Wednesday thoughts
Posted on April 16th, 2008 – 3:34 PMBy Michael Russo
Practice update: Jacques’ opening line of his presser: “So, surprised to see all the guys on the ice?”
Well, yes actually, I was. Lemaire got all the guys on the ice to get their blood going. Not an intense practice by any stretch, although both power-play units spent much time trying to figure out how to get shots through despite a bunch of shot-blocking Avs.
Lemaire again offered an indictment on his bottom four blue-liners (not Kim Johnsson and Brent Burns) and said they must play better.
Branko Radivojevic and Mark Parrish didn’t practice. Nick Schultz did again, but Jacques says he’s not ready to play tomorrow.
Erik Reitz skated in the taxi-squad practice, then was promoted to the big practice, so perhaps he plays tomorrow night for Sean Hill. If he’s to play, I’d think it would be for Hill and not Petteri Nummelin because Nummelin was still partaking in the power-play practice.
Derek Boogaard had some interesting stuff to say about Cody McLeod and Ian Laperriere, which you can see tomorrow.
Here’s the quote he gave me on McLeod: “I’m pretty sure it’s the same McLeod that my brother (Aaron, former Wild draft pick and current Penguins farmhand) was chasing after in junior. My brother said he pulled the same stuff. That’s probably why he has no front teeth. Somebody caught him.”
That’s it. I have to start writing for the newspaper, so check out tomorrow’s stories.
——————————
The NHL has officially revised the boxscore for the umpteenth time from last night, deleting the 10-minute misconduct Stephane Veilleux received at 8:30 of the third.
Why? Well, if he got a five-minute major and 10-minute misconduct with 11:30 left, how the heck was he allowed to be on the ice to get a two-minute high-sticking minor and 10-minute misconduct at the 20-minute mark?
So, now the official team-record PIM’s are down to 101.
Regardless, Veilleux was completely out of control last night and needs to tone down the act. He basically had to fight Ian Laperriere because he took a flying leap into Paul Stastny.
Laperriere talked after the game (you’ll see the quotes tomorrow because our Denver stringer emailed them to me) about how much respect he had for Veilleux for knowing he had to “back it up” by fighting him.
Funny though, Laperriere has never felt he’s had to “back it up” for using a star’s head as a punching bag in the regular-season finale. And I say that knowing Laperriere checks out this blog. Laperriere doesn’t feel he has to fight Boogaard, Fedoruk, Simon or even Voros. He chose Veilleux.
But talk about doing your job. Is it possible Laperriere got inside Marian Gaborik’s head so badly in that last game of the season that he’s taken the Wild gamebreaker completely out of this series?
I mean, four games in, no points, minus-3 for Gaborik.
Other thoughts:
– Isn’t it time for Benoit Pouliot? Seems to me Derek Boogaard and Chris Simon haven’t been effective in this series. Nobody will fight Boogaard and he finally lost his cool last night.
And quite frankly, doesn’t seem to me Colorado’s scared of the Wild’s toughness.
After all, Cody McLeod and Ben Guite & Gang continue to play the Wild extremely hard. The Wild’s alleged toughness hasn’t kept McLeod from continually running Wild players from behind. Seems to me Adam Foote wasn’t frightened enough with Boogaard on the ice last night to refrain from driving Gaborik into and through the goal cage.
– Could it be time to maybe give Erik Reitz a cameo? Jacques Lemaire seems to have grown tired of Sean Hill this series. And quite frankly, before Tuesday’s second of a back-to-back, I thought that might have been the time to unveil Reitz just to give a tired Petteri Nummelin (who was beyond brutal) or Hill (who was not good either) a rest.
– Best two-out-three now, and suddenly the Wild’s shortcomings this series have to be a concern.
I mean, they haven’t scored in the first 40 minutes in ALL four games. They’ve been scored against first in ALL four games. They’ve led in just 4:31 out of 264:23 (think about that for a sec). Gaborik’s MIA. Their decimated blue line is overworked.
Still, the Wild has home ice, and I wouldn’t be too concerned about last night’s game bleeding over. Last night turned into a rout because the Wild’s defensemen were completely dead after putting in OT the night before.
I’m sure you’ll see a completely different game tomorrow night. Whether the Wild win or not is a different story, of course.
I’ll make one prediction because I’m always right on those 
The team that wins tomorrow wins the series. Put it in the bank like my 3-2 OT prediction last night.
Statistically, that’s usually a fact though. The game 5 winner of any series tied 2-2 in history has won 158 of a possible 196 series (80.6 percent).
183 Responses to "Wednesday thoughts"
But I figured I’d feed you a little now.
This idea of feeding remains the funniest thing about this blog. No offense to anyone involved…
I don’t think Lappy affected Gabby as much as having Sauer and Foote on him every time he was on the ice.
What does that say about Stastny?
Lappy reads this blog? Don’t these guys have other things to worry about?
Lappy checks out the blog, doesn’t he have something better to do, like stealing candy from babies or kicking puppies!
KiPA, it shouldn’t be that funny but it is! These people hang on every word of Russo’s like he’s someone special. I picture them like newborn kitten’s just waiting for mom to come around so they can suck on some teet.
Very funny.
El Gato-are you inviting me to come join you tomorrow or challenging me to something? I can’t tell by your post. I’ll be there if you want to meet me. Describe yourself and what you’ll be wearing and I’ll introduce myself to you.
Wait…Laperriere reads this blog, and Russo wrote THAT?
Wow. You better not go near the locker rooms. Laperriere might seek you out and try to punch you. From behind, of course.
Funny though, Laperriere has never felt he’s had to “back it up” for using a star’s head as a punching bag in the regular-season finale. And I say that knowing Laperriere checks out this blog. Laperriere doesn’t feel he has to fight Boogaard, Fedoruk, Simon or even Voros. He chose Veilleux.
Yeah, Lappy makes Brad May look honorable
Laperi-scared checks out this blog? Does that mean we could at least verbally spar with the noseless wonder?
The Wild’s tough guys render themselves useless by never crossing the line. Opposing players know by now that if they don’t drop their gloves, nothing will happen to them.
I think they are! Why? Cause as soon as Boogy got his penalty yesterday, fights started breaking out more.
Adam, the premise underlying your question is a little unfair unless you knew Foster and Schultz would go down. I don’t think we would have had an issue with tired d-men playing back-to-backs if our top 5 were Burns, Johnsson, Schultz, Foster and Skoula.
HD - I completely agree but some were pining for another D man now as well as at the deadline so I thought I would throw out some of the prices paid. My take: Had DR paid one of those prices for a D-man without getting a C I probably would have been disapointed (depending on the contract situations)
You can come to any Russoville event you wish. I’ll be the one in the Wild jersey. We’ll talk about Wild strategy, why you like to blog under multiple personalities, etc.
No problems with teams like the Fowl and Flickers. They play tough but they have guys that will actually drop the mitts and toss paws. Teams like the Avs and Nux, on the other hand, like to go after the smallest players on the ice and want nothing to do when an “enforcer” comes calling. What Brad May did last year to Kimmie J was weak, but at least he had the stones to stand up and accept Boogie’s challenge earlier this year.
“Regardless, Veilleux was completely out of control last night and needs to tone down the act. He basically had to fight Ian Laperriere because he took a flying leap into Paul Stastny”.
Did his his feet leave the ice? I guess I don’t remember if he did.
I know Lappy left the ice for a hit although I don’t recall which Wild player it was on. Of course no penalty was called.
I’m not defending Veilleux. It was a dirty hit, and he deserved the penalty. Just another example of the double standard in officiating.
oops. my italics deleted! Could Someone PLEASE show me HOW to italize????
In reference:
And quite frankly, doesn’t seem to me Colorado’s scared of the Wild’s toughness
I think they are! Why? Cause as soon as Boogy got his penalty yesterday, fights started breaking out more.
Lappy can read?
Thought so.
Last night was an aberration. Of course, Lappy and Mcleod weren’t scared. They were up 4 zip. They knew they could take chances because we would be worried about taking penalties.
When you follow the Code and people know it… nice guys finish last even for a couple of tough guys.
There was plenty of scrums after Boogaard was sent off, but no fights. Oh, except for Veilleux and Laperriere, which barely even counts as a fight.
From behind, of course
Just how Laberriere likes it!
Laberriere = La Derriere
Lappy can read?
+1
Did anyone see Powers article in the East paper today? Good article on the Avs strategy…play tough and talk tough, then run and hide behind an official.
Adam, the premise underlying your question is a little unfair unless you knew Foster and Schultz would go down. I don’t think we would have had an issue with tired d-men playing back-to-backs if our top 5 were Burns, Johnsson, Schultz, Foster and Skoula.
Just wanted to keep this one going. This is true, but at the same time I don’t think it’s unreasonable to go back to the deadline and recognize that having only 5 reliable D (Skoula, reliable??!?) is a bit precarious when your backup plan is Carney, Nummelin and Hill. A little insurance would have been nice, you know?
bfw - Nice old school Metallica pull earlier.
Since I lost my life savings last night in Vegas, I guess I won’t be able to take any more of Russo’s financial advice.
And this all feeds back to my question from the previous thread. The Av punks aren’t afraid of retribution because our enforcers are honorable. Is it going to take a serious injury for our enforcers to set them straight?
I agree that dressing all 3 of the Equiptment isn’t necessary in this series, and quite frankly, DR didn’t get those guys to play against the Avs. He got them to play against the tough teams.
Powers is starting to grow on me. I have liked his last couple of articles.
This summer, if we go after a D-men, its going to cost us. Much more than what Burns and Schultz signed for. I don’t want to pay a D-men more than either one of them.
I wouldn’t mind signing a guy like Sauer, who I think is an UFA.
Powers is starting to grow on me
ewwwwwwwwwwwww!
- toivo - I guess DR also thought he would have Reitz as an option as well. I will say this though: the faith JL has had in Carney, Nummelin and Hill maybe should have told DR something. However, when you look at the Avs, they might have given up 3 of their first four picks in the next draft for Salie (signed) and Foote (UFA but clearly could sign for a favorable price with the Avs). That’s not cheap unless the playoff run is deep!
SRV’s f-bomb tirade in the penalty box was hilarious. He really went off the deep end last nite.
The unsportsmanlike penalty Boogaard picked-up when he shot the puck down the ice last nite was the hardest I’ve seen him shoot the puck in a game.
As for the toughness angle. Not sure I agree with the Don here. I’m not sure about Boogaard being frustrated with not being able to fight. Seriously, they can’t expect anyone on the Av to drop ‘em with Boogy (or Simon or Fedoruk either) since Parker is out. Lappy is probably the biggest tough guy in terms of fighting they have.
I thought Boogaard was effective early in the series when he was getting into the corners and hitting people, but last night in particular, he was barely on the ice and never really got a chance to make an impact. I think his frustration had more to do with that than anything. Throw in that the Wild went down 3-0 pretty fast and then there you go.
Here’s some numbers from last night. Boogaard, 2:03 TOI, 0 hits. Simon, 7:58 TOI, 0 hits. Voros, 8:08 TOI, 1 hit. Fedoruk, 10:28 TOI, 1 hit. Burns, Skoula and Johnsson had 9 (3 each) of the Wild’s 16 hits. I think the Wild can still make their physical presence felt, but those guys will need to do better than that otherwise they really aren’t contributing. I’d probably sit Simon first, as he’s been nearly invisible. At least Voros and Boogaard are getting involved (for better or worse).
If Branko can’t go, I’d consider putting Foy in for Simon. Pouliot in means Sheppard out, unless JL is willing to roll with two rookie centers, which I suspect he is hesitant to do.
Since I lost my life savings last night in Vegas, I guess I won’t be able to take any more of Russo’s financial advice.
I hear he’s also got a bestselling diet book in the works: The Sportswriter Diet.
It includes: caffeine for starting the day, caffeine for sustaining the day and then heavy doses of alcohol for trying to numb the tingling scalp all the caffeine produces. Actual food can all be procured on an airplane, a hotel or an arena.
Pouliot in for Voros. Shep is better than Voros.
I think Boogie was more effective early in the series because the home team can match lines better. It’s hard for JL to put a 4th line out on the ice when Colorado has two top lines they can throw out there against them.
bfw - Nice old school Metallica pull earlier.
Thanks! Whadya think of the Thin Lizzy cover idea for the House Band (previous thread)?
I agree with Secuel.
Boogaard has to stop being afraid to be the first one to drop the gloves and start doing his job. “Talking” to Foote after he shoved Gabby face first into the crossbar did NOTHING. Drop the gloves and make them pay.
If you cave in a guys face, he might think twice about the next cheap shot…
Toivo, I think Boogie was barely on the ice because they fell behind so quick in the first. After the first period, it was purely due to penalty time. A pair of 10 minute misconducts will cut in to anyone’s TOI.
However, when you look at the Avs, they might have given up 3 of their first four picks in the next draft for Salie (signed) and Foote (UFA but clearly could sign for a favorable price with the Avs). That’s not cheap unless the playoff run is deep!
Maybe “cheap” isn’t the right word, but look at how those two are playing. I think that was a pretty reasonable price they paid for those two.
Thanks! Whadya think of the Thin Lizzy cover idea for the House Band
Nice work, but I’m a ‘tallica guy through and through.
No more can they keep us in
Listen, damn it, we will win
They see it right, they see it well
But they think this BLOG saves us from our hell….
That’s a good point, Secuel.
Boogy can’t just drop his gloves and smash Foote in the face. Well, OK, he could but he’s not Brad May. I do think he could’ve been a bit rougher with him on that play, though.
I like the Lizzy. OK, maybe five of their songs, but those five were just about perfect.
13 power plays against also helped limit the big guys ice time.
- toivo - the Avs are getting a nice return on those deals right now for sure and if they are able to resign Foote to a favorable contract it will be another feather in Pierre Lacroix’s cap.
OK, gonna try to help with the italics. See if this comes through.
<i&rt;Text here</i&rt;
Close, I just missed the gt.
<i>Text here</i>
I like the Lizzy. OK, maybe five of their songs, but those five were just about perfect.
From previous thread, 1:53pm. “Wild” version.
That’s it, there you go WildLover.
You have to dress Boogaard, but you have to restrain him. Simon can sit though, he was ineffective last night (on a night you’d think he would be somewhat effective) As said before, the problem is not that they aren’t a little afraid of the big guys, they just don’t drop the gloves and go hide behind the refs.
I think they need to put Boogaard in front of the net and hope he can get a rebound.
Or if Boogey can’t get a rebound, the puck can be deflected off his body into the net. Just as good.
Of course if they put me in charge of music at the X, I’d put on Fear’s “Let’s Have a War” at about 130db.
That oughta get ‘em going.
Do the same refs “officiate” the entire series? There’s one who looks like Inginla’s dad. I want an official inquiry on him.
Oh yeah, PLAY POULIOT! SIT SIMON!
THANK YOU RUSSO…. Why don’t we atleast try Pouliot in the lineup??? If JL doesn’t want two young centers, then why can’t Pouliot play wing? We are having trouble scoring and wasn’t Pouliot drafted as a scorer? I’m not claiming that i follow the Aeros and know all about Benoit Pouliot, but he looked pretty talented in the games i saw him play for the Wild late in the season…. and from what i’ve read, he was known as a scorer into the draft.
I say give Pouliot a shot, give Reitz a shot (Hill is awful)
Need to turn the game into another gritty game.
thanks Joey. Let’s try this
Last night was the perfect chance for one of our tough guys to go out and really run someone. The score was out of hand so why don’t we do it? Who cares if
Simon or Boogie gets tossed! Nobody will do it. (and I’m not talking Veilleux) We add toughness to the team & say we are going to play like Anaheim did against us last year. But we don’t do it. This is the perfect team to do it against & last night was the perfect game. Take the instigator who cares!!!!
Perfect WL! Man, having flashbacks to my web development days…
hehe! good ‘ol days, eh?
I’m going to Canada next week. We better win this series or i won’t be able to show my face up there! All my friends up there are “no wild fans!”
Of course Footes not afraid. Because if Boogie goes after him he knows he’ll be penalized with an instigator and now we’re on the PK. With a thin and tired defense, not a good idea. Same with all their cheap shots. Foote and LaDerriere aren’t the only ones. I never realized what a sneaking little bastach Foppa is. After the whistle, behind the play. My feet wah wah. Nail his A$$ to something, like the boards.
I know this is a little late but it’s been busy today and I finally caught up.
I thought JL calling out the defense was a little harsh. Yeah, they played like crap but I thought those first two goals were a little soft. And come on, you sit Nummi and Carney most of the season and then your pissed when they can’t skate 3 OT games in a row and try to eat minutes left from 2 of your top D men. Strap on the blades JL, it’s go time.
WL, checked out the link in your name. Do you live in Gibbon? My in-laws live outside Marshall, so we drive down 19 all the time. Been through Gibbon lots.
…and 5-1 and you blame just the defense? Were’s the offense? Seriously…..
The Wild can no longer afford to have Hill hit the ice. Lemaire, who obviously knows Hill’s limitations, has limited him to 9 to 10 minutes a game. Despite playing a third of the time as the other regulars, Hill continues to be on the ice for critical goals. His lateral movement isn’t good for a bar league and his effort, especially on the Sakic goal in game 3 was disgaceful.
Soft goals? No way.
Goal #1 perfect deflection that hits a small upper-corner opening. Goal #2 perfect pass by Carney to a guy 10 feet in front of Backstrom, who still had the time to think about where he was going to shoot it. Goal #3. Backstrom would likely have had this, if Johnsson had not deflected the shot.
On the other hand, the lack of puck control in the offensive zone (good the first 3 games) certainly made the D work harder throughout the game (along with some minor penalty killing).
Hill - brutal when the red faceoff circle line jumped up and tripped him.
Target - I only mentioned the first 2. Ok I’ll give a little on the first one but not on the second. Yeah Carney coughed it up but we need all of our defense. Which means Backstrom too.
Joey, i live about 8 min north of gibbon on a farm.
Has the NHL announced the time of the Saturday game yet?
mtu_huskies: No, they haven’t announced the Game 6 starting time yet. They are waiting to see what other games will be played that night before deciding (to see what other series may be going final by that time.)
Wish we’d know…that’s Friday of my work week and I’d really like to know if I could do a little celebrating afterwards! 
Petr Kalus has been reassigned to the Czech national team to prepare for the World Championships in May.
Whatever the reason is, Kalus won’t be with the Aeros for the AHL playoffs. It was still a good trade though.
To tired to be my usual witty and charming self. To tired to read every post I missed. To tired to do much more than wish for a better game to watch when I get home from my firggin meeting tomorrow night.
I had another hockey dream last night, I was in the locker room screaming at the guys in French, I don’t know French so this confused me. Maybe I was channeling JL… creepy. Roli didn’t have his shirt on just like when he does interviews. I was swearing so creatively I made some of them blush. About half way through the dream I switched to German, at least I know German.
AiH: WTF with Kalus? The Wild aren’t worried about the Aeros in the playoffs or ??
I would think the big club would want ‘all hands on deck’ for their #1 affiliate if they are to succeed against Rockford, which has all that developing Chicago talent that couldn’t make their roster…
I agree with you; it still was a good trade for Manny. Addition by subtraction, IMO.
I think they’re doing right by Kalus. World Championships > AHL.
It might build Kalus’ confidence. We did the same for Bouchard, Burns, and Schultz– sent them to the World Junior Championships in their rookie seasons.
Reitzy in? It’s the proverbial Opportunity of a Lifetime! Go get ‘em Eric!
[…] Or not. Instead, it’s all about Lappy. […]
Band - and to think you though you were too tired to be your usual witty and charming self.
Not that I think Reitz is the savior or anything like that…I hope to God he’s better than Hill.
I hope to God that the brain cramps of Burns and Johnsson has been exorcised.
It’s rally time.
Hopefully they will do that and maybe score in the 1st period.
I think the Avs sense that the Wild ’skill’ players are easily frustrated and continue to collapse around the net with their trap-and-collapse © defense.
Gaborik would help matters with a goal or two, but if they lose the series it cannot be ALL his fault. But, new captain, potential holdout for the league max, zero points in 4 games, -3, etc should weigh on his mind this summer.
The D men will hold the key to tomorrow night’s matchup. If they can move the puck and not have those mindless turnovers, the Wild will be all right.
Fan support needed for game 5:
if i am lucky enough to scalp tix for game 5 - i plan on having a big sign saying lanche sucks or something like that….my brother lives in denver and he told me the whole show in the arena on the scoreboard is total hatred to wild…
WE NEED everybody to bring a sign tomorrow - make it good and lets let the avalanche know how we feel..
anybody know the best spot to buy tix at the X?
any good sign ideas??
Thin Lizzy +1
Multiple Mike…we’ll be at Tom Reids at 4:30…look for the Russoville table.
So far I got a total of 5 people.
Hockeydad I’m always a bit witty and charming, it’s natural.
Your right kj it’s not ALL Gabby’s fault, but he needs to step up and contribute in the scoring department.
I’m hoping the day off from playing will have given the D a chance to rest not only their legs but their brains so that their is no brain fart moment.
IT IS TIME FOR GOOD OLD WALLY TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
(1) If the refs called a penalty a penalty then the Wild would not have played the way they did last night
(2) JLs teams dont play out of control. I think that JL and the Wild let out frustration that goes back to last years series with the Ducks.They played crazy last night, but it was justified based on the conditions the NHL are letting these teams play against them.
(3) The biggest Myth of last nights game. Vellieux lost his composure, if he did JL would have him on the bench.
Vellieux is tired of players leaving there feet to make hits, holding onto then while they are on the ice, attacking players that are hurt like Bellanger. Folks only so much a team can take
(4) The Wild play honest, they always do. They fight instead of taking cheap shots on players (not last night) If you want to blame someone, dont blame the Wild. The NHL is responsible for its game, to make sure it has more honesty then All Star Wrestling. Do you really think that the refs are that dumb ?? This is Entertainment/Hollywood people.
That game could not haev been called with Honesty
(5) Boogaard= 2 minutes played. He gets a 10 minute misconduct for shooting the puck down the ice out of frustration with the refs, and lets face it the NHL. ??? I dont know… I suppose its fair….. Boogy gets a second misconduct for doing nothing, NOW THAT IS AN INJUSTICE!!
IT IS TIME FOR GOOD OLD WALLY TO SPEAK THE TRUTH
I would say we were overdue for this post but what do you think Beaver?
Whoa, I just saw a bit on Phil Falcone. He made $1.7B managing Harbinger Capital Partners (hedge fund) last year. Not bad for one year.
He’s got to be the richest Iron Ranger ever.
I know what Beaver thinks, but I’ll let him say it himself. Should be any minute now, eh? (:
better
Great moments in JIP on Vs. - an early 2-0 lead for the Preds
Vs./NHL get lucky - NYR goes up 4-3 with 3 to play.
Emptyyyy netterrrr for… guess whooooo
Oh, Adam, I was also wondering what Beaver was thinking in relation to Good Ole Wally.
Congrats Kevin!! Good for your squad taking care of business, and getting things finished early.
Good thing you guys tanked that last game huh?
I kid, I kid.
Thanks Kirk, and yes, I’m glad they took care of business without having to come home. No reason to let them back in at all.
And yes, good thing we tanked.
In all seriousness, I preferred Ottawa to Philly anyway. Ottawa sucks. 
I wanted another crack at them.
Bryan Murray can go to hell, that .. ahem, best for me not to continue. And if we really wanted to tank, Dany Sabourin would’ve started in goal for us. Or better yet, no one. Though I know you’re joking. Murray’s a prick though.
Has any team blown their chance more than Ottawa? 15-2 to start and then 7th and out in 4. The clock has struck twelve for those guys. Their “run” is over.
Congrats on your squad KiPA!
You know, of course, that in our preseason predictions I have your team making it to the SC Finals.
Blow ‘em up, I say, woodcock.
(No, I mean literally.)
There’s obviously a lot of game left tonight in the Preds-Wings, but I really expected Detroit to come out and take care of business. This series is looking like it might go the distance, which I didn’t see coming. Gotta love the SCP!
Thanks, HD, and lots of people did. I’m not so sure. Still seems like they’ve got to improve in some areas. That was a fun first round though (but I say it should’ve been easier, just couldn’t bury a lot of prime chances we had.)
just couldn’t bury a lot of prime chances we had
I think I have heard that about another team somewhere, but I can’t quite put my finger on it… hmmmmmm…..
Cautious optimism Kevin? I try, mostly unsuccessfully, to take that route with the Wild. I still get too wound up about my favorite team. It’s my cross to bear.
Kirk, before the playoffs started, I think I said here that no outcome would surprise me about the Pens - they could roll to the Cup (or at least win it, maybe not roll to it) or get Ottawa’d (see what I did there? F*** you Bryan Murray.)
Obviously the offensive talent is there but I didn’t know if the defensive game (both the D and Fleury) were quite prepared. They’ve both answered the challenge, particularly Fleury, whose been outstanding. The defense has been pretty good (with the exceptions of Ryan Whitney, who’s been TERRIBLE, and tonight’s third period when they sat back way too much).
I do remember you saying that Kevin. I sense you don’t exactly care for Bryan Murray. Would that be an accurate statement?
Bryan Murray is to Penguins fans as Brian Burke is to Wild fans?
Belated congrats KiPA - Will Bryan Murray be the third Canadian team GM to be shown the gate this year?
It would be accurate to say I don’t care for him. I don’t think I’d say he’s the Brian Burke, but only from a longevity standpoint. Obviously you’re aware of the tanking comment he made (it was at least partially true; I won’t say we tanked but we also didn’t try 100% in the last game) and I think that’s where the majority of the angst is. Bobby Clarke would be more accurate but he’s not GM anymore, so the position is sort of vacant. Or it’s being rented out, and Murray is the current tenant.
I’d add the beatdown they adminstered to us last year, but it’s hard to actually be angry at him for that. We were just totally overmatched. It was nice to beat that arrogant, trash talking jerk in four straight.
Did you know they painted the walls between the locker rooms to show the handshake line from when they eliminated us last year? They claim they did it before they knew who they’d play, but if that’s true, then I’ve got some nice real estate in Florida to sell you.
Thanks Adam. And I’m not sure I’d like to see that. I want to see how much further he can take that franchise down.
KiPA…congrats for round 2!
I hope we find a wee bit more room and offense tomorrow. I know Green*, they they’ve been scoring ok, but it would be nice to beat down the Avs similarly to what they did to us.
Thanks kj.
Your guys will find ways to score pre-third period soon enough.
kj - am I included in your count of five?
Kevin in PA - congrats on the sweep. Never been a huge Sens fan even though, and you are not going to like this, I’m a big fan of Alffie.
Kevin - also a large thanks for giving me my sanity back after reading your post about the inconsistent reffing last night. That is exactly my take of it and everyone was up in arms that we where blaming the refs for the lose. No just trying to point out the inconsistency of the calls that’s all.
Thanks, BDS, and no worries. Alfie’s always killed us, and I thought he’d drastically alter the series if he was healthy, but obviously he wasn’t 100%. So no angst directed towards you.
Besides, I’m sort of an Iginla fan.
Any time, BDS. I know if I was a Wild fan I’d be flipping my lid. A lot of those calls were pretty ticky tack.
I’ve been known to complain about officials (I blogged during an intermission during Game 2 about just that.) Oddly enough I found little to complain about when the series shifted to Ottawa.
Kev, you can never go wrong with Iginla. He sure is a major Wild killer and a he double hockey stick of a hockey player.
That’s something I tried to bring up yesterday as well. The question if there really are any consistent ref pairings anywhere in the SCP. Oh, well time to let that topic die and get reved up for tomorrow’s tilt.
Go Wild!
I’m at work, so am only able to check the DET-NSH game via the Internets. Does it look like it’s merely a matter of time before the Wings tie this up (and/or go ahead), or are the Preds hanging in there?
It’s gotta be killing GoW to not be able to unleash the beav!
Been watchin’ the preds game, I like what I see. I hate Detoilet..last year I forgot that they made it deeper into the play-offs because they faced another team that always seems to implode - SJ. Hopefully, of course assuming we survive Colorado so it matters, SJ knocks off the Cows and the Preds knock out Detoliet.
I’d let you know HD but I’ve actually been busy sending telepathic hate messages to Bryan Murray.
Er I mean, I’ve been reading the internets.
HD - it looked bad when DET got one early but the Preds are hanging with Ellis.
HD, the preds have picked it up some since the beginning of the 3rd, 6 minutes to go so lot a time left for Detoilet to make a comback
I wonder if Babcock will stick with Osgood for Game 5, win or lose.
(Look, a non-Penguins comment, aren’t all you all proud of me?!)
The crowd at Nashville really seems into it. Who says it’s not a hockey town?
Good Old Wally great post ! I really like it when you write. I always learn something new. So let me ask you Wally, who do you think is going to win the series ?
Also Good old Wally did you see the Nashville and Detroit game tonight ? The cameras showed Nicole Kidman. Her boyfriend was kissing all over her Wally !
Preds win and we get the proverbial post from Beaver!
Good Old Wally’s power must have gone out or something, to explain the long time in between his post and Beaver’s.
OK - that second post from Beaver just made the whole GoW thing a bit stranger (if that is possible).
beav!! surprised to hear from you! long time no write buddy!
Preds won BTW
Wow, Preds are showing me more than I thought they had. Another Wing playoff disappointment in our future?
Hope so HD! oh and yeah HD that was the best post ever, no one can post like you, I learn so much from you it gives me a warm fuzzy!
Beaver… thanks… I did not see Nicold Kidman getting kissed, but it sounds like you might have been kissing her if you were in the booth Beav ? My prediction Beaver…. hmmmm
Jose Theodore is playing tough. I honestly dont feel that strongly about picking the Wild or the Avs at the moment, but I will say that I dont think the AVS will win the series if they beat the Wild tomorrow night. I disagree with Mr Russo saying the winner of game 5 wins the series
I really dont know who wins, but I will say this Beaver. If the Wild lose tomorrow night, they will win the series. If they win the game tomorrow night it does not mean they will win the series
One other thing Beaver, I think the Wilds next round series will get easier. This is a tough match up
How’s that for timing!?
Thanks for staying up to post Wally ! I am sure your very tired. Yes Wally, I really do fancy Nicole Kidman
Game will go back to it’s normal hard hitting composure tomorrow night. The Wild will score in the first period ofthis game. The drought has been to long.
This game is going to be a fast one to start. The Wild offense has to get some early ones and catch the Avs off guard. JT is hot, but can fluke like Backs. Sorry Backs.
The defense..Good Marty will be back and the Three Old Amigo’s (Hill, Carney, and Nummelin) will be on their game.
I expect a mental break down from Colorado. I think they are afraid to admit it, but they will be looking over their shoulder more often than not.
Pouilet for Simon is a must. They need speed and offensive skills.
Reitz for Hill…not needed. JL needs to coach Voros on playing smart. He needs to focus his energy in the right directions, still a little AHL left in the boy.
See you all tomorrow for what should be a great game at the X. Not sure who will win.
If this goes 7 games..it would be nice to see Schultz and Radio come back.
Any word on Radio’s leg injury?
I don’t know if I would dress Hill.
If we really need to, I say dress Hill and Reitz and put Nummy on the wing. He can be switched back to D to spell Hill and the top 3. Can we do that?
Play Pouliot.
Had the Ducks played and won @ DAL tonight, all the Western Conference series would be 2-2 - crazy.
I say, where the hell is Ward???
Wild win tomorrow. Personally, I think they needed to get an ass beat to wake them up a little bit after game 3. Pretty draining first 3 games and they rested a bit on that I think in 4. They also got to take a little frustration out even though even if they didn’t get to hand out any beat downs.
I think JL will get them to focus. We might even see a few Wild goals before the 3rd period and I’m willing to bet that Gabby has one of them.
Wild in 6! I said it all along.
Miserable Mike, you want to take my Gabby bet? Keep in mind that I live on the East Side of St. Paul… Come here for payment at your own risk.
Never mind Ward, where the h3ll is the sneaky SOB haskell?!
It’s no secret that hockey is not my No. 1 sport as a fan. But it’s hard to find better postseason competition in any sport than NHL playoff hockey.
sid is really jumping on the bandwagon
what sonmor said in sid drivel is what I was thinking during the game on tuesday. when down by 4 who cares about an instigating penalty.
opportunity lost
Any word on Radio’s leg injury?
[playoff injury report]
Radio’s leg is not injured. He’s resting.
[/playoff injury report]
Did you see my debate with VoR about that subject yesterday, G*?
Top of the mornin’ to ya, boys.
Good morning, bfw.
BDS…you’re in.
Green* + 1
kj + 1
Dickie…are you gonna be at Reid’s b4 the game?
I’m 50/50 for tonight, kj. Our puppy dog died a couple of days ago. My fiancee is pretty torn up.
i went golfing so i didn’t.
I agree with you (and Sonmor) about that, and VoR takes the opposite position.
Good Morning Dave.
Good Morning bfw.
See what I did there? Especially with Dave’s name? Ok so just incase my weird ass hockey dreams are starting to mean things… Last night I dreamed I was one of those people who take care of towels and water bottles on the benches. The players had become very superstitious and refused to take the ice if I wasn’t on their bench. And when at the end of the game they had won, they started calling me Lucky. Just before I woke up they were telling me that because I’m a girl it made them think before they spoke on the bench and on the ice so they kept their cool better and were able to focus. Jl offered me the gum of my choice if I just played along, and stood next to him and Ramsey during games…. thats when I woke up. I’m starting to think I need help.
I’m hoping for a strong showing tonight. The boys can do this, we know they can. I just wish I wasn’t missing the beginning of the game, stupid meeting.
Dave that’s sad. When ever I hear about people losing their puppies I need to go hug mine……………………………… there all hugged.
Last night I dreamed I was one of those people who take care of towels
So, a Towel Girl?
Dave,
Sorry for your loss. As a black lab owner, I can imagine how hard that can be.
Hey! Not just a towel girl, I was a water girl as well…
Thanks, Band and bfw. She was a Boxer, the sweetest dog in the whole world. My fiancee got her from Boxer Rescue about 7 years ago.
Give your puppies an extra hug for me, Band.
Sorry to hear that Dave. Our golden is 14 and is slowing down.
Dave…we’ll save you half a chair… 
Hey! Not just a towel girl, I was a water girl as well…
Sorry, band. J/K. No hard feelings?
At least in this dream I wasn’t screaming in foreign languages. So ok no hard feelings.
kj be nice, the guy just lost his puppy, he should have a whole seat saved for him. It should have a sign that says Dave and everything. And if he doesn’t show, it becomes the seat you pile coats on (the way the weather sounds they’ll be of the rain variety).
Cool little snippet on Shep at NHL.com. It was some article about rookies in the playoffs:
“James Sheppard, Minnesota Wild: The Wild are an older team, but the 19-year-old Sheppard has fit right in thanks to his mixture of smooth offensive ability and rugged physicality. This budding power forward hasn’t lit up the scoreboard too much (four goals in the regular season, none through four playoff games), but he set two Wild rookie records with 78 games played and 15 assists in the regular season. He was a factor in plenty of games by blending his speed, hockey sense, stick skills, shot, and tenacity in his fourth-line role.
Sheppard doesn’t appear long for the fourth line. He was the ninth-overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and projects to be an upper-echelon power forward in the League.
Although Minnesota’s James Sheppard is still developing as a player, he has all the makings of a top-line power forward.
This season, he even spent time on the top line with wings Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra. However, for now, Sheppard lets his energy, skill and muscle show for about 13 important minutes a night.”
In case anyone cares, Kiszla is at it again:
http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla
This time he calls for Veilleux to be suspended, quoting Lappy as his source for honesty and playing by the code.
Nobody cares what Slover Kiszla says anymore. He’s on par with Katherine Kersten: a know-nothing rabble rouser who babbles incessantly trying to get a response.
Sorry to hear about your puppy Dave. As a dog owner and a certified vet tech I know it is never easy to lose a pet. Give your girlfriend an extra hug and our sympathies go out to both of you. Both of my puppies send some kisses to help cheer you up too. Here’s hoping our boys in Iron Range Red win tonight
Nobody cares what Slover Kiszla says anymore. He’s on par with Katherine Kersten: a know-nothing rabble rouser who babbles incessantly trying to get a response.
throw nick coleman in there too
Kiszla is such a douche. So is Lappy for that matter. He doesn’t abide by the code at all. He should ahve been pummeled once already. The puss won’t even fight Fedoruk!
This time he calls for Veilleux to be suspended, quoting Lappy as his source for honesty and playing by the code.(/i>
And they say “we” wild fans are whiners.
Whatever!
The freak is just trying to mess with us. He knows how we talked about his earlier article so let’s just ignore this one and see if he’ll write another one. Laugh about it secretly.
Nice, ATW.
Here’s as nice article from Tuesday on Franchise, did you see this one?
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?articleid=360523&page=NewsPage&service=page
Thanks, kgopher…..
Thanks bfw! That was a great article on Koivu.
The freak is just trying to mess with us. He knows how we talked about his earlier article so let’s just ignore this one and see if he’ll write another one. Laugh about it secretly.
Ignore whom? I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. All I know is that our boys are back in town for game 5, and the X is gonna be rockin’!!!
Who’s going down to Reid’s??
I’ll be there at 11:45am.
jk.
Bandgeek…Dave knows I’m just funnin him.
Kiszla’s M.O. has always been to raise the ire of his opponent’s fan base. Render him ineffective and don’t go read it - let alone reply to it. All those extra hits to their website raise dough for the paper. Sheesh, he could get a raise because of us!!!
Sheppard looks to me like he has the makings to turn into a player very much like the Franchise. Those are 2 pretty good Cs we’ll have in 2 years.
We’ll be at Reids…this is the list thus far:
BDS
Green* + 1
kj + 1
Dave (maybe)
bfw???
Dickie???
I’m calling in the reservation at 11 am. The reservation is for 4:30 and if you get there, just look for Russoville.
Cam good post… I agree. You have Pouliot in for Simon, hmmm I say JL is concerned about the maturity of Pouliot, and if he can get intense enouph for playoff hockey…. So I dont know Cam ??
I would leave the roster as is and play Reitz, and take Simon out, then play Nummilen at Forward and D
Russos comment about the Wilds tough guys not detering the goofballs like Mcloud and Lappy. How the Wild handle that is to make NO AV players off limits to being hit by the Wilds hitters. Boogy is the scary one, becasue if he hits you at full speed your in the locker room. That is the guy that will curve the Colorados coaches interest in breaking the code
If the Coloradio coach wants to play hockey throwing the code out the door, then the Wild must make all of them pay, and the NHL and refs cant be stupid and by calling penalties on the Wild that are not being called on the AVS
I do, kj. No offense taken. But thanks for having my back, Band (insert smiley face emoticon here).
If Dave knows your just funnin him how come you didn’t pick up on me just funnin you? Are you still sleepy.
Breakfast from the Don. I hope it’s better than the toast I had.
FOOD!!
Bandgeek… the Dunn Bros. hasn’t kicked in yet…
Dave…a smiley face is simple…a colon (:) followed by a parenthesis. ( = frown, ) = smile.
Wally, you are a genius ! But why dont you read what you are writing to make sure your grammar is good
I agree, play Reitz and move Nummilen to Forward and D
You may not have thought of one thing Wally … The refs could be back to their old tricks again with Boogy. I wonder if JL might sit Boogy. He racked 24 minutes and did not even do anything. That may be saying that number 24 is not welcomed in the series anymore…. What do you think Wally ?
