(updated 11:45 p.m., Tuesday)

Believe it or not, I’m back in Minnesota — for a few hours at least. Because I got too tan in Hawaii, I’m heading to Ireland on Wednesday to untan, but just for the weekend. Everybody who knows me can attest to the fact that I’m a globetrotter.

But I’ll be back in town well before a new coach is hired.

Chuck Fletcher, who wouldn’t divulge where he was calling me back from late tonight because then I’d figure out what he was up to(ha), is still in the research phase of the coach hunt process. He’s compiling a list of names, then will do some due diligence and then will decide whom he wants to speak with. He said literally everybody and anybody is on the list, so he hasn’t defined exactly who’s really on the list. He wants to get it down to about four before conducting interviews.

He will definitely interview San Jose Sharks assistant coach Todd Richards, as I reported over the weekend. I also talked to Peter Laviolette today, who is interested in the job. Here is the link to that story. I listed a bunch of possible candidates in the article.

In the former-NHL-head-coach-department, Laviolette makes a ton of sense. Yes, he’s won a Stanley Cup, but he also coaches a system very similar to the prerequisites Fletcher has laid out — communication skills, up-tempo, physical, offensive.

Pat Quinn and Tom Renney are off the market. Craig MacTavish is still on the market, and he’d make the writers happy (quote machine). Fletcher also has a history with Newell Brown and Paul MacLean.

In the meantime, Fletcher was in Winnipeg on Monday night to watch the Houston Aeros, who were eliminated in Game 6 of the conference finals. He’ll be in the office later Wednesday and Thursday to meet individually with the staff and as many players (who are still in town) as he can. He will be in Toronto this weekend for the draft combine.

He’s started calling players as well.

To clarify one thing that was reported earlier this week, he has decided no staff member is leaving or staying. He’s been in the office for three hours total, and has met a precious few. He said there’s no reason for anybody to be walking on eggshells, but stories that he’s told anybody they’re safe or unsafe were premature. What does that mean? He’ll meet with staff over the next several weeks, ask a ton of questions and then things “will become apparent to me,” and that does include Tom Lynn and Tommy Thompson.

Incidentally, Fletcher’s played telephone tag Tuesday with agent Ron Salcer regarding initial contact on Marian Gaborik.

Fletcher’s old team, Pittsburgh, advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals tonight, and wow, actually touched and picked up the oft-snubbed Prince of Wales Trophy — thus, delighting the NHL. The Penguins are a better team this year than last, and Bill Guerin looks as ageless as ever.

Assistant GM Tommy Thompson and his staff are in Toronto interviewing players at the Draft combine. Thompson said the Wild interviewed a single-day record 23 draft-eligible players Tuesday.

Okee dokee, I’ve got to pack. I’ll hit a few golf balls for ya.

I wanted to give you some more reaction from people close to Chuck Fletcher that I wasn’t able to squeeze into the main story for tomorrow. First, I was able to confirm that both Tom Lynn and Tommy Thompson were asked to remain in their current jobs by Fletcher and both have accepted.

Also, our editor Mark posted an update from Russo on the beach about any potential Mike Keenan rumors but wanted to recast it. According to Russo (in between drinks from his mai tai) it’s not going to happen.

Fletcher said he hopes to begin interviewing candidates next week and have a guy in place by the draft. He said head coaching experience is not necessarily a requirement. 

Also, Russo was able to chat with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero today and passed along his quotes.

“It’s so well-deserving for Chuck. He’s had such success in his career. Chuck and I have known each other a long time, but not real well. But when I got the job here, I approached Brian Burke about speaking with Chuck. He took the chance to come and it was a great fit. We have such similar backgrounds with our fathers (Fred Shero and Cliff Fletcher) being involved with the game and us being around the game forever. He’s got a great sense of humor.

“I gave him a ton of responsibilities that [Nashville GM] David Poile gave me. It was basically the same job I had in Nashville. The thing with Chuck I found is he’s very decisive. He makes decisions, and being my right-hand guy, for anything I did here, he would always be my first and last voice I went to for a final decision before I made mine. The great thing with Chuck is there never was any waffling. He had a strong opinion one way or the other, which is what I needed.”

(How instrumental was he in helping you figure a way of getting Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Fleury to long-term deals in a cap system?) “He was huge. My background with David Poile, David was such a planner. David was always looking ahead. The coaches worried about the upcoming game. David worried about next year. That’s what I learned from David, and that’s what Chuck and I always tried to do here, whether it was looking at available free agents and what that market can be and trying to stay ahead of everything as best you can. Chuck had so much to do with all the success we’ve had here so far. The good thing with Chuck is he was so experienced and it was good to bring in someone that had that type of background with different organization working with so many different people. It was perfect for both of us.”

Russo also asked Shero about Todd Richards, who presumably will be a leading candidate to become next head coach. 

“I have a great deal of respect for Todd Richards. He was one of my first hires when I came here. [With Nashville], he was one of my first hires in Milwaukee as an assistant coach. I got to work closely with Todd for a number of years. When I came here, I had already hired Chuck. While I knew that Todd was my guy, Chuck had all the responsibilities of running our farm team in Wilkes-Barre. Part of that was hiring a coach. I told Chuck I really believe Todd was a guy worth talking to, but having said that, it’s your decision. Chuck went through a real good list of candidates – maybe five, six, seven people to interview and came back and said Todd is the most qualified and best fit. So it was his decision at the end.

“Our organization has a lot of respect for Todd – his intellect, his communication skills, his passion for the game, he pushes the pace. One of the first things I heard back on Todd from Chuck was that our pregame skate was harder than some team’s practices. He really pushes the pace and makes players better. … He had the opportunity to move on to San Jose. It was a fantastic decision for him. This job in San Jose I believe really prepared him to being around the pro game with the fantastic coaching staff they have in San Jose. He’ll be a great head coach in the NHL, I believe, whoever will give him that opportunity. He’s got the right age, he’s got the right experience. I’m a big Todd Richards fan. He’ll be a great fit for someone.”

I also talked to Lou Nanne, who is close friends with Fletcher and his father. Lou had this anecdote about Fletcher’s work ethic:

“When [the Penguins] beat Washington in Game 7, they flew home and got home about 1 in the morning. He jumped right in his car and drove to Wilkes-Barre three-and-a-half hours away because the farm team got beat that night and he had to have exit interviews with all those players the next day. He did that, got right back in his car and went back to Pittsburgh. He’s really a committed guy. He loves the game and loves being in the game.” �

New GM Chuck Fletcher and owner  Craig Leipold fielded a lot of questions after the press conference about Fletcher’s preferred style of play — “uptempo, aggressive, fast style.”Fletcher joked that it’s not a “run-and-gun” style. He said he thinks the team has the personnel to play that way but admitted the new coach will adjust the system to his players and that defense will remain at the forefront of their approach.

Leipold talked at length about how he has heard indirectly that the defensive-minded approach of the previous regime hurt the team’s chances in signing big-name free agents. Here are more quotes from Fletcher and Leipold from after the press conference.

Craig Leipold:
“I like the way he talks. Uptempo, faster game. We think that’s something that our fans would like to see, that they’ve been telling us. Frankly, it’s almost a new game. That’s what most of the teams are now playing. I do believe that his type of game and the type of coaches that he’s talking about bringing in is one that’s going to really make fans happy.

“I made it real clear to Chuck that he’s accountable for providing us a Stanley Cup quality team. He has the complete flexibility and independence to build his own organization, including coaches, assistant coaches, hockey operations people, assistant GMs. This is his organization. I’m not going to meddle in it.

“This is the guy right now for this team to develop our players. His system and the way that he’s talking is exactly what I think we need at this time. I’m incredibly excited. I think he’s going to be able to take this team to another level that maybe we didn’t think we could get to.”

Leipold also admitted he’s disappointed high-profile free agents haven’t wanted to join the Wild. He said he thinks Fletcher can change that. “I do absolutely. And yes I have been disappointed. In the past I’ve been frustrated not knowing why those unrestricted free agents wouldn’t choose this as their home. We have everything to offer here. I think the system might have been something that held them back. I believe Chuck feels that way. Other [candidates] that came through felt that way so I think this is like the missing piece. They’ll look at us in a different light now and they’ll want to come play here.”
Chuck Fletcher:
“I think this style of play is used by other teams, but I don’t want to mislead people. This isn’t a run-and-gun style. There’s still strong defensive requirements. There are times when you’re aggressive and there’s times when you have to be more passive. You have to sit back. All systems are defensive in nature. Coaches teach defense and offense is sort of instinctive.”

(Coaching search?) “I guess the best way to put it is I’m going to spend the next few days trying to create a short list. It might take more than a few days. But at this point I wouldn’t say that there is a definitive short list.”

(On Gaborik) “He’s certainly a dynamic game-breaker and dynamic offensive player. I think he’s shown he can score goals with the best of the goal scorers in the NHL.”

(Prefer veteran coach or a young up-and-comer?) “I have no preference. I don’t think experience is necessarily the most important factor. But I want to get the right coach. I think we’ve seen veteran coaches be successful and we’ve seen rookie coaches be successful. I think if you’re a good coach, you’re a good coach.”

(Style of play) “I love physical hockey. We want to be uptempo. It’s forechecking, it’s on pucks, it’s separating the defender from the puck. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fighting, although I certainly believe in fighting as being a necessary element of a good club. But toughness to me is mental, it’s physical, it’s winning battles, it’s having your best player go to the net knowing he’s going to get cross-checked. That’s toughness.”

(Can this team play uptempo?) “I think every team does [have the personnel to do it]. You know obviously speed is an important element but so is intelligence. I think any team can a play a style. Again, the type of game may dictate whether you’re more aggressive some nights than others. But we want an identity of being an uptempo, hard-working, difficult team to play against and that’s what we’re going to strive to be.”

UPDATE, FROM RUSSO IN HAWAII: Just to stop any rumors before they start: Yes, Mike Keenan is now available as a head coach (fired by Calgary Friday). And he and Fletcher did work together in Florida (from 2000-02). But they will not be working together here in Minnesota. �

Hey everyone. This is Chip Scoggins, filling in for Russo while he gets some much deserved time on the beach in Hawaii.

Just got off the phone with Wild assistant general manager Tom Lynn, who said he has accepted Chuck Fletcher’s offer to remain in the same role. The two talked this morning and came to an agreement.

“I was told when I talked to him that he wants me to stay on,” Lynn said by phone from Houston. “He likes the work we do here. Chuck and I have known each other for years as assistant GMs working that side of the business. He said he liked the operation and he wanted me to stay on in my current role. We had a good conversation.”

I asked Lynn about his disappointment over not getting the job versus being able to stay in a place that he clearly likes.

“The best way to put it is I had gone to tell Craig [Leipold, Wild owner] that if wasn’t going to be me I thought Chuck was the best guy out of the people who were mentioned as potential finalists in the paper and everything else,” Lynn said. “I told Craig that and he laughed because that was his guy at the time. I think there is a measure of encouragement that he got the right guy. Someone I can work with and someone I look forward to working with. As far as the disappointment part, I’ve been saying for nine years since I came here that my main goal in hockey is to get my name on the Stanley Cup. And I would rather be on the Cup as an assistant GM than a GM on a losing team.”

Lynn said the particulars of his job still need to be discussed with Fletcher, mainly who will be the chief contract negotiator, which is something Fletcher also enjoys.

“We’ll sit down next week and [discuss] my responsibilities,” Lynn said.

Lynn said it was an easy decision to stay on in his current role rather than look for a fresh start somewhere else.

“I already knew from the start of the process that I wanted to stay on if Chuck was the GM,” he said. “I knew the type of people Craig was interviewing and talking to were all people I could work with. Obviously you know I love Minnesota. It was more than easy. It was what I wanted to do.”

We’ll be back after the press conference with reaction and quotes from Fletcher and Leipold.

Aloha from Honolulu. About to head out into the night on Waikiki Beach suckers. I think I’ll be on KFAN live at 9:40 a.m. with P.A. — yes 4:40 a.m. Hawaii time because I’m loco like that.

Figured I’d jump back on as promised to toss on some more thoughts on the hiring of Chuck Fletcher as the Wild’s second general manager in history.

Here are the links to the stories from Friday’s papers:

Main Fletcher hired story by Russo

Jim Souhan’s take on the Wild and Wolves’ hires

Sid the Kid Hartman weighs in

As somebody joked with me a few weeks ago — and I honestly can’t remember who, so I apologize in advance — but if Fletcher got the job, he should be nicknamed the “Brown Fox,” since his dad has always been known as the “Silver Fox.”

Whoever told me this, if you want credit, send me an email and I’ll post. I give credit where credit is due, but my brain is sunburned.

Some call Fletcher Chuckie, others call him Fletch. Funny, but for a name that can easily be turned into a nickname as so often happens in hockey, I’ve always just called him Chuck.

I covered Fletcher for seven of his nine years in Florida, and I can tell you he’s a sharp cookie. I’ll throw on a bunch of stories in the weeks ahead, but as I told him a few weeks back, who would have thunk back in the late 90s that quite possibly one day I’d cover him as a GM — only in Minnesota.

Back in the day, Fletcher was always expected to become the Panthers’ GM, and quite frankly, until the lockout happened, I never considered I’d go off and cover another NHL team.

But Fletcher, considered the next big thing in the NHL for some time, has finally got his opportunity. And by the way, the thing you should know about Fletcher is he has not gone for every job out there. He never wanted just any GM job that came his way. It had to be the right fit, so for him to take this opportunity says a lot about where he thinks this franchise is and can go, and what type of hockey hotbed it is.

First up for Fletcher will be to determine a coach. In the NHL, folks usually hire people they know and are comfortable working with, so right away, Todd Richards becomes a favorite. Fletcher hired the San Jose assistant and former Gopher in Wilkes-Barre, and he had great respect for him.

Peter Laviolette, Craig MacTavish and Pat Quinn would be the obvious experienced coach pickups, Kevin Constantine warrants a look. So does Detroit assistant coach Paul MacLean and Chicago Blackhawks assistant John Torchetti. Some respected junior coaches include Portland Pirates coach Kevin Dineen and Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel.

Another possible candidate just popped in my head. Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Newell Brown for two reasons: 1) Fletcher’s relationship with him in Anaheim; 2) The Panthers nearly hired Brown a couple times as head coach during Fletcher’s tenure there.

As I wrote in the story, I see Fletcher going young and up-and-coming after witnessing the transformation Pittsburgh had under Dan Bylsma. These hockey players today are young. Look at 20-year-old James Sheppard, who just did not communicate very well with 63-year-old Jacques Lemaire. Sheppard even admitted it after last season with the infamous I’ve been playing hockey since I was 3 quote. 

Some of these youngsters need coaches more in tune with their generation. These players today ask why, and instead of being told “because that’s the way I told you to do it,” sometimes you need to take 10 extra minutes and explain why.

I think Fletcher believes that, too. But I think right now Richards is the guy. Word in NHL circles is Fletcher and Ray Shero wanted Richards when they fired Michel Therrien this season but obviously couldn’t get him out of San Jose in the middle of the season. Bylsma was only supposed to be interim so they could hire Richards. But Bylsma did such an amazing job, they extended his contract earlier in the playoffs. So I believe the Moose is the guy.

OK, I’ve got an early flight to the Big Island on Friday morning to cover the Kona Coffee Pickers against the Hilo Gilamonsters in the Hawaiian Hockey League, so I’ll be reluctantly out of touch and will miss the Brown Fox’s introduction to the “State of Hockey.”

But we at the Strib have you covered, so no worries.

Good day everybody. Just thought I’d jump on to say goodbye.
Not for good (unfortunately for some), but I’m heading outside the continental U.S. Saturday for a little more than a week. But I’ll have the cell phone, blackberry and laptop at my side, so I’ll be paying attention to the GM search as best I can on the sands of Hawaii.
How great were those Game 7’s last night, by the way? The conference finals should be extraordinary.
I did a Kevin Constantine story for Saturday’s paper. Remember, many considered him the potential frontrunner to replace Jacques Lemaire if Doug Risebrough was doing the hiring. But once Risebrough was fired, everything changed – for Constantine, too. Now his future is up in the air.
He should still be a candidate, especially after coaching the Aeros to at least the AHL’s Western Conference Finals. But it’ll be tougher for him just because of the perception he’s also a defensive coach, and the Wild’s new GM almost certainly will want to change the Wild’s style to a more up-tempo type in the post-Lemaire era.
I wasn’t able to squeeze in a lot of stuff about the Aeros, so I figured this would be a good venue for that.
Constantine never realized the Aeros had this run in them. After the team won its first four games, the Aeros battled inconsistency due to injuries and callups, including Cal Clutterbuck, Krys Kolanos, Peter Olvecky and John Scott.
Clutterbuck never left Minnesota after his Oct. 16 promotion, while Kolanos, Olvecky and Scott played a combined 72 games for the Wild.
“Whenever guys were gone, we weren’t that good to be honest,” Constantine said. “It just shows how much the players are the most critical factor in wins or losses. When we were healthy and had bodies, we put together runs.
“The turning point might have been when Kurtis Foster came down [on his rehab stint]. We won six in a row with guys like Foster, Kolanos and [Benoit Pouliot] all playing. So we went through stretches where we said, ‘Maybe this team has something.’”
Critics like me have blasted the Wild for not having much talent in the minors, and the reality is even though the Aeros have reached the AHL’s Final Four, they’re nothing without the scoring of veterans Kolanos (37 goals in 59 Aeros’ games), Corey Locke (15 playoff points) and Jesse Schultz (second-leading scorer in the regular season, injured right now), who all could become unrestricted free agents. And quite frankly, there’s a chance they all leave. Heck, a guy like Kolanos can probably make $1 million net in the KHL.
“Those guys carry us offensively, and then you try to wrap some detail around that,” Constantine said. “But I think there’s pieces here. I really do. I’m still a believer in Pouliot because I see talent and improvement. I just think sometimes in pro sports we’re not allowed to be patient, so sometimes it’s like now or never. But I think the guy’s going to be a good player. I don’t know what role. Don’t know if it’ll be a first- or second-line center role, but I think there’s a role for him as he matures through the business.
“[Justin] Falk, in the third [period Wednesday], looked like a very big, strong, calm defenseman. [Maxim] Noreau turned into a good defenseman. I don’t think the main future of the Wild are here, but I think there’s a lot of pieces here.”
Other bright spots include role players in Irmen and Robbie Earl, up-and-coming defenseman Marco Scandella, defenseman Clayton Stoner, who’s rebounded after years hampered by injuries, and goalie Anton Khudobin, who’s extremely unorthodox and raw but has carried the Aeros through the playoffs with injuries to goalies Nolan Schaefer and Barry Brust.
Remember, Carson McMillan’s there now practicing, and Cody Almond will be there too next year. And quite frankly, probably Colton Gillies.
Anyway, that’s my take on the Aeros. It was fun actually getting to see them play in Wednesday’s Game 7, 5-2 win at Milwaukee. 

I also wrote a Tom Lynn feature that should appear some time in the next few days on what he’s been up to the last month and the job he’s done in Houston – which makes him at least a candidate to be the Wild’s next GM – or certainly a GM in this league somewhere someday.
Chuck Fletcher and Pierre McGuire are still the frontrunners, I believe, but knowing Lynn, he probably impressed in his initial interviews with owner Craig Leipold. I still think Leipold’s at the very least a week away from naming a GM. To me, it was necessary to have a far-and-wide search, and Leipold’s done a quality job with it.
Like I said, I’ll do my best to keep tab from Hawaii. Talk to ya later Wild fans.