Hockey Wilderness, a Minnesota Wild community

Risebrough's arrogance shone brightly on Monday, at the press conference announcing head coach Jacques Lemaire's resignation. "One of the things I regret as a manager not doing is managing the expectation a little bit." Ouch. No offense to non-traditional markets, but this isn't Tampa or Atlanta, where fans might buy a hill of beans when it comes to the local hockey team. This is Minnesota. The State of Hockey. Every Wild game here has been sold out, and there's a waiting list for season tickets long enough to practically fill the building a second time. For crying out loud, fans in this state pack the XCel Energy Center for high school and college games during the month of March, and you're not going to fool these people into believing a team stacked with grinders and role players is a true contender for anything but a lottery pick.

From Mike Russo at the Strib: "The Marian Gaborik negotiations have hit a stalemate, and GM Doug Risebrough told me today he won’t be signed by the Oct. 11 opener. ...Asked if he’ll react by putting Gaborik on the trading block, Risebrough said, "That, I’ll have to determine." Asked if he’s already started talking to other teams, Risebrough said, "I’m not going to comment anymore.""