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Category: Minnesota-Wild

Wild Owner Says Effort Is There, Wins Will Come

by Paul on 11/07/09 at 08:49 AM ET
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from Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press,

Craig Leipold admits he often isn’t thrilled with what he sees when he watches the Wild from the owner’s box at the Xcel Energy Center.

Leipold’s team has won just five of 15 games this season and, as it did during the first period of a 5-2 home loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, there are times when it seems no one is in sync.

“I’m thinking just like every other fan was,” Leipold said Friday, shaking his head.

But Leipold, who purchased the Wild in January 2008, said that with new general manager Chuck Fletcher and new coach Todd Richards running the show, things “don’t change overnight.”

When Leipold hired Fletcher last summer, he said he expected the Wild to become a contender for a playoff spot. With the team instead contending for the basement of the NHL in points, you wonder if he’s becoming impatient.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Wild Off To A Slow Start

by Paul on 11/06/09 at 08:29 AM ET
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from Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune,

If they need help finding “celebrities” to fire up the “Team of 18,000,” I am here to help.

Next game, they should bring back Doug Risebrough. That way Risebrough could get the fans riled, and then the Wild would get to fire him all over again.

Thursday night at the X, it was hard to tell if there were more empty seats or empty Wild jerseys, as the Fighting Christmas Trees played pathetically while losing 5-2 to the beat-up Canucks.

There are four prime figures you could blame for the Wild’s lousy play so far: Risebrough, new GM Chuck Fletcher, old coach Jacques Lemaire or new coach Todd Richards.

Richards is the easiest to pick on because his players have looked so confused and tentative, but every rookie coach should get a little time to learn on the job.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Wild Relax, Start Winning

by Paul on 11/01/09 at 08:00 PM ET
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from Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press,

After dropping eight of their 10 previous games, the Wild had a relaxed optional practice Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center followed by a loose-goosy morning skate Friday before going onto the ice and that evening and stopping the New York Rangers for a 3-2 home win.

They followed that up by having the regulars skip their morning skate on Saturday in Pittsburgh before posting a gritty 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins.

Coach Todd Richards saw the tightness when he looked at his players and when he looked in the mirror. He took steps to change that.

As part of that, the coaching staff showed video that included music and pithy commentary to the team, eliciting smiles and laughs from players who had nearly forgotten how.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Gaborik’s Gone And So Are The Goals

by Paul on 10/30/09 at 08:22 AM ET
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from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

There’s no hiding the first month of the Chuck Fletcher/Todd Richards regime was as successful as a grouse staring down the barrel of a shotgun, but, boy oh boy, the hockey gods sure had a good laugh at the Wild’s expense.

As the Wild keeps losing (it is 3-9), Gaborik keeps scoring (10 goals), although in a fitting twist of irony, Gaborik’s St. Paul homecoming is threatened tonight because of that oh-so familiar “lower body” injury. He hasn’t skated since Monday.

But let’s be honest: Gaborik’s fast start under the Broadway spotlight was as predictable as a rush-hour traffic jam through the Lincoln Tunnel.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Marian+Gaborik,

Wild Coach Motivating Sykora

by Paul on 10/29/09 at 05:04 PM ET
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from Michael Russo of Russo’s Rants,

Regarding scratching Petr Sykora last night, Richards said he was trying to put the best team on the ice. Still, he benched Sykora for Derek Boogaard, who only got five shifts.

On Sykora: “He is a proven scorer, but there’s so much more that goes to playing the game of hockey than just finishing.”

He said the coaches went over those areas with Sykora. But Sykora told us after the coaches haven’t told him anything. Richards said he expects Sykora “to be a professional” since this isn’t the first time he’s been scratched (a lot last second half with Pittsburgh) and “have the attitude of sticking it to the coach.” But Richards said the coaches haven’t made up their mind if Sykora will play tomorrow against the Rangers.

more on the Wild…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Petr+Sykora,

Patrick Kane - Top Shelf

by Paul on 10/27/09 at 07:47 AM ET
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Kane with a laser last night.  Top corner, great shot.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Patrick+Kane,

Havlat Maybe, Sykora No & A Real Captain For The Wild

by Paul on 10/20/09 at 04:35 PM ET
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from Michael Russo of Russo’s Rants,

I had today off but ran into Marty Havlat and his girlfriend at a restaurant in Minneapolis. He hopes to play Wednesday against the Avalanche. He practiced today (Tuesday) but said he does want to test his groin at Wednesday’s morning skate before a final decision is made.

I talked to Rachel Blount, who covered practice today. She said Petr Sykora (groin) skated again on his own and coach Todd Richards said they’re hoping he can rejoin practice any day. He’s still day-to-day and won’t play against Colorado.

Kyle Brodziak missed practice today with what Richards called an “upper-body thing.” But Richards expects Brodziak to play against the Avs, which is why there’s such an understandably vague injury update.

Also, Jaime Sifers was reassigned to AHL Houston.

Lastly, the Wild made the obvious selection of captain with Mikko Koivu in my opinion, and not just because he deserves it, but because the Wild had the bigger picture to worry about.

more and I like the look of the new Russo’s Rants blog…

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Bruins Will Be Rooting For Kobasew

by Paul on 10/19/09 at 11:33 AM ET
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from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

The three ramifications: it puts every Bruin on notice that their early season malaise has consequences; it clears Kobasew’s $2.33 million hit off the cap this year and next, creating space either for an immediate deal to bolster the sagging blue line or possibly to extend center Marc Savard; and it gives Claude Julien a chance to juice the roster with a couple of hungry minor leaguers in Brad Marchand, Vlad Sobotka and Guillaume Lefebvre, all of whom were called up from Providence. It’s not a shot at Kobasew’s effort to suggest that this deal was all about addition by subtraction for the Bruins.

And maybe that’s all it was. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that his former teammates will be rooting for Kobasew to provide a big boost to the Wild. At least enough of a lift to keep 29th-ranked Minnesota ahead of the last place Toronto Maple Leafs...the team whose first-round pick the Bruins own this summer.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Chuck+Kobasew,

Wild Struggling

by Paul on 10/19/09 at 11:06 AM ET
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from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune,

This week, the Wild might have to start up the “Save the Season” campaign because a hole—a large one—already has been dug.

Realists could have predicted a slow start to this season.

New coach. New players. New philosophy. Heavy road schedule. Often times, that equates to early-season struggles.

But even the biggest skeptics couldn’t have predicted the Wild would be swept on its five-game, 11-day road trip out west. The Wild only has the sheer incompetence of the winless Toronto Maple Leafs to thank for not being dead last in the NHL.

Of course, 29th isn’t a whole lot better.

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Wild Trade For Chuck Kobasew

by Paul on 10/18/09 at 08:52 PM ET
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from Michael Russo of Russo’s Rants,

The Wild has traded Craig Weller, a second-round pick and the rights to Alex Fallstrom to the Boston Bruins for forward Chuck Kobasew.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild | KK Hockey | Permalink
 Tags: Chuck+Kobasew,

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