According to a source, the Bruins and Wild are talking trade, with a defenseman coming to the Bruins and a forward and a defenseman going to Minnesota. The source said that it would be partially a salary dump for the B’s. Attractive defenseman on the Wild would be Brent Burns or Nick Schultz. No word yet on who would be going to the Wild in return [Boston Herald]
Tony DaCosta stood in the middle of the Wild's dressing room Sunday morning at the Xcel Energy Center, holding an ice skate in each hand and exchanging wisecracks with players.
In the middle of packing the team's gear for its first road trip since fire destroyed more than two-thirds of it on Dec. 18 in Ottawa, DaCosta seemed in his usual good mood; the Wild had won two straight games, and everything appeared to be back to normal.
DaCosta put the skates down and shook his head.
"We're far from back to normal," he said. "We're about 50 percent."
DaCosta believes a blowtorch ignited in the back of the Ottawa Senators' equipment truck during the short drive from the Kanata Recreation Centre, where the Wild practiced, to Scotiabank Place, where the Senators defeated the Wild 4-1 on Dec. 19.
He estimated damages at about $100,000.
No one knows for sure if a blowtorch started the fire, but DaCosta knows one thing: "First of all, there'll never be a torch again on a truck that I'm on, that's for sure."
He's not nervous, just "more aware" as the team sets off on another road trip.
DaCosta, 42, the head equipment manager for the Wild from the beginning, reached into a cabinet and pulled out one of the blowtorches players use to custom bend the blades of their sticks. He pushed the ignition button and released it, and there was only a short burst of propane. He held the button, and the torch flamed to life.
For that to happen on the truck that day, he said, was "one in a million."
Equipment personnel go by the Boy Scout motto: be prepared.
[TwinCities.com]
(updated 6:20 p.m. EST): Brunette after Wild's 6 p.m. meeting: "Looks like we're going to try to play, I guess."
(updated): Just talked to a bunch of players. They have a 6 p.m. EST meeting at their hotel with the team. There's lot of concern about playing in new equipment. It's not just a feel thing (it takes players weeks to break in equipment), but a safety thing. Knee braces and stuff like that were destroyed. How do you just throw a new knee brace on a player without making sure it fits properly? More soon.
Details are sketchy right now, but the Wild's equipment truck caught fire today destroying much of the Wild's equipment. [Here are pictures courtesy of a couple tweeters].
The Wild practiced at the Kanata Rec Center this afternoon in suburban Ottawa. After a short drive back to the Scotiabank place, trainers apparently got out in the parking lot and noticed the back smoky. When they opened up the back of the truck, much of the equipment was on fire.
Firefighters were called to put out the blaze, but much was destroyed. Police are investigating the cause of the fire, but equipment trainers have no clue.
"It was a five-minute drive," said bewildered head equipment trainer Tony DaCosta.
This is obviously unprecedented and the team is in complete scramble mode. Remember, in practice, players use their game gear, just not their normal game sweaters.
Assistant equipment trainer Brent Proulx is rushing back to Minnesota to gather equipment and bring it here tomorrow on a flight leaving 5:30 a.m., but the team is also on the phone with the league to determine what can be done regarding the game.
It is not easy for hockey players to just change equipment, and much of the gear was completely destroyed.
As the Wild keeps losing (it is 3-9), Gaborik keeps scoring (10 goals), although in a fitting twist of irony, Gaborik's St. Paul homecoming is threatened tonight because of that oh-so familiar "lower body" injury. He hasn't skated since Monday.
But let's be honest: Gaborik's fast start under the Broadway spotlight was as predictable as a rush-hour traffic jam through the Lincoln Tunnel.
If you're a disgruntled, Gaborik-loving Wild fan who plans to spend the next five years keeping one eye on the Rangers, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm by January.
Gaborik, tied for second in the NHL with 10 goals and third with 18 points, is an incredible talent. From a goals-per-game standpoint since the lockout, Gaborik's name can be uttered in the same breath as Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. The only thing that's impeded Gaborik from becoming a true superstar is that dirty five-letter word that starts with "G" and ends with "roin."
--------------(snip)--------------
In most cases, stars are home-grown draft picks, which is why it's imperative the Wild starts developing these players. The Wild has nothing coming in the near future as far as skilled forwards. Nothing.
This is a franchise that has managed to draft and develop arguably one top-six forward since 2002 -- Pierre-Marc Bouchard -- and three in its history -- Gaborik, Mikko Koivu and Bouchard. It botched the 2004 first-round selection of A.J. Thelen, and it appears the Wild flubbed the 2005 and 2006 drafts with Benoit Pouliot and James Sheppard.
That's why even though it will be painful for the Wild and its fans, losing, real losing, has its benefits. It won't be fun, but a high draft pick next summer will help the Wild rebuild. This team needs an influx of young talent. It needs to develop another Gaborik.
Gaborik wasn't perfect. He had defensive deficiencies. He often was injured. He might even have been "one-dimensional." But he possessed the dimension teams need: He scores goals.
And as often is the case, you don't realize what you're missing until it's gone.
This is a franchise that has managed to draft and develop arguably one top-six forward since 2002 -- Pierre-Marc Bouchard -- and three in its history -- Gaborik, Mikko Koivu and Bouchard. It botched the 2004 first-round selection of A.J. Thelen, and it appears the Wild flubbed the 2005 and 2006 drafts with Benoit Pouliot and James Sheppard.
[Star Tribune]
Guess what? I had today off but ran into Marty Havlat and his girlfriend at a restaurant in Minneapolis. He hopes to play Wednesday against the Avalanche. He practiced today (Tuesday) but said he does want to test his groin at Wednesday's morning skate before a final decision is made.
I talked to Rachel Blount, who covered practice today. She said Petr Sykora (groin) skated again on his own and coach Todd Richards said they're hoping he can rejoin practice any day. He's still day-to-day and won't play against Colorado.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Wild suffered another painful loss Wednesday night, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Anaheim Ducks and losing top-line forward Martin Havlat in the process.
Wild coach Todd Richards dropped the dreaded words that seem to be replayed over and over again when he announced Havlat's injury after the game.
"Pulled groin," he said. "Day to day."
For much of their game at the Honda Center, the Wild looked like the equal of the sometimes still-mighty Ducks. But too often, lapses and breakdowns left the Wild's defense and even their power play resembling recess time at an elementary school.
"What really killed us was our power play," Richards said. "Every time we got on the power play, we couldn't do a thing. It was tough for us to get it in their zone, and it seemed like they had it on their stick more than we had it on ours."
There were no moral victories on this evening, as the Wild dropped to 1-4 this season, 0-4 on the road.
13-Mar-09 Missed 1 game (lower body injury).
11-Mar-09 Lower body injury, day-to-day.
06-Apr-08 Missed the last 19 games of the regular season (left shoulder injury).
28-Feb-08 Left shoulder injury, day-to-day.
06-Jan-08 Missed 6 games (groin).
23-Dec-07 Groin, sidelined indefinitely.
28-Nov-07 Missed 22 games (shoulder injury).
17-Nov-07 Shoulder injury, day-to-day.
17-Oct-07 Shoulder injury, mid-November.
05-Oct-07 Shoulder injury, sidelined indefinitely.
09-Apr-07 Missed the last 3 games of the regular season (shoulder injury).
05-Apr-07 Shoulder injury, remainder of the regular season.
01-Mar-07 Missed 1 game (flu).
27-Feb-07 Flu, day-to-day.
13-Jan-07 Missed 3 games (groin).
05-Jan-07 Groin, day-to-day.
09-Dec-06 Missed 19 games (right ankle injury).
06-Dec-06 Right ankle injury, day-to-day.
21-Oct-06 Right ankle injury, early December.
20-Oct-06 Leg injury, left Friday's game.
15-Apr-06 Missed 58 games (shoulder surgery).
07-Dec-05 Shoulder surgery, mid-April.
29-Nov-05 Dislocated right shoulder, left Tuesday's game.
26-Nov-05 Missed 1 game (hamstring).
23-Nov-05 Hamstring, day-to-day.
22-Nov-05 Hamstring, left Tuesday's game.
03-Feb-04 Missed 2 games (groin).
29-Jan-04 Groin, day-to-day.
27-Nov-03 Missed 3 games (hamstring).
22-Nov-03 Hamstring, day-to-day.
11-Mar-03 Missed 2 games (groin).
05-Mar-03 Groin, day-to-day.
04-Mar-03 Groin, left Tuesday's game.
01-Mar-03 Missed 4 games (groin).
20-Feb-03 Groin, day-to-day.
27-Jan-03 Missed 2 games (elbow injury).
23-Jan-03 Elbow injury, day-to-day.
22-Jan-03 Missed 0 game (right arm injury).
21-Jan-03 Right arm injury, day-to-day.
20-Jan-03 Leg injury, left Monday's game.
14-Nov-02 Missed 6 games (groin).
08-Nov-02 Groin, mid-November.
29-Oct-02 Groin, day-to-day.
17-Apr-02 Missed the last 7 games of the regular season (groin).
30-Mar-02 Groin, day-to-day.
23-Mar-02 Missed 2 games (groin).
19-Mar-02 Groin, day-to-day.
06-Feb-02 Missed 1 game (groin).
01-Feb-02 Groin, day-to-day.
13-Apr-01 Missed the last game of the regular season (groin).
07-Apr-01 Groin, day-to-day.
01-Apr-01 Named NHL Rookie of the Month for March.
14-Dec-00 Missed 8 games (right shoulder injury).
25-Nov-00 Right shoulder injury, mid-December.
22-Mar-09 Missed 38 games (hip surgery).
24-Dec-08 Groin, sidelined indefinitely.
17-Dec-08 Missed 27 games (back injury).
16-Oct-08 Back injury, day-to-day.
15-Nov-07 Missed 3 games (groin).
05-Nov-07 Groin, day-to-day.
01-Nov-07 Missed 2 games (groin).
27-Oct-07 Groin, day-to-day.
06-Jan-07 Missed 34 games (groin strain).
02-Jan-07 Groin strain, day-to-day.
21-Oct-06 Groin strain, sidelined indefinitely.
05-Jul-06 Re-signed as a restricted free agent by the Minnesota Wild to a three-year contract.
23-Nov-05 Missed 11 games (hip flexor).
25-Oct-05 Hip flexor, sidelined indefinitely.
19-Oct-05 Missed 6 games (groin).
04-Oct-05 Groin, mid-October.
28-Sep-05 Groin, day-to-day.
02-Feb-04 Missed 5 games (hip flexor).
22-Jan-04 Hip flexor, day-to-day.
31-Oct-03 Re-signed by the Minnesota Wild to a multi-year contract.
30-Jun-03 Minnesota Wild tendered a qualifying offer.
17-Dec-02 Missed 1 game (flu).
15-Dec-02 Flu, day-to-day.
28-Dec-01 Missed 3 games (groin).
22-Dec-01 Groin, day-to-day.
07-Oct-01 Missed 1 game (hernia).
01-Oct-01 Hernia, day-to-day.
08-Apr-01 Missed the last 4 games of the regular season (abdominal strain).
02-Apr-01 Abdominal strain, day-to-day.
30-Nov-00 Missed 6 games (left leg injury).
17-Nov-00 Left leg injury, day-to-day.
[TSN]
Wild look to deal Harding
Minnesota has targeted four teams - the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers - to try and trade backup goalie Josh Harding, who had a 2.21 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 19 games in the 2008-09 season.
The 2002 second-round draft pick played for Rob Daum when he coached the Wild's AHL farm club in Houston, should they need a scouting report.
The Wild will try to get a second-line forward back for Harding, who turns 25 on June 18.
The Wild will likely try and move slugger Derek Boogaard to an Eastern Conference team at the draft because he's an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. Plus, they want a tough guy who can play more than Boogaard's five minutes a game.
If you're handicapping the Wild's search for head coach, San Jose assistant Todd Richards would be No. 1 because new general manager Chuck Fletcher has a history with him in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, with Craig MacTavish being No. 2.
[Canada.com]
Leipold's guy made clear his philosophy.
"I want an up-tempo, aggressive, fast style of hockey," Fletcher said. "We want to dictate the pace of play to our opponent."
That should be welcome news to Minnesota fans who had grown weary of Lemaire's counterpunching style, which relied on a strong neutral zone trap to force turnovers and create rare scoring chances. (Read the rest of the story here)
Appearing at his introductory news conference in the main lobby of Xcel Energy Center, Fletcher promised to bring "an up-tempo, aggressive, fast style of hockey" to an organization that has been known for its neutral-zone trap and close-to-the-vest approach throughout its nine-year existence.
Fletcher stressed that he's not instilling "run-and-gun" hockey, but changes are coming. "We want to dictate the pace of play," he said.
(read the whole story here)
Koivu said if his vision of the future meshed with that of the team, he expected to have a deal, ideally for two of three seasons, before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He added that if there’s no deal before the deadline, he will probably be playing elsewhere next season.
When Koivu was asked if joining his younger brother, Mikko, in Minnesota was an option, he said: “It would be amazing in one way to play with him on the same team. But on the other hand, he’s at the point where he has his own career. He’s making a name for himself and in some ways, it’s easier for him and I’d like to keep it that way. But it’s tempting to think about playing on the same NHL team with him and having some success.”
(Read the Whole Article here)
Look at this rehab list as of now:
Niklas Backstrom — out four to six months following hip surgery Friday
Brent Burns — post-concussion syndrome and shoulder surgery Thursday that will require four months to heal.
Andrew Brunette — reconstructive knee surgery, out four to six months
Derek Boogaard — shoulder surgery Tuesday, out two months
Pierre-Marc Bouchard — concussion
(the way the B’s are dropping, Marc-Andre Bergeron better be careful walking across the street)
Nick Schultz — concussion
Tyler Cuma — still recovering from knee surgery
Oops, forgot Dan Fritsche - broken collarbone
Oh, and I forgot a fairly major one: Mikko Koivu — sprained knee
(Read Mike Russo's whole blog post here)
Wild owner Craig Leipold thanked the Wild GM, but decided a change at the top was in order.
By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune --- Last update: April 16, 2009 - 12:40 PM
Wild GM Doug Risebrough has been fired by owner Craig Leipold, in a surprise decision annouced by the team today.
The Wild, in an annoucement released to the media just after noon, said Risebrough's contract will not be renewed "beyond the 2008-2009 season."
“The entire Minnesota Wild organization is forever indebted to Doug for his substantial efforts in establishing this franchise’s solid foundation and winning tradition,” said Leipold in the statement. “The positive impact of Doug’s service will be felt for many years to come. We wish Doug the very best.”
The search for a new General Manager will begin immediately. The first order of business for the incoming General Manager will be to select the Team’s next Head Coach.
Until a replacement is found, Assistant General Manager Tom Lynn, will be acting-general manager, the team said.
Sources: Risebrough fired as Wild GM According to two outside NHL sources, Wild GM Doug Risebrough has been fired by owner Craig Leipold.
By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune ---- Last update: April 16, 2009 - 12:04 PM
According to two outside NHL sources, Wild GM Doug Risebrough has been fired by owner Craig Leipold.
The report has not yet been confirmed by members of the Wild organization.
Come back to startribune.com for more details.
Jacques Lemaire, the only coach the Wild’s ever known, has coached his final game with the Wild.
With clear signs before the game that Lemaire was indeed done, Lemaire finally confirmed it after the Wild’s 6-3 win.
“I think it’s time for the players to get a new coach and myself look at other stuff.”
With you coach elsewhere? “I’ll see. It’s exciting. It’s an exciting job. I was behind the bench there just before the game there, and I felt I was getting really tight because it’s something I’ve done for 15 years and I like it and I have to go.”
Olli Jokinen's name is still connected to the Montreal Canadiens. Jokinen is believed to be being considered by at least four teams around the National Hockey League: the Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild. Don Maloney and the Phoenix Coyotes have a decision to make - is the price in return as good right now as it should be to make that move or do you wait until the draft? But the Montreal Canadiens are believed to be very much in the mix.
Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith called the Minnesota Wild's style of play "patient." Coach Joel Quenneville said it was "well-disciplined." Winger Kris Versteeg went with a more basic description.
"It's boring to play against, and it's boring to watch," Versteeg said. "They really put you to sleep out there. They have five guys that basically just stand in front and just block shots.
"Playing against a team like that makes it pretty tough to really get any life in the building."
The boring approach worked just fine for the Wild in a 2-1 victory over the Hawks on Sunday night at the United Center. The defeat snapped the Hawks' four-game winning streak, and they lost for the fourth time in their last five home contests.
(Read the whole article here)
More games for the Blackhawks against Minnesota’s old hockey team instead of the new one.
I hate the Wild. I hate the neutral-zone trap. I hate the way Jacques Lemaire has uglied up the game.
But I really hate that the Hawks had 800 shots, including almost two minutes of a 5-on-3, but couldn’t beat Josh Harding for three stinkin’ goals when three goals is a month’s output for the Wild.
I’m aggravated, but that’s all I really want to say. No sense ranting. The Hawks don’t play the Wild again this season. Thank goodness. We now return to hockey and leave the land of lobotomies behind.
Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough admitted keeping Pouliot on the roster following training camp was "a bad mistake."
"He wasn't ready," Risebrough said. "You get to a point when a player's not succeeding [with the Wild] ... it's better to put him down."
