAN Tuesday morning: 2/7 - HR 1 - Russo Radio   I usually side with Russo on all things hockey but on this one I have to say I'm with Gorg.  Backstrom already knows he sucks in the shootout and if bringing in Hards is the answer for the time being then he should want what's best for the team, not his 'fragile' sense of confidence. 

NHL Hit Of The Year - Hands Down

It's a bird, It's a plane...It's Dan Paille :)  Sally was salivating on this play and I don't blame her.  Her boy Orpik done good - clean hit all the way.  Props to Paille for getting up and shaking it off.  That's Honey Badger Worthy!  

For Those Who Haven't Had A Ride On The Honey Badger Train