What is up with the Wild Powerplay?

How does the Minnesota Wild go 0-10 on the powerplay last night? The most disappointing thing is that I feel like the Wild had multiple opportunities to put it in the net. The powerplay futility reminded me of years ago when the Wild was unbalbe to put the "Biscuit in the basket." I hope that last night's game versus the Canadiens was just a fluke and not a sign of bad things to come. GO WILD!!!

Wild host Montreal Canadiens at Xcel on Halloween Eve

It could be a spooky night at the Xcel Energy Center tonight. The Minnesota Wild is coming off a horrible 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars last night (pathetic game). I am sure Jacques is up in arms and the team is not going to get a lot of rest to get ready for the Montreal Canadiens tonight.

Since it is Halloween Eve, the Minnesota Wild are encouraging costumes for tonight’s game and are giving away prizes to the top three kids including an autographed Minnesota Wild jersey. The top adult will be invited to make the "Let's Play Hockey!" announcement prior to the game. Let’s hope all the ghosts and goblins don’t spook our Minnesota Wild players into submission.


Luckily, Mikko Koivu isn’t spooked easily, he is off to the best start of his career and I am sure he is excited to be playing against his brother Saku Koivu tonight. It is going to be a great match-up at the X tonight and as much as I hate to pin the season on one single game, this could be a real downer for the next few months if the Wild don’t pull off a win.

Lemaire Over Coaches in Loss

In last night's defeat by the Buffalo Sabres, it became even more evident that there are times when Jacques lemaire over thinks, over scrutinizes and over coaches. With around six minutes remaining in the game and the Minnesota Wild having played great hockey in the second and the beginning of the third period, Lemaire called a time out and instructed his players on what to do the last six minutes of the game. Unfortunately, that moment was the beginning of the end.

The Minnesota Wild proceeded to play the rest of the game tight, unfocused and tentative. The Sabres scored three goals, one of which was the game winner in overtime, in less than five minutes. That left me, and by the looks on the faces of everyone at the Xcel Energy Center who bought Wild Tickets, shell shocked!

I hope that Jacques Lemaire just lets the Wild play next time they are playing well and up by two goals with less than six minutes remaining in the game. I am sure that it will result in a different outcome.

Minnesota Wild Skating Party

The Minnesota Wild has an annual Season Ticket Holder Halloween Skating Party which is going to take place on the ice of the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday, October 28. This is a great benefit of being a Minnesota Wild Season Ticket Holder and an excellent example of how the Minnesota Wild tries to take care of those that make the commitment to Buy Wild Tickets on an annual basis. GO WILD!!!

Marian Gaborik Situation

One of my loyal readers emailed me on the "Gaborik Situation." I have not looked into the comment but I found it very interesting and insightful.

Kate from California wrote, "Minnesota Wild winger Marion Gaborik is now in the final year of his contract without an extension in place. According to the hockey handicappers at BetOnline.com, the chances of the Wild retaining Gaborik this season are a long-shot. The odds on the Minnesota lefty not being traded are at 7-to-2."

Generally speaking odds makers are really good at their jobs. This leads me to believe that it isn't a coincidence that Gaborik isn't playing tonight. My theory is that their is a trade brewing and the Minnesota Wild can't risk Gaborik being injured. We will have to wait and see!

2008-2009 Minnesota Wild Roster

I am embarrassed to admit it but I can't remember a past year when I had lower expectations than I have this year for the Minnesota Wild. The lack of "big splash" free agent signings as well as the loss of excellent contributors like Rolston and Demitra has me longing for the years when I expected the Minnesota Wild to win and go to the NHL Playoffs. However, let's face it, the Minnesota Wild hasn't exactly prospered in the playoffs since their improbable run to the Western Conference Finals during the 2002-2003 season. Every year after that run, I had extremely high expectations to only be let down by my favorite NHL team. I just hope that this year the exact opposite happens where I expect very little but the Minnesota Wild thrives and brings home their first Stanley Cup!

I am definitely going to grab a few Minnesota Wild Tickets for the Home Opener versus the Boston Bruins in order to see if the impressive preseason record is for real. GO WILD!!!

Boston Bruins vs. Minnesota Wild

This year, I have the unique opportunity to see one of the all-time great players for my favorite WCHA hockey team play versus my favorite NHL hockey team. Phil Kessel (formerly of the Minnesota Gophers) and the Boston Bruins come to the XCEL Energy Center to take on the Minnesota Wild on October 11th. The only thing that makes this even better is that it is the "Home Opener" for the Wild. I have already started hitting up my buddies for their Minnesota Wild Tickets to this game. I am going to have a hard time cheering against a former Gophers Hockey Player but I am going to have to do it. GO MINNESOTA WILD!!!

Minnesota Wild Schedule

The Minnesota Wild schedule is out and I see that ticket brokers like Ticket King are already trying to capitalize by putting their season tickets up for sale. It’s not a bad business plan – it’s like a pre-sale on Minnesota Wild tickets. I am already making plans to attend several games with buddies. Here is my list of the top games at the Xcel Energy Center. My must attend list by month (I tried to pick one game a month) in date order, not necessarily importance:

1. October 11th vs. Boston Bruins – Opening night
2. November 20th vs. Vancouver Canucks – Welcome to the Xcel Energy Center Mattias Ohlund – Beware.
3. December 1st vs. Colorado Avalanche – second meeting between the teams, but first time at home. A moral must win after the Avs knocked us out of the playoffs last year.
4. December 31st vs. San Jose Sharks – New Years at the X rocks my hockey world. A holiday game should get it’s own month.
5. January 3rd vs. Detroit Red Wings – a chance to bet the defending cup champs. They should be cold and tired after playing that outdoor Wrigley field game on New Years Day.
6. February 6th vs. Nashville Predators – hosting his past team on his new teams home ice is a must win for new owner Craig Leipold.
7. March 31st vs. Vancouver Canucks – OK, so I like to watch the Wild play the Canucks. There is so much tension and the competition is huge. It’s hockey at it’s best. Besides, I want to jeer Pavol Demitra – he never was that good at playing at the “X.”
8. April 3rd vs. Calgary Flames – could be playoff critical game.

Remember to check my other Minnesota Wild blog: Hockey Wilderness for Minnesota Wild updates. It’s a great platform for a Wild community. I welcome other Wild fans or critics to leave their opinions or point other Wild fans to cool pictures, links or stories on the web. Check it out!

Minnesota Wild Schedule

I read somewhere that the Minnesota Wild schedule is set to come out on July 16th. –sigh- Just sitting here in Hockey Wilderness waiting for the schedule to come out.

Minnesota Wild Roster includes Andrew Brunette

I have been writing a lot about the Minnesota Wild roster changes over on my other Wild hockey blog, http://www.hockeywilderness.com/ , but since it is so easy to see my MN Wild Freak post on June 19th that brought up the fact that the Minnesota Wild should put Andrew Brunette back in a Wild sweater, I want to say I TOLD YOU SO. I had a gut feeling that Andrew Brunette was coming back to Minnesota after I heard a brief rumor months ago. Bruno is a solid hockey player and I know he wants to play for Jacques Lemaire and the Minnesota Wild so that always helps. I am not happy that the Minnesota Wild couldn’t get things done with Brian Rolston and he will be sorely missed, but I still think we have a chance at putting a playoff bound team on the ice this year…as long as every one stays healthy.

Minnesota Wild went tough, but won’t endure

It is interesting to this MN Wild Freak that the Minnesota Wild didn’t extend a contract to either Aaron Voros or Todd Fedoruk, both Minnesota Wild tough guys. It surprises me because the Wild went so tough last year and then what? Decided to change direction? I don’t know. They drafted physical defenseman Tyler Cuma, but why not try to keep Voros or Fedoruk to insure enough muscle on the ice for the immediate next season. It seems worthless to put together a tough team and then let it fall apart so quickly.

As far as skill players go, the Minnesota Wild still haven’t sealed a deal with Brian Rolston. It appears Rolston is looking for a bigger offer and hoping to get one post July 1st. Keep checking my hockey wilderness blog for Minnesota Wild Roster updates!

Andrew Brunette back in a Wild sweater

I wrote a story about Andrew Brunette coming back over on Hockey Wilderness awhile back and I am not ready to let the issue die. If one thing is for certain, every Minnesota Wild fan wants Andrew Brunette back. Sure, he is playing for the Colorado Avalanche and liking it, but his contract is open and the Wild could use him back. If the Wild get him back, would that up the teams chances in FINALLY making it to the Stanley Cup? The answer is a definite yes. Brunette is a proven hockey player, especially in the playoffs. Add Andrew Brunette to the stellar Minnesota Wild roster of Brian Rolston, Marian Gaborik, Nick Schultz, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns and friends and the Minnesota Wild turn into a better version of the Detroit Red Wings. No joke.