WILD PUCK BANTER

Losing Hope

2012-02-15T12:45:00.002-06:00

I'm getting to the point where I can't watch this team anymore. Besides losing 2 games in one week to the Columbus Blue Jackets, they lost at home yesterday to the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 1 goal. 1 flippin' goal. Between periods I switched over to the Rangers-Bruins game and rediscovered what an exciting hockey game looks like.

But as I've pointed out before, the future is brighter. Some of the players on the current roster will not be around next season; be it trade or non-renewed contracts. I think we can bank on the fact that Marek Zidlicky and Greg Zanon will both be gone, along with a few others. Here is how I envision next season's roster:

Forwards:

Heatley - Koivu - Granlund
Setoguchi - Larsson - Bulmer
Brodziak - Cullen - Johnson
Clutterbuck - Kassian - Powe

Defense:

Scandella - TBD
Schultz - TBD
Prosser - Spurgeon

Goaltenders:

Backstrom
Hackett

You'll see I'm leaving off some players that I don't think are NHL talent at this juncture. Stoner, Falk and others need some more time in Houston (or somewhere else) in order to be on a playoff-ready NHL team. I've also left Josh Harding off the roster, as it's my belief he will be dealt by the trading deadline.

You can also see the team is in need of top-end defensemen. Hopefully they can acquire one via the Harding trade and acquire another one via free agency. And while I love Zack Parise's game, I'd rather use that money towards a Number 1 blueliner like Shea Weber. (*)

(*) Yes, I'm allowed to dream.

Ode to Raul

2012-02-14T18:52:00.002-06:00

Before watching tonight's game from the comfort of my basement I decided to stop by Chipotle to pick up some fresh mexican food for the family. My burrito crafter Raul did a fantastic job suggesting I give the brown rice a try in place of the regular white cilantro rice. Raul was 100% correct. The new brown rice worked great in my steak burrito bowl, hat's off to you, Raul.

Now if only the Wild would score a few goals the day would be perfect.

Embarrassing Loss

2012-02-08T13:09:00.003-06:00

So the team lost to Brad Richards and the Columbus Bluejackets last night 3-1 in a game that wasn't that close. From what I saw (which was unfortunately waaaay too much), the only player on the ice putting forth a decent effort was defenseman Nate Prosser. About a week ago I thought the Wild's playoff chances stood at about 60%, but after the loss I'd bet on about 25% now. Sports Interaction is a great sportsbook for NHL betting. Learn moreabout how to use the Sports Interaction refer a friend code when opening an account.

Greenlay > Hayward

2012-02-07T13:03:00.004-06:00

After watching most of last night's Anaheim Ducks game against the Calgary Flames, I came away with one indisputable fact: Wild TV analyst Mike Greenlay is better than Brian Hayward. I know I've been highly critical of the Minnesota Wild's TV team of Dan Terhaar and Greenlay, and in no way am I letting Terhaar off the hook here, but Brian Hayward lends nothing to the Ducks' broadcast. As a former goalie, he had many pearls of wisdom like this:

"Now if you're a goaltender, the further back in the crease you stand, the more net there is to shoot at."

Wow! Thanks for the keen insight.

Having said that, I still contend Greenlay is in the bottom 20% of NHL analyst, but sometimes it's good to be reminded that things could be worse. Terhaar, on the other hand, may be the worst in professional hockey. This summer is time to upgrade the TV talent, Mr. Wild Owner.

Evaluations at the Break

2012-01-26T12:46:00.003-06:00

At the All-Star Break, how should we evaluate the Minnesota Wild's season. If you just ignored the manner in which the season progressed and looked at the current result only you'd have to be pleased. The team is 8th in the Western Conference and would qualify for a playoff spot if the season ended today.

Unfortunately we know how they got here, though. The started off the season great and played an exceptional November, zooming their way to first in the entire league. Then mid-December came along and they played like the worst team in the league for about a month. Now it appears they're playing a little better and go into the break on a 2 game winning streak.

What is the cause for this inconsistent play? Injuries, for one. Youth and inexperience also. And add the fact that Dany Heatley is continuing his fast descent down the goal-scoring mountain and you have the season in a nutshell.

As long as I'm evaluating the team, it's probably fair to evaluate my blog. Like the team, my blogging has been inconsistent at best. I mean, only 18 posts since the season began, how is this possible? My only explanation has to do with (a) complacency and (b) HBO. The terrific start for the Wild got me pining for the playoffs to start and it turns out they were still months away. In addition to that I started subscribing to HBO and watching a lot of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The Wire". In fact, I often think Larry David would be an interesting character on "The Wire". He'd be pretty good.

Like the Wild, I will plan to be at my very best when the season resumes on Tuesday. But unlike the team, I can't trade myself to a contender if my blogging lags.

Please Don't Panic, Chuck

2012-01-18T12:27:00.003-06:00

One month ago the Minnesota Wild were riding high, things were going great. They were on top of the Western Conference, the Houston call-ups were all producing and Mike Yeo looked like a genius. Fast-forward to today, the team is struggling badly, the rookies look over matched and their captain is out for at least a month. What should be done?

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher is at a crossroads here. He can make some moves to help the Wild maintain their playoff spot or he can be patient. The easy thing to do would be to trade some of their young players and prospects for quick fixes. Deal Charlie Coyle and Josh Harding for Zach Parise, or how about Marco Scandella for Ryan Malone? If the Wild made a few moves they'd have a good shot to make the playoffs this season and the fan base would be happy.

But I wouldn't do that. This team is built for the future, not for the present. Sure, they played out of their skulls good hockey in November, but that was an anomaly. This team as it's presently constructed isn't a top-tier team. This squad's brightest days are ahead with such players as Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Johan Larsson and the aforementioned Coyle. Scandella will come back from Houston and be a better player.

Two seasons from now this team will be a Cup-contending team with the current roster plus the prospects coming of age. Why trade one or more of them now so the team can get into the playoffs as an 8 seed? I'm not saying Granlund is as talented as Evgeni Malkin, but can you imagine if the Penguins had dealt the rights to #71 just to make the playoffs before Sidney Crosby arrived?

Patience is hard here, especially with our recent playoff drought. But listen to me now and believe me later when I say this team will reach a Cup Final within 3 years if they don't trade any of their top young guns.

Captain Obvious

2012-01-10T17:27:00.003-06:00

To state that "Wild forward Dany Heatley needs to score more" is akin to the following statements:

1. The Sun needs to come up tomorrow morning if we're going to be able to sustain life on Earth.
2. Boy, I sure hope gravity works tomorrow when I'm driving to work.
3. A cold beer would taste good right now.

And while I do like the fact that the local newspapers are covering hockey, I'd like it so much more if anyone outside of Mike Russo would tackle a real hockey topic. For example, what Lou Nanne thought Brian Lawton had that Steve Yzerman didn't.(*) That still bothers me.

(*) Someday I'll post my argument here that Lou Nanne, by way of poor drafting, was responsible for the North Stars leaving.

Struggling for Eighth

2012-01-10T12:36:00.003-06:00

Yep, it's been a while since I've put up a Wild-related post on this site. I've been busy breaking down the new season of ABC's "The Bachelor" and believe me, I have plenty of thoughts in that area. But since this isn't a Bachelor Blog, I'll write for a bit about my favorite National Hockey League Team.

They were first place in the Western Conference a few weeks ago and are now struggling to maintain the 8th seed. What has gone wrong? I really don't know. Were they the best team in the West? Obviously not. Are they one of the worst? No, not that either. I suspect they'll pull out of this tailspin soon and spend the rest of the regular season fighting for a playoff spot.

Clearly they are a better team and Columbus, Anaheim and Edmonton. This much I know. Are they better than Dallas, Colorado, Calgary and the Quebec Coyotes? Some nights they are, other nights not so much.

Chapter 1

2011-12-31T11:31:00.005-06:00

In an attempt to explore the uncharted waters of my creative mind, I have decided to write a short fictional story about Jacques Lemaire, Abraham Lincoln and a 1974 Ford Pinto. Here is the first installment:

Maybe it was something I ate. I should learn from my reckless eating habits, but it appears that I had finally gone too far. It was late in the evening, I had just finished watching two periods of West Coast hockey and I was hungry. Walking into my kitchen I realized I hadn't been grocery shopping in weeks and there was nothing to satisfy my cravings.

There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just put it out there. I drove to Taco Hell and ate three chili cheese burritos. I'm not proud of myself, but it is what it is. After I got home I went straight to bed. I guess I can blame it on the burritos, or the late night, but I've really got no one to blame besides myself for having the dream that changed my life.

I didn't realize it was a dream, so you can throw out your "Roy just watched 'Inception' again and is now trying to rip it off" theories. It all seemed very real; not once did I question its zany circumstances. I was parked outside a small cafe in downtown Duluth, sitting in my blue and white Ford Pinto in the pouring rain.

I wasn't hungry in the dream (I guess burritos carry over to dreamland), but sitting there in the Pinto I felt the urge to walk out into the rain and enter the diner. Why, I don't know, but just go with me here for a bit. I opened my door and stood up in the blinding rainstorm. No one was on the street and it appeared to be the middle of the night. All was dark except the lights coming from the cafe.

As I opened the door and entered the diner, the smell of bacon enveloped my nose. I could hear some Johnny Cash playing in the background and only 2 people were seated in the entire restaurant. They were sitting on the same side of a booth, sharing a sandwich. Then it donned on me who they were...Abraham Lincoln and Jacques Lemaire were eating a BLT. Lemaire stood up and said in his French-Canadian accent "Come on over, Roy, we've been expecting you."

A Glimpse of Future Glory

2011-12-09T12:37:00.002-06:00

As I sat at my computer yesterday afternoon reading the injury news about Devin Setoguchi, Cal Clutterbuck and Josh Harding I came to the very realistic viewpoint that the Minnesota Wild were primed for a poor performance in Los Angeles. The team was riding high, but they were near the end of a West coast road trip and missing several key players. I told myself a 5-1 loss wouldn't be unexpected.

But they went ahead and destroyed the Kings 4-2. Things are going sooo well for our team it seems it doesn't really matter who they suit up; everyone contributes.

I know this isn't going to last. Sooner or later the Wild are going to start losing again, but I don't expect them to fall too far. Are they the best team in hockey? Obviously not, but they are clearly a playoff team. They are better than I thought they'd be at this point, but that doesn't change my thinking that they're a 5-8 seed in the Western Conference.

Having said all that, I'd like to reiterate that this team's best days are in front of them. Fans of the team know that within 2-3 years the roster will bear the names of Mikael Granlund (who will be this team's first superstar), Jason Zucker, Brett Bulmer, Charlie Coyle and Johan Larsson. And keep in mind I haven't even brought up the possibility of Zach Parise.

Enjoy this season, Wild fans, for it portends to be a glimpse of future glory.

At the Rinks: The CRIC

2011-12-07T12:37:00.003-06:00

It isn't too often that I add new features to the site, but I think this will be a successful one. Each week I will attend a local high school hockey game and submit a review of the rink. This week: The Coon Rapids Ice Arena, or more affectionately dubbed "The CRIC".

Last Saturday I attended the first boy's high school game at The CRIC, a contest between Coon Rapids and Robbinsdale Armstrong. While the game itself was a fairly exciting 3-3 tie, I was more concerned with the surroundings.

While anything's an improvement over their previous home, Cook Memorial Arena, I felt The CRIC did a number of things well. First off, it was very bright inside, almost to the point of needing sunglasses. The ice sheet was very well illuminated and the arena had a nice set of windows along the top of the wall for plenty of natural sunlight. And although their are only bleachers on one side of the rink, they were marginally comfortable.

Concession-wise they leave much to be desired. After learning from an inside source that the hot dogs were puny, I opted for a personal pizza. What I got was a small microwaved Red Baron. I don't know if I'd expect more, but it just wasn't very tasty. Outside of the usual nachos and pretzel offerings I didn't see much variety.

The atmosphere also lagged a bit. The crowd wasn't into the game and the music played between puck stoppages reminded me of the selection played across the street at the roller rink. I did enjoy, however, the intermission music they played during a team timeout...it was straight from the Common Man's progrum; presumably a shout out to Coach Mileski.

Overall, I give the place a B-. Great, well-lit building with a poor crowd and bad pizza.

Next up: The St. Louis Park Rec. Center.

A Look at the New Rivals

2011-12-06T12:51:00.006-06:00

With NHL Realignment a done deal, it is time to say goodbye to our Northwest Division rivals and hello to a new bunch in the unnamed Central Conference. While I'll miss watching Roberto Luongo skate to the bench mid-period after being pulled, I have a hunch I'll like getting to bed a bit earlier and not having to watch many away games starting at 9:00 Central Time.

With that in mind, who in the the new Conference will become the Wild's biggest rival? Here is a quick look at the contenders using a 5 star rating system:

(1) Chicago Blackhawks (****) ~ I wouldn't mind seeing a rekindling of the old North Stars-Blackhawks rivalry, but Steve Larmer and Al Secord are no longer active. Can I grow to hate Jonathan Toews and Company? To quote Jeff Dubay, "Yeah, I think so!"

(2) St. Louis Blues (***) ~ another good past rival, but they've fallen a bit. Having said that, it'll be nice to pencil in 12 points at the beginning of the season.

(3) Columbus Bluejackets (1/2 *) ~ assuming they'll still be around next season, I have some trouble getting excited about playing a hockey team from Ohio, Miami excluded.

(4) Nashville Predators (**) ~ a competitive team with a neckless coach. Something tells me I could muster some hatred towards Jordan Tootoo also.

(5) Dallas Stars (****) ~ the natural pick with the Norm Green history and all. We'll see what develops.

(6) Detroit Red Wings (***) ~ who knows. The way they're whining about not being in the Eastern Conference they may end up there sooner rather than later. That, and the fact that their roster is aging faster than Giada's provolone, makes me shy away from them as a legit rival.

(7) Winnipeg Jets (**) ~ again, we'll have to see what develops. One thing to look forward to is more Wild appearances on early HNIC games. We'll also get to see Dustin Byfuglien shatter the magical 300 lb. number.

Great Teams of NHL History

2011-11-24T09:57:00.005-06:00

On this Thanksgiving it's time to give thanks for the Greatest Teams in National Hockey League history:

(1) 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers ~ finished first in the NHL with a 49-20-11 record on their way to winning a 2nd straight Stanley Cup. The team, led by Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri and Mark Messier were just beginning their dominance. Could score at will.

(2) 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens ~ finished with a 42-22-10 record and dominated the Stanley Cup playoffs. This team was stacked with several future hall-of-famers.

(3) 1925-26 Montreal Maroons ~ the great team of the first half of the 20th Century. Led by superstar Nels Stewart, this team was solid, top to bottom and revolutionized the game by deivising the 2-2-1 "Coolidge Trap".

(4) 2011-12 Minnesota Wild ~ it's not a stretch to assume this 13-5-3 team will be parading the Cup down Kellogg Boulevard come next June. With it's unique blend of veteran scoring savants (Heatley, Koivu and Setoguchi) and promising young defensemen (Spurgeon and Scandella) this squad may rise in my rankings. Stay tuned.

(5) 1981-82 New York Islanders ~ nice team. Finished 54-16-10 and won the Cup.

Possible Playoff Matchups

2011-11-21T13:13:00.002-06:00

The Minnesota Wild are 1st in the Western Conference, so we thought it'd be a good time to look at some first round playoff match ups against possible #8 seeds:

(1) Wild v. Red Wings ~ as of today I'd say Wild in 4 games because the Wings are getting older and would be completely tired out by the time the playoffs roll around. This series match up is very unlikely, however, because the Wings probably won't qualify for the post-season.

(2) Wild v. St. Louis ~ I'd pick the Wild in a sweep. The Blues don't have the goaltending to match up to the Backstrom-Harding double punch.

(3) Wild v. Edmonton ~ Probably the Wild in 4. The Oilers have some talented younger players, but they lack post-season experience.

(4) Wild v. Los Angeles ~ Wild in 4. I don't yet trust the Kings on the blue line. Doughty and Jack Johnsen are overrated and overpaid. Give me Spurgeon and Prosser any day.

Good Things Come in Threes

2011-11-16T15:58:00.003-06:00

The Minnesota Wild are currently in 2nd place in the Western Conference. I got an extra Spicy Chilito in my bag from Zantigo on Monday. And now today I found out I can watch classic episodes of Good Times online at TVland.com. Dynomite!

Letters to the Editor

2011-11-08T12:13:00.010-06:00

With the Wild in Calgary tonight (I'll be watching the game from the Chipotle Basement) I thought this would be the perfect time to another edition of "Fake Letters to the Editor".

*****
Dear WPB,

In your estimation, which Sunday comic strip character most closely looks like Wild winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard?

-C. Schultz, St. Paul.

DEAR C: I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT LATELY, AND HE IS THE SPITTING IMAGE OF THE ADULT VERSION OF P.J. FROM THE FAMILY CIRCUS.

*****
Dear WPB,

I've got a hankering for a blog about life in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Any ideas?

-A. Cooper, NY.

DEAR A: TAKE A GANDER AT "LIFE IN THE CR"...IT SHOWS A LOT OF PROMISE.

*****
Dear WPB,

Any thoughts about Josh Harding's good play of late? Should a highly-compensated Finnish goaltender be concerned about his future with the team?

-N. Backstrom, St. Paul.

DEAR N: I LOVE HARDING'S PLAY LATELY; HE'S SHOWING HE CAN BE A #1 NETMINDER IN THE NHL. I SAY PLAY HIM AND BACKSTROM EQUALLY UNTIL FEBRUARY, TRADE BACKSTROM FOR A TOUGH DEFENSEMAN AND SIGN HARDS TO AN AFFORDABLE EXTENSION.

Last Canucks Post

2011-11-06T09:38:00.003-06:00

Remember back when the Vancouver Canucks used to have a Stanley Cup contending team? Last year they finished first in the Western Conference, made it to the Cup Final and came within a few goals of hoisting the trophy on home ice. But then the unthinkable happened...they choked away a Game 7 on home ice, something nearly impossible to do.

"There's always next year" said some of their fans before lighting some dumpsters on fire and inciting mayhem in the streets. After all, almost all of the players were coming back, so why shouldn't they succeed again?

Fast-forward to today. Vancouver sits in 11th place in the West with an underwhelming 6-7-1 record. Their team leaders are faltering miserably and the great Vancouver fans are (gasp) booing the home team. Luongo's been average at best and even the Sedins have forgotten who's who.

Meanwhile, here in Minny things are looking up. Thanks to a new, fresh-thinking coach and an infusion of talent, the Wild are in 4th place in the West and riding a 4 game winning streak with convincing wins over said Canucks and the ancient Red Wings. It's a good day to be a Wild fan.

In fact, the Canucks have become such a non-factor that I refuse to spend any more time with my whole "Vancouver Sucks" montra. Going forward, I won't be spending any more space on the team from BC. If you're looking for me I'll be on the high road.

The Blonde Curse

2011-10-27T13:10:00.008-05:00

After countless hours reviewing film, I think I've finally come up with a reason why the Minnesota Wild don't have much (ok, any) success in the playoffs: it's that blonde chick that always sits behind the home bench. Since she started sitting there many years ago, the Wild have had only one successful playoff run. Could she be the Wild's version of the Wrigley Billy Goat Curse?

The picture above was snapped while she was alledgedly reciting some sort of incantation against my favorite hockey team. Why hasn't anyone noticied this before? It's high time she moved her seats to behind the visitor's bench.

5:33pm UPDATE: She has been a frequent topic of discussion on various Wild boards before, but this is the first time she's been linked with witchcraft. I like to think of her as a cross between Meredith Baxter-Birney and Shannen Doherty from the Charmed years.

I'm Huge in Horlivka

2011-10-25T16:45:00.005-05:00

I did some in-depth analysis last night of the traffic (and lack thereof) on this web site. What stood out to me was where most of my readers originate from. With that in mind, here is a list of countries with the most visits to Wild Puck Banter:

1. USA.
2. Ukraine.
3. Canada.
4. Finland.
5. China.

What strikes me is my popularity in Ukraine. On a per-capita basis, this is the country where I pull in the most readers. Having said that, look for a substantial increase in Ukrainian hockey news and commentary on Ukrainian television in the coming weeks. Until then, Ласкаво просимо в джунглі товаришів!

Raising Capital

2011-10-21T16:32:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to try and earn some cash to pay for NHL Center Ice(*), I've decided to sell the naming rights to my basement, home of Wild Puck Banter, to the first corporation that offers me $171.00. Imagine your company's name in a post like this:

"Pierre-Marc Bouchard sure had a crappy game last night. I swear I saw him turn over the puck at least 8 times from my seat in the Chipotle Basement."

Give it some thought and e-mail me at the address over on the sidebar.

(*)The free trial ends on Sunday.

Blasphemy

2011-10-19T12:29:00.004-05:00

I know I'm prone to knee-jerk reactions, but isn't that in the job description of a hockey blogger? Well, it hurts me to say this, so I'm just going to take the "rip the band aid off" approach and say it. Mikko Koivu might not be as good as we think he is.

Since the lockout it's been accepted fact in the State of Hockey that Koivu was the best player on the team and that he was significantly underrated by hockey wonks league-wide. For years I've spent countless blog entries praising the skills of our captain and wondering how freaking good he would be if he had talent around him. Koivu for Selke and whatnot. Looking back, I think I was slightly off base.

Koivu is a very good checking center, period. He's a good team leader and works harder than any other teammate, but he's not an elite player in the NHL. If I were to rank the Top 20 centers today I'd have to leave #9 off of the list. He's not that skilled offensively and rarely makes his line mates great. On a Cup-contending team he'd be a 2nd or 3rd line center, truth be told. Now that's not to say "he sucks", clearly he doesn't. He does what he does very well, he's just not on the level with the best.

Personally it is very hard for me to admit this and I'm sure I'm in the minority around here. I just think it's time we all took a realistic look at this roster and realize what we have.

82-0-1 Within Reach

2011-10-09T11:28:00.003-05:00

Well, last night sure was encouraging wasn't it? The new guys paid immediate dividends, Backstrom was very sharp and I found a new flavor of Doritos to enjoy. Looking ahead, I'm fairly confident they'll be battling for a playoff spot and may even win the Cup. On the not-so-positive side, Terhaar and Greenlay haven't improved one bit and I had to mow the lawn yesterday.

All things considered, however, a good way to start the season.

2011-12 Predictions

2011-10-04T09:15:00.004-05:00

As is the case with many hockey blogs, I offer you my predictions for the upcoming season:

Mikko Koivu and Devin Setoguchi will represent the Wild at the All Star Game.

Nik Backstrom will start 60 games.

PMB will miss 40 games.

Star-Tribune hockey wonk Mike Russo will complain about having to go to Detroit.

Dany Heatley will score 30 goals.

Vancouver and Calgary will suck. (I'm really going out on a limb here)

The Wild will finish 6th in the Western Conference.

Giada will make more tasty pasta dishes while wearing low-cut shirts.

Hart winner: Stamkos. Vezina: Rinne.

Ok, drop the puck already!

Retire Number 55

2011-09-21T12:58:00.004-05:00

If I were a hockey betting man, I'd lay a small wager on this. And while it may come off as sounding completely ridiculous, it's not too far-fetched to predict that someday Nick Schultz's #55 will be hanging from the rafters of Xcel Energy Center. Why, you ask? Well, here are my reasons for believing so:

1. He's played more games than anyone in a Wild sweater, currently 681. That's 248 more than the next active player, Mikko Koivu, and Schultz is only 28 years old. By the time he retires, this number could be unbreakable for decades.

2. He's signed for 3 more seasons at an affordable $3.5m per. Assuming he isn't going to get traded (seriously, what team would trade for Nick?), he's going to play another 240 games here. I can see him signing another 3 year deal after that to finish his career here.

3. Who else? At some point the Wild need to retire a jersey, and outside of Koivu I can't think of anyone else. It'd be embarrassing to have only one jersey hanging after 20 seasons of existence.

4. His number won't be in high demand after he retires. I can see the argument against retiring Schultz's number if we wore something like 3 or 7, but 55? I'd even expect no one would choose that number if it weren't retired.

So there you go. Several years from now you'll stumble into Xcel and see #55 hanging from the ceiling and forget about all the turnovers, missed shots and general invisible play. All you'll remember is that I called it here first.

Tragic

2011-09-07T12:36:00.001-05:00

I'm floored. RIP #38.