About the Wild and Baby Steps

So the Wild lost in four straight to Chicago and are done. It's probably my fault, since I had them winning it all.

(I was most pleased about my "Wild in six" prediction in the first round, because I know a lot of really smart people who didn't agree. But alas, I blew it big-time when I misunderestimated Chicago.)

Anyway, the Wild lost in six to the Blackhawks last year. Four this year. So it's a step backward, right?

Well, it isn't that simple.

The team's step backward actually took place from Nov. 4 through Jan. 13, a stretch where the Wild went 11-16-5 and blew some great opportunities to make headway in the Western Conference.

See, it was that stretch of average/really bad hockey that led the Wild to trade for Devan Dubnyk on Jan. 14 and start its season-ending tear the next night in Buffalo.

For nearly three months straight, the Wild battled night in and night out to just get a seat at the playoff table. Not many teams can be 13th in the conference after Jan. 1 and still make the eight-team tournament. Especially in a very difficult Western Conference. Just being able to do that -- especially given 1) the very difficult schedule, 2) the fact so many teams in the West were fighting for those seats at the table, and 3) the Wild had to do it almost exclusively by scoring goals five on five because the power play was completely useless -- was a hell of an accomplishment.

It also probably should have foretold the premature end to the season.

Go back and watch Games 2 through 4 against Chicago. And the third period of Game 1.

Then go watch the Wild win race after race and -- more importantly -- battle after battle against St. Louis the series before.

Chicago was dialed in against Minnesota, but the Wild were clearly slowing as the series wore on. Advantages I thought existed going into the series did not. We know the Blackhawks have a ton of scoring punch. Patrick Kane is incredible. Jonathan Toews is Mr. Everything. Their blue line sells out and blocks shots like no other, and Joel Quenneville is great at what he does.

But I thought Minnesota had the edge down the middle, with improved center depth (even if they're not great on draws). Then Brad Richards undressed Marco Scandella in Game 1. And Charlie Coyle didn't score in the series (also didn't finish the series playing center, a real indictment considering how much time the coaching staff invested in Coyle in the middle during the regular season). I was wrong.

I also was surprised at how slow Minnesota's defensemen looked. I knew Chicago had speed to burn up front, but the Blackhawks really made the Wild look silly in their own zone at times.

Offensively, Corey Crawford played well for the 'Hawks. He did. You don't post a near-.950 save percentage, even in a small four-game sample, by accident. But the Wild made it too easy on him. There wasn't enough net drive, and the blue line didn't do a good job creating lanes and getting pucks through traffic, something Chicago was much better at (and Dubnyk's elite puck-tracking ability was sneakily on display throughout).

Chicago also won an inordinate number of races and battles for pucks. Why is that? Did the Wild see a dialed-in adversary and struggle to meet the intensity level? Did the Wild finally succumb to the three-month grind they put themselves through just to get in?

I think it's a little bit of a few things, but the fatigue factor certainly weighs heavily. You're never going to get a team to admit it ran out of gas (though UMD was close in March when Denver won those two games in the NCHC playoffs). But the Wild clearly didn't have as much energy against Chicago as was present against the Blues in the previous round.

Watch Jason Zucker nearly get beat to a loose puck by Marian Hossa. Watch Scandella lose a board battle to Richards. Watch Coyle's effectiveness slip.

Too many guys weren't at their best against Chicago, while the Blackhawks played four very strong games.

So is it a step back.

Decisively, no.

The Wild needed to rip off a hell of a run in the second half of the season. When Dubnyk came on board, Minnesota was 18-19-5, good for 41 points, 13th in the West. As it turns out, making the playoffs required a minimum of 55 points in 40 games, a 70 percent rate that is almost unfathomable against a tough slate of Western foes.

The Wild got 59 points, nearly 74 percent of the available points.

The end result -- loss to Chicago in the second round -- was the same. The end result -- getting swept -- looks worse than a year ago.

But the fact this team was still alive to get swept in the second round is something worth noting, not forgetting.

Wild, 15 Others Chase Lord Stanley

You can have your March Madness, your September football openers, your October baseball playoffs/cranking-up of football season, December bowls into NFL and college football playoffs, or whatever sports time of year you prefer.

Nothing makes goosebumps form on top of  goosebumps like the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I mean, well, um ... hold on. Just watch this.



Says it all.

First team to 16 wins gets the spoils. And the tears.

Anyway, the playoffs start Wednesday. I'll deliver some predictions later, but here are some thoughts on the Wild as they prepare to open up Thursday at Colorado.

This is really simple, in many ways. Colorado is a great story, but the story masks some problems with this team.

The nerds like to note that Colorado is the worst possession team in the tournament. The Avalanche get by that issue by carrying the best shooting percentage of any of these 16 teams. Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, and Gabriel Landeskog are elite. Semyon Varlamov had a great run this season.

However, Colorado's possession problem could rear its ugly head in this division bracket. St. Louis and Chicago are going to go to war for the right to advance, but both teams sport the kind of hard-nosed forwards it takes to break down the Avalanche.

So does Minnesota.

Ever since a 5-1 loss to St. Louis had the Wild on the brink of a lot of bad things, the group has banded together. If you're enough of a diehard, you probably know about the off-day "summit" the Wild on-ice leadership had in Phoenix after that St. Louis debacling. If not, stud beat writer Michael Russo wrote a lot about it, including here.

Bottom line: This team has been much more system-strong since that day off. Zach Parise made a comment after the St. Louis loss about the Blues' commitment to their system, and it was a subtle shot at his guys for a bevy of blue line turnovers that led to chances (and sometimes goals) for the opponents.

The Wild have been much better since then at getting pucks behind defensemen and going after them on the forecheck. It's one part of the success story, but it's a huge one, especially going into this best-of-seven.

Colorado isn't weak on defense, but the Avs aren't strong there, either. There are some young guys there, and some potentially vulnerable players. I'd like to see the Wild make them work for possession and make them earn their space up the rink. Colorado wants to play a rush game, but if the Wild can make them get away from firewagon hockey, the Avalanche can easily be beaten in this series.

Make Colorado break out more slowly, and make their forwards more engaged in the defensive zone. Puck retrievals and wall play take energy. Sap their will by making them earn every puck they get and every rush they're able to generate. Colorado has been really good this season at getting into run-and-gun type of games.

Remember the structure and the system. Stick to it, and good things will happen.

Of course, it ultimately comes down to goaltending. Varlamov has been great, and while Ilya Bryzgalov has been good for the Wild, the sample isn't very big. I did say when the Wild got him from Edmonton that I thought Bryzgalov would be solid playing for a team that has some structure in front of him, as Minnesota certainly does.

If Bryzgalov, who has a promising .923 even-strength save percentage, even matches what Varlamov (.933, by the way) can do, Minnesota probably wins. Ultimately, the talent gap in goal, which I do believe exists, is the biggest reason I have Colorado beating the Wild. If the Wild avoid getting suckered into run-and-gun hockey and get good goaltending, they very much have a shot in this series.

The Matt Cooke Conundrum

Listen, fans are going to react to things.

Remember, "fan" is short for "fanatic." Dictionary.com defines "fanatic" as "a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal."

No reasonable person expects a diehard fan to not react to news that involves said fan's favorite team.

However, a lot of Minnesota Wild fans went far enough over the weekend to embarrass themselves. Over-the-top reactions are part of sports fandom, yes, but you'd expect a little more out of Minnesota hockey fans than a lot of the stuff we saw after the Wild announced the signing of Matt Cooke.

You'd think Cooke had actually gone Happy Gilmore on the bit at some point, taking off his skate and trying to stab someone with it. Actually, it appeared that at least some fans thought that happened at some point.

Yes, Cooke has a history. The Marc Savard hit, which was deemed legal but was sadly far from that, was a stain on the sport. An awful, unnecessary, completely dirty play that reeked of intent to injure. The hit on Ryan McDonagh wasn't necessarily a good one, either, but the Savard hit practically makes the McDonagh hit look clean in comparison.

The suspensions Cooke has received in his career are completely justified. He probably should have gotten more, given what happened with Savard.

But Cooke hasn't been suspended since the McDonagh shot. That means that in the last two years, Pierre-Marc Bouchard has missed more games due to suspension.

No, Bouchard is not a goon. Cooke really isn't anymore, either.

(I'm not even going to address the Erik Karlsson bit. No reason to bother. If any other player on the Penguins roster does what Cooke did on that play, nobody bats an eye. Even Mike Milbury, discussing the incident on NBC Sports Network that night, acknowledged Cooke's history was the only reason the conversation started. It was a hockey play. After 20-plus years of playing hockey, Cooke didn't just up and decide to sever someone's Achilles.)

Even taking the history of Matt Cooke into account, the reaction of Wild fans on Twitter was scathing, and it's still going on. Do a search for his name on Twitter and enjoy some of the dumb things Wild fans have been saying about this move.

Based on that vitriol, I have to think Wild tickets will be readily available this season, because there are a lot of people who don't seem to want to watch a team Matt Cooke plays for.

Perhaps "embarrassing" is a bit over the top as well, but I've always thought of Minnesota people as being smarter than to fall into traps like this.

Cooke hasn't been suspended in so long that he is no longer a repeat offender in the NHL's eyes. He hasn't taken a major penalty for an illegal check in a regular season game since that ill-fated blow to the head of McDonagh in 2011.

He's been nearly a model citizen in the time since as a Penguin. Good in the community, good in the room, and good in his role on the ice.

His start with Minnesota has been rocky because of the overreaction of many fans, but he's done and said all the right things so far. This is from Michael Russo, chronicling an interview with him Monday on KFAN.

In my opinion, the best part of the interview came at the end when I asked about his number, 24. That number holds a special place in the hearts of many Wild fans because it was the number worn by the late Derek Boogaard. It’s also the number Cooke has worn his entire nearly 1,000-game NHL career.

“The team told me they’re OK with me wearing it because Marty [Havlat] wore it after [Boogaard],” Cooke told me. “I don’t really feel comfortable putting it on without his mum and dad’s blessing. I’ve sent emails off to them. I want to let them know that by putting it on I’m absolutely not doing anything disrespectful. It’s been my only number in the NHL, but at the end of the day, I don’t want anyone’s feelings hurt. I don’t want anyone to think that I am being disrespectful and I want to make sure I take care of that before I even entertain the thought of putting it on.”

Cooke has indeed received that blessing.

It's a class move on his part to even ask. 24 is not a retired number for the Wild. Yes, Boogaard was a legend around these parts, but the Wild were probably never going to retire that number based on what he did while with the team. Typically, cult heroes don't get their jersey numbers in the rafters.

Instead, Cooke -- in a great show of respect to what Boogaard meant to this team -- asked the team first and then Boogaard's family for its blessing before he went ahead with No. 24.

A lesser man would have just taken the number he's always had in his pro career without thinking twice. Cooke understands the history of the franchise he's joining, and he's sensitive to the way Boogaard was lost.

If anything, it probably should diffuse some of the anger toward this signing. Of course, I'm convinced that there is a legion of Minnesota Wild fans not reading anything about Cooke at this point. All they can see is red, and they'll be angry about Cooke until he does something to justify their anger.

I've never hid from the fact that Cooke's agitating and often dirty style of play has worn on me. But I like to watch former UMD players play in the NHL, meaning I've seen plenty of Pittsburgh games the last two seasons (Matt Niskanen). Cooke isn't the same guy, something Yahoo! Sports' Greg Wyshynski made clear with Russo Monday (same link as above):

“Some national media and especially NBC and especially Mike Milbury have been living in the past on Matt Cooke. Like Matt Cooke is not that guy. Matt Cooke is no longer the guy who took off [Marc] Savard’s head, who hit McDonagh from behind, who was injurious and nearly played himself out of the National Hockey League because of that play. He had a lot of personal issues that year, he solved them or at least worked through them. Go on NHL.com and see how many major penalties this guy’s taken in the last two years (none). You’ll be stunned because it’s like nothing. He’s not that player anymore. He’s a serviceable guy. Does he play on the edge? Yeah, of course he plays on the edge much like [Cal] Clutterbuck did. But he’s no longer the headhunter, he’s no longer the guy that you don’t think should be in the National Hockey League because he can’t behave himself. He’s a good contributor to a team. In the last two seasons under this Brendan Shanahan Department of Player Safety stuff, I think he’s earned the right to at least get a chance without being crucified by fans and media in Minnesota without having seen him play all that much with Pittsburgh in the last two years.”

Couldn't say it better. He signed for less than Cal Clutterbuck -- the man he's basically replacing here -- got from the Islanders after the Nino Niederreiter trade. He's probably a more effective player in this role than Clutterbuck was and is. As long as the talk about Cooke's better path as a hockey player is truly not just talk, this should work out fine for the Wild.

Give it ten games, and Wild fans will warm up to this guy.

Now, Todd Bertuzzi, on the other hand ...

2013 NHL Draft: UMD, Area Represented

The 2013 NHL Draft brought plenty of interesting moves and decisions.

While we didn't get the blockbuster trades that were rumored (does that ever really happen in any sport?), it's always fun to see the best player in a draft (Seth Jones in this case) go fourth overall.

And you wonder why the teams in the top three were in those positions, and why two of them seem to have been there quite often, at least lately.

(I'll get off my soapbox now. Nathan MacKinnon is a good hockey player, but Jones is a special talent, and this reeks of the years where NFL teams felt they had to take a quarterback with the first pick, even if the quarterback wasn't the "best player" on the ol' board.)

Anyway, the Wild didn't have a first round pick. It was sent to Buffalo in the deal to acquire Jason Pominville. Efforts to move into the first round failed, so the Wild moved to acquire a recent first-round pick via trade.

Minnesota sent forward Cal Clutterbuck to the New York Islanders -- along with a third round pick -- for forward Nino Niederreiter. "El Nino" was a first-rounder in 2010, fifth overall. He was rushed to the NHL, with some speculating he was only on the Islanders' roster so they would hit the payroll floor mandated by the CBA. Niederreiter struggled in a fourth-line role, was banished to AHL Bridgeport, and demanded a trade when he wasn't invited to training camp after the lockout.

The Wild also dealt defenseman Justin Falk to the Rangers, hopefully ending the endless stream of "Didn't he play for UMD?" tweets. No, that's Justin FAULK. This is Justin FALK.

Anyway, the draft was also successful for college hockey. 63 current or future NCAA players were picked Sunday, marking the 12th straight year that number was at least 60.

The Wild picked up a future UMD defenseman, Carson Soucy, in the fifth round. Soucy will start at UMD this fall. He's a big body at 6-4 and the Wild like his ability with the puck. He will be the first Wild draft pick to suit up for UMD.

Grand Rapids star and (most likely) future college player Avery Peterson went to the Wild in the sixth round. Peterson is undecided on a college, and also undecided on high school or junior hockey this winter.

(Unsolicited advice: Stay in school. Peterson can still get better with Rapids, and he'll have memories he can't duplicate anywhere else in life. Play in juniors next season, then go to college.)

2014 UMD recruit Blake Heinrich -- a defenseman -- went in the fifth round to Washington. Future Bulldogs Adam Johnson and Neal Pionk were among those passed over. Both will join UMD after plying their craft in the USHL.

Random Rabble: May 16

For those who can't get enough of me -- and I can't imagine there are many of you -- I'm covering Chicago-Detroit for SBNation's NHL hub. I'll have stories throughout the series. My take on Game 1 is here. At this point, I'm not sure I see anyone beating Chicago. The Blackhawks are playing at an exceptionally high level, and they have gotten the kind of goaltending championship teams need to get, no matter how well they're playing.

As for the Wild, anyone who follows me on Twitter knows I'm somewhat conflicted on what I've seen from head coach Mike Yeo. That said, he had to stay, for a number of reasons. I'm not sure it's totally fair to judge a second-year coach after a shortened season like this. The Wild made a slew of big changes over the summer, and the young players GM Chuck Fletcher set out to start acquiring when he arrived are just now starting to make a real impact.

That said, improvement is a must now for Yeo. I didn't think the personnel was handled exquisitely. It seemed too much faith was put in veterans, even when they were struggling. Not enough lineup changes were made during the playoffs when things were clearly going south. The power play never really got going, and it was 0-for-17 in the five-game series loss to Chicago.

Wisconsin racing legend and former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle died Thursday of an apparent suicide. I don't quote Wikipedia often, but here's the lowdown on Trickle's short-track career, much of which came in the Badger State.

A big turning point in Trickle's career happened at the National Short Track Championship race at Rockford Speedway in 1966. Trickle said, "The cars in that area were fancier and looked like they were ahead of us. The didn't treat us bad, but they sort of giggled at us kids with the rat cars. After two days, they look differently at those rat cars. I won and pocketed $1,645. Before, I questioned spending the money to travel that far. But if you could win, that was a different story." Trickle started the 1967 season by winning at State Park Speedway and ended the season with 25 feature victories including wins at Wisconsin Dells Speedway (now Dells Raceway Park) and Golden Sands Speedway (near Wisconsin Rapids).

He toured on the Central Wisconsin Racing Association (CWRA) tracks in 1971. The circuit consisted of larger asphalt track racing on most nights of the week.[9] CWRA regular drivers were able to run over 100 events in a year, and most did the tour with one car and one engine. Drivers would drive on Wednesday nights at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, Thursday nights at State Park Speedway near Wausau, Friday nights at Capitol Speedway (now Madison International Speedway) near Madison, La Crosse, or Adams-Friendship, Saturday nights at Wisconsin Dells Speedway, and Sunday nights at Griffith Park. Tuesday nights were available for special events.

On Thursday nights at the quarter mile State Park Speedway, he won seven features and lowered his July 1 14.27 second track record to 14.09 seconds on the following week. On Friday nights he raced primarily at Capitol Speedway, winning most nights that rain or his car did not break. Trickle went to Adams-Friendship on July 23 and won the feature after setting the track record. He held the track record at six tracks: Adams-Friendship, Capitol, Wausau, Wisconsin Dells, and La Crosse. He raced at the newly opened third mile Wisconsin Dells Speedway on Saturday nights. By the end of the year, Trickle had won 58 feature events.

Trickle started his 1972 season by winning at Golden Sands Speedway near Wisconsin Rapids. Wisconsin's short track racing season starts in April. By May 13, he had twelve wins in thirteen events. He got this fifteenth win in twenty starts on May 27. Trickle became the winningest short track driver that year when he won his 67th race.

Trickle won numerous special events outside of Wisconsin in 1973, including a 200-lap feature at Rolla, Missouri in April, following by winning a 50-lap feature the following day at I-70 Speedway near Odessa, Missouri. In May he won a 50-lapper at Springfield, Missouri and two more features at I-70 Speedway. Trickle used his purple 1970 Ford Mustang to win at the Minnesota Fair and at Rockford Speedway in September. He had a total of 57 wins in 1973.

Trickle became well-known nationally during his NASCAR Winston Cup career. The old ESPN SportsCenter pair of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann always made a point to mention where Trickle finished. Maybe they liked his name or something. Olbermann noted the following on Twitter upon word of Trickle's passing.

Awful news: Dick Trickle is dead ... No sports figure Dan + I had fun with took it more graciously. In fact, gratefully.

Olbermann went on to credit Trickle for helping increase NASCAR's visibility on SportsCenter. He said the attention they gave Trickle eventually trickled down (pun intended) to the races themselves, whether Trickle raced in them or not.

His name probably made him famous more than his driving, but Dick Trickle was one hell of a race car driver.

2013 NHL Season Predictions

I'm sure this will go well, eh? It always does.

My division winners, Stanley Cup pick, and awards picks posted on SB Nation Friday. Here are the rest of my guesses on a season that is sure to be exciting to watch. As much as the shortened season was a win for the NBA last season, I believe firmly that the NHL can win here, if it plays its cards right.

And, yes, that's a big "if."

Anyway, here are full division and conference predictions, so it's all on the record for when I'm wrong.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Pittsburgh
2. NY Rangers
3. Philadelphia
4. New Jersey
5. NY Islanders

This is very much contingent on Sid being healthy, as well as Marc-Andre Fleury regaining some semblance of confidence after it looked like Philly shattered most of it in last year's playoff series. I like this Rangers team, but I don't trust this Rangers team. As Barry Melrose said on ESPN Friday, there are no excuses now. They have everything they've asked for there. The Flyers need goaltending to be a serious contender. The Devils have to replace a lot of goals lost, and didn't sign anyone to do it, while the Islanders ... um, yeah. They have John Tavares.

Northeast Division
1. Boston
2. Buffalo
3. Ottawa
4. Toronto
5. Montreal

The Bruins look made for a short season, provided Tuukka Rask can take over capably for Tim Thomas in goal. Thomas' departure also makes Boston a much more likable team. The Sabres will ride Ryan Miller to the playoffs, while I think the Senators have a real chance to sneak in. Ottawa does better if Craig Anderson does it again. I just don't know that the Sens have enough to make a run again this year. The Maple Leafs and Canadiens look positively wretched.

Southeast Division
1. Washington
2. Florida
3. Carolina
4. Winnipeg
5. Tampa Bay

First-year coach Adam Oates looks to reinvigorate Alex Ovechkin, who admitted he didn't exactly enjoy himself last season. It'll be an interesting battle with the defending division champion Panthers, along with Carolina and Winnipeg, both of which should be improved. The Hurricanes added Jordan Staal, while the Jets didn't make a lot of moves but will instead be improved. Don't count Tampa Bay out, either, but I don't think the Lightning are strong enough defensively.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
1. St. Louis
2. Chicago
3. Nashville
4. Detroit
5. Columbus

There are potential issues with the Blues. For starters, they won a lot of low-scoring games. They also won a ton against the East, a conference they don't play a single game against in a shortened season. But Ken Hitchcock has skill, toughness, and grit up front, along with great defense and tandem goaltending. Chicago contends if Corey Crawford holds up, but that's not a given. I think the loss of Ryan Suter will do more damage to Nashville than losing Shea Weber would have. But that could just be an overly-optimistic Wild fan talking. Detroit better score tons of goals. Columbus, ah, yeah.

Northwest Division
1. Minnesota
2. Vancouver
3. Edmonton
4. Colorado
5. Calgary

Call me crazy, but the Wild made some really good moves, not even including signing Suter and Zach Parise. Suter is huge because of the impact he'll make on the blue line. Don't forget the signings of Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell, or the addition of stud center Mikael Granlund. No knock on Vancouver, because this should be a hell of a division race. Cory Schneider makes an impact as the No. 1 goalie. The young guns in Edmonton will be ready to go after a half-season of seasoning in the AHL. Look for a fast start there. The Avalanche will continue to improve, while I think the Flames will drop off a bit this year. Change could be coming to that roster.

Pacific Division
1. San Jose
2. Los Angeles
3. Dallas
4. Phoenix
5. Anaheim

LA is the hot pick here, but I'm taking the Sharks, who have scoring depth, defense, and a determined goalie in Antti Niemi. The Kings will nip at their heels if they don't beat them out. Dallas will surge ahead if Jamie Benn signs quickly, which he should. Who will score for Phoenix? It's a question that sounds familiar, but at some point we will run out of answers. The Ducks are a mess in many phases, but there is star power here, and if their heads are right, the team should improve.

EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
1. Boston
2. Washington
3. Pittsburgh
4. NY Rangers
5. Buffalo
6. Philadelphia
7. Florida
8. Carolina
9. New Jersey
10. Winnipeg
11. Ottawa
12. Tampa Bay
13. Toronto
14. NY Islanders
15. Montreal

WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
1. St. Louis
2. San Jose
3. Minnesota
4. Los Angeles
5. Vancouver
6. Chicago
7. Dallas
8. Edmonton
9. Nashville
10. Detroit
11. Colorado
12. Phoenix
13. Anaheim
14. Calgary
15. Columbus

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION
Pittsburgh
WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION
St. Louis
STANLEY CUP CHAMPION
Pittsburgh

Zach Parise, Ryan Suter Change Wild Culture Just By Signing

What an amazing Fourth of July, eh?

For the first time since its run to the Western Conference Final in 2003, the Minnesota Wild are on the map.

I columnized the bit for SBNation yesterday. Here that is.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune was on top of this story throughout. Here is his main story for the Thursday paper.

Strib columnist Jim Souhan talked to Wild owner Craig Leipold, who is pretty happy.

Season tickets and Parise/Suter jerseys are on sale now!

Among the other reactions: Jack Jablonski is happy, and the Wild are no longer 200:1 to win the Stanley Cup.

As you can see, there is a lot of hockey being talked about for it being July 5. That alone should be considered a victory for this once-downtrodden franchise, one that couldn't buy a break for years.

Since its inception, the Wild have really only had one bona fide star, and Marian Gaborik never became the consistent superstar the team needed to build around. He was never the face of the franchise off the ice.

In one fell swoop on a national holiday, the Wild brought in two players who can be both of those things. Parise is from Minneapolis, while Suter has Midwestern roots (from Wisconsin, and his wife is from Bloomington; Suter's father, Bob, played on the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, uncle Gary was an NHL regular for years, and father-in-law Stan Palmer was a four-year defenseman for UMD). They wanted to play in Minnesota, turning down more money elsewhere so they could be teammates and play in the place of their choice.

These are two guys of high character, both on and off the ice, and the Wild will experience an immediate benefit. Once the season starts (hopefully October!), the team will see a difference on the ice.

Parise is an upgrade to the Wild's top line with Mikko Koivu, whether he has Dany Heatley or Devin Setoguchi at right wing. He also makes the Wild's power play better, with his scoring touch and willingness to go in the dirty areas.

Suter gives Minnesota a true PP1 point man. They can stick Pierre-Marc Bouchard out there as a fourth forward to work the half-wall, knowing that Suter can control things up high. It's a huge addition, possibly more significant than Parise, because Suter adds to a position that was not strong or deep, and he's a perfect fit for Mike Yeo's system.

Hopefully, July 4 isn't remembered as the day Leipold overspent for average players. Instead, we want it to be the day the Wild finally gained footing as a legitimate NHL franchise.

Wild Plans For Duluth Exhibition Dropped Because of Lockout Concerns

The Minnesota Wild visited Duluth last fall for two training camp practices and team-building time. You might remember that goalie Josh Harding was injured during one of the team-building exercises, forcing Houston Aeros GM Jim Mill to don the goalie pads for the first practice at Amsoil Arena, as Aeros goalie Matt Hackett couldn't get to Duluth in time for it.

At the time, nothing but nice things could be heard from players and staff about their stay in northern Minnesota. They were very complimentary of everything, including the new facility they got to practice in.

It led to people asking if there was a future for the Wild in Duluth that could include a preseason game down the line. After all, the team didn't hold any public events while they visited in October. Maybe next time, right?

Well, "next time" was supposed to be "this fall." According to a source with knowledge of the plans, the Wild were scheduled to visit Amsoil Arena for one of their home preseason games in the fall of 2012. However, those plans were changed because of uncertainty regarding the possible NHL lockout.

The league's collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15. The Wild announced their preseason schedule Monday, and that is slated to start ten days later. With such a small lag time between the expiration of the deal and the start of the preseason, the smartest of smart money is on the preseason not starting on time because of a lockout.

Per the source, plans were underway for the game, but those plans were derailed because of Wild management's concerns about the CBA and uncertainty associated with negotiations. Reading between the lines, it's clear that no one would have wanted a situation where tickets were sold and local residents excited over a game that had little chance of happening in the first place.

The Wild are still scheduled to visit Duluth June 25 as part of the annual Wells Fargo Wild Road Tour. Players Nate Prosser and Jason Zucker will be joined by radio broadcasters Bob Kurtz and Tom Reid for the event, which starts at 11:30am at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center.

Random Rabble: May 22

I tweeted a few times about Anthony LaPanta being named the voice of the Wild on Fox Sports North, but haven't commented on here. LaPanta has me by a few years (he's publicly admitted to being 43, while I'm a couple months short of 35), but our pedigrees aren't that dissimilar. I don't know him that well, but he's talked about dreaming of this kind of opportunity his whole life. I grew up a relatively uncoordinated chap who would carry a tape recorder around all the time. Called ninth-grade basketball games on public access television when I was in the seventh grade. It just was something I enjoyed doing from the start, and like Anthony, I have my dream jobs. I have one of them now (UMD), and I couldn't be happier for LaPanta that he has achieved one of his career dreams.

As for the public backlash, I know Gopher fans didn't like him. I've heard some of the reasons, and with my own responsibilities, it's been hard to judge his work.

(The couple times I DVRed Gopher games last year to help with my own UMD game prep, I actually thought he did an okay job, if not better. But honestly, I wasn't watching the game to critique LaPanta. I was watching it to see tendencies of the Gophers' opponent, because UMD had a game coming up against that team.)

I've met him a few times at the rink, certainly not nearly enough to be a fair judge of a man's character. I can tell you that there aren't many guys in the business I've met who work harder than he does. If that work ethic carries over, I don't see any reason he won't succeed with the Wild. It will help him immensely to have a steady, experienced analyst in Mike Greenlay after two years of a rotating booth for Gophers games.

As for the Gophers' vacant TV gig, don't worry, Minnesota fans. I won't be applying. :)

I'm on one of my three to four vacations from Brewers baseball this week. Even in years where the team has been good, I've found myself needing a week or so at a time to stop watching the team because they're constantly aggravating me by playing bad baseball. I expected the offense to struggle, and it has. It's scored a few runs here and there, but with no consistency. Too many guys are struggling at the dish for anything better than that.

What's been a huge disappointment is the starting rotation and the defense. They've been kicking the ball around like amateurs lately, and that's hard to watch because it's usually not a sign of a winning ballclub. I don't expect Randy Wolf to win a Cy Young, but more is needed from him, along with Yovani Gallardo and Shaun Marcum. Zack Greinke has been good, but he can't carry the team while pitching every fifth day.

I'll be back this weekend. Or next week. Hopefully the team will be playing better at that point. In a long season like this, it's hard to write anything off. But the longer this goes, the longer the summer will be in the Brew City.

Random Rabble: May 14

If you're not a huge hockey fan, there's nothing sexy about the NHL conference finals. Of course, I'm a hockey fan, so I'm thinking we'll get two enjoyable series. In the East, New Jersey visits the Garden to battle the Rangers starting Monday night. Two longtime rivals who play in the same division, with visions of 1994 never too far away when the teams meet in the playoffs.



Of course, we can always hope that Sean Avery finds his way back into the Rangers lineup. Then, we can get a replay of this:



Ah, yes. The Sean Avery rule.

In the West, Los Angeles has a 1-0 series lead on Phoenix after a 4-2 road win Sunday night. Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick are staging a pretty impressive duel for the Conn Smythe, with Brown currently holding a lead, at least in my view.

The Star Tribune's Mike Russo reports that Gophers' play-by-play voice Anthony LaPanta is on the verge of becoming the new guy for the Wild. LaPanta has done high school hockey, and spent two seasons as the Gophers' television voice on Fox Sports North. It's not a sexy hire, but it's a familiar voice to replace another familiar voice (Dan Terhaar). The Wild have re-signed TV analyst Mike Greenlay and the radio team of Bob Kurtz and Tom Reid, so this is the only change that will be made in terms of Wild broadcasters.

The move will leave the Gophers without a television voice. We'll see how that develops during the summer.

Finally, a brief note ... St. Cloud State athletics lost a close friend over the weekend with the passing of Marty Sundvall. Marty was a statistician at football and hockey games, always making his presence known in the press box. When you travel with a hockey team through the winter, you meet some really interesting people in press boxes around the sport. Some of them stand out more than others, and Marty was indeed one of those. He was a joy to deal with, and he will be missed. My thoughts are with his family and all those who were close to him.

Brendan Shanahan Dropping the Ball

On Nov. 30, impressed with a recent drop-off in NHL suspensions, as well as the general consistency we were seeing with them, I wrote this piece for SB Nation.

It seems so very simple, but it's a complicated and stressful process. Guys like (Brendan) Shanahan, Stephane Quintal, and Rob Blake are not that far removed from playing in the NHL. There are players in the league who know these guys, played with them, and played against them. Just like with their still-unnamed predecessor -- whose last name is also a famous brand of soup (no, not Lipton) -- there are personal biases that must be overcome.

Perhaps these biases will see a stiffer test at some point down the line. Maybe they are missing numerous rules violations that should lead to suspensions. But the fact that we're nearly two months into the season and still haven't heard a ton of complaints from media and fans about an arbitrary and seemingly random disciplinary system tells me that Shanahan and the people around him are doing a good job.

The NHL system was never perfect, before Shanahan or now. But in the last month, it seems that there has been a lot of ball-dropping in the Department of Player Safety. No, Jermichael Finley didn't get hired.

While the league has still issued a few suspensions for illegal conduct during that time, there have been some incidents that have gone mysteriously unpunished.

Yes, many of them involve the Minnesota Wild, and the latest one of those is my primary concern right now. But this is almost certainly a league-wide issue.

Right?

"Monday evening, an incident occured in the game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. At 5:42 of the first period, Colorado player Cody McLeod delivered an illegal hit to Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon. As a result of the hit, Spurgeon fell face-first into the ledge along the top of the boards. As you can see in the video ..."



Oh, McLeod was not suspended. No hearing. Played in Tuesday's game against Winnipeg like nothing ever happened.

Huh?

This came a couple weeks after Winnipeg defenseman Zach Bogosian escaped a suspension for his hit from behind on Pierre-Marc Bouchard. I still don't like that decision, but this one is much, much worse.

Spurgeon 1) hasn't played the puck and 2) has his back to McLeod the entire play. McLeod 1) makes no effort to minimize the contact, actually skating through the hit, and 2) is making no effort to play the puck. He's simply trying to blow Spurgeon up, which was apparently the Avalanche game plan Monday.

This is a textbook illegal hit and a suspension. Yes, McLeod received a game misconduct and a major penalty, but Spurgeon left the game, did not return, and is out for the Wild's game at Nashville Wednesday, if not longer.

I hate to keep bringing up the asinine suspension Pierre-Marc Bouchard got for an accidental high-stick to the face, but Shanahan can't tell us then that a player is responsible for his stick and the consequences of an illegal act like swinging said stick at someone, then keep silent when a player cross-checks a guy in the back, causing a broken nose. Worse, he then stays silent when a player checks a guy from behind (having never seen anything but the numbers on that player's back) and causes an injury.

Shanahan spent the first two months of the season suspending based on injuries more than actions or intent. Now, it seems he wants to change his tune, which makes him more like Colin Campbell than any of us ever wanted him to be.

Zach Bogosian Non-Suspension Ludicrous

So the NHL has decided not to suspend Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian for his hit on Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard Tuesday night.

Player Safety Dept. feels that Bogosian did not run at Bouchard and that Bouchard turned just prior to the hit.  

Okay.

So if Bouchard doesn't turn, and Bogosian cross-checks him in the face, breaking Bouchard's nose in the process, is that somehow a clean and legal hockey play?

Watch it again.



Tell me this is a clean and legal hockey play if Bouchard doesn't get hit in the back.

IT'S A CROSS CHECK.

One that would have been high enough to hit Bouchard in the face or neck had he not turned around. How the hell is this not worthy of anything more than a one-minute penalty (there was only 1:06 left)?

As Mike Johnson says here on the TSN broadcast, and I fully acknowledge this is true, Bogosian tried to hold up. He didn't follow through or run through Bouchard. That's fine.

But did Bouchard really try to high-stick Matt Calvert in the face here?



We were told at the time that Bouchard was responsible for his own stick, and that it didn't matter that Calvert lifted Bouchard's stick into his own face.

Despite that, it somehow matters that Bouchard turned before being cross-checked into the dasher boards, a play that would have been dangerous no matter what body part Bogosian hit.

I don't get the logic, and all this does is feed the growing perception among Wild fans that the Department of Player Safety is -- for some unknown reason -- showing bias against the Wild.

(It sounds preposterous, but look at the way the NHL handled Kevin Porter's knee-on-knee hit on David Booth versus how it handled Ryan Whitney's knee-on-knee hit on Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck, by the way, was indeed injured on the play. Worth noting.)

Zach Bogosian Boards Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian should be expecting a telephone call from Brendan Shanahan soon.

His hit on Minnesota forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard left Bouchard injured, and apparently also created new stains all over the MTS Centre.

Bouchard's status is unknown at this point, but Bogosian's shouldn't be questioned. He's facing a suspension, as he very well should.



What say you? Seems like a textbook dangerous hit to me, one that will probably get Bogosian a couple games off, at the least.

Derek Boogaard Will Be Honored by Wild

Not a surprise, but I'll throw the information out there for all those interested. Sellouts and full houses have been hard to find in St. Paul this season, but I think it would be really nice if we could fill the XCel Energy Center for this.

The Minnesota Wild announced plans Tuesday to honor former player Derek Boogaard, who died in May.

The plans surround Minnesota's home game against Calgary, scheduled for Nov. 27 at 5 p.m.

Here is the announcement from the team.

On November 27, Minnesota Wild fans will get one more chance to say goodbye and to remember Derek Boogaard, the beloved tough guy who called Minnesota home for most of his professional career.

Boogaard, who tragically passed away in May, will be honored in a special pre-game ceremony prior to the Wild hosting the Calgary Flames at 5:00 that Sunday afternoon. Boogaard's parents Joanne and Len, siblings Aaron, Krysten, Ryan and Chris and grandparents Peter and Nancy are scheduled to be in attendance when the team shows a tribute video during the ceremony.

On the ice, Boogaard was one of the most feared enforcers in the game. Off the ice, he was one of the most charitable and friendliest players to wear a Wild sweater. One of his biggest passions was the support of Defending The Blue Line, a non-profit charitable foundation whose mission is to ensure that children of military members are afforded every opportunity to participate in the great game of hockey. Military personnel wishing to to attend the game can purchase lower level tickets at a special price of $45.

While at the game, all fans in attendance will receive a Derek Boogaard poster featuring a re-production of a painting of "The Boogeyman" by sports artist Robert Blehert. They can also visit a Boogaard tribute in the main concourse near Gate 3 and adjacent to a similar tribute to former Wild player Sergei Zholtok.

The team will also unveil a commemorative Boogaard tribute T-shirt and puck along with releasing a limited number of Boogaard autographed items and game worn jerseys on November 27. Proceeds from the sale of these items will benefit Defending The Blue Line.

For more information on Defending The Blue Line, go to www.defendingtheblueline.org.

2011-12 NHL Season Predictions

I've never been happier to see hockey season start. The tragedies of the summer didn't hit home for the college hockey universe as much, but they hit home for those of us who have grown to really appreciate this sport and what makes it great at all levels.

As we get set for Thursday's season openers -- as well as Justin Faulk's NHL debut Friday, the Wild season opener Saturday, and Sunday's celebration in Winnipeg -- here is a look at a few things that make this season tough to predict.

Someone from the Pacific Division will be pretty good and miss the playoffs

A division largely dominated in recent years by San Jose will be ridiculously competitive this year. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry leads the Ducks, who should have the services of Ryan Getzlaf for the full season. Anaheim also benefits from the return of Jonas Hiller in goal. But is their forward depth and defense enough?

Los Angeles has some amazing young players, but do they have enough goaltending, consistency, and leadership to make a Cup run?

It's easy to forget Phoenix now that Ilya Bryzgalov is gone, but he wasn't terribly consistent during the the last two regular seasons, and they found ways to win and compile 100 points anyway.

And Dallas will be better, even without Brad Richards, as their young kids round into better form.

Vancouver won't dominate the Northwest like it did a year ago

Not sure what this will ultimately mean to the playoff picture, but I just don't see a banged-up and possibly not-as-good Canucks team blowing through this division again. Minnesota, Edmonton, and Calgary are all better, and Colorado picked up a significant piece to help its goaltending.

I don't think any of these teams can say it's positioned to make a serious run at the Canucks, but they will close the collective gap enough to make Vancouver sweat for the top seed in the conference, something none of them were capable of doing a year ago.

The Southeast Division will keep getting better

Last year, Tampa Bay and champion Washington made the playoffs, and then the Lightning pantsed the favored Capitals in the playoffs. What might be forgotten is that Carolina barely missed out on a spot, and the Hurricanes will be a team to watch for a potential breakthrough this year.

They still have Staal, Ward, Pitkanen, and Skinner. Throw in some dynamic young players, and you have a dangerous team. If Faulk can help solidify the defense and the second power play, look out.

The team I'm intrigued by is Florida. I don't think they have enough there to be a playoff team, but Dale Tallon signed some high-character players who can play at a high level. I just don't know that the Panthers have enough front-line talent to contend.

I have more questions and lots of thoughts, so follow on Twitter for that stream of consciousness. Since I have a job to tend to (game Friday!!!), here are the picks. They weren't drawn out of a hat, but I fully acknowledge I'm probably wrong about a lot of this.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. St. Louis
4. Columbus
5. Nashville

Northwest Division
1. Vancouver
2. Minnesota
3. Calgary
4. Edmonton
5. Colorado

Pacific Division
1. San Jose
2. Anaheim
3. Los Angeles
4. Dallas
5. Phoenix

In the playoffs ...
1. Detroit
2. Vancouver
3. San Jose
4. Chicago
5. Anaheim
6. Los Angeles
7. St. Louis
8. Minnesota

... not
9. Calgary
10. Edmonton
11. Columbus
12. Nashville
13. Dallas
14. Colorado
15. Phoenix

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
1. Pittsburgh
2. Philadelphia
3. New Jersey
4. N.Y. Rangers
5. N.Y. Islanders

Northeast Division
1. Buffalo
2. Boston
3. Montreal
4. Toronto
5. Ottawa

Southeast Division
1. Washington
2. Carolina
3. Tampa Bay
4. Florida
5. Winnipeg

In the playoffs ...
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Buffalo
4. Philadelphia
5. Boston
6. Montreal
7. Carolina
8. Tampa Bay

... not
9. Toronto
10. New Jersey
11. Florida
12. N.Y. Rangers
13. N.Y. Islanders
14. Winnipeg
15. Ottawa

Stanley Cup Finals
Detroit over Buffalo

Minnesota Wild: Why They Won't Be Better

Earlier this week, I did a post talking about why I think the Minnesota Wild will be better this season. If you haven't read it yet, it might be worth a look before you read this post.

Here, I'll discuss what I think are the extremely valid reasons to be pessimistic about this year's team.

Hockey games aren't played on paper. On paper, the Wild appear better. But we don't decide the games that way. When the chips have been down in recent years -- both under Jacques Lemaire and Todd Richards -- this team has perennially not played well enough and not done enough on either end of the ice to make a difference.

It can't all be Todd Richards' fault. And it's not all Doug Risebrough's fault, either.

Right?

What if the chemistry isn't right? Right now, the Wild appear to be going with Mikko Koivu centering the former Sharks, Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but what if it doesn't work? Heatley worked with Joe Thornton for the last couple years. Koivu is a very good player, but he isn't Joe Thornton. Will Heatley be able to develop the kind of chemistry with the Wild captain that he had with the Sharks captain?

And I know they're friends, but the fact that Setoguchi and Heatley are boys off the ice doesn't mean they'll be able to co-exist on the same line. They're both shooters, and shooters can sulk at times where they're not getting enough chances to shoot.

The defense won't be as good. New coach Mike Yeo wants to play an up-tempo, puck possession game. That's probably a good thing, because the best defense is not letting the other team have the puck. And the Wild aren't sporting a bunch of blue-chippers on defense right now.

Brent Burns was traded to San Jose in the Setoguchi deal, leaving Marek Zidlicky as the top offensive defenseman on the roster. Minnesota will miss Burns' slick puckhandling and passing, and no one who will make this team can replace either of those qualities. Nick Schultz and Greg Zanon will be effective as defense-first guys on the blue line who can lead and play a lot of minutes. They'll be surrounded by youngsters, with guys like Jared Spurgeon and Clayton Stoner and Nate Prosser and Justin Falk all potentially making the team and playing a significant role. So far, former Blackhawk Jordan Hendry has looked good. He's on a tryout after blowing out his knee last season, and it would be really cool if he could make the team. He was on the Cup-winning Chicago team in 2010, and he could be a great steal for GM Chuck Fletcher, even if he ends up on a two-way deal.

In the end, there are just too many questions on defense to think the unit will be good enough to get this team in the playoffs.

Goaltending issues? Simply put, Niklas Backstrom wasn't as good as necessary last season. Too many soft goals and rough nights, even though his overall numbers weren't terrible. There were times that backup Jose Theodore looked more like the starter than Backstrom.

Josh Harding is back as the No. 2 this year, off a knee injury. With the defense in front of them likely not as good as it has been, there will be more burden on the goaltenders.

Of course, if the team takes to Yeo's system and plays it the way the coach demands, there might not be much of any significant pressure on the goalies, and that makes this all null and void.

In the end, I am very optimistic about this Wild team. I believe in Yeo's message more than I ever believed in Richards, and while it might be a hill of beans in the end, it seems the players have bought in so far.

The keys to the season are undoubtedly the chemistry up front with the new faces among the top six forwards, the ability of guys like Cal Clutterbuck, Darroll Powe, and Eric Nystrom to bring the pain, and improvement out of the defense, even without Burns.

If those things happen, Yeo's first season will be as much of a success as his first season in Houston was.

If they don't, the Wild will be just another lame Minnesota pro sports team.

Minnesota Wild: Why They Will Be Better

There has been a lot of talk this summer about the Minnesota Wild. I was in the Cities to take in one of their two prospect camp scrimmages in July, and was surprised by the size and liveliness of the crowd. Seemed the Wild were surprised, too, as they were opening up additional seating sections as the people filed in.

Listen, I know it was a prospect camp scrimmage, but I (and others in attendance) took it as a sign the team was regaining some footing with its fanbase, a group that had grown largely frustrated and started staying home in before-unseen numbers as the team floundered to a third straight non-playoff finish.

Now, of course, the Wild have to prove some things on the ice. Another non-playoff year will leave the fans disenchanted and many seats likely empty come March and April. It's up to this team to make sure that doesn't happen.

Tuesday, I'll talk about the reasons you shouldn't believe in the Wild. But I am here now to present reasons why you should think this team will get better and be in the playoff hunt next spring.

Offense looking up. When Todd Richards was hired, there was all this talk of a new look for the team on the ice. They were going to play up-tempo, and Richards was going to turn his defensemen loose. It never really happened as advertised. It took players some time to grasp the system, and there were some really bad performances as the learning continued into Richards' first season.

While the team got better, it never turned around to the point of being acceptable, and it wasn't enough improvement to justify keeping Richards around.

Now, the Wild appear to be singing the same song with 37-year-old Mike Yeo taking over. However, it feels different. Part of that is because of two moves general manager Chuck Fletcher made during the offseason, plucking forwards Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley from San Jose in separate trades for defenseman Brent Burns and forward Martin Havlat.

Given Havlat's clear unhappiness in Minnesota, his pricetag and contract length, and the offensive prowess of Heatley, along with the young players Minnesota got with Setoguchi for Burns, the deals were no-brainers. They also turned Minnesota from a rebuilding team into an intriguing team.

Put your money on Heatley and Setoguchi starting the season on the same line, barring things changing in training camp. Right now, the Wild appear to be going with Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse as the wings for second-line center Matt Cullen, leaving captain Mikko Koivu in between the former Sharks on the top line.

Not sure this will work, but it's probably the best option going in. We'll see if shoot-first Heatley and shoot-first Setoguchi can get enough shots without getting on each other's nerves.

Either way, I expect this team will improve offensively. Guys like Darroll Powe, Cal Clutterbuck, and Kyle Brodziak aren't exactly bad players. Their ability to score and defend will be key in taking some heat off the top six.

Coaching. Yeo is not Todd Richards. In fact, he seems to have already had more of an impact than Richards had in two years, and Yeo hasn't coached a game yet. Where Yeo impressed everyone with how he managed his bench as a coach in Houston, Richards never really figured that part of the game out. He never seemed to connect with the players, and his messages often went either totally unheard or only temporarily heard.

Yeo has a confidence about him. He carries himself like a natural leader. He's the kind of guy who inspires excitement, because he seems to really "get it" when it comes to the game and how to coach it at a high level.

Of course, he hasn't coached a game yet. So maybe this is all wrong.

On the surface, Yeo will have this team playing hard and working hard at all times. It's something Richards could never say, and it's likely the reason Yeo is coaching here and not in Florida or somewhere else in the NHL.

These are the two biggest reasons to expect improvement out of the Wild. It's not rocket science, but it's a start. More than anything, it's reason to be optimistic about a team that hasn't done much of note in a long time.

Hard Not to Get Excited About Heatley

Hope everyone had a great holiday. I only came close to lighting the neighborhood on fire once. If you ever get a chance to get your hands on "Pure Fantasy" while fireworks shopping, I certainly think it's worth the $10 or whatever you end up having to pay. Just make sure the hose is in your hand and you're ready in case it tips over on the platform and starts spraying stuff everywhere.

Anyway, there was much discussion about the Dany Heatley trade as we made the Fourth of July rounds. A few things became very clear the more I looked around Twitter and listened to what people were saying.

People care about star power. This isn't a move that Chuck Fletcher made because he wants to sell out the arena. I think general managers care about such things, but I don't think general managers care about them over winning.

Fans might want to win over everything else, but let's not be stupid. The Wild hasn't made the playoffs since 2008, and they haven't gotten past a first round since 2003. If you're not going to be good, you need to be compelling. The Wild has been neither, a huge sin when it comes to the fans.

The 2011-12 team might not be in the top eight of the Western Conference, but Fletcher has done what he can -- within reason, of course -- to guarantee that this team will be compelling and watchable.

There are some fans who won't accept anything less than a playoff team. They won't tolerate another 85-point season that sees the Wild not good enough to make the playoffs and not bad enough to pick in the top five.

Fletcher knows that, but he also knows that this team hasn't had a legitimate star player since that Gaborik guy, and he hardly played in his last year with the team. So it's really been since the 2007-2008 season that this team has possessed a player the caliber of Dany Heatley.

Heatley might be motivated, but there's going to be a lot of pressure. Did you digest what I just wrote there?

2007-2008 was a long time ago. The Blackhawks still sucked. Chris Pronger could still skate. UMD as an NCAA title contender in men's hockey and football? Laughable, really.

And Gaborik was a hockey god in Minnesota. The guy could do nothing wrong, outside of injuring groins.

Heatley steps into a world where Gaborik was the last player who could do the kinds of things Heatley can. It's a hockey-mad area, one where college and high school games can pack the XCel Energy Center as well as the Wild can.

Not only is Heatley charged with being the kind of player on the ice that he's been in the past -- something he wasn't last season -- but he also needs to be one of the franchise's faces. A go-to guy who is known by the fans and is someone they can get behind.

None of this helps the team win. He has to do that stuff, too. But the off-ice stuff is important in this market, and it's especially important in a market where none of the teams are in a good run right now.

(The Vikings still have Adrian Peterson, but they're coming off a 6-10 season and are begging for the public's help for a new stadium or they'll move to Los Angeles. The Twins couldn't have started the season any worse than they did, and their franchise face -- Joe Mauer -- is one of the more controversial figures in the state now. The Timberwolves, well ... yeah. And the Gophers aren't good at anything that matters to the majority of the state's fans -- their hockey and football teams have stunk for a while, and the men's basketball team had a disappointing season to go along with the trouble they've found off the court.)

Martin Havlat was never going to be this guy. Nice player, yes. Highly-skilled playmaker, yes. Face of the franchise, no. That wasn't going to happen.

And Havlat simply wasn't working out in Minnesota. That's not a shot at Havlat, because it's never all the fault of the player when something doesn't work out. But he wasn't minus-29 solely because he wasn't with the right linemates, or because he wasn't getting enough ice time, or because he wasn't on the right power-play unit. It's not all the Wild's fault, just like it's not all Havlat's fault.

But it was a certainty after two seasons that Havlat was never going to meet expectations here, and the Wild did the right thing to cut ties. That they got a player of Heatley's caliber and stature in return only makes the move better.

Dany Heatley Traded to Wild for Martin Havlat

Happy Fourth, all. This is going to be quick, because my son has dryland hockey, and it's already 83 outside. The longer I type, the hotter it's going to get out there.

The Minnesota Wild pulled off a stunner Sunday night, trading forward Martin Havlat to the San Jose Sharks for forward Dany Heatley.

Havlat waived a no-trade clause to make the deal happen, while Heatley had concocted a list of ten teams he didn't want to be traded to by July 1, and was traded to a team not on his list.

(I'll bet Ottawa and Edmonton were on that list. Just a guess.)

The former Wisconsin Badger -- he had two ridiculous seasons there -- has played a starring role in the NHL, posting at least a point per game in five seasons. He's been over 100 points twice, had two 50-goal seasons. He's also topped 40 goals in two other seasons, and hit 39 goals twice. Heatley's knock is his playoff performances, which weren't good in San Jose, but he's far from the only Shark who has been knocked for failing in the playoffs. Not only that, but Heatley was a beast with Ottawa in the 2007 playoffs, scoring seven goals and 22 points in 20 games.

Havlat never really fit in with the Wild. He had a terrible start to his first season, and only a second-half flourish kept him from posting embarrassing numbers for such a highly-paid player. He had 62 points last year for the Wild, but was a minus-29 over two seasons, and he just didn't make the impact that his signing brought expectations of.

With Heatley, and the already-acquired Devin Setoguchi, the Wild have found a pair of players who might be able to ignite an offense that's been stagnant for years. According to Russo, the two were close in San Jose, and they were looking forward to skating on the same line.

Looking at the depth chart, I'd be surprised if that happened with Minnesota, but they certainly could play together on the power play, and if the Wild can find a second-line winger who can put the puck in the net (Casey Wellman might not be ready, but it sure would be nice if he can step into this role), it opens up the chance for the two former Sharks to be on opposite wings from Mikko Koivu.

Anyway, I have a kid dying to go roast while shooting street hockey balls into the four-by-six opening. Maybe he'll be inspired by Heatley's play with the Wild, who haven't had a scorer this talented since you-know-who.

Have a good holiday.

Darroll Powe Joins Wild

The jokes are plentiful, and so is the exclamation.

POW(E)!

The Minnesota Wild traded for Philadelphia forward Darroll Powe (rhymes with "How") Monday, adding some -- sorry, Brian Burke -- truculence to a team that sort of needs more of it.

Powe had nearly 200 hits -- which means you have 200 chances to make "POWE!" jokes -- a year ago for the Flyers, and he has contributed 22 goals in his 204 NHL games.

Don't make any mistake. He's not here to score 50 goals. Or 50 points.

He's going to have a very specific role on the 2011-12 Wild. Hit people, skate hard, play two-way hockey, win faceoffs, and kill penalties.

Oh, and if Maxim Lapierre is still irritating NHL teams, he can do more of this.



If Maxim Lapierre wants to get his face beaten in again.

Powe gives the Wild penalty-killing depth, and he is a guy who can play center and wing. He's a heart-and-soul guy who plays with character. Basically, he's a more athletic and significantly younger version of John Madden, who played last season for the Wild and was generally disappointing.

With this move, the odds of the Wild being at all active in free agency took a hit. There is still the need for a veteran defenseman, but the Wild can't be expected to add a whole lot. They'll have some cap room, but it just doesn't make sense to splurge with a youth movement obviously underway.