Ever been really embarrassed?  So much so you felt you could barely muster enough self esteem to face your peers because what you did was so ridiculously humiliating?  For some, embarrassment isn't something that bothers them and they can make themselves look like an ass and then laugh about it with everyone else.  For others, the fear of embarrassment can be crippling as they implode under the pressure.  I wonder what the Wild are feeling right now?  Shouldn't they feel a little embarrassed after being completely dominated by the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon?  Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo vowed to wear the ugliest tie he owned on national television if his team won against the Blues, wow were you impressed by that bold gesture?  Nope, me neither and it obviously didn't motivate the Wild who mustered a paltry 13 shots on goal.  One thing is certain, Wild fans are expecting their team to be blown out against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.  They expect their team to be tired, unmotivated even though they are playing on the 'featured game' on NBC's Hockey Day in America as the seminal event of the Hockey Weekend in America.  Can you blame the fans for having such low expectations?  The team is 5-17-5 since December 13th and has lost its last 7 games in a row.     
  How bad will the Wild be blown out on Hockey Day in America?

At this point the Wild would best be served by forgetting about the playoffs altogether.  The fans certainly are not talking playoffs anymore, they're talking about possibly getting a top 5 pick in the draft.  This team just needs to worry about its next game.  The Bruins are a lot like the Blues, for the most part they're most of their key offensive talent is still young, with great goaltending, solid team defense, and they have a physical element to their game.  Minnesota will have to dig deep if it wants to avoid embarrassment.  So will Minnesota surprise the State of Hockey and make it a competitive game or will they live up to expectations and be subject to a rout at the hands of the Bruins?

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(25-24-9)	59	4th Northwest	2.14 (29)	2.53 (9)	15.0% (25)	83.1% (12)
Boston Bruins	(35-19-2)	72	1st Northeast	3.27 (2)	2.30 (4)	18.3% (11)	85.1% (7)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #15 Dany Heatley	19	22	41
2. #9 Mikko Koivu	10	27	37
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	15	14	29
4. #7 Matt Cullen	11	18	29
5. #10 Devin Setoguchi	14	10	24
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	89
2. #4 Clayton Stoner	47
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	43
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (14-15-6)	2.38	.921
2. #37 Josh Harding (9-9-3)	2.59	.919
3. #31 Matt Hackett (2-0-0)	0.85	.977
Boston Bruins
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #37Patrice Bergeron	17	31	48
2. #19Tyler Seguin	20	26	46
3. #17 Milan Lucic	20	22	42
4. #63Brad Marchand	19	21	40
5. #46David Krejci	12	28	40
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #22 Shawn Thornton	117
2. #17Milan Lucic	109
3. #54Adam McQuaid	88
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #1 Tim Thomas (24-11-0)	2.22	.928
2. #41 Tuukka Rask  (11-8-2)	2.11	.928
.	.	.
.	.	.

  
I'd like to say to Wild fans everywhere to enjoy "Hockey Day Across America" however I'm not feeling too good about this one.  Sure, it's the Boston Bruins, a team the Wild have a winning record against over its history, but the fact that the game has been hyped up and we're less than spectacular right now, I'm not holding out for that success to continue.  In fact, I'm thinking more of a repeat of yesterday's performance in St. Louis.  But hey, I've been wrong before.

If there's one positive about today's game, is that once again, Marek Zidlicky has been scratched.  In a normal world, the "lower body" ailment that Mike Lundin is suffering from would automatically mean that Zidlicky would be back in, but it's clear his antics in the press are keeping him out of the lineup.  Personally, I'm glad to see the powers that be (meaning Mike Yeo and Chuck Fletcher)flex their muscle with their players.  You can't let the inmate run the assylum.  If Zidlicky was allowed to play, it would be same as letting the inmates run their facility with no one in charge.  If you want to play, you need to demonstrate that you should play.  I can't go to my boss and tell them that I deserve more hours simply because I think so.

So try to enjoy today's game.  It may be hard.  But look at it this way.  It is mid-February.  With that in mind, it means it's almost March.  And when March rolls in, it means that it's almost April and the end of the regular season.  I have accepted the fact that there will be no post-season for the Minnesota Wild, and I suggest that you prepare for the inevitible.  If you really need to think of playoff hockey, you just need to turn to other the leagues.  Sectional playoffs for the boys' Minnesota state hockey tournament are just around the corner.  Add that to the fact that the University of Minnesota mens' team will be heading to the WCHA Final Five, you should be able to find a hockey fix in there somewhere.  Good hockey is available.  Sadly you're going to have to look somewhere else than the Minnesota Wild. 

Injury Report:

Minnesota:  Mikko Koivu (undisclosed, questionable), Mike Lundin (lower body), Carson McMillan (lower body), Clayton Stoner (hip), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion, groin),   Clayton Stoner (leg)    

Boston:  Marc Savard (post-concussion syndrome), Nathan Horton (concussion), Rich Peverley (knee)

 

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I've always been a fan of science fiction.  The possibilities and the normally complicated plots make for thought provoking entertainment.  One of my favorite TV shows was the X-Files starring David Duchovny (FBI Agent Fox Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (FBI Agent Dana Scully).  The show had a nice balance of scientific theory, intriguing characters (a believer and a skeptic) and the ever popular government conspiracy to keep viewers coming back for more.  Government conspiracies are popular due to a general distrust of people with too much control over our daily lives.  The show consistently asked and examined three critical questions; 1.  What would the government hide from us (the people), 2. Why would they hide this from us (the people), and 3. Who is responsible for the cover up?  The Wild have a bit of an conspiracy of their own as jilted defenseman Marek Zidlicky has searched out Wild beat writer Michael Russo to make comments regarding his want to be traded.  Earlier in the week, rumors began to be spread through TSN's Darren Dreger and others that a trade was within the works between the New Jersey Devils and the Wild for Zidlicky.  Despite all the talk no deal (yet) has been made. 

 

So what gives?  Marek Zidlicky clearly wants out of Minnesota.  He is unhappy here and thus tried to start a rumor to try to get a trade going.  He had hoped that if he stated the New Jersey Devils were interested that perhaps it could prompt the clubs to make a deal.  New Jersey's general manager Lou Lamiorello as well as the Wild's GM Chuck Fletcher has said no conversations with Zidlicky or the other team had taken place.  The Devils are playing great hockey right now, but they have limited assets to deal.  So with Zidlicky playing games like this with the media he has effectively lowered the overall value he will likely yield to the Wild.  So why would someone want to ruin their value?  Perhaps if you're mad at a team you want to make sure they'll be forced to accept a paltry offer in order to be rid of you.  Since his latest attempt to be dealt away, both sides have been predictably silent.  So does that mean deals could be in the works or an agreement that both sides are going to now do their best to make a deal happen?  This afternoon the Wild are playing the St. Louis Blues who near the top of the Western Conference standings.  Can the Wild ignore all of the unwanted news about deals and beat the Blues?

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(25-23-9)	59	4th Northwest	2.18 (29)	2.51 (9)	15.2% (24)	83.0% (12)
St. Louis Blues	(35-15-7)	77	2nd Central	2.51 (21)	1.90 (1)	15.1% (25)	81.4% (20)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #15 Dany Heatley	19	22	41
2. #9 Mikko Koivu	10	27	37
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	15	14	29
4. #7 Matt Cullen	11	18	29
5. #10 Devin Setoguchi	14	10	24
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	83
2. #4 Clayton Stoner	47
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	43
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (14-15-6)	2.38	.921
2. #37 Josh Harding (9-8-3)	2.52	.920
3. #31 Matt Hackett (2-0-0)	0.85	.977
St. Louis Blues
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #42 David Backes	17	25	42
2. #74 T.J. Oshie	15	24	39
3. #27 Alex Pietrangelo	10	22	32
4. #57 David Perron	11	15	26
5. #44 Jason Arnott	13	12	25
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #42 David Backes	85
2. #25 Chris Stewart	78
3. #75 Ryan Reaves	69
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #1 Brian Elliott (19-5-2)	1.61	.940
2. #41 Jaroslav Halak  (16-10-5)	2.26	.923
.	.	.
.	.	.

  

I'll admit, I keep hoping to get online and find the wonderful news that the Minnesota Wild have been able to unload Marek Zidlicky.  Last night, we went to a Wisconsin girls' hockey playoff game to watch one of my husband's students play.  The girls of the Badger Thunder managed to pull off a 3-1 win.  When we got home, of course we checked the league scores and to see if the Wild's soap opera was finally over.  But alas, no.  Now, when I woke up this morning even though I was far from being fully awake, I had that hopeful feeling.  But still, no midnight miracle.  But hey, I'm still hopeful.

Strangely enough, it appears that someone has told the struggling defensemen to temper his words and to use fewer of them.  Lately, we've become used to Zidlicky spouting off about how unhappy he is, and doing so rather often.  Ever since this story became the trainwreck that it is, we've come to expect long rants, bordering on lunacy.  On Friday, the Wild had an optional practice, in which only nine skaters along with both goaltenders participated.  I have to admit, I was surprised that Zidlicky was one of those nine.  All he had to say to the Minneapolis Star Tribune this time were these few, well-tempered sentences:

"It is what it is, the situation around me," Zidlicky said. "I don't want to say anything more."

Asked if he had, indeed, said he would waive the no-trade clause for the right trade, Zidlicky said: "Probably. That's the way I feel right now. So we'll see what happens. First, my priority was to stay here."

It is my hope that Zidlicky's agent, Larry Kelly finally said something to the effect of "if you don't watch what you say, no team is going to want you."  General managers look at more than a player's goals and assists when considering whether or not to try an acquire a player.  Don't believe me?  Read articles and watch hockey programs around the time of the Entry Draft.  It has become well-known that teams will ask draft eligible players "odd" questions to get a read on a young player's personality and mental fortitude.  Right now, you can bet the other twenty-nine general managers, especially those that are in need of an experienced defensemen in for the playoffs, have been watching this drama unfold.  They will eventually determine whether or not Zidlicky's bad attitude is worth risking.  It is also going to be difficult for Chuck Fletcher to get anything decent in return.  And it's possible that Fletcher had a meeting with Zidlicky and said something like "listen, I will do my best to get a good deal for you that we're both happy with, but in order for me to do that, I need you to not express your displeasure so loudly and so frequently." 

So we continue with the waiting game.  And as we all know, waiting is usually the hardest part.

Injury Report:

Minnesota:       Carson McMillan (lower body), Clayton Stoner (hip), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion, groin),   Clayton Stoner (leg)    

St. Louis:  Carlo Colaiacovo (wrist, questionable), Alexander Steen (concussion), Matt D'Agostini (head)

 

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Ever have that feeling of how something that occurred not that long ago, suddenly seems its been ages.  People who have been ever involved in a personal, family, or occupational crisis know what I'm talking about.  How a rough week can seem to take forever and then you realize later that it only started a few days ago.  The tough times seem endless, but good times seem to be over and done with before you even had a chance to really relish them.  Doesn't that seem cruel?  Time seems to slow down so you can endure the suffering a little longer, but when you're having a blast, don't look now because its just about over.  Sure, life isn't fair but why does it work that way.  I am sure psychologists will tell us it has something to do with the biochemical processes of our brain, but it doesn't provide relief for anyone having an awful week, month or year.  An explanation from a neurologist won't suddenly make that clock move a little faster so they can get through their rut more expediently.  Sorry.



It seems like an eternity ago when the Wild were sitting atop the NHL standings.  The Wild were resilient, stingy and seemed to produce a different hero for each game.  Where in the heck did that go?  Well it all started on December 13th in Winnipeg.  The Wild made their first journey to play against the hometown Jets and they were met with a loud, raucous crowd, and a Jets team that was physical and intense.  What is often forgotten, is the Wild almost clawed their way back in that game.  The team had managed to make it a one-goal game and was in the last minute and a half that Zach Bogosian (who will miss tonight's game) drove Pierre-Marc Bouchard (where many felt he got his concussion) head first into the boards.  Bouchard's subsequent setback to the injured reserve list seemed to be the catalyst for the team's spiral out of the top of the standings to where it currently sits (just over two months later) in 12th in the Western Conference.  Its been like a slow root canal for the last two months.  The team has gone 5-16-5 over that span.  Don't expect the Jets who are in their own struggle to be a top 8 team in the East to feel much sympathy for the Wild and as Winnipeg Head Coach Claude Noel told Wild beat writer Michael Russo, "and you want me to cry (laughs)?"  So will the Wild lose their 6th straight tonight or will they dig deep and a potentially hostile home crowd (with lots of Jets fans in attendance) and shoot down the Jets? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(25-23-8)	58	4th Northwest	2.16 (29)	2.50 (9)	14.9% (24)	82.7% (13)
Winnipeg Jets	(26-26-6)	58	3rd Southeast	2.36 (25)	2.78 (16)	16.8% (20)	81.6% (16)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #15 Dany Heatley	19	21	40
2. #9 Mikko Koivu	9	26	35
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	15	14	29
4. #7 Matt Cullen	11	18	29
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	9	13	22
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	79
2. #4 Clayton Stoner	47
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	43
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (14-15-5)	2.37	.922
2. #37 Josh Harding (9-8-3)	2.52	.920
3. #31 Matt Hackett (2-0-0)	0.85	.977
Winnipeg Jets
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #26 Blake Wheeler	10	28	38
2. #9 Evander Kane	19	13	32
3. #13 Kyle Wellwood	11	21	32
4. #33 Dustin Byfuglien	8	21	29
5. #16 Andrew Ladd	16	12	28
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #5 Mark Stuart	78
2. #22 Chris Thorburn	72
3. #33 Dustin Byfuglien	52
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #31 Ondrej Pavelec (20-20-6)	2.78	.909
2. #50 Chris Mason  (6-6-0)	2.26	.913
3. #34 Peter Mannino (0-0-0)	0.00	.1.000
.	.	.

  


Don't hate me dear readers.  I know you're going to have this song in your head for the rest of the day, and possibly at inappropriate times.  Like say, that important meeting at work or during a test at school.  The closest word we have in the English language for that particular phenomenon is "perseverate" which means "to repeat something insistently or redundantly."  Our friends in Germany actually have a word for this annoying occurrence.  That word is "Ohrwurm" which literally means "ear worm."  That seems just about right.  We hear something and it crawls around in our brain, never going away.  So, enjoy your ear worm for the day.

The reason this song came to me today, is because of one simple bit of Wild drama.  It seems that the Marek Zidlicky soap opera refuses to go away.  As reported yesterday by Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Zidlicky has waived his no-trade clause and is heading to New Jersey.  The problem with that, is that Chuck Fletcher is saying that Zidlicky and/or his agent have yet to approach him and tell him that he would like to be traded and that he would like New Jersey to be his destination.  Then Zidlicky says things like "we'll know in a couple of hours."  Well as of this morning, Zidlicky is (unfortunately) still on the roster.

While this never-ending saga plays itself out in the press, it puts the team in a tough spot.  We're beginning to see the frustration in the choice of words by head coach Mike Yeo.  The worst part, is that according to this morning's paper, Yeo has yet to have a face-to-face chat with the melodramatic defenseman today about this newest development.  In the words of Yeo about the situation:

"We want people that want to go to war for each other, that’s for sure," Yeo said. "… It’s us against them, and by them, I mean everybody. It’s our group. We have to believe in ourselves, and we have to play for each other, we have to stick together and we have to want to fight through this together. So we need everybody all in for that." 

While Zidlicky's play has improved as of late, I have a feeling it is for purely selfish reasons.  He's not playing in an effort to help his team.  No, he's playing better so that he can be traded and traded where he wants to go.  His play is not the embodiment of Yeo's words.  And if you're not willing to fight for the team you find yourself on, then you shouldn't be playing.

All I know is that if Fletcher is able to unload Zidlicky on another team, we better get something decent in return.  Now if he really wants to go to New Jersey to play with his friend, Patrik Elias, so be it.  But I'm not even going to throw out some of the harebrained trade ideas that have been out there, usually involving Zach Parise.  Trust me folks, to get Parise, we'd have to give up a heck of a lot more than a disappointing Marek Zidlicky.  While our prospect pool is the deepest it's been in years (if not ever), I'm not ready to trade draft picks.  Considering how well our prospects have played this year when they've been called up, we're going to need to restock the shelves when those prospects find themselves in St. Paul full time.  Considering what we've put up with this season when it comes to Zidlicky, if other teams want him, we deserve to get something decent back in return.  If I see we get nothing but the dreaded "future considerations" I will be beyond annoyed, and that's the nicest way to say it.

So while this drama is swirling around the team, the team is continuing to swirl around the drain.  I don't know what it is.  Why can't this team score more than one goal these days?  Why can't our goaltenders win the game for their team like they have in the past?  Why does team defense crumble at the worst possible time?  Those are the kinds of issues that drive a fan nuts.  And while we wallow in our misery, Wild fans will be surrounded by loud, boisterous Jets fans tonight who are busing down to St. Paul in droves.  Tonight's attendence is projected to be over 19,000.  It will probably be the loudest Wild game this season, but not because of Wild fans.  And when the Wild are once again riddled with injuries, a healthy Jets team is in town. 

I'd like to have positive thoughts about tonight's game, but I just don't think I have it in me.  And unfortunately the only thought I have right now, is that darn song....

Injury Report:

Minnesota:      Cal Clutterbuck (charley horse, questionable), Carson McMillan (lower body), Clayton Stoner (hip), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion, groin),   Clayton Stoner (leg)    

Winnipeg:  HEALTHY

 

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"Love is in the air, Love is in the air everywhere I look around, love is in the air every sight and every sound, and I don't know if I'm being foolish, I don't know if I'm being wise, but its something that I must believe in, and its there when I look into your eyes," is the memorable song from Tom Jones.  Are you feeling the love out there right now?  Its the Hallmark Holiday that is Valentine's Day.  The day where people have a chance to annoy their significant other if they don't buy them a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers at the very least.  My apologies to all the hopeless romantics out there, but Valentine's Day also reminds those that are single that they single and in many cases that's a reminder they were not hoping for.  So if you wish to celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic evening, there is nothing stopping you.  I personally cannot think of a better place to celebrate Valentine's Day then to go to a bone-crushing hockey game.  I am sure your date would love to cuddle up to you during a hockey fight.  Hey, maybe you could even get on Kiss Cam?!?! 



One team that is not feeling a lot of love lately is the Minnesota Wild.  After the team's most recent 3-1 loss to Columbus, the team was serenaded with boo's from the home crowd.  If the boo's were not for their performance in the game, perhaps it was the fact the team has scored just 6 goals in its last 5 games, maybe the fact its on a 4-game losing streak or that it currently sits in 12th place in the Western Conference.  Either way, the team has to be feeling the cold shoulder by the media and fans when they come to the rink each day.  Call it what you want, a tipping point, a defining moment but lots of fans lost hope with the loss to Columbus on Saturday.  Hearing players talk about how the team deserved better, etc, but to me it sounds like the excuses you hear in a relationship.  If the Wild don't want this positive relationship with the fans to completely end they better come out and defeat a red-hot Anaheim Ducks squad.  So will the Wild get the cold shoulder after a loss or will they bring candy and flowers by giving the fans a victory for a change? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(25-22-8)	58	4th Northwest	2.18 (29)	2.51 (9)	14.6% (24)	82.4% (13)
Anaheim Ducks	(22-24-9)	53	5th Pacific	2.58 (17)	2.87 (22)	17.8% (13)	83.7% (10)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #15 Dany Heatley	18	21	39
2. #9 Mikko Koivu	9	25	34
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	15	14	29
4. #7 Matt Cullen	11	18	29
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	9	13	22
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	79
2. #4 Clayton Stoner	47
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	43
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (14-15-5)	2.37	.922
2. #37 Josh Harding (9-7-3)	2.55	.920
3. #31 Matt Hackett (2-0-0)	0.85	.977
Anaheim Ducks
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #8 Teemu Selanne	18	33	51
2. #14 Corey Perry	26	18	44
3. #15 Ryan Getzlaf	8	31	41
4. #9 Bobby Ryan	21	13	34
5. #11 Saku Koivu	10	19	29
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #14 Corey Perry	75
2. #15 Ryan Getzlaf	55
3. #39 Matt Beleskey	52
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #1 Jonas Hiller (19-19-9)	2.76	.906
2. #43 Jeff Deslauriers  (1-0-0)	2.00	.929
3. #38 Dan Ellis (1-5-0)	2.72	.911
4. #31 Irio Tarkki (1-0-0)	4.39	.700

  
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  It's one of those phrases that come to mind when someone on top has fallen.  We've seen it with Wall Street billionaire tycoons find themselves in financial straits.  Or when politicians who preach some overly moral message find themselves in a sex scandel.  Or sports teams who were on top find themselves struggling.  It's human nature to want to see the mighty fall.  We love to see people fail.  It seems sick and perverse, but I think it's because we wish to see other suffer as we may have suffered.

However, in the case of the Minnesota Wild, I don't think "mighty" is truly the right word.  "Lucky" is more like it.  We've not been mighty at all, and I don't think we truly ever have been.  The Wild have been one of those teams from the beginning that simply capitalizes on the mistakes of others and make them pay for those mistakes.  The team was raised by the godfather of that method in Jacques Lemaire.  Unfortunately for Lemaire, he was never given the tools to take this team to the next level on a yearly basis.  When you're handed ragtag players, you can only do so much.  And even the most critical of Lemaire's style have to admit it was impressive what he did in his tenure in Minnesota.

Those who are "mighty" usually have a reason to be so.  When you look at the teams that are sitting at the top of the conferences you realize that they have the firepower that creates that certain swagger.  We don't have their talent-laden rosters.  We don't have their commitment to winning.  And the list goes on and on.  These teams have their well-deserved egos.  That's not to say that the Wild aren't without egos, as proven by Marek Zidlicky.  Successful teams find ways for those egos to create success.  Teams that struggle find that egos get in the way.  The kicker is, the Wild have no reason to have egos right now.

As I sit here, I have to admit that it's getting harder and harder to watch the games.  I find that I don't watch the games as closely.  Sure, it's exciting for that one goal that the Wild always seem to score.  However, it's just that, one goal.  One goal these days for the Wild is not enough to coming close to winning.  I'll admit, when we score that one goal, lately I've taken to saying "good night, folks" because I know there are no more coming.  I know, it's sarcastic and negative, but what have the Wild done to change that mentality?  Nothing.  And I'm not the only fan who feels that way.

Now back to that old saying.  For the Wild, I've rewritten it:

Oh, how the lucky have fallen.


Injury Report:

Minnesota:      Cal Clutterbuck (charley horse, doubtful), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion, groin),   Clayton Stoner (leg)    

Anaheim:  Dan Ellis (groin), Matt Smaby (thumb)

 

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Its the dream of lots and lots of kids who first play the game on the frozen ponds and rinks across the state of hockey.  The dream of someday playing in the NHL, but for most its a dream they'll never come close to ever achieving.  As a native of Elk River and a proud Elk River Area High School alum I can say without hesitation there is a lot of pride in the community's strong tradition with the game of hockey.  From our boys teams to our girls teams, many have gone on to play collegiately and a few lucky ones have had the skills and talent to play professionally.  If you go to Elk River Arena, you see the 3 banners of the 3 NHL'ers our community has produced; Joel Otto, Dan Hinote and Paul Martin.  They will have to add another as Tuesday's news of Nate Prosser signing a 2-year, one way contract extension with the Wild worth a total of $1.65 million.  So Prosser's days (at least for the next two seasons after this one) of hopping on flights back and forth from Houston are likely over. 

Yet, a few years ago how many people outside of Elk River really knew much of anything about Nate Prosser?  Yet, that could be said about most of Elk River's eventual NHL talents with the exception of Paul Martin.  Joel Otto was not even a first line player for Elk River, and thus he went to play for Division III Bemidji State.  With his strong 6'4" 220lbs frame he was absolute force for the Beavers.  After an incredible freshman season, Otto signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames.  Again, much to many people's surprise the unheralded player again shined.  His strength, his knack for scoring clutch goals, and good defensive play translated into a 14-year NHL career (with Calgary and Philadelphia) where he scored 195 goals and over 500 points.  In 1989, Otto became the first Elk River native to win a Stanley Cup.  Visitors to Elk River Arena are greeted with the image of Otto drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup.  Similarly speaking, few would have guessed Dan Hinote had much of a chance at being an NHL'er at the end of his senior season.  Even if you talked to Hinote, his focus was on graduating from West Point and becoming an FBI agent.  Hinote was seen as a good player for the Elks, but not a superstar.  The 6'0" 185lbs, center was drafted after his 1st season with Army where he led the Cadets in scoring, being selected in the 7th round (167th Overall) by the Colorado Avalanche, not exactly a place where you find a lot of 'sure things.'  After further honing his his game in the Ontario Hockey League's Oshawa Generals he proved his value for the Avalanche's farm team the Hershey Bears.  He would go onto an 8-year NHL career where he'd score 38 goals in 506 games, winning a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001.  So again, who really thought Nate Prosser had a chance at the NHL? 

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I have been playing video game hockey from the very beginning.  My first system was a Coleco Telstar that was from the late 1970's where you could either play Tennis (i.e. Pong) or its opposite, Hockey which more or less was an video game version of air hockey.  You can watch it on the YouTube clip below.  In this primitive game, you don't even really shoot the puck, you simply deflect it and do all that you can to keep the puck out of your goal.  You do attempt (when you can) to make some difficult angles for your opponent to deal with but in many ways its a defensive game.  Video Game hockey has come a long way since then, where the player can choose to fire big slap shots, wrist shots or one-timers where you can actually direct where the shooter fires the puck so you can go 5-hole or roof it underneath the crossbar.  Present-day hockey video games include many of the more subtle nuances of the game like battles along the wall for pucks, poke checks, shot blocking, deflections and the ability to dangle the puck around defenders.  You  also have the physical parts of the game with post-whistle scrums, fights, vicious body checks (both legal and illegal), and injuries, penalties as well.  Yet there are two things new hockey games still do not account for.  Effort and desire.  The game may make players lag a bit for taking a long shift, but otherwise your players are giving it their 100% all of the time.  Whoever is playing the game doesn't have to worry that their players will sleepwalk through their shifts or be unwilling to pay the price to do the little things that win hockey games.  I wonder what Electronic Arts, the company that has been the industry's leader of hockey games for the last 15 years what they'd give the Minnesota Wild for an effort and desire rating?   



Maybe a 60 (out of a 100) perhaps?  In the team's most recent loss to their rival Vancouver Canucks, Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo was clearly pretty worked up when he openly questioned the effort of much of his team when he said, "We flat-out stink."  So after that debacle, was this team put through a nasty bag skate?  Nope, instead it was treated to a team meeting so they could talk about it.  Count me in with those that feel that was a weak sauce response for two pathetic efforts in a row.  An article by the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins describes the feelings of Wild fans all across the State of Hockey when they think about where this team is at right now at this point in the season.  You can read that article here.  We're sick of the cliches of how they need to do better, or how much they care.  As Scoggins correctly states, its all about action at this point.  If the team can't muster enough pride and energy to stomp last place Columbus in front of a home crowd then this team might as well start the fire sale and start shipping off players.  The team put tough guy Brad Staubitz on waivers (and he passed through with no other teams claiming him), so perhaps that's the first step.  So will this team finally match action with all of the talking its been doing or will it be more 'coulda woulda shoulda' cliches at the end of tonight's game?

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