Josh Harding Out For Season With Torn ACL/MCL

Back up Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding is out for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee. St. Louis Blues forward Brad Boyes landed awkwardly on Harding and collided with his right knee in the crease. Anton Khudobin will likely take over the new back up role, a draftee from the 7th round in 2004. After the collision, Harding was in severe pain and told reporters he had heard a "pop". Best of luck to a quick recovery for Josh.

Minnesota Wild Lose 5-1, Sell-Out Streak Over

The Minnesota Wild scored first but that didn't matter - the St. Louis Blues responded with 5 unanswered goals and were victorious 5-1. Martin Havlat scored 42 seconds into the game but that lead was quickly erased. However, it's just a preseason game so don't read too much into it. Note - With an announced crowd of 16,219, the Wild had its consecutive sellout streak snapped at 409. It was the first non-sellout at any Wild game in franchise history including preseason, regular-season and postseason.

Minnesota Wild Start Preseason This Week

The Minnesota Wild will start their Preseason this Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues at the Xcel Energy Center. The offseason moved quickly and it's hard to believe that the hockey season is right around the corner. The Minnesota Wild will get some looks at some young faces for the preseason that have a chance to make the team. Those faces include Marco Scandella, Tyler Cuma, Nate Prosser, and Casey Wellman. The Minnesota Wild will hope for an injury-free preseason.

Minnesota Wild Prospects Win Traverse City Prospects Tournament

The Minnesota Wild prospects defeated the Detroit Red Wings prospects 3-1 in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament Wednesday night. Minnesota goalie Matt Hackett had 30 saves, and Cody Almond, J.T. Barnett, and Marco Scandella scored. Hopefully this can carry into training camp where some of these players have the chance to earn a spot on the NHL squad. Congratulations to the Minnesota Wild prospects for their Traverse City Championship!

Minnesota Wild Name Darby Hendrickson Assistant Coach

The Minnesota Wild have named former player Darby Hendrickson an assistant coach to the organization. He has been a Fox Sports North analyst the last few seasons but will return to the bench this season. Hendrickson is a Richfield, Minnesota native who played for the Minnesota Gophers and Minnesota Wild. Head Coach Todd Richards said he thinks Hendrickson will fit just right in because "he's a young guy, energetic, a guy recently retired from the game." Welcome aboard, Darby.

Preseason Countdown: 12 Days

The Minnesota Wild kick off the preseason on September 22nd at the Xcel Energy Center against the St. Louis Blues. Pretty crazy that hockey is only 12 days away. None the less, I am excited for another season to get underway. The Minnesota Wild will start the season in Finland against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 7th. With some new faces this year, the Minnesota Wild will be looking to get back into the playoffs after a 2 year hiatus. Go Wild!

James Sheppard out 3-4 Months

According to the Star Tribune, Minnesota Wild center James Sheppard will be out 3-4 months with a knee injury sustained from an ATV accident in Vail, Colorado. He has already undergone surgery and head coach Todd Richards claimed it happened on James Sheppard's kneecap. After signing a one year contract with the team in the offseason, the road to building a solid reputation in the NHL will have to be even longer. Sheppard was drafted 9th overall in 2006 and has registered 49 points in 224 games.

Houston Aeros Will Play at Xcel Energy Center on Hockey Day Minnesota

On February 12, the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate the Houston Aeros will be playing at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Aeros will be there for Hockey Day Minnesota and will take on the Peoria Rivermen at 2:30 PM. The Peoria Rivermen are the St. Louis Blues' AHL affiliate. The St. Louis Blues will be playing the Minnesota Wild later that night, at 8:00 PM. This will be the 3rd time that the Houston Aeros will be playing in St. Paul.

Minnesota Wild Have 10 National Televised Games

Yesterday, it was announced that the Minnesota Wild would have a franchise record 10 appearances on national television for the 2010-2011 season. They will have 9 appearances on VERSUS and 1 on NBC. The 10 national televised games are:

October 7 vs. Carolina (Helsinki, Finland) - Versus

October 8 vs. Carolina (Helsinki, Finland) - Versus

October 25 vs. Los Angeles - Versus

November 2 vs. San Jose - Versus

December 27 vs. Columbus - Versus

January 4 vs. New Jersey - Versus

February 16 vs. Chicago - Versus

February 20 vs. Detroit - NBC

February 28 vs. Chicago - Versus
March 8 vs. Colorado - Versus

For any Minnesota Wild tickets check out Hockey Tickets Minnesota!

The Minnesota Wild Need Martin Havlat to Improve

In the 2008-2009 season, Martin Havlat notched 77 points with the Chicago Blackhawks. After Marian Gaborik left via free agency after that season, the Wild signed Havlat to a 6 year deal worth $30 million to try to replace the void Gaborik left. In his first season with the Minnesota Wild, Havlat scored 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points. If the Minnesota Wild want to get back into the playoffs and become an elite team in the NHL, they will need Havlat to contribute more than his 54 point campaign. Can he breakout this season? Can he match his 77 point season with Chicago? We will see.

Can Guillaume Latendresse Make the Next Leap?

In 55 games last season with the Minnesota Wild, 23 year-old Guillaume Latendresse scored 25 goals and notched 12 assists. Along with Mikko Koivu, he was the team's best player since he arrived. Going into the upcoming season, we will find out if Latendresse can build on his rookie campaign with the Minnesota Wild. If he can make another leap and increase his production, Latendresse will be a force. He clearly has the talent and ability to. He has a knack around the net and a goal scorer's touch. The main line of Koivu, Latendresse, and Martin Havlat will be relied on a lot for production.

Minnesota Wild's Biggest Need?

The Minnesota Wild have missed the playoffs the last 2 seasons. In "The State of Hockey" the expectations are always high. My question is what is the Minnesota Wild's biggest need? My answer is a young goal scorer (sounds simple enough, right?). They need a energetic and exciting player that Minnesota Wild fans can count on for a big goal. Marian Gaborik was the old franchise player but it was obvious the disconnect that was felt in his last season here. If the Wild can attain a young goal scoring wing than that would do wonders for the franchise. The Wild strive on discipline and defense, and with a true goal scorer to compliment Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu, would be great for the franchise.