Failed road trip

Our Minnesota Wild recently had their four road-trip come to a concussion with a shootout loss at the hands of the lowly Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes by the way, snapped a 14-game winless streak that dated back to early October. This game was a painful way to end this trip, but fitting because of the inconsistent way that Minnesota has been playing of late.

After the Wild finished off the Toronto Maple Leafs to start the teams Eastern Conference road swing, it looked as if the team may have solved their road woes. It was not that long ago that this edition of the Wild stamped themselves into the teams record book by going on an 8 game road losing streak. So when they went into Air Canada Centre and took down the Leafs 5-2, the confidence was apparent and the hope was that it would carry throughout the teams next 3 games. Unfortunately, even though the Wild earned 2 more points in the standings in those remaining games, they were not even close to earning anything more than that.

To sum up the final 3 games, Minnesota failed to protect a 2 goal third period lead and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The following night, the excuse wheel was spinning at full throttle after the team dropped a not so close one to the Washington Capitals, 3-1. Truth be told, the Caps were without Alex Ovechkin and carried the play for much of the night. The excuse of the day was the obvious 'back-to-back' song and dance. Finally, the Wild gave away a game to a Carolina team that now has a total of 3 wins on the season. Now some may give credit to our Wild bunch for climbing back into the game after being down 3-0 and 4-1 before tying it up in the final period. On the surface, you could make that mistake, but a closer look may suggest that the team came out so flat that the only reason they were able to make a charge was because of who they happened to be playing.

The result of this four-game trip, 1-1-2.

A couple of firsts

Two members of the Wild scored their first career goals today against the Canes. Recent recalled forward Robbie Earl notched career goals number 1 & 2, including the game tying goal, as he helped lead the comeback that eventually fell short. And in between Earls two goals, big defenseman John Scott notched his first ever NHL goal.

Response to Leipolds search for 'marquee events'

You have to love an active owner...one of this type of active anyway. No, we do not want to see one that storms the locker room or sits on the glass hollering obscenities at the referees. But an owner looking to add events and attractions for the fans and his team is a win-win for the franchise.

Michael Russo of the StarTribune recently ran an article with a short Q & A on a few projects that Wild owner Craig Leipold is working on.

The three included holding a Winter Classic game, hosting the NHL Entry Draft, and opening the season on the road, in Europe.

Who would not want to attend an outdoor game, featuring our Wild skaters at TCF Bank Stadium? It was once a novel idea and has taken on more historically significant teams and stadiums, but what the heck, it would be great fun. The only question would be who to bring in to attract a national audience.

And to hold the leagues annual entry draft would also be a cool event to host, much like it was when the team and community hosted the 54th National Hockey League All-Star Game. What better way to get the fans up-close and personal with the leagues future stars.

But somebody has to explain to me the benefit of sending a franchise overseas to open the regular season play...because I don't simply see any. Hopefully Leipold passes on this one.

From the in-box

MINNESOTA WILD TO HOST SKILLS COMPETITION ON JANUARY 24

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild announced today that the team will hold a Skills Competition, a fan orientated skills event featuring Wild players on Sunday, Jan. 24 starting at 11:00 a.m. at Xcel Energy Center. Gate 1 (southeast corner of Xcel Energy Center off of Kellogg Boulevard) will open to the public at 10:30 a.m. Proceeds will benefit the Minnesota Wild Foundation.

Tickets for the Minnesota Wild Skills Competition are on sale now at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) locations or charge by phone by calling (800) 745-3000. General admission tickets are $10.00 in advance or $15.00 if purchased on January 24. Minnesota Wild season ticket holders will receive a complimentary ticket to the Skills Competition for each season ticket on their account.

Fans that purchase a lower level or Treasure Island Resort & Casino Club Level ticket to any Minnesota Wild non-premium home game in December will receive a complimentary Skills Competition ticket in an event suite, a private meet and greet with the Wild coaching staff and a 2009-10 team yearbook.

Minnesota Wild players will be situated at different autograph stations and sign autographs beginning at 11:00 a.m. A $10 autograph ticket must be purchased at each autograph station. Autograph tickets will be distributed to the first 250 fans in line at each station.

Following autographs, players will participate in a variety of on-ice competitions starting at approximately 1:00 p.m. All fans in attendance will also be able to participate in interactive hockey games, a silent auction, raffle and grab bags featuring Minnesota Wild autographed merchandise. The Wild last held a Skills Competition on Jan. 12, 2003.

Great seats are still available for all Minnesota Wild home games. For more information on single game ticket packages visit www.wild.com/ticketpacks.

-- WILD --

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Random thoughts...

The power of the agent

Minnesota Wild defenseman, Brent Burns, who apparently was injured during a practice back in late January and subsequently suffered a concussion, played several games with this condition and his agent is now pointing fingers. The allegations from Burns' agent, the infamous and very familiar Ron Salcer, is that the team failed to recognize the severity of this condition and allowed Burns to suite-up for games covering a six week period. In the end however, it was only the power of the agent, after a meeting with Burns over lunch, that ended this situation and allowed Burns to get the proper diagnosis.

You know there are two sides to every story and there is obviously one here. Of course the Wild maintain that the situation was not obvious to them, and Burns seems to be the reckless type that would play through any discomfort if given the chance. But it was the agents comments that to me are the most troublesome. Salcer was quoted as saying that it took him all but 'three minutes' to realize his client had a concussion, which is what bothers me about this finger pointing. It's easy to sit back and play the blame game but in this situation there seems to be plenty to go around. Point the finger all you want Salcer, but my question to you is where were you? I have no doubt that there is constant and frequent chatter between player and agent and you would think that at some point during this questionable six week stint, Salcer would have exercised his power to diagnose the situation over the text messages that were flying back and forth.

GM search

I won't question the decision by Wild owner Craig Leipold to fire Doug Risebrough, but we need to keep our excitement in check. This new GM hire will shape the face of the Wild for years to come and the scary part is that Leipold seems to be leading the charge as a fan, not an owner. With all due respect to fans, we don't always know what is best, as we don't always have all of the information on what is behind key decisions and moves. Knee-jerk reactions and decision made on a whim are what kills professional sports organizations. I understand that this may have been the right decision, but the next one is even more important. Please Mr. Leipold, get someone in here that has a proven record and a style that will keep this team a factor for years to come...

Unwatchable syndrome

There was a period of time this season that the Wild were putting out such a bad product that I could not bear to watch. It was their inferior play that kept me from FSN, or whatever channel they happened to be on for that particular game. Today however, I suffer from a different problem, the Wild-less playoff syndrome. The fact that our favorite team is idle because of a few missed opportunities and I find that some of the NHL playoff games are well, unwatchable. You can accuse me of being a bad hockey fan if you want, but I am having a real hard time without seeing Minnesota in uniform. I understand that the playoff brand is the best hockey you will find, and I truly believe that. However, without the Wild, it seems pointless to me. It's a funk that has happened in the past and seems to come and go, but so far this post-season, it is sticking. Hopefully it will be before sometime in October that I take in another NHL game, but the way things are looking right now, I have my doubts.

Arrogance and/or incompetence?

There were apparently too many miscalculations made by ex Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough, because sometime today, owner Craig Leipold gave him a pink slip. From everything I have read and heard since the end of the Wilds' regular season, this move is a big surprise. Myself, I am not sure what to make of the move, other than the good news is that this franchise has a chance to move itself in a new direction. I applaud the work that Risebrough has done, but in the end, there were too many misteps that led to where the team sits today, at home instead of playing and earning millions a series.

The end of the end may have come when Risebrough coined the phrase, 'managing expectations'. Pretty peculiar way of ducking for cover if you ask me. A better way to explain what happened this season would have been to admit that errors were made in letting a couple of free agents go after last season. Another problematic decision that could have been brought up was the fact that there was a huge blunder by the front office to deal Marian Gaborik when it was clear he was going to play out his current contract and enter the summer as an unrestricted free agent. And it is funny to me how 'professionals', including GM's & player agents, can conduct business as if it were recess time on the playground. Sorry to disappoint, but there is a time to swallow that pride and open up to the one guy who can persuade a certain player that the Wild have a good offer and bright future. The problem is that the Wild seemed to be unwilling to offer another good contract and really did not have a bright future, with Risebrough at the helm.

Risebrough did a lot for this franchise. I cannot begin to imagine what the pain would feel like when trying to build a new team from scratch. We were competitive, to a point, and did well for a brand new organization. The problem was that they seemed to be stuck and there was not much in the well to push it out of this rut. Maybe now though, with the right GM to lead this organization, fans can once again start to appreciate the play of our Wild.