Pierre-Marc Bouchard Eligible Tonight

Minnesota Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard (whose name always reminds me of the days I spent in France) will be eligible to play tonight after being suspended for two games for a high stick that bloodied the face of Columbus' Matt Calvert in Saturday's game.

Bouchard asserts that the intended point of impact was the hands of Calvert, not the face. However, the league said regardless of Bouchard's intent, he is responsible for the actual result of the slash up into the face area.

He will forfeit $4,108.10 in pay as a further punishment of the act.

Bouchard is back this year after missing more than a season with a concussion.

Brent Burns, former teammate, reached out to support Bouchard on twitter, "Butchy apologizes to ants if he steps on one. No chance he even attempts to hurt anyone out there. Freak accident."

I think we have bigger problems on our hands... Bouchard talks to ants? Just kidding. Only trying to make light of a situation that should have never happened. A two-game suspension seemed steep. It is hockey after all.

Ex-Wild Pavol Demitra Dies

Pavol Demitra played for the Minnesota Wild from 2006-2008 and he was definitely one of the better players on the team. Sadly, Demitra died in a plane crash today and we only have the memories of him in NHL uniforms to cherish. He was playing for a Russian hockey team and the plane crashed this morning, killing everyone on the plane. Here's the statement that the Minnesota Wild released:

"The Minnesota Wild organization joins the rest of the hockey world in mourning the tragedy involving the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey club. Pavol Demitra was a valuable member of our team for two seasons and helped the Wild claim its first-ever Northwest Division title in 2008. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Demitra family as well as all of the families that lost loved ones today."

Wild Trade James Sheppard to San Jose Sharks

The Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks made a trade again. This time, the Wild sent 24 year old defenseman James Sheppard to the Sharks for a 2013 3rd round draft pick.

Sheppard was suspended all of last season after injuring his knee in a all-terrain accident vehicle accident.

The Sharks have already confirmed the trade, but it is not completely done yet because Sheppard sustained a second injury to his knee and is not expected to be ready for training camp.

The Wild traded Brent Burns and a 2012 second round pick to the San Jose Sharks on June 24th Devin Setoguchi, a first round pick, and Charlie Coyles.

Former Defenseman Brent Burns Signs 5-year Sharks Contract

After being traded to the San Jose Sharks in late June, Brent Burns had established little hurry to sign a long-term contract with the Sharks. This past week, however, Burns agreed to a five-year extension for $28.8 million.

Last year, Burns scored 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists), had 133 hits and was a first-time All-Star. There is concern that last year's breakout year with Minnesota is something not to be repeated. The Sharks acknowledge this concern, but after signing a long-term contract, the program feels the investment in Brent Burns will be a pivotal asset.

Minnesota Wild Suffers Worst Home Defeat

I wish this was an optimistic column, I really do. Yesterday the Minnesota Wild were defeated by the Montreal Canadians 8-1 at the Xcel Energy Center. 8 goals. Three of them were scored from rookie defenseman P.K. Subban. It was the worst loss in franchise history. It was the 5th consecutive loss. Head coach Todd Richards may be coaching now to keep his job, after fans are becoming more vocal and have high expectations. Simply put, we want to see a playoff team that has the ability to make a Stanley Cup run. This season indicated we still need a big asset - scoring. We need some snipers that can bury the puck. All is not lost, as the team has a pretty good nucleus of Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck, and Guillaume Latendresse. Hopefully we can manage to get back on track these last few weeks.

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Edmonton Oilers vs. Minnesota Wild on February 22nd

The Minnesota Wild will host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, February 22nd. The Edmonton Oilers are struggling this season with a 19-32-8 record, good for 48 points. The Minnesota Wild enter the game with a 31-22-6 record and 68 points on the year. Every point counts in the tight Western Conference playoff race, so two points would be huge. The Wild are playing as good as anyone in the league right now, with a sense of urgency each game. Interested in attending the game? Check out Ticket King for all Minnesota Wild tickets! Listen to the Minnesota Wild Song and cheer on stud defenseman Brent Burns!

Minnesota Wild Defeat St. Louis Blues Back to Back

The Minnesota Wild defeated the St. Louis Blues on Friday and Saturday night, both great hockey games to watch. On Friday night, the Minnesota Wild stormed back 4 times from a one-goal deficit and beat the Blues 5-4 in a shootout. Martin Havlat forced overtime with a goal with 57 seconds left. After no goals in overtime, the Minnesota Wild won in the 10th round of the shootout, thanks to a John Madden goal. Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard also scored for the Minnesota Wild in the shootout. Cal Clutterbuck scored two goals in regulation.

On Hockey Day Minnesota, or Saturday, the Minnesota Wild defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-1. The game was energtic and intense, with multiple fights along the way. With the victory, the Minnesota Wild vaulted into 8th place in the Western Conference, in a jam-packed race. Cal Clutterbuck, Antti Miettinen, and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Wild. The win extended the Wild's four game winning streak at home. Also, Clayton Stoner was involved in a fight at the end of the game with Minnesota native David Backes, that looked like an old school boxing match. The St. Louis Blues have several Minnesota connections. David Backes played at Spring Lake Park High School, Erik Johnson played at Holy Angels, and TJ Oshie played at Warroad.

Team Lidstrom Beats Team Staal 11-10

Team Lidstrom defeated Team Staal 11-10 in the 2010-2011 NHL All-Star Game yesterday. Wild players Marty Havlat recorded 3 assists and Brent Burns notched 1 assist. It was a fun format this year, with the two captains, Nick Lidstrom and Jordan Staal selecting the teams. Former Minnesota Gopher player Phil Kessel was selected last in the draft and was given a car because of it. On Saturday night, Brent Burns competed in the hardest shot contest and Marty Havlat competed in the accuracy competition. Both players did not win their respective contests.

Marty Havlat Headed to the All-Star Game

Minnesota Wild winger Marty Havlat has been named to the 2010-2011 NHL All-Star Game as an injury replacement. Havlat is taking the place of injured forward Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers. Havlat has 13 goals in 48 games and leads the team with 30 assists. He'll join defenseman Brent Burns as Wild representatives this weekend. This is the second time in the Wild's 10-year history they'll send two players to an All-Star game. Filip Kuba and Dwayne Roloson each went in 2004. The game is this weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina. Congrats to Marty Havlat!

Brent Burns Makes All-Star Team

Brent Burns has officially been awared for his great 2010-2011 so far and has been named an All-Star. He'll be among a pool of 36 players that will be drafted by two team captains. He is the 6th Minnesota Wild player selected to compete in the All-Star game, along with Marian Gaborik, Brian Rolston, Filip Kuba, Dwayne Roloson, and Niklas Backstrom. There are 11 other defenseman chosen for the All-Star game and there will be a fantasy draft on January 28th to decide the two teams.

Brent Burns Having Terrific Year

The Minnesota Wild need all the scoring they can get. Tied for the team lead in goals is defensman Brent Burns. The 25 year-old defenseman has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 38 games this season. He is on pace to record 25 goals and 53 points. His career high for goals in a season is 15 in the 2007-2008 season. I am biased because I am a former defenseman, but Brent Burns may be playing at the highlest level on the team right now, along with Mikko Koivu, Cal Clutterbuck, and Martin Havlat.

Minnesota Wild Rallies Against San Jose Sharks

The Minnesota Wild were down 3-2 entering the 3rd period on Wednesday night against the San Jose Sharks. However, the Minnesota Wild erupted for three 3rd period goals en route to a 5-3 victory. Chuck Kobasew, Brent Burns, and Kyle Brodziak all scored in the 3rd period to mount the comeback. Mikko Koivu scored in the 2nd period and Brodziak scored in the 1st period before the rally started. It was a solid victory against a good team. If the Minnesota Wild can play like that for the majority of games then they will be playing in the playoffs.

Detroit Red Wings Down Minnesota Wild 4-1

In front of a packed house, the Minnesota Wild did not deliver. The Detroit Red Wings, even without Pavel Datsyuk, defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday night. The Minnesota Wild only had 17 shots in the game and the "boo" birds were out in full force. Attendance for the game was 19,227, the fifth-largest regular-season crowd in Minnesota Wild history. Brent Burns scored the only goal for the Wild, with 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd period. It was his team leading 10th goal of the season, the first Minnesota Wild defenseman to post double digits goal totals in more than one season.

Minnesota Wild Christmas List

I've been a Minnesota Wild fan since they started here. We've had some up and downs like any sports franchise. The "up" moments would be the 2003 magical run to the Western Conference Finals and clinching the Northwest Division in 2008. The "down" years are whenever you feel it is. To get back to the "up" years, or whatever you classify as the status right now, here is my Minnesota Wild Christmas List:

1) In my opinion, right now is a make or break time for the Minnesota Wild. They must find a star player that has the ability to score. Brent Burns and Cal Clutterbuck lead the team with 9 goals...meanwhile Sidney Crosby already has 27 for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

2) A lead defenseman that can play two ways. If you notice this statement, this is Brent Burns game. My wish is that we can get another one of these because Burns has to lead the group almost singlehandley. Zidlicky is a good offensive defenseman but is not very reliable in his own end.

3) A center that can shoot and score. Mikko Koivu is a great, great player. However, I think if the Wild are ever going to compete for the Stanley Cup they must find a scoring center that can compete with the teams that score 4 goals a night.

Wild beat Kings in LA, Brent Burns a Superstar

Saturday night went great for the Minnesota Wild in Los Angeles. Brent Burns was on his “A” game and scored the overtime winning goal as the Wild defeated the Kings 3-2 at Staples Center. Fan favorite Burnsie was on the ice a team-high 28 minutes, 15 seconds and he was a dominant force to be reckoned with. Jose Theodore was in the goal for the Wild and did a great job keeping the Kings in check.

The overtime goal allowed Brent Burns to pass former teammate Marian Gaborik for the Wild team record in OT goals. Burns said this about it:

"I had no idea, I'll have to text Gabby and give him a little rib about it."

Ha ha – take that Gaborik! I wish I could text Gabby, I have a few things I would like to rib him about as well.

Minnesota Wild 3, Phoenix Coyotes 2

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Phoenix Coyotes by a score of 3-2 in Phoenix on Thursday night. Andrew Brunette scored 2 goals and Brent Burns got the other. The Minnesota Wild built up a 3-1 lead with Andrew Brunette's second goal of the game with 10 minutes left in the 3rd period. Niklas Backstrom made 33 saves for the Minnesota Wild. It was a much needed victory after the Minnesota Wild lost 7 of the last 8 games.

Minnesota Wild Lose to Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers

The Minnesota Wild were fresh of a 3 game win streak. However, that success could not duplicate and they were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers. On Thursday, the Atlanta Thrashers took it to the Minnesota Wild by a score of 5-1. The next night, the Minnesota Wild lost to the Florida Panthers 2-1. Defenseman Brent Burns was suspended 2 games for an after the game skirmish. After watching the Atlanta Thrashers game, I was proud to be a Minnesota Wild fan since it looked there was about 1,000 people at the game. I'm glad that we are blessed at the "State of Hockey".

Minnesota Wild Win 3 In a Row

The Minnesota Wild have won 3 in a row. They have defeated the San Jose Sharks (1-0), the Calgary Flames (2-1), and Columbus Blue Jackets (3-2). They currently have 16 points through 13 games and are in 2nd place in the Division. Brent Burns and Niklas Backstrom have played great thus far and could be on their way to All-Star Game appearances if they keep it up. This week the Minnesota Wild will play at the Atlanta Thrashers (Thursday) and Florida Panthers (Friday).

Minnesota Wild Defeat Edmonton Oilers 4-2

The Minnesota Wild defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Thursday night thanks in large part to a 3 goal 1st period. Kyle Brodziak scored twice to open up the period and Guillaume Latendresse added another in the 1st. The Oilers made it interesting in the 3rd period when it was 3-2 until Brent Burns put home an empty-netter from the opposite end of the rink. It was a nice all around game by the Wild and they will now play at Vancouver tonight.

Minnesota Wild Fall to Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2

The Minnesota Wild lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at home on Saturday night. RJ Umberger scored a shorthanded goal in the 3rd period and that proved to be the game-winner. Brent Burns and Cal Clutterbuck scored for the Minnesota Wild. The announced attendance of the Xcel Energy Center was 17,336. That is the Wild's first non-capacity crowd for a regular-season game in franchise history. Next up is the Vancouver Canucks at the Xcel Enery Center on Tuesday.