A lot of good things have happened recently in the wide world of Minnesota sports. Maybe it's enough to overshadow the fact that the Vikings went from being oh-so-close to a Super Bowl last season, to finishing last in their division in the very-odd 50th season.
But back to the good news. The Wild have turned things around a bit, at least for the moment, as the halfway mark of the season arrives. To add to the rejuvenated excitement, Brent Burns was named to the NHL All-Star game.
St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso was honored as the Division III Coach of the Year. Bert Blyleven finally received the call to the Hall. Yes, there is a lot to celebrate these days and take our minds off the snow that seems to be stuck in the 'on' position.
Wild are showing some life
It's a good time to be following the Wild right now. They are playing well on the road, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins (minus an injured Sidney Crosby) and the sliding New Jersey Devils (with former coach Jacques Lemaire).
Their record is 8-3-1 in the past 12 games to put them in the thick of things in the extremely tight points race in the Western Conference. As of Tuesday, they are sitting in the middle of their Northwest division with 47 points.
The funny thing about this season has been the role reversal of playing at home versus on the road. Last season, the Wild got off to a horrible start on the road and never fully recovered. This season, they are playing much better when they are away from the X, which is not helpful for the paying customers at home games.
If one thing has been clear, it's that the Wild are an inconsistent team. They win a couple here, lose a couple there. This is the first real sign of life for them, and a sigh of relief for coach Todd Richards. Let's keep those fingers crossed that the Wild can ride this high wave a little longer.
Burns is an All-Star
Defenseman Brent Burns at one point was leading the team in goals. Currently, his 12 tally trails hitter Cal Clutterbuck's 13 goals. Burns also has 14 assists for 26 points and is having a great year. He will be representing the Wild as the organization's sixth-ever All-Star.
Apparently, he had a trip planned to Mexico with his wife over the All-Star break. I guess he'll have to cancel. I'm sure his bride will understand.
Deserving award for Caruso
Before the BCS football game took place Monday night in Phoenix, St. Thomas head football coach Glenn Caruso was named the 2010 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III. In his third year at UST, he is the youngest coach to win the award.
He turned a 2-8 football team in 2007 into a MIAC and DIII powerhouse team. This season, the Tommies snapped a long losing streak to the rival Johnnies, as they made their way to a perfect 10-0 regular season. They lost to Bethel at home in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Caruso has given St. Thomas football a complete makeover and is very deserving of this award. Bob Nielson of Minnesota Duluth was the top coach honored in DII football.
It took 14 years, but he's in
Bert Blyleven now has another countdown to keep track of, besides the number of days until his next birthday. The date now circled on his calendar should be July 24, when he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Fourteen years may seem like a long time to wait, and I'm sure Bert is relieved to finally be part of the elite class of Hall of Famers. Certain stats, like his win-loss record, were arguably holding him back from being a clear candidate as considered by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
But hey, at least he got in. That should be all that matters, right?
The pitcher in the 70s and 80s is well-known now for his color analysis for FSNorth on the Twins broadcasts. For someone of my generation, this is how I am most familiar with Bert. It's unfortunate that I can't recall his playing days.
He spent half of his career with the Twins, during two different stints. He was here to be part of the 1987 World Champion Twins team. He pitched in an era before there was so much weight put into closers, middle relievers and set-up guys. He went to the mound intending on finishing eight or nine innings.
One piece of sad news from the Twins family
The legendary face of the Twins, Harmon Killebrew, announced that he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This was quite sad and unexpected news that came to light recently. The Killer, a Hall of Fame veteran who still has deep ties with the Twins organization, is thought of fondly by many fans.
His spirit seemed very high in his released statement, where he gave every indication he would be beating this illness. The entire Twins and baseball community will be wishing for a speedy recovery for Killebrew.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Minnesota comes out on top in a 'wild' one at home
I'm really not sure what to think about the Minnesota Wild's 6-5 overtime win Sunday night at home over the Phoenix Coyotes. It was a very interesting game, and coach Todd Richards had it right in his post-game comments in saying, "it was like a movie."
I'll go with that.
Let's lay everything out from the beginning. We got to the Xcel Center extra early to enjoy our seats in the corner seven rows up from the glass. Seeing the boys up close for warm-ups was pretty cool. It also gave me a chance to get some nice photos of them in their green uniforms.
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| Cal Clutterbuck. |
Not a bad second, for a change
Then came the second period, a frame the Wild have been known to forget about this season. We were a little worried too, since our seats were at the end where they would be looking to score during the second.
As it turned out, the second period might have been their best. Brunette scored his second of the night on the power play, and Nick Schultz fired one in from the point to give the Wild a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Back-and-forth third
Things got a little hairy in the third. The Wild seemed to once again forget that a hockey game is 60 minutes long, not less. They came out looking like a team that was trying not to lose, rather than win.
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| Wild goalie Jose Theodore. |
Brent Burns got the lead back, which was followed by the Wild again sitting back on its heels. Phoenix wasn't done putting pucks in the net either. They tied it, and then the dagger came with just under three minutes to go for a 5-4 advantage.
The night looked to be over, but the scoring still wasn't done. With the extra attacker on the ice for a pulled Theodore, Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored with 26 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Talk about excitement.
Time for OT
While we were waiting for the OT to start, I said to my brother, "Well, somebody better score in overtime, otherwise we might as well leave if they get to a shootout." Negative? Maybe, but the Wild haven't proven they can win in shootouts this year.
Luckily, we didn't have to wait long. Cam Barker, of all people, was the big hero of the night. His shot from the point looked to be stopped by Phoenix goalie Jason LaBarbera, but the puck trickled through his pads for the win.
Pandemonium ensued at the X. It was a pretty wild win, and much needed.
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| Mikko Koivu. |
- Mikko Koivu had a banner night in his 400th game. He tied his career high with four assists, which gave him 201 for his career.
- After Brunette's second goal, I asked my brother if he was going to throw his NDSU hat on the ice should Bruno get the hat trick. The opportunity had never arisen for us before, being so close to the action, and he said he was "thinking about it."
- Martin Havlat was a minus-4 for the game.
- Despite the Wild's awful streak in shootouts, they are 4-1 this season in overtime contests.
- We were close enough to the ice that I could see Burns say "F*&@" after making a bad passing decision in the Wild zone.
Wild end 2010 on a low note
Talk about a listless, lackluster hockey game. I guess the Minnesota Wild were thinking ahead to New Year's Eve plans, but forgot they needed to show up at the Xcel Energy Center first in what turned out to be a 4-1 loss to the slumping Nashville Predators.
It's been awhile since I've seen that kind of a poor performance in person. The boys had no energy, not even enough to hit, apparently. They just came out flat. The Star Tribune's Michael Russo really hit the nail on the head with his game story.
Not their best effort
The score is a little misleading. It was basically a 2-0 game, until the Wild cut the deficit to one with about two minutes left in the game. Then they gave up two empty-net goals for the first time in team history.
Although, the Preds did have a lot more chances where they could have easily put the puck away, so a 4-0 or 5-0 score would have been appropriate too.The first period wasn't all that bad. The Wild put themselves in a hole when they gave up an early goal.
Stopping screening your goalie
Goal No. 2 was scored in the second period. Both times, however, it appeared Nicklas Backstrom was screened on the play - by his own players.
I believe it was Cam Barker on one of the goals. The defender is in front of the goal to keep an eye on the opponent who's camped out just above the crease.
But, what the defender also needs to do is a) rattle the guy's cage by shoving, pushing, grabbing... anything that you can get away with so you won't end up in the box; and b) be aware enough to not screen your own goaltender, making his job 10 times harder.
I've noticed this before with the Wild, although I suppose other teams could have the same problem too. They need to take more initiative in front of their own net. Protect your goalie and defend your zone.
Hit somebody already
Along the lines of not being aggressive, what the Wild really could have used Friday was some physicality to their game. Sometimes a fight is what a team needs to get some inspiration, which would have been nice, but I would have settled for some decent hitting.
I realize Cal Clutterbuck missed the game due to injury; however, he can't be your only hitter. Play with some intensity and throw some bodies against the boards, unless you want the crowd to think they're watching a women's hockey game.
Since nothing seemed to go right, the power play didn't either. It was pretty bad. The Wild once again were chorused with boos from the crowd and shouts of "shoot the puck." This was later in the game when fans were finally starting to get restless after it appeared the building had been zapped of its energy, like the home team.
Too little, much too late
A little offense finally came to life with a goal from Chuck Kobasew with about two minutes left in the game. I have to be honest; I wasn't that excited.
I mean, it was nice they finally put a puck in the net, but then the place decides to come to life along with the "pump up" music from the sound system. Sorry, but the Wild decided not to show up for 58 minutes. What makes you think they will score again before the game is over?
Then things got really ugly, with the two empty net goals. I didn't really understand why they kept Backstrom out after it was 3-1. They had trouble controlling the puck all night, and they thought they could play keep-away at the end. Nope, not working.
So, the game ended to the sound of boos from the unhappy crowd. It was quite fitting for the lack of effort shown by the home team. Then it was off to kick off the New Year with a more joyous celebration than the Wild mustered.
It's been awhile since I've seen that kind of a poor performance in person. The boys had no energy, not even enough to hit, apparently. They just came out flat. The Star Tribune's Michael Russo really hit the nail on the head with his game story.
Not their best effort
The score is a little misleading. It was basically a 2-0 game, until the Wild cut the deficit to one with about two minutes left in the game. Then they gave up two empty-net goals for the first time in team history.
Although, the Preds did have a lot more chances where they could have easily put the puck away, so a 4-0 or 5-0 score would have been appropriate too.The first period wasn't all that bad. The Wild put themselves in a hole when they gave up an early goal.
Stopping screening your goalie
Goal No. 2 was scored in the second period. Both times, however, it appeared Nicklas Backstrom was screened on the play - by his own players.
I believe it was Cam Barker on one of the goals. The defender is in front of the goal to keep an eye on the opponent who's camped out just above the crease.
But, what the defender also needs to do is a) rattle the guy's cage by shoving, pushing, grabbing... anything that you can get away with so you won't end up in the box; and b) be aware enough to not screen your own goaltender, making his job 10 times harder.
I've noticed this before with the Wild, although I suppose other teams could have the same problem too. They need to take more initiative in front of their own net. Protect your goalie and defend your zone.
Hit somebody already
Along the lines of not being aggressive, what the Wild really could have used Friday was some physicality to their game. Sometimes a fight is what a team needs to get some inspiration, which would have been nice, but I would have settled for some decent hitting.
I realize Cal Clutterbuck missed the game due to injury; however, he can't be your only hitter. Play with some intensity and throw some bodies against the boards, unless you want the crowd to think they're watching a women's hockey game.
Since nothing seemed to go right, the power play didn't either. It was pretty bad. The Wild once again were chorused with boos from the crowd and shouts of "shoot the puck." This was later in the game when fans were finally starting to get restless after it appeared the building had been zapped of its energy, like the home team.
Too little, much too late
A little offense finally came to life with a goal from Chuck Kobasew with about two minutes left in the game. I have to be honest; I wasn't that excited.
I mean, it was nice they finally put a puck in the net, but then the place decides to come to life along with the "pump up" music from the sound system. Sorry, but the Wild decided not to show up for 58 minutes. What makes you think they will score again before the game is over?
Then things got really ugly, with the two empty net goals. I didn't really understand why they kept Backstrom out after it was 3-1. They had trouble controlling the puck all night, and they thought they could play keep-away at the end. Nope, not working.
So, the game ended to the sound of boos from the unhappy crowd. It was quite fitting for the lack of effort shown by the home team. Then it was off to kick off the New Year with a more joyous celebration than the Wild mustered.
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