About three years ago I read the book Minnesota North Stars: History & Memories with Lou Nanne which was written by Bob Showers. It was and I still consider it to be a must have for any North Stars fan as it truly encapsulates the entire franchise’s history from the guy who was there from Day 1 until the team abandoned the State of Hockey to go to Texas. I am 32 years old, I went to my first NHL game in 1982, I have fond memories of the North Stars but Lou Nanne‘s book really added a sense of perspective I never really had, it was from behind the scenes. The North Stars left Minnesota when I was 13 years old, so even though I loved hockey and followed the team closely I did not really fully understand all the issues as to why the team left the state, and all I knew was that “Norm Green Sucks” and not to sound too much like a lemming but I did not hesitate to join in the chant. However, after reading Nanne’s book it became abundantly clear. Norm wanted a much better deal than what he felt he was getting from the Metropolitan Sports Commission, which either involved merging the Mall of America with the Met Center or new building altogether or he was going to move the team. The early 1990’s was the middle of a recession and since the State of Minnesota had just built the Target Center for the NBA expansion team Minnesota Timberwolves it just wasn’t going to build a new arena and the construction of the Mall of America was already over budget so they did not wish to add another $180 million building project. Toss in a sexual harassment scandal and lagging attendance after years of fielding a bargain basement roster and it made Norm Green’s decision to take the team to Dallas a pretty easy one (in his opinion). A few years ago, KARE 11 news’ Scott Goldberg had an interview with Norm Green which made me want to puke, where he justified his decision to move the team and said that all he wants Minnesotans to know about him is that “he tried.” Here’s the interview in case you are curious.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=498582
Yet tonight isn’t about the North Stars leaving Minnesota; it is about a former North Star coming back. Perhaps the most beloved and admired North Stars player of all time, Dino Ciccarelli coming back to the Twin Cities to be honored by the Wild for his recent induction in the Hockey Hall of Fame. My earliest memories of the North Stars was watching Dino battle his way near the top of the crease; being knocked down and getting up again and taking yet another hit as he somehow managed to jam home a goal. He wasn’t the most skilled player but few were as determined nor had they overcome a tremendous level adversity when he broke his femur while playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, requiring him to have a metal rod to be inserted into his leg. With such a severe medical procedure; it isn’t a giant shock that the league passed up on drafting the 5’10”, 180lbs right wing in two drafts. However, not all of hockey’s establishment had given up completely on Ciccarelli as then Buffalo’s head coach Scotty Bowman who made him a contract offer at the end of his overage season, but Lou Nanne did one better and flew up to Sarnia, Ontario to meet with Dino and his family. This was perhaps one of my favorite stories from Nanne’s book; where it was Nanne that convinced Dino’s father, Victor to have his son sign with the North Stars. Dino would start his pro career with the Oklahoma City Stars but earn a call up and was an instant boost of offense scoring 18 goals in just 32 regular season games. His 14 goals and 21 points in the 1980-81 playoffs where the North Stars qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals is a rookie playoff record that was finally tied when Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux managed to score 10 goals and 21 points last spring. Dino would become an instant fan favorite who admired his dogged determination and knack for scoring dirty goals. After playing 21 seasons in the NHL, where he had accumulated 608 goals and 1,200 points many North Stars fans like myself felt his induction was long overdue but now will be the time he finally gets the praise from the city that learned to love him first. Unfortunately for Dino, his father, the man who he had so admired for all his sacrifices for his hockey career did not live long enough to see his son’s induction, but I have no doubt he’ll hear the roar of the crowd when Ciccarelli gets a long and well-deserved ovation. So can the Wild take advantage of the good feelings to earn a win tonight against the Ottawa Senators, the team ironically I last saw the North Stars play in person back in 1993? Or will the Senators manage to sour those feelings?
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The Wild had good energy to start the game, moving their feet well early on. The Senators had the first quality chance as a nice little pass by Daniel Alfredsson back to Sergei Gonchar who bombed a shot on goal that was kicked aside by Jose Theodore. Minnesota tried to answer back and it was a hard shot by Mikko Koivu who had Pascal Leclaire juggling the puck a bit. Minnesota would be a little fortunate as a questionable decision by Patrick O’Sullivan nearly resulted in a bad turnover in the Wild zone. The Wild finally were able to create a little more pressure as Martin Havlat made a nice move to get by a defender where he tried to work a backhander that was blocked aside by Leclaire. Minnesota continued to attack, and it was Havlat who pssed hte puck down low to Pierre-Marc Bouchard who threaded a pass parallel to the goal line right to a crashing Kyle Brodziak who tapped it by the Ottawa puckstopper to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. The Wild were still attacking well, as Antti Miettinen tried to set up Mikko Koivu in the slot but the puck would bounce over his stick before he could pull the trigger on a shot. Marek Zidlicky would look like a Czech version of Maurice “Rocket” Richard as he scooted into the Sens zone where he tried to help keep the Sens on their heels, but moments later Zidlicky would be put flat on his back as he tried to jump up to knock a puck out of the air. Patrick O’Sullivan would make a nice play to steal the puck where he set up Kobasew near crease but Leclaire would shut the door, but the Sens were unable to clear the zone as Greg Zanon would hold the line and dump it back deep to the appreciation of the home crowd. The pressure of the Wild culminated into a hooking call on Gonchar who tried to hold up Martin Havlat as he tried to carry the puck into the slot. Right from the start of the power play, it was Havlat weaving into the slot area where he tried a backhander that was stymied by Leclaire. Minnesota’s power play was moving the puck efficiently as they set up blasts from the point by Zidlicky which were missing just wide. The Wild got some more help as Jarkko Ruutu was tagged with a cross checking penalty giving Minnesota a 5-on-3, and Wild Head Coach Todd Richards would call a timeout to talk things over. With 40 seconds of 5-on-3 time to work with the Wild did not win the opening draw but were able to hold the zone. Minnesota’s puck movement which was so good 5-on-4 really was not there in the 5-on-3 as it was painfully static. Even as they tried to work from down low back out to the point but their shots were missing wide never even forcing Leclaire to make a save and Minnesota would come up empty on the man advantage. Minnesota would have a tremendous chance about a minute after the failed power play as Cal Clutterbuck would use his stocky frame to power his way to the crease where the puck was kicked out to the slot by Leclaire right to Eric Nystrom who tried to slam a shot on the empty net but he’d push it wide of the goal. The Senators tried to answer back with a scoring chance of its own and Milan Michalek found some space after taking a pass from Alexei Kovalev but his backhander was steered wide by the leg pad of Theodore. Moments later Michalek would have another great chance when a wrist shot from the point by Filip Kuba would be deflected up and over Theodore but the puck would hit the crossbar and out. Neither team was able to create much of anything offensively for the rest of the period, even though Ryan Shannon could’ve had a great opportunity as he found himself alone in the slot but the puck wouldn’t settle for him and the moment of opportunity was gone as quickly as it appeared. Minnesota’s best chance late came from the 2nd line as Martin Havlat drove into the zone before dropping a pass back to Bouchard who wound up and uncorked a slapper that was stopped by Leclaire. Brian Lee, the former Moorhead Spud was given a minor for hooking but Minnesota was no longer moving its feet effectively on the man advantage. With still nearly 30 seconds of power play time left, the period expired with Minnesota holding a 1-0 lead.
In the 2nd period the Senators started the period off with some good forechecking that had Minnesota on its heels early. The Wild were chasing a bit in its own end, trying to use the glass to chip the puck out of the zone and out of danger. Despite all the possession in the Minnesota end they were not creating much offense. The Wild would counter and Nystrom would dangle around a defender and take the puck to the crease and Pascal Leclaire would make the stop in his crease were he pushed the puck over to Chris Campoli to carry the puck out of the Senators’ zone. Minnesota had another great scoring chance just a few moments later Chuck Kobasew had a strong power move towards the crease where his forehand was stymied by Leclaire. Perhaps seeing an idea that they liked, the Senators would try to carry the puck to the crease themselves as Milan Michalek used his frame to protect the biscuit and he lowered his shoulder drawing a hooking penalty on Brent Burns. On the power play the Wild did a nice job to keep the Senators to the perimeter. With Minnesota not providing much pressure near the points, it was only a matter of time before the Sens decided to take advantage of the Wild’s lack of defensive dilligence. So it came as no surprise that youngster Erik Karlsson would wind up and blast a shot from the point that was stopped by Theodore, and then he would stop a point-blank range rebound chance by Mike Fisher and the puck would skitter out to the slot where it was gathered up by Daniel Alfreddson who fired a shot top corner stick side to tie the game at 1-1. The Wild seemed a little out of it after the Senators’ goal, and they would continue to press the attack while Minnesota was in a haze. The Senators continued to fire shots on goal, including a blast from Mike Foligno that would trickle off the glove hand of Theodore and strike the right post and out. Minnesota was really looking dead, but a nice block of a shot by Antti Miettinen turned into an odd-man rush as the Wild had a well-timed line change where it quickly became a 3-on-1 where Mikko Koivu waited and dished the puck to Kyle Brodziak who buried it with ease by Leclaire. However it wasn’t meant to be as the goal was reviewed and it was deemed that the Wild had too many men on the ice (thanks to a lazy change by Patrick O’Sullivan) and this would put the Senators on the power play. This would immediately turn out to be a disastrous mistake as Ottawa scored just 7 seconds into the power play as Foligno rifled a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot that beat Theodore to give the Senators a 2-1 lead. Minnesota clearly was not itself after the no-goal call and then the quick score by the Senators and the Wild were reacting to the puck rather than anticipating its movement and the play got rather sloppy. The Wild were almost bumping into each other as they attempted to set up the breakout, where they worked the puck to Brodziak who tried to fire a shot high blocker side by Leclaire would shut the door on the attempt. The Wild were still being careless and weak clearing attempt went on to the stick of Fisher who flung a quick shot on goal that was just barely denied by Theodore who was scrambling a bit in his crease. Minnesota appeared content to just try to ride out the rest of the period without any more goals given up and their relaxed play nearly resulted in another goal given up as Theodore was nearly surprised by a blast from the point by Karlsson making the Wild almost feel lucky it was only trailing 2-1 going into the 3rd period.
The Wild were trying topen things up early as they drove in with 3 forwards on the rush but the passes would miss their mark and the Sens would counter attack. Ottawa would start to assert themselves physicaly as Chris Neil created some havoc with a big hit on Cam Barker that turned into a prolonged possession in the Wild zone as Chris Kelly was robbed by a nice leg pad save by Theodore. The Wild would finally create some offensive pressure on some nice hustle by Marek Zidlicky who was stepping up to hold the zone but the Sens were able to get sticks into passing and shooting lanes and despite the time in the zone it did not turn into any shots on Leclaire. The Senators would go back to its grind line of Peter Regin, Jesse Winchester and Chris Neil who were able to cycle the puck and keep Minnesota bottled in its own end eating up valuable seconds off the clock. Minnesota tried switching up its forward combinations and a line of Mikko Koivu, Cal Clutterbuck and Eric Nystrom was able to start a cycle of their own but all they were able to create was a long range shot by Greg Zanon which was redirected wide of the goal. With the level of anxiety increasing with each minute disappearing from the clock the Wild were starting to just throw the puck towards the goal and hoping for the best as Kobasew flung a shot towards the crease which caromed off the leg of Brian Lee and on goal which was stopped by a quick leg save by Leclaire before it was swept out of danger by Lee. The Senators were staying well positioned, keeping their body between the Wild player and the goal forcing Minnesota to always try to shoot around or through them to put it on goal. The Senators were content to sit back in a 1-2-2 and clogging up the neutral zone and forcing Minnesota to dump it in where their lack of speed is really exposed. Minnesota’s inability to create any sort of attack would invite the Senators to strike and after Ottawa managed to break through the Wild’s forecheck it was Filip Kuba blasting a shot on goal that Theodore struggled to handle before it was carried out of danger by Brent Burns. The Wild tried to counter attack with its top line and the team would manage to get Andrew Brunette set up behind the Senators goal and he would attempt to carry it out front and jam a backhander towards the left post that was shut down by Leclaire but he’d keep battling and was tripped up by the stick of Brian Lee to no call that drew the ire of the home crowd. Minnesota would just try to crash the crease but the puck just didn’t reach Leclaire with any velocity and the puck was easily swept away before it could do any damage on the scoreboard. The Wild tried to work a play off the rush and turnover in the neutral zone by Havlat would turn into a quick pass to Bouchard who tried to step around Karlsson where he’d let loose with a backhander on the fly that was gloved with ease by Leclaire. In the closing minutes, you could hear the boo’s serenading down as the Senators killed time while the Wild floated around the ice unable to have any jump in their skates late. The Wild pulled Theodore with a minute remaining and it was an exercise in futility as the Senators controlled the play and after a gracious miss by Alfredsson, and Ottawa would put the nail in the coffin as Chris Kelly notched the empty netter to seal a 3-1 victory as more boo’s cascaded down from the crowd.
Jose Theodore played well enough for the Wild to win the game, giving up just 2 goals on 24 shots. He had some tremendous saves but his defense didn’t always keep their feet moving and this allowed Ottawa to tie the game and then later hurt them for the go ahead goal. Defensively the Wild were fairly solid except on the power play where Minnesota was way too relaxed giving the Senators plenty of time and space to do as they wished. Two power play goals really crushed the Wild’s chances, and Minnesota’s penalty kill has been in free fall for this entire month. Minnesota must figure that out the penalty kill because it simply cannot afford to give up power play goals with such a limited offensive attack as they have. I am not sure what the Wild are gaining by giving Jared Spurgeon so many games. For a defenseman who is supposed to be an offensive defenseman his speed is average, he’s small and he retreats so quickly to the red line that the Wild end up being unable to hold the zone and especially down the stretch that can’t happen.
Offensively it was pretty embarassing. Especially late the Wild looked tired and worse, uninspired. No one seemed to have much jump in their skates late in the game and when the team needed an equalizer it sort of sputtered and died right before the 17,000+ in attendance. A few years ago, the Wild had a horrendous game at home against the Senators and tonight was similar except it wasn’t a blowout it was a game where Minnesota imploded with a mental mistake by Patrick O’Sullivan who thought he was supposed to be out there but wasn’t to get the too many men penalty that erased a goal and then quickly turned into the game winner for the Senators. It was painful to watch and the Wild showed very little resilency afterwards. The rest of the 2nd period was embarassing as Minnesota would just sort of go through the motions and play like a team already beaten mentally and emotionally. If a one goal lead is all anyone needs to get Minnesota to hang its head in shame in the 2nd period then the Wild are going to lose far more games than it will win the rest of the season. On a night where a team honors a player who was all heart and soul and playing with tenacity the Wild showed the anger of a newborn kitten, far more likely to just cry and go to sleep than to scratch and claw to get back into the game.
The Wild had another long layoff since its last game and the result was another disappointment where Minnesota looked like a team that had played the night before. How can this team be so tired after 4 days off? They looked winded, sore and down the stretch it was pathetic to watch them float around like some 40-and-over league team. Wild Head Coach Todd Richards, “I like the way we started, obviously the turning point where we didn’t get the goal, especially after a not so great effort to weather the storm and get that and then not have it really hurt.” I’d agree the Wild looked terrible all game long, and Richards seemed to be at a loss for words over the lack of energy at home. Richards would also reveal that it was actually Kyle Brodziak that had made the mistake on the too many men penalty; that he should’ve changed when Mikko Koivu hit the ice causing the Wild to have a man too many. Either way, it was a mistake that could’ve been prevented. Minnesota used to be very dominant at home and this season the team seems far more likely to put up a paltry effort. It won’t get any easier as they have two games against the Flames on Saturday (on Hockey Night in Canada) and Monday respectively. Either way if the Wild feel they can give an effort like tonight they will get burned, and burned bad.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Brunette, Martin Havlat, John Madden, Patrick O’Sullivan, Eric Nystrom, Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Brodziak, Brad Staubitz, Chuck Kobasew, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Cam Barker, Jared Spurgeon, Marek Zidlicky, Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns. Niklas Backstrom backed up Jose Theodore. Clayton Stoner was the lone healthy scratch. Matt Cullen is out with an upper body injury, while Guillaume Latendresse is still trying to heal from surgery he received over a month ago.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game as selected by Let’s Play Hockey were: 1st Star Pascal Leclaire, 2nd Star Erik Karlsson, 3rd Star Martin Havlat
~ Tonight’s attendance was 17,366 at Xcel Energy Center which is sad the team couldn’t sellout on a night meant to honor Dino Ciccarelli.
~ The Houston Aeros have been a little busy with some mid-week action as they managed to earn a 3-1 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs Tuesday but couldn’t find the same magic the next night in a 5-2 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins. In Tuesday’s game, the Aeros overcame a 1-0 deficit as they rallied back with 3 unanswered to earn the victory. Robbie Earl scored his 8th goal of the season and youngster Brandon Buck tallied his first goal as a member of the Aeros in what would prove to be the game winner. Fresh off his call up from the Wild, Warren Peters added an empty netter for the coup de grace as the Bulldogs tried to press for a tie late in the game. Matthew Hackett made 24 saves, many of them of the spectacular variety late in the game to earn the big victory. In Wednesday’s game, the Aeros would find themselves in a hole early as Anton Khudobin gave up 2 goals on just 3 shots to start the game to prompt Aeros Head Coach Mike Yeo to send Hackett out there to save the night but it wasn’t meant to be. Hackett played very well, giving up just 2 goals on 26 shots but the Aeros could simply not find enough offense to overcome the deficit, despite goals from Cody Almond and Colton Gillies early in the 3rd period before the Griffins’ Brent Raedeke sealed it with an empty netter to shoot down Houston 5-2. The Aeros are currently 16-12-1-2 which is good for 5th place in the West Division and while that may not sound too bad, if the season was to end today the Aeros would be out of the playoffs. Houston now travels to Winnipeg to take on the Manitoba Moose Friday night.
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Kris Foucault ~ Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
2010-11 Stats: 28GP 12G 11A = 23pts 31 PIM’s -6
Perhaps he’s finally getting it. Meaning, perhaps Kris Foucault is finally understanding his role on the Calgary Hitmen is to lead the team offensively each night. In what has been a challenging season for the Hitmen, Foucault is starting to establish a bit more consistency which is something that has eluded him throughout most of his junior career. The leading scorer for Calgary has been finding his way onto the scoresheet with more frequency and coincidentally the Hitmen have had a bit more success as of late. However let’s not just say he’s suddenly an offensive force of nature, but he is managing to play a greater role in the outcome of games which is something he’s always had the potential for but never seemed to be able to sustain it for long. After managing to get on the score sheet the last four games, last night Foucault was scoreless and a -1 with 4 penalty minutes for the types of infractions that are very preventable in a high sticking and slashing minors. The skills are there, the talent is there and if he can establish some consistency and continue to lead the Hitmen in scoring for the rest of the season then the future can look rather bright for the Calgary-native.
High School Boys Hockey Report:
Wayzata Trojans (Lake Conference) ~ 7-0 record
Most Recent Game: Wayzata 5, Apple Valley 3
Class 2A’s Top ranked team according to Minnesota Hockey Hub is living up to expectations so far as they are off to a perfect 7-0 start. That record isn’t from playing slouches either, which includes wins over other class 2A powerhouses such as #3 ranked Edina, #5 Duluth East and #6 Apple Valley. The Trojans are led by the dynamic forward duo of senior Tony Cameranesi (5 goals, 19 points in 7 games) and junior Mario Lucia (10 goals, 18 points in 7 games), the son of Golden Gophers Men’s Hockey Coach Don Lucia. With Cameranesi as the playmaker and Lucia as the triggerman the combo may be one of the most lethal duos in the state. However to say they’re just a two horse team ignores the fact that the Trojans are quite stifling defensively, and senior goaltender Andrew McIntyre is pretty danged good between the pipes sporing a 1.66 goals against average and a .933% save percentage. Senior defenseman D.J. Jones who already has 11 assists this season is the offensive-minded blueliner that can press the play and put the opposition on their heels. Wayzata has another tough challenge this evening when Bloomington Jefferson comes to town this evening for what will be another good early season test. So far the Trojans have aced every test they have had and in their minds are simply building off a 21-3-3 season a year ago.
Hermantown Hawks (Lake Superior Conference) ~ 4-0 record
Most Recent Game: Hermantown 5, Superior (WI) 3
The Hermantown Hawks have been a Class A powerhouse the last few years and this season looks to be no different as Head Coach Bruce Plante has his team out to a 4-0 start. The Hawks have been the runner up the last few seasons, but will be looking to change that. While their schedule has not been the toughest in the State, having only two semi-quality opponents thus far in Hopkins and perennial Wisconsin State tournament contender Superior the Hawks bring a team full of post-season experience to the ice each night. Led by senior forward Garrett Skrbich (7 goals, 14 points in 4 games) and Jared Thomas (6 goals, 10 points in 4 games) Hermantown is not going to scare you with tremendous scoring depth, but what they lack in offensive punch they make up for it in great skating and solid team defense. They roll four lines and score by committee in their bottom 3 trios which gives them enough offensive punch to be difficult to shut down. The Hawks split the duties between the pipes as senior Connor Lucas and Sophomore Chad Illikainen both have very similar goaltending numbers. Hermantown will get a good test this Saturday when Rogers makes the trip up north, as they too are a perfect 4-0 going into the game.
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