Monday update
Posted on December 15th, 2008 – 2:48 PMBy Brian Stensaas
Hope you’re all keeping warm out there. I battled -7 degrees this morning to clear my driveway of the 3 or so inches of blowing snow. It’s now a balmy 2 degrees with sunshine. Soak it up!
Despite most players and coaches not getting home until well after 2 a.m. today, the Wild held a light practice at Parade Ice Garden this afternoon. The team pretty much divided in two, and held half-ice drills. Nothing too grueling at all.
Russo pointed out last night that Marian Gaborik is chomping at the bit to play, and today Jacques Lemaire said it is “up to him” when that will be. Asked if that might be Wednesday, Jacques again said it is too soon to tell. Gaby, however, sure sounded like he would like to be in against the Flames.
“Hopefully I can play this week, maybe Wednesday,” he said. “Looks pretty good.”
So there you have it.
Nothing else much to report, other than some coach musings. I had my back turned, but apparently Lemaire nearly got beaned in the head with a puck at the end of practice. And Mario Tremblay took a puck or a stick right above the shin guard while messing around with Brent Burns along the glass. That’ll teach him 
Back again tomorrow, this time from the X. Players today made it sound as if Tuesday’s practice will be a lot more up-tempo, so hopefully there will be a little bit more to discuss.
I’m off to make some tea and get to work.
182 Responses to "Monday update"
Mike, is it remotely possible that the Wild are dragging their feet signing Backstrom because they are considering trading him because they don’t want to pay him? Are they maybe hoping that combining him and Gaborik together will bring them back a bonanza from somebody? I hate the idea that they are thinking that, but is it possible?
Ed- They better not be. That’s all I’m saying… they better not be.
I think that is a good indicator that Gaborik is back against the Flames.
Can you imagine how long the losing streak would be without Backs? Good lord. Ride the hot goalie… PAY the hot goalie.
Backstrom has a no-trade clause till Feb. 1
We’d better not trade him. As to the Lehtonen, Harding scenario mentioned on the previous thread–no, no and no.
One would hope Tuesday’s pactice would be more up-tempo. God only knows two of the last 3 games sure weren’t.
As good as Backstrom is right now, DR would be crazy to trade him. Yes, I know about ‘his trade value is never higher’ and all that, but realistically, he should get the Gaborik situation done (one way or another) then reach out to Backstrom, IMO. But all this (both Gaby and Backstrom) should be done soon, so this does not become yet another headache for an organization which has delivered a pharmacy full of them to its fan base already this season.
And now, I am being ‘moderated’…
One would hope Tuesday’s pactice would be more up-tempo. God only knows two of the last 3 games sure weren’t.
As good as Backstrom is right now, DR would be crazy to trade him. Yes, I know about ‘his trade value is never higher’ and all that, but realistically, he should get the Gaborik situation done (one way or another) then reach out to Backstrom, IMO. But all this (both Gaby and Backstrom) should be done soon, so this does not become yet another headache for an organization which has delivered a pharmacy full of them to its fan base already this season.
Doesn’t mean he won’t be gone come trade deadline since that is early March. I love Backstrom but Risebrough might not want to commit big bucks to him. It’s not that crazy to think he could be gone after this year. Whether that’s getting something in return or letting another asset walk for nothing via free agency…
Did you try to say SL0T, WRT?
i’m not saying anything but “fire risebrough” from now until the wild finally get rid of this inept fool, i suggest you do the same…
fire risebrough
Wow. A vow of repetition. Interesting.
nah…I’m good pkne…but thanks. I’m reserving judgment through the rest of this season. Maybe into free agency next summer too.
Who cares if Gaborik is going to play on Wednesday? Why haven’t they shipped him already? I hope the home crowd boos the heck out of him on Wednesday.
Maybe he will sign in Europe next year so that we don’t have to pay him millions to ride the pine again.
I tried to reason with the computer. Silly me…
Just said that the Wild don’t need a Backstrom headache on top of the Gaby headache. This team sure gives its fan base a lot to mull over…
…and let’s hope Tuesday’s practice is more up tempo. 2 of the last 3 games sure weren’t.
I’m with you Nick. We are only a little over a quarter of the way through. No need to jump up and down and throw a fit just yet.
Though I do wonder if there are any conversations between DR and CL… conversations like so many people have these days…
“You know Doug, the economy is bad, and I would really hate to send you out looking for work in such a poor environment…”
I doubt that is taking place, but it would be interesting to know for sure.
What’s the word on the talks with Atlanta? I don’t know anybody on that team not named Kovalchuk that I would want on the Wild. And I think it’s completely out of DR’s ability to grab Kovalchuk from Atlanta. Which means, why the heck are we talking to them?
I am not ready to throw a fit yet but I would be very concerned if we don’t sign Backs. I think we have been served pretty well so far (compare Columbus, Atlanta and Nashville) but the Gaby and Backs issues could be debacles.
so it’ws like when am I supposed to put out some of my hard earned money
to buy 2 tickets; when can I depend on
a positive game???
Marion will be cheered by fans on Wednesday if he plays. That’s just how Minnesota fans are. I say this out of disgust. I think he deserves some boos for his actions, not that the front office isn’t to blame also, but come on, he turned down a contract (I won’t say big because his agent contends it wasn’t) that I would venture to guess was reasonable considering his injury prone “lower body.”
I lied….
Fire Gaborik
Fire Lemaire
Fire Everyone, this team sucks…
woodcock says:
December 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
We’d better not trade him. As to the Lehtonen, Harding scenario mentioned on the previous thread–no, no and no.
Lehtonen is a solid goalie. His numbers don’t look all that good, but if any goalie had Atlanta’s defense in fron tof him, their numbers wouldn’t look that good. I’d love to get Lehtonen here.
While I don’t really have much confidence in Risebrough, and the thought that maybe Lemaire needs to hand over the reigns to someone younger has crossed my mind, I don’t really see what good it does right now. Unless you don’t trust him to handle the Gaborik situation correctly, which I don’t think is unreasonable. Of course, it’s not up to me.
As for the Backstrom situation, my suspicion is that they’re waiting to see how the Gaborik case plays out first, do their cap analysis based on that outcome, and then they’ll calculate what they think Backstrom is worth TO THEM (as opposed to the open market). At which point they’ll then make their pitch.
Let’s hope not.
It’s too bad pkne had to break from his Fire Childress repetition to bring the hater-ade here.
Its too bad that we can’t fire posters.
*previous “pkne” post was obviously not me, but if you really want me to expound fine*
it’s not about this season or this losing streak, it’s about the fact that DR has a history of letting people walk for free, changing his approach every year to model the previous year’s champion because he has no ideas of his own, never learning from his mistakes, being a slave to a “plan” that seems to have stalled completely, not being able to sign free agents and pull off trades very easily (last year “those players weren’t there for us at price those other teams got them at” yeah right doug), his drafting seems to have gone down hill (you can’t tell me shep and benny and gillies are working out and the cupboard is bare in houston). why are you all so stubbornly defending him year after year. it makes no sense. we sell out every game, buy lots of merchandise, give good tv ratings, and yet the team shows little interest in improving.
*fire risebrough*
how about backs and gabby for kovulchuk and lehtonen
and a future first rounder from us
I think most Wild fans will cheer Gaborik’s return. And if he can score a few goals within the next week, that should shut up the whiners for a while. People have been bashing him so long that they forget how freaking talented this guy is. And, my guess is that DR has no intention of trading him or Backstrom to Atlanta. DR might be looking to get rid of one or more of the “kids” in return for a center.
Trade gabby, trade Backstrom, hell trade or cut everyone sans Koivu, Burns, Shultz…tank season…get good draft pick. Start over with new GM & coach. They tried…they failed…to bad they won’t give us our $$$ back, time to go.
DivingDuck: they tried something along those lines in Tampa Bay. Not good.
Remember the good times in this dark hour. Last time we played Calgary, Gaborik netted goals 41 & 42 on our way to clinching the NW division on home ice on fan appreciation night.
Pkne’s comments might be more aggressive than how I feel, but I do think this franchise is at a crossroads. They have made a pile of money, putting an average product out there. DR has been all over the place trying to define this team from year to year.
It’s too early to give up on Shep, benny and gilles, but at the same time we are depending far too much on those 3.
Nolan has been a bust, Brunette, although a great teammate and adequate goal scorer, clearly is an offensive player only, and then primarily around the net.
The Gabby and Backs situations should define what they do with DR. Based on his past, I would say he hasn’t or shouldn’t warrant another year of employment, but I reserve my right to change that, as the year goes on. We’ll see.
Blades - It may be an easier road to recovery by blowing this thing up and starting fresh. It’s depressing to see this team stuck in neutral with no real options. Their development system seems void of any desirable talent, we’re told were at the cap. What are the options? Is the best they can do? If so this is an epic failure.
I wouldn’t call Nolan a bust. A bust is someone who is out there and not performing. Nolan is simply just not out there, which is dissapointing. He has been fairly productive when he has been on the ice.
Backstrom HAS to be re-signed. If you want to see just how limited this “trap & dump” style of Lemaire hockey really is, trying pulling it off with mediocre goaltending. Then they’d be sitting back boring the fans AND giving up a ton of goals.
As for Owen Nolan, there’s a sign in the Red Wings’ locker room that reads: “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Well, the converse of that would be Owen Nolan, because you can’t be a “bust” if nobody had probable cause to expect you to be anything better than a 3rd liner to begin with.
When Nolan was out there, he was effective, recently, on the power play. He certainly does not get back on defense, or play with the grit, that I remember. It just seems like he is old, and not sure it’s worth the 2.7 mil spent for this year and next. It’s early.
richard b, I was at the NW division cliching game. garorik was a real talent in that game and should have had the hat trick if it wasn’t for the b.s. no goal call.
I’ll be at the game on 12/17 agains Cal. too. I’m hoping Gaby plays.
BoS - you’re absolutely right about Tampa. Lecavalier and St. Louis were stars until they got rid of their support system. If we “blow it up” and start over, it’s likely to impact Koivu, Burns, and Schultz (the three DivingDuck considers keepable) negatively. Let’s ride out the storm and see where we end up before jumping on the “get rid of the whole lot of them” bandwagon. We had two streaks of 5 losses (albeit non-regulation losses) last season and won the division - our division is rather tumultuous and can change hands at any given time.
I’ll take Brunette over Parrish any day.
I thought I read that once the season started, the Wild couldn’t negotiate a new contract with Backs until after January 1st in the new CBA…Russo, can you confirm this? If that is not the case, I have no idea why we haven’t signed him to a multi year extension. It’s not like we need to factor Gabby’s salary into next year’s numbers, so the inactivity perplexes me. I have been a huge fan of Gaborik, even through the holdout year, but I for one will boo him Wednesday if he hits the ice, just to get it out of my system. The sooner he is out of MN and replaced the better. I just hope we don’t get fleeced…
Lucky, I agree, the problem is we are paying both of them. Nolan makes 5 million over 2 years, I believe, my previous post made it sound like 2.7 over 2 years. My bad gang.
TheFastOne - I wasn’t there but I definitely remember that no goal call. How the referee had intended to blow the whistle but had not before the puck went in.
divingduck - I’m frustrated with this team too. But I tend to agree more along the lines of what Heather wrote. There is still hope for turning things around and making the playoffs…IF…if this team gets healthy (Gabby, Nolan, Foster, et al), stays healthy; and, acquires an experienced center/goal scorer.
heather says:
December 15th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
BoS - you’re absolutely right about Tampa. Lecavalier and St. Louis were stars until they got rid of their support system. If we “blow it up” and start over, it’s likely to impact Koivu, Burns, and Schultz
impact those 3 how? Koivu is scoring in bunches on his own, Burns isn’t scoring anyway, and Schultz never scores. Blowing it up and starting over wouldn’t impact anything except that maybe we, the fans, finally get a decent product to watch after 8 years.
BladesOfSteel says:
December 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
divingduck - I’m frustrated with this team too. But I tend to agree more along the lines of what Heather wrote. There is still hope for turning things around and making the playoffs…IF…if this team gets healthy (Gabby, Nolan, Foster, et al), stays healthy; and, acquires an experienced center/goal scorer.
Wild are 3 scorers short, and the removal of Veilleux, Boogaard, Bouchard, and Johnsson off the roster, plus the firing of Lemaire and Risebrough, from becoming Cup contenders.
Ulfie:
The Wild could have negotiated a contract with Backstrom starting back on July 1st since he was signed to a multi-year contract. They don’t need to wait until January.
I am going to give DR another month on Backstrom to either sign or start talks. I don’t think Backs will be hard to sign as long as DR doesn’t lowball him.
“as long as DR doesn’t lowball him”
Hey it’s not lowballing! It’s called taking a discount to play here. After all this is the place to be 
Lucky - you aced Doug Smugsborough Marketing 101
Ha ha… I could be the next Wild GM. Put me in Leipold!
Don’t forget the intangibles Lucky. All of those wonderful intangibles.
“And if he can score a few goals within the next week, that should shut up the whiners for a while. People have been bashing him so long that they forget how freaking talented this guy is.”
Yep, got that five hole shot down, is an ace at hurting himself…
He could score 50 in the next month and I would still want him gone.
Gabby will play on Wednesday…cannot give out my source, but he will play
Also, could their be the possibility of trading Harding? He is a RFA but clearly his stock will go up…how bout simply getting rid of Veilluex as well…a team like the Thrashers could use his superb defensive skills (haha) because he is a UFA after this year…he needs to go
Backs 32 - you are not exactly going out on a limb - Minnesota Wild’s Marian Gaborik could return on Wednesday night against Calgary - http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11238329
We could get some younger players and some decent picks from Atlanta since they suck.
I’m thinking Colby Armstrong, Erik Christiansen, Bryan Little and a 1st rounder for Gaborik . . . . and toss in the overpaid Johnnson.
I’ve had Suffragette City stuck in my head for 2 days now. I’m finally tired of it. Someone help…
6gs…key word there is COULD…meanwhile i said WILL
Last thread, MichaelUpNorth offered speculation on why DR had not offered Backstrom a deal yet. His comments made sense to me.
Fans need to realize that there are peaks and valleys in building a year for a team.
Like the Vikings: early in the season … some fans/writers were for throwing them under a train. Now it looks like they have a reasonable shot.
Heather is right … the knee jerk reaction is to fire everyone but it is a guarantee the Wild will not have a product most of us will want to watch.
Every team takes its lumps. Those that adjust get better. These losing games are just part of the cycle.
The young guys (like Shephard, Poulliot, Clutterbuck) have not learned to sustain what Koivu is bringing every night. Nolan and Gabby not contributing right now adds to that effect too.
If Gabby comes back and contributes to both ends of the ice, he will be greatly helping the team because then Burns can also strengthen the D position. That is fixing two weaknesses with the same move.
But, if Gabby comes back and does not play both ends, then I am looking forward to post Gabby Wild and the contributions of the guy/guys who replace him.
Who would guess that Boogey is the +/- leader on the Wild right now?
Sort of puts that statistic into perspective doesn’t it?
Let’s go grab Parrish and bring him out to Thunder Island where he can hang out with Kyle Wanvig and Kenny Wu.
Can o’ worms, Iceman… but yeah.
Oh, poor Ozzie just got deked right out of his undies.
I hate Osgood.
What is the deal? This guy is always harping on players for taking off a glove to pick up a stick. Seriously, is that really all you have to talk about? BFD!
Kyle Wanvig! ha ha, that was a weird pick by Risebrough.
ms.c
Better it is Suffragette City instead of It’s a Small World…
IceMan…the lack of offence has been a season-long problem. It will continue to be a problem until DR fixes some problems with the roster.
A weird thing to nitpick about, but I do agree with him. They really should be able to pick up their sticks with gloves on.
Er, huh?
Tks Ice. But that’s just my take - doesn’t mean anything really. Who knows.. He might be trading him when his value is at it’s highest. Ya never know.
I’d say, there is a fair possibility that DR is exploring the idea of moving Backstrom before the deadline if the Wild are not in contention for a playoff spot. The return could be bigger than Gaborik’s.
Imagine that.
———
Anyway, I’m kinda warming up to Dan being here… He’s like our own Eric Cartman in Russoville. I just love seeing things like this:
1. My Burns stat is totally legit. when you move one of the best defensemen in the game from that position, you are weakening your defense corp significantly. To go from 5 games over .500 to 3 games under because of that move is very telling.
2. The Pens aren’t winning because their backup sucks. If Fluery had been in net for all those games, undoubtedly they have a better record.
This is the part I really enjoy, like when Cartman sticks his foot in his mouth and offers up some thoughtful blurb.
First, Burns started playing wing on during the Montreal game on Oct 30.
Second, he missed games against Phoenix, San Jose, Colorado and Vancouver from Nov 1 - 8. You might want to re-address those statistics to take that into consideration. The team went 2-2 without him, so I’d say the impact was negligible.
Third, to suggest we’ve weakened our defensive corps significantly by moving Burns from D, I’d like to point out the following:
2.25 GAA in his games at D
2.11 GAA in his games at F
If our GAA went down while he played forward, that would contradict what you suggested.
You also suggest the position in the standings is directly related to Burnsie’s position. You are implying that because Burns played forward, the team lost games as a result. In legal terms, you’d call this a “non-sequitur”. Here, I got the definition for you:
non sequitur (nahn sek [as in heck]-kwit-her) n. Latin for “it does not follow.” The term usually means that a conclusion does not logically follow from the facts or law, stated: “That’s a non sequitur.”
Lastly, you stated that the Pens slide is due to Fleury being out, and Sabourin sucks. Normally I’d just defer to KiPA to deliver the backhand, however in this case, I will point out some more facts to show you made another “non-sequitur”:
Sabourin - 15 Games 6W-6L - 2.47GAA
Fleury - 14 Games 8W-3L - 2.86GAA
Egads! Does that really say Danny has a better Goals Against Average even playing 1 more game?
I probably shouldn’t look at the save percentage either, eh?
Oh drat! (Sabourin - .911, Fleury - .907)
Whatever, Cartman.
Oh I LOVE when the Houston Texans drop a survey on me.
“What one thing can the Houston Texans do to improve your experience?”
“Stop spending the first half of the season choking and then start winning in garbage games after you’re out of playoff contention.”
Nice to just unleash on those losers.
I thought there was a week period for IR reactivation and a roster move would be needed to make room?
could it be that Riseborough’s name is actually ‘Polad’?
I don’t disagree, IO, it’s just… this is the second game I’ve heard him harp on that. Must be a big pet peeve, but it’s pretty irrelevant as someone watching at home. I’m certainly not going to judge a player on something that benign.
Wham! Bam! Thank you, ma’am!
I like it. It’s catchy.
toivo…nice.
Kinda like what Wild opponents are saying these days.
Oh! Bada bing!
And with that, I gotta run.
Marion is going to play? No way, I thought she was too busy starring in the next Indiana Jones movie.
I’ll take Brunette over Parrish any day.
Yeah that’s a given. What about Parrish or Nolan?
Screw Risebrough and his contract policy. Why did he sign Burns and Schultz in middle of seasons? Then offer Willie Mitchell contract. It’s like he wants to use excuses for why he didn’t re-sign Rolston. Now, he probably will end up doing the same with Backstrom for no reason.
These guys are losing it! Too funny.
Gaborik et Bergeron for Saku Koivu et O’byrne et pick ,,,etc…
I want Gaborik et Bergeron with Montreal Canadien
again, calling it lemaire’s trap and dump hockey proves you just don’t know what you are talking about. for example, versus asks babcock what he will do to get thru colorado who is clogging up the neutral zone. Colorado, not lemaire’s wild. bobcock laughs and says they are doing what 95 percent of the league does. seriouly people, it’s time to get over the idea that lemaire is a lone trapping coach.
on JL…i personally don’t care if he stays or goes. I do not think anything is gained by firing him. I don’t think he is the problem.
DR…again i can take him or leave him. There is much, much worse out there. care to be dallas or tampa or columbus? how’s st louis or phoenix done the last oh dozen years? washington and pittsburgh were trash until they lost enough to get NBC and ovie. maybe we could be florida, atlanta. he may not be the best but he is far from the worst.
the players seem lifeless lately. maybe that is the coaches fault. maybe they are all being big babies because the almighty koivu isn’t captain. i don’t know.
as for DR letting players walk. the first 4 seasons at least, he dealt every one of the UFA’s at deadline time. thing is the team was not in playoff position so it was easy. now, not so much. he did deal roloson. he also signed fernandez. so to say he lets players walk for nothing because rolston got a better offer from jersey and becaue he wanted to cut the cancer from the room in demetra. that’s a leap. and no i didn’t forget about voros and fedoruk. if you want to PAM about them leaving, i can’t help you.
Mario Roy says:
December 15th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Gaborik et Bergeron for Saku Koivu et O’byrne et pick ,,,etc…
I want Gaborik et Bergeron with Montreal Canadien
I’d do it. Vous est bon! (I think, my French is rusty)
“And Mario Tremblay took a puck or a stick right above the shin guard while messing around with Brent Burns along the glass.”
Somewhere there are about 200 guys who played in the NHL in the ’70s who were on the receiving end of a Tremblay slash and would enjoy reading that. The universal wheels of justice sometimes turn slowly, but they do turn.
good post Green*, except this part DR…again i can take him or leave him. There is much, much worse out there. really made me wonder, ya know, don’t we deserve a little better than this sort of “settling for second place”/”it is what it is” thing after all that we’ve given this franchise so far in terms of dollars, attention, loyalty, etc?
Good points, Green*!
Most of the league uses a form of the trap. I think everyone goes to a 1-4 trap when ahead by 2 in the 3rd. Anyone can find me a team that doesn’t.
Changing coaches sometimes fires up players. However, sometimes it has the opposite effect. Every coach has a system, and it takes time to learn the new system and get it down. We could bring in an offensive minded coach like Boudreau (he plays a style of the trap too), and it’d take a few weeks to adjust to the new style for sure.
The players are kinda lifeless. I’m sure their morale and self-esteem is down. Did you see PMB’s face after he hit the double post? He just stared at it for a few mins. I’m sure the guy is thinking “What do I have to do to get it in the net??” Do they have an attitude? No, they’re professionals, you might get away with that at the Bantam level, but that’s about it.
And if anyone wants to whine about DR letting guys walk for nothing - read what Green& wrote: “he wanted to cut the cancer from the room in demetra”. Nasty way to say it, but yes - the GM made some decisions in Feb.
Does anyone recall when he said “this team’s time is now”? Well, he meant it. That’s why Demitra wasn’t shipped at the deadline. That’s why Rolston wasn’t shipped at the deadline. He made plays for some help, but couldn’t get much. So what, he took Simon, thinking it could add some toughness if we needed it. It wasn’t wasted money, it was an easy choice.
The team went out in the 1st. End of story. Demitra wasn’t on the re-invite list. He gambled on Rolston, figuring he’d want to stay here and they could get a deal done. It didn’t work, but if he would have dealt Rolston at the deadline, there would have been a gaping hole going into the playoffs - where Rolston didn’t perform much either.
Coulda traded him at the draft, but he felt they would be able to work a deal. When you keep your UFA’s to the end, you risk this. It happens. It will happen again, for sure.
Voros? Fedoruk? They didn’t figure. Like Doug said, it was time with last year’s squad. Now it’s time to retool, and do a little shuffling and rebuilding. So what might happen? Could see Backstrom go. Will see Gaborik go. Could see others go too.
Michael up North
You seem to have a great hockey mind and you kinda of sound sexy too. I have a boyfriend though.
My question to you is. What do the Wild do with Brent Burns when they have so many dmen when Foster get’s healthy
Fans need to realize that there are peaks and valleys in building a year for a team.
Where is my peak?
Down in the valley…the valley so low.
Goalieguy… L O L!
I like the idea of Dan as Eric Cartman - it will definitely make his posts a little fun - Dan is way too serious.
Mike up North, its time to talk.
Burns playing forward is so so obvious why that even Rebecca could figure that one out. I have faith Mike that your not just a troll. I think you can think of one or two reasons why the Wild play Burns at forward. Try ?
Keep reaching for the stars Mr. McHale.
Kevin - the peak was the beginning of the season, as it has been the last couple of years. The Brunette, Koivu, Miettinen line played and scored just long enough to give us hope, before Lemaire decided it was too checkable. Boy, it sure doesn’t seem like much of a peak when you start at the top and hit the valley - and what a valley it is!
Gaborik?? Who cares? The sooner he is dished out, the better!
Nothing like a five game losing streak to bring all kinds of new blood to Russoville, and most of them screaming about how bad they suck.
Welcome to Russoville, folks.
MuN- great post about Cartman. Well played.
KiPA- Your peak is in the roto league. Like it or not.
What?
Buddha - it was Kevin McHale I was talking to, sorry I didn’t specify. I’ve actually been reading the blog a long time - feel like I know you guys. Just never felt like I had anything y’all would like to hear. Maybe the deep freeze is making me bold.
Welcome Heather. ‘Bout time you spoke up. Girl power and whatnot. There’s always room for another Heather.
“Keep reaching for the stars Mr. McHale.”
And if you get one trade it to Boston for a package of garbage…
Thanks Ms. C! Good to be here. You’ll be happy to know I’m a Clutterbuck fan and was appalled when he was assaulted during Saturday’s game. That deserved way more than 2 minutes, IMO.
heather… wasn’t aimed at you, I promise.
You know, I didn’t even see it. I just saw Backs_32 on here accusing him of turtling and nearly lost my sh!t over it. Not that he won’t turtle but don’t accuse him of it until he actually does it, for pete’s sake!
I figured someone would have put that on Youtube but I don’t see it.
im glad clutterbuck got assaulted…serves him right…strange how his teammates did nothing in return…i mean seriously is the guy out there to just hit or what because we already have somebody on the team to do that
It’s all good, Buddha - thought your KiPA thing might’ve been based on my response to McHale.
Of course they didn’t Backs. His job, among other things, is to agitate and draw penalties. He got the penalty and that’s his reward for a job well done. It goes against agitation strategy to start a fight over it.
See… that is why I shouldn’t read things after work… it does say Kevin McHale… I thought it was Kevin in PA… I really should be drunk if I am going to make that mistake…
for what it’s worth: this runs counterintuitive but a guy i know who has some good inside info says this: gaby would prefer to stay here and it was not the amount per year of the contract that was the issue…supposedly, he wanted incentives and could not get them. As the story goes, incentives would mean way too much emphasis on offense, then there would be TOO much offense and no thought of defense, so the story goes. Heck, if that were true and i was the GM, i would say, bring on the incentives! Hard to imagine him scoring say, 50 goals when he misses so many games!
Ms. C… you passed the fantasy hockey goalie curse to me.
I started out with Huet, he stopped playing well, picked up ‘Bulin, he gets hurt. Drop ‘Bulin and grab Auld because he is playing well, team winning… now Gerber goes back in net.
Arg.
Can I pass it yet still have it? Jesus, I’m in fantasy goalie hell. Might as well put ME in the net.
Yes… you are like a fantasy hockey goalie curse carrier monkey…
LMAO
Is there a vaccination for that?
I was reading to catch up and I saw a post ripping the Wild for trading away OSullivan for Demitra (pretty sure the poster wasn’t complaining at the time of the trade) and then he was ripping the Wild for letting Pavol and Parrish (pretty sure he was probably bitching about their play when they were here) go… Except maybe Parrish, he is a MN boy and gets a special status. He is an “offensive asset”. Apparently.
So then I started to skim. MuN, every time I see a post the size of my leg, I know it’s you. I usually agree, so I skip them when in skim mode.
Then at the end of my skimming session I see Clutter getting criticized for checking guys and glee that he got jumped from behind… I’m thinking it was a play to get MsC worked up because it makes no sense. I could say more but I will have to self suspend myself again if I do.
There are lots of people in fantasy hockey goalie hell… I have Osgood.
“fantasy hockey goalie curse carrier monkey” Can’t be the monkey. I’m in MN and the cold weather would kill any monkey.
Dickie - I thought the same thing about the Clutter post. And I pity you on Osgood - imagine what Detroit could do with a good goalie right now.
Yeah, but I’m the monkey and I live in Texas. I’m just, apparently, spreading it among you humans.
You’re probably right on the Clutter thing. Which is why I didn’t say anything Saturday when I read that, and in fact, even now that I’ve seen the clip, have nothing further to add on the matter beyond what I’ve said.
Among other things? please explain…
Probably spreading it through the interweb… gotta get me a better virus scan
Dare you to call Norton and ask if they protect against fantasy hockey goalie curse carrier monkeys.
Sorry Backs. I’m not engaging in a back and forth on the matter. You’re free to not like Cal. It’s a lonely existence, but if that’s how you wanna be, don’t let me stop you.
All these insiders….
Assuming incentives are if Gaborik scores X goals or plays X games, he would get X in bonus on top of his base salary– that’s not allowed for Gaborik in his prime under the CBA. My understanding is that incentives is allowed only for entry-level contracts, LITR (limited), and over 35 years of age players.
If incentives means that Gaborik wants DR to go out and get more offensive players to help the team, then its understandable that DR doesn’t want to be dictated.
I see, in other words u have no answer
Also, Its not that I dont like him because he does play with a lot of energy which the team obviously lacks…but seriously there is more to the game than running around and hitting people…look at most of his hits and u will c how lucky he is that he does not get charging penalties more often
Exactly right re: JL and DR Greenstar.
There are many in the NHL worse at their jobs than these two.
All teams go through losing streaks. Even those vaunted Red Wings lost six or seven in a row last year.
Getting rid of Demitra would have been the easiest decision I could make if I was GM.
Demitra did not produce, he was injury prone, and besides he was a constant whiner. Glad he is gone.
It is improvement by subtraction, we did not need to receive anything for him to improve the team.
The problem (always), with trading a prospect (O’Sullivan) for an established player (Demitra) (which you do if you think you have need for particular skills that will improve the team now) is the prospect (O’Sullivan) you traded is likely a guy who will hurt you long after the established player (Demitra) is gone.
Also, what goes around comes around…he will eventually pay the price soon and probably turtle once again
Just think Backs 32, when Gaborik and Nolan comes back, Clutterbuck will have to fight to get into the lineup. That should cheer you up.
Week 10 update’s up for russoville FH peeps and apologies for the lateness because I’m totally drunk and was when I wrote it. Sorry Austin.
Well, I better respond to a few things here. I think aside from trying to influence my reply a bit, with the sexy comment (sorry, I’m kind of a slut), Rebecca was asking a good question: What to do with Burns once Foster’s back?
Easy.. Nothing. Foster returning won’t have much to do with where Burnsie’s playing. Burns is essentially replacing Gaborik in the lineup, (MKiA - this next part is for you) because other than Koivu he’s probably the best stickhandler, got a fantastic reach, a really good shot when he gets it on net, and he’s got great hands, good moves, and he’s quick and agile too. Wow, I just made him sound way better than Gaborik and I wasn’t even trying! (Don’t take that the wrong way, Burnsie - we know you read us!)
If Gaborik is playing Wed, or this weekend, you’ll see the 8 back on D, and my guess is you’ll see Reitz as the odd man out, for no other reason that he’s the youngest. He’s played so well lately too, I’d hate to waste his physicality in the press box.
Not to mention, that when Foster does come back, it’ll be after some rehab and conditioning time in Houston, and I’d guess he won’t get back up to the big club until mid-late Feb. Perfect timing for the stretch run, but by then I don’t expect we’ll still have Gaborik on the roster. Burns will be back playing D and crashing the far side for backdoor goal #15.
Dickie - happy to make “leg-sized” posts for you to see. It’s like the “orange vest” for posts.
C-the-ice: Incentives in Gaborik’s contract would count against the cap. Gaborik’s agent would have advised him on that if that was what he wanted. There’s hardly any incentives anymore because of that. So I’d be leery of your “source”.
Other than that, I have no new plausible 3-ways to lay on you.
Very true Sunshine
Quick Question…
Would anybody else want to see Kolanos in the lineup a little more? Thoughts…
NEW NAME FOR PITTSBURGH’S NEW ARENA CAME OUT TODAY! THE ‘CONSOL ENERGY CENTER’ WTF!!!! GET YOUR OWN NAME PENGUINS… GO CHOKE ON ONE!
but yes… Kolanos would be good. I wouldn’t mind giving Locke a shot up here either
GET YOUR OWN NAME PENGUINS…
Yeah because there’s so many goddamn original names in sports these days. Screw you.
Backs 32 says:
December 16th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Very true Sunshine
Quick Question…
Would anybody else want to see Kolanos in the lineup a little more? Thoughts…
Locke and Kolanos would be superior options to Boogaard, Weller, Veilleux, Gillies, Sheppard, Bouchard.
I’m going to have to go back and check my calculations…I figured the Vikings post-win circle jerk would last well into the week, thereby giving us a respite from all the jaggoffs. *sigh*
For some reason it seems we get an awful lot of ‘unregulars’ popping in when Stencils posts instead of the Don. A scary thought: Stencils has groupies following him around and commenting wherever he writes?
MuN, don’t be fooled, Rebbecca sounds suspiciously like one of MKiA’s personalities. I appologize in advance if I’m wrong, but…
Backs 32, on Clutterbuck:
Yep, you’ve pretty much nailed his role on the team. Run around and throw hits. It keeps the other team’s players heads on a swivel. It distracts them, forces them to make passes before they’re ready, slows them down with the puck, punishes them for holding onto it… I’d much rather have him doing it than Boogaard. Appolgies to Bandgeek, I love the big guy (in a manly sort of way). Nobody carries the momentum into the boards that he does, but he’s got to catch the guys first. Also, it seems like he’s targeted by the refs. Many questionable calls on him simply because of his size. C-buck, not so much.
Now, I’d much prefer if more of our players brought the physical game so we didn’t have to designate one roster spot for one guy to do it. I hear C-buck’s got some offense, but he’s doing what got him here and kept him here. He’s not going to change his game if the coach is happy with what he does.
On point, Goody. Thanks. Look folks, just because your scorers aren’t scoring doesn’t mean you dump all your energy/sandpaper guys for more scorers. Stop with the kneejerk reactions! Hockey is a game of role players. If everybody is playing their role to the best of their ability, this is a winning team. You can’t expect a Kolanos to play on a checking line, nor can you expect a Clutterbuck to play on a scoring line. There are reasons for having different skill sets on the team.
Kolanos and Locke are incredibly talented players in the AHL and I’d love for them to get a few cups of coffee to see what they can do and to reward them for their play in Houston, but I don’t think they’re going to fix or even put a bandaid on what ails this team. Something’s gotta shake that locker room up and breathe some life into this team and the addition of an AHL guy isn’t going to do it.
Flutterpuck is one of the few on this team that is performing his role well.
PMB? nope.
Poutine? uh uh.
Brunette/Miettinen? fallen off.
SRV? ugh.
Kimmy? Please, lose the C.
As bad as the Wild have been, I still suspect there will be a turnaround tomorrow night - provided they do not start the friggin game flat.
A good start is paramount. Otherwise it will be another long game.
kj: I agree about the good start, but to me that needs to include scoring the first goal. This team is so fragile right now that one of those “dominate the play but the other team scores first” will be very hard to come back from.
It will not surprise any of us that the opposition has scored first each of the last five games. The last time the Wild scored first? The 4-0 shutout of the Blues.
SRV? ugh
no kidding. wonder if his stint as #10’s sidekick has caused him to lose his way. I had thought he was playing that checking forward role pretty well but this year i just don’t see it. at least he’s cheap and UFA.
maybe it’s the weight of that big contract? er…you know, gross of agent fees…
I thought that the hit that got Clutterbuck jumped was borderline. The reaction was totally disproportionate and cowardly. If you take offense to the hit, give C-buck a whack to get his attention and drop em. If he turtles, then we can talk about it.
I just thank God that somebody on this team wants to hit. I think that is one shiny bright spot coming out of Burns playing wing. We might actually hit somebody on the forecheck or in open ice. I feel like I could assemble 100+ hr. highlight reels of Bruno, Mittens, PMB, MAB et al. ducking peeps.
Somebody was saying earlier that JL doesn’t want people out of position if they go for the big hit. While true, I think that this is the last thing that is going through our not-so-physical guy’s heads while they have somebody lined up and looking at the puck in their feet. Makes me wish IGOW was back… And younger.
Prediction: Burns lights it up W-F-Sat.
Jordan: +1 on pretty much your entire post.
especially this:
Makes me wish IGOW was back… And younger.
SRV: C-buck’s playing his role this year. Kinda leaves SRV wondering what his role is. Maybe it’s the same and he doesn’t know it, maybe JL’s told him to let C-buck do the hitting so he can concentrate on offense - which he’s not so good at.
That was probably me with the ‘JL doesn’t like guys out of position to make the hit’ comment. I agree that as the guys are backing up they don’t conciously think “can’t go for the hit, it’ll put me out of position”, but if you get yelled at for doing it in practice enough, you eventually stop doing it. You get out of the habit, you don’t even think about it being an option. And yes, there are guys who no matter the coach wouldn’t hit. It wouldn’t occur to them to even attempt it.
I’ve said it before, one or two guys playing ‘tough’ doesn’t make a tough team. Everyone has to contribute.
Goody: WADR, I think SRV’s role was more of a defensive forward, while I think Cal’s role is more of an energy guy period, the end.
I think their roles are a bit different.
WADR? Yes, SRV’s role was more defensive than C-buck’s, but he was also a strong forechecker. Not so much anymore.
You’re not shooting while you’re hitting. You’re not hitting while shooting.
The blow the team up comment might be a little harsh….this wild team certainly has a solid core in place, the problem is there are no finishers, and we are missing a top line…
Gabby is the closest to a finisher that we have, butch needs a goal scorer with him (rolston helped him out a lot) because he is a passer…plain and simple…the brunette, koivu, mieteninenienein line is a wonderful second line.(wow, i don’t know how to spell that name!) the question becomes how do we get a top line center/winger to couple with butch…brian little certainly has the talent…I wonder if a gabby, kim trade for Little & Kovulchuck (still can’t spell, but not too far off on that one) can be done, if we have to throw in a first rounder so be it….atl’s goalie is really talented, so he actually might be a slight upgrade over backs….certainly younger with more potential…but there is a chance that he could flame out, so there is risk there.
Goody, missed your note at 6:57, but I was thinking the same
if we were basing it on talent alone…I would jump all over sean avery….but he is an @$$, and I don’t think we need a club house cancer on the team (unless we go all the way with the avery, bertuzzi, gabby line (with handlebar mustaches of course) …still think that would be hysterical and pretty solid…I would hate them so much though
michal…while you cant do both, you certainly can interchange between the two…just watch iginla for a couple of shifts
Can someone please explain the references to “Handlebar mustaches?” I read that line yesterday too, and wasn’t catching the reference.
Blades: google search a pic of George Parros.
Goody: WADR = With All Due Respect
handelbar mustaches are the really long ones (sort of like daniel day lewis on there will be blood)
every single old wesern movie, or movie taking place around the area, the bad guy would have one of those things out past his cheeks….and when he would do something truly evil, the villian would snicker and give a little smirk while twirling one end of it….
Obviously I’m not nearly as clever as I think I am, but the image of those three celebrating a goal score by huddling together snickering and twirling around the stashes as the crowd boos lustily just makes me laugh
Blades - from Wikipedia: A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy, often graspable, extremities. They are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a motorcycle or bicycle.
it’s made even better when it is the home crowd booing….and we certainly would boo that line….how can you like it?
I’m sure the national nhl media already picture lemaire with one of those staches as he designs traps in a cave!
Thanks everyone for clearing that up. When I hear the words “Handlebar Mustache,” I usually picture Lanny McDonald, which was confusing me since we wasn’t the same kind of tough guy as Bertuzzi or Avery.
*edit* “…since HE wasn’t…”
it’s ok, I said that joke to a couple of guys at work, thinking they knew hockey (it’s minnesota for goodness sakes!) I just got blank stares..
at least it helps pass the time….
Question: What were handlebar mustaches called prior to the invention of handlebars???
It still wouldn’t suprise me if DR picked up Avery off of re-entry waivers or something. Yep, wouldn’t suprise me one bit if he thought he and JL could ‘reform’ him.
Goody - maybe Facial Wings?
with our desperate need for centers…..wouldn’t shock me…it’s not like the guy can’t play….at this point its just a waiting game until we make a trade….obviously this team has too many defensiveman, and not enough forwards, we just have to wait and see what dr does to counter that fact
got nothing for that one goody…
have foun every one, I’m of to work….go wild!!
Does it seem like JL coined the term role player? I think it is BS personally…it almost puts off a vibe like i’m doing my job…are u?…i hate having role players….stupid….this team needs some role models because the are lost right now
*sigh* I’ll be in Canada if anyone needs me.
*sigh* I’ll be in Canada if anyone needs me.
Ms.C your statement reminds me of the immortal words of Robin Williams:
“Have you ever noticed that Canada is like a loft apartment over a really fun party? *looking down and stomping one foot* Keep it down down there you hosers!”
I don’t know why, but it just popped into my head
No, role players have been around in all sports for a long time. They aren’t some sort of JL conspiracy.
It isn’t really a result of them being labeled and then instructed what role they will be. The role is dependent on the skill set of the player.
Take for example the goon. The goon has been around since the beginning of hockey. Well before JL.
What is the deal by the way? I take a short holiday from Russoville and come back and it’s like a completely different place. A whole new cast of interesting characters.
Did JL coin the term “plumbers” for the 3rd and 4th liners? Anybody know?
Anyways, not every player can be a star player. Role players are important to the team. They help do the dirty work of forechecking, hitting, and fighting. You need a Clutterbuck to bring the energy. You need SRV to do the checking. You need Boogaard to keep the peace.
Maybe instead of role models, you meant leadership. I don’t think this team is lacking in leadership. Its just lacking in offensive creativity. They are fine as role models to any young kid better than some football and basketball players.
Argon, not fair to expect our young guys to compare to Iginla … he is one of a kind.
Tell me about it, Dickie. It’s like we’ve been invaded by Sesame Street.
Interesting is a word. Not the right word, but a word.
Thanks Gun. I needed a laugh. Apparently they were too irritating for me in Canada, too, so I’m back. Rather be irritated by Wild fans than Canadians, I guess. Pick your poison.
I feel like I’m coming out of my skin today. Definitely due for some yoga.
FOOD. Burns in a D practice sweater. YES!
Agree with your assessment of needing offensive creativity Sunshine.
Since Jean Beliveau mentions plumbers in his book “My Life in Hockey” it might be a Habs thing.
sunshine - JL didn’t coin the term plumber, but I can’t find who did - every search I do with hockey and plumber comes up with Palin and Joe the Plumber.
Kevin in PA says:
December 16th, 2008 at 1:12 am
GET YOUR OWN NAME PENGUINS…
Yeah because there’s so many goddamn original names in sports these days. Screw you.
Sorry KiPA… didn’t mean to offend anyone… just thought it was a little messed up… my bad…
I’ll throw out an apology too, Ex. Though first, it’s a corporate name and almost all of those suck. It’s just the nature of sports these days. But second, I was drunk so I could’ve been more diplomatic, so apologies in that regard.
Gabby Abby sucks, trade him for Avery.
