The Ducks Suck

The Ducks are approaching number on 1 my most hated teams list. Just watching Corey Perry yuck it up with Ryan Getzlaf on Saturday during the skills competion made my stomach turn. Perry looks like an overgrown hobbit with geri-curl and Getzlaf his not-so-bright sidekick. And now the Ducks have Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer rested and back for the second half. I hate the Ducks, possibly even more than the Flames. Well, maybe more than the Predators at least.

Midseason Report Card

Even though we're already into the second half of the season, I thought it'd be a good time to see where the team stands as of the All Star Break. Here we go:

Forwards: Marian Gaborik got off to a slow start but has been on a tear since the 5 goal game. Brian Rolston's streaky...he becomes invisible for long stretches of games but has lately become noticeable again. PMB has had a very good season to date and will make Risebrough's job a difficult one this off-season. Pavol Demitra's been decent, good but not great. The others have been ok, including the surprising Aaron Voros and James Sheppard. Overall Grade: B.

Defense: BB has been insane from an offensive standpoint, but still continues to commit ridiculous turnovers. Captain Nick Schultz has been his usual steady self and is probably the team's best defenseman. Skoula is Skoua and Johnsson continues to underachieve. I wish Kurtis Foster would see more ice time, but when he's skating he brings a big time shot from the point. Overall Grade: C.

Goaltending: Clearly Nik Backstrom has taken a step back, and we all knew he would, but it's still disappointing. Josh Harding's been incredible at times and ordinary at others. Harding will be this team's number one someday (08-09?) so maybe the future is now. Overall Grade: C+.

Coaching: Jacques Lemaire (sporting Anthony LaPanta-like sideburns in the picture above) continues to shuffle the lines a bit more than usual, frustrating me and the team. His criticism of Gaborik's play inspired #10 to take his game to the next level, so that was good. Overall Grade: A-.

Blog: Spotty posts at best are not acceptable. When I posted it was usually Chinese food-related, which has little to do with the team. The addition of RWD as a columnist was a big bonus, so not all is lost. I look forward to a more consistent second half and promise to limit the egg roll columns to a minimum. Overall Grade: B-.

All Star Weekend Approaches

Overhyped? Probably, but nonetheless I look forward to it every year. Wild forward Marian Gaborik is said to be involved in the fastest skater competition, and he should be the favorite. It'd be nice to see Brian Rolston in the hardest shot category, but sadly (and deservedly) he wasn't invited to the All-Star Game this year.

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

Wild 4, Dirty Hacks 2















Congratulations on 4 points tonight! Maybe you'll finally kick that football!

The Captain's Return

Yes, I know Mark Parrish is the Wild captain for the month of January, and yes, I know Lemaire rotates the captaincy on a monthly basis, but when Number 9 stepped out onto the ice last night in Chicago it felt like their leader was back. After missing 24 games with a broken leg (copywright Matthias Ohlund), Mikko Koivu came back and played a strong game against the Blackhawks. Mikko is their best defensive forward, and in Coach Lemaire's system that is the most important spot. Koivu will be the official captain someday, but for now he'll just continue to be their most complete player.

So the team finishes up its 4 game road trip with 2 victories, which is acceptable, especially considering the win in Detroit. The game on Sunday against Phoenix will be a good one; the Coyotes are playing great now and should present a good test.

And The Winner Is...

Mikko Koivu!

When the deadline for voting ended, Koivu and Parrish were tied, so I sort of let it run on its own. Koivu is now the frontrunner, but I was leaning toward him anyway. As a friend said to me "You can't pick Parrish, he went to St. Cloud." I guess it's not really my place to punish someone for something they did in their youth, when they didn't know any better, but it was a good tiebreaker. I think I will tell Mikko the good news (provided he skimmed over this article!) when I see him at the Wild Live event at Champp's in Minnetonka on 15 January.

Also winners: The Minnesota Wild!!! The shoot-out win over Osgood (NOT Hasek! Yeah!) and the Red Wings was quite the bizarro game, with Skoula, Foy and Fedoruk getting goals (along with not-so-unusual suspects Belanger and Gaborik), the goalie tandem facing 46 SOG during the game, and Harding standing tall against the Red Wings' daunting shoot-out trio.

Oh yeah, and the Wild were sold. WTF?

Scouting Colton Gillies

I stayed up last night to watch the replay of the USA-Canada semi-final game at the World Junior Championships and to watch Wild first round pick Colton Gillies play. Gillies scored a goal and looked the part of the rough and tumble forward the Wild desperately lack. While he's clearly not as talented with the puck as Tavares or Stamkos, he's going to be a big-time grinder and has a bit of attitude as well. On the American side I came away impressed with the play of Minnesota native Jordan Schroeder, who, amazingly, has committed to play for the UMTC.

Wild on the road in Nashville tonight before making stops in Dallas and Detroit. Tough road trip to say the least. If they can come away with 4 points I'll be very pleased.

I Pledge Allegiance

Wild 6, Confederates 3

Folks, I'm just a little sad tonight. I'm sure you can all relate: it's hard to watch one of your favorite players wearing enemy colors. A few years ago, Matt Niskanen was a highly anticipated Bulldog recruit out of Mountain Iron, MN. He spent the past two seasons lighting up the scoreboard for tUMD (including one goal scored for the opponents!), and then while I was a hungover POS at the WCHA Final Five, I got a text message from one of my many sources saying he had signed with the Dallas Stars. Of course, I knew he was going to sign with Dallas someday, as they drafted him, but man, did it hurt when it came. It hurt because I hate the Stars, and it hurt because I knew my Dogs would need him. And they do. Desperately. Their PP is worse than the Wild's (although the Wild's PP is evidently much better than I would have guessed).

So when Nisky scored his goal, I shed some tears for what might have been. I was happy to see him score, of course, because once My Guys, always My Guy. It's like being a Marine, without boot camp. I was certainly happy that his goal didn't cost us the game, although it did reduce the score differential to the dangerous "two-goal lead." It was also so cute to see all his fans in the stands and to hear all the cheers.

Since all I can write about tonight is Bulldog-related, I also have to mention that the Wild's live recapper, a tUMD fan and brilliant wit, has handed over his keyboard to some other hack who I certainly hope isn't a kitten killer or axe murderer or something really sick, like a Gopher fan. Thanks for all the excellent recaps and Bulldog shout-outs, Glenn! Also, you are a major hottie!

Tomorrow will be the last day to vote for my jersey customization!