Frozen Ponderings

Wild/Sharks Summer of Love a One-Sided Affair? Not for San Jose.

2011-08-11T08:57:00.004-05:00

Brent Burns / Devin Setoguchi
Image courtesy of Jordan Doffing/MN Hockey News

Dan Shrader of the esteemed First Round Bust blog tweeted a link last night to a Bleacher Report blog concerning the summer of love between Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and his San Jose Sharks counterpart Doug Wilson. In his blog, B/R contributor Michael DeSantis makes a feeble attempt to persuade his readers that the Sharks clearly came out ahead in their Wild feeding frenzy.

To paraphrase a well-known movie line, what DeSantis goes on to say is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in his rambling, incoherent editorial was he even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought.

It is cliché, I know, but read it and tell me Billy Madison isn’t the first thing to come to mind. To be fair to Shrader his follow-up tweet accurately described the piece as “the biggest crock of shit.”

DeSantis begins by analyzing the Brent Burns trade as essentially a one-for-one deal for Devin Setoguchi. This member of Sharks nation apparently considers the two first-round draft picks dealt by San Jose (Charlie Coyle and Zack Phillips) and the 2012 second rounder the Wild included as mere throw-ins.

Rather than acknowledging that Setoguchi has an outstanding opportunity to flourish offensively in an expanded role in Minnesota the writer states that with Setoguchi shifting to “a less talented Wild team, Setoguchi will have a harder time scoring than with the offensively sound Sharks.”

(Deep breath here)

Brent Burns
Photo by Jordan Doffing/MN Hockey News

From a Minnesota perspective, the trade was made primarily to bolster the Wild's present offense up front with Setoguchi and future firepower with Coyle and Phillips. Fletcher's only bargaining chip was a talented player for whom the Wild had little chance of competing for on the open market considering the contract extension he received from the Sharks after the trade.

While I like Burns—although not nearly as much as others it seems—characterizing him as amazing, as DeSantis did, is a bit over the top for me.

In breaking down the Dany Heatly for Martin Havlat swap, DeSantis again points toward Minnesota’s weaker offense last season as an indication that Heately “may struggle with the Wild.” On the other hand Havlat is seen as “a perfect fit for the Sharks” largely due to the chance to suit up with “a much better supporting cast.”

Once again, the point of the deal is missed by the writer. This purpose of this trade was two-fold for Fletcher: A) The opportunity to insert a proven scorer on his team’s top line to strengthen said weak offense while B) subtracting a talented but enigmatic player whose interest in playing in Minnesota at all had waned significantly over the course of two years.

Even if this deal ends up eventually appearing as a statistical wash, the Havlat addition-by-subtraction factor ensures that the scale tips toward Minnesota on this one.

(Unfortunately I think that take costs me a couple of Twitter followers)

Lastly, we come to the merciful jettisoning of First Round Bust’s namesake, James Sheppard. The ninth overall pick in the 2006 draft has managed to amass a measly 11 goals and 38 assists in 224 career games making him the poster child for first-round busts. Adding injury to insult, Sheppard missed all of last season after injuring his knee in an off-season ATV accident resulting in a team suspension.

The blog lists the compensation for Sheppard as a first-round pick [this has since been corrected] which, if true, would not only be reason to fire Wilson but commit the man. In fact, Minnesota received a third-round choice in 2013 which alone offers plenty of evidence to question Wilson’s sanity.

But the most face-in-palm, head-shaking assessment in the entire composition reads like this:

“Sheppard will be a solid bottom-six forward, another major piece in the Sharks puzzle.”

Mr. DeSantis I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

"Super League" Formation is Imminent But "Forgotten 10" Have Options

2011-07-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reportedly confirmed via multiple sources on Thursday the much-rumored formation of a new alliance between select members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Central Collegiate Hockey Association beginning with the 2013-2014 season.

The announcement, expected to come as early as Wednesday, confirms that the WCHA as we know it will indeed not survive the exodus of the University’s of Minnesota and Wisconsin to a newly-formed Big Ten conference upon the conclusion of the 2012-2013 season. The article also rings the death knell for what would have remained of the CCHA which is losing Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State to the Big Ten.

I grew up following Minnesota and the WCHA but I’m as much a fan of college hockey itself and this recent revelation has me concerned about the sport’s overall health.

The yet-unnamed conference will feature North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver, Colorado College, and Nebraska-Omaha of the WCHA along with the CCHA’s Miami-OH. Notre Dame and Western Michigan of the CCHA are also expected to be included.

Left swinging in the breeze by these decisions are:

WCHA	CCHA
Bemidji State	Northern Michigan
St. Cloud State	Lake Superior State
Minnesota State	Ferris State
Alaska-Anchorage	Alaska-Fairbanks
Michigan Tech	Bowling Green

While competitive teams remain, there isn’t a ton of sex appeal and these institutions are among the NCAA’s more fiscally-challenged programs. Regardless of how the remaining schools choose to align in the future, there are significant challenges ahead in terms of travel expense and competition to lure the right non-conference opponents to fill their smaller buildings and generate revenue.

Between the eight teams in this new league and the six Big Ten teams, you can bet on the fact that those 14 teams will attempt to schedule each other as much as possible. This doesn’t leave many scraps for the “Forgotten Ten” to fight over which not only hurts financially but, in some cases, competitively. Even in an “up” year, if a school is unable to schedule and potentially beat “Teams Under Consideration” their PairWise ranking would be considerably affected.

In his analysis of this significant restructuring of the NCAA hockey landscape, Schlossman urged those left behind to consider a glass-half-full point of view:

"Instead of seeing this as a catastrophe, the schools left behind should be looking at the opportunity.

No, they won’t be getting a weekend boon in attendance when traditional powers such as UND, Minnesota and Wisconsin come into their buildings annually.

But the door is opening for these teams to annually compete for league championships and NCAA tournament berths."

Schlossman goes on to bolster his claim of “opportunity” by chronicling the post-season futility of these so-called traditional bottom-feeders. He then offers Bemidji State and R.I.T. as examples of teams which overcame weaker conference affiliations to ascend to Frozen Four berths in recent years.

If opportunity is to be the selling point for the “Forgotten 10” I will go one better on that: How about doubling that opportunity? Rather than combining forces and settling for one automatic NCAA berth, why not simply add one team to each remaining group to form two six-team conferences and secure two berths in the final 16.

With tensions reportedly already elevated between the camps and talk of an uncomfortable two years ahead, what better way for the afterthought institutions to strike back than to potentially eliminate an at-large option for those that spurned them? In addition, this would double the recruiting exposure of single berth and the additional opportunity becomes an instant recruiting tool.

The WCHA teams would be smart to court a team like Air Force to fill out its roster which makes geographic sense for both parties with Colorado-based Air Force currently residing in the Atlantic Hockey Association. It would also pit Serratore vs. Serratore with Air Force's Frank and Bemidji State's Tom squaring off four times annually. The CCHA, on the other hand, could possibly pluck Alabama-Huntsville from the independent scrap heap or attempt to lure another team from out east.

If those scenarios were to occur, competitive re-alignments Schlossman suggested could be considered but with a slightly different twist. For instance, an Alaska-Fairbanks move to the WCHA would fuel its natural rivalry with Anchorage and Michigan Tech joining the CCHA raises the stakes for meetings with fellow Michigan foes Ferris State, Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan.

Here’s how things could look in a couple of years:

WCHA	CCHA
Bemidji State	Northern Michigan
St. Cloud State	Lake Superior State
Minnesota State	Ferris State
Alaska-Anchorage	Michigan Tech
Alaska-Fairbanks	Bowling Green
Air Force Academy or ???	Alabama-Huntsville or ???

I’m using existing conference names for simplicity’s sake but it wouldn’t surprise me at all that, if they chose not to conjoin, they might decide to re-brand themselves and opt for fresh starts.

The common threads in favor of a so-called “Super League”, or “Siouxper League” as Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press jokingly suggested, revolve around three key components. Stories by the Duluth News-Tribune’s Kevin Pates, the Colorado Springs Gazette’s Joe Paisley, and Omaha World-Herald’s Chad Purcell all point to potential post season revenue, recruiting benefits, and television exposure which will theoretically rival what the Big Ten Network will provide its members.

As the chorus of a familiar song goes, “two out of three ain’t bad.” Where is this television exposure going to come from? Denver is the largest media market among the renegade group and the Pioneers were televised regionally a grand total of 12 times in the regular season last year. Colorado College games were telecast locally or regionally 11 times live and three times on tape delay in 2010-2011.

I found no evidence of either Notre Dame or Miami being televised last season while defending-national-champion UMD was on TV 15 times locally. But four of those games were against what will be former in-state rivals Minnesota and St. Cloud State while three others were against future non-conference opponent Wisconsin.

North Dakota was the only team I could find which at least had its entire home schedule televised with those not on Fox College Sports carried regionally on the Fighting Sioux Network.

But with the lack of major markets, the absence of the Big Ten schools, and, let’s face it, the fact that college hockey remains a niche sport, from where is the clamor to sign this league to a noteworthy television package going to emanate?

Exclusively inside the greed-driven, self-serving minds of a handful of delusional athletic directors whose regard for the sport as a whole appears to be dwindling.

Yeo's Houston Successor a Great Choice, Enjoy Him While He Lasts

2011-07-05T15:23:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the beautiful shores of Minnesota's Leech Lake. God's country in other words. Sand is filtering between my toes as I type this.

When the Minnesota Wild promoted Houston Aeros coach Mike Yeo to replace departed Wild coach Todd Richards last month the move filled one whole but created another within the organization. That situation was rectified with today's the announcement that veteran NHL assistant John Torchetti has been hired to guide Minnesota's top farm club this season.

That Torchetti got the job somewhat caught me off guard if only because his wasn't one of the names I'd seen bandied about. The candidates most mentioned were former Columbus Blue Jackets assistant Gary Agnew, San Jose Sharks assistant Trent Yawney, and Calgary Flames assistant Ryan McGill; none of which did a whole lot for me.

Torchetti, on the other hand, is a pleasant surprise and an outstanding choice. Early on in the Wild's search for a Richards replacement, Torchetti--along with Yeo and University of Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves--was on my personal short list of favored candidates. I've already had my say in this forum about what turned out to be the runner-up candidates for the Wild job.

I believe Torchetti to be the ideal man to carry the torch of accountability that Yeo lit last season and train Minnesota's prospects to be professional in every sense of the word. I look for the Aeros to continue to be extremely competitive under Torchetti as well.

All of this, of course, leads to the one potential drawback of this choice: Torchetti's tenure may be short, as little as one season. If he has the success I think he'll have in Houston, Torchetti will be a sizzling-hot commodity in next spring's coaching carousel. Enjoy him while you can Wild/Aeros fans.

The John Torchetti File:

Age: 46
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Most-recent Employer/Position: Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)/Associate Coach
Prior NHL Experience/Capacity:

Chicago (2007-08 to 2009-10)/Assistant
Los Angeles (2005-06)/Assistant
Florida (2002-03 to 2003-04)/Assistant
Tampa Bay (1999-00 to 2000-01)/Assistant

Playing Career:

532 points (258 goals, 274 assists) in 359 minor league games over seven seasons with the Carolina Thunderbirds (ACHL, AAHL, ECHL), Virginia Lancers (ACHL), Binghamton Whalers (AHL) and Winston-Salem Thunderbirds (ECHL) from 1984-85 to 1990-91.

Havlat Secures Independence From Wild

2011-07-04T16:43:00.002-05:00

With the sandy shoreline and vast expanse of Leech Lake’s sky-blue water providing a glorious backdrop on a hot, sunny Fourth of July at Red Wing Lodge, my thoughts, of course, are focused squarely on hockey. Much of that mindset is simply attributable to my obsession with the sport, but the odd timing has its own explanation.

Last night my traditional Independence Day festivities with family, including a deep-fried turkey dinner and an amateur fireworks display, were disrupted when my phone was besieged with Twitter-related texts. It was a sign of something big.

As America celebrates its national independence and honors those whose sacrifices made it possible let us not forget the subject of those tweets; a certain Czech Republic native rejoicing in his own freedom on this very day.

Sunday night’s trade between the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks sending Martin Havlat to the Sharks in exchange for Dany Heatley—the second such blockbuster deal between the two teams in just over a week—finally makes right a wrong that Havlat, in my mind, feels he committed two years ago.

Havlat, who never seemed truly comfortable with his decision to sign with the Wild and whose abrasive relationship with former Wild coach Todd Richards was well documented, likely had the shackles of playoff futility removed with the change of scenery. Havlat was an enigma to me throughout his tenure in Minnesota with his maddening inconsistency and his insistence on passing the puck in clear shooting situations.

Those like me who salivated 24 months ago at the thought of an explosive pairing of Havlat and Mikko Koivu providing offensive fireworks were, sadly, treated to a dud. With neither being what you would call a pure scorer the combination, like Havlat’s with the Wild as a whole, was not a good fit.

In Heatley, the Wild gets a shooter with a scorer’s touch who may not fly down the wing with Havlat’s electrifying flair, but will use his 6’4”, 220 Lb. frame to go to the net and finish. But Heatley’s not without his flaws as his sub-par playoff performances with the Sharks (five goals and 22 points in 32 games) would indicate and, of the three times Heatley’s been traded in his career, this is the first he hasn’t forced upon his team.

On the other hand, Heatley has proven in the past he can score in the post season. With Ottawa in 2005-06 he notched 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) in 10 games and followed that up with 22 points (7, 15) over 20 games in 2006-07. So, like Havlat, maybe a change of uniform does Heatley good and allows him to regain his post-season scoring touch.

That’s assuming, however, Minnesota makes a return to the playoffs sometime before Heatley’s contract expires three seasons from now. This move, in conjunction with the Wild’s recent acquisition of Heatley’s San Jose teammate Devin Setoguchi and prospect Charlie Coyle, is a step in that direction.

Guentzel Return a Boost to Gopher Fan Morale

2011-06-28T01:01:00.002-05:00

The University of Minnesota men's hockey team is now three years removed from its last appearance in the NCAA tournament and hasn't won a game at the NCAA's since defeating Air Force 4-3 on March 24, 2007. Couple that with the recent revelation that Golden Gopher hockey season ticket holders will now be required to pay a premium simply for the right to buy their tickets and fan angst is at its highest level since the final morbid days of the Doug Woog era.

John Hill
GopherSports.com

Gopher fans desperately needed a shot in the arm and appear to have gotten it by way of assistant-coach John Hill's departure coinciding with the rumored return of former Gopher assistant Mike Guentzel. The news hasn't exactly pacified those calling for Don Lucia's head but it seems to have stirred some interest in a once-proud program which finished last season with consecutive home playoff losses to 'powerful' Alaska-Anchorage.

Rumored all weekend, the move was made official late Sunday night when the University of Minnesota released a statement saying simply that Hill would not return for the 2011-12 season. There were those at last weekend's NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul who suggested that recent contract extension discussions between Lucia and Gopher A.D. Joel Maturi may have hinged upon an changes to Lucia's staff.

Don Lucia

Whatever the reason for the change it had to be made both from P.R. and competitive standpoints. Prying Guentzel away from Dean Blais' side in Omaha to replace Hill is a scenario which for many Gopher fans could only be topped by pairing Guentzel with Blais on Minnesota's bench.

Mike Guentzel
GopherSports.com

Unfairly or not, Hill has long been dogged by the reputation that Lucia's coattails were all that kept him afloat in the coaching ranks. Guentzel, on the other hand, has been looked upon as a coach with D1 head-coaching potential. In fact, Guentzel did sandwich one season as head coach of the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers between a season as an assistant at Colorado College and this past year with Blais.

The facts are that other than the four years (2001-2005) in which he served as head coach of Alaska-Anchorage, Hill has been a member of the Gopher staff for eight of Lucia's 12 seasons at Minnesota. Unfortunately for Hill that four-year span also happens to include Minnesota's only Frozen Four appearances in the Lucia era. Hill returned to the Gophers for the 2005-06 season; a season in which Minnesota entered the NCAA tournament as the #1 seed but lost in the first round to . . . . never mind, it's not important.

vintageminnesotahockey.com

On the other hand, Guentzel and current St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko were there for all three Frozen Fours including, of course, both of Minnesota's national titles under Lucia. Additionally, Minnesota recent streak of NCAA tournament futility began the season after Guentzel and Lucia not-so-amicably parted ways in the spring of 2008.

Since then the Gophers have played a frustratingly inconsistent and dispassionate brand of hockey especially considering the talent at Lucia's disposal. Minnesota badly needs an infusion of energy, heart, and guts to restore its mojo and regain its swagger. Guentzel is a coach who is capable of nurturing those attributes and aiding in steering the Gophers back toward the path to prominence.

I read a suggestion today that one thing at which Hill excelled was the between-periods interview on Fox Sports North and I agree he appeared comfortable in front of the camera. Considering the painfully embarrassing commentator du jour FSN forced viewers to endure last season John Hill might just be the right guy for that full-time gig.

2011 Frozen Ponderings NHL Mock Draft

2011-06-20T18:30:00.000-05:00

With the 2011 NHL Entry Draft this weekend taking place a mere 15.5 miles from my home the proximity--along with some help from the NHL--is allowing me to cover the draft for the first time. In honor of the occasion I decided to craft my first-ever mock draft for the pure fun of it and see how it goes.
To be perfectly honest, I haven't seen a lot of these guys play but I've browsed a few of these things across the web and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that regard. So I figured what the hell, why not jump into the mix? Without further adieu, I bring you the inaugural Frozen Ponderings NHL Mock Draft:

#	Notes	Player
1		Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Red Deer (WHL)
2		Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Kitchener (OHL)
3		Jonathan Huberdeau, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
4		Adam Larsson, D, Skelleftea (SWE)
5		Dougie Hamilton, D, Niagara (OHL)
6		Ryan Strome, C, Niagara (OHL)
7		Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville (QMJHL)
8		Nathan Beaulieu, D, Saint John (QMJHL)
9	(via TOR)	Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener (OHL)
10		Mika Zibanejad, C, Djurgarden (SWE)
11	(via STL)	Duncan Siemens, D, Saskatoon (WHL)
12		Sven Baertschi, LW, Portland (WHL)
13		Mark McNeill, C, Prince Albert (WHL)
14		Joel Armia, RW, Assat (FIN)
15		Mark Scheifele, C, Barrie (OHL)
16		Joseph Morrow, D, Portland (WHL)
17		Jamieson Oleksiak, D, Northeastern (HE)
18		Zack Phillips, C, Saint John (QMJHL)
19	(via LAK)	Jonas Brodin, D, Farjestad (SWE)
20		Boone Jenner, C, Oshawa (OHL)
21	(via NSH)	Nicklas Jensen, LW/RW, Oshawa (OHL)
22		Tomas Jurco, RW, Saint John (QMJHL)
23		Brandon Saad, LW, Saginaw (OHL)
24		Oscar Klefbom, D, Farjestad (SWE)
25	(via PHI)	Vladislav Namestnikov, C, London (OHL)
26		Christopher Gibson, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
27		Scott Mayfield, D, Youngstown (USHL)
28		Alexander Khokhlachev, C, Windsor (OHL)
29		Matt Puempel, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
30	(via BOS)	Tyler Biggs, RW, USA U-18 (USHL)

Fletcher Tabs Yeo to Take Reigns of the Wild

2011-06-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

Mike Yeo

With the Minnesota Wild reportedly naming Mike Yeo the organization’s third head coach on Friday morning I wanted to toss in my two cents on the subject. This is a crucial hire for General Manager Chuck Fletcher as it will have a profound effect on the length of Fletcher’s tenure in Minnesota. Fletcher can make all the shrewd personnel moves he wants but if Yeo, who coached the Wild's Houston Areos AHL farm club this past season, is not the right man to guide those players Fletcher’s work will have been for naught and it will cost him his job.

While I still feel that Todd Richards is a good man and a good coach who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, his hiring became strike one for Fletcher. I don’t see Wild owner Craig Leipold’s patience to be such that he’d be inclined to offer a third.

Hindsight will eventually tell us whether Fletcher’s decision to hire Yeo is an indication of poor judgment or testicular fortitude. I’m going to lean toward the latter in this case simply because I wasn’t all that enamored with the alternatives.

It appears Yeo was one of three finalists with former Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish thought to be the front-runner and NHL-retread Ken Hitchcock also in the mix. Here are my thoughts on the runners up:

Ken Hitchcock

Hitchcock was a disaster waiting to happen behind the Wild bench. With Minnesota’s cap issues and dearth of overall skill the team is going to have to go young and hope to grow into a contender the way the Blackhawks did. Although Hitchcock undoubtedly would have provided the structure and discipline the Wild lacked the past two years, his rigid style and abrasive demeanor do not lend themselves to breeding young talent. One veteran I spoke to who played many of his 1000+ NHL games for Hitchcock told me that Hitch was, “the worst coach he ever played for.” He added that one future NHL star in particular nearly had his career derailed before it got started under Hitchcock’s tutelage but began to blossom shortly after Hitch’s departure. Finally, his conservative style has not had much post-lockout success.
MacTavish was the “nookie blankie” pick. The safe choice. Just look at him with the graying, receding hairline combined with the glasses to make him look all cerebral. Who couldn’t trust this guy to lead your team? I know I could if it had come to that. None of the candidates had more championship experience than MacTavish and the guy has proven he can coach considering how much he got out of those Edmonton teams he had. But I wondered whether he would have the stomach for a rebuilding project with another small-market team at this stage of his career especially with his recent health issues coming to light. Wouldn’t he be a better fit for a team just a few puzzle pieces from contention?

Craig MacTavish

Yeo was clearly the “Wild” card in this coaching search. There is no doubt (copyright Jacques Lemaire) that Yeo’s hiring will draw inevitable comparisons to that of Todd Richards, albeit unfairly. As the Minneapolis StarTribune’s Michael Russo points out, their pedigrees and styles are vastly different.

Admittedly Yeo presents Fletcher with the greatest risk among the three candidates due to the unknown which comes with his relatively limited background. He could, however, provide the biggest reward for the same reason. No one knows yet how good he could be.

No one is more familiar with the Wild’s young talent base than Yeo who as coach of the Aeros guided players like Casey Wellman, Cody Almond, Marco Scandella, Colton Gillies, Brett Bulmer, and Nate Prosser to within one win of the AHL’s Calder Cup in 2011. The players who will be charged with the task of getting the Wild back to the post-season know, and more importantly, believe in Yeo.

The question remains whether Yeo will be able succeed where Richards failed, in my opinion, to command the respect of Minnesota’s veterans in the dressing room. But I believe his considerable experience with a Pittsburgh team filled with strong personalities while making two runs to the finals should be enough to give him the credibility he needs, at least initially.

Like it or not Wild fans—and many won’t—Chuck Fletcher has hitched his wagon to another coach with no NHL head-coaching experience who will either guide the team to the playoff frontier or the bottom of the canyon…the hard way. I believe he’s handed the reigns to the right man for the job at the right time for the franchise.

History Will Be Made and Canuckleheads Doomed to Repeat it

2011-06-16T11:48:00.000-05:00

There was roughly five minutes remaining in Boston’s Stanley Cup-clinching 4-0 win over Vancouver last night when it happened. I glanced down at my Twitter feed to see a tweet from @nickinnewyork of “Hitting The Post” blog fame.

NiNY posted this:

Go crazy, Boston! This game is over!

To which my response was:

But could you do it without burning/breaking shit please?

As it turns out, the jubilant Bostonians could do just that; but my plea was woefully misdirected. I should have been begging Vancouver fans for a demonstration of class and restraint. Instead I was witness to an unrestrained demonstration of classlessness by Canuckleheads who terrorized the streets of their beautiful city into the wee hours leaving a path of flames and debris in their wake.

In retrospect I did, in fact, wonder what could come of 100,000 emotion-surfing zealots crammed into a small area no matter who ultimately won the game and hoisted the history-etched grail. But considering the rioting which occurred following Vancouver’s game-seven loss to the Mark Messier-led New York Rangers in 1994, I hoped cooler heads would prevail.

However, in the words of Spanish philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and most of those I saw involved in the mayhem were far too young to remember what was perpetrated by their predecessors.

I find it sad that a great series of dramatic hockey, with multiple storylines throughout, will be remembered most—at least by the fringe fan the league is trying to convert—for dirty hits, serious injury, and the actions of several thousand yahoos with zero respect for the game.

For those of us for whom this game is our passion it was a thoroughly enjoyable series to watch. It was a series filled with dramatic goals, game-changing hits, emerging stars, vanishing stars, trash talking, brilliant goaltending, and some not-so-brilliant goaltending.

What a shame its memory will be marred by a slovenly mob for which the term douchebag could not be more fitting.

http://kitskam.com/

Boogey Man's Impact Greater on the Heart Than the Head

2011-05-14T03:58:00.000-05:00

Gentle giant. Teddy bear. Soft spoken. All words used to describe a 6-8 behemoth of a man who after lacing up a pair of skates and donning a sweater adorned with the number 24 was transformed into "The Boogey Man".

The late Derek Boogaard's legacy will not be one of highlight-reel goals, tape-to-tape passes, or dazzling puck-handling maneuvers. But neither will it be one of punishing body checks, pugilistic dominance, or the sheer terror of his on-ice persona, all things for which he was best known publicly.

What has become abundantly clear in the short time since the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Michael Russo broke the news of Boogaard's death is that he will be best remembered by those who knew him off the ice for his gentle demeanor, sense of humor, and his loyal friendships. My Twitter feed exploded in the hours just after the news broke with heart-wrenching tweets praising the Boogey Man for his character as a friend and teammate as they mourned his passing.

In the interest of full disclosure, count me among those, however few we are, who did not have a problem with New York Rangers GM Glen Sather signing Boogaard to what I found to be a mind-boggling four-year, $6.5 million contract.

I simply thought that the million dollars the Minnesota Wild were spending on Boogaard's 5-6 minutes of ice time could have been better allocated by Minnesota. But my opinion wasn't solely based upon his limited ice time. The list of willing partners on Boogaard's dance card had also dwindled to such a degree that his impact on the game had diminished in those few precious minutes. Tack on Boogaard's injury history and I was more than comfortable with the Wild letting him go.

Well, as the saying goes, opinions vary and one dissenting view in particular was most memorable. Prior to the Wild's pre-season loss to the Phildelphia at Xcel Energy Center on September 25, 2010, I discussed Boogaard's departure with Flyers' tough guy Jody Shelley in the press box.

After sharing my thoughts with Shelley, he insisted to me that Minnesota would miss the intangibles he brought to the Wild and his on-ice presence. After suffering through some lifeless efforts this past season, Shelley may have had a point. On the other hand, Shelley is also a member of a dying breed of old-school enforcers, as was Boogaard, who want nothing more than to maintain a place in the NHL.

But Shelley, who tops Boogaard's list of most-frequent foes with six bouts between them, knew more than anyone what the Boogey Man was capable of bringing to a game. When I reminded him of their history and the potential for more with the two becoming first-time divisional rivals in 2010/2011, Shelley nodded his head, smiled, and said, "Yeah, I ain't shy of him."

Shyness was never a problem for Boogaard either, at least not on the ice. Goodbye gentle giant, may your true legacy live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved you.

Once a Hot Commodity, Richards Was in Wrong Place at Wrong Time

2011-04-13T10:02:00.004-05:00

Happier times for Fletcher and Richards

Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher awoke Monday morning with the knowledge that within hours he would be terminating the employment of the man who just two years prior was his choice to lead the Wild back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Given their history—the pair shared a previous GM/Head Coach relationship for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL from 2006-2008—relieving Todd Richards of his head coaching duties had to have been difficult for Fletcher but, ultimately, he had no choice.

In the spring of 2009, Richards was the next big thing in coaching circles having parlayed a successful (albeit brief) AHL coaching run into a spot alongside Todd McLellan behind the bench of the San Jose Sharks. Richards was lauded for his work on a Presidents-Trophy-winning San Jose team which tied with the Boston Bruins for the league lead in wins with 53.

Richards on hiring day

Upon his hiring by Minnesota, Richards' promises of an up-tempo, attacking style of play were music to the ears of many Wild fans that were eager for a contrast from Jacques Lemaire's successful, but highly-structured, transition-oriented offense. But there were also those, myself included, extremely skeptical of how such a system could be implemented with a roster largely comprised of players chosen for and accustomed to the ways of Lemaire.

Despite intermittent periods of success, the experiment was an overall failure. Putting it bluntly, Xcel Energy Center fans have been exposed to two seasons of square peg/round-hole syndrome. That's not to say that Richards' tactics could not be successful, because I truly believe they could in the right environment.

Just not here.

Just not now.

Not at this stage of the Wild's development, or lack thereof (thank you Doug Risebrough). Between poorly-conceived contracts, disastrous draft picks, miserable trades (Fletcher included here), and an injury plagued prima donna star who was lost for nothing, Fletcher has been and will continue to be handcuffed in his efforts to infuse the all-star-caliber talent required for Minnesota to be a factor regardless of who mans the bench.

Is Richards playing fall guy for egregious managerial miscalculations over the course of several years? To some degree he most certainly is. But owner Craig Leipold has too much invested in this team—and too much more to lose—to not reap the reward of even a brief playoff run so, with the limitations personnel-wise faced by Fletcher, Richards became the sacrificial lamb.

Talent issues aside, however, Richards just wasn’t ready for this job at this stage of his career. He was protective of his players to a fault which I never understood because players up and down the roster routinely gave the man such half-hearted efforts you almost wished he could channel an inner Don Cherry from time to time.

Additionally, reading between the lines from player comments, covering their behinds never garnered him complete command of the dressing room. I never got the sense Richards was in full control of his team whether I was observing him on the bench or sitting in on one of his press conferences. At various times he appeared unsure, perplexed, anxious, and overwhelmed.

With decreasing attendance, fan interest, and a correlating decline in corporate support, something had to be done to dress the franchise’s gaping wound. At this point, even the illusion of progress would be a step in the right direction toward mending those relationships.

Team of 18,000?

That said, this is a crucial hire for Chuck Fletcher because A) the right choice could revive an organization which, despite its relatively mediocre success, was once considered a model franchise and B) the wrong choice would likely put Fletcher’s own job in jeopardy.

Who should be behind home bench at Xcel Energy Center this fall? I have my own ideas on that subject including a few which many might find surprising. But that’s for another day.

Wild No Longer Taking a Back Seat On Local Airwaves

2011-04-06T15:38:00.005-05:00

As a hockey fan and hockey dad who finds himself spending hundreds of hours driving to and from arenas throughout the winter I applaud the Minnesota Wild's move from WCCO to KFAN as its flagship radio home. As a Twin Cities resident, I follow the Wild closely and I cover their home games as my schedule permits but the previous situation made it difficult many times when traveling.

The Wild has spent 10 seasons allowing WCCO to treat them like a red-headed stepchild, preempting Wild games in favor of University of Minnesota sports along with political events already being covered by dozens of other outlets.

Clear Channel Minneapolis Operations Manager Gregg Swedberg assured me that, while conflicts may still arise--Vikings and Gopher football are also carried by KFAN--the station and the Wild will work in tandem to make every effort to avoid them.

"I think we counted three potential conflicts this year," said Swedberg in an email. "One of the reasons the Wild left ‘CCO, from what we’ve been told, is that WCCO had no problem with moving the games. We really do not want to do it, and with only football to compete with, we don’t think we’ll have to."

But, as Swedberg added, if games are moved they are shifted to KOOL 108 FM's 100,000 watt signal.

In contrast, 'CCO made matters worse by moving Wild games to low-powered sister stations (BOB 106.1 FM and La Mera Buena 107.5 FM) offering ridiculously poor reception in such distant locales such as downtown St. Paul. I have literally found it easier to pick up NHL games out of Chicago, Detroit, Denver, or Montreal (in French no less) over the years than a broadcast emanating from my hometown.

I know, I know, there are environmental factors which contribute to this--ionospheric conditions this and skywave effect that--which require most 50,000 watt stations, including KFAN (but not WCCO), to reduce power after sunset. But any self-respecting NHL franchise would not be content with the quality of reception provided to fans of the Minnesota Wild by its radio partners on many occasions throughout the years.

"For 90% of the metro, our night signal works," said Swedberg. "It’s not WCCO, we know. But it’s probably the second best signal in town at night. We also run our signal on 103.5 (FM), which covers the downtowns very well, even if it never gets past the 494-694 loop. But it does offer indoor coverage downtown, which WCCO can’t do, being an AM."

Yet another plus to the switch is that KFAN is retaining the current on-air trio of Bob Kurtz, Tom Reid, and Kevin Falness promising the Wild a seamless transition to its new home. Some may not agree with that assessment but I find Kurtz enjoyable to listen to much like I did growing up with him calling Minnesota Twins baseball and Minnesota North Stars games on television.

While I'm not as enamored with Reid--it would help if he'd remove the phrase "that point position" from his lexicon--he's somewhat of a local icon and has good chemistry with Kurtz. Falness and his face-defying voice has grown on me as has his jousting with Wild StarTribune beat-writer Michael Russo on Twitter. Combine those three with a deeper set of hockey analysts than WCCO ever had and Swedberg, a life-long hockey fan, is excited by the programming possibilities.

"I think it will be great for hockey fans, as we really want to use Tom, Bob and Kevin on our station as regular guests," said Swedberg. "With Lou Nanne, Kevin Gorg, Pat Micheletti, Nate Miller, Brandon Mileski and our regular hosts (who know more hockey than they’ve shown), I would look for the Fan to really step up."

On the surface, it appears that KFAN will offer the Minnesota Wild, and NHL hockey in general, something the franchise has lacked since its inception: a flagship radio station which treats the team as a valued asset. It's too bad it took 10 seasons for it to come to fruition but, as Swedberg says, it wasn't for lack of will on KFAN's part.

"One of our biggest frustrations is that we never even had the opportunity to pitch the Wild before this year. Because all the sports deals came up at the same time, and because frankly, WCCO wasn’t aggressive enough, we were able to get in front of the team."

Arctic Experience Keeps Ranum Cool Under Pressure

2011-03-24T00:35:00.000-05:00

Having once competed on a playing surface requiring a perimeter of armed guards keeping watch for the odd curious polar bear, Micah Ranum knows a thing or two about competing under pressure in adverse conditions.

Photo by Tim Kolehmainen

So trailing by two goals to two-time defending state champion Breck with one period to play in the state tournament quarterfinals wasn’t enough to rattle the Thief River Falls senior forward.

After a relatively quiet first two periods, the Prowlers’ leading scorer contributed two critical points—each in a dramatic five-goal third period blitz—to his team’s 7-5 come-from-behind victory over the Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the Minnesota Class AA boys' hockey tournament.

This wasn’t the first time Ranum had found himself in a dramatic setting.

When Ranum’s father accepted a position with Arctic Cat in Alaska following his sixth-grade year, he and his family spent the next four years living in the last frontier. While Ranum continued his hockey career there, it was another sport which provided his most memorable moment in Alaska.

Ranum was fortunate to have had the unique experience of playing in the first ever football playoff game north of the Arctic Circle. But the polar bear threat was not the only obstacle to overcome that day on that slick Barrow, Alaska turf.

“We played in a foot of snow and they were shoveling the field as we were playing,” said Ranum with a grin. “It was miserable as can be but I would do it all over again. I got to experience a whole different side of the world, it’s pretty amazing up there.”

Ranum’s performance against Breck—both on and off the ice—after the second period was pretty amazing itself.

Thief River Falls jumped out to a 2-1 first-period lead before Breck stormed back in the second with three goals of its own to carry a 4-2 lead into the final period. By all appearances, it would be a steep climb for the inexperienced Prowlers to catch and overtake the tournament-tested Mustangs. But Thief River’s captain refused to believe that and impressed it upon his teammates during the second intermission.

“I basically tried to keep everybody’s heads up,” said Ranum. “You can’t be down after that. It’s the state tournament, anything can happen and we proved that tonight.”

“Every once in a while you’ve just got to kick yourself in the butt and get your guys going,” added Ranum. “I’m not always the best with the vocal [leadership], it’s more with the show by example and I just didn’t quite get my chances in the first and in the third I just buried them. A little luck always helps.”

After an early third-period goal pulled the Prowlers within one at 4-3, a hooking penalty at 3:37 on Thief River’s Riley Soderstrom could have provided a momentum-crushing blow. But Ranum won the ensuing defensive-zone face off initiating a breakout which culminated 13 seconds later with Ranum assisting on Ryan Crosson’s game-tying goal.

Photo by Tim Kolehmainen

“Everything just fell into place for us because we just kept moving our feet, kept with the system, and everything paid [off],” said Ranum who initially wasn't supposed to take the draw but stepped in when the linesman tossed Crosson from the dot.

Breck coach Les Larson called the goal “a killer.”

“That’s a double momentum switch. You know, you’re supposed to get one and they get one,” said Larson. “Believe it or not I think that’s the first short-handed goal we’ve given up all year.”

“I thought that was a big one,” said Thief River Falls coach Tim Bergland. “We were within a goal, we had just scored, and then to get that short-handed goal was a big goal for us. Then obviously we had a lot of penalty left to kill. Once we killed that I liked the way we were going and we had a lot of momentum.”

After Derek Kayser gave Thief River Falls its first lead since the first minute of the second period Ranum’s goal with 2:15 remaining was thought to be an insurance goal. But the tally became the winning goal when Breck’s Thomas Lindstrom scored shorthanded for the Mustangs’ final goal just a minute later.

It was the second game-deciding goal in as many games for Ranum whose goal was also the difference in the Prowlers’ 3-1 win over Warroad in the Section 8A final. But Ranum humbly shrugged it off after the game.

“A goal’s a goal,” said Ranum. “It’s all for the team.”

The Prowlers' dream of capturing their first-ever state title was thwarted in a 5-0 semifinal loss on Friday to eventual Class A champion St. Thomas Academy. Determined not to head home empty handed, however, Thief River Falls bounced back on Saturday morning to shut out Hibbing/Chisholm 3-0 for third place to capture its first state hockey tournament trophy of any sort in school history.

A trophy made possible in part by the the third-period heroics of Thief River Falls' captain whose ice-water veins are of Arctic Ocean origin.

Objects In Mirror Closer Than They Appear

2010-11-25T20:15:00.000-06:00

Wild trending toward familiar spot in draft lottery

At first glance, the Minnesota Wild’s 10-8-2 record appears palatable considering their proximity (two points as of Thanksgiving Day) to the eighth and final playoff spot. But it’s not nearly that simple.

That record has been built on a foundation of good fortune and good—at times, great—goaltending which is showing all the signs of crumbling under the weight of a massive structure of physical and mental errors for which the coaching staff seemingly has no answers.

Turnovers, poor coverage, and lack of skill—or will in the case of some players—have resulted in an abuse of what has so far been strong play in goal by Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore. Minnesota’s goaltenders have faced in excess of 30 shots in 13 of 20 games thus far and to expect them to maintain their high level of play is a lot to ask considering the quality of shots to which each has been subjected.

In 20 games, Minnesota has been outshot 19 times and the margins have not been close. In its past three games against the Red Wings, Rangers, and Flyers, Minnesota has been outshot by a cumulative 102-71 including 47-10 in second periods alone.

Wednesday’s 6-1 loss at home to the Philadelphia was a microcosm of Minnesota’s problems all season. A first-period power play resulted in no shots on goal as Wild players seemed satisfied to play a game of around-the-horn with the puck. It’s been a season of shots not taken in lieu of making that one extra pass which, of course, results in a turnover.

But the Wild’s shooting woes are a not only a function of quantity but also of quality. “We had a couple [of] two-on-ones and don’t execute, don’t get shots,” lamented Wild coach Todd Richards after the loss to Philadelphia. “Going by the official stats we had 17 missed shots tonight.”

“You have to put pucks on net,” added Richards. “You’ve got no chance of scoring if you’re shooting it wide.”

Making matters worse was the fact that many of the missed shots Minnesota fired toward Bobrovsky were released from high-percentage scoring areas. This team is not skilled enough offensively to waste opportunities the way it does night after night. I suppose that’s the point, though; they’re not good enough to bury them either.

But shooting issues and the correlating dearth of scoring are only magnified when combined with a penchant for puck giveaways and positional problems. The Flyers currently have the NHL’s best record making them difficult to beat on a team’s best night much less one when they are the beneficiary of the many gifts Minnesota was willing to present on Wednesday.

"We knew there were some things we had to tighten up on and get better at," said Wild RW Cal Clutterbuck. "Even when we were winning games we were getting out-shot and said this stuff was going to come back and bite us sooner or later. We've just got to take care of the puck. It comes down to that."

A frustrated Wild C John Madden talked after the game about Minnesota’s poor puck care and lack of focus at times. “It’s kind of the trend right now,” said Madden.

Brent Burns and Cam Barker turnovers along with coverage breakdowns by Antti Miettinen and Madden all directly resulted in pucks in the Wild net. The two most crucial were Miettinen’s mental error leaving Daniel Briere open to put the Flyers up 3-1 in the final minute of the second and Barker’s giveaway leading to Andreas Nodl’s shorthanded breakaway for a 4-1 margin in the third.

“If we happen to score a goal [on the power play], it’s a one-goal game and you’ve got 12 minutes of hockey left,” said Richards. “They scored the shorthanded goal and that was the backbreaker.”

“We’ve got to be a lot better in a lot of areas. A lot of the goals we just kind of handed to them to be honest with you,” said Madden who was minus-3 on the night. “Myself included; I’ve got to be better on certain things and I’m not pointing fingers by any stretch.”

“If you watch the game over again, you’ll see a lot of their goals were kind of just mistakes on our part, not necessarily great plays on their part.”

Thanks, John, but no thanks. Once is enough for that debacle.

NHL’s Extra Credit Breeds System of Inequity

2010-08-31T01:21:00.001-05:00

The concept of academic extra credit has forever puzzled me. Despite the occasional motivation to exploit it, the notion of offering additional points as a means of atonement for underperformance always felt fundamentally wrong to me.

Academic instructors typically distribute a syllabus at the beginning of each semester which, among other things, outlines the course’s key dates and includes a grading plan which specifies a value by which a student’s performance is ultimately evaluated. The National Hockey League has such an outline which contains similar criteria; although the NHL refers to theirs as a season schedule.

Like the aforementioned syllabus, the NHL’s season schedule consists of key dates otherwise known as games in which the league’s students—referred to as teams—are tested with points awarded dependent upon performance in those “exams”. While the number of tests each team receives is equal, the tests’ cumulative value is not.

How can this be you ask? Extra credit, of course.

For decades the NHL calculated season standings and playoff positioning based on a points system (two points for a win, one for a tie, and none for a loss) rather than the straight win/loss record method employed by Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association. My guess is that this was born of necessity due to the number of games which ended in ties especially prior to—and to an only slightly lesser extent after—the introduction of the five minute overtime period beginning with the 1983-84 season.

Prior to the 1999-00 season, however, the NHL, in its infinite wisdom, instituted a policy of not only granting two points to a team winning in overtime, but also allowing the losing team to earn a point for merely advancing past regulation. Essentially, the league made the conscious decision to reward its teams for underperforming (i.e.-losing) with, yes, extra credit.

Although the tie was rendered obsolete by the 2005-06 post-lockout advent of the shootout, the three-point system for non-regulation games has since remained in effect. Yet games completed in 60 minutes are still only worth two points? How preposterous is it that the outcome of two NHL games played on the same night can have disparate values?

Imagine turning to someone in the top of the 10^th inning of an MLB game and saying, “Well, at least they got their half-win. Hopefully they can get another run and pick up the full win.” Ridiculous, right? That line would sound just as ludicrous if uttered at the opening tip of overtime in an NBA game. But a paraphrased version of that statement is repeated hundreds of times in NHL arenas each season by coaches, players, and fans who are, “just glad to get out of here with at least one point”; a point which, in essence, constitutes a half-win.

NHL GM’s have made it clear on numerous occasions that the additional point is here to stay but have, so far, avoided rectifying an absurd situation with the simple solution of awarding three points for a regulation win. That tiny tweak would place equal value on each of the 1,230 NHL regular season games played each season and finally rid the league of an unfair calculation method.

What would result from such a change? I decided to put the systems to the test and studied the 2009-10 season to find out. Should I have broadened my sampling? Absolutely but, let’s face it, I work for a living and this is what I had time to throw together.

I’ve labeled the calculation method currently used as the Asinine Standings System or ASS for short and branded the alternative as the Equal Value System or EVS.

I’ll begin with the Western Conference where the results only differ slightly:

Legend: DIV=Division; GP=Games Played; W=Wins; L=Losses; OT= Overtime Losses; PTS=Total Points Earned; RW=Regulation Wins; OTW=Overtime Wins

What is evident is that the ASS and EVS standings remain nearly identical with the exception of Vancouver and Chicago flip-flopping positions and trading first-round playoff opponents. A look at the regular season head-to-head data for each scenario reveals no drastic advantage was gained or lost.

The only other variation sees Calgary leaping over St. Louis for the ninth spot based upon five more regulation wins in the EVS. On the other hand, the impact of an equal value system would have been far greater in the Eastern Conference:

Based upon the above comparison one might reasonably conclude that Montreal fans would strongly favor ASS while an endorsement of EVS by Rangers faithful is quite likely. The Canadiens’ magical run to the conference finals would have been over before it began and the sixth seed would have been on the line—rather than elimination—in the infamous season-ending meeting between the Flyers and Rangers.

Simply winning in overtime or a shootout may not have been enough for the Rangers to move up to sixth depending upon tie-breakers. But a regulation win in that instance ensures New York a sixth seed ahead of Philadelphia.

Although the top five seeds remain intact, the evenly-weighted schedule offers the Caps, Devils, and Sabres vastly different and, arguably, far more appealing playoff opponents for three teams stunned by early exits last spring. The following is an example of what could have, and I believe should have, been for fans in Washington, New Jersey, and Buffalo respectively.

The disparity of success in each situation is dramatic. Although watching Scott Hartnell, Jaroslav Halak, and Milan Lucic was enjoyable, I’m not going too far out on a limb to say Alex Ovechkin, Zach Parise, and Thomas Vanek may have occupied more of my attention as the Minnesota spring progressed. EVS may have provided that opportunity.

I even compared data between the two systems to determine how many regulation wins would be required at each point level for each non-playoff team to surpass the eighth seed. I figured this would be where I’d trip myself up but I found that the ASS influence on the playoff race to be negligible. For every team benefiting from ASS in that regard, there was one other creeping closer to a playoff berth with EVS.

Detractors of a three-point system such as GM’s Brian Burke of Toronto and David Poile of Nashville will argue that the current system creates “competitive balance” producing exciting playoff races. To that I respond simply: So what? It is polyester parity forged by a system of inequity which provides incentive for teams to sit on ties, settle for the one point, and take their chances on skating off with the bonus point.

Poile and Burke, however, do not have a problem with that according to what each told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun in December 2009.

"From a manager's standpoint, I'm not so sure I want less parity,” said Poile. “Maybe that's selfish, but I don't know, the games seem pretty exciting to me."

"I think it's a poor idea," said Burke. "There is no shame in battling back for a tie." Burke rambled on to say, "The final minute of regulation, with the [goaltender] out, is a breathless, agonizing, heart-stopping minute filled with tension and drama; overtime is a continuation of the same, and the shootout is agony and ecstasy for the fans. I see no reason to change. I felt this way when my teams were in first place; I feel the same way now."

Apparently that’s the best Mr. Burke, could come up with off the top of his ever-whitening head but I find myself unmoved by his line of reasoning. Wouldn’t the final minutes of a one-goal or tie game at any point—but especially late—in the season be similarly angst-filled and thrilling with a three point all-or-nothing at stake?

Burke is correct; there is no shame in battling back for a tie. But there is in settling for one.

Imagine three teams vying for the final two playoff spots on the season’s last day. One team (let’s call them something like the Maple Leafs) finishes its season with a regulation win earning two points to gain a one-point lead over its rivals (a couple of random teams like the Sabres and Canadiens), over neither of which it holds a tie-breaker advantage.

The Sabres and Canadiens conclude the season playing each other. Tied at two after the second period, they head into the season’s final 20 minutes with the knowledge that an overtime or shootout loss qualifies both for the playoffs but a regulation loser will be eliminated.

How "entertaining" would that third period be watching daump after dump without any chase? How irate would Toronto fans be knowing that a) the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs once again and b) a point system that their very influential GM opposed could have clinched a playoff berth for them?

I’m not advocating something radical like three points for a goal scored from outside the blue line (and you thought you’d seen a neutral zone trap) or goal judges suspended by bungee cords above each net. I’m merely suggesting that each and every NHL regular season game be an equal test of skill, will, risk, and reward.

2010 NHL RDO Camp Yields Mixed Message

2010-08-20T13:49:00.001-05:00

NHL officials, general managers, and media members convened in Toronto Aug. 18-19 at the Maple Leafs’ practice facility in a veritable who’s who of league power players. They gathered to observe 33 projected top 2011 draft prospects competing in scrimmages designed to allow NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Operations Brendan Shanahan and his staff to experiment with 28 prospective rule changes and variations.

Nearly all of these proposals are either too bizarre or radically progressive to ever be heard from again (one faceoff circle centered in each zone, draws conducted by whistle rather than puck drop), but a few caught the eye of those in attendance and the Twittersphere was abuzz with speculation. Much of the discussion centered on potential changes to the icing rule in the quest for increased safety.

What caught my eye, however, was what I perceive to be contradictory philosophies employed in the support and/or rationalization of some of these changes.

The debate over touch or no touch icing has been on the radar of this born and bred Minnesotan since Kurtis Foster’s leg was shattered in a March 20, 2008 collision with San Jose’s Torrey Mitchell as the pair chased down an iced puck at the Shark Tank. The event immediately brought the issue to the forefront of league discussion.

The Minneapolis Star/Tribune’s Michael Russo went so far as to call for the NHL to adopt no-touch icing, a rule in which icing is called immediately as the puck crosses the goal line as is done at the high school and college levels. Russo referenced Al MacInnis, Mark Tinordi, Marty Reasoner, Marco Sturm, Mike Wilson, and Pat Peake as those victimized by the rule in its current form.

But the conversation ultimately died down and the issue resumed its role as a never-seriously-considered general manager’s meeting topic. Shanahan, however, has revived the dialogue by offering GM’s a front row seat to study a compromise: hybrid icing.

On NHL.com, hybrid icing is described as:

A "hybrid" of no touch icing and touch icing. During a potential icing, the linesman, by the time the first man reaches the face off dot, will determine which player would reach the puck first. If it is determined to be the attacking player, icing is waved off. If it is the defending player, icing is blown immediately. (Tie goes to the defender) It basically enables on-ice officials to whistle the play dead avoiding a dangerous collision at the end boards.

Although not likely to be adopted this season, the idea has caught the attention—if not gained the support—of such NHL power brokers as Toronto’s Brian Burke, Florida’s Dale Tallon, Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman, and Ottawa’s Bryan Murray as well as the likes of Dave King and Ken Hitchcock.

Burke addressed this subject with NHL.com’s Dan Rosen:

The race for a loose puck is an exciting play for our fans and we have to keep that play in, but we have to figure out a way to eliminate the injuries to the defensemen," Burke said. "This is something I've put on the GMs agenda now for five years, and the injuries these defensemen get on those plays are often catastrophic. I think we have to change that. I like the hybrid rule. They have used it in the USHL for a couple of years with success. I've studied some video of that, and I think that will work.

Indications are strong that the hybrid icing rule has a chance to be adopted as soon as next season and I would welcome a change which makes the game safer while not entirely robbing fans of the excitement of a puck pursuit.

Although I am not a physician, I am fairly comfortable stating that fatigued players are more susceptible to injury than those who are rested or properly recovered. While hybrid icing is geared toward injury prevention I found it peculiar that, by their design, a few of the other ideas under consideration actually would have the unintended effect of increasing injury risk. This is not the first time the league has traveled down this road.

In its continuing post-lockout effort to seek out avenues for increased goal production, the NHL implemented several rule changes prior to the 2005/2006 season. Among them is the rule which states that, in an icing situation, the offending team is not allowed a line change. The thought process being that tired players are more likely to suffer from physical and mental breakdowns thus creating an advantage for the attacking team.

Concepts presented over the two day event which seem aimed at expanding upon that notion include:

No Change after Off Side – Like the icing rule, line matching is also affected but it keeps gassed players on the ice as well. “keep tired players on the ice” listed among rationale.

No Icing Permitted while Short Handed – While not specifically stated, I assume line changes also not permitted in this case which again keeps tired players on ice.

No Change after Off Side & Face off goes back to offending team's end – Similar to above but more punitive. Again listing “keeping tired players on the ice” as a benefit.

Delayed Penalty Rule – In this case the team committing an infraction “needs to not only gain possession of the puck but also get the puck out of their zone before the referee blows his whistle”. Another effort to harvest goals by cultivating fatigue.

I grew up enjoying the game as it was played in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s so I would be more than happy to see a league-wide bump in goal production. However, I find it hard to understand why league and team officials would look so hard at putting their greatest assets at increased risk of injury in order to achieve that objective.

Will we likely see any or all of these suggestions put into practice any time soon? Probably not. Nevertheless, suggesting hybrid icing as a means to cut down on injuries while examining multiple concepts which indirectly conflict with that goal reeks of a league speaking out of both sides of its mouth.

A Deal's A Deal....Until It Isn't

2010-08-10T02:58:00.006-05:00

Having grown up a sports fan in what is known as a relatively small market (Minneapolis/St. Paul); I have regularly found myself more sympathetic to the front office when it comes to contract negotiations and collective bargaining issues. It’s not that the Calvin Griffiths, Red McCombs’, and—especially—Norm Greens of the world haven’t incensed me on occasions too numerous to mention.

It’s just that when you’ve lost or nearly lost franchises near and dear to your heart, you become more familiar with terms like revenue streams, cost certainty, and luxury taxes and the effect they have on the viability of the teams you follow. I’ve also learned to evaluate a player’s worth in terms of market value versus “this market” value.

I can’t fault a player for seeking out the best deal possible for himself. But I have a huge problem with franchise players and their agents who hold ownership hostage until they secure a contract which prevents management from retaining a quality supporting cast. Of course, at the press conference announcing said signing, they feed the world a line of B.S. about how all they care about is winning a championship.

Winning has become secondary at best among the majority of today’s elite professional athletes over whom the most contentious of collective-bargaining issues are fiercely contested. This reality is what steers me to favor management in nearly all CBA negotiations with the idea that what is bad for prima donna players—and any sports agent on the planet—is generally good for the overall wellbeing of that sport, particularly the small-market franchises.

What inevitably happens, however, is once management gets its way it immediately sets out to find ways to shoot itself in the foot. Most recent case in point: The National Hockey League.

Someone needs to explain to me how NHL owners can justify losing an entire season successfully fighting, in conjunction with league management, for a system which they would ultimately blatantly circumvent. With heavily front-loaded contracts to players like Roberto Luongo, Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger, and Marc Savard including terms likely stretching well beyond their useful playing years, who are these people trying to fool?

But by far the most insultingly laughable attempt to make a mockery of a season-stealing document was the attempted signing of Ilya Kovalchuk by the New Jersey Devils. From this day forward, when I hear or read the word circumvent, my mind will immediately take me back to the image of Kovalchuk and Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello smugly seated before the media looking like the cat that ate the canary.

The 17-year, $102 million agreement between New Jersey and the magical Kovalchuk, whose playoff disappearances precede him, could not have been more transparently cap evasive. It went a little something like this for those who haven’t seen it already:

2010-11: $6 million
2011-12: $6 million

2012-13: $11.5 million

2013-14: $11.5 million

2014-15: $11.5 million

2015-16: $11.5 million

2016-17: $11.5 million

2017-18: $10.5 million

2018-19: $8.5 million

2019-20: $6.5 million

2020-21: $3.5 Million

2021-22: $750,000

2022-23: $550,000

2023-24: $550,000

2024-25: $550,000

2025-26: $550,000

2026-27: $550,000

The deal also came with a no movement (trade, waive, demotion) clause from the contract’s inception through 2016-17 and a no trade clause from 2018-19 through its conclusion leaving one year in which Kovalchuk could be moved by the Devils. But more embarrassing was the $98.5 million over the first 11 years while only $3.5 million is spread out over a final six years in which his age would range from 38-44.

Keep in mind that the annual salary cap figure is calculated by the average salary spread out over the course of the entire term of the contract, $6 million in this case. So while Kovalchuk is drawing these huge salaries, New Jersey has the luxury of retaining a so-called elite player long term with a relatively reasonable cap hit. But if, as expected by everyone (including the parties involved), Kovalchuk were to retire before or during this time, he would stand to lose very little while the Devils, on the other hand, would gain $6 million per year in cap space.

Sounds like a win-win for everyone, right? Except for the spirit of the CBA that is.

Thankfully, rational thought prevailed in this case and the NHL rejected the contract which launched the league and the National Hockey League Players' Association into a binding arbitration process. A process culminating with the Aug. 9, 2010 decision by Arbitrator Richard Bloch to uphold the league’s rejection lending traction to a slippery slope.

In his ruling, Bloch stated:

“the record strongly supports the claim this contract is “intended to, or has the effect” of defeating or circumventing the Salary Cap provisions of the CBA. The overall structure of this SPC reflects not so much the hope that Mr. Kovalchuk will be playing in those advanced years, but rather the expectation that he will not. This is a long contract --17 years -- the longest in NHL history. That, in itself, poses no contractual problem, for the reasons discussed above.18 But Kovalchuk is 27 years old, and the agreement contemplates his playing until just short of his 44th birthday. That is not impossible, but it is, at the least, markedly rare.”

“The record reflects that the result of this SPC, considered in its entirety, is to artificially extend the term of that agreement, thereby decreasing the annual salary cap figure and increasing the Club’s payroll room in a manner that serves to defeat the intentions of the parties as manifested in the Team Payroll Range provisions”

Bloch also addressed the contracts of Luongo, Hossa, Pronger, and Savard:

“It is true, as the Association observes, that the NHL has registered contracts with structures similar to the Kovalchuk SPC PA Exh. 8 reflects a list of 11 multi-year agreements, all of which involve players in their mid to late 30's and early 40's. Most of them reflect reasonably substantial "diveback" (salary reductions that extend over the "tails" of the Agreement). Of these, four such agreements, with players Chris Pronger, Marc Savard, Roberto Luongo, and Marian Hossa reflect provisions that are relatively more dramatic than the others. Each of these players will be 40 or over at the end of the contract term and each contract includes dramatic divebacks.

Pronger's annual salary, for example, drops from $4,000,000 to $525,000 at the point he is earning almost 97% of the total $34,450,000 salary. Roberto Luongo, with Vancouver, has a 12-year agreement that will end when he is 43. After averaging some $7,000,000 per year for the first 9 years of the Agreement, Luongo will receive an average of about 1.2 million during his last 3 years, amounting to some 5.7% of the total compensation during that time period. The apparent purpose of this evidence is to suggest that the League's concern is late blooming and/or inconsistent.”

There was language indicating those contracts would be under review by the NHL which caught me off guard as I thought it strange that a Standard Player's Contract (SPC) already approved and registered by the league could be re-examined with the same scrutiny of the Kovalchuk deal. That was, however, until I researched the CBA and stumbled across Article 26.10(b):

“The Investigator's authority to investigate (i) a possible Circumvention relating to an SPC shall in no way be limited by the fact that such SPC was approved and registered by Central Registry pursuant to Article 11 of this Agreement”

James Mirtle of the Toronto Globe and Mail spoke to several agents troubled by this revelation including this one:

“I’ve never heard of a contract that had been registered and approved and then having that registration withdrawn,” said one agent, who requested to remain anonymous.

“The league has two months now to go after Savard, Pronger and Luongo [whose contract extensions began July 1]. Until they start getting paid, they’ve got two months.”

Reading further in the CBA, that last statement may not be true according to Article 26.10(d):

“There shall be no limitation of time barring the investigation of Circumvention by the Commissioner.”

To make a long story longer, this isn’t over. Ilya Kovalchuk is now an unrestricted free agent again and has currently resumed negotiations with Lamoriello and the Devils while some players have to feel somewhat insecure about their own contractual status. Rest assured, though, legal experts on both sides of the issue have already begun seeking the Holy grail of an arbitration-proof loophole making it difficult to choose which end of the bleachers to cheer from.

Wild Play Game of Hard to Get on Local Airwaves

2010-01-29T01:11:00.002-06:00

A funny thing happened to me tonight as I drove home from a meeting and flipped through the AM radio dial: with the numbers 8, 3, and 0 lit up on my radio face plate, the distinctive sounds of a hockey game in progress were evident immediately.

It struck me as a WCCO anomaly as I’m accustomed to Gopher anything or Presidential politics, among other things, taking precedence on the radio “home” of the Minnesota Wild. But if the dulcet tones of Bob Kurtz’s play-by-play was not evidence enough, Tom Reid’s description of a shot being taken from “…that point position…” proved beyond a reasonable doubt that I was, indeed, listening to the Wild versus the Colorado Avalanche on 50,000 watt radio. By the way, I’ll give a dollar for every watt to the person who successfully removes that phrase from Reid’s on-air lexicon.

24 hours prior, I made a premeditated attempt to catch a few minutes of Minnesota’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on my drive home from my son’s hockey practice. To my dismay—from both a political and fanatical perspective—I was treated to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Don’t get me wrong, any speech by the President of the United States, particularly this one, carries great weight and needs to be made available to the masses through all forms of media available. However, in addition to the multiple broadcast and cable television outlets and the internet, the President’s voice could be heard loud and clear on no less than 18 AM radio stations that night.

I’ll grant you that a few of those stations were audible from great distances via the “Skywave Effect” such as Cincinnati’s WLW (700), Chicago’s WGN (720) and WBBM (780), and Denver’s KOA (850). But all four were crystal-clear as compared to the signal from both of the Wild’s FM outlets; BOB 106.1 and LaMera 107.5. Of course, to be fair, I was listening from the distant locale of…………..White Bear Lake!!!

What I’m trying to say is that if the Wild/Red wings game had been on WCCO there would not have been one person disenfranchised by one less radio station carrying the address. Furthermore, the Minnesota Wild franchise has long needed to quit allowing it to be treated like the red-headed stepchild and sign a broadcast agreement with a radio station which values the Wild as the asset that it truly is.

KSTP (AM 1500) would also provide the Wild with a 50K watt flagship station which already pays close attention to hockey courtesy of StarTribune beat writer Michael Russo's weekly "Russo Radio" appearances. This is unlike a certain "sports radio" station which is already in full-fledged NFL draft coverage and has hitched its wagon to what may not even be the best basketball team in the state.

My passion as a hockey fan who never feels his favorite sport gets its just due may have me a tad over-sensitive about this subject and that's . . . OK.

But it has been a thorn in my side for years with this team and I feel it’s time for the Wild and team Vice-President, Broadcasting and Communications, Bill Robertson to let go of this inferiority complex they suffer from and come to grips with the fact that they are “good enough . . . smart enough . . . and, doggone it, people like” them.

The team deserves much better and, most importantly, so do the fans.

Latendresse Second To No One vs. Penguins

2010-01-13T01:42:00.003-06:00

With the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin—and even Jordan Staal—in the lineup, the tendency would be to expect one of them to be the most dominant player on the ice in any given Pittsburgh Penguins game. You certainly wouldn’t anticipate a 22-year-old second-round draft pick—given up on by the team which selected him—to outshine the star-studded trio in a head-to-head matchup.

But that’s exactly what occurred on Monday night at Xcel Energy Center as Guillaume Latendresse registered a goal and three assists to lead the Wild to a 4-3 victory and a season sweep of the Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins.

Wild/Penguins Game Highlights

Latendresse, acquired by Minnesota from the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 23 in exchange for one of the decade’s biggest first-round busts (Benoit Pouliot), has taken the Wild and the Xcel Energy Center faithful by storm.

The trade has since proved to be Wild GM Chuck Fletcher’s shrewdest move to date from a roster perspective. Martin Havlat was thought to be that player but he has struggled to find his groove here until lately. Havlat’s recent jump in production can be traced—not coincidentally—to his insertion on a line with center Kyle Brodziak and, yes, Guillaume Latendresse.

Since his arrival in Minnesota, Latendresse has 15 (10-5=15) points in 21 games after only registering three points (2-1=3) in 23 games with Montreal, the team which drafted him in the second round (45^th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Latendresse speaks to WCCO radio's Tom Reid post-game

The Wild is now 15-6-0 with Latendresse in the lineup and 8-1-0 when he registers at least one point. If he continues to resurrect his career the way he has, he could (and should) begin to rival Derek Boogaard on the popularity scale. I’ll never understand the Boogaard fascination, but that’s for another blog.

The 6-2, 230 pound native of Saint Catherine, Quebec has been excelling at both ends of the ice. He’s a relentless forechecker and backchecker, can grind along the boards with the best of them, demonstrates remarkable anticipation in the neutral zone, and simply finds a way to get the puck on his stick. Oh and, by the way, the kid can rack up points too. Take that (Montreal Head Coach) Jacques Martin!!! And thanks for taking Pouliot too.

Latendresse, a power forward, was selected in the first round (second overall) of the 2003 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Drummondville Volitgeurs, just one spot behind the player he bested on Monday. . . . Sidney Crosby who, oh by the way, potted two goals of his own to go with one assist in the contest.

Latendresse admits the two have taken very different career paths but, since becoming unshackled from the intense fan and media scrutiny attached to every highly-touted French-Canadian player in Montreal, he has flourished in Minnesota.

Relegated to fourth-line duty with the Canadiens, Latendresse has experienced a dramatic increase in ice time and special teams play while profiting from Head Coach Todd Richards’ attacking style of play. His coach, his teammates, and Wild fans have been reaping the benefits for nearly two months. The question remaining to be answered is: Will it last?

My prediction is yes.

On a personal note, my friend John Dow suffered a heart attack back in October while playing a hockey game at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, MN but was revived by Dr. Evan Domeyer who happened to be on site preparing to play at another of the facility's eight total rinks. The two were honored Monday night prior to the Pittsburgh game and both took part in the traditional pre-game ritual of leading the fans in the "Let's...Play...Hockey" chant. Below is the video of that announcement.

And here's the KARE 11 story on the original incident...

Headin' Back To "The Barn"

2010-01-09T11:03:00.002-06:00

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic as I prepare to revisit the venue in which I managed to complete my career hat trick. To clarify, my youth hockey career in Anoka, MN consisted of three seasons in which I amassed a grand total of three goals; the third and final of which was netted in Elk River, MN.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Oen @ VintageMinnesotaHockey.com

It has been nearly 30 years but, to my rapidly-fading recollection, the old “Barn” in Elk River was quite possibly the most hideously-dilapidated indoor hockey facility I would set foot in until I was introduced to St Mary’s Point and Lily Lake. On the other hand, I may have blocked out many of the gory details which could only be unlocked via intense therapy or hypnosis.

The goals they used at the time—which appeared as if they pre-dated my existence—contained just enough paint residue on the posts to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they indeed were once red. The netting on each goal was nearly the same color as the puck and had nearly as many holes as Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott’s jeans.

Although the leaky roof‘s raindrops bore holes in the ice when outside temps went above freezing, at least it was dimly lit enough for the crevasse’s to not be a distraction. When cold outside, however, few rinks then and now could be considered colder.

As I conclude this from the arena parking lot less than an hour before my son’s B Bantam game against Eden Prairie (with a kid named Leddy on its roster by the way) I have a feeling I’ll find a much-improved Barn than I remember. But it won’t be long before my mind will be wistfully whisked back almost three decades to how it once looked at 6 am on a Saturday morning.

The Elk River community replaced the Barn as its primary ice sheet in 1997 with the construction of the adjacent “Olympic” rink. On one hand I hope my son’s team will remain in the winner’s bracket and play all of their games at Olympic. But a part of me wouldn’t mind seeing him play on a “classic” rink which I played on at the same age.

We’ll see what the weekend brings.

Playoffs? Are You Kidding Me?

2010-01-06T02:46:00.000-06:00

Following its fourth consecutive loss--a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks--the Wild's climb to within three points of the final Western Conference playoff spot is but a distant memory. Now sitting at 43 points--a full 10 points behind eight place Nashville with Detroit and Dallas looming in-between--Minnesota has placed itself in a very precarious position.

With the post-lockout advent of the shootout routinely rewarding teams with a standings point even in a losing cause, overcoming a double-digit deficit in the season's latter half to become playoff eligible is far more difficult than it once was. Toss in a remaining January schedule which includes contests with each of the conference's top six teams (Chicago, San Jose, Calgary, Phoenix, Colorado, and Vancouver) in addition to the Stars, Red Wings, and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh and...let's just say the task becomes even more daunting. It's not over yet but the Wild must get hot against the best of the west if a playoff push is to be made.

* * * * * * * * * *

Although Minnesota didn't play horribly against Chicago, they simply couldn't manage to finish off scoring chances the way elite teams like the Blackhawks find ways to do consistently.

The trio of Kyle Brodziak Guillaume Latendresse, and Martin Havlat were buzzing the Blackhawks' net for much of the night but only Latandresse's ninth goal of the season in the first period eluded Chicago goaltender Cristobal Huet in a 19-save effort. The Latandresse acquisition by GM Chuck Fletcher continues to prove to be among his shrewdest moves thus far.

The Koivu, Brunette, Miettinen line also provided some excitement but, unfortunately, no results. On the other end of the spectrum, however, Greg Zanon, Marek Zidlicky, and Petr Sykora were each minus 2 on the night and Josh Harding continues to lower his value in trade discussions with every appearance.

With Shane Hnidy already serving a holding time for holding, Zanon's delay of game penalty early in the third period led to what essentially boiled down to--despite Hnidy's exit from the box just four seconds earlier--a 5-on-3 goal for Chicago's Patrick Kane merely eight seconds into Zanon's two-minute sentence.

Harding too often ventured out of his crease with terrifying results due to his horrible puck handling. Early in the second Harding stopped a Chicago dump-in behind the net and froze with it for what seemed like an eternity. While his defensemen were expecting him to fling the puck back up the boards to either side, Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks swooped in behind Harding, bumped him off the puck, and fed a pass to Marian Hossa which Hossa buried behind a scrambling Harding.

When Versus color-commentator Billy Jaffe insinuated that a penalty should have been called on the play, my initial reaction was 'For what? Delay of game on Harding?' although I knew he was alluding to the Sharp hit on the Wild back-up netminder.

* * * * * * * * * *

Minnesota's two most recent losses may have provided Minnesotans with a glimpse of this spring's Stanley Cup finalists. The Blackhawks and Devils are as dangerous as any team in their respective conferences and should be considered the favorites to clash come late May/early June.

Chicago has demonstrated a devastating offensive attack while limiting their opponent's chances and they have, surprisingly received excellent goaltending from Huet thus far. If the Frenchman can play anywhere near this level in the playoffs Chicago will be the Western Conference representative over a San Jose Sharks team which, despite the addition of Dany Heatley, still has some post-season demons to exorcise before I'm ready to have much faith in them.

Jacques Lemaire has New Jersey playing that trapping, patient, opportunistic, "boring" style of hockey he coached in Minnesota only with one significant distinction: he has better talent before him on his bench with which to implement said style of play. Lemaire had many critics late in his tenure here--myself among them-- but, although I enjoy watching the more aggressive and risk/reward system now employed by Todd Richards, it's hard to argue with the results coming out of Newark these days.

* * * * * * * * * *

Keeping the Game Safer by Looking Both Ways

2009-11-04T00:29:00.000-06:00

As passionate as I am about the game of hockey I received a reminder tonight of its dangerous potential while watching my son's B Bantam game earlier this evening. Two of my son's teammates suffered varying degrees of head/neck/back injuries with both exiting the arena on gurneys and into awaiting ambulances.

Both were on the receiving end of monster hits near the boards by sizable foes with each making staggering attempts to stand before dropping back to the ice in a heap.

The consensus among those of us who witnessed the incidents was that the hits levied by the opposing players--while severe--were, in fact, clean and not worthy of penalty assessment. While both players who left the game are somewhat undersized, that in and of itself was not the overriding factor resulting in their injuries.

Being in the wrong place at the right time played a part in the incidents but I question how much each player's rink awareness--or lack thereof--may have contributed to their fate.

Far too often I see youth players, especially those playing at the age levels where checking is allowed, heading toward pucks along the side boards and in the corners with tunnel vision focused solely on the puck. These opportunities for injury occur several times throughout the course of every game but, by pure luck of the draw, many are spared.

Youth coaches are taught to instruct kids about keeping their head on a swivel, so to speak, for purposes of defensive zone coverage in particular. But players need to be reminded to follow that mantra all over the ice and use the visual data gathered to know where everyone else is on the ice at all times. This rink awareness, though helpful in many areas of the game, is a crucial factor in keeping our youth players safe.

Just a peek over one or both shoulders can mean the difference between making a smart, "heads-up" (pun intended) play and getting one's clock cleaned. I can honestly say that my own son practices this tactic as well as anyone I see at his age level and I attribute his success in that area to education.

It's something I drilled into him over the course of five years as his coach and have continued to impress upon him as a supporting father in the bleachers. Our kids need to know what's going on around them on the ice. It's our job as parents to consistently remind them of ways--such as this--to keep them on the ice and out of harm's way as much as possible.

We've been telling them for years to look both ways before crossing the street so why wouldn't we do the same for them when we are sending them out to skate at high speed toward solid walls in every direction?

Backstrom Beats Penguins With Little Help From His Friends

2009-10-31T23:52:00.000-05:00

Statistically speaking, goaltenders do receive credit for wins but, for the purpose of compiling league standings, their teammates must share in that credit. There are times, tonight for example, when it hardly seems fair.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had plenty of tricks up their sleeves, but it was Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom who treated his team to its first win of the season outside of St. Paul.

The Wild were held to single-digit shot totals in each period en route to being outshot by the Penguins 35-15 for the game. But Backstrom's magnificent 34 save performance stole a 2-1 victory from the defending champions and handed it to his less-than-supporting cast. The Wild has now won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Already without Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, the Pittsburgh lost Sidney Crosby for nine second period minutes due to penalties including a fight with.....Marek Zidliky??? But the Penguins played an outstanding defensive game; clogging shooting lanes with leafy-gutter-like efficiency and frustrating several Wild attempts to get pucks through to Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Kyle Brodziak opened the scoring at 12:11 after finding himself in the right place at the right time to pounce on a loose puck after a Chuck Kobasew shot and flip the puck into a mostly open net. Less than three minutes later, however, a pair of former Wild players joined forces to tie the game for Pittsburgh.

After Craig Adams won an offensive zone draw back to Martin Skoula, Jacques Lemaire's adopted son slid a pass to original Wild forward Pascal Dupuis who rifled a one-timer past Backstrom. But Martin Havlat fed Eric Belanger from behind the net and Belanger's shot from the right circle beat Fleury with just 0:0.6 remaining in the first period. Minnesota clung to a 2-1 lead despite being outshot 16-4 in the period.

That was it for the night's scoring but not for Pittsburgh's offense which fired 19 more shots on Backstrom over the final two periods in a futile effort to knot the game at two.

The Penguins even received a gift from the officials late in the game when, during a scramble in front of Backstrom, former Gopher Alex Goligoski's stick caught Belanger in the face. Although Belanger left the ice leaving a trail of blood on the ice, Goligoski was not penalized which paved the way for Pittsburgh to pull Fleury for an extra attacker and pelt Backstrom with a last minute flurry of shots.

Minnesota dodged a huge bullet in Pittsburgh and now returns home with four days to prepare for division rival Vancouver. The Canucks make their first visit of the season to St. Paul on Thursday night.

Sykora Responds to Richards' Message

2009-10-30T23:50:00.001-05:00

With nowhere to go but up after a dismal performance on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators, the Wild, led by a motivated Petr Sykora, bounced back with a solid 3-2 win over the Marian Gaborik-less New York Rangers at the Xcel Energy Center.

Sykora had a goal and an assist, Mikko Koivu chipped in two assists, and Antti Miettinen scored his first goal since March 25 to pace Minnesota to its first win in regulation this season.

Gaborik—who sat out his homecoming game game with the all-too-familiar lower body injury—entered Friday’s game tied for second in the league in goals (10) and was fourth in points with 18 in 12 games played.

The Wild’s all-time franchise leader in several offensive categories—including goals (219), assists (218), points (437), PPG (59), GWG (43), shots on goal (1,694) and five 30-goal seasons in 502 game—left for New York via free agency in July.

Leading from start to finish for the first time this season, Minnesota outshot the Rangers 32-20 in a game in which the home team appeared to play a more trap-conscious game--Jacques Lemaire would have been proud--leading to three goals in transition off of Ranger turnovers.

Heading to the dressing room after the second period with a 3-1 lead, the Wild were venturing into very unfamiliar territory.

"I made a comment to the coaches walking in after the 2nd period and I said ‘So this is what it feels like to be up by two,’" deadpanned Wild Head Coach Todd Richards. "I’m sure the players probably felt the same thing. It’s a lot better--instead of looking up at the scoreboard fighting for goals--to be up by two. But you’re also, as a coach, wondering how the guys are going to respond and how they’re going to play being up by two. I like the way that we played. We managed the game well in the third period."

Say what you want about Richards' decision to bench Sykora for much of Monday night's game in Chicago and at home against Nashville on Wednesday night--and I was a critic--but you can't argue about the result as Sykora played like a man possessed against the Rangers. The Czech forward was forcing turnovers and creating scoring chances all night and received a well-earned #1 Star honor.

Sykora was immediately confronted about the issue by the media in the dressing room after the game but wanted nothing to do with the subject; preferring to keep the focus on Minnesota's first regulation win of the season.

"Let’s not talk about it. I’m happy we won the game. It feels great to win a game," said Sykora with a hint of exasperation. "I think we beat a great team tonight; a very well-coached team . . . with a great goalie. I think that’s a big win for us and we can build on that."

But Sykora's linemate, Eric Belanger, revealed that Sykora's playing time, or lack thereof, has been tough on his frequent carpool companion. “We’re driving together, we’re talking about it," said Belanger. “You’re trying to tell him you’re going to be all right and stay positive but it’s not easy being in that situation. I had a feeling tonight that something good was going to happen and it did and hopefully it can get a run going.”

Criticized recently for its penchant for attempting to play too "pretty", Minnesota scored three of the prettier goals you're apt to see from them this season. Forced turnovers led to quick tic-tac-toe passing plays into mostly open nets.

Richards, for the most part, was pleased with his team's performance.

"I think we did a better job tonight of going after pucks," said Richards. "There still was a couple of occasions where I think we backed up a little bit but, for the most part, it was much better and I think the other thing was, once we created the turnovers, our defensemen moved the puck quickly up the ice and we were able to catch them kind of in that transition."

I asked Belanger--who registered his third goal of the season in the game--afterwards about and he offered a simple explanation.

"I just feel that this team was aggressive in the neutral zone--they were forechecking two forwards--and I think we caught them a couple times and the execution was there on the goals," said Belanger whose 11 points (3 g, 8 a) rank second only to Koivu (12 pts.) in team scoring.

Minnesota now heads to Pittsburgh for a Halloween clash with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins tomorrow night at Mellon Arena. Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and forward Petr Sykora—both former Penguins—will each receive their Stanley Cup rings Saturday night.
Although still led by former Shattuck St. Mary’s standout Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh will be without 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy winner (playoff MVP) Evgeni Malkin. The 23-year-old forward who also won last season’s Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 113 points (35 g, 78 a), is out 2-3 weeks with a shoulder strain.

"He strained his shoulder about 10 days or so ago,” said Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma on the team’s web site. “It is precautionary for the player. We are worried about the safety of the shoulder. A couple weeks of rest and rehab will get that thing healthy so he can get back onto the ice.”

Random Thoughts

Could the consecutive first-period kneeing calls 1:57 apart on Minnesota’s Eric Belanger and New York’s Marc Staal be a first-of-its-kind scenario?

Even at the age of 37, Wild right winger Owen Nolan is still too productive of a player to be saddled with linemates James Sheppard and Derek Boogaard as last season’s leading goal scorer (25 g) was on Friday against the Rangers.

Have the Wild Finally Hit Rock Bottom?

2009-10-28T22:30:00.001-05:00

It's tough to win with three great minutes, 25 brutal ones, and so-so for the rest. The Wild are having a a ridiculous amount of trouble stringing together consecutive quality shifts much less complete games. Flashes of brilliance are negated by periods of complete disarray.

Minnesota came out flying after the first intermission, moving the puck well and firing quality shots on Dan Ellis before he got yanked. But other than a few spurts, the Wild's offense was virtually non-existent the rest of the way. Todd Richards' decision to scratch a healthy Petr Sykora has to be questioned in this case. Sending a message is one thing if things are going well and you can afford it. But to sit a 20-goal scorer when goals have been so hard to come by is a head-scratching move.

Richards, for whatever reason, does not seem to have a solid grip on his team and the whispers of dressing room dissension--although not surprising--are troubling and indicative of deeper issues than wins and losses.

The players, however, must begin to play harder and smarter at both ends of the ice. A very weak backcheck by Derek Boogaard leads to the first Predator goal as he coasted in the zone before making a half-hearted reach for the puck and becoming a spectator. Marek Zidlicky and Brent Burns getting beat on the shorthanded game winner was inexcusable.

With a chance to tie in the waning seconds, Burns does a great job moving his feet to create a shooting lane but fires a high wrist shot into Preds goalie Pekka Rinne's chest. Chances for a deflection or rebound in that scenario? None.

This was a more-than-winnable game for Minnesota facing a team averaging less than two goals per game on home ice. It took Nashville less than five minutes to raise its scoring average and put the Wild into a hole with which it is ever so familiar this season.

While a sense of urgency has begun to creep into their statements to the media, that mentality continues to be conspicuous by its absence on the ice. One has to speculate whether Minnesota has finally reached a point where there is nowhere to go but up? If not, the ever-increasing boos will reach unprecedented levels if they haven't already.

Former Oiler Star Visits St. Paul

2009-10-25T02:08:00.002-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of sitting adjacent to former Finland and NHL star Jari Kurri--the first Finn to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame--in the Al Shaver press box at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night.

Kurri who, while with the Edmonton Oilers, formed half of one of the most prolific scoring duos in NHL history along with some guy named Gretzky, is the General Manager of the Finnish national team. He was joined by Finland Head Coach Juka Jalonen and the pair was presumably in attendance to scout players in advance of making their selections for the team which will represent Finland in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympic Games in February.

Among those getting a look last night were Minnesota's Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, and Niklas Backstrom as well as Carolina's Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen. Tuomo Ruutu of the Hurricanes would have been given a look if not for the three-game suspension handed down by the NHL for his destruction of Colorado Avalanche agitator Darcy Tucker the night before in Denver.

While I won't outright condone Ruutu's hit, I'm not going to loose much sleep over Tucker getting carted off on a stretcher when the guy has made a career out of attempting to shorten the careers of others.

Clutterbuck Takes Wind Out of the 'Canes

2009-10-25T00:35:00.002-05:00

SAINT PAUL, Minn--With Willis Reed-like determination, Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck heroically returned from injury—one which usually takes weeks to recover from—to lead his team to victory after sitting out a mere five games.

Clutterbuck’s goal at 3:05 of overtime lifted Minnesota to a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night and signaled loud and clear his remarkable return from a high ankle sprain suffered Oct 10 in San Jose.

Andrew Brunette and Kyle Brodziak also scored for Minnesota while struggling defenseman Brent Burns contributed two assists and played perhaps his best overall game of the season.

“It’s definitely exciting to be able to get out there and get a winner like that. It was a step in the right direction,” said Clutterbuck after the game while admitting to being a little fatigued.

Last season’s NHL hits leader dove to the ice and swatted the puck into a wide open net to help the Wild—still seeking their first win in regulation—remain undefeated at home under Todd Richards.

Clutterbuck was the beneficiary of a shot by Greg Zanon which rang off the post during a mad scramble which left Carolina goaltender Cam Ward horribly out of position.

“The puck actually hit me in the face off the post then it dropped down in the slot. I was able to find it and just wave at it and it went in,” said Clutterbuck while conceding his good fortune.

“Clutter had to really battle for that one,” raved Zanon. “He did a great job to put it in the net.”

Richards was pleased with what he got out of the second-year forward; looking past some early turnovers the coach attributed to Clutterbuck’s trying to do too much too soon.

“(Clutterbuck) does what he does. He finishes checks. He gets under the other team’s skin,” said Richards. “He had their whole bench shouting at him and got them to focus on him instead of the game. He had a big impact on the game, especially scoring the game winner.”

The Wild have made a habit of falling behind early throughout the first month of the season and failed to make an exception against a Carolina team whose road struggles (0-4-2) have nearly matched Minnesota’s.

With Minnesota defenseman Shane Hnidy off for holding the stick, Sergei Samsonov redirected a Ray Whitney feed past a sprawled Niklas Backstrom at 10:32 for his first goal of the season.

After two miserable power plays early on, the Wild struck back on a 4-on-3 advantage when Brunette fired from along the goal line to Ward’s right. The puck squeezed between the stunned Carolina goaltender and the post for Brunette’s team-leading sixth of the season at 12:52.

Unfortunately for the Wild, it was their ninth and final shot of the period. Not even an entertaining heavyweight bout between Minnesota defenseman John Scott and Farmington native Tim Conboy could light a fire under the locals.

Minnesota’s next shot was also its next goal as Owen Nolan’s backhanded dump in attempt from in front of his own bench found Brodziak sneaking behind the Carolina defense. Brodziak cut left and tucked a backhand shot behind Ward for his first goal in a Wild uniform just 1:51 into the second period.

The Wild’s penchant for costly turnovers reared its ugly head once again midway through the second when Carolina’s Joni Pitkanen pick-pocketed Wild forward Antti Miettinen to begin a two-on-one with Ray Whitney. The pair executed a perfect give-and-go with Pitkanen burying his first of the season and second point of the night.

Carolina nearly took the lead just prior to the second intermission after John Scott’s shot was blocked by Scott Walker sending Walker in alone on Backstrom. But Minnesota’s All-Star netminder was equal to the task and snared Walker’s rising shot with a beautiful glove save with 1:33 to go.

Backstrom—who finished with 21 saves to get credit for the win—was the story in the latter stages of the third as well; thwarting high-quality Matt Cullen and Eric Staal scoring opportunities in the final three minutes of regulation to preserve the tie.

The win gives Backstrom a new team record 15-game home unbeaten streak (11-0-4) dating back to Feb 6, breaking his own 14-game streak (11-0-3) set March 9 to Nov. 15, 2008.

Richards said his team’s puck management and decision making improved as the game wore on but acknowledged that without Backstrom’s strong play it may have been for naught.

“We limited their chances but we gave up some pretty good quality chances. At this level, players are too good to be giving up chances like that,” said Richards. “But our goaltender came up big again.”