Hockey Wilderness

Minnesota Wild @ Pittsburgh Penguins: Game 16

neide — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:00:06 -0000

Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-2) @ Minnesota Wild (10-4-1)

Mellon Arena @ 6:00 CDT

Television: VS (HD)
Listen live on WCCO.com, or locally at 830 AM

For the Pittsburgh perspective, check out Pensburgh.

Tonight's lines:

Minnesota Wild

Pittsburgh Penguins

Nolan - Koivu - Bouchard
Brunette - Belanger - Burns
Clutterbuck - Sheppard - Miettinen
Veilleux - Pouliot - Gillies

Reitz - Schultz
Bergeron - Skoula
Johnsson - Zidlicky

Harding
Backstrom

Talbot-Crosby-Satan
Fedotenko-Malkin-Sykora
Kennedy-Staal-Cooke
Dupuis-Zigomanis-Godard

Orpik-Letang
Scuderi-Gill
Boucher-Goligoski

Sabourin
Curry

Notes

Marian Gaborik is still out with that lower body injury.
Third goalie Nolan Schaefer has been recalled from AHL Houston on an emergency basis. To make room, the Wild placed defenseman Tomas Mojzis on waivers, sources say.
Derek Boogaard, Craig Weller and Mojzis looked to be scratched.
Marc-Andre Fleury will not be in the lineup for the Penguins. Fleury is listed as day-to-day and a return date is unknown.
With Fleury out of the lineup, Dany Sabourin will make his first start at Mellon Arena against Minnesota. "We played a really good game last year against the Wild," Sabourin said. "It was really intense, like a playoff game. They trap, they crash the net hard and like to play behind the net. We have to be ready for that."
Grand Rapids' own Alex Goligoski is off to a hot start for the Pens, with 4 goals, 5 assists in 16 games on the blue line.
Pascal Dupuis will play against the Wild for the first time since the trade two seasons ago to the Rangers.
Mikko Koivu has a goal and assist in his last eight games, while MIttens has three assists in that span, although he scored the winning goal in Saturday's shootout.

Questions to Answer

Can anyone contain the quick, young talent of the Penguins?
Will Burns be up or back?
Will the Wild try to skate with the Pens, or bottle them up? East v. West, which style will win?
Will they stop Evgeni Malkin, who has a 13-game point and assist streak?
Will Cal Clutterbuck pass out in his own vomit tonight, on this, his 21st birthday?

Ok folks, have a great night! I'll be out with the misses for our 8th anniversary, and will speak to you on the other side of the evening.

All the Gabbin' About Gaborik - Bob McKenzie

neide — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:37:28 -0000

All the Gabbin' About Gaborik - Bob McKenzie

Gaborik, thus far, has rejected all contract offers from the Wild and it doesn't look like he's about to put pen to paper in the Twin Cities any time soon.

But the reality is Gaborik hasn't played an NHL game since Oct. 14, the Wild's second game of the season, sidelined with the mysterious "lower-body" ailment, which for the finely-tuned Slovakian speedster means he's continuing to have issues with his musculature (quads, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, take your pick) somewhere above the knees but below the abdomen.

The Next Big Thing: More Moneybags Talk

buddhafisch — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:45:12 -0000

The Next Big Thing is a series of posts, focusing in on what has the Team of 18,000's collective minds buzzing.

In this vast world of 24 hour news, stock tickers, and news crawls, there is little that makes me smile anymore. At least, beyond family and friends. Today is not much better. Apparently, we are going to bailout the auto industry, despite the best minds in the world telling the feds it is a bad idea, and will do nothing except waste $50 billion dollars.

However, then comes the chance to read the full details on the extension Colorado signed with center Paul Stastny. The deal is reportedly five years, for a total of around $33 million. Quick elementary math tells us that that is just over $6 million per year as a cap hit.

Not bad for 78 points in 82 games his rookie season, and 71 in 66 games last season, eh? Oh, and he's on pace to have near 80 points this season as well. Sakic who?

Why you ask, would this make me smile? Maybe we haven't been acquainted long enough. I'm a sadistic, sarcastic, mean spirited kind of person when it comes to sports figures and their quest to make more money than God. You see, this signing puts yet another big kink in Uncle Moneybag's plans to become the highest paid player in the league. It's just not in the cards any more. I know NHL GMs are generally unintelligent hacks when it comes to free agents, but even they can't screw this up, can they?

Stastny has shown he has pure abilty to play, score, and lead. He plays arguably the second most important position in the game (behind goaltender), and has nearly a point per game average. While Gaborik also caries a points per game average, he is completely unreliable, and as the Wild's 10-4-1 start has shown, he is completely unnecessary.

So, you the fans can be the judge on this one. If Stastny, arguably a better player, in a more important role, who is young and will only get better, can only sign for $6 million per, how much is Moneybags worth?

Yes, I am smiling from ear to ear, just thinking about the phone call Moanybags is going to get from his agent today.

Next smiling moment comes from TSN. Gaborik's trade value is plummeting, if we didn't all already know that. Here is the best line in the entire post:

"..there are precious few NHL teams who appear to have even a scintilla of interest in Gaborik."

Duh.

My latest trade proposal is this. Trade him to the LA Kings. In return, the Wild get a bag of pucks (no less than 50 will be acceptable), an Anze Kopitar autograph, and a fourth round pick.

Justification for this trade is easy. The pucks provide long term, stable value. A puck will be a puck, every game, no questions asked. The value never drops. With the fourth round pick, the Wild get a player. Notice I didn't say a good player. Why would the Kings give up a good player? Finally, the Kopitar autograph. This is where the Wild can score big. Maybe get it on an Upper Deck rookie card, one of those that they only made 10 of. Someone find a card geek and pick the right card. Then, when Mikko Koivu's contract comes due, sell the card so you can pay the guy who actually deserves it.

Yeah, I'm smiling again.

I'll leave you with this. It's a clip I found over on Puck Daddy. Enjoy.

-Buddha
PS- Please, if you disagree, let me know. Comment section, email, whatever you like. I can take it.

Beyond The Team of 18,000

neide — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:14:24 -0000

Good evening Hockey Wilderness! This has been an interesting week around the NHL. So, let's get to it!

The New York Islanders are facing economic issues without a new stadium. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? - James Mirtle, From the Rink
Barry "The Mullet" Melrose is out as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. - From the Rink
More Melrose fallout - From the Rink
Melrose on Melrose - From the Rink
Speaking of changes, anyone hear anything about Brian Burke? - From the Rink
Hmm, where on earth could Brian Burke end up? - Pension Plan Puppets: Toronto Maple Leafs Blog
Did we mention that Toronto might be the new home of Edina's own Brian Burke? - Pension Plan Puppets: Toronto Maple Leafs Blog
Season to date analysis of the Colorado Avalanche - Mile High Hockey: Colorado Avalanche Blog
Pittsburgh sends Daryl Sydor back to from whence he came in exchange for Philippe Boucher - Pensburgh: Pittsburgh Penguins Blog
Breakdown of Philippe Boucher - Pensburgh: Pittsburgh Penguins Blog
Jordan Staal: Under the Microscope - Pensburgh: Pittsburgh Penguins Blog
Die By the Blade starts a great feature: Today in Buffalo Sabres History. Check it out every day! - Die By the Blade: Buffalo Sabres Blog
The Sabres remember "The Aud" - Die By the Blade: Buffalo Sabres Blog
The new team at Fear the Fin takes a look at their skaters' efficiency ratings - Fear the Fin: San Jose Sharks Blog
The Sharks faithful pimp Devin Setoguchi for the All-Star Game - Fear the Fin: San Jose Sharks Blog
A look into the lives of your friendly neighborhood NHL GM - Lighthouse Hockey: New York Islanders Blog
You have to love when Euros give interviews to the hometown press. You never know what to expect. See: Mikhail Grabovski - Pension Plan Puppets: Toronto Maple Leafs Blog
By the way, there's new blood in the second city. Stop by and say "Secord Sucks" - Second City Hockey: Chicago Blackhawks Blog
Speaking of new blood, welcome John Fischer to the fold as the new New Jersey Devils blogger at In Lou We Trust: New Jersey Devils Blog
Christy at Winging it in Motown had the pitiable task of interviewing Chemmy and PPP, the two clowns from Pension Plan Puppets for this week's "Behind the Blog" - Detroit Red Wings Blog
To rub our noses in it, Winging it in Motown also takes a look at how Marian Hossa is settling in with the Wings - Detroit Red Wings Blog

Ok folks, I think I've given you enough material to waste your entire evening. Now, have at it, spread the love and let me know if you find any great nuggets during the week for next weeks edition of Beyond the Team of 18,000!

Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Game 15

neide — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:00:06 -0000

Columbus Blue Jackets (8-7-2) @ Minnesota Wild (9-4-1)

Xcel Energy Center @ 7:00 CDT

Television: FSN
Listen live on WCCO.com, or locally at 830 AM

For the Columbus perspective, check out Light the Lamp.

Tonight's lines:

Minnesota Wild

Columbus Blue Jackets

Nolan - Koivu - Bouchard
Brunette - Belanger - Burns
Clutterbuck - Sheppard - Miettinen
Veilleux - Pouliot - Boogaard

Reitz - Schultz
Bergeron - Skoula
Johnsson - Zidlicky

Harding
Backstrom

Nash - Umberger - Huselius
Chimera - Brassard - Voracek
Picard - Novotny - Filatov
Murray - Malhotra - Dorsett

Klesla - Tyutin
Hejda - Commodore
Backman - Methot

Leclaire
Norrena

Notes

Marian Gaborik is still out with that lower body injury.
Jacques Lemaire reiterated today that defenseman Brent Burns will continue as a winger for awhile.
Columbus beat Buffalo 6-1 last night. It will be important to not let them get out early.
Oh, and since we've likely already forgotten about the whining, here's a bit from Light the Lamp. "You better believe the Jackets haven't forgotten that hose job by the stripes in last time they were in Minnesota. That should be all the motivation this squad needs to get up for that one. Time to for a little payback"

Questions to Answer

With Burns at the forward again, will the defense play yet another very solid game?
Does Rick Nash continue to be an immovable object?
Will the power play stick with whatever new technique they used against Phoenix to great success?
Will the line shakeup start to click in game two?
Does Backstrom continue his Jedi mind trick to see the game in slow motion?

The NHL's top defensive defencemen: The early returns - From The Rink

neide — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:59:18 -0000

The NHL's top defensive defencemen: The early returns - From The Rink

Kim Johnsson, Nick Schultz, He Who Must Not Be Named and Marek Zidlicky all make appearances on Mirtle's Top Defensive Defensemen list. Go check it out and talk up our boys.

Phoenix Coyotes @ Minnesota Wild: The Morning After

neide — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:30:28 -0000

Minnesota Wild 4 - 0 Phoenix Coyotes

The Minnesota Wild, led by Marek Zidlicky's two goals and one assist, combined with Niklas Backstrom's 24 saves, shutout the Phoenix Coyotes 4-0 in front of 18.568 at the Xcel Energy Center Thursday night. After a slow first period with little action, Zidlicky started the scoring in the second with a pretty feed from Marc-Andre Bergeron in the high slot. The two teams battled back and forth until 4:17 remaining when Andrew Brunette scored on a beautiful no-look feed across the low slot from Zidlicky. In the third period, the Wild scored their third power play goal, 3:10 into the frame. Erik Belanger notched one on an absolutely gorgeous tic-tac-toe passing game with the man advantage. As time wound down, there was 1:07 left as the Wild ended the scoring with yet another power play marker. It was Zidlicky's second of the night on a bomb from the point.

The power play really saved the Wild tonight, as without the man advantage, I wasn't impressed with the offensive output. Lemaire's line juggling didn't impress. The thought was to add more punch to the offense. Well, there weren't a large number of even-strength chances tonight. The best chances came either on the power play or the two shorthanded opportunities on which they should have cashed-in.

Cal Clutterbuck continues to wreck havoc on the ice, though tonight he has as many minutes as penalty minutes. Umm Cal, I understand throwing down when someone goads you on, but next time think of your PT. Oh, and although the other guy didn't take his helmet off, you should still drop yours if you wear a visor. Gretzky was correct there.

It's certainly fun to watch this team when they're clicking, and my goodness did they look good on the power play. Every single time they gained the zone with the man advantage, you assumed they were going to score. It was just outstanding. Now, if only they can do that once in a while on even strength.

Also, Kevin Porter, you should be absolutely annihilated for running Backstrom. That was a cheapshot and the fact that the ref was staring right at you as you bowled him over full speed doesn't change that fact. That was absolutely out of line, and someone at Toronto should be calling you to tell you so. That was a very, very dangerous play. Jerk.

Oh, and welcome back Owen Nolan and Brent Burns. It was nice to have you out there. Burnsie, feel free to stay up front as long as necssary, so long as He Who Must Not Be Named continues to stay out of the post-game analysis. He's doing a fantastic job right now.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Marek Zidlicky (2G, 1A)
Niklas Backstrom (24 shots/24 saves)
Marc-Andre Bergeron (1G, 1A)

Questions to Answer

Will the line shuffle work out? Well, actually even strength didn't impress me tonight. Yeah, they drew seven penalties, and had decent pressure, but that didn't transfer to a lot of solid scoring chances. So, I'd say it was neither effective nor did it hurt.
Does Burns get burned out playing both winger and defense tonight, his first action in over a week? Didn't seem like he was really putting on pressure in the third period. Part of that might have been all the special teams play, but it might have been that he was tired. He had 18:07 of ice time tonight.
Will these two teams (1st and 3rd in the conference in goals against) put up as many together as the Pens did last night (7)? No, and frankly, if it weren't for the power play chances for the Wild, I don't think this had the makings of a 4-0 game. The power play was just that dominant.
Can Bryzgalov get his first career win against the Wild? Nope!
Will Peter Mueller shine in front of the hometown crowd? Mueller had 17:04 of ice time tonight, and was on the top line with Olli Jokinen, but never really got going, with as many shots on goal as penalty minutes (2).

Notes

Tonight was the 9th straight victory over Phoenix.
Phoenix was 0-for-6 on the power play, and is 2-for-28 in its past five games.
Backstrom is 43-0-3 when leading after two periods. He's also 8-0 against the Coyotes with a 1.13 goals-against average and three shutouts.
Marek Zidlicky notched his third career two-goal game and first since February 11, 2006 vs. Columbus.
The Wild has outscored its opponents 15-7 in the second period this season.

What the team is saying

"Our special teams has been really good," said Jacques Lemaire, who spoke to his team prior to the game about spreading out while on the power play. "And this is why we have the points we have now, because, five-on-five we [haven't scored] a lot of goals so far."

"I think this was one of the best games for us this season, to play the whole 60 minutes of hockey. We didn’t give them anything. Our PK was really strong today. We got a lot of penalties, but they killed them. I think that’s a sign of a good team." -- Niklas Backstrom

"That was for my wife. That's what I do over my career. I was on my own for two months. All by myself. It was a big game for me." - Marek Zidlicky

On the power play. "Sometimes when the players don't know what they're doing, it works." - Erik Belanger

What others are saying

"It was a good, old fashioned butt-kicking. It was almost like an NHL group vs. a junior team. Four-0 was flattering. If it wasn't for Bryzgalov it would've been 8-0." - Wayne Gretzky

"It comes down to the power play," Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. "We had some opportunities. They capitalized on theirs and we didn't on ours. That was the difference in the hockey game."

The Game In Pictures

via cdn.nhl.com

via stmedia.startribune.com

via d.yimg.com

Video Highlights

Phoenix Coyotes @ Minnesota Wild: Game 14

neide — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:00:07 -0000

Phoenix Coyotes (8-6-0) vs Minnesota Wild (8-4-1)

Xcel Energy Center @ 7:00 CST

Television: FSN (HD)
Radio: WCCO 830. Listen live at wccoradio.com

For the Phoenix perspective, check out Coyotes Hip Check

Tonight's lines:

Minnesota Wild

Phoenix Coyotes

Nolan - Koivu - Bouchard
Brunette - Belanger - Burns
Clutterbuck - Sheppard - Miettinen
Veilleux - Pouliot - Boogaard

Reitz - Schultz
Bergeron - Skoula
Johnsson - Zidlicky

Harding
Backstrom

Boedker - Jokinen - Mueller
Doan - Turris - Carcillo
Winnik - Hanzal - Tikhonov
Fedoruk - Reinprecht - Porter

Jovanovski - Morris
Sauer - Hale
Klee - Michalek

Bryzgalov
Tellqvist

NOTES:

The Wild look to make it nine straight wins over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Coach Jacques Lemaire scrambled all his forward lines today, and that meant the line of Andrew Brunette-Mikko Koivu-Antti Miettinen landed on three different lines. Koivu skated with Nolan and Bouchard, and Brunette and Eric Belanger skated with a right wing named Brent Burns.
Gaborik is expected to miss his 12th straight game on Thursday with a lower-body injury while Burns will return after sitting out the past four contests with an upper-body injury.
Owen Nolan was reactivated and Krys Kolanos was sent back to Houston. Too bad, as I thought the kid had been playing really well.
Brent Burns dressed for defense this morning, but lined up on the wing. He hasn’t practiced as a defenseman all week and Lemaire wanted him to get used to it again since he’ll play both positions tonight.
The Coyotes will be playing on back-to-back nights after winning 5-2 at Columbus on Wednesday.
Shane Doan leads Phoenix with nine goals and is tied for the team lead with 16 points. "He's playing as good as I've ever seen him," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said.
Ilya Bryzgalov has never beaten the Wild, going 0-5-0 with a 3.28 GAA in six games.
The Wild have 10 of their next 12 at home.

Questions to Answer

Will the line shuffle work out?
Does Burns get burned out playing both winger and defense tonight, his first action in over a week?
Will these two teams (1st and 3rd in the conference in goals against) put up as many together as the Pens did last night (7)?
Can Bryzgalov get his first career win against the Wild?
Will Peter Mueller shine in front of the hometown crowd?

Jacques Lemaire Pre-game Interview

Hockey Wilderness Receives Facelift

neide — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:52:20 -0000

Thanks to the fantastic development team at SBN, the NHL blogs are now receiving some exciting new features.

* TEAM PAGE: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/MIN

This page includes all posts associated w/ the team, the team
news and the next game. Also, anytime you click the name of another
team on your schedule you have a page for them too. If you have
attached their team name to any posts they'll be aggregated there
along w/ news and their next game. For example the San Jose Sharks page on
Hockey Wilderness: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/SJS

* TEAM ROSTER: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/MIN/roster

Self-explanatory, but the best part is that all the player names link
to the.....

* PLAYER PAGE: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/players/l.nhl.com-p.1753

Now, in the story editor we can attach players by name to stories. Members of Hockey Wilderness can do the same on FanPosts and FanShots. Along with the basic player info, headshot and current year stats, all the content from your blog will be aggregated on this page. And just like team pages you also have pages on your blog for every other player in the league. For example the Ovechkin page on
Pensburgh: http://www.pensburgh.com/nhl/players/l.nhl.com-p.1841

Note that player pages will be linked at the end of any stories that
you attach them to as well. For example, on this story, someone attached Rob
Scuderi so his name is linked to his player page at the end of the
story in the same way we do that for teams and games:
http://www.pensburgh.com/2008/11/12/659483/rob-scuderi-injury-specula

* TEAM STATS: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/MIN/stats

Pretty self-explanatory, but again the player names link to their
player pages.

* TEAM NEWS: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/MIN/news

* TEAM SCHEDULE & SCORES: http://www.hockeywilderness.com/nhl/teams/MIN/schedule

When you click the 'coverage' link on the schedule, the
event page now shows a full linescore and will link to the preview &
recap of the event if we have those stories from Sports Network. As
always we aggregate all stories that have had the event attached to
them. Here is an example:
http://www.pensburgh.com/event/l.nhl.com-2008-e.10486

View From The Frontier

HockeyJoe — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:10:12 -0000

I was watching what was being billed as the Be-All, End-All game of the year featuring Detroit and Pittsburgh. You know, the one where Versus suggested that Pittsburgh was looking for revenge.

Apparently the Stanley Cup is now treated like the WWE Championship Belt and this was the rematch clause being enacted by the Penguins. What I did notice at times through the game was that those same Penguins were going to be on Versus again next week. Crosby! Malkin! Fleury! Godard! Er, yeah. Suffice to say, the opponent wasn't important, but Pittsburgh was playing and that's that.

Getting the cold shoulder of ignorance and probable date with Joe Beninati waxing poetic about Marian Gaborik's wonky groin were the Minnesota Wild, the sacrificial lambs-to-be. As usual, however, Versus is going to miss the boat on some good things happening across the ice.

By now we shouldn't be surprised that Versus plays favorites with the media darlings. It's no wonder that the Pittsburgh-Detroit matchup worked out well for them and while the way the game played out worked out to be a wet dream for Gary Bettman and Versus... It reinforces their insistence to push and overhype certain teams in the league.

I'm not about to go raining on the parade of pushing the league's stars - no freaking way. The league fails miserably at this as it is, just ask Sean Avery. What stinks for Minnesota is that the obvious star is apparently a disheartened egomaniac who can't wait to get out of town.

I don't expect that Minnesota will be talked about a lot. I'd be shocked if the crew knows who to talk about. You'll get all the Gabbo talk you can stomach if you hear anything.

Maybe there will be a passing nice mention of Mikko Koivu whose outstanding season is going well beneath the mainstream radar. Perhaps there'll be a little bit of love thrown Brent Burns' way, maybe even some talk about Nicklas Backstrom, but I'm doubting this highly.

Look at it this way, if the Pens manage to pile it on Minnesota, you'll get nothing but glowing talk about who does the damage for them. If Minnesota stifles them (and they've only allowed 28 goals so far this year so it's distinctly possible) the talk will move to Pittsburgh's lack of success against a Jacques Lemaire coached team and we'll all be treated to shots of Jacques and talk of the Devils and how they stifled Penguins teams of the past.

You know, because that would be incredibly relevant.

I know the Wild have been on Versus already this year and you all should be acquainted with their shenanigans by now, but you'll be dealing with an incredible broadcast when it comes to Sid the Kid and rest of the Flightless Birds. You can expect all sorts of verbal man-love for the crew and you better believe that if you missed the Detroit-Pittsburgh game the other night, you'll get to see more than enough of the highlights from it during the game.

It's how Versus rolls.

What will be most insulting to the hockey audience is how the good stories that exist with this Wild team (success without the superstar, the rising celebrity of others on the team, winning in spite of sputtering offense) won't get any play.

With that sort of ignorance, the Wild might as well play in Canada.

Consider this your prep Wild fans because the next month has the Wild on Versus three times and playing second-fiddle to a mega-super-duper star's team in two of them (Washington being the other). Perhaps we'll see a fairer balance in the story telling in their game with the Avalanche but I'm not about to hold my breath.

Versus has gone out of their way to get the Wild plenty of national coverage and that's great because they certainly haven't garnered the national attention otherwise, but that said, setting them up to play the role of the Washington Generals to the oppositions Harlem Globetrotters doesn't do them any favors either.

Here's to hoping that the Wild can put one favored NHL adage to work and prove that the team effort can overcome any superstar. Until then, just remember folks, kicking in your television set won't help you feel better but the mute button could do wonders for you.

Ducks hand reins to Murray - From The Rink

neide — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:33:10 -0000

Ducks hand reins to Murray - From The Rink

Brian Burke's only quote to this point:

"As I’ve said all along, the Samuelis and Michael Schulman are special people," said Burke. "This was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I’m comforted that the team is in great hands with Bob and David (McNab) in charge. I can’t thank everyone enough for their understanding and patience as I wrestled with this decision."

UPDATE The Ducks PR staff have made full transcripts of all of the pressers available now, including Burke's 18-minute media availability session. I thought this was an interesting quote from Burke:

There was no way I would have the nerve to ask to go back somewhere if I hadn’t won a championship here. I think that would have taken a lot more nerve than I have. That validated me. That justified my asking. In other words, if I hadn’t delivered I think it’s a real different equation.

Burke to step down - From The Rink

neide — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:31:15 -0000

Burke to step down - From The Rink

The Ducks have scheduled a press conference for 3:30 EST this afternoon to make an announcement related to their general manager position, and it's hard to imagine that it's anything but news that Brian Burke is stepping down.

Prepare for things to go nuts in Toronto, where he's been long-rumoured to resurface next season.

Not so Fast, Mr. Carney

buddhafisch — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:14:34 -0000

Yeah, yeah. Keith Carney was never one for the spotlight, never one to call attention to himself. For 17 seasons in the NHL he was the consumate professional. Show up, do his job, teach the kids, keep his mouth shut, stay out of trouble.

I have nothing but absolute and utter respect for you Mr. Carney, but to try to pull a stunt like this is down right unacceptable, sir.

For those of you who refuse to follow the link, Carns has retired. There was no press conference, no hoopla, no crying in front of the cameras (Yeah, you're busted Keith, you would have sobbed like a school girl). Heck, the local MSM has no coverage of it at all. I'll give Russo a pass for now (he has since posted the news on his blog), he's otherwise involved, but where is Shipley? Powers? Reusse? I have to get this news from the Pawtucket Press? Sad day for the State of Hockey.

Well, Mr. Carney, as much as I know you have no desire for hoopla and grandstanding, I simply cannot let a career such as yours go with out the biggest celebration I can muster from this small little piece of the interweb.

Than you, Keith, from the bottom of my hockey loving heart. You are the example of how to play the game. with passion, with heart, and without the gum flapping.

Keith Carney's Carrer Stats

Seasons Played: 17

Games Played: 1018

Goals: 45

Assists: 183

Points: 228

+/-: +164

PIM: 904

Teams: Buffalo, Chicago, Phoenix, Anaheim, Vancouver, Minnesota

Carney also played in the playoffs 12 times, scoring 3 goals, 19 assists, +4, and 67 PIM.

For a more detailed look at his stats, visit his player page. Take note that the word "Team" sits directly above his picture. Fitting, wouldn't you say, for a guy who always put the team first?

Here are just few of my most favorite moments from Carney's short time here with the Wild.

One of my favorite:
I love the the celebration at the end of this one:

First goal in a Wild sweater:

Fitting that Burns is on the ice for this one. Wild fans will forever have Carney to thank for turning a raw, somewhat lost Brent Burns into the blue line stud he is today.

One last time.

Thank you Keith. For your time here in Minnesota, for your 17 seasons, and for your contribution to the game. The NHL, and hockey in general, are better because of you.

Around the Wild Blogosphere

neide — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:00:06 -0000

Much like our weekly trip around the NHL Blogosphere, we're also going to take a weekly trip around the Wild Blogosphere, covering the week that was for the team of 18,000. Much like the NHL segment, we're looking for a title here too. So, let's figure it out together, shall we?

Feel free to recommend additional blogs, or posts we may have missed or neglected.

Michael Russo, of the Star Tribune, had a nice writeup on Pavol Demitra's take on the Gaborik situation as well as Willie O'Ree's visit to the Minneapolis Dino-Mites fundraiser.
Pioneer Press' John Shipley wrote about a pickup shinny game at practice including the complete coaching staff.
Cortney from Style and Sports talks about the Darcy Tucker/Nick Schultz issue as well as Aaron Voros' hot start.
Land of Lakes and Hockey also commented on Darcy Tucker's cheapshot history.
In fact, Darcy Tucker's low-bridge hit on Nick Schultz was all over Wild blogs this week, as Russo had a great breakdown here, here and here.
MN Wild Freak gets right to the point, saying that the Wild need to score to win.
Elise from 18.568 Reasons Why covers the Burrows v. Bouchard lovefest.
Jon from TNABACG isn't too happy with Mark Parrish going elsewhere.

Ok folks, as always, post em if you got em!

Poll

What should be the name of the weekly Wild Blogosphere recap?

Around the NHL Blogosphere

neide — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:38:53 -0000

In order to broaden the horizons of the Hockey Wilderness community, I decided to start a weekly "Around the NHL Blogosphere" column. This will include stories from our ever-expanding SBNation NHL community, headed by Hockey Blogger extraordinaire, James Mirtle as well as the excellent blogs across the country.

Now, it's up to you, the Hockey Wilderness community, to determine the name of this weekly installment. My first thought was "In the Crease", followed by "Cycling the NHL", as well as "Beyond the Team of 18,000."

Anyway, let's get it started

From Mile High Hockey, a Colorado Avalanche Blog: Is Granato on the hot seat?
Sidney Crosby bites back to Alexander Semin, from Pensburgh, a Pittsburgh Penguins Blog.
Remember Mike Danton and David Frost? James Mirtle at From the Rink sure does.
Oh, and check out the excellent Toronto Maple Leafs blog, Pension Plan Puppets, where they claim that the Habs are a Filthy Team in light of the Tom Kostopolous hit on Mike Van Ryn.
Mirtle also asks you to grade the suspension of Tom Kostopolous.
From the Rink also has a great post on Induction Day 2008 for the Hockey Hall of Fame (no, not the real one in Eveleth, but the one in Toronto.)
Maybe Jacques Lemaire should read this excellent post on Fear the Fin, a San Jose Sharks blog on How Your Team Can Beat the San Jose Sharks.
Christy at Winging it in Motown, a Detroit Red Wings blog starts her feature Behind the Blog, getting into the nitty-gritty of those of us in our underwear in our mothers' basements and how we cover the teams we love.
Dominik at Lighthouse Hockey, a New York Islanders blog tries to answer The Mystery of the 40 Minute Islanders.
So, how can I get in on the bailout offered by the St. Louis Blues?

Look tomorrow forthe first installment in our "Around the Wild Blogosphere" column. I'd love input on what to call that one.

Read well folks!

Poll

What should be the title of the weekly "Around the NHL" column?

Pal Demitra casts a vote: Wild should keep Gaborik

neide — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:36:57 -0000

Pal Demitra casts a vote: Wild should keep Gaborik

"I think [the Wild] should keep him; he's a top player. He's a special player, obviously, with his speed and his shot. He proves it every year," said Demitra, who, like Gaborik, is not playing because of an injury.

think it's unfair," Demitra said. "He does so much for Minnesota; he's a great player, and hockey is a tough business. Everybody is looking for his best options. But a player like that, they should always choose to keep him. But a lot of stuff is in the paper, and nobody really sees what's inside.

"I just feel bad for Gaby. He's a great player; he just needs to get healthy -- whatever it takes to get healthy and get back on the ice."

Forget Gaborik: Minnesota should focus on Backstrom - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

neide — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:00:08 -0000

Forget Gaborik: Minnesota should focus on Backstrom - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

While the hockey world keeps its eye focused on Marian Gaborik's contract negotiations (as well as his groin), there's another pending unrestricted free agent that is just as important to the Minnesota Wild franchise: Goaltender Niklas Backstrom.

The 30-year-old goaltender has been nothing short of phenomenal since coming on the scene in 2006. With a career goals-against average of 2.18, .924 save pct. and a 64-23-15 record, Backstrom will likely double his $3.1 million salary thanks to a weak free agent crop of goaltenders next summer.

Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks: The Morning After

neide — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:16:37 -0000

Vancouver Canucks 2 - 0 Minnesota Wild

Superstar goalie Roberto Luongo has historically had trouble stopping the WIld offense. However, the Wild offense has historically had no trouble stopping the Wild offense, and with Luongo on a hot streak, and the Wild offense on a cold streak, it didn't bode well going into GM Place. Well, looked like the bad feeling was a premonition of things to come.

The Wild defense, even without Brent Burns for a fourth straight game, looked good against the Canucks. Nick Schultz and He Who Must Not Be Named have been (for the most part) absent from discussion of their on-ice performance. When you're a stay-at-home defenseman, this is an excellent way to show that you are doing your job, and things didn't change Saturday night in Vancouver. Both blueliners were solid in helping keep the WIld in the game.

Unfortunately, with no Gaborik, and only one actual offensive line, the job of the defensemen and goalies becomes even more difficult than normal. You no longer have to just keep your team in the game, you need to go out and win the game on your own. Unfortunately, giving up two goals when your team can't score isn't the way to get those W's.

So, job well done to the Wild defensive corps for keeping an opponent under 30 shots tonight, and thanks to Nick and He Who Must Not Be Named for doing your jobs.

The Wild are off until Thursday night, when they take the ice at the X against the Phoenix Coyotes, in another strangely long break this early in the season. However, they desperately need the time off to get Burns, Nolan and Gaborik healthy.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Roberto Luongo (29 shots, 29 saves for his third straight shutout)
Henrik Sedin (2 assists)
Daniel Sedin (1 goal)

Questions to Answer

Can they solve Luongo? No. Three straight shutouts for the best goalie in the NHL.
Can the Wild win the shot count? No. But they didn't lose it either, so that's a start!
Can the Wild finally stop the Sedins? Nope. Sedin boys had 1 goal and 2 assists to continue their excellent play against the Wild. How about Gaborik for both Sedins?
Will Backstrom be the backbone of the team again? Yes, but to no avail. 27 saves on 29 shots with a 2.00 GAA apparently isn't good enough on a Jacques Lemaire coached team.
Anyone else hate the Canucks? No? Just me? Yes. Boy this was a sad, sad game.

Notes

The Canucks’ defensemen have combined for 36 points, led by Kevin Bieksa’s 11. By comparison, the Wild’s defensemen have scored 17 points (not counting Brent Burns’ one goal as a forward and Tomas Mojzis’ assist as a forward).
Luongo has four shutouts in six games, backstopping the Canucks to five wins. He has gone 201 minutes, 8 seconds without allowing a goal.
This was Backstrom's first regulation loss all time against the Canucks (5-1-1)
Colton Gillies, playing his first NHL game in his hometown, took a boarding penalty at the end of a long shift in the first period.

What the team is saying

"You notice there in the third, they’ve got five guys at their blue line and [their media’s] talking about our trap?" Lemaire said. "That’s a new trap."

"We could have scored easy four goals and we didn't," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "Our goalie [Niklas Backstrom] was good, too. "It could have been great for the people here who want a lot of goals, but we had to change the goalies. Different goalies, we would have had six, seven goals each."

"You think you beat him, and all of a sudden you see his long pad shoot out and make that save." - Pierre-Marc Bouchard

What others are saying

"Just because maybe they've had my number a little bit in the past doesn't mean that trend has to continue." - Roberto Luongo

On his amazing stop on Andrew Brunette's breakaway, "It kind of fell through my legs somewhere," Luongo said. "Was lucky on that play."

Ryan Kesler, on the stiff arm from Mikko Koivu: "That’s about what you expect from a player like that."

Ok, so says the guy sharing a locker room with Matthias Ohlund. Ass.

The Game in Pictures

Video Highlights

Three Things - Wild @ Canucks

mbennett — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:13:32 -0000

This was a solid game, all the way until the Sedin breakaway. Then, hope vanished. Great time for an additional goal, if you are a Vancouver fan, pretty bad time, if you are a Wild fan.

Here we go…

Why the Wild lost:

1) Roberto Luongo – This guy is good. He made at least 5 saves which were huge, crazy, or impossible. I was very impressed frankly, three shutouts in a row, even if I want his team to lose, I have to give credit where credit is due.

2) Not taking advantage of the PP – The wild continue to boggle my mind. They are still looking for that pass, the perfect pass, which rarely exists. Also, how is it that the Wild can’t get into the zone, and start from go. Their third PP, it took them 30 seconds to even get the puck into the zone. It was cleared on the face-off, then it took 30 seconds, a quarter of their PP, to get the puck into the zone, let alone a shot on goal. I am very frustrated by the anemic aspect of what should be a genuine scoring situation every time.

3) Penalties – When you take three in the first, and give up a PP goal in the first, you are setting yourself up for failure. The second period was better, but, again, in the third, they took some dumb penalties. I need to see some disciplined hockey again, and preferably for stretches of games at a time.

Why the Wild could have Won:

1) Blocked Shots – I think that Nick Schultz averages 7-8 blocked shots per game, and yet his team averages, what, 9 shots on goal per game??? Ok, so I am exaggerating, but, as the Wild are making it a habit of getting grossly out shot, these blocks play a huge role in keeping the Wild from being down big early. Keep giving up the body guys, your team needs it.

2) 2^nd Period – A great period. If they could click save on what they did here, and repeat it always…I would gladly take that effort every day, every period. Good passes, great hitting and playing smart. Heck, they didn’t get outshot that period either!

3) Pouliot/Boogaard/Weller – They looked really good tonight. Banged the bodies, took some shots even. They had the best shifts in my opinion, and one of these days, they are going to get the puck in the back of the net. More effort from all lines like these guys played, and more wins will come with said effort.

What else did people see? All-in-all, not a bad effort, ran into a hot goalie, and had a few key mistakes.

Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks: Game 13

neide — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:00:06 -0000

Vancouver Canucks (8-6-0) vs Minnesota Wild (8-3-1)

GM Place @ 9:00 CST

Television: FSN and NHL Network
Radio: WCCO 830. Listen live at wccoradio.com

For the Vancouver perspective, check out Canucks Nation

Tonight's lines:

Minnesota Wild

Vancouver Canucks

Miettinen - Koivu - Brunette
Veilleux - Belanger - Bouchard
Clutterbuck - Sheppard - Kolanos
Weller - Pouliot - Boogaard

Reitz - Schultz
Bergeron - Skoula
Johnsson - Zidlicky

Harding
Backstrom

Burrows - Sedin - Hansen
Raymond - Kesler - Bernier
Sedin - Wellwood - Ouellet
Pyatt - Johnson - Brown

Bieksa - Mitchell
Ohlund - Edler
Davison - O'Brien

Luongo
Sanford

NOTES:

Burns, Gaborik and Nolan area still in the Twin Cities, with no word oin when they will return.
Pavol Demitra will have to wait another time to underachieve against the Wild like he underachieved for the Wild, as he's still out injured.
Roberto Luongo, who leads the league with four shutouts, hasn't been scored on since the second period against Detroit in a 3-2 loss, a streak of 141:07. However, Luongo only has an .866 save percentage against Minnesota.
The Wild won five of the last six meetings with the Canucks last season. Niklas Backstrom is 5-0-1 against the Canucks with a 2.02 goals against average and .931 save percentage.
Henrik Sedin has tallied 28 points (5-23=28) in 44 games against Minnesota. Daniel Sedin has recorded 27 points (9-18=27) in 42 contests

Questions to Answer

Can they solve Luongo?
Can the Wild win the shot count?
Can the Wild finally stop the Sedins?
Will Backstrom be the backbone of the team again?
Anyone else hate the Canucks? No? Just me?