Florida's William Lockwood Takes Out Wild Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Lockwood has a hearing with the Department of Players Safety

Last night the Minnesota Wild took on the Florida Panthers in a non-conference game in South Florida. The game started out with a bang, literally. 

At the 2:15 mark of the first period, Wild goalie Mark Andre Fleury went behind the net to play a puck, at the same time, Panters forward William Lockwood interfered with Fleury knocking him to the ice. If you watch the video, you will see that Fleury absorbed a vicious hit. 

For those that are wondering, Lockwood isn't a skilled player and was probably on the ice to cause havoic. Look at his stats, he's not known for his skill, in 51 NHL games, he's scored (0g-2-a--2pts). What was his purpose for being on the ice? Yes, he's in the NHL, but I don't see a lot of teams trying to pick him up in free agency. 

Midway through the game Fleury would leave the game and no return. The Panthers are notorious for being a dirty team.

Wild start to this game 👀 pic.twitter.com/GvUoz4GLe3

— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) January 20, 2024

Lockwood will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. I won't even try to predict how they will rule, George Parros has natoriously been soft on offending players.

Florida’s William Lockwood will have a hearing today for goalie interference on Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 20, 2024

At the 5:58 mark of the first period, Lockwood fought Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime. The proper response for attempting to decapitate the Wild's goalie Fleury.

Did the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Get Away With One?

Last night, the Minnesota Wild won their second game in a row with an impressive 6-1 win against the Nashville Predators. The Wild played like a team possessed. However, there might be an unexpected twist; a Minnesota Wild's star player could be getting a call from the NHL's Department of Players Safety. At the present moment, there hasn't been a call from the NHL's Department of Players Safety, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened.  

During last night's game, Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov might have gotten away with a dirty hit. See the video below. In the first period, Kaprizov hit Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier in the head when he didn't have the puck. Predators Nation is unhappy with Kirill. 

 "This is exactly what the NHL is trying to get out of the game, Predators Puck Analyst Hall Gill said after the first period. The hits to the head, this is this is embarrassing that this was not a five-minute major. Kaprizov should be out. Carrier doesn't have the puck and he finishes through on his head. 

"This is highly illegal. This is what the NHL has been getting rid of for how many years now? This is old school. I hate to see Carrier going off the ice. It's just such a dirty hit. As a hockey player, you have an obligation to protect someone. If they don't have the puck. You can't hit them. And if they don't have the puck, you certainly can't hit them in the head. The rest should have made this call; this is embarrassing."

.@Skillsy75 is not happy about the referees not calling the Kaprizov hit on Carrier a major penalty.

"This is exactly what the NHL is trying to get out of the game..." pic.twitter.com/pCCExZjjzk

— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) December 1, 2023

"I didn't see the hit but I was talking to the refs, Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly told the Tennessean after the game. They said there was head contact. It should have been reviewed. I asked them to review it. I don't know if they made a mistake or not. Obviously, a dangerous play." As of right now, there's no hearing scheduled, but that doesn't mean the league won't take a look at the hit. If they do, Kaprizov could be in trouble.

As of now, no hearing announced for Kirill Kaprizov, so at least in terms of a suspension, Dept of Player Safety may have decided on nothing or a fine after considering his head contact on Carrier

If that’s the case, the #mnwild & Hynes will have a full lineup (Hartman) Sunday

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 1, 2023

Russo has a point with this tweet if the roles were reversed., Wild fans would be upset. Yes, the Wild's star players have seen opposition players take runs at their star players, but Kaprizov has put a target on himself the next time he plays the Predators. 

The forensic expert fans on my mentions today are such hypocrites. It’s so funny to me. Imagine if the roles were reversed here

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 1, 2023

Wild Were Banged Up

According to Chad Graff, the Minnesota Wild were banged up pretty bad by the end of the season. We also know that Thomas Vanek had broken and displaced ribs and was unable to play during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

INJURY REPORT

In addition to Dubnyk (broken finger) and Zach Parise (back), Fletcher revealed that forward Erik Haula and defensemen Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon played through injuries this season. Haula has a hip injury that Fletcher said limited his speed. Scandella might require sports hernia surgery. Brodin had a foot injury that limited his mobility. Spurgeon was slowed by an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Fletcher said Spurgeon played most of the season at “80 percent.” “That kid is the toughest

That being said, all NHL hockey teams suffer injuries and it's part of the game.

Is Vanek Done in Minnesota?

Thomas Vanek came to the Minnesota Wild as a free-agent signing period during the summer of 2014. Since signing in Minnesota, Vanek has underperformed (scoring 39 goals and 93 points) and been the center of a lot of criticism. Some of the criticism was warranted, some not. Some of it was downright rude. Needless to say,  Wild fans weren't happy with his two-year performance.

That being said, Vanek wasn't pleased with his performance either.  In April, he told the Twin Cities media, "I'm not happy with my year, but I still believe I'm a 30 goal scorer." You have to credit Vanek, he's a very honest person.

Yes, there were a lot of fans and bloggers chuckling about that comment.

For a second year in a row Vanek was hurt at the end of the season. This season, Vanek had broken ribs and was unable to play during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

According to NBC's Pro Hockey Talk, Vanek's time in Minnesota could be over.

Rumblings have Minnesota considering a Thomas Vanek buyout. Vanek, 32, is heading into the last of a three-year, $19.5 million deal with a $6.5M cap hit, and is owed $7.5 million in salary. He’s coming off a disappointing year in which he scored a career-low 18 goals.

As a Wild apologist, I would rather see the Wild buyout a few other players first. I am looking at Jason Pominville, first. Question: are you on the buyout Vanek wagon? Do you want him to return and play out his contract? I am on the fence.

Mike Yeo's New Job

Not long after being fired by the Minnesota Wild, it appears that Mike Yeo will be the St. Louis Blues head coach staring during the 2017-18 season.

Tom Timmermann and Jeremy Rutherford St. Louis Post-Dispatch ---Mike Yeo was named as the successor to Ken Hitchcock as coach of the Blues on Monday. Yeo agreed to a one-year deal on Monday as an assistant coach -- the coach-in-waiting -- and a three-year deal to take over as coach after Hitchcock retires after next season.

It's an unlikely turn of events for Yeo (pronounced "Yo"), whose Minnesota Wild eliminated the Blues in the first round of the playoffs two seasons ago. At that point, it seemed that Hitchcock wouldn't be back the following the season while Yeo's star was rising with the Wild.

According to Jeremy Rutherford,  former Wild assistant coach and UND alum Rich Wilson has also been added to the St. Louis Blues staff, too.

Wild Clean House

With the hiring of 61-year-old All-Star head coach Bruce Boudreau, the Minnesota Wild have decided to do some house cleaning in the coaching department. In essence, the Wild have told assistant coaches Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor that their services will no longer be needed. They will keep former Bob Mason on a goalie coach. Former interim coach John Torchetti will also be employed somewhere else when the 2016-17 season begins.

In my opinion, that's a great move, it was time to cut ties with Torchetti. Honestly, I don't think the results were much of a difference between him and Mike Yeo.

Michael Russo, Startribune --- Longtime Wild assistants Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor have been informed they won’t be returning to the bench, multiple sources have said. Both coaches have contracts that expire June 30. It’s unclear as of now if they could potentially stay with the organization in other roles.

In addition, assistant coach Darby Hendrickson, the Wild’s eye in the sky during games, and goalie coach Bob Mason will sign new contracts and return to the club in their same roles.

It will be interesting to see what kind of moves the Wild make this summer. In my humble opinion, they do need to cut ties with some dead weight. There are a few players, young and old that need to go. And no, I am not talking about Thomas Vanek. Also, I am interested in seeing if the Wild make any big-time trades. Based on their cap status, there's not a lot they can do. They also have four picks during the 2016 NHL draft.

Finally, in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with some key players hurt, some of the younger Wild players proved that they were ready to play a larger role.

Coyle hit on Demers; Did Demers Embellish?

Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle appears to hit Dallas Stars defenseman Jason Demers up high. While it looks like Coyle might have caught him a bit, it also appears that Demers embellished this call greatly. I would give Demers an Academy Award, too.

Alex Tuch: Stay in School

Now that the Boston College Eagles season is over, there's going to be extensive chatter on whether Alex Tuch should sign with the Minnesota Wild.

Lastly, according to sources, first-round pick Alex Tuch will take a few days to let the emotions die down before deciding with his family and advisor if he should turn pro with the Wild.(Mike Russo, Russo's Rants)

Here's some advice, stay school. After listening to many ex-college hockey players talk about how they wished they had stayed in college for another year. What's the hurry?

Last night, during the pre-game former Fighting Sioux All-American Zach Parise, talked about how he wished he'd stayed in college for another year. Can you imagine if he had?

(Video) Duncan Keith Slash on Charlie Coyle; Dumba & Shaw Fight

You can watch the video here.

First, Chicago Defenseman Duncan Keith's dirty slash on Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle is unacceptable. I know that the Blackhawks fans are going to disagree with me, but there's no excusing that dirty slash. That's an intent to injure. Nothing Coyle did justifies being slashed like that, Keith could have severely injured Coyle with that gutless act.

Hopefully, the NHL will hand down a harsh sentence. Keith should receive at least a five-game suspension. However, because Keith is a Blackhawk and a star player, he will probably get a one-game suspension if we're lucky. If I was the head of Department of Players Safety, it would be at least a 10-game suspension. This is a bush league act and there's no excuse for this.

Apparently, Patrick Kane can't fight is own battles. First, the hit by Matt Dumba on Kane was a clean, hard, legal hit. (You can take a look for yourself). Nice Dumba beat Andrew Shaw, it was a good fight.

Wild: Game-Ending No Goal Against the Flyers (Video)

Here's the video of the Minnesota Wilds game-ending no goal against the Flyers. Did the on-ice officials blow the call?

I don't know, I think this might have been a goal, the goalies stick is way behind the line. Granted, the video is kind shoddy.

(Video) Chris Porter Scores Against the Islanders

Former Fighting Sioux and current Minnesota Wild forward, Chris Porter scored his fourth goal of the season against the New York Islanders. Port's career-high four goals in a single season is four. So, the next goal that porter scores will be a career high in goals. Porter had been a healthy scratch for the past seven games.

(Video) Michal Rozsival hit on Jason Zucker

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival was given a penalty major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for this hit on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker.

Was this worthy of a game misconduct? Also, is this hit worthy of a suspension? I don't believe so.

Minnesota Wild Goal: Was Charlie Coyle Offsides?

Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle scored his 11th goal of the season. The L.A. Kings coaching staff thought the Coyle was offsides and challenged the play. The Kings lost the coach's challenge.

Looking at the play a few times. I think this was a good call at the blue line. What do you think? Was Coyle offsides? Or did the linesmen make the right call?

Coyle broke a five-game pointless streak with his goal tonight.

Tweet of the Week

My favorite tweet of the week is by Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. Russo makes a great point. Can you imagine spending money on this game? The last NHL game that I attended cost me $77.00. And was more exciting than this gem.

For the most part, this season, the NHL, except for a handful of teams and games has been boring to watch. Almost unwatchable. This game is almost as bad at the 1-0 game that UND lost to BSU on November 20, 2011.

One of the worst hockey games in the history of the sport is scoreless after two...One period to go...

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 11, 2016

What's Wrong with NHL Officiating

In another episode of blow the f#*king whistle. I have no problem with Wild defenseman Ryan Suter locking up with Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader behind the net. That's two guys battling hard, that's hard-nosed hockey. In my opinion, Sutter started the incident. The box score will read:

19:44 DET Justin Abdelkader Roughing - 2 min against Ryan Suter
19:44 MIN Ryan Suter Roughing - 2 min against Justin Abdelkader

I do have a problem with the mugging that Zach Parise took from Danny Dekeyser. There should have been a minor penalty or two called on Dekeyser. The refs are again letting the obstruction go. They need to call the penalties that happen right in front of their eyes.

Wes McCauley, solid officiating there. Only ignored about 10 infractions

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) December 29, 2015

Was Jarret Stoll's hit on Kris Letang worthy of a Suspension?

real dirty hit from stoll on letang pic.twitter.com/mcWttguGal

— Rich Miller (@atrichmiller) December 27, 2015

Last night, at the 03:19 mark of he third period, Minnesota Wild forward Jarret Stoll hit Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kris Letang in the head his shoulder. For his efforts, Stoll was given a two-minute minor penalty for illegal check To head.

First, Stoll got lucky, he could've been assessed a five-minute major, but for whatever reason, he wasn't. Checking social media  Pens fans weren't very happy with the call. Do they have a point for their unhappiness?

Further complicating things, today, the league decided that Stoll wouldn't be having a hearing for his illegal check to Letang's head. Finally, Letang didn't play in the Pens game tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. This made Pens fans, even more, unhappy.

My question is: was this hit worthy of supplemental discipline? Did the NHL's Department of Player Safety blow it? Personally, I don't think that every illegal check to head deserves a suspension. In this case, it looks like Stoll went for a shoulder-to-should hit and missed. It's not a malicious hit, dirty, sure.

Kris Letang is out tonight vs WPG, per #Pens Coach Sullivan. Wasn't feeling great this morning. Precautionary hold out.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 27, 2015

#mnwild's Jarret Stoll isn't expected to face hearing for hit on #penguins D Kris Letang. Looks like hit thru the shoulder, no extension

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) December 27, 2015

(Video) Johnny Oduya's Dirty Cross-Check on Zach Parise

Another dirty cross-check and another two-minute minor penalty. Seriously, Dallas Stars defenseman Johnny Oduya's dirty cross-check on Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise is only worthy of a two-minutes penalty. The ref was standing right there. This is a blatant dirty, bush league move is worthy of a look by the NHL's Department of Players Safety. These are the type of hits that the NHL should be removing from the game of hockey.

Johnny Oduya destroys his close friend Zach Parise with a cross-check to the back of the neck. Wild PP

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) November 29, 2015

Jason Zucker slashed by Matt Beleskey

I suppose, this is what we will remember when it's all said and done. Boston Bruins forward Matt Beleskey's game-ending slash on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker. When you watch it, the slash looks kind of innocuous. It doesn't look like much. I suppose Belesky caught Zucker in a nerve or something.

Nino Niederreiter's hit on Olli Maatta

Here's the video of Minnesota Wild forward Nino Niederreiter's hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta. Make no mistake about it, this is a dangerous, reckless hit. That being said, Niederreiter is not a dirty player, not by any stretch of the imagination.

I included the hit by Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Niederreiter. This play happened right before Nino's hit on Maata. This is a push check, right or wrong, it happens in the game all of the time. Both hits should have been a penalty, but were not.

I have seen fans calling for a suspension on Niederreiter. Personally, this is a hit that needs to be removed from the game of hockey. I don't have a problem with the NHL suspending Niederreiter for this hit, but they won't. Not this time.

Confirmed: No suspension for Nino Niederreiter #mnwild #penguins

— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) November 18, 2015

“It’s unfortunate the whole situation,” Niederreiter told the media following last night's game. “I pushed him and went for a change and I think he toe-picked the same time and the door was open. You never want to see anything like that. Obviously I feel bad.”

Friday Morning Reading

Good Morning! Good times have come our way. The second week of the college hockey season is finally here. The weekend kicks off with a double header, home-and-home hockey weekend for the UND hockey teams. The Women play both days at 2:00 pm followed by the UND men.

A limited number of tickets for Saturday's game just became available! Get yours now at http://t.co/U88nHTbquw pic.twitter.com/CehhE3rwAS

— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDmhockey) October 15, 2015

Fresh out of the oven! Watch the ALL-NEW episode of #ThroughTheseDoors, “Mother Goose” on Youtube: https://t.co/bD6jzSTQjZ

— UND Insider (@undinsider) October 16, 2015

You won't believe this... The old stick through the skate trick.

That's some talent, @Jason_Zucker16. Stick went through BOTH skates. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/u1L8AhnmZS

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 16, 2015

And Finally, former Fighting Sioux All-American Zach Parise scores his fifth goal of the season. This is the quickest that Zach has gotten to five goals to start a hockey season. The Wild are 3-0 and Parise has scored (5g-1a--6pts) in three games.

PPPG (Parise Power Play Goal). #mnwild #MINvsARI pic.twitter.com/URbnvb6Itk

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 16, 2015