Once again, for reference, here's his quote:

Quite frankly I haven’t really been watching games. I’ve been following the scores but I haven’t been watching games. From my perspective, I just really need to focus on how am I feeling, how everything goes with me and then if everything goes good I’m going to jump into play.

Allow me to sum up: "ME ME ME ME ME me, me me, me ME me me! Me!"

Never mind that the Wild are battling for a playoff spot. Never mind that Owen Nolan flew to Vancouver and demanded to be inserted into the lineup tomorrow night, despite having a broken toe. Never mind that Andrew Brunette is playing with a completely screwed-up knee.

I guess I'd like to say that I can't quite believe this quote, but both papers reported it, and frankly it fits with everything else we know about "Gaby." He's a great hockey player, but he's for himself first and second and the hell with everybody else, and that includes all of us suckers who buy tickets and jerseys and help pay Gaborik $7.5 million this year to not watch games.

There's no question that the Wild need Gaborik. They need his offensive spark, and this season would look a lot different if he had been in the lineup the entire year. (Which of course never happens because he refuses to play unless he feels 100%, and that playing will also help his future contract status.)

Said Eric Belanger: "He didn't mean it the way it sounds -- I hope. I'm hoping because it's too hard for him to watch. I'm hoping."

Read between the lines of that quote. Here's the real question: they might need him, sure, but do they even want him?