Wild
Can we talk about the Wild a bit here? Jan, what's going on? Three consecutive 3-2 overtime games? Talk about evenly matched. I saw last night's game - I like the way we play this year; tougher than last season (at least in the playoffs), with just enough skating and skill to make us not the New Jersey Devils.
Thanks for the link to that atrocious column from the Denver Post, too. That's a new gold standard for worthless sportswriter drivel (and he apparently wrote basically the same piece 5 years ago). Mariotti and Reusse have nothing on this guy. The comments on the web site, loaded with Minnesotans tearing into this guy like a pack of wolves, are priceless entertainment.
5 Comments:
MCA, you're right, today was deserving of a little chatter on the Wild, just didn't want to say anything as I thought I could jinx them but maybe they are the anti-Minnesota sports team. Who knows.
Anyway, yes, 3 exciting games. They looked great last night and totally dominated (the first two games were pretty much even.) Add to the fact that injuries down the stretch of the regular season have hurt and they aren't 'full strength'; particularly their best penalty killing defensemen Schultz who had his appendix removed the day of the last game of the regular season and last night's effort at shutting down the Avs power play 7 times is that much more impressive.
What I like about Lemaire is that he is getting these guys to play tough the entire game and hit people (basically how the Canuck's won it all last year, by being physical.) People were grousing about adding thug (and racist) Chris Simon at the end of the season but when you put him on the ice at the same time as Boogarde, it is kind of a dominating presence.
BTW - Gaborik needs to actually do something! This is our top player/scorer and he has done bupkiss in these games.
April 15, 2008 at 6:59 PM
The Canucks won it all last year? I learned something new today. Can anyone off the top of thier head name the last 3 winners?
The Denver post writer did have one good point, the Wild do have the ugliest jerseys. I haven't seen a bigger eyesore since the Kings did away with their purple jerseys in the 80s.
April 16, 2008 at 8:05 AM
Whoops, looks like I did jinx them. Sorry.
I thought the Ducks bludgeoned their way to the title last year, didn't they? I'm pretty sure no Canadian team's won the Cup in like 15 years now. It was Carolina before that, and unless I'm mistaken the Tampa Bay Lightning won before the strike. Those two could be reversed though. Prior to that, it's a solid 10-12 years of Red Wings, Devils, and Avs and I have no idea who was best in any given season.
I sort of like the Wild's visitor sweaters. The home reds with green breezers are atrocious, you're right - they look like some sort of Christmas Eve limited edition thing.
Regardless, where the H does a sports writer from mighty, cosmopolitan Denver get off ripping the state of Minnesota generally, and its team for its uniforms? Poor showing.
April 16, 2008 at 10:17 AM
I think the Wild took the night off last night (jinx or no jinx.)
I hate the Wild name and logo. I actually like the home sweaters, the away ones look like they went to Play It Again Sports and got a deal on some high school hockey practice jerseys. What I love about hockey is that the fans all wear jersey's to the game and it doesn't really faze anyone in the same way it does to see a "Kleinsasser" jersey at a Vikes game.
What would have been cool if the Wild owners had gone retro with both the name and the jerseys. Something in the same vein as the Maple Leafs or Bruins or Canadiennes and had a cool logo. I googled it and there was a team in St. Paul in the late 1800's called "The Summits" and there was a team called the "The Minnesota Fighting Saints" that was the first member of the World Hockey Association in the 1970's. WOuld have been nice to tie it back to our hockey heritage.
April 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Excellent point, Jan. I'm not a fan of our brave new world filled with intangible, inanimate noun team names. Besides, most of Minnesota, and most Minnesotans, are not terribly "wild" to start with. The Minnesota Mild probably would have been more appropriate.
It's too bad the Rangers were already taken; that would have been a perfect natural fit.
April 16, 2008 at 4:40 PM
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