Another long stretch of no games to talk about leaves us focused on... the wall, the ceiling, the snow in the driveway... pretty much anything other than hockey. Unfortunately.

Today's Walk remains short, but it does have some substance to it. Some good reads, and some good chances to learn a few things, maybe spur some thought. Of course, that infers you are all capable of rational thought. Yep. I did it. I made a joke at our readers' expense. It's come to that.

Boredom, they name is me.

If you ever have the chance to go without a computer for a week... don't. Just don't do it. Unless you are vacation, it leads to a week of pure hell with no escape except to actually watch the episode of Dora your kid is watching for the 17th time in a row.

I'll be over there... in the fetal position.

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With the lack of content for the Walk today, it was almost a no go. We discussed it, and thought we would put up the few links we have, since it gives us a chance to talk a bit about the deadline with all of you.

For you, we will have a piece on what the Wild can sell and what selling might be worth. That's a bit later. For now, our discussion centers around your sources for news leading up to and on deadline day. Many of you are new around here, and may be new to the online hockey world, so we thought we would give you a list of places to NOT trust for your deadline information

• Hockey Buzz - everything on that site is garbage. There may be a writer or two that is worth a read, but it flat out isn't worth the trouble. Nothing rumor based is true. Nothing. At. All. The site is junk, and if you pay to use it, you've completely lost your mind.
• HF Boards - There are good people over there, and the discussions about the game can be a good time. Anything trade related is going to be absurd. If anyone says they have information that is not being reported... no they don't.
• Twitter - This one is tricky. All of the real sources for info will put it on Twitter first. The problem is when a guy who actually knows something is faked and people who should know better fall prey to a fake account. Make sure you check the source by clicking on the user name. The people in the know will have tens of thousands of followers, not 17. Be wary, folks.

Do you have a trusted source? Who is it? Any others the Wilderness should know to avoid?

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Ladies and gentlemen... we got him.

It was the opinion of both editors of this site that trading away Kyle Brodziak, while it made sense, was not the best option for the Minnesota Wild. That story was to run later this week. Chuck Fletcher made that unnecessary. With a three year, $2.83 million per year contract, Kyle Brodziak is going to be here.

Brodziak will be a wonderful influence on the kids coming up right in the next couple years, and has grown into a role that few can fill. Plus, the guy works hard every shift (Sorry Tom). A third line grinder with the ability to take over the top six for short periods of time is a welcome addition to any roster, and the contract is not out of line with players of his style.

Plus, his game is way better than watching concrete dry. Sorry again, Tom.

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Here's where we're at folks. Russo doesn't know what to say about the team anymore. We here at Hockey Wilderness have no idea what to say about the team anymore. Fans are looking for answers where there aren't any. There is no joy in Mudville.

I am going to continue to remind you, and to some it is preaching to the choir, but there simply is no one man to blame here. There is nothing to do to fix it. There is only the chance to ride it out, be hockey fans and accept the team for what they are. Maybe there is some fun to be had along the way.

Maybe not.

No matter what happens, there is always your fellow Wild fans, specifically those here at Hockey Wilderness to commiserate with. Who better to understand the way you feel than people who feel the same way. Twenty four games left to play. Hockey season is almost over. Again. Sigh.

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Not having a computer at my disposal all day has led to some interesting moments the past few days. Knowing that all of you are still here chatting each other up and knocking the trolls around makes me proud to "know" you all. Keep up the good work on that front.

Looking at today's Walk, we find writers and fans searching for answers. Answers that aren't there, and so they seem to be building the answers in order to comfort themselves or others. Which is fine, and all well and good, but at some point, the acceptance phase has to kick in and the truth revealed, right? Whether the blame game results in a bulls-eye or not, it seems like a tiresome chore to continue to look for blame, does it not?

It makes perfect sense to do so. It is human nature to do so. Hell, the bitterly sarcastic side of me has all kinds of blame to pass around, and likely will in an attempt to laugh our way through the end of the season. Still, at some point, and some point soon, the realization is going to come that (as discussed previously here) the team just isn't good enough.

The team. Not one man in particular. The team.

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Anything left to say right now? Or is it just time to give up and move on? That is, obviously for each of you to decide. There certainly doesn't seem to be much hope at this point. No one seems to want to be that X factor they need to be to pull this team upright.

The pointing of fingers by the fan base has begun. Some say Fletcher, others say Yeo, still others have individual players in their cross hairs. Could it just be that this is not the right mix of players? Does everything always have to be so angry and bloodthirsty that blame must be leveled and someone must lose their job to quench the thirst?

Negativity is going to be the going rate for the rest of the season, unless something changes... and now. No one wants to quiet the discussion, but let's try to keep it logical (at least to a point), shall we?

After the jump, a short Walk to get you going for the day.

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Deadline news, game night, so many things to do. I say we just just shut down and pretend the universe is made up of only one particle of matter. Distract yourselves with topics such as the meaning of life, the Roman Empire, pop tarts, giant purple elephants... whatever it takes to not think about the situation in St. Paul.

It still happens to be better than no hockey at all, right? Right? Anyone?

The Walk is dominated by talk of Marek Zidlicky, not surprisingly. If you don't want to read about it, go back to work. It's all about him, which is the bulk of the problem. It's. All. About. Him. Which is too bad, since the guy seems to really want to contribute, and yet remarkably, isn't.

So there's that.

Anyone hungry for pop tarts?

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With a computer at my disposal, we can have our normal Walk. Given what I am about to say, maybe it would be better I didn't have access to the computer.

We need to chat for a second, Wild fans. Word on the street says that the X erupted in cheers when a referee took a puck up high in last night's game. The way it is explained to me (I was not there, I have not seen it), the ref missed a call in favor of the Wild, then made a call against the Wild shortly after. When a puck hit him high and hard, Wild fans felt their sweet revenge and cheered as the ref lay on the ice.

Unacceptable, folks. This isn't a fan base that is classless. We are not a fan base that behaves like that. We are a fan base that understands this is a game. While we are passionate and care a bit too much, we never, ever, cross that line. When a player, fan, or yes, referee is injured, we are a classy group that is silent while the injury is assessed, and cheer when it is clear they will be OK, or in support of someone who may not be OK. This was neither of those.

You're better than that, Minnesota. Way better.

And for cripe's sake. Quit it with the wave. Please.

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