Wild 5, Edmonton Oilers 1; Pouliot assigned to Houston; Souray punch Weller with wrist protector?
Posted on January 15th, 2009 – 6:32 PMBy Michael Russo
The Wild — a.k.a offensive juggernauts.
There’s no stopping this talented, offensive-minded, super-skilled squad. 
So the team formerly known as offensively challenged has scored 11 goals in the first two games of this homestand — 10 at 5-on-5, which we all know is a coup, coming from 10 different goal scorers. And the goals are all pretty ones — I mean, turning defenders into pretzels. Remember, after the loss at Columbus, Jacques Lemaire bemoaned the fact that the Wild couldn’t beat anyone 1-on-1 after the Blue Jackets routinely beat his players 1-on-1.
And of those goal scorers, pretty much all of them were in major goal-scoring slumps. Last game vs. Phoenix, Mikko Koivu scored his first goal since Dec. 19, Andrew Brunette first goal since Dec. 17, James Sheppard first goal in 21 games. Tonight, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, first goal in 11 games, Eric Belanger first goal since Dec. 14.
So this is a very good sign.
Tonight went like most Wild-Oilers games — a couple goals early, a segment where it could go either way and then boom, the Wild scores again to finally trigger the Oilers to totally lose composure.
Cal Clutterbuck was the hero again, scoring his first career winning goal, taking on five more hits (152 now) and drawing three penalties. Bouchard had a goal and two assists, munching on the Oilers like he often does (career-high 8 goals and 26 points in 30 games vs. Edmonton).
Krys Kolanos, who officially snagged Benoit Pouliot’s job, scored a big goal after a great Antti Miettinen play, Brent Burns scored after Mikko Koivu walked around two Oilers defenders and I thought James Sheppard was awesome. He had the fight, which got Kolanos into the game for his second shift. Nine seconds later, Kolanos scored. Sheppard had several stellar defensive plays, including the one in the Wild end to initiate the transition before he set up Clutterbuck’s rocket of a winner from between the circles.
Sheppard hasn’t been a minus in nine games, he’s winning draws. We might have to wait for the offense from the 20-year-old, but if he plays this way, yes, he is contributing.
The talent is there. The patience is needed from all of us, including those of us who write about this team.
Sheldon Souray was one ticked off puppy tonight. He got hit hard in the first period by Craig Weller, and he was looking for him the rest of the game. Finally, when Souray turned the puck over for Bouchard’s insurance marker in the third, he looked for Weller for the final 11 minutes and finally got him to dance after a faceoff late.
If you’ve ever seen Souray with his shirt off, this is one strong dude. Ripped. Weller initially said no off the faceoff, but Souray gave him no choice. Ethan Moreau also wanted to fight Weller, but Souray called him off. And when Souray was done with him, Weller didn’t know where he was. Looked to me like Souray also punched him with his elbow a couple times. After further review, it looks like it’s the plastic wrist protector that Souray hit him with. Think the league suspends him? I’ve got an email into the league, but I’m sure it’s being reviewed.
47.15Match Penalty - Any player or goalkeeper wearing tape or any other
material on his hands (below the wrist) who cuts or injures an
opponent during an altercation will receive a match penalty in addition
to any other penalties imposed including for fighting under this rule.
A match penalty shall be assessed to a player or goalkeeper who
punches an unsuspecting opponent and causes an injury.
Looked to me that wrist protector was at the palm.
Weller has a head injury that’ll probably keep him out for a little bit. Tom Lynn said the Wild wouldn’t label it a concussion until he’s re-evaluated after a couple days. But with three games before the break, the Wild may call up another forward (and no, not Pouliot). Or, Colton Gillies is still here too. Hey, and there’s always Brent Burns. Just a joke (hopefully).
Pouliot was finally sent to the minors. You knew this was coming. Kolanos has taken his job, Pouliot has played poorly and the Wild could surely used the $800,000 extra cap space that discarding Pouliot brings. The Wild now has about $2.6 million worth of cap space left. As I wrote, sources tell me he stormed out of the locker room during the game with all his equipment.
Too bad he didn’t show that oomph while he was here.
You also knew this was coming because Jan. 19 is one month since Kolanos has been here, and I believe, NHL rules dictate that teams have to let callups get apartments after 30 days.
Other notes:
– Backstrom is 10-0 against the Oilers with a 1.58 gaa and .935 save percentage in 12 starts. At home vs. the Oilers, he’s 8-0 with a 1.12 gaa and .953 save percentage. The 10 wins are his most against any team.
– Bouchard has a goal and seven assists in his past eight games. He scored for the first time since Dec. 20. The Wild is 27-3-1 since Dec. 23, 2006, when Bouchard has a goal. He tied a career-high with a plus-3.
– Burns tied a career-high with a plus-3.
– Nick Schultz will pass Marian Gaborik Saturday for first all-time on the Wild’s games played list (492). He was plus-2 tonight and is plus-39 in his career (tops among Wild defensemen).
– The Wild has won eight straight home games vs. Edmonton, outscoring the Oil 30-9 in those games. The Wild is 18-5-1 in its past 24 against the Oil.
– The Wild scored three goals in the third period for the second straight game, the first time that’s ever happened.
– Cal Clutterbuck has five points in his past four games and goals in his past two.
– Antti Miettinen tallied his 20th assist, tying a career-high. He’s the Wild second-leading scorer with 30 points.
– Marc-Andre Bergeron played in Game No. 300.
– Sheppard has points in consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 22-24.
– The Wild won consecutive games against the West for the first time since Nov. 13 and 15.
– First time the Wild has scored 11 or more goals combined in two home games since it scored 12 (6 and 6) in first two home games of ‘05, 6-3 W (CGY) 10/5/05 and 6-0 W (VAN) 10/12/05. The most goals the Wild’s scored in three straight is 15, I believe.
– Dwayne Roloson: At Xcel Energy Center, with Wild - 38-36-9, 2.20, .916 SV Pct. (has 11 shutouts here - most all time…Backstrom has 10). At Xcel Energy Center, with Oilers - 2-6-2. Overall vs. Wild with Oilers - 5-11-2.
Roloson’s 11 losses vs. Wild are tied with Roberto Luongo for most all-time (Luongo is 7-11-3).
That’s it. Stensaas on tomorrow as I work on my Sunday stuff.
220 Responses to "Wild 5, Edmonton Oilers 1; Pouliot assigned to Houston; Souray punch Weller with wrist protector?"
Expecting a physical game,perhaps?
I hope the Wild play well and don’t go back to their old ways. They have to come out skating in the 1st period.
Or finally putting the best line up out.
I see we put the muscle in with Boogey and Weller. Could be a physical game Ulfie.
Bouchard, floats, spins, gives up the puck and pulls in 4 million and keeps playing. Princess Pouliot does the same and gets scratched? Blah.
Ms. C see my post on the bottom of the last thread in reponse to your question about last night’s Hockey Unplugged.
I have a liking to Pouliot. Watching him can frustrate anyone but the kid has talent. If he is not with the Wild next year I still perdict he will be a 30 goal scorer with some NHL team. Go W@ild.
i was hoping gillies would get some TOI tonight. at least he offers some scoring capability compared to weller.
I can imagine MsC is in her glory with Clutter scoring.
Mister Know it all says PMB has a big night. Edmonton should be good to PMB
I saw, Kgoph… glad to know it wasn’t as crazy as it sounded. Hard to tell on that audio.
What? Cal scored again? Or you mean scoring in general? I’m not watching the game yet. Tivo’s picking it up.
Another important game, every one is in the NW!
The fan pick for tonight to score is Clutterbuck.
The part where the chick won the autographed Shep picture was rough, felt bad for Falness, she shreik in his ear. Then for us non-country fans they played every Rascal Flatts song on the jukebox I swear for Hards (poor Shep really doesn’t like country either).
Ms C. Cal hasn’t scored yet but my guess is he will before the night over.
Looked like they would make good stunt fighters for a while, lots of swings and near misses.
Shepp? Didn’t see that coming. Nice hockey hair on the kid.
Dammit. I hate not watching the game in real time. Shep had a fight?
KRYS!!! Nice feed by Mittens.
I would be more comfortable if Shepp left that to somebody else. Nice to see him fire up the team though. Nice move by Mittens. Terrible D, but good move nonetheless.
Boogaard drew a funny penalty there.
KOLANOS!!
A fight or two from Shep is okay, not like he’s a top liner yet. Now if it were me in Calgary, Iggy and Dion might get a suggestion
Got the game on the sat. Radio in the car..kolanos eh? Nice,
boo
mother smurfer
Nick are you posting and driving?…. naughty, naughty.
Poop
How did Edm score?
Someguy: It’s not that he’s too valuable, he just looked terrible. Needs to attend Boogaard bros. fight camp maybe
I am multitasking band…I90 is very straight
Backs was had it stopped but not covered & they poked it under his glove.
Just watch out for the black ice Nick.
Always band, always
That was weird, after I posted it gave me Nick in New Yorks, then it gave mine back after refreshing. Had it happen on my computer but never had the identity switching when I post from my phone before.
CAL!!!!!!!!!!
Doesn’t Cluts know he’s supposed to hit people, not score?
Cal!!!!!!
Should we tell Terhaar that Poo is scratched?
CLUTTERBUCK!!!!!!!!!!
That was a dumb call. Very weak.
The oil has a Pouliot of their own.
Well, one of my predictions came true. If the Youngsters keep scoring, the Vets will step up their game. The Wild will win this one.
Mister Know it all said that Clutterbuck will get 20 goals this year This guy has watched video of Dino, number 22 also.
Everybody needs to be objective with DR, becasue Clutterbuck is the real deal, and I dont hear anyone complimenting him on that move
He could be giant for the Wild this year
Stuck at work again. Keep the info comin’. Correct me if I’m wrong but Wild up 2-1?
Just caught up. Woohoo!
MKIA - Voros was going to be the real deal as well. He had a dry spell after Gabrick came back and wasn’t getting any more ice time. I like Cal just fine but let’s not build a team around him just yet..
Greetings all! Our computer is a functioning web of internets again. Pretty good game so far. Go C-Buck!
Why do I always feel sleepy during the second period? It could be the most exciting period of hockey ever, and I’d be yawning…. weird.
Loved the hockey day commercial with all the kids. That had to hurt, that is what Penner gets for being an Oil & former Duck, just kidding, I don’t wish injury on too many players.
I wish injury on Burrows… and Cooke, but we all know MAtt Cooke sucks.
Someguy: Now I feel like an @ss. I like to think that I might do better than Greenlay at least…
Austin, I need to send u an email
Isn’t it bad when the radio pbp second stringer is better than the tv pbp starter?
Cooke does suck. I’m almost sad that he went East though. Not really… But it would be nice to see him get rocked by Clutterbuck. Or anyone on the Wild for that matter.
…..still 2-1 Wild?
Pouliot’s not playing. Why does Terharr keep saying his name?
Benny back to Houston?? Wow.
Cool Nick… I will keep an eye out for da mail.
I did say I didn’t wish on too many players Band. Burrows, Cooke,& Lappy are a few that make the wish list.
Sunshine, the Oil also have a Pouliot.
Someguy pointed out that Oilers have a Poo of their own. I made the same assumption Sunshine.
We don’t want Rutuu back in the West. He might take somebody’s ear off….fancies himself Mike Tyson these days…..
slapshot, yes. Still 2 - 1 to the good guys.
Add Ruutu to that list. Pronger. Maybe not wish them injury, but definitely wouldn’t be too broken up over it.
From above, Pouliot might be assigned to Houston. Who do you think will take his place?
We don’t want Rutuu back in the West he might take somebody’s ear off. Fancies himself Mike Tyson these days…..
Austin: bottom line r u guys going to be around first week of march?
Duhhhh…. dat big gap in da skedule is da all star break duhhhh.. tanks for da info Greenlay. I wouldn’t a know dat udderwise.
Sorry, I’ve had lots of head aches lately do to a minor sinus infection, it’s making me very cranky.
SS6: That had to be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. I thought Peters was going to kill him.
Yes, the Oilers have Marc Pouliot(no relation)
thanks Austin.
sorry about the double post…
Okay, thanks. I forgot about that Pouliot.
I want to punch the producer for FSN. That behind the goal cam is good in short burst, but they just leave it there for the entire PP. UGH!
Because there is a pouiliot on the oilers. Ours is being sent to houston & throwing a fit per the update above. Sorry ms. C. I guess we are keeping Kolanos & sending you the Pool Boy.
Jordan - too bad he didn’t. The way Peters was acting you’d think he bit that finger clean off….Rutuu what a dweeb
Yeah Nick… I think we will be. Why?
Austin: I may be down there for work…we’ll have to figure a way to meet up and grab a beer or somerthing
sunshine; my vote if they send Pool boy down would be Krys to stay here. He works hard and adds a blond surfer look to the team that it was lacking before he was called up.
Poulblahblah back to the minors OUCH
Yes, definitely Nick. I know plenty of good places to get a brew. There are some pretty decent TX beers around too.
Bankgeek - I love your logic. Works for me 
Roloson’s stickhandling used to make me insane. Remember that thing he did when he gloved the puck and whacked it w/his stick? Totally freaked me out every time he did that.
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
That behind the net cam is pure genius.
If you’re Dumb or Dumber.
Drives me nuts.
Some spirited play out there from both sides.
I almost felt bad for Poo for a second. Almost.
my question is why send benny down? Just to save money?
Trade the Pool boy, he just needs a fresh start somewhere else. He also needs a fresh attitude, whiney mopers and JL, not a good combo.
Poul-Loaf can go back to driving ms.c crazy again.
I doubt he has much of a future with the Wild anymore…maybe trade him and Gho$t for a couple of plane tix in 1st class…
Because he is so far in JL’s doghouse for his work ethic he won’t see the light of day is my guess WildinAtx
Ouch… bucks got popped in the face.
Not just to save money, I think it’s a big figgin’ flashing neon sign that says, quit your whining and work harder.
Totally BG.
Very true bg, very true.
Saving cap space is a bonus.
Poul-Loaf does not belong in the NHL.
Ok, he belongs less than Kolanos, Gillies, Cluster, et al.
I think Kolanos was about to punch Gorg. I would pay to see that!
Sorry to send you a problem child MsC. He’s gonna be real cranky the rest of the season no matter where he is.
We would all love to see that Austin.
Doesn’t Quasimoto look like Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader - after he sent the Emperor packing) sans helmet?
Green*…Marney…pimpin ‘Hockey Day’.
The Wild do not have any chance to re sign Pouliot or trade him. He is likely going to be a player that is going to go down as one of DRs worst number 1 picks. I will give him that he could have been one of his best picks, but he lost on that gamble.
Imagine the fact that he is a 4th overall pick
He reminds me of the neighbor kid that would cry and take all of his pucks home.
KJ- I am not convinced Gillies deserves to be with the team. That decision Mister Know it all called wrong right from the get go
Pouliot KJ is a serious talent, but he needs to decide he wants to be a pro hockey player. He has to do everything neccessary to improve his attitude and mature.
Setoguchi,Kopitar,Staal,Hanzal,Oshie,Cogliano all in the 1st round - drafted after Poul-Loaf.
Another check box in the DR minus column.
MKVN…
Poul-Boy has only shown ‘talent’ in juniors. He has not made the next step - becoming a pro.
At his current rate, he never will.
My guess? He languishes the rest of the year and sulks in Houston. Put a fork in him. He’s done.
Unless there is a rule that #99 has been retired in every arena forever, I think just for fun & to further get in Gretzky’s head next time we play the ‘Yotes they should change Cal’s number to 99 just for that game. Feel free to yell blasphamy at me now.
Sorry kgopher, the Mr just informed me #99 has been retired league wide. Although that would have been really funny.
kgopher, I like that idea… but he can’t do it. The number 99 can never be worn by any player ever again. It’s been retired league wide.
The Wild could have had Kopitar. PMB does not look confident in scoring positions.
Dang BG… you just beat me to it!
BUTCH!!!!!!
Woo PMB!!
Was kind of thinking that may be the case. And:
BUTCH!!!!
Woohoo! That’s my boy!
Weller got absoulutely ROCKED. I mean damn… he got punished.
For once I’m agreeing with D & D, what’s up with the brace on Surries (sp?) wrist? If that slipped it could cause major damage in a fight.
Weak a$$ call on Krys.
God they won’t shut up about that stupid brace on Sheldon’s arm. Morons.
BURNSIE AND MIKKO!!!!
My hero Mikko.
Holy crap!! Koivu is amazing!!
That was just beautiful by Koivu & Burns!!!
koivu = god!!!!! wow!
if this guy isn’t named permanent captain, i don’t know what i’ll do
I was hoping Boogie would get a chance at Souray. Next game.
I think we are going to win.
good time to go out on a limb there sunshine… lol.
So, do the Wild pour a little gas on the series and TRY to score?
I think the answer is yes…
Nice! Pour it on boys. Damn dirty Oil.
Nolan or Bella? Oh who cares…. WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I have to wait. The Wild has blown third period leads before so I have to be very confident to make that kind of statement.
Nice game, 2 points and a solid performance from all. That stick Bella took to the ear looked painful…ouchy.
Oh, it’s so nice to have you crazy Austin kidz back in the hizzouse!
WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I love it when we beat the Oilers!!!!
Hey ms.C! Pretty good game tonight, it was fun to watch. Woot!
Great game! Well, done. Just need to cut down on the penalties a bit.
I’m still watching the second period.
Damn, what happened to Nolan? Looks like he got in a cat fight.
Boogey will be busy with these thugs in the next Oilers game.
Yeah, we are back in the top 8.
Dunno about Nolan, but I don’t think I wanna see Shep tomorrow… or Weller for that matter. They both got beat up tonight.
Oh crap, Weller got it bad there. Ouch. Poor guy.
A couple dandy plays by Mittens and Koivu.
Anything said about Weller?
I see MKiA can take a bow for his prediction about PMB!
Shep was, quite frankly, just ripping hot in the fight of his. Hair and fists flying. I don’t know how long that fight lasted but I don’t think I took a single breath during it.
Did DR run over your dog KJ?
If you are planning to build a spreadsheet with DR’s’ mistakes, you need to have a column for the good things too. He hired JL, and he drafted Mikko.
Comparing Voros to Clutterbuck MKiA and Slapshot …, I think Cluttterbuck is a better all around hockey player and has more upside than Voros.
Night All, it’s been groovy but I need some sleep.
weller got pounded! looks like he needs to visit the boogeyman’s fighting school!
how come morrow didn’t get a penalty for dropping his gloves too, while souray stepped in? i don’t get that.
nice shot of shep getting tagged on tsn.ca
Green*…Marney…pimpin ‘Hockey Day’.
i knew i was missing something while at the game.
i didn’t realize souray threw bombs. weller wasn’t interested in going but i guess decided he had to. not sure why moreau thought he had to step in, it was souray that wanted the fight.
Wait, why is Pouliot getting sent down? Is there roster reasons? Is Scott staying longer than expected? Or is it strictly a monetary reason?
ooops…moreau as in ethan moreau. not brendan morrow of the nuks. my bad.
g*, where are your seats if you don’t mind me asking?
Scott’s already down, Puckster.
Russo, is there anything we can do to help make sure you keep your job though the bankruptcy restructuring? I can’t imagine trying to follow this team without ya!
Souray is a pretty tough customer. No doubt about that.
This Wild offense is on the verge of “sky-rocketing.”
I give the credit, once again, to Russo’s magic pen. He writes what’s wrong, and poof! Suddenly it’s fixed. Did he ever write a feature on Pouliot? Is it too late to do so?
Souhan is blathering about the Wild again. I will not bother to read it.
Great…friggin flames had sharks their first regulation home loss…cmon meow (Super Troopers)
RUSSO KEEP THE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM GOING
I think Nolan said like a week ago that the team cannot get too low or too high and that they have to find the medium somewhere
With that said…hopefully these last two games are the medium (wink wink)
vancouver lost though. and that’s always a good thing. the flames are tough. in the west, they may be the 2nd best team behind only detroilet. flames play a much tougher schedule than the sharks. just look at the divisions.
Souhan is blathering about the Wild again
he says the wild need to resign #10.
and he says we are just beating up on mediocre teams which is debatable but those mediocre teams are either tied or ahead of us in the standings.
i hope the bankruptency judge reorganizes him off the strib payroll. or at least pulls his expense account so he cannot go to the X.
g*, where are your seats if you don’t mind me asking?
somewhere in 114
That’s what I get for somewhat defending Pouliot today. Sorry Ben, this ones on me
Don’t worry, Richard. It happens to me all the time. I declare something and then the total opposite happens.
I just read the first paragraph… okay, I just read the headline… of Souhan’s article and dismissed it completely. Reeked of “I need to write something, so I’ll write something absurd.”
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
And the goals are all pretty ones — I mean, turning defenders into pretzels.
That actually worries me. It points to the Wild being able to score the pretty goals against a weak D (PHX and EDM) but against a better D, they haven’t shown they can do it. Additionally, they haven’t shown they can score the dirty, ugly goals. The kind of goals you score against a strong D. I’m still worried.
Ms.C, who would be a good call-up to replace Pool-e-i-e-i-o. Keeping in mind that our opponents before the break are ANA, CHI and LA. I’m thinking they won’t be so hot to throw Gillies in against ANA and CHI. I’m thinking they might want some size against ANA.
Something tells me that Clutterpencils is going to be getting under the collective skins a helluva lot more than Boogie.
Also, writing of Boogie, someone should point out to Mr. Weller that he should be attending Boogie’s summer fight school, instead of Aaron Voros’. Any more episodes like last night and the Wild will have to fit him for a drool cup.
Also, nice to see Poo-Bah got all up in arms when he was told to pack his sh!t. Maybe perhaps now he will realize that it was that same lack of passion on the ice that got him sent to Houston in the first place.
Ugh. Well, since it’s Weller out, maybe they’ll call up Kassian.
If they want offensive guys, it will be Schultz or Locke.
Oh, you said size, Goody. We don’t have a lot of big forwards apart from Kass down here. Locke is tiny but effective. Schultz is just kinda average sized. Olvecky and Hamilton are 6′2″ supposedly. Hammy doesn’t seem that big to me though. Olvecky does.
I dunno man. It’s all part of the fun!
But I will say, if Schultz or Locke get the call, for the love of god, play them. We can’t afford to be without them, but if we must, they better be playing up there.
Souray didn’t hit Weller with elbows. Weller got punched in the face hard and got punched out!
Size isn’t gonna matter (’cept for you ladies out there against the Fowl tomorrow night if the Wild skate like it has the past two games.
ms.conduct: Maybe Locke will get his chance to show what he can do. Would like to see Kassian to do the RockumSockum, but Locke has serious scoring skills and is tough for his size.
Deep, I think it might. No offense (meaning to not offend) to Ms.C or her boys… I wouldn’t expect much offense (meaning to put pucks in the net) out of a call-up - especially one that’s not been up before. It’d be great, but I wouldn’t expect it. So, what would be the advantage of playing them over Gillies? Size. Not that Gillies can’t take care of himself, but he’s a young kid and would playing against the Ducks do him any good?
In reality, I’d expect DR to not call anyone up, play Gillies, let Pouliot have a few games with the Aeros and recall him if he handles himself professionally and plays like he wants to come back up. Though his reported “storming out” last night certainly throws up red flags about him being able to handle himself professionally.
So, is Clutterbuck reminding anyone else of a certain #20 that used to play for the NStars?
Someone made that comparison earlier in the year but Clutterbuck wasn’t scoring.
Dude has a wicked wrister…and is making me think more ‘natural’ than ‘artificial’…
Goody: I am actually pleased that Poo-Bah showed a little emotion about being kicked to the curb. Hopefully he knocked over a couple of sticks and dropped a couple of F-bombs along the way. If nothing else, hockey is about passion. He has had very little to none when he has been on the ice with the Big Club. He needs to realize that he has to bring that passion to the ice EVERY night if he wants to be successful. Look at Clutterpants. Not overly big, not overly fast. But, you notice him because he plays as though his short hairs are on fire. You don’t have to have Getzlaf size or Gaborik speed to be successul in the League (although it does help), but if you don’t you had better bring passion and intensity if you want to make a difference. Poo-Bah has not done that one bit and that is why he is now in some bug-infested hotel waiting to play an AHL game.
kj: I don’t want to start a huge argument, especially after a resounding win over the Grease, but Clutterduster is nothing like Dino “Pants Off” Cicarelli. Dino made his bacon by living right in the crease, looking for deflections, rebounds, etc, and perfecting the art of diving to a glorious “T”. I don’t even recall if he every threw a body check. Cluttershakes skates around looking to shoulder anybody on the opposing team, regardless of size, and tries to bring a level of energy to the Wild’s front line that is just doesn’t have anywhere else. Not disparaging either Dino nor Clutterskins, but the only similarities, I think, is that both players were “undersized”.
Sheesh, give the Sugar Land Hilton Garden Inn a little a credit, DB.
And no offense taken, Goody. I wouldn’t expect them to contribute much on the score sheet either. Just make some useful plays and mind their own end.
*Er… for you Benny stalkers… I have no idea what bug infested hotel Benny’s actually in… and seriously, if you’re stalking Benny, you need to reconsider your standards*
Deep…yeah, it’s a stretch…but when Dino came into the league, he played with reckless abandon.
I remember his callup and the checks he threw in order to get noticed. And, a great scoring touch.
That’s all I am comparing.
the thing with clutts is he isn’t cheap. he agitates but is mostly clean about it unlike a cooke or burrows.
G*: Spot on, although the cross check he took last night ni the slot, while it was high, he snapped his head back like he had just been shot. I thought it was more in the upper chest area, but I am willing to grant the benefit of the doubt because he has played relatively clean with his physical play, a far cry from Cooke, Rhuutuu, Burrows, Tucker, etc.
A bit added up top about the Weller fight, and ITA, that wrist guard was definitely above the wrist and should be looked at by the league. I’m not normally a big “tattle tale to the league” type of person but it’s pretty damn nasty to wear a hard plastic wrist protector to fight a guy.
Anybody who got their panties in a bunch about Cluts fighting for all of one second with a visor on should have an issue with this. Maybe Gretzky can go get purple and screamy at Souray for us.
Souray may be a beast and he may be able to be a stand in for the sequel to “300″, but if this garbage turns out to be true with the wrist guard stuff, he just grabbed a seat on the bus with the likes of Cooke, Tucker, Burrows, etc. Really, really weak.
Honestly, I’ll give Souray the benefit of the doubt for now. That looked to me like a straight beat down of Weller.
Good observation G*, “take Souhan’s expense account away so he can’t get the X”, I like it. Maybe take Ruesse’s away too for the same reason.
Those guys would be fine if they would write responsibly.
Deep - I was watching the game last night, and it looked like the wrist protector got Weller. Not sure if it was intentional or not.
the only thing that got weller was souray’s fists. he flat out got beat down. now should he be fighting with a wrist guard? probably not.
i still think it’s bs that moreau didn’t get a penalty for dropping his gloves too.
Upon further review, it sure looked like Weller got ‘raked’ with the brace, and very well could have been tagged with it.
Until I hear otherwise, I think that is the sole reason Souray wanted to get at Weller. And why he pushed Moreau out of the way to get him.
Souray positioned himself to throw only lefts. Left wrist = plastic brace.
Deep…I think he’s driving the bus.
Sorry to be blasphemous with the Tribune difficulties right now, but Tom Powers on the East Side has a fair story this morning.
on sunday sports talk slover dug into dumber for not ripping the team enough. he thinks to be a responsible journalist you are supposed to rip at all times the teams you cover.
said dumber needs a change because he is too close to the team. doesn’t allow him to rip them.
why shouldn’t he be close to the team? he’s contracted and paid by the wild, right?
And if you watch the way Souray hooks when he punches it almost looked liked he was connecting with the wrist protector. He wasn’t punching straight on he was hooking & connecting with the side of his hand from the view I saw last night.
Was able to watch the video now, of Souray and it sure as sh!t appears like he was leading with the braced-up wrist. All the components just seem to “coincidental”: Weller decks him earlier in the game; Souray looking for him the rest of the night; Souray pushes away teammate at end to get a go with Weller; Souray leads with the protective piece in almost all of his throws. kj: not only is he driving the bus, he may have just purchased it. Clown.
Souray has 2 KO’s in his last 2 fights. I don’t think that Weller would have fared much better if he didn’t have the protector on. That being said, he should be reprimanded if just for the sake of consistency. That seems to be lacking in NHL suspensions nowadays. Avery gets pretty much blacklisted for a comment, and Ruutu gets 2 games for biting somebody.
I don’t know about throwing Souray in with the likes of Tucker, Cooke, Burrows DB. Maybe if he had a roll of nickels or some brass knuckles he would crack the top 5. There is a special place in hockey hell for those other fellas.
Circle 9: Zone 4: Today’s NHL
1. Matt Cooke
2. Darcy Tucker
3. Jarkko Ruutu
4. Darcy Tucker
5. Patrick Kaleta (Google Kaleta Mara)
I would think that the all-time list would include Ulfie and Claude Lemieux, but I don’t know where the others fit in. Bobby Clarke intentionally broke that Ruskie’s ankle during the Super Series or whatever, but many consider that heroic. Any thoughts Russoville?
One Chris Simon has a front row seat on any bus that has Tucker, Cooke, etc.
You have to throw Pronger on then, too, right?
The Pouliot failure at this point is a direct reflection of Doug Risebrough. That is 2 first round failures in a row, with Colton gillies being a 3rd in the waiting…(why isn’t he playing? Really, he’s learning by watching?)
As a season ticketholder, I feel, and will contact Wild ownership that these failures in the first round, combined with a laughable minor league team should lead to Mr. Riesbrough’s dismissal.
I’d throw Pronger under the bus…but that’s just me…
There is a photo on http://www.twincities.com/wild/ci_11467173 that clearly shows the plastic guard on Souray’s left wrist that comes around his thumb.
NETminder1 says:
January 16th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I still think it’s bs that moreau didn’t get a penalty for dropping his gloves too.
I’ll agree with that. I have to say Weller may well have fared better had he started with one clear opponent. It all went down pretty quick and Weller probably thought he was going to get double-teamed.
Souray won’t get anything. He’ll claim the guard started above the wrist and worked its way down during the fight. The league will say “don’t let it happen again” and that’ll be the end of it.
Unless, of course, it becomes known that Souray called Weller’s wife/girlfriend a “pig”. Then the League will had down a 50-game suspension and 100 hours of sensitivity training.
I know I am late to the Weller-Souray fight discussion but it looked like Souray did elbow Weller near the beginning of the fight. Was it intentional? I don’t know but the elbow connected with Weller’s head. With the protectors in place, its going to hurt. As soon as the elbow went up, Weller’s head was thrown back and he lost the fight at that point.
I don’t like to defend DR but the Wild had 2 choices for Gillies: play another year in Juniors (where he has nothing left to prove to the Wild) or have him do the apprenticeship thing that Shep was supposed to do (before not replacing Walz left a giant hole at C that has yet to be filled*) and that Burns and PMB did. If this was DR’s biggest mistake, we would all have a souvenir Stanley Cup ring by now^
* See, I still got a DR shot in
^ Make that 2
Zoomed in shot of the guard: http://tinyurl.com/7nk3zy
sunshine is right. i just watched the fight again. souray’s elbow hit weller in the beginning. that’s gotta hurt with the gear on and stuff.
The protector definitely connected with Weller’s face on the last ‘punch’ (which was more of an elbow). 18 sec mark of the link the Don posted. It’s hard to tell because he’s turned away, but the preceding ‘punches’ may have been more of an elbow with the guard too.
hey dice, i got a buddy that would like to complain but can’t seeing he ain’t a season ticket holder like you. Would you mind calling for him to?
I actually think Moreau’s reaction to fight Weller was an honest mistake. When the puck dropped, Weller and Souray both dropped gloves and Weller skated backward so that Moreau was in front of Souray facing Weller. I think Moreau didn’t see that Sourary was ready behind him and thought Weller was asking Moreau to go. At least, that was my take - Moreau just a looked a little confused by the situation until Souray stepped ahead of him.
As for the brace, no question Souray was wearing one, that it extended from his wrist into his palm and that he was throwing with that hand. To his credit, Dumber pointed this out immediately. Weller certainly got his a$$ handed to him, but it’s not clear to me that the brace made a difference or not.
Dice, as a season ticket holder that entitles you to go to a game and like all the rest of us flunkees … to have an opinion.
It does not entitle you to have a choice of GM’s, or coaches, or systems, or who plays.
there’s nothing wrong with voicing your opinion. as season ticket holder, we ARE, in a sense, investors of the wild product. it’s the same as you investing in best buy and speaking up at a share holder meeting.
Hockeydad, I wonder if maybe Moreau was going to fight for Souray knowing that Souray has an injured wrist and was wearing a brace.
But IceMan, there’s no reason why Dice can’t complain and urge a change in management for those or any other reasons. Doesn’t mean the club should oblige. Not that non-STHers can’t also complain, but being a STH certainly means he has the right to express his opinion. After all, the club sends an annual survey to STHers asking for it.
It looked to me like Souray was hitting him with the brace. I don’t care how ripped the guy is, how many bada$$es are named Sheldon any way? I think they will review the tape and sitt him down or a game or two. If they don’t I say Boogie brings his brass knucks to Edmonton on the 30th and we’ll see what happens.
Hockeydad, I wonder if maybe Moreau was going to fight for Souray knowing that Souray has an injured wrist and was wearing a brace.
Could very well be. I just thought Moreau looked a little befuddled by what Weller was doing. When they showed the close-up it almost looked like Moreau was asking Weller who he was asking to dance.
BNaG, as your name suggests, boogie needs a goal, not a suspension!
I wonder if Souray is tough enough to take on Boogy the next time they meet up?
at the first faceoff, weller lined up with souray who was all over him. moreau skated to lineup between them but backed off. weller wouldn’t go. my guest thought because he was at end of shift, so no fireworks. 3 ticks later the whistle blows and they stay out. this time weller goes which i think surprised souray a little as he was a split second behind weller in dropping them. it was only then that moreau dropped and tried to get weller after him.
that’s how i saw it and i am a season ticket holder, incase that means something.
i didn’t realize it then that souray had a guard on so it just might be that moreau was trying to keep him from extra trouble. he certainly couldn’t be afraid he was going to get the worst of the scrap.
True Net, but it would make for good entertainment if he pulled them out of his breezers during a fight when the officials “weren’t looking” ala WWE…
I saw Souray all over Weller at the FO. I assumed it was because with the game in hand and not much time Weller was just letting it go. After the stoppage, it looked like Moreau and Weller except Souray elbowed Moreau out of the way and cleaned Wellers clock.
What is the status of Weller, hopefully not a concussion? I have had a couple of those, the medical community treats them very seriously.
I think Moreau wanted to take the fight because Souray missed half of last season hurting his shoulder in a fight, but Souray wouldn’t let him.
The brace thing… I don’t think Souray would be intentially hitting him with the brace, and as for throwing lefts, I believe that is his dominant hand. You could youtube and see how he throws in other fights. Did Weller get hit with the brace? Quite possible, and that’s the whole point of that rule. Souray shouldn’t be fighting with that thing on, because now it kind of raises questions and now he has to defend his actions, and it kind of taints the thumping he put on Weller.
medical community treats them very seriously
As they should. Some people have had some serious long-term problems from “getting their bell rung.”
Weller may have lost the fight, but he managed to get one of the Oiler goal scorers off the ice for 5 minutes. It didn’t cost the Wild much unless Weller is injured since he’s probably not gogin to score anyway.
Hockeydad, not saying don’t have opinions or don’t express opinions.
But, higher priced tickets does not make an opinion more valid. (However, if you buy enough tickets and they are expensive enough then presumably your opinion will be heard).
It seems that people are all over DR for just about anything you can think of. It is like they are just waiting for another mistake to put on their spreadsheet.
I do not see the problem with him. He makes mistakes but so do lots of people.
What is the expectation? That we ought to have had the Cup already? It would not be likely. I think that would be an unreasonable expectation.
Mostly, they have been building to get closer and closer to the top of the league. I think they are a hard team for others to play. Most of our games are competitive. Sometimes there is a bit of a slide like in December. And, maybe it is not a highly talented team but they can still do some damage.
That Bennie is not with the club right now is not necessarily a DR failure. His future success is in his own hands. If he develops the right attitude he will be back with much more to offer. But, we cannot call him a failure yet, it is way too soon for that.
An example of a similar discussion from a long time ago: at one time there was clammoring that Eller, when he was a young Viking, wasn’t a player. They said he was horrible and a pi$$ poor draft choice. Well, you know who won that argument, it was not long before he (a HOF player) proved them wrong.
Bennie has lots of baggage he needs to shed. He needs first to understand that he has lots to learn and that potential is useless(and almost a detriment without a work ethic) unless he unlocks it.
This is not to say we should not have higher expectations than other cities and to hold the management to higher standards.
But, ultimately, you buy tickets because you want to see a good hockey game. You can express your opinion by not purchasing tickets.
For everybody who buys a ticket to have a voice in the management sets progress back light years for CL to wade through it all.
The Twins have been the most stable sports team on the continent and they do ok with the same management for years at a time.
Nice win. One of the few games I get to see in person. Weller went down hard.
Sharing a giggle with the residents- after the 5 minute majors were assessed, the guy next to me asks his buddy-’why isn’t it 4 on 4?’.
Have a great weekend all.
Stencils- what did you do for your birthday?
While I don’t want to be to touchy feely here. Let me explain where I am coming from.
Feelings are always correct. Opinions can be wrong. So, that being said, yes after attending the Craig Leipold Barbeque for season tix holders last summer, our new owner made it clear to me that he wanted fan opinions. Do expect him to react to my calling for DR’s dismissal, no. And, yes, having season tix is choice. No, it does not make my opinion more valuable than non-season tix holders.
The bigger problem for me on the BP, CG first round pick front is this. What else is down there? Danny Irmen was at one time considered a top three prospect in the Wild organization by The Hockey News. He’ll probably never see the NHL in a Wild sweater. Hey, let’s call up…??? Who? Our best prospect in Houston is….Benny?
Am I expecting a Cup? No. Am I expecting a division winning season every year? No. Do I expect signings of FA, Gabby, player development decisions and the like to be more competent? Yes. I do expect MN to be a market that players would want to come to. I am not expecting to get every free agent. Yet, I have a notion, that, with our current coach, and current GM. MN is not a first choice market for FA’s. That means development needs to be golden.
Yes, the Twins are a good reference from a management standpoint, but I feel it is because of player development.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. But as a fan and season tix holder, I don’t feel good.
Food.
we cannot call him a failure yet, it is way too soon for that.
I dunno. He’s in a contract year, was given his shot and it’s looking like he blew it. It’s certainly possible that he makes something of his career eventually, but I don’t think it’s going to be with the Wild. Switzerland is where I’d put my money in the Pouliot pool.
DR took a shot on a high-risk, high-reward pick and it looks like he lost that bet.
