A former Gopher to coach the Wild?

First the good news is former Wild assist coach Mario Tremblay is not going to be the Wild's new coach. That should be refreshing and welcome news to Wild fans that want to see the Wild move away from their BORING defense first style of hockey and at least attempt to push the puck up ice. That doesn't mean the Wild play the trap at some point in their games it just means they will be more offensive focused. It would be an interesting scenario to see an American coach that played college hockey in Minnesota coaching in the State of Hockey; if Richards gets the job. To take a phrase from Danny Barriero of KFAN, 'he would definitely be one of us' (from Minnesota)

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune ----- Local boy Todd Richards still appears to be among the frontrunners for the Wild's coaching vacancy.

According to sources, General Manager Chuck Fletcher flew to California last week to interview the San Jose Sharks assistant coach and former Gophers captain.

The two have been in contact since, although it's unclear how close Fletcher is to hiring a coach.

That's because, according to sources, Fletcher also interviewed former Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish in recent days and at least had a conversation with former Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders coach Peter Laviolette.

It's believed that Fletcher is also interested in Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Paul MacLean, whom he worked with in Anaheim.