Last opportunity knocking

It seems real simple to me and the opportunity is there to grab, staring the Minnesota Wild squarely in their faces. Win 4 of 5 during this pre-Olympic break 5-game home-stand and the teams already thin playoff hopes will still be alive, although thin they will still be. Anything less than 8 out of 10 points, and I think it is safe to say that it is over for this season.

After the loss to the Dallas Stars last night, Minnesota is 6 points out of contention for the 8th and final Western Conference playoff spot and as has been the case for about two months, points are at a premium. After the XXI Winter Olympics have concluded, the NHL schedule for the remainder of the season is a jam-packed event, with the Wild seeing three 4-game weeks in a row, virtually right after the break. So there is opportunity there to gain some ground but only if there were a long winning streak to go along with earning those pre-Olympic 8 points.

If only the team was not employing one sick goaltender and one with an injury...

Kurtz & Reid

I did not see the game against the Stars because I am a DirecTV subscriber (but I am still enjoying my free SportsPack and CenterIce package), but instead had the privilege of listening to a good portion of the game on the Wild's radio flagship station, WCCO. I say privilege because of play-by-play man Bob Kurtz and analyst Tom Reid, two of the best in the league.

There was an interesting exchange between Krutz and Reid during the game that arose from Stars agitator Steve Ott jumping Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck after Clutterbuck leveled a clean hit on Dallas forward Brad Richards. What followed was some serious referee bashing from the broadcasters, who were both obviously irritated and incensed that there was no 'instigator' call from the officials. Now ordinarily this pair of Wild radio personalities are pretty tame and easy going when it comes to the way the game is being officiated. Don't get me wrong, they call it like they see it, but that usually does not include calling the referee 'gutless' for a non-call.

Great to hear...

Buyers or sellers?

If you can answer this, you are jumping the gun. The fact is that Wild GM Chuck Fletcher does even know yet which road to pursue. The team is still teetering on the playoff edge but after this five gamer has been concluded, the picture should be more clear as to which side the team is going to fall on. The reason I broach this subject is that yesterday I heard an interesting scenario that has not really crossed my mind this season, especially since the 4-year, $24 million deal was reached only last March with goaltender Niklas Backstrom. But the idea was that Backstrom is probably the top player on this team in terms of getting the most in return in a trade, something I do agree with. Now I am not suggesting that the Wild management should go this route, but it could bring up some interesting deals if Backstrom was to be added to the list of players available. First and foremost he would have to waive his 'no-trade' clause, which would most likely take some serious coaxing. But if he were to do that, and the Wild were looking to move him, imagine what he would bring in. Keep in mind that Backstrom is fast approaching 32 years old (February 13th), and it was not like he was a true freshman rookie when he first signed as a free agent back in 2006, as he had several professional seasons in Finland on his resume.

The Hockey Lodge, Burnsville style

Being from the 'south metro', this really got me going...

The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild announced today that the team will open a new Hockey Lodge store in the Burnsville Center on Friday, Feb. 5. The new Hockey Lodge store will be located on the upper level of Burnsville Center (location 2017) next to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“We are excited to open a Hockey Lodge location in the south metro area at the Burnsville Center,” said Director of Retail Operations Matt Freiberg. “This marks the first time in team history we will have three full-time, year-around Hockey Lodge stores operating in the Twin Cities.”

The 2,184 square foot store will feature a full selection of Wild team merchandise including jerseys, apparel and headwear for all ages, novelty accessories, collectible and player used and autographed items. The store will also carry Minnesota Swarm, Minnesota North Stars and Minnesota Fighting Saints jerseys, apparel, headwear and novelty items.

Burnsville Center is located at the intersection of 35W and 35E at County Road 42 in Burnsville. The Hockey Lodge at Burnsville Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The store’s phone number is (952) 435-7170.

Hockey Lodge stores are also located at Maplewood Mall and Xcel Energy Center. The new Burnsville Center Hockey Lodge store replaces The Mall of America store location that closed on Dec. 27, 2009.

ZetaBoards...forum upgrade

I have kept my old forum going for several years, since the fall of 2005 to be exact, and they have so far served me well. But the time had come to 'upgrade' the old IPB software to what has being offered, ZetaBoards. The host that houses my forum introduced this new format just over a year ago and I recently made the transition with my forums. Along with the slight cosmetic changes you will see, there are a ton of new features that are great to have and you will find that all of the original topics and members made the transition. And if you are not yet signed up, it is easy and painless...and I would really enjoy posting to someone other than myself!

Check out our 'new' Wild-Puck Forum.