Kipper the Sieve

Above is a picture of Finnish (and Calgary Flame) goaltender Miika Kipprusoff trying to explain to Team Finland GM Jari Kurri why he sucked so badly in today's first period against Team USA. After letting in three quick goals, the Finnish coach threw the hockey world a curve ball by keeping the Sieve in goal. After another one was let in, Kipper pulled himself and let Nik Backstrom play. Hopefully Kipper's play continues into the final 20 games of the NHL regular season.

Avoid This Film

Warning: this blog entry contains spoilers. And burrito news.

I watched "Law Abiding Citizen" this afternoon and now I have no way of getting those 110 minutes back. All I knew about it going in was that Jennifer Aniston's new beau plays a guy in prison who's somehow able to kill guys on the outside. Oh, I also knew Jamie Foxx was in it too. Not a good movie. A bit too predictable and boring in spots. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say Mr. Aniston is Morgan Freeman Shawshank like. Not enough big explosions, either.

After the movie I flipped on the third period of Switzerland-Norway. Definitely the best game of the Olympics so far, and I love those NORGE jerseys.

Next weekend I'll be in the Christmas City of the North, visiting my parents and partaking in a burrito and Duluth's Burrito Union. Word has it the burritos are as big as poodles and they serve many good microbrews.

I Should Move to Saskatoon

Sometimes I really feel like things would be better for me if I moved to Saskatoon. I wouldn't have to deal with NBC's uninterested-at-best coverage of Men's Hockey. I wouldn't have to deal with watching the epic USA-Canada game on Sunday in standard definition. I'd get hockey information on the evening news. I'd be able to go to Tim Horton's for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Sleemans' would be in every liquor store. Heck, I don't even think I'd mind the cold that much because I'm from Minnesota. I do love my country, it's just frustrating to be a big time hockey fan and not be able to watch the game (in its entirety) when it's on.

Twitter Gonzo

Due to my inferior social-networking skills, I have accidentally deleted my Wild Puck Banter Twitter account. Why did I do this? Not sure, but it has nothing to do with being a product of the Duluth, Minnesota school system. I'm looking into getting it reactivated.

Update: I have now created a new account. Click on this link.

Hope Floats

Hope. It's a wonderful thing, just ask Andy DuFresne. And when I look at today's NHL Standings I get filled with hope. Hope for future Minnesota Wild success.

It used to be that a team had to draft in the Top 5 for several seasons in a row in order to accumulate winning talent. Examples include the Ottawa Senators of the 1990's, the Pittsburgh Penguins of about 5 years ago and the Atlanta Thrashers. Oh wait, strike that last one. Anyhow, the point being was that you had to be very bad for multiple seasons in order to succeed down the line.

That theory being in place, the Wild have struggled in recent years, but not struggled enough. No Top 5 picks outside of the disaster known as Benny Pouliot in the last decade. How can this team improve without landing top talent?

Well, faithful readers, there is hope. Teams such as the Phoenix Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche have given us hope. A team can win without an Ovechkin on the roster. A team can win without any big name stars and only 7,500 people in the stands. (Yes, Colorado, that's a shot at you.)

Take a look at which teams would make the playoffs if they started today. Among them are the Coyotes, Avalanche, Sabres and Senators. All thought to be non-playoff factors for years. All this just proves that if you have a group of good players that play as a team you can win. Hopefully the Wild are on this track.

Wild Prospects

As of today, here is my ranking of the team's best prospects:

1. Marco Scandella (D) ~ finally, finally, finally a 2nd round draft pick can play. He was arguably Canada's best defenseman in the last World Juniors and appears to be getting better every month. Pierre McGuire calls him "a monster".

2. Nick Leddy (D) ~ despite an early-season injury, he's had a good season in the WCHA. Still a few years away, but nothing he has done has diminished his 16th overall selection. McGuire calls him "a monster".

3. Tyler Cuma (D) ~ the former first round pick has disappointed so far to date, but defensemen tend to develop slowly, so I wouldn't give up on him yet. Odds are good he'll be in Houston next season.

4. Anton Khoudobin (G) ~ Houston's all star goaltender will probably be backing up Backstrom next season.

5. Colton Gilles (LW) ~ Despite playing in the NHL last season, I still label him as a prospect. He's only 20 and could someday be a gritty presence in the corners. McGuire had called him "a monster" but has since retracted that quote.

As you can see, the Wild are fairly deep with prospects on defense. I see them drafting forwards this upcoming summer.

Dino Belongs in the Hall

With all the fuss about Bert Blyleven not getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a former North Star great's quest for the Hockey HOF has gone a little unnoticed. Make no mistake about it, Dino Ciccarelli should be in the Hall of Fame. Let's examine his numbers:

1232 Regular Season Games Played

608 Goals (232 on the Power Play, 8th all time)

592 Assists

1200 Points

141 Playoff Games Played

73 Playoff Goals

He had 21 points in 19 playoff games during the 1980-81 North Star run to the Stanley Cup Finals AS A ROOKIE.

By comparison, HOF member Luc Robataille scored 668 goals (many assisted by the greatest playmaker of all time) and was a no-brainer pick. Cam Neely, who brought much more to the rink than his scoring, only scored 395 career goals and is also in.

Why not Dino? Sure, the guy was a bit of a hothead and sometimes he brought out the trash without any pants, but that doesn't disqualify him. I know a lot of people who take out the trash butt naked, it's no big deal IMO.