Pierre McGuire has become a prominent voice in hockey through years of blunt analysis from the broadcast booth.

Now he's interested in running a team himself. The Minnesota Wild are evaluating their general manager opening, and McGuire is one of the finalists.

He has played professionally in Europe, coached at the college level, and served in the NHL as a scout, assistant coach, assistant general manager and head coach.

But McGuire's candidacy essentially comes from the nontraditional category. He hasn't been part of a team for 12 years, instead breaking down the game for Canada sports network TSN and more recently for U.S. viewers on NBC.

That independent perspective, however, is the essence of his aspiration.