Forgot to put this up from the presser:

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Good morning from Montreal. I will be back later, but this will be an extremely quick blog because I have a prospects media luncheon at noon EDT downstairs.

First of all, I’ve joined this century and Twittered up. You can find me on there by searching Michael Russo or user name Russostrib. The link should be this one here.

I just came back from the Team Canada press conference to introduce one heck of a coaching staff for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Head coach will be Mike Babcock, and his assistants will be Jacques Lemaire, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff and Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock. Hitch will be the eye in the sky, Lemaire and Ruff on the bench with Babcock, who has long admired Lemaire. More on that in tomorrow’s paper. Lemaire will coach the special teams.

Lemaire and I had a long private chat about the Wild, and you’ll want to read his interesting comments on the new system in tomorrow’s paper. On whether he’ll coach against next season (aka Jersey): “I don’t know. We’ll know in the future — the near future.”

Sounds as if it’s up to Lou Lamoriello.

I talked with Canada Executive Director Steve Yzerman about Brent Burns, who looked like a 2010 shoo-in after Burns dominated the World Championships 13-14 months or so ago. He was named the best defenseman in the tourney. Remember, Burns had a trying season last year with a concussion and playing forward, but Yzerman said he’s very much still in the mix. During a five-hour meeting yesterday, Lemaire gave Burns a full endorsement. The invite list for Canada’s Olympics camp will be out in 10 days or so.

“He’s certainly on our list,” Yzerman said about Burns. “I know it was a trying year for him. I got the good fortune to watch him at the worlds two years ago and he played very well. He’s definitely a guy that we’re watching. I’ve got to finalize this list and get invites outs in the next 10 days or so and I intend to do that and he’s certainly on that list. He’s a great player, he had a difficult year and I understand that. But it certainly hasn’t hurt him. I don’t think any less of him as a player because of it. I’m hopeful he gets off to a very good start – his size, his speed and his offensive ability, his competitiveness makes him a guy that’s very intriguing for us. It’s just he’s younger, a little less experienced. I was hoping he would have a really great year, but injuries come into it. We’ll deal with that. But I still think very highly of him.”

OK, have to get downstairs. Chatted with Jordan Schroeder and Nick Leddy, and his parents for a while this morning in the lobby. Great kids. Very excited. Leddy, whom the Wild adores, met with them again today.

Laterz.

I’ll be back on here later on this afternoon or early evening to discuss more in depth the Richards news conference, the nitty-gritty details of what was discussed in the post-press conference scrums (that’s where the most interesting news items or details always come from because that’s when we ask actual specifics) and a number of other items surrounding the Wild.

But I wanted to throw up the presser, as transcribed by Brian Stensaas (many thanks), and San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan, who did a conference call with myself and two other local writers. Remember, not only was McLellan Richard’s boss in San Jose, but he coached for a long time in the Wild organization in Houston. So he knows Koivu, Burns, Veilleux (likely gone), Boogaard, Bouchard, Harding from the Aeros and others like Schultz from training camp.

I also just got off the horn with Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who was nice enough to call me back between Cup celebrations. I’ll throw that up later.

Here is Todd McLellan:

(more…)

Hello from Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center. The last time I was here, sitting in this exact same setup, Chuck Fletcher was introduced as the new Wild GM. Now he’s running the show, having just introduced Todd Richards as the new coach of the franchise.

It’s a standing room only crowd here in the lobby, with Wild defenseman Brent Burns among those without chairs. Owner Craig Leipold is also standing in the back - don’t you think that he could get a seat?

In introducing Richards, Fletcher said he was “proud and excited” to do so.

“He’s a proven winner and an ideal fit for this franchise going forward,” Fletcher continued,. “He’s earned my trust and I’m confident he’s the right person to coach this franchise at this time.”

Just like Fletcher, Richards received a No. 09 Wild jersey and team cap upon being introduced.

“I am truly, truly excited and honored - and very humbled,” Richards said.

Our own Michael Russo - having some microphone issues - has opened the questioning.

Richards said as a kid growing up on metro area ponds, the Crystal native never dreamed of being a coach.

“The type of hockey we want to play is up-tempo, fast,” Richards said of his style. “You can watch teams that were in the (Stanley Cup) Finals this year and they both play the same style. We believe we have that foundation here. Defenseman have to be part of the rush. Forecheck as a group of five.”

The mics are not working, and I’m in back by the plug-ins so it’s kind of tough to hear. But I believe the topic of Richards having no NHL head coaching experience has come up.

“He’s certainly paid his dues,” Fletcher said, noting Richards’ six years in the AHL. “Talent is the most important thing. How you communicate.”

Said Richards: “In this business as coach, I’m trying to sell something to the players. And I think they’ll buy it.”

Richards’ two sons, 13 and 11 years old both play hockey. He was asked about possibly bringing Minnesota players to the Wild roster.

“Minnesota is rich in hockey players,” he said. “Playing (college) at Minnesota, there was pride in having a roster of all Minnesotans. Us (the Wild) as an organization, it’s about the best fit for the organization. If it happens to be a Minnesota player, that’s great.”

Of course, the Marian Gaborik situation came up. He’s an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

“It’ll be nice to have a coach to present as a part of our package,” Fletcher said.

Richards has not gotten to talk with current Wild assistants or other possible candidates yet.

A good quote from Richards about receiving the final offer from Fletcher: “It wasn’t like I hung up the phone and said, ‘I have to think about this for a half hour.’”

He had his fingers crossed hoping he would be the one for the job.

Well, that’s it. Russo and columnist Jim Souhan will have it all covered in tomorrow’s paper.

For those fortunate enough to watch and/or listen to the presser live - what are your early thoughts on the new coach?

That Heatley part got your attention, eh?

First things first, but there’ll be a Game 7 for the right to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup on Friday in Detroit. Great game last night, and what an ending. Detroit’s net is empty for about 1:20, and Detroit wins three draws. Is there anybody in the league who protects the puck better than Pavel Datsyuk, by the way?

Apparently the Wings don’t care that the Wild’s currently conducting a coaching search. Otherwise, they would have gotten it done last night, right?

It appears all but certain that Chuck Fletcher at least wants to interview Wings assistant Paul MacLean, and maybe even Brad McCrimmon, so by the series continuing, it delays the interview(s) to this weekend at the earliest.

Fletcher attended last night’s game and is scheduled back in his St. Paul office today. In fact, he’s been hopping around the last couple days working on the coaching search. Peter Laviolette’s been MIA since originally being quoted in the Strib, so that often means you can bet your last dollar they’ve met within the last couple days.

And that is what I’ve been told by myriad sources. As I’ve written on here in the past, of all the former NHL coaches, Laviolette makes the most sense. Well respected, won a Cup, coaches a very aggressive system in which it’s all about attacking with the puck. 

One name I’ve heard in the last couple days is former Bruins coach Mike Sullivan, who’s been given permission by Lightning boss Brian Lawton to seek a head coaching job. Not sure completely if he’s talked to Fletcher, however, although he was on the original Fletcher “list.”

Technically, Sullivan’s still a Lightning assistant. He’s known as a details guy and was loved by John Tortorella when he coached there.

But from everything I hear, this is between Todd Richards, Peter Laviolette and eventually Paul MacLean. I don’t know exactly where Craig MacTavish sits right now.

As for Heatley, there seems to be a perception out there that if the Wild loses Marian Gaborik, it can just go out and acquire $7.5 million players.

It’s a lot more complex than that, especially since it’s unknown where the salary cap will dip to in the next two or three years and because the team spent $6 million a year on Niklas Backstrom. That $4.08 million salary cap hit for Pierre-Marc Bouchard the next four years tightens things up as well.

Yes, the Wild could take Heatley’s $7.5 million cap hit the next five years, but it would affect any flexibility or ability to plug other holes, like center and defenseman though the end of his contract. And remember, Mikko Koivu’s a UFA after two seasons and Brent Burns after three seasons. It’s imperative in today’s day and age to think that far ahead.

With that said, however, I am sure Chuck Fletcher will investigate what Ottawa GM Bryan Murray would want in a package if — and I repeat, if — he moves Heatley, who’s top-three in goals per game the last several years along with Kovalchuk and Ovechkin.

He’s a true superstar, and if you want to make a splash as a first-year GM, well, Heatley would be more like a tidal wave.  

And remember, Fletcher and Murray are very close. Fletcher was his assistant GM for seven of Fletcher’s nine years in Florida, and then Murray brought Fletcher to Anaheim after Rick Dudley was hired in Florida. (Incidentally, I hear Dudley will soon be leaving Chicago as assistant GM for another top job in the league).

I’ve talked to a number of people the last day on this Heatley situation, and it’s certainly not guaranteed that Murray’s just going to move Heatley because he is asking off the second team in his career (Atlanta being the first). Plus, Heatley’s got to approve any trade, so it’s not guaranteed he’d come to Minny even if Fletcher worked out a deal.

Also, it’s not guaranteed the Wild has the pieces to get Heatley. Murray would want a ton for Heatley, and lets be honest, the Wild’s not moving Koivu or Burns. So right there, that could take them out of it. Any deal would probably have to include Tyler Cuma and a first, plus a top position player.

Murray has long been interested in Kim Johnsson, but Johnsson’s in the last year of his deal at a $4.85 million cap hit, so that probably won’t work. Neither would goalie Josh Harding anymore either since Murray dealt Antoine Vermette to Columbus for Pascal Leclaire at the trade deadline.

Either way, you can bet Fletcher will make the call and see if he can dive into the trade talks. But again, this would be a complex deal because you have to find the right fits for a trade and then decide if it’s worth potentially creating other holes and/or putting yourself in a position where you can’t fill holes that are already there. 

As for Gaborik, I’m told Fletcher and agent Ron Salcer won’t talk again until after a coach is hired. Fletcher feels it important that Gaborik knows who’s coaching the team and what direction they’ll be going in. And regardless, Salcer’s currently vacationing with his family in Israel, so he won’t be back until later next week anyway. 

OK, that’s it from here. I’ll be on KFAN from 11-11:30 today.

Not a meaty blog today, but I figured I’d hop on and give a little update.

As you can read in today’s story, Brent Burns is starting to feel a lot better. He’s been pretty much symptom-free with his concussion for a month and is confident he’ll be ready for the season after offseason shoulder surgery.

FYI, I screwed up in the article. I know it’s Camp Ripley. I wrote Camp Ridley. No idea why, but I did, so apologies. As we say in the newspaper business, “We regret the error.” My fault.

As for Burns, the Wild could sure use a healthy Burns this season. If it’s going to revamp its system to a more up-tempo style, an active Burns will be integral. It was a tough year for him with elbow surgery, shoulder problems starting in November and the concussion. With the shoulder, he pretty much had no strength in that arm, so he couldn’t poke check or fend off guys.

But he is feeling better and has a ton of off-ice stuff going on.

Speaking of Camp Ripley, if you knew Burns, you’d know he had a ball. He’s enamored by the military, probably because of his grandfather. Here’s a passage from that massive Burns story I wrote for Sept. 16, 2007 (seems like yesterday I did these interviews and was the first to report about the Burnzie Zoo):

One of the most influential people in Burns’ life was his grandfather Patrick, who lived with the family for 23 years.

“It was a package deal,” Burns’ mom said, chuckling. “I got the husband and the father-in-law.”

Patrick, who died in 1998, was an artilleryman in World War II and used to baby-sit Kori and Brad when Brent had to be taken to his many hockey practices and games. But a wide-eyed Burns couldn’t wait to get home, where he’d plead for more stories from Grandpa.

“Granddad had his chair, a real soft, cushy chair, and he used to sit there and tell the boys war stories all the time,” Gaby said. “In Grade 8, Brent wrote a war story his grandfather told him. The teacher was so moved by it, she phoned and invited Granddad to school to honor him at a Remembrance Day service. The teacher read Brent’s story. It was Granddad’s last Remembrance Day.

“For a kid his age to move a teacher like that, I was really impressed, and I know it meant a lot to Granddad.”

To honor their grandfather, Brent and Brad got identical tattoos on their left arms. It features a cross with a Canadian military helmet on top and the zodiac sign for Pisces in the middle. In the background is a Bofor artillery gun over the hills of Sicily. Underneath reads, “Patrick Joseph Burns, 1911-1998.”

“You don’t think too many kids would have a relationship that strong with their grandfather that they’d want to honor him in a permanent way,” Gaby said.

Back live here at Chatteau de Russo, Burns actually plans to give back to the military next season, and those plans are in the works. More detail on that later.

I wound up at the same event with Derek Boogaard and his brother, Aaron, on Friday and Boogey’s looking good from offseason shoulder surgery. Here’s the most amazing thing. His brother Aaron was the one in the sling. Coincidentally, they both had the same injury (Aaron’s a little worse) and the Pittsburgh Penguins farmhand had surgery the other day. And apparently their dad has a bum shoulder as well.

Derek was also wearing shades at night due to LASIK the day before. I was supposed to have LASIK last summer, but I had to cancel due to a Wild story I had to write. I then wimped out and never called back. Maybe I should. Hmmm.

Here’s something funny, but out of respect, I told Boogaard, “FYI, I wrote in tomorrow’s paper you might be traded.”

Boogaard then called over his fiancee, Erin, and said, “Tell her what you just told me.”

I was like, “Uhhhh … I don’t want to.” I was more scared of telling Erin than Boogey.

I do think there’s a chance Boogaard is shopped at the Draft or this summer. He’s in the last year of his deal and can become an unrestricted free agent, so that usually makes you trade bait (well, under most regimes, just not the previous one)

Obvious teams that may be interested in Boogaard include Toronto (Brian Burke, folks, is a tough-guy fan as you know) and Philly. Maybe Edmonton, too, in the “If you can beat him, have him join us” department.

Lastly, Wednesday at 11 a.m., I’ll be in studio at KFAN chatting with Paul Allen.

OK, that’s it for now.

Aloha from Hawaii Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center where it’s just been made official that Chuck Fletcher is the Wild’s new general manager.

Also, if you haven’t seen it, make sure to scroll to Chip’s previous blog about Tom Lynn staying on as an assistant GM.

We’ve got a good crowd out here in the lobby. Among the masses, I’ve spotted assistant coach Matt Shaw, goalie Niklas Backstrom, defenseman Brent Burns (his left arm in a sling) and a handful of other employees.

Prior to any remarks, Fletcher was presented a #09 team jersey after it was said a “new chapter, a new era” has begun for the team.

“What was good enough yesterday is not necessarily good enough today,” owner Craig Leipold said. He then called Fletcher the “obvious choice” for the job.

Here’s some of what Fletcher had to say this afternoon:

• On a coaching timeline, it is his first priority right now before free agency. He wants a coach with communication skills, leadership skills and someone who is “demanding but fair.” He also expressed that “experience is nice but not necessary.” He hopes to have someone in place by the draft, which is late next month.
• He affirmed that he wants a team with an “up-tempo, aggressive, fast style.” But the trap style is something every team uses, so Fletcher doesn not plan to completely eliminate it from here.
• Fletcher plans to reach out to pending free agent Marian Gaborik and agent Ron Salcer “in the near future.”
• He is open minded about what kind of front office and coaching staff he will hire, and plans to speak to every member.
• On his philosophy of putting the best team on the ice, Fletcher says it’s “drafting and developing” players, calling draft picks “gold to me.” Better drafts lead to a deeper system which leads to, in time, better trades.
• On managing expectations: “This has been my dream since realizing I was a really bad hockey player at age 8 … This was my way into the NHL … I’m ready for it, I’m not daunted by it at all.”