New Jerseys will Make Wild Players 9 Percent Faster

The Minnesota Wild is getting newer, more technologically advanced jerseys this season as part of a league-wide uniform reform. All I can say is: Please do not change the design of the logo or color pattern! Yeah, sure, it will be great if Pavol Demitra will be able to move nine percent faster this year thanks to his threads, but the Wild has the coolest looking jerseys in the league right now, and an update in style won’t be needed for at least a couple of years. Anyways, the jerseys will be on sale at the Xcel Energy Center and Mall of America Hockey Lodge stores on Sept. 7. Fans can also get a sneak peek of the jersey design at the Minnesota Wild Minnesota State Fair Booth.

Wild Get National Exposure

The Versus network is undertaking national television showings of Minnesota Wild hockey this season, three games to be exact. Hopefully, the Wild can play their best hockey on October 30 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, January 30 against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and March 17 against the Colorado Avalanche. If Versus gets some footage of the surrounding sellout crowds at the Xcel Energy Center, displaying all the tickets the Wild sell, maybe the national audience will gain some knowledge: Minnesota is indeed The State of Hockey.

Backstrom Puts a Poor Memory to Use

One of the hugest assets that Minnesota Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom possesses is his poor memory. No really, having a poor memory helps out NHL goalies: they let in a goal and it slips out of their mind like a vague dream. Backstrom specializes in poor memory among the best NHL goalies. It’s a steely attitude that succeeds when defending the net against blue-line snipers, and Backstrom perfectly fits the bill. He doesn’t get overly emotional or whiny if things aren’t going his way, something former Wild goalie Manny Fernandez was apt to do. Now that Fernandez is gone, it’s just one less distraction for Backstrom, not like he could be distracted.

Wild Grooming Another Skull-Basher

Matt Kassian was a second round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2005 NHL Draft, and they drafted him for a reason. They needed a backup for Boogey. That’s Derek Boogaard for the uninitiated. Boogaard duked it out with Wild opponents all year in 2006-07 while Kassian was in the juniors waiting his turn. Kassian will most likely start the season for the Houston Aeros again, but the Wild is grooming him nicely for an enforcer spot on the club. The 6-4, 247 pound Kassian is reportedly not as good a skater as Boogaard, but summer power skating sessions have seen improvement. But Kassian’s strong point isn’t his skating, it’s his fighting.

Kassian’s been describe as a new-schooler in fighting technique, but some of the old-school fighters like Georges Laraque have an advantage over the younger guys because of their experience. Fortunately, Kassian has worked out with Laraque in the offseason to prepare him for fights against some of the leagues vets. It probably won’t be long before Wild fans get acquainted with Matt Kassian, he might soon be teaming up with Boogaard to bash some real skull!

Kalus Possesses Serious Potential

Just a refresher: It wasn’t just diddly-squat that came the Minnesota Wild’s way when they traded talented goalie Manny Fernandez last month. The team received excellent looking prospect Petr Kalus from the Boston Bruins, and they hope to use him this season if he proves himself in the Wild prospect camp. Kalus plays a speed game not unlike that of Marian Gaboriks’, and coaches are very high on him. Kalus originally caught Wild management’s attention during the IIHF World Championships in the 2004-05 season. Kalus will compile the penalty minutes – he had 110 in 43 games for the Providence Bruins last year – but he is the type of player the Wild need. So far, people are saying he can do everything, hit, skate and score. Sounds like my kind of winger. Bring the kid up and see what he can do! Get some Minnesota Wild tickets today and see some Gaborik and possibly Kalus action this season.