Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

I was going to title this post "Wake Me Up When the Regular Season Ends," but I wanted to be a little more original than that, and besides, everyone loves a little Wham!. The point of this post has to do with the endless regular season and the incredible parity that exists for playoff positioning. While it would seem an avid hockey fan like myself would love having more games and exciting competition for the postseason, I am not happy about it.

I long for the days when I only had 2 or 3 races to watch. When there were 3 teams battling for 2 spots and when there was only 1 division race I could follow. I long for the days when I didn't have to monitor the games played both of the stinkin' New York teams because both are in the hunt. Now I have to read every box score in the morning and see where the teams stand after the previous night's games. Now I have to look at the "games remaining" column to see how many more games the Canucks have in hand.

In the past I was able to have a pretty good idea of 'who was matched up with who' a couple of weeks before the playoffs started. To go through the anticipated match-ups and decide which ones would be good series and so forth. Now that will have to wait until three days before the playoffs begin because all of the matchups will probably come down to the last weekend.

I know, get over it, this is very exciting and blah, blah, blah. For me I'll be feigning interest a bit and counting the days until April 11th.

First Place Wild

With tonight's 4-1 victory over a very chippy L.A. Kings team (*), the Minnesota Wild are in first place in the Northwest Division. Granted Vancouver has 2 games in hand, but let me bask in the moment for now.

(*) I used to be a Kings fan. Used to, until Marc Crawford took over as coach. That guy has brought his cheap, take-runs-at-guys-when-their-backs-are-turned style that he made famous in Colorado and Vancouver to Los Angeles. I hope he doesn't ruin the bright futures of Anze Kopitar, Patrick O'Sullivan and Jack Johnson.

Golbez Converted

Some more random thoughts from the world of hockey and elsewhere:

• Canuck fan and blogger extraordinaire Jes Golbez admits he is a Wild fan. If these two teams met in the playoffs I think his head may explode if Gabby and Pavol came down the ice on a 2 on 1. (Note to Jes: I apologize for not being able to add the Slovakian squiggly marks above the "o" in Golbez)
  

• Many months ago I posted about making some butternut squash ravioli before a game. Since then I have been averaging 3 site hits a week from people googling "butternut squash raviloi". To all those finding this site via such a search I say welcome.

• Remember Todd Fedoruk? He's the guy who got knocked out cold by the Ranger's goon the other night. Well, I think it's safe to say Derek Boogaard had something to do with this latest concussion...Boogey shattered Fedoruk's cheek earlier this year.

• Lemaire says Josh Harding will get the start tonight against the Kings. Despite the magnificent play of Backstrom this season, Harding is clearly the future in goal for this team. Look for Fernandez or Backstrom to be the number 1 goalie in 2007-08 with Harding to take over the following year. This guy is the real deal Lucille.

• Today the #1 seed University of Minnesota-Twin Cities plays in the first round of the NCAA hockey tournament against Air Force. UMTC will struggle to get past AF, and who knows, it may be another Holy Cross, I can only hope.
  

Luongo Mania Revisited

Let me start this post by saying that Roberto Luongo is a very good goaltender, in fact, I'd go as far as saying he's the best in the Western Conference this year. He has brought the Canucks back from the dead and should be considered in conversations for the Hart and Vezina trophies.

But let's put it all in persepctive as he approaches Bernie Parent's record of 47 wins in a season by a goaltender. If Luongo sets the record, there should be an asterisk in the record books because of this new overtime system. A significant number of Roberto's victories have come in overtime or via the shoot-out. Parent, and other great goalies of the past didn't have the benefit of this and shouldn't be penalized for not having it.

Take nothing away from Roberto, great season and all, I'm just saying let's calm down a bit before we anoint this as the greatest season ever by a goalie.

Coyotes v. Wild Thoughts

National TV game on Versus. Some quick thoughts:

• After getting up 3-0 the Wild seemed to put the game on cruise control. Phoenix came out for the 3rd period with fire and almost tied it up.
• Pavol Demitra is on fire! He and Marian form the most potent 1-2 combo in the league at the moment. Hopefully this continues deep into the playoffs.
• The TV guy said Wayne's son, Ty Gretzky only started playing hockey at age 14. There's got to be more to that, huh? The son of the greatest hockey player of all time doesn't play organized puck until 14? Hmmm.
• According to the national media (versus, XM, etc...) there are no bad teams in the NHL. Teams like Phoenix, Philadelphia, St. Louis and LA are are "building for the future" and have "really turned things around". Come on, people, not every team can be on the right track, but I think I've heard the same cliches about every non-playoff team.
• Did you know Minnesota is "The State of Hockey"? I think they mentioned this about 8 times during the broadcast.
  

Beards and Misc.

Topic #1: I told myself at the end of the playoffs last year that I'd grow a playoff beard this year, but now I'm not so sure. Is all the patchiness and scratching worth it? Maybe I'll just try and grow a Rolston patch or some Gaborik chin stubble. Or maybe, a full-on Grizzly Adams lumberjack beard. The choices are plentiful, but I'm not so sure I've got the guts to do it.

Topic #2: Canucks in Edmonton tonight and I don't care. You'd think that with Minnesota and Vancouver in this heated race that this would be a game I'd want to watch, but no. Edmonton is a shell of themselves and I have no confidence whatsoever in them tonight. It is never fun to watch the Nucks beat up on a weaker opponent and that should be the case tonight.

Topic #3: Why does Katie Couric bother me so? I can't put my finger on it, but her general perkyness drives me bonkers. Give me Soledad O'Brien or that financial chick from CNBC any time, just no more Couric-mania.

Flamers Done

If the Wild win 4-2 in Calgary, but no one outside of Calgary saw it, does it count? Rolston and Pavol with goals in the third period to seal the victory.

Now 8 of the last 9 are at home and the #3 seed is ours. The only question now is whether the Wild will wear the home green jersey or the alternative reds for Game 1 against the Nucks.

Most Hated Canucks

After today's post I pledge to stop blogging about the team in freefall from Vancouver and concentrate more on the Wild. But, as promised, here is my list of my Top 5 Most Hated Canucks of All Time:

1. Jarkko Ruutu-- this selection doesn't need much an explanation. Even just looking at the guy makes me hate him. He's the only reason I don't watch more Penguin games.

2. Matt F-in Cooke -- this is the guy who gets in everyone's face but never backs it up. He's the guy who'll check you from behind and quickly skate for the bench. He's the guy who yells to Pierre-Marc Bouchard "you wanna go?" and then skate away faster than Eric Heiden. I gave real consideration to making him #1, but just couldn't quite do it.

3. The Sedin Twins -- I've got no real reason here to hate them, I just do. Sometimes I think they just switch jerseys to f*** with the opponents, not that it really makes any difference. Is it possible that one of them was cloned at age 7 by some evil Swedish scientist?

4. Bert -- need I elaborate here? He's the guy who told Wild fans in line for tickets to Game 6 to "go home" because there wouldn't be a 6th game. After months of therapy I actually like him as a player now, especially now that he's out of the division.

5. Dan Cloutier -- just kidding. He was my favorite Canuck and it isn't close.

Much To My Chagrin

Much to my chagrin, neither tonight's game in Edmonton nor Saturday's in Calgary are on local TV. A person can watch tonight's game on Center Ice (which I intend to do), but Saturday's game has no TV coverage at all. This frustrates me. Why is it every year when the NCAA basketball tournament begins that NHL hockey gets the shaft locally? I know I know I know March Madness is very popular and I'll probably even watch a bit here and there, but surely there are some hockey fans in this basketball hotbed. I'll have to evaluate my watching options on Saturday night, but I can tell you this with certainty: I won't watch a minute of the Red Wings-Canucks. I can't think of a worse matchup for a Wild fan than that.

Speaking of the Canucks, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm working on a list of my Top 5 Most Hated Canucks of all time. Narrowing down to five is proving to be a difficult task, but it should be done by tomorrow night. Suggestions are welcome in the comment box.

On a side note, just how good has Brent Burns been playing this last month? The young defenseman continues to grow in front of our eyes, and in this blogger's opinion, is now clearly this team's number 1 option on the blueline. Kim Johnsson continues to disappoint.

Overrated, Part II

Division Crown in Sight

Mark my words, Minnesota is the favorite to win the Northwest Division. Yes, I know Vancouver has some ungodly record since Christmas, and yes, I know we can't beat the Flames in Calgary, but there are a few key reasons why I believe this:

(1) The Wild's remaining schedule -- 8 of the last 9 are at home. The Blues, Oilers, Kings and Coyotes account for 7 of the remaining 12 games. Plus we get Calgary twice in St. Paul, and it's nos secret how Calgary has been on the road.

(2) Marian Gaborik is healthy -- what is the Wild's record with Marian in the lineup? Last time I checked it was 22-7-4. Gabby and Demitra form perhaps the most lethal combo in the league at this moment.

(3) Goaltending Depth -- name another team with 3 first goaltenders. Backstrom and Harding are both playing on the same level as Kipper and Lunongo and our No. 1 is rested and ready to go.

(4) Vancouver Sucks -- yes, I couldn't get through another post without spilling some animosity northward. Just when I thought my Canuck hatred was lessening, they deal for Brent Soppel. Thank you Vancouver!

BetUS is the best hockey betting
web site that I have come across. Check out their NHL section.

Alberta Curling

For those of you in Minnesota, you can probably stop reading this post because you've heard all of this before. Yesterday marked the end of the Minnesota High School Hockey Tournament, the grandest spectacle in Minnesota sport.

I can't imagine another state where 18,000 people gather to watch a high school hockey game, and yet I can't imagine it any other way here. It is the premier state tournament event -- better than Indiana basketball, Texas football or even Alberta curling.

When asked if winning the Gold Medal was Herb Brooks' most satisfying accomplishment, Herb replied that is not quite as good as winning the State Hockey Tournament. Other Minnesotans that have won the Stanley Cup have said the same. There's something special about winning a championship with a team of friends that you've played with since Kindergarten. In today's salary cap world teams are seldom together for more than a few seasons, but in high school hockey you're part of a 12 year team. Winning it is something special, something you'll never forget.

Switching gears, the Wild play the Colorado Avanlanche today in what may the last gasp for the Avs. They've been playing their best hockey of the year lately, so this should be a tough test for the home team.

Please Demitra!

I know I've used that hokey title before, but the man is on fire! The line of Pavol Demitra, Marian Gaborik and Dominic Moore is really stepping up their game. Gaborik had something in the neighborhood of 29 shots on goal last night in Buffalo, Dommy Moore scored 2 goals and my boy Demitra had the goal of the year from behind the net. I'm tired of posting Youtube links here, so just go to youtube and search for Demitra goals. It was a thing of beauty.

Next up: time to crush the playoff aspirations of the Colorado Avanlanche, Sunday at 2pm. No word on which of the Wild's 3 star goaltenders will get the nod, but does it really matter?

Overrated

Golbez Must Be Smiling

Near the end of last night's win over the Bruins, Marian Gaborik took a clean hit behind the net from Andrew Ference. Pavol Demitra immediately came to his defense, dropping the gloves to fight Marc Savard. This is Demitra's first fight this year and it really wasn't much of a scrap. It's not exactly breaking news, but Marian and Pavol are pretty tight. They sit together on the bench, chat it up during practice and I wouldn't be surprised if they wear matching outfits on the road.

Practice Thoughts

I was very fortunate to be able to attend a Wild practice recently, and here are a few observations that I came away with:

• They do a lot of similar drills to a Squirt B hockey team (10 year olds). There were plenty of breakout drills, 2-on-1's and some goofy shooting contest at the end. From what I could tell, Demitra was the winner. Jez be proud.
• Mark Parrish has a mouth like a sailor. There was no mistaking what he was saying from my perch 25 rows back.
• Manny likes to mock and ridicule the shooters, while Backstrom says nary a word. Manny appeared jovial, loud and boisterous, often calling skaters out who miss the net. Backstrom practiced, spoke little to anyone and left practice without chatting up with the coaching staff.
• On the way to the rink I walked 10 feet behind Patrick Marleau of the Sharks for a couple of blocks. He probably thought I was stalking him, but I was just headed to the arena like he was. Before I got to the rink I had to navigate through a group of autograph hounds who showed no interest whatsoever in Marleau, hoping instead for Joe Thornton. I felt bad for Patrick when he walked by unbothered. He's the captain, but clearly not recognizable by these St. Paul hockey geeks.
• No Boogaard? I couldn't believe it. I thought I might see the big guy doing some skating, but he was no where in sight.
  

In Response to My Poor Showing

So I went to bed last night instead of watching the 3rd period and now I'm getting some grief abowt it. What's the big deal. Why are they scheduling 9pm start times on Sundays anyhoo? Didn't they know I had an early dental appointment? It was just a cleaning, but dental hygiene cannot be sacrificed for a non-playoff late Sunday night game. And on top of that, I would've stayed up if the Wild showed any signs of life in those first two periods, but they looked very lethargic. No sense wasting sleep time watching Martin Skoula turn the puck over again and again and again.

Like the Wild, I promise better effort when the playoffs roll around. I wonder how many Canucks fans with dentist appointments (*) would've stayed up if they had such a late starting time. Not too many, I promise you that.

(*) Yes, I'm avoiding the obvious Canadian health care system joke here. Taking the higher ground I am.

Mitchell to Cowan

I'm going to bed, this is ridiculous. The Wild have been stung twice tonight by the noted offensive connection of Willie Mitchell and Jeff Cowan. Unbelieveable! I swear the rink is slanted towards the Wild net; they can't get the puck out of the zone to save their lives. Vancouver has clearly come to play tonight. Maybe I'll wake up in the morning to a Wild comeback and victory, but I'm not holding my breath. Losing Willie Mitchell still haunts me like that sausage pizza I had earlier today. Good night.

Update 3-5-07: Well, at least the Wild stormed back and got a point last night. Because of my hatred for all things Vancouver Canuck-related I haven't watched much Canuck hockey the last few months, but after watching last night's game I came away a bit impressed. I knew about Luongo and the Sedins, but they've got a pretty good thing going up there. Kevin Bieksa is a hell of a player. Vancouver is more than a great goalie and a trap, they are for real. Fortunately for the Wild, we only play them only once more, but we play the Oilers and Blues and combined five times.

Rolston Schools Roberto

Canuck Collapse Begins

Tomorrow night at 9pm CST, the collapse of the Vancouver Canucks begins when the Wild visit Vancouver in the biggest game of the season so far. Trailing the Canucks by 1 point for the division lead (and #3 seed in the Conference), Minnesota is expected to start Niklas Backstrom in goal. Backstrom tweeked his groin last week in Calgary, but has recovered and is ready to go. Here are my keys to the game:

1. I hope #24 isn't a healthy scratch and can get in the minds of the Canucks like he has Edmonton. He only plays 5 minutes a game, but they're an entertaining 5 minutes, that's for sure. Matt "Turn and Run" Cooke be warned.

2. Gabby and Demitra are red frickin' hot and will torch Vancouver for 2 or 3 goals.

3. Rolston has Luongo's number. He should unleash his slapper and net one.

I can't wait. This should be like a playoff game and the stakes are high.

Boogerized!

Question: How many Oilers does it take to rough up the Boogeyman?

Answer: More than 3!

Big win last night in Oil County. Boogaard was all over the ice last night in the first period, delivering several huge hits. If you didn't see it, he was confronted by 3 Oilers at the same time after delivering a clean hit behind the Oiler's net. Boogey didn't look interested in fighting, never through a punch and was given a 10 minute misconduct. The Wild then went on a 5 on 3 power play and went up 2-0. Game, set, match.

Harding In

Now things could get a bit dicey. With Backstrom's injury last night in Calgary, the Wild will start Josh Harding in goal tonight in Edmonton. Manny Fernandez is being wisked up to join the team and may start in Vancouver on Sunday. There has been no official word on Backstrom's injury, only that it's a "lower body" injury, so who knows how long he'll be out. Any success the Wild will have in the playoffs depend greatly on a Fernandez-Backstrom duo, so hopefully the injury is nothing serious.