MN Wild playoff preview

J/K! There isn't one! The Wild missed the playoffs by 2 points, but maybe that was a good thing, because Doug Risebrough, the former GM of the team, got FIRED! Most Wild fans are pretty stoked about this, myself included. Maybe this will be the shakeup this team needs to get it together and get good. You have to be bad before you can be good, and maybe if we are bad and patient, we'll get some good, young players who actually want to be there.

If you are a Wild fan, you should pick a different team. Elise and I have decided on Chicago, though I'm sure neither of us would die if Oshie picked up a goal or two for the Blues.

In the east I'm all about the Habs. Four Habs Fans will provide excellent insight as usual, and I really, really hope they tell the Bruins to shove it.

If your team didn't make the playoffs, or even if they did and you are mad at them, who are you cheering for?

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Weekly Topic 1: Playoffs

I love the playoffs, and I even love them as a Minnesota fan. Perhaps especially because I am a Minnesota fan. I've decided that Minnesotans have accepted that we are a small market, and that none of our teams will probably ever be powerhouse dynasty types, but every year we remain hopeful. The phrase "hope springs eternal" was practically invented for Minnesota/Leafs fans. Playoff games bring us closer together and like someone has probably said, the atmosphere is always unbeatable.

The last time I went to a playoff game was my freshman year of high school, when the Wild were playing the Canucks. I went to games 4 and 6 of the series. These two games were probably the best two hockey games that I have ever attended in my fairly short life in that I became instant friends with hundreds of other people for at least three hours. These games appeal greatly to my social nature, and I'm a jock, meaning I like high fiving random people almost as much as I like winning.

We got to the game pretty early, but the building was already full. During game 4 they handed out flags (which I still have), and the pregame teaser on the boards elicited a thunderous roar from the crowd. I lost my voice before the game even started. I didn't sit down for the entire third period of the game. The food tasted better, the entire drive home (which I normally loathe, St. Paul is 30 long miles away, and I'm not a good car rider. Short attention span) flew by. People yelling in the streets, honking, high fiving some more. St. Paul is not normally as exciting as Minneapolis...

Game 6 was the game that we poured the hate on Bertuzzi for his comments to the fans, and it was one of the games in our epic come back from being down 3-1 for a second time. Minnesota is the only team in NHL history to come back and win two series after being down 3-1. After that game, life was one tremendous party. Most of the game I spent on my feet cheering, and it was a spectacular win. I sat in a different corner from the game previous, and I got to see Roli play twice right in front of me.

I can sit here and picture being inside the X as clearly as the day(s) it happened five years ago. I had my entire room plastered with playoff stuff, I stayed up later than I ever had watching the games and doing my homework after the games. My parents had never tolerated that kind of thing before, but they made an exception for the playoffs. All my friends and I talked about at school was the playoffs, and even the teachers would talk about hockey after the day's lesson.

Since I moved out west, the Wild have made the playoffs both years (maybe I should stay out here), but unfortunately have made early exits, robbing me of the chance to go and see them again. I have still carried on the traditions as best I can by spending hours on the phone/online with my friends who still reside in the State of Hockey trying to get every detail out of them, but I've found that it's just not the same thing as being there. I don't have the same emotion, the same level of awareness as I did when I was there.

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Better Than a Birthday

I've always wondered how some people don't like hockey, especially during the playoffs. Between the fans/the atmosphere and the spirit the players show, it's one of my favorite times of the year. So, instead of writing my English paper on existentialism (I mean really, I basically don't even know what that is), I'm going to sit here and write about why the playoffs push the boundaries of awesomeness.

Now, I have had a few encounters with people who just aren't interested in hockey. At the Wild-Avalanche playoff game Friday, everyone was standing up and cheering throughout the game (obviously), but there was a row of older people behind me who didn't seem quite as excited to be there. Whenever we'd stand up, they would say ("to themselves," but loud enough for us to hear) that they wished the people in front would sit down. One of the men also was plugging his ears during introductions. Of course, being the nice person I am, this just made me stand up more and cheer louder. I also am related to some non-hockey lovers; one such person being my younger sister. She never wants to come to the games with us (she would rather be shopping), forgets the name of her "favorite player", and asked me on the way home once whether we won or not. Now I love my sister, but she pains me sometimes. Sadly, I do not believe that even playoff hockey can cure these lost hockey-less souls.

Maybe it's just because I'm so invested in hockey and love the game so much that I don't understand why others don't. I've managed to turn many of my friends into hockey fans (and not just by showing them cute players, although that works sometimes too). End-to-end action, some of the nicest guys in pro sports, spectacular fans, and games that can change momentum in a second...what's not to love? The playoffs only solidify my obsession over the sport.

The crowd was rocking on Friday night and the shouts continued into the streets after the game. My voice was a mere rasp the next day, and I don't lose my voice very often. It's impossible not to have fun at playoff games. The Xcel stepped it up a notch, too. Free towels for all and a multitude of amusing videos on the Jumbotron. All video was also projected onto the ice surface, which was very cool.

The heart the players show during the playoffs is also phenomenal (well, most of them). The latest occurrence of this on the Wild are in the form of four players: Kurtis Foster, Nick Schultz, Martin Skoula, and Branko Radivojevic (who I will call Radio for the rest of the post). Kurtis Foster got his femur broken March 19 in San Jose (it was gross) and is on the start of a long road to full recovery. But he somehow managed to get himself from his house to the press box to do the "Let's Play Hockey" for Friday night's game (video here.) As for Nick Schultz, he went through an emergency appendectomy right before the playoffs started, which was a huge blow to our blueline. But he has begun skating and has said that if we need him late in the series, he will try to play. Martin Skoula, probably the most ridiculed player on the Wild, injured his leg in Game 1, but suited up for Game 2. Not only did he play one of his best games all season, but laid out a huge hit. Radio was hit in the first period of Friday's game was obviously hurting when he left the ice. He returned for some shifts in the second and third period however, and gutted it out. He is trying not to let the injury bother him and has flown to Denver to possibly gut out another game. Players play through so much in the playoffs and it really shows the heart that it takes to carry your team through.

So, in summary, I love the playoffs.
Now, what are your favorite playoff features/memories? Leave them in the comments!

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Don Cherry does love Minnesota after all!

Minnesota got TWO, count 'em TWO shoutouts from Grapes himself tonight. The first was concerning Derek Boogaard and how much he likes him, and the second was about Doug Risebrough's decision to sign Foster for next season so he doesn't have to worry while he is rehabbing. I'm not generally a big fan of Risebrough, but right now I think this is a classy move. WAIT, THREE shoutouts! (I'm watching HNIC right now in case you didn't notice, so I'm updating. It's Scott and Kelly now, so I'm done I promise.) He just said that if the Wild play the Ducks in the playoffs, that Minnesota will destroy them. I love you, Don Cherry.

Grapes just told Joe Thornton he needs to keep clean shaven. I forgive him for everything he's ever said to make me mad.

One other not completely hockey note: David Suzuki, my hero of life, talked about Earth Hour on Hockey Night in Canada, and told us all we can keep our TVs on to catch the end of the game. He's so cool.

Cassie Campbell just said "tearing it up". She's my female hero of life. I'm so happy she's still in hockey.

PS, was that post too long for just the regular posting style?

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Dear Wild,

I love you guys, except when you lose to the Red Wings.

Kirsten

PS, Mikko, I highly recommend you rough people up some more. That was hot.

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Confession Time

I am a horrible secret keeper, and hockey is no exception, so I've decided that it's time to make some confessions.

• I have found that ever since I started frequenting the Untypical Girls blog, that I just don't have the same hatred for the Stars that I used to have, except on gameday. The girls tell hilarious stories about the team, I can almost forget that the Stars are team stealing/deserting sons of bitches.
• Brett Lebda is hella cute. Matthew Lombardi as well.
• Much as I like to call Penner a big [insert adjective here] oaf, he's really funny. Matt Greene too, minus the oaf part. He's turning out to be a pretty decent hockey player.
• I'd like Naslund's autograph.
• Brent Burns has really grown on me. He's still a goober, but he's a polite goober who's turning into a stud defenceman.
• I have found something to like about the Devils again: Zach Parise. It used to be Niedermayer, but I've bitched about him enough to make my point clear. Brodeur is still a smug bastard.
• I adore Andy McDonald, I even did when he played for the Ducks.
• The Kings are my adopted West Coast team. I used to make fun of them, but now I'm slowly becoming a fan.
• Same thing with the Senators. I used to mock them as being a fake Canadian team, unworthy compared to the Leafs/Habs, etc, but now I can name almost every player on the roster. I still don't like them as well as the Habs, but I like them better than I did.

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You Don't Know What You've Got 'Till It's Gone...

Bear with me, this almost ties into the "Where is the oddest place you have seen hockey" question that's up...Well it's more like the un-answer to the question, since I always expect to see hockey everywhere.
When I was choosing a college to attend, I refused to attend a school anywhere near my family. Man oh man I could not wait to leave Minnesota. Now looking back on my decision, I've discovered that I really, really like living here in Minnesota. I just needed to go to a completely different climate/culture to realize this. Right now I'm thinking about it even more as I start to pack my bags to head back to hockey hell (AKA Oregon). Here we have the State Tournament, an event that is played out in St. Paul, and is on public TV to the exclusion of everything else. We have a pro team, tons of good college hockey, we can get the Canadian networks, and everyone I know follows hockey at some (usually multiple) level (s). I went to some games and sat in my parent's seats, and all the people around me were asking about school, they knew/remembered things about me, were careful around my arm after surgery, and were more than happy to shoot the breeze about a variety of subjects. (Fishing, hunting, Twins, Gophs, armchair GMing, weather patterns, etc) All of this made me think about how much I miss striking up random conversations (and snow, hockey, non-Asian food, cream based everything, Caribou Coffee....). I guess I just couldn't fathom a place that didn't love hockey that much. On the flip side, my friend at school can't fathom anything about Minnesota. They seem to think it's some alien planet. People told me how it would be in Oregon, but I'm clearly a slow learner and need to figure these things out for myself. Mark Parrish and I are having our very own" We love Minnesota, and damn is it good to be back" club.

Centre Ice online is about to become my god again since I will no longer have hockey on local TV or even cable, because I could not get 350/1,800 students to sign a petition saying they wanted more hockey on our TV package. Stupid Willamette.

I really should stop rambling and procrastinating now. I have to go and pack, clean out the fridge/stuff my face, and watch the Leafs vs. Sharks on CBC.

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The New Best Player On My Team

Looking for his biggest fan, Steph, in the stands...

I present to you the top five reasons I think Mikko Koivu is becoming the best player on the Wild:
5.) He wins faceoffs. A lot of faceoffs, and this is something the Wild have been severely lacking in.

4.) He actually works hard. Hear that Gaborik? Hard work. Foreign words to you, I know.

3.) Koivu is carrying on the Finnish tradition on the Wild of being good at shoot outs. Dude has moves. Hopefully Backstrom will carry on the tradition on the other end of the spectrum.

2.) He's future captain material. I can really see him becoming a leader on this team. He's mature, thoughtful, and clearly has good genes.

1.) He plays a lot of games. He's rarely hurt (yet again, I'm looking at you, Gaborik) unless he gets karate chopped with a stick (to throw in a MN term, Paul Bunyan style!) by a douchy, probably jealous player from the other team. My mom alway did say that Swedes and Finns don't like each other...

Honorable mention reason: he doesn't take any crap, and is even showing signs of being feisty.

Added bonus for the ladies: cute!

Mikko Koivu is becoming a really good all around player. Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said that the more comfortable he he becomes off the ice, the more comfortable he has seemed on it. I completely agree. He started to learn the language and come out of his shell, and he is blossoming into a franchise-type player, and one I hope we will have a long time beyond his current four-year deal.
Yes, this was a bit of an attack on Gaborik, but in order to be the best player on the team, you actually have to play once in a while. He has skills, but he's not as well-rounded as Mikko.

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Gaborik apologizes to you. Yeah you.

Gaborik issues public apology

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Sportsnet.ca -- In an unprecedented move, Minnesota Wild forward Marian Gaborik has apologized to fantasy hockey owners for playing in a defensive system.

"When developing this team it is obvious that management paid no attention to fantasy owners, but instead selfishly decided that winning games was more important," Gaborik said in a "prepared statement."

The Slovak scorer has 13 points in 12 games this season, including a game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames. For his efforts the Wild are off to a 9-6-2 start, but fantasy owners are frustrated that Gaborik is not a Top 5 in every offensive category.

"I will continue to help you out when I can," Gaborik explained. "But I am afraid management is obsessed with giving Minnesota fans a Stanley Cup."

Gaborik will continue to do his best in Edmonton on Thursday night as the Wild visit the Oilers.

I suddenly have this renewed respect and liking towards Gaborik. Heh.

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Still perfect

According to the NHL stats in the NewYork Times this morning, the Wild are the only team in the league that haven't lost yet. Take that NHL.com poll! We were the team that got the least number of votes for the team that would stay perfect the longest. 5-0 baby! I love life right now.

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Yay for hockey on the internet!

My folks caved and got the Centre Ice online package, and they even gave me the password! This means I get to watch hockey this season!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm so unbelievably excited to get to see as many games as my internet connection will allow(as opposed to last school year when I got to see three games, and I couldn't leave the TV because if I did, it would get usurped by a pack of football players)...I foresee a lot of suspensions of my internet privileges. I hope there aren't too many Wild games back to back to allow for the school to cool off and give me the internet back. Yippee!

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Greetings from Minnesota!

The powers that be at HLOG have hono(u)red me with an invitaion to join the party, so I'm here to represent (or mis-represent, depending on how you want to look at it) Minnesota. Special thanks to Sherry for extending the welcome wagon!
I promise, I'll have a blog going soon, nevermind that I've been saying that for the last year or so...

1. Where you're from, what you do - basic things.
I'm from a suburb of Minneapolis, MN. I attend University in Salem, OR where I study environmental science and someday I hope to go to grad school. I also row for the Willamette Crew Team.

2. Your team and why you like them.
My team is the Minnesota Wild. When the Minnesota North Stars left, my heart broke into tiny pieces. To fill that void I became a fan of the Jets and later the Oilers. I was beyond excited when it was announced that Minnesota was going to get a team again.

3. Your least favourite team and why?
Either the Flames or the Ducks. I love a good B of A game, but the Wild struggle against them something awful. The Ducks are the only team that has ever kicked my team out of the playoffs. That leaves me somewhat (read: REALLY) bitter.

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?
All-time: Joe Sakic
Now: Mark Parrish and Wes Walz

5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL organisation, who and why? Chris Chelios or FCP. I clearly don't like the name Chris.

6 What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.
I'm not really sure what to expect since I've never blogged before, but I do know that I like new things, challenges, team sports, group projects, and I like learning about other teams from fans of those teams.

7. What you don't like in general?
I don't like wearing socks (unless I'm playing a sport or running), and I am TERRIFIED of tornados. Other than that, I'm cool with most things.

8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?
I feel that all fans play a role in keeping the game alive, but women bring the loyalty element, and they bring their friends. Bringing friends to the game increases the fanbase, and will hopefully even out the male to female ratio eventually. I'm always trying to help make it cool for a chick to be a sports fan. Guys think it's awesome when women get involved in sports. Women also have the great distinction that they get to raise the future of hockey. They drive kids to practice at 5 AM, they wash dirty sweaters, they provide support and encouragement( at least in my family). In Minnesota, it is a prestigious and honoured thing to raise future hockey players.

9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?
Women see the athletes, but they also see the athletes as people. They see when they give back to the community, are nice to kids, stop and chat with people, but they also see when they leave teenaged girls pregnant, blow people off, and act like spoiled little bitches. They seem to gravitate towards and support the ones that give back and are nice guys, and thus they teach/tell their kids, friends, relatives, and everyone else to be a fan of these people too. My mom had no problem with my worshipping Sakic as a kid.

10. Hockey just isn't the same without...
Cheerful Wayne Gretzky. Coach Gretzky makes me sad and scares me at the>> same time. I remember him as being really nice and smiley. I don't think coaching is his true calling in life.

11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to stay with you?
Brendan Shanahan because he's funny, intelligent, and probably resourceful. If worse comes to worse, I will be entertained the whole time.

12. Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)? I don't like Ovechkin, I'm sick of hearing about Crosby, and Phaneuf plays for the Flames. I have to go with Phaneuf, though, because he's more bad-ass than the other two. Besides, I've already cheated and I have a crush on one of the Flames players.

13. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event?
Grand Night Out: Someone who looks good in a tux and is charming or Scott Niedermayer. He cleans up nicely, he's nerdy, and he's into the environment without being a total hippie. Movie: Mikko Koivu is such a handsome man, and he's tall, Scandinavian, and seems like a total sweetheart! How can I resist?
Boring Event: Mark Parrish, he is funny and sarcastic, he likes to make fun of people, and he's a Twins fan.

14. If you could make your own team, regardless of whatever players, what would it be called and where will it be/how would it be like?
Team Domination (normally I'd go with Team Awesome, but Sherry stole that out from under me), and they would play in Winnipeg. That way we'd be worshipped even if we sucked. Kind of like a cooler version of the Leafs. No sissy defencemen, and no bad skaters.

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