Time to Go

It's been a good ride for Jacques Lemaire and the Minnesota Wild, a very good ride. Competitive teams from day one, the thrilling ride to the Conference Finals in 2003 and the past 2 seasons of playoff appearances illustrate this point. Lemaire has been the only coach the Wild has had and it has become an extension of the coach on the ice. But the game has changed, my friends. The game is no longer ruled by the great defensive teams of the late 1990's; it's a faster game now, one that is dominated by speed and skill. So as much as it pains me to say this, it's time for Lemaire to go.

Before I get questioned about my Minnesota hockey passion let me give a quick resume. I was a die-hard North Star fan starting in the 6th grade when they made their run to the finals against Bossy and the Islanders. I was there watching them when they made another unlikely run in 1991 against Mario and the Pens. And when they left for Dallas I was devastated. Then the Wild came back and I have been there from Day 1, supportive of Lemaire and the team. But even the most devoted fans of the team cannot stand back and watch this team get run into the ground.

It's not as simple as "the game has passed Lemaire by." Yes, with the new rules he needed to make some changes to his style, and he's partially done that. Risebrough went out and signed players that would benefit from the higher scoring, players like Pavol Demitra and Mark Parrish. What did Lemaire do with them? He turned them into defensive shells of what they were capable of. Even pure goal scorers like Marian Gaborik are being held back. The players that thrive in his system are those who think defense first, and if we happen to get an odd man rush we'll take it. Unfortunately that isn't how you succeed these days.

Great coaches adapt. Look at Bill Belicheck in New England. Bring in Randy Moss and become pass-happy. Have ordinary receivers and run the ball. Lemaire has his system, call it what you want, and he has never strayed from that path. A successful coach takes a look at the type of players that are on his team and develops a system from that, not vice-versa. Dennis Green got ripped to shreds here because of his "system;" why isn't Lemaire getting the same treatment?

Lemaire's honeymoon has gone on way too long. No one criticizes the guy, he's hockey royalty. But even great coaches fall from grace. Lemaire's time with this team should conclude for the betterment of this team and its young players. Great coaches adapt, and Lemaire has not, it's that simple. He hasn't adapted and has now risked the future of the franchise I love with all of my heart. (*)

(*) And yes, I think this post effectively ruins my chances of being invited to watch a practice anytime soon.

GM Jacques Lemaire

Today's waiver of winger Mark Parrish clearly indicates Lemaire is becoming more involved in the team's personnel matters. In the past DR and JL barely communicated with regards to player signings and trades, but now it is apparent that Jacques has more influence in crafting the team. Hopefully he knows what he's doing.

PMB in the Hizzy

I wouldn't have any credibility if I didn't give Dougie his due when he did something I agree with and today is that day. PMB is now signed, my friends, and he'll be around for a while. Next up is the flying Slovak, Dougie. Get it done.

5 Questions

It’s been real tough locating a celebrity lately for 5 Questions. Sven Sundgaard hasn’t returned my repeated e-mails, Bill Robertson of the Wild won’t pass my request along to any players and I couldn’t even convince anyone from my 20 year high school reunion to participate in the segment. Nowhere to turn but to the people I helped produce, my children. For today’s 5 Questions we turn to my 8 year old son, whom I’ll call Potato:

1. Best TV show not on Channels 53-55 (Disney, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network)? Potato: "Ummmm…Househunters." Editor comment: this scares me a little bit.

2. Better looking: Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus? Potato: (With a very red face) "Stop it, Dad!"

3. Favorite hockey player? Potato: "Koivu." Editor comment: Assuming he meant Mikko, my boy is wicked smart.

4. Favorite breakfast cereal: Potato: "Kix". Editor comment: Good answer, although it would take about 13 bowls of it to fill me up.

5. Spell Marek Zidlicky. Potato: "Dad, this is lame." Editor comment: Clearly he doesn't understand good blogging.

Playoffs?

Youth soccer is not like professional hockey, this much I learned yesterday at the Minnesota U12 North District playoffs. Almost immediately after my son's squad scored a goal to bring their deficit to 1-2, they tied the score on a soft, long shot from midfield. The opposing goalie reached down to scoop up the dribbler only to see the ball squirt under this hands, between his legs and barely cross the goal line.

This is the playoffs, I said to myself. ("Playoffs? We're talkin' playoffs?" Think Jim Mora) I had never seen such a blunder occur in such a high-stakes contest. The winner of this game made it to the District Championship, where they would play for the right to travel to Blaine, Minnesota, to contend in the State Tournament. BIG STAKES, my friends, the likes of which Jim Mora has only dreamt about.

Well, after said goalie almost single-handedly lost the game for his team I had the immediate reaction to start yelling "SIEVE! SIEVE!" at the top of my lungs and point my finger at him repeatedly. How would the Wild faithful have behaved if Roberto Luongo committed such an atrocity? In exactly the same manner. Just as I was raising my finger into the air I paused a moment to think. How come none of the other soccer dads were on the SIEVE-shouting bandwagon? Well, long story short, my logical side prevailed and I did not mock and ridicule said keeper. It proved to be a smart decision on my part as my son's team went on to lose the game and their season came crashing to a halt. We left the field and went to Quiznos. It was only youth soccer and not the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But, my God, he really should've made that save.

Barry's Tickets

Hi everyone. This is just a quick post to let you know about a ticket broker that I've done business with in the past. It's Barry's Tickets and they offer hockey tickets for all NHL games. I know it's tough sometimes to find Minnesota Wild tickets with the endless string of sellouts, but Barry's Tickets always has good seats available. Check them out at www.barrystickets.com.

What is Dougie Smoking?

I'm not sure what to think anymore. We couldn't afford Rolston for 4 years. We couldn't make room for Pavol and now SV is asking for too much. Dougie, Dougie, Dougie, what the hell is going on?

You've got to pony up at some point, my man. I know this is just a business, and yes, I know we have no idea what SV is asking for at this point, but HE NEEDS TO BE HERE. The Minnesota Wild without #19 would be like "Baywatch" without Lt. Stephanie Holden. Sure, he's not the sexiest lifeguard on the team, but you still need someone to rescue people when CJ and Summer are out competing in the beach olympics. He's a very important cog and I will be observing a moment of silence tonight in hopes of his return tomorrow.

Scare Tactics

I stumbled across this show the other night on the Sci-Fi Channel. Very funny video, worth a look.

5 Questions

As promised, here's another installment of 5 Questions, this time w/ my neighbor I'll call "Hank".

1. Where is Marian Gaborik from? Hank - "Russia?"

2. Do you approve of the use of the neutral zone trap by Lemaire? Hank - "Only if it traps all of those f-in chipmunks in my yard."

3. Better beer: Coors or Summit? Hank - "Finally a question I know something about. Summit is the better beer, no doubt, but for quantity I like Coors Light, especially with the new vented can."

4. Do you bag or mulch your clippings? Hank - "Depends on the grass length and time. If it's long I'll usually bag them, but if I'm in a hurry or it's really hot outside then I'll mulch. Sort of a gametime decision."

5. Do you read Wild Puck Banter on a regular basis? Hank - "What that? Is that the cute little web site you write? Good for you. (Big smirk)"

Jersey Plea

I've been pleading for the last few years that NHL teams go back to wearing white at home; I love to see the visiting clubs in their dark jerseys. For jersey-selling reasons I realize this isn't going to happen anytime soon. In lieu of this switch I have a simple request: the Wild should wear their old green jerseys instead of the red ones.

The red home jerseys used to the the team's 3rd jersey, to be worn only on special nights, but last year it became the home jersey. While I like the classic, old-school look of the red jersey logo, I prefer the green jerseys with the standard logo. They're the Minnesota Wild. Walk into any forest in Minnesota and you're surrounded by green things -- plants, fungi and whatnot. Wearing the red not only gives the team a Red Wing look, it also tends to upset their opponents psychologically and causes them to charge at them like a bull in a bullfight.

So I implore you, Craig Leipold, switch back to the green.

Bertuzzi Changed My Mind

Just when I was settling into post-blogger life I stumbled across the news that the Big Asshole signed a free agent contract with the Flamers. Immediately I wanted to blog about it, but I had just retired yesterday. What to do?

Well, my friends, I've decided to pull a Barry Melrose and return to the world of hockey. Hockey is my passion and writing about it gives me an outlet to express my frustrations and joys of the sport. So sorry for the flip-flop, but I'm back to stay.

Regarding Bertuzzi, here's an interesting enhanced quote about him from Calgary GM Darryl Sutter:

“Todd is (was) a proven scorer with the ability to play both wings,” said Sutter. “He expressed to us that he wanted to play in Canada and that desire along with signing him to a one year deal was important to our philosophy (plus, we were running dangerously low on goons with Goddard signing elsewhere) . He wanted to play on a good team and it fit our money (nobody else wanted him). Additionally, our captain, Jarome Iginla, was a strong supporter of Todd (until he cowardly ran down Steve Moore and drove his skull into the ice from behind) and wanted him on our team.”

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Finland West

The three day Brian Rolston mourning period is officially over. Time to move on.

More Finns, that's what this team needs, I've been saying that for years. So when the Wild signed winger Antti Miettinen to a three year contract on Thursday I was delighted. Now Mikko and Nicklas have someone to share their "What happens in Helsinki stays in Helsinki" stories with.

Antti never really met the high expectations that he had in Dallas, so here's hoping that he can realize them here. Hopefully he can score some goals for the team, which are going to be sorely needed. Here's a breakdown of his NHL career, plus projected numbers for the upcoming season:

2005-06 ~ 70-11-20-31-46
2006-07 ~ 74-11-14-25-38
2007-08 ~ 69-15-19-25-34
2008-09 ~ 80-30-50-80-40

All in all I'm not too upset with the way free agency went for the Wild. To match New Jersey's offer to Rolston would've been foolish for 4 years. Andrew Brunette will replace most of Rolston's production and Antti should replace Demitra.

Where this team clearly upgraded was on defense. Marek Zidlicky and Marc-Andre Bergeron will no doubt make the Wild a more exciting team to watch. Both are touted as offensive defensemen with superior puck carrying ability, although a bit weak in their own zone. So, Wild fans, maybe we'll see more 5-4 games instead of the usual 2-1 tilts.

Goodbye Norma Jean

The pages of Wild Puck Banter will be dark for the next 3 days in honor of Brian Rolston, who apparently thinks Newark has a better youth hockey program than St. Paul. Goodbye, number 12, we'll miss you.