Confident Wild, and thousands of Wild fans, invade Detroit; Warning: Clutterbuck to wear mike on NBC
Posted on April 4th, 2009 – 2:49 PMBy Michael Russo
Coming to you from God’s country — Detroit.
Hey, guess what? My hotel room overlooks the old Tigers Stadium, which is pretty cool. In 1997 or 1998 or maybe 2002, can’t remember, I had a blast there when I went to a Tigers game with a bunch of hockey writers during the Stanley Cup Finals.
You would not believe the excitement and anticipation going on right now in this city for Sunday’s matinee between the Wild and Detroit Red Wings.
It’s strange, but for some reason, sports fans from North Carolina and Connecticut and East Lansing and, most bizarre, Villanova, Pa., have flocked to Detroit because NHL matchups just don’t get bigger than the Wild and Wings. I mean, who knew there were so many Wild fans in Delaware County?
Planes were full. Hotel rooms are like going for $500 a night. Downtown was just a carnival atmosphere with all sorts of neat outdoor activities. It’s awesome that the Wild’s finally gotten onto the map because of this battle for the postseason.
The Wild had an extremely loose, up-tempo practice today. Kim Johnsson said he was really, really good.
This is one confident team right now after last night’s rare 60-minute effort and 4-0 victory over Calgary. Jacques Lemaire talked at length today again about how proud he was that the team finally listened to the coaches and played the counterattack style he’s been begging for.
Now, the Red Wings’ goaltending might be ECHL-worthy, but we all know the Wild does not play well at the Joe. In fact, typically, when the Wild plays at Joe, the puck, well, it’s just a rumor. Wild players never, ever, ever, EVER have it. As the boys said today, in February’s blowout loss here, it seemed Detroit had the puck on its sticks for 50 of the 60 minutes. The Wild was outshot 43-23.
So Sunday will be a very different game than playing a depleted Calgary team, and Lemaire said the Wild will have to be good without the puck. Cal Clutterbuck, the NHL’s hits leader, said it’s imperative the Wild is in the Red Wings’ faces rather than just watching their skilled players like last time here.
Speaking of Clutterbuck, I have a really funny story for tomorrow. But Clutterbuck, the master of all trash talkers, will be miked tomorrow on NBC. Let’s just say, NBC better have alternative programming to switch to if that seven-second delay is inoperable for some reason.
For the story, Clutterbuck gave me his five best (and clean) trash talks of the season and which players were the recipients. It was a riot.
OK, everybody that should be healthy is healthy, meaning the unhealthy guys are still unhealthy (got it?)
I must write now because I hear some green felt calling my name.
“All in.”
By the way, here is the studio set Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury will be in:
55 Responses to "Confident Wild, and thousands of Wild fans, invade Detroit; Warning: Clutterbuck to wear mike on NBC"
can’t wait for that clutterbuck read, russo! and don’t blow too much $$ at the table…i hear the strib is making you take a pay cut! just kidding.
net: +1 on the Cal stuff. Russo, don’t you just love being in Detroit? It just oozes in the blog post. Wow, lots of pretty $$$ people around for the other event. They must be in awe of the Don.
If we win the rest of our games…we have a 90.6 percent chance of making the playoffs
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
Russo: I think you’d better take a break from the Texas Hold’em. Or will the trustees approve of your ‘purchases’ in Detroit? 
Or, are you fostering international relations by ga –er, shopping — on the Windsor side of the Detroit River?
Oh lawd. That’s must see TV right there baby! Thanks for the heads up.
Though I have a question… that stuff about people being excited about the game… that’s sarcasm, right? Yeah, it’s gotta be.
chris in CA, how in the hell do you come up with a percentage of 90.6 that wild make the playoffs? i’d say it’s more like 30%, after factoring what all the other teams will do and tie breakers involved.
It’s good to see that you’re finally enjoying Detroit. It seems like every other time you’re there you just cry about everything.
Michael - did you do the hologram thing with the tv sutdio set? Or is that you & your counterpart. So poker tables tonight or the other event in town? Do you remember being at that baseball game with the other hockey writers or is that just another Russo Urban Myth (trademark, copyright or other). Mmmm Russo urban legend has a nice smooth roll to it as well.
Give me that fish.
I have a question… that stuff about people being excited about the game… that’s sarcasm, right? Yeah, it’s gotta be.
what the hell you mean by that??????????
darn moderating.
So is that a hologram on the tv studio set or your aura? What is a traveling hockey beat writer to do on a Saturday night in a bustling metro area?
that last one is for the great ms. c (cough cough)
Ms. C: Where’s my button? Dallas comes into the ‘X’ on Tuesday and I’d love to have it by then…
Geno:
>>>Hummmm…. I guess I wasn’t aware that knowing many of them personally and considering several to be friends….<<<<
Would they offer up the same response if we asked them about you? I can’t speak for the rest, but I sure am impressed that a referee roadie hangs on the board.
referee roadie
isn’t it more ‘referee groupie?’
Wonder if the NHL offers the referees vision as part of the health insurance package. Most of them could use it.
Sorry, WRT, I was just able to stick it in the box today so I’m not sure if it will make it by Tuesday. Definitely for Nashville though. Hopefully you’re going to that one.
Can’t imagine you saying anything needing moderation M 03?
Like being friends with game wardens or revenooers … most people don’t admit it Geno.
Ms. C.: Too many freebies given out for me to miss either game. If you stuck it in the mail today, it just might get here just before I leave for the Dallas game Tuesday night. It will be the 8th pin/button on this season’s hat.
M 03: Must’ve been that filet-o-fish last night that got the Wild going!
Anyone else going to watch Columbus/Nashville? I assume most who have it will watch St. Louis/Dallas from the AAC tonight…but CBJ beating Nashville tonight helps the Wild, also.
Russo - considering the Tigers moved to their new place in 2000, you can rule out the 2002 cup finals. Unless it WAS at the new place.
What’s this other “sport” with a big ball and no touching allowed? Sounds boring!
*ducks*
WRT - no center ice here, but we’ve got HNIC on the NHL network. GO HABS!
I got into a pie fight today!! Woooo!
Here is a happy thing I saw in the other paper on Thursday. Guys, you might have a chance to win if Mikko and Russo don’t enter. Courtesy of the other paper “Are you the man? Now’s you chance to prove it. The search is on for “One Man Minneapolis,” a man between 24 and 44 living in the seven-county metropolitan area who represents “the best of the Twin Cities based on community involvement, intelligence, personality and fitness.”
Still think you’re him? Apply by May 15.”
http://www.twincities.com/ci_12058125?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com
IceMan & WRT: you are correct, I defer mentioning that advertisement for a day.
ATX, I’ve been craving pie. Throw some at me, will ya?
It was just whipped cream pie.. but it was fun to smack someone in the face with it!
ATX- a pie fight? FUN! (In geek world it would be a pi fight.)
Yeah M 03, it was a Blazing Saddles quote-along event with this place in Austin called the Alamo Drafthouse. Pie fight after the movie… it was really fun. never been in one before.
Alamo Drafthouse. That’s right- you were doing something way cool today. Did they queue up the quotes? Were there plenty of wickedly energetic people and cold beverages? Sounds amazing!
Oh. No chocolate. NM then. 
ATX, you get to have all the fun, I just have to go to work, and do the dishes, and wash the Mr, and rake the yard, and clean both bathrooms, and do the laundry, and walk the dogs, and fix the leaking kitchen sink, and sweep the floor and go get groceries, and bake a birthday cake for H, and make a bunny cake for Easter, and wash the dogs, and clean the car…. But no, you get to have Blazing Saddles style pie fights. The Mr wants to know if you fell for the toll booth gag (we’re gonna need a shi+ load of dimes).
Dood, it was awesome. They gave us cap guns and whoopie cushions. Everyone was super hyped and it was a blast. Usually they put some subtitles on the quotes they think are best, but today it was all free to quote along to whatever you wanted to. It was a fun fun day!
BG, I do all that too… but not on the weekends!
And no… we had planty of dimes already
My weekends aren’t always 2 days in a row, it’s the hazard of working in museums, we’re open weekends. For instance my weekend this week is Sunday and Tuesday. The Mr wants me to remind you not to stampede women, and rape cattle.
Gerber just yelled at a ref for not making a call which led to a goal which has put the Habs up 4-0. Gerber should have complained about that one, pretty bad goal-tender interference.
Don’t worry BG, my qualifications are Rape, Murder, Arson and Rape.
You said rape twice.
I like rape.
and yeah, working on the weekends sucks!
Chewing gum on line?!? I hope you brought enough for everyone!
Okay, don’t keep it going any longer… this is a hockey blog after all right
DAL and CBJ have one goal leads after one 
Choke effers!
I mean, go Dallas!?
Work, work, work…:ello boys! Miss me?
>>>referee roadie
isn’t it more ‘referee groupie?’<<<
I was trying to be PC. Bringing someone’s sexual preferences into question on the board always leads to a fracas.
BTW, “Where da white women at??”
Nice demi-choke by Dallas, letting the Blues stay in it just long enogh to push the Wild’s ‘tragic number’ to 6…and then the BJ’s blow a 2-goal lead at Nashville and cannot insert biscuit into basket in the SO.
Now, Edmonton and Anaheim both have leads in their games.
It sucks when your team is on the bubble…
netminder1, i got my earlier information from puck daddy.
come on sharkss!!!
One reason to enter that contest - 1K tag heur (sp) watch and 5K to your favorite charity, if my recall is correct. Your charity could be the church of boogie or such. Anyways, it would be swell if a Russoville guy won.
On Friday, glad the fish, yes those fish, had a good influence on the guys in IRR. WRT- you were right.
Wow - hope the Wild boys aren’t watching the scoreboard tonight. Depressing.
chris, after looking at the league scores tonight, are you still going to believe the things puck daddy says?
hey russo did you sleep with souhan last night? “a team never quite good enough to make the playoffs”. i thought we made the playoffs the last two years. if gaborik was healthy we win back to back division crowns. sorry you were so bored this year you lame ass;if your paper still exists next year maybe they will let you cover the wolves!
anything is possible my friend but highly doubtful in this case of course. I would be a little more confident if we owned the tiebreakers. We are getting no help these days. Maybe Columbus doesnt win another game, you never know..that leaves three spots open instead of 2. Its still up in the air, ill stop believing when its mathematically impossible for us to get in.
I could see columbus going 2-2 finishing with 92 for Seventh. Anaheim going 2-1 finishing with 92 for Sixth. Nashville going 1-2 finishing with 88. Blues going 2-1 finishing with 90. and MILD going 4-0 finishing with 91 good for EIGHTH!!!!
whoops columbus 93 points i mean for sixth, anaheim 92 for seventh and our bhoys 91 the eighth spot. If you look at the schedules, this isnt crazy talk. Hopefully we can go on this winning streak and finish strong we need all these points for a shot.
nashville and the blues lose one game in regulation there out if we win all our games. I think we have a better shot than all of you think. Its not like they are playing pushovers either. Its going to be either us or the blues taking the final spot. Nashvilles schedule is too tough, im pretty sure they are done. I have the blues losing to Columbus and us beating them out then by a point by winning all our games.
Coach is proud the team finally listened to him begging for the counter attack? Finally they get 78 games into the season, really! Or was it that Calgary was a tired beat up demoralized team?
Update/clarifcation to the contest winner (6:04, 9:45 posts):
“The winner will receive $5,000, a Tag Heuer watch and a $1,000 donation to the charity of his choice.” Russo could walk away with the prize…
