Game #42: Minnesota Wild vs Dallas Stars, Sunday January 9, 2011, at 5:00pm CST, Xcel Energy Center [GAME PREVIEW]

I know this has nothing to do with today’s game but I just recently read an article on yahoo about a professional golfer being disqualified from a tournament for something a viewer saw on television and phoned to the PGA to narc on him for his infraction.  I am not a fan of golf at all, in fact I loathe the sport which is about as entertaining as watching paint dry.  However, I do believe these fan corrections set a dangerous precedent.  Check it out here http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/Villegas-disqualified-after-TV-viewer-called-him?urn=golf-304718.  Doesn’t this seem to be crossing the line for a fan?  I think back to the nearly infinite amount of controversial calls in sports history; what if fans called the respective league to have it changed and the league capitulated as easily as the PGA did.  What if the NHL got a call from fans saying Brett Hull‘s toe was in the crease in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, and the officials overturned their call on that basis.  What if a fan called confirming that Martin Gelinas‘ shot in game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals actually did cross the goal line as so many suspected.  The rolling puck almost became the Zapruder film of the NHL, but the call was still made saying it did not completely cross the line and the Lightning had the opportunity to comeback and take Game 6 before winning the seventh game and earning their 1st Stanley Cup.  Apart from the constant ‘what if’ scenarios another question really is over whether a fan should be able to be able to notify the league and they act on fan observation? 

Fans see infractions that go uncalled all the time, but should a fan be allowed to make a correction?  I have been known to call out a referee for a bad call, but this type of correction more or less takes the authority out of their hands.  Even with High Definition television how can any of us say we see the action on the ice so much more clearly than an official.  I think that is part of what makes sports fun, to have that uncontrollable element to it.  To have an official make a call that can turn a game on its head; it is something that gives us as fans to talk about for years afterwards.  I like instant replay, especially for goals but in the NHL, and I even don’t mind Florida Panther General Manager Dale Tallon‘s idea of having 1 coaching challenge per game.  The rest of the league’s GM’s shot it down, but there is a distinct difference between a coaching challenge or a correction made via instant replay.  It is the fact the challenge is made by those who are there, not a fan sitting in his home.  Recently retired NHL referee, Kerry Fraser took issue with the fact the NHL reviews goals from its offices in Toronto, the infamous ‘war room’ instead of utilizing the observatory skills of the officials who are actually there to witness the even the first time.  Fraser believes that it should be the on-site officials that actually do the reviewing much the same way they do for the NFL or the WCHA where they go and watch the play in question in front of a video screen from multiple angles in order to make the correct call.  The reviews usually go much faster and the people on site are making the decisions and I agree with that completely.  Yet to let a fan make those choices crosses the line and to those fans that felt it was their duty to tattle on a golfer for tossing a tuft of grass aside as it rolled down a hill towards him is ridiculous and they should be ashamed of themselves. 

Ok, I will step down from my soapbox so we can talk about this afternoon’s game. 

The Wild have to be feeling pretty good emotionally, but physically pretty tired after a successful road trip only to have to rush back home to play an afternoon game against the Dallas Stars.  I will refrain from using the word winning __eak because I don’t wish to jinx it, but the team is having many fans wondering if we’re just seeing a period of luck go the Wild’s way or if this is the real team performing as its capable of.  Why that may sound cynical, but that is the way Minnesotans view just about anything.  While being “Minnesota Nice” is perhaps what some may say we’re famous for, we’re also what you call “cautiously pessimistic” and part of that is a side effect of having various sports teams flirt with success only to disappoint in dramatic fashion.  See the Minnesota Vikings history if want to understand that.  With the Vikings out of the playoffs and the drama machine that is the career of Brett Favre finally cooled down a tad, Minnesota fans can concentrate completely on its winter pro sports.  So now the eyes of Minnesota are on the Wild (or at least they should be).  

Minnesota is playing tremendous hockey and playing within their abilities and talents.  One of its failures from last season is it tried to play beyond its level of talent and the result was a maddening level of inconsistency.  The Wild has been enjoying the emergence of Martin Havlat as a go-to offensive threat and how it gave the team a 2nd scoring line it so dearly needed.  Mikko Koivu also seems to be heating up as of late, perhaps inspired or feeling the need to compete with Havlat as the top dog on the team.  Cal Clutterbuck has also had a hot hand of late and leads the team with 13 goals as well as 180+ hits which is best in the NHL.  A big part of this success has been the solid play of its defense and goaltender Jose Theodore who is making a strong case to be the #1 goaltender, Niklas Backstrom‘s groin injury not withstanding.  Theodore has been superb, absorbing pucks, giving up very few rebounds and his defenseman have provided great support by forcing opponents to the perimeter and being physical along the boards.  However, today the Wild will likely tab Houston Aeros’ call up Anton Khudobin for today’s match up against Dallas.  Khudobin collected two wins last year in dramatic fashion at about this point in the season a year ago, and his unorthodox style should mean at the very least there will be a lot of drama in the Wild’s crease. 

Dallas is perhaps the most quiet division leading team in the NHL.  The Stars aggressive style gives their opponents very little room to create and think on their own.  They forecheck aggressively and create lots of traffic for opposing goaltenders.  Snipers Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson along with youngsters James Neal and Jamie Benn give Dallas plenty of scoring depth and are a match up nightmare.  Minnesota can also expect a lot of physical pressure from hard charging physical forwards Adam Burish, Brian Sutherby, super agitator Steve Ott and captain Brendan Morrow.  However, the Stars biggest reason for success has been the play of goaltender Kari Lehtonen who has re-established himself as top calibre goalie since arriving from Atlanta.  At the beginning of the season, experts opined the Stars were looking to ship Brad Richards as part of a salary dump since it is no secret that team owner Tom Hicks is trying to sell the team, but those rumors about shipping Richards have subsided and there are signs the team is trying to build itself up for a Stanley Cup run as they traded a conditional 3rd round pick for a link from its 1999 Stanley Cup victory in Cloquet, Minnesota’s Jamie Langenbrunner who should make his debut with Dallas today. 

To a degree the Wild have salvaged their season but they’re not quite where they want to be just yet.  If the Wild can manage to overcome fatigue to earn a victory today they will have made a loud statement to its fans and the league that this team is planning on being a very real part of the race for the playoffs.  Hopefully that is the statement they make today. 

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