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.” �

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.”

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.

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.

Lookee here

After keeping one eye on the Caps-Pens Game 7, for the first time in the series, the game didn’t exactly live up to the hype. Boy, the Pens just kicked butt, eh? Can you say butt on a blog?

The reason why I only kept half an eye really on the NHL game is I attended the Houston Aeros’ Game 7, 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals. The Aeros became only the third club in AHL history — and second Aeros’ team — to win two Game 7’s on the road in the same postseason (Peoria last round).

Kevin Constantine — or KC, as I’ve learned he’s called — won three Game 7’s as an NHL head coach — all three on the road, meaning that’s 5-0 in the NHL and AHL. And he says it’s even better because he did the same thing a few times in junior.

“I have no idea why, either. I wish I did,” Constantine laughed.

By the way, and I’m sure it’s been written by Ms. Conduct & Gang on their great Aeros’ blog, but the playoff beards are out and Constantine’s got the chops going for sideburns. Great story on that I’ll probably throw into the paper tomorrow.

They’re the triangle sideburns all the way down his cheek. Very John Fogertyish. I’ll think of a better description and blog it during my drive home (I’ll pull over first, I promise). And if you don’t know what Constantine looks like, he’s got red hair, so it’s a great look. I nearly almost took a picture of Constantine just for the blog with my camera phone while I was interviewing him, but to be quite honest, Constantine scares me.

Oops, thought of one. It kinda looks like this — Hans Klopek from the Tom Hanks’ movie, the Burbs (as a kid, I toured the Universal lot when they were filming that movie) — only much more grown in and nothing on his chin.

After losing 7-0 in Game 6, the Aeros shockingly bounced back. Corey Locke and Krys Kolanos scored 49 ticks apart in the first, Milwaukee cut it to 2-1 and then there were several tense moments until the third as the unorthodox Anton Khudobin made some great saves and offered some heart attacks. He’s raw folks, very raw.

Clayton Stoner, who played a great game, scored a huge power-play goal, then former Admiral Tony “Circus” Hrkac set up former Admiral Bryan Lundbohm for the backbreaker on a beauty of a 2-on-1. Locke popped one in an empty net.

Justin Falk, I thought, was the best defenseman. Outstanding game, especially in the third. Robbie Earl can skate like one of those NHL ‘95 games I used to play where you can press a couple buttons and the player goes into turbo boost speed. He’s one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen. Effortless, like the Niedermayers, but with more speed, believe it or not. Danny Irmen played a solid game as well. A couple other players didn’t play so well, but I won’t mention them and one particular because I’ll keep it positive for a change (give it a guess though).

I had other things I wrote down, and of course, I left the paper in my car (I didn’t blog last night because there was no wireless in the Bradley Center). I also watched the game from owner Craig Leipold’s suite along with Tom Lynn, Chris Snow and pro scout Todd Woodcroft — on condition the words “GM” and “search” never came out of my mouth

I appreciate the invite by Leipold. He’s a lot less stressed during non-Wild games, but still stressed enough. So it was interesting to get that up-close perspective. Next year I plan on watching every game from the owners’ suite at the X

Leipold had the Aeros over to his home earlier in the series, and he said it was a blast. So Leipold’s current farm team knocked off his old farm team — and actually the Wild eliminated Nashville twice if you consider the last home game of the NHL season. And continuing the theme I mentioned before the series, Tom Lynn beat Paul Fenton in the battle of the Wild GM candidates. Just a joke.

Funny moment during the game. They flashed the Marlins-Brewers score. I had no clue the Marlins were in town, and one of my best friends happens to be one of their announcers. I phoned (Canadian verb) him, happened to catch him between innings and we got to hang after the game for the first time since last hockey season when the Wild was in S. Fla. (he’s a Panthers’ announcer, too).

So that was cool and random. I know I had other things to mention, but I’m on little sleep and it’s on that sheet of paper that’s conveniently in the car. I’ll hop back on later.

So, after the game, the Aeros took a bus to Chicago to spend the night. They fly to Winnipeg today and open the conference finals against the Manitoba Moose on Friday-Saturday.

I have to hit the road for five-plus hours. It was a cool trip over to Milwaukee to see the Wild’s farm team in person for the first time.

I’m going to Game 7 tonight!!!

Caps-Pens? Nope. I’ll be in Milwaukee to attend Aeros-Admirals. I’ll probably jump on later and give you updates, as long as in return you give me Caps-Pens updates  

After watching every minute of last night’s games, tonight can’t get here soon enough. Carolina-Boston, Detroit-Anaheim, and all four teams have a lot of work to do to equal the excitement of last night’s Washington win over Pittsburgh and Chicago’s elimination of Vancouver.

More on that in a second.

First we interrupt for a Wild GM search update. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I believe the Wild will complete its first interviews when owner Craig Leipold sits down with assistant GM and acting GM Tom Lynn. It makes sense. Lynn’s been in Houston. Leipold’s been in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Both will be in Milwaukee for Game 7 of the Houston-Milwaukee series, so I’m sure they’ll sit down for Lynn’s interview.

After that, according to sources, Leipold, Jac Sperling and Matt Majka will cut the list to a handful of finalists who will be brought back for second interviews and tours of the offices and arena. Those finalists will likely include at least TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, Pittsburgh assistant GM Chuck Fletcher and Anaheim assistant GM Dave McNab.

I am certain from talking to a gazillion people that the biggest thing that’s delayed this process is the fact that all these men are working right now. Because Pittsburgh and Anaheim are still in the playoffs, and McGuire is working almost nightly, it’s created a scheduling challenge to get them all in here, sources say.

And when it comes to second interviews, it makes sense to try to bang them out one by one by one so the interviews remain fresh in mind and a decision can be made rather than an interview, three or four days of nothing, then another interview, so on and so on.

So, long story short, it’ll still be some time before a GM is hired. Hey, maybe I’ll be back in the Continental U.S. by then — which would be nice. Of course, I leave the country again a few days later as well.

The people I know have been interviewed are McGuire, Fletcher, McNab, Pat Quinn, Nashville execs Paul Fenton and Mike Santos, and by tomorrow, Lynn. I’m still not convinced former Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster’s totally out of it, and I know there’s been conversation with Tampa Bay assistant GM Claude Loiselle.

There could be others, like I’ve said before. I’ve heard lots of names and are only writing the ones I’ve confirmed through a variety of ways. The frontrunners remain, I believe, McGuire, Fletcher and McNab.

There’s been a ton of buzz about McGuire, who has the personality to place the Wild on the map. I can tell you, I’ve gotten several calls from some of the NHL’s heaviest hitters — Hall of Famers, players, agents and execs — really pumping up McGuire. He’s got lots of friends in all different areas.

Fletcher’s been in the game his whole life, negotiates contracts and has an eye for talent. He’s immensely respected. And McNab is known as a person who will leave no stone unturned in finding players. 

I know I’ve mentioned some time-sensitive reasons to get a GM in here quickly, but in reality, there’s plenty of time. The Wild has until July 1 to exclusively negotiate with Marian Gaborik, but let’s be honest. It’s an incredible longshot that he’ll re-sign and forgo his right to free agency this close to it. If Brian Rolston didn’t do it, why would Gaborik? If the Wild can only offer him a short-term deal, well, he might as well wait. And you can bet Leipold knows that.

Also, there’s really no insane urgency to hire a coach right away. In my opinion, it’s only essential to have a coach in place by July 1 so free agents know who’s coaching. That’ll allow a long time for the new GM to interview coaches, and remember, there’s sort of an unwritten rule in the NHL not to have any big announcements during the Stanley Cup Finals. So that takes us into mid-June at least for a coach.

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