How much does using new skates and goalie equipment affect the players? You have to think it’s not insignificant.

This right here is messed up. Holy nightmare.

Someone needs to be working on his pads with a sledge hammer for about 12 hours, or those things are going to be giving up rebounds back to the blue line.

I was all excited on first reading because I thought the truck had burst into the Calgary Flames.

Visions of Dion Phaneuf pinned between the axle and the chassis were dancing through my head.

That’s sick and crazy. Maybe Backstrom has some Team Finland pads and a mask stowed away somewhere to use.

Just crazy. Almost hope they postpone the game tomorrow..

I demand a complete investigation by the Federal Govenments of Canada and USA. To bring these Hockey Terrorists to justice…..or just find a Play it Again sports in the area and replace the stuff….

…who knows the assistant equipment manager. I offered to go pack, or glove leather or sew, or whatever.

Not like it will happen, but thought i would throw it out there as it seems like what should be done.

The Wild’s team bus had departed the practice rink separately and dropped several players off at a local restaurant area. Head Coach Todd Richards was notified just as the bus pulled into the hotel parking lot. Richards returned to the scene with Assistant to the General Manager, Jim Mill, and PR coordinator, Ryan Stanzel.

This is just messed up. Unbelievable.

more pictures coming in… looks like it keeps getting worse and worse.
at least no one was hurt.

A fire. In an equipment truck. For some reason I highly doubt this is a result of someone playing with matches. Whoever is responsible needs to be found and held accountable… But it is kinda funny how you piss off the entire city of Detroit and a few days later this happens in Ottawa, only 500 miles away…

“I just spoke to a bunch of Wild players. They have a 6 p.m. meeting to inform them of what’s going on. Hockey players need to feel good in their equipment. For instance, it took Havlat a month to break in his new skates. He pointed out that if knee braces were destroyed — and they were, I am told — how do you just put a new knee brace on Brunette?”

Would have been awesome if that happened in Calgary. But I’ll betcha the owner of a Sport Chek in Kanata is happy. ;)

I wanna see Boogaard walk into an Ottawa sports supply store asking if they have a Wild jersey that fits him in stock.

Seriously though, that sucks. Fortunately, it is just equipment that is gone, and the players and staff are all right.

Unbelievable.

Havlat’s comments in the Ottawa Sun would seem to indicate that both primary and backup skates made the trip.

New skates for our team? In the middle of the season?

Shit.

Wow! Just crazy. Proof hockey fans are a bit off (joke as we have no proof of anything).

Ottawa nightmares:

Sabres get food poisoning

Wild eq truck burns

What is going on over there?

One of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen in hockey. Gotta feel for the players whose superstitions revolve around their equipment, I can’t think of a worse image to put in a hockey player’s head.

I wouldn’t wish this nightmare on any team. I hope the Wild can recover quickly.

Best wishes from DC.