Keep the ball rolling

Some have already braced themselves that their favorite hockey team, the Minnesota Wild, will probably not make the post-season. The team is not in a good position to date, and even though the season is not even half-way completed, history shows that being on the outside at this point in the season likely means that is where they will stay. However, that does not mean fans are off the bandwagon, are not rooting for, and are not hoping that things don't turn around. We still follow every move and watch intently as the season unfolds and hold out with optimism with each and every win. And tonight is another opportunity to keep that hope alive as the Wild are currently riding a three-game winning streak. Points are valuable at every stage of the season, especially winning Western Conference points, and if there is ever going to be a surge, now is the time to keep thing rolling. And remember who edged Minnesota out last season for the final playoff spot...Anaheim, tonight opponent. And the Ducks are currently the lone team sitting below the Wild in the conference standings, with Minnesota one point ahead.

NHL attendance

Just by taking a peek at the NHL attendance figures you may find a few interesting numbers.

• Most markets see a direct coloration between on-ice product and sellouts, with one exception being the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have had a strong team for years, yet there seems to be a lack of interest from the fans when it comes to buying tickets. For a few seasons, the team has been consistently in the mid-to high 80% range at the Prudential Center's capacity, and currently sits at only 85.8% full for home games.
  
  
• The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the franchises on the other side of the on-ice product & sellout relationship. The Hawks have made a huge comeback both on the ice and in the stands and currently lead the league in games played in front of capacity crowds, as they are playing at 103.8% above a sellout through 13 games. And this comes after they led the league a season ago at 111.2%.
  
  
• Whatever the problems are in attendance may not be immune to 'traditional' markets. The storied New York Islanders, who have not put a strong team on the ice for years, are also one of the weakest in terms of sellouts. The organization is currently in the middle of The Lighthouse Project, a proposed transformation of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the area surrounding it into a modern suburban area. One wonders if a new re-vamped Nassau Coliseum would do the trick. And another traditional market team, the Colorado Avalanche, who are currently off the Northwest Division lead by one point, are struggling at the gate as well. Remember it was not that long ago that this franchise held the record for most consecutive sellouts, which still stands at 487 games.
  
  
• The Phoenix Coyotes are one sad franchise, with one sad fan base. The franchise is in limbo and fans are staying away to the tune that they are lucky to get their building half full, which should be looked at as an embarrassment to the league. Although the Coyotes have been near the bottom for years, new low-levels have been reached so far this season, as the team has been playing in the Jobing.com Arena that has been only 56.6% full on average.
  
  
• Another knock on a non-traditional hockey market...the honeymoon is long over in Columbus, the newest franchise along with the Wild, and their numbers have been steadily decreasing for years. After playing near capacity for a few years, the organization has seen their numbers go down each season, and are currently playing 82.8% full.
  

My interest on the NHL attendance figures has been peaked by being able to view several games a night via the Center Ice package. It seems that more often than not, rows and rows of empty seats can be seen on any given night, a worrisome trend that should concern all franchises and the NHL.

Remember the radio network

The Wild really do employ two of the finest radio personalities in the business in play-by-play guy Bob Kurtz and analyst Tom Reid. These two not only describe the action to a 'T', are true professionals, but also make a great working team. This is old news here but just a reminder where you can catch all of the Wild action via the radio airwaves.

• Albert Lea, MN KATE- AM 1450
  
• Austin, MN KAUS-AM 1480
  
• Bemidji, MN KBUN-AM 1450
  
• Brainerd, MN KUAL-FM 103.5
  
• Crookston, MN KROX-AM 1260
  
• Detroit Lakes, MN KDLM-AM 1340
  
• Duluth, MN KZIO-FM 104.3/94.1
  
• Ely, MN WELY-AM/FM 1450/94.5
  
• Fairmont, MN KSUM-AM 1370
  
• Glenwood, MN KMGK-FM 107.1
  
• Grand Marais, MN WXXZ-FM 95.3
  
• Grand Rapids, MN KOZY-AM 1320
  
• Hibbing, MN WMFG-AM 1240
  
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN WCCO-AM 830 (Flagship)
  BOB FM 106.1 KBGY-FM 107.5
  
• Montevideo, MN KKRC-FM 93.9
  
• New Ulm, MN KNUJ-AM 860
  
• Northfield, MN KYMN-AM 1080
  
• Red Wing, MN KCUE-AM 1250
  
• Rochester, MN KOLM-AM 1520
  
• Roseau/Warroad, MN KRWB-AM 1410
  
• St. Cloud, MN KXSS-AM 1390
  
• Thief River Falls, MN KKAQ-AM 1460
  
• Waseca, MN KOWZ-AM 1170
  
• Winona, MN KWNO-AM 1230
  
• Sioux City, IA KMNS-AM 620
  
• Fargo, ND KVOX-AM 740
  
• Grand Forks, ND KKXL-AM 1440
  
• Aberdeen, SD KSDN-AM 930
  
• Sioux Falls, SD KWSN-AM 1230
  
• Vermillion, SD KVTK-AM 1570
  
• Eau Claire, WI WBIZ-AM 1400
  

Let the speculation begin

As if playing out the final year of a contract is not enough to fuel speculation that a certain possible UFA All-Star goaltender may be put up on the auction block, throw into the mix a performance like the one put on by our backup goaltender, and you might as well cozy up to your computer with your favorite beverage because the rumors will be starting to fly.

I was asked by a co-worker about Minnesota Wild backup goaltender Josh Harding and admittedly, I did not know what to say. It's not as if we have been given a chance to evaluate his play that much, as he has only appeared in 14 games this season. And that is how it goes for a seldom used player. But might we have a hidden gem waiting too emerge? It certainly may look like we do, if his performance in last nights 2-1 victory over the Chicago Black Hawks is any indication of what we have missed and/or are missing. It's too bad that we have not had the chance to see Harding more this season, although it's hard to argue the goaltender rotation with the numbers starter Niklas Backstrom has put up.

With a career high 44 saves, Harding was simply unbelievable in the nets for the Wild. He not only made the 'tough' saves that he had to, he came up with some impossible stops as well. Included in that bunch were several back-door plays that were set-up perfectly by the Hawks, only to see our gem coming away with the puck. It might have been only the second win (in 9 starts) of the season for Harding, but it looked to me like we had a guy in the goal who was on pace to win 48 games, which is the record for wins in a season (Martin Brodeur 2006-07).

It was really something too see...and if it were not for a great game by Harding, I am afraid we would all be talking today about how our Wild were incapable of winning back-to-back games. But instead, Harding stood on his head and stole 2 much needed road points. The game was lopsided from the get-go, as Chicago pummeled the Wild net with 45 shots and nearly doubled-up the Wild in shot totals for the game. Minnesota did find a way to mount a come-back after falling behind 1-0 in the 2nd period, but as soon as the Wild gained a 2-1 lead early in the 3rd, the Black Hawks had their way again as they looked to even-up the score. Fortunately for the Wild, they had Harding to shut the door.

So, get ready for the rumors on when and where Backstrom may be headed now that NHL and Wild fans have seen something in Harding. But keep in mind before you start one yourself, that our gem has only played in 53 career games in a span of only 4 seasons. Yes it would be nice to know a bit more about our backup's capabilities, but I am afraid we will have to settle for what we just saw, which was pretty darn awesome.

And before I forget, you can all applaud now.

Hold your applause please

It's easy to get excited after a win over the defending Stanley Cup Champions...especially with the way things have been going lately. But I encourage you, even beg you, to hold your applause and enthusiasm. Remember this has been a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde team all season. One test has been passed by our Minnesota Wild and that was a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Tonight, part II will be taken when Minnesota faces the Chicago Black Hawks and how the team emerges after a big win and little rest will be the answer.

The Wings did spot our Wild a two goal lead as Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard, who was playing in his first game of the season, looked out of place, especially early in the game. But to be fair, Minnesota came out hot and ready to play, so a mixture of the two set the tone for the game. Once again the Wild were out-shot, but as I wrote earlier, this is not an unusual occurrence. The key last night was that the team capitalized on their opportunities and was able to come away with a much needed victory.

Reigning iron-man no more

Too bad for Andrew Brunette, but his 509 consecutive games played streak ended when he was a scratch for the game against the Red Wings. And Brian Stensaas, who is filling in for Michael Russo over at the StarTribune, wrote that it looked as if Brunette would not even be taking the trip to Chicago. And even as 509 straight played sounds unattainable, imagine adding an additional 5+ seasons to that number. The all-time NHL iron-man is Doug Jarvis, who played in 964 straight from 1975 to 1987. So with Brunette's streak over, our league's current iron-man is now the Florida Panthers Jay Bouwmeester, who has played 319 straight.

Welcome back Weller

Craig Weller was back in action last night and it was good to see him. He has been out for the past 13 games with a head injury caused by a fight he had in the Edmonton game back on January 15. My take...it's simply unbelievable to me that a guy gets beaten with a foreign object the way that he did, (and by beaten, I don't mean defeated, I mean beaten), and nothing is done by the league. I am referring to the Weller-Sheldon Souray fight during that Edmonton game, where Souray hit Weller repeatedly in the head with a wrist guard. Now word is that Souray was 'talked to' during the All-Star break, and to that I say big deal. And just recently, an enhanced video of the incident has emerged that clearly shows the vicious attack. My question is where is it written that there is a 'statute of limitations' on dolling out penalties? It's sad, but this league is more worried about 'National Inquirer' tabloid incidents rather than the safety of its players.

Nolan continues to impress

How about our 16-year veteran Owen Nolan? He has emerged as one of our go-to guys lately and has recorded 6 points in his last 3 games and 16 points in 14 games. And consider he is only 1 goal and 2 points away from passing his last season totals, with 25 games yet to be played. I did not think he would make this much of an impact on the score-sheet, but it just goes to show you the value seasoned veterans can have on a team that has been up and down all season and is currently fighting for the final playoff position in the Western Conference.