It seems everything just keeps getting more expensive and now you can add Minnesota Wild season tickets to that list. The Wild increased their season ticket prices any where from 5-13% or $2-$5 per ticket. Most Wild fans and season ticket holders expected an increase since the team continues to be competitive and has sold out every game since the franchise began. For the hockey math and stat geeks, it’s a total of 321 sold-out games, broken down into 287 regular season, 21 exhibition games and 13 playoff games. Ohhhh 13 – that seems unlucky.

I hate to make predictions regarding who will be on the Minnesota Wild roster next year and who won’t be because I hate to be wrong (yes, I hate to be wrong)...but I heard that the Minnesota Wild are trying to get Andrew Brunette back. For those of you who don’t remember Brunette was with the Wild for three seasons prior to the lock-out. In 2001-02 he scored 21 goals, he was a great team leader and probably one of coach Jacques Lemaire’s favorite Minnesota Wild players. Why? Because he played hard every game and he played extra hard in the playoffs. The Minnesota Wild could use that on the team next year (we could have used that this year), but if Andrew Brunette comes back, Mark Parrish won’t be – they fill the same hole, but this MN Wild freak thinks Andrew Brunette could do a better job. Sign him, Jacques!

It is reported that Minnesota Wild forward Pavol Demitra spent the weekend in Vancouver checking out the hockey facilities and the town. Demitra will be a free agent July 1st and both he and the Wild are ready to sever ties, oh yeah and the fans are ready, too. Demitra’s fan base dwindled to nothing this season as he failed to put the puck in the net and he didn’t help the other guys by passing either. The Wild are going to sign Brian Rolston instead and this MN Wild Freak thinks that is a good move. Rolston is a more consistent player and has the ability to pass which makes those around him look good, too.

See ya Demitra – I won’t miss your big bald head.

After all of the math has been done, the Minnesota Wild will draft 24th in the first round of the 2008 NHL entry draft. The draft will will take place June 20-21 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada.  Hockey fans will remember that Ottawa had the draft in 2005 as well, but that was the lockout year so it was a much scaled back event. I also remember that the 2005 draft was the year of Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins lucky year. Know who else was drafted in 2005? Benoit Pouliot by the Minnesota Wild as the fourth choice...he’s not exactly a Sidney Crosby now, is he?

Anyway, this year’s big Minnesota Wild Draft question is...with a pick at 24, do you go with the holes in the organization or the best player left?

Tough one.  I may have to PONDer that one for a bit. I guess I would go for the best player left that fills the holes. I know that answer is very pc, but it’s true. I would look to fill the holes with solid players and rely on my strong players to continue to be strong. Of course there will be more NHL draft talk on hockey wilderness in the coming weeks. Check back often!

Good. I am glad the Avs got kicked in the face by the Red Wings, but to see the Colorado Avalanche play so bad felt like a punch in the stomach to the Minnesota Wild as well. It just amazes me that a team that played so strongly against the Wild could falter so much in the second round of the NHL Playoffs, it was a sweep! Thursday nights Red Wings Avalanche game ended 8-2. That’s insane.

The Colorado Avalanche were an injury-riddled team and that seemed to make all the difference. So that makes me ask the big question, why didn’t the Wild do more to rattle the Colorado Avalanche team physically? Detroit did an excellent job of pushing the envelope with the Avs and it paid off.  

Man, the Minnesota Wild is jinxed. Hockey Wilderness is more like Hockey Bewilderness.

One of the great members of the Minnesota Wild community has left a diary on hockey wilderness with a plethora of Minnesota Wild player nicknames. Check it out!

Minnesota Wild Player Nicknames

Thank you James Sheppard Fan!

Well, apparently the Marian Gaborik hip injury or hip irritation as it is now being called required surgery. Gabby announced awhile back he was going to be missing the Slovakian games due to injury. Now he is claiming he has been playing with the injury most of the season. Does any one else think that is weird? Last season when Gaborik had a groin injury, a minor groin injury, and he missed 20+ games and refused to play until he felt 100%. What changed this season? Is it because the Marian Gaborik contract is coming up? I don’t know, but I am frustrated with Marian Gaboriks frail body.  

Remember how Colorado Avalanche players Jose Theodore, Peter Forsberg, Wojtek Wolski (who looks like he is 12) and friends totally burned the Wild in the first round of the NHL playoffs? Of course you remember, ever Minnesota Wild fan still does. Well, all three of those players are ailing in round two. All Three!  Jose Theodore let in a bunch of Detroit Red Wings goals, Peter Forsberg hasn't been playing because of his groin or leg or some sort of lower body injury and Wolski is now out, possibly for the rest of the series with an injury.

It seems as though the Minnesota Wild just weren't meant to make it through the first round of the NHL playoffs. We must have made the hockey gods really angry; I blame it on Wes Walz.

Well, many Wild fans are still trying to get over the gut wrenching blow of being knocked out of the first round of the NHL playoffs even with home ice advantage, but the fact of the matter is the Minnesota Wild is going to be just fine. The Wild have a great core and are building in the right direction. It will definitely take longer than we want for that growth to pay off, but let’s be honest the Minnesota Wild wasn’t ever going to win the Stanley Cup this year anyway.

I posted this list over on my MN Wild Freak blog and thought I better post it over here on Hockey Wilderness as well.

Here is a list of the five positives I have taken away from the 2008 Minnesota Wild Season:

1. The emergence of Mikko Koivu as a bona fide star.
2. The continued development of Brent Burns into a top tier NHL Defenseman.
3. Winning the Northwest Division.
4. The defining of Stephane Veilleux as a "Grinder."
5. The play of Todd Fedoruk as both a "Scorer" as well as a "Heavyweight."

These are the five biggest negatives that I have taken away from the 2008 Minnesota Wild Season:

1. Marian Gaborik not showing up for the NHL Playoffs.
2. The Minnesota Wild losing in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.
3. Pavol Demitra playing below expectations.
4. Niklas Backstrom coming back to earth and simply playing above average.
5. Doug Riseborough not doing what it takes to improve the team at the trading deadline.

Minnesota Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire does not hide his feelings, he is an emotional coach. He has high expectations of his players and he lets them know it. After a roller coaster of a season, coach Lemaire is exhausted, disappointed and frustrated, but not just in his players. This MN Wild Freak thinks a lot of Lemaire’s frustration lies with the front office of the Minnesota Wild.

Although Lemaire wouldn’t directly say what his big issues are, there is no doubt in my mind that he is irritated that the Wild didn’t make more moves before the trade deadline to secure some new blood for the inconsistent Wild team. I also know Lemaire was frustrated over the teams inability to play together which he directly relates to contract issues. I think Lemaire will lay down some new terms with the Minnesota Wild management before he returns as their head coach. First of all, Lemaire is going to demand that a certain percentage of players either be under contract or get traded, a high percentage. I think he is also going to talk about putting the appropriate verbiage in the player contracts to reward for team efforts and less reward for individual efforts.  

Overall the season was frustrating, but this MN Wild freak will be even more frustrated if Lemaire doesn’t come back to the Minnesota Wild next year.

"It's hard to explain," goaltender Niklas Backstrom said, "but it feels empty that you wake up today and you don't have practice or anywhere to go. You just have the feeling that it's over."

Yep, it’s over. See ya in five months.