2003 Entry Draft

I know, I know, why bring this up? Because it's interesting, that's why. Take a look at some of the players selected in the 2003 Entry Draft:

Carolina (2nd overall) -- Eric Staal
Buffalo (5th) -- Thomas Vanek
Calgary (9th) -- Dion Phaneuf
Philly (11th) -- Jeff Carter
Jersey (17th) -- Zach Parise
Anaheim (19th) -- Ryan Getzlaf
Minnesota (20th) -- Brent Burns
Philly (24th) -- Mike Richards
Anaheim (28th) -- Corey Perry

Amazing first round, especially when you consider that the Flyers and Ducks had 2 first round choices each and walked out of their with that kind of talent. I remember cursing Risebrough on draft day because he took a "reach" with Brent Burns when I was hoping for Mark Stuart.

Storm Chasing

Yesterday I nearly lost my mind to the point where I decided I'd give NASCAR a shot. I mean, seriously, there was nothing at all on TV. So I flipped it over to FOX to watch the beginning of the race. FOX's weather guru, Ian Leonard was on the screen, standing in front of a huge FOX-9 Ultra 3-D Super Mega Doppler Radar. He seemed quite irritated that people were calling into the station to complain that they were interrupting NASCAR for tornado warnings. Now THIS was entertaining. At one point he even said "The race hasn't even started! This is frakkin' serious!" or something close to that.

After watching Leonard explain the decision to break into the race I noticed a small white blob on the Doppler headed towards Coon Rapids. Hey, I live in Coon Rapids, but it looks nice outside. Maybe I should watch a little more. It was starting to get dark outside, but no rain yet or anything. At 4:35 Ian said there was a tornado on the ground so I told the kids to get in the basement, but they were already down there playing the Wii. The sirens then went off, it got windy, rained a bit and then cleared up. Surely this was another case of Ian making something out of nothing.

So I hopped into the car and drove around a bit, looking for the twister. I drove about 1 mile east and found several trees uprooted and stop signs twisted. It appears that it touched down about a mile away. Lucky break for me indeed. If the tornado had struck my immediate neighborhood my cable surely would've been affected and I wouldn't have been able to watch Game 2 tonight. Then again, if I were a Pens fan maybe I'd consider myself unlucky.

Side note: the most fetching news anchor poll has closed and Campbell Brown narrowly edged Soledad O'Brien for the win. I think Ann Curry deserved more votes, but the people have spoken.

Second side note: I just finished reading the Sports Guy's book about the Red Sox. Bill Simmons is the funniest sports columnist today. Even if you're not a baseball fan it's worth checking out.

Defending Keith Ballard

To be clear, when I call Keith Ballard a "prick", it's totally a compliment. They guy plays with grit, a fiesty attitude on the ice that is missing from many players. And can he hit. Go to youtube and enter "keith ballard hit" in the search box. He's rugged as hell.

Having said that, I still think Nisky's a better player.

So Into the Wild

Matty Niskanen

Before we put a wrap on the season for the Dallas Stars I'd like to ask the following multiple choice question:

Which former WCHA defenseman is going to have the best NHL career?

(A) Jordan Leopold
(B) Keith Ballard
(C) Paul Martin
(D) Matt Niskanen

Obviously the answer is D, Matt Niskanen. Sure, I'll get some arguments from Paul Martin fans, and I'll listen to those. Martin is very good at what he does: play the point in New Jersey's trappapalooza system. He's their best defenseman (which really isn't saying a whole lot) and landed a big multiyear contract least year. But guess what? Niskanen is going to be better.

Keith Ballard? He's solid, can skate well and has a bit of a nasty side, but he's not even as good as Nisky is now, let alone 3 years from now.

Leo? Come on, get serious here.

Matt Niskanen was the NHL's best rookie d-man this past season and will continue to improve in the Dallas Stars' system. He may be the Stars' best passer not named Mike and his future is sky-high.

Roseau's Bobby Orr

Would it be a reach at number 26 to take Roseau's Aaron Ness? Yes. Would the team be accused of picking hometown talent over better, higher-ranked Canadiens? Again yes. A public relations move to keep Minnesotans happy? Yes, yes and yes. But I say do it. Although drafting high school kids in the first round is risky(*), the payoff here would be enormous. Ness skates like he's got rockets on his feet and is also a supreme puck handler. I firmly believe that if he were 2 inches taller he'd be a top 5 pick, but at 5'10" teams are shying away from him.

He is EXACTLY what the Wild need. A fast defenseman who can carry the puck. Think Mike Crowley without the injuries. Think Petteri Nummelin with defensive ability. Think Keith Ballard without the prickness (this should be a word if it isn't). This kid is going to be a star, albeit we're going to have to wait a few years, but at least we can watch him develop at Mariucci under the fine tutelage of Don Lucia and Mike Guentzel, oh wait, strike that.

The Wild's main need at the draft is back on the blueline. Why not take a chance on Ness?

(*) Remember when Lou Nanne took Doug Zmolek with the 7th overall pick in 1989? Our how about Wayne Gretzky selecting "Big Bust" Blake Wheeler with the 5th pick in 2004? And I didn't even want to bring up Brian Lawton(**), Lou.

(**) I guess I did bring him up, didn't I? Lawton was selected with the number 1 overall pick ahead of Stevie Yzerman (#4), Tom Barasso (#5) and Cam Neely (#10). I love Lou Nanne -- pretty good hockey player, shrewd businessman and world traveler, terrific radio show guest -- but a terrible GM.

Stars Alive?

I thought a long time about whether I should include a question mark in today's post title and then decided to include it because I still don't believe they have a prayer. Detroit, while appearing disinterested and lazy today, is still the better team and will destroy the Stars on Monday night. Maybe I still harbor some resentment for the franchise move, but I just can't find myself enough motivation to cheer for Dallas.

On the flip side, I am firmly convinced that the Flyers will win tomorrow in Pittsburgh to extend that series another game. Crosby's wispy mustache should give everyone enough reason to root for Philly tomorrow. The guy looks a bit like Gomez Adams with a perm. At least Malkin has enough since not to attempt growing such ridiculous facial hair. Either grow the full beard or don't do anything I say.

Rearviewmirror

I know you're probably coming to this site for Wild news, but there's nothing to talk about yet. Until then, enjoy my current favorite Pearl Jam song:


Everyone in the band outside of Vedder looks like everyday guys. Jeff Ament (bass) could be a title examiner and no one would know the difference.

Boredom Sets In

Yes, I know the Conference Finals are on, but I just can't get too excited about them yet.

In lieu of a hockey post, I direct your attention to the poll on the right. Here are your candidates:


Soledad O'Brien


Campbell Brown

Ann Curry

5 Questions w/ Jes Golbez

In what might turn out to be a recurring feature here, I posed 5 questions to Hockey Rants blogger Jes Golbez:

1. Who is your most hated player?

It's a tie between Sean "Pottymouth" Avery and Dion "Sourpuss" Phaneuf.Avery, for obvious reasons, is simply somebody I would never wantanything to do with. He's cocky, yaps far too much, and deserves allof the injuries he gets. Phaneuf just plain looks like he never enjoys himself out there, andhe's a very dirty player. I'd like to see him get hit in the face withan Al MacInnis slapshot. All-time? Mark Messier, for too many reasons to explain in a shortperiod of time.

2. Worst NHL Jerseys?

The New York Islanders new duds = ewww, but the award easily goes tothe Flyers for their football-style shoulder design that makes theirsweaters look nothing like hockey clothing.

3. Favorite non-hockey sport?

It is/was baseball, which was a close second place. For someunexplained reason, I've almost completely lost interest in baseballover the past two years, and have barely paid attention. Perhaps theWhite Sox (I've been a fan since I was a tyke) winning the WorldSeries just gave me that feeling of relief that made further baseballwatching less meaningful. Watching MMA might have taken second place,especially since it doesn't require you to follow a team for anylength of time.

4. Best movie you've watched in the last year?

Hmm, besides Terminator 2 (always the best), it is hard to pin down aclear winner. Iron Man was very good, but not one I'd want to watchmultiple times. Superbad had me laughing a lot, and should get a lotmore credit than it does. The most disappointing movie? No Country for Old Men. I honestly justdo not get why this movie is so popular. My girlfriend and I rented itand we were trying very hard to keep awake. The movie is utterly slow,lacks intensity, humour, and entertainment value. Bloody? Only if youwatch Disney movies constantly. Oh, and Juno was the WORST movie I've seen since The Piano, and themost overrated. Care to defend the movie? I'll chop your argument uplike onions.

5. Do dance teams such as the Hurricane Girls have a place in hockey?

Of course! Hockey needs any gimmick it can get to market itself, andeye candy is NEVER a bad thing. I'd much rather have some junk-foodeye candy than loud canned rock music and overpriced, lukewarm beer.

Next week I'll ask 5 Questions of another hockey-related celebrity.

Raising the Bar

Before you read the following paragraphs, let me state for the record that I am fully behind Jacques Lemaire and the Wild coaching staff. In my estimation, the problems lie more directly with the management team, and Risebrough in particular.

The Colorado Avalanche recently decided to split with coach Joel Quinneville. By most accounts the guy knows how to coach; he spent many seasons sending overachieving Blues teams to the playoffs and even led the injury-ridden Avs to the postseason this year. However, in Colorado their standards are high. Winning one playoff series is not enough for Colorado...their goal is the Stanley Cup, and after a couple of seasons management and ownership JQ was not the guy to get it done.

Conversely here in Minnesota, Lemaire has management's complete blessing. Opening round losses the last 2 years? Not a big deal, according to DR. It's all part of the plan. The plan. I'm getting a bit sick and tired of hearing about how the Wild is developing a team that can contend for several years down the road. Hogwash. This team should be built to contend for the Cup next season, period. And if DR can't get Lemaire the players to get that done they both should go. The problem, of course, is that Lemaire and Risebrough's fates are interconnected. DR can't fire Lemaire because it would admit his own failings as a GM.

The Wild needs to raise their expectations and strive for the quick fix. Make smart decisions about PMB and Gaborik. If you don't believe they can help you win it then go in different directions. L00k the the Flyers, people. Last place to the Conference Finals overnight. It can be done here, and it can be done quickly, albeit not according DR's Plan.

Answer: No

Well, I'm back from Orlando and very frustrated to report that hockey doesn't exist there. The TV in our hotel had about 22 different versions of the Disney Channel and ESPN, but no Versus. The local papers gave hockey about a twenty word summary each morning and I couldn't find the games televised anywhere in downtown Disney. I did stroll into the ESPN Club at one point and found it very amusing that they still had a sign up for ESPN's National Hockey Night.

I'll have more to expound about WDW at a later time; it's a wonderful place to visit.

As for the Wild, the only news is that Lemaire's coming back. Good news, albeit never much of a story. Oh, and Pavol's hanging out in Vancouver. If he signs there after July 1st Jes Golbez will be flying high.

That's it for now, I look forward to watching the remainder of the playoffs from my basement couch with a cold Guinness in my hand. Roy out.

Hockey in Orlando?

I hope my family doesn't get too upset when I try to find the playoffs somewhere on a TV in Disneyworld. You'd think they'd have it on somewhere, right? I'm guessing the ESPNzone will have it on a small TV in the corner, but I can't imagine our hotel TV will have access to Versus. Thank God it looks like there won't be any 7 game series this round; we'll be back in time for Round 3.