For millions of parents and kids around the United States, especially those in the Midwest, are waiting as the final weeks countdown before the resumption of a new school year. As a teacher myself, who has already been ‘back’ for 3 weeks with football practice, understand that melancholy that kids feel about returning to school after a few fun-filled months of summer vacation. School Districts send letters to many families outlining what school supplies they will be expected to provide their child for the upcoming year and like this rather humorous Target commercial indicates the list seems to have grown longer and more technical than when many of us were in school ourselves.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6rZespirbsM
However in most cases, for parents to get their child ‘prepared’ requires more than just shopping trip for school supplies, they have a variety of tasks to complete as well. They are going to fill out lots of forms from insurance waivers, to emergency cards, or school census information. However, parents also await the arrival of something that could very well dictate their lives (at least a fair part of it) for the next 9 months; a school calendar. It is on this calendar that parents will realize when their child is on vacation, what perhaps is going to be served for school lunch or when various school sponsored sporting events and cultural events (Homecoming, band & choir concerts, Prom, forensics competitions, and school musicals & plays) in addition to when other official school district functions like parent-teacher conferences and school board meetings are taking place. Hockey fans, also eagerly await the schedule’s new arrival each off season, especially those who may not have season tickets but want to see the Wild play specific opponents. The first day that season tickets go on sale on August 20th, normally has people camping out in front of the Wild box office. No doubt with some of the buzz from the team’s off season moves, I have a feeling you will see more of the same as fans pitch tents in and around the Xcel Energy Center as they hope to buy up their prized tickets. Although, it makes me wonder if how many of these fans will be thinking about how we’re about to see an end of an era for the Wild occur with the passing of the 2011-12 season. It will be the team’s last year in the Northwest Division, which is the only division the franchise has known in its soon-to-be 11-season history. While it certainly will not be the last time the team will face off against the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers or the much-hated Vancouver Canucks it won’t be quite the same when they do so as foes from outside their division. It is strongly believed, both by comments made by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Wild owner Craig Leipold that the Wild will be moving to a new division (1 of 4 league-wide as the NHL reorganizes itself) that will be rather similar to the old Norris Division when the local NHL team in the State of Hockey was called the North Stars. The specifics of this realignment are just speculation at this point, but it is extremely unlikely the Wild will have its current group of Canadian opponents in its new division. Many Wild fans enjoy the special rivalry we have with the Flames, Oilers and Canucks but many will not miss the trips out west where Minnesota started games at 9:30PM which meant for some late nights. Not to leave out Colorado, but in many of the speculated scenarios for division realignment the Avalanche are often still in the same division as Minnesota we may not have seen the last of them as a divisional foe. So what else does the 2011-12 schedule have in store for Wild fans?
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In more ways than one, the 2010-11 season was a bit of an anomaly for the Minnesota Wild as franchise’s history seemed to be turned on its head to a degree. For instance, the Wild were uncharacteristically bad at home where they compiled a 19-17-5 record. In coaching the old axiom goes “if you’re going to lose, lose on the road so you can keep your job.” While a home loss counts as those on the road, team management knows that frustration from your fanbase is far greater when you lose on home ice (as they likely paid money to watch you lose) than it is on the road. Too many times the Wild were awful at home and prolonged homestands that could’ve boosted Minnesota into a realistic shot at the playoffs were squandered and it really was no big shock when the team gave Todd Richards the axe. The team easily suffered through more games where they were emphatically boo’d off the ice than ever before in the franchise’s history. Oddly enough, as bad as the Wild were at home they were much improved on the road compiling a slightly more respectable 20-18-3 record. While I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing the Wild replicate their road success for the 2011-12 season, it is essential the team solve its woes at home. The team’s off season moves for Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley have raised expectations and Wild fans will not only want to see a higher scoring club but one that earns more victories. That certainly will add a bit more pressure to rookie head coach Mike Yeo‘s shoulders but by everything seen or heard he seems to welcome that challenge wholeheartedly.
The release of the 2011-12 schedule gives us a chance to guage the possible ebb and flow of the season. Minnesota starts the year with a heavy dose of the Edmonton Oilers, playing them four times (out of their six total) in the first two months of the season. Considering the Oilers are again going to be lacking experience this is a great opportunity for the Wild to gain some ground. On the contrary, the Wild also play the Detroit Red Wings three times (out of their four total) over that same span. Minnesota has traditionally struggled a lot against Detroit but it could be a blessing in disguise to play them early as the last few years the Red Wings have struggled their way through slow starts. November is going to be one huge test for the Wild as it has a 5-game road trip followed up by its longest homestand of the year (six games) from the 17th to the 28th against Colorado, St. Louis, Nashville, Edmonton, Calgary, and Tampa Bay respectively. This could make November the month the Wild either climbs its way firmly into the playoff picture or falls way behind. December is a road-heavy month, with a 5-game trip to the West Coast and a 3-game trip to Western Canada which will test the team’s endurance. January will have the Wild spend even less time at home, with 7 out of the month’s games played away from the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center. The travel isn’t quite as bad as apart from a short two-game road trip to play Vancouver and Calgary the team will be heading east playing against Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Toronto over the course of a four-game excursion. In most years, the team would normally have to go on the road some more in the final months as the Xcel Energy Center is an extremely busy place through the month of March especially but this year the Wild will have more games at home during that crucial ‘make or break’ month than normal. March includes a pivotal 5-game homestand where they play division rivals Vancouver once, Calgary twice along with games against Dallas and Carolina. It would not surprise me in the slightest if the Wild’s post-season aspirations could be decided during this 10-day homestand.
While divisional games are always vitally important, it doesn’t seem to have helped the Wild as much as one would believe. Only Vancouver (18-4-2) was better against its division foes last year than Minnesota who wasn’t far behind with a solid 16-7-1 record. The Wild were not nearly as good against opponents outside of their division going 7-10-3 against the Central, and 10-8-2 against the Pacific. It was even uglier in 2010-11 for games played against the Eastern Conference where Minnesota went 6-10-2 overall with 3-3 against the Atlantic, 1-3-1 against the Northeast, and 2-4-1 against the Southeast. Games played against the opposing conference are really bonus games in the standings and Minnesota must be better in those games if it wants to have a realistic shot at the post-season. Additionally the team plays in 8 back-to-backs, which seems to be considerably less than in previous seasons with 3 of them coming in the month of December alone. Minnesota will also find itself on national television 10 times next year, including one game on NBC against the defending Stanley Cup Champion the Boston Bruins on February 19th. With that being said, here are some other important game dates for Wild fans to consider.
Wild vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 18th) – Like it or not, its always a big deal when Sidney Crosby comes to town. After suffering a season-ending concussion mid-way through last season Crosby still managed to lead the Penguins in points which says a lot about his talent and a big reason why the league as well as lots of Wild fans will probably hope that he stays healthy long enough to return to the State of Hockey where he honed his skills at the pro hockey factory that is Shattuck-St. Mary’s. While Crosby haters probably felt as though they threw up in their mouth a little, there are other non-Crosby reasons this game is important. For the team’s management, many of them ex-Pittsburgh management its an important game for them to show their former bosses they can win in Minnesota (just as it used to be when the Wild played Montreal when Jacques Lemaire, Doug Risebrough, and Mario Tremblay were in the organization), as well as the return of Minnesota natives Paul Martin (Elk River), and Matt Niskanen (Virginia).
Wild vs. San Jose (Nov. 10th, Dec. 6th, Jan. 10th, and Feb. 26th) – I probably do not need to say too much why these four games are something to watch for but these match ups should be a bit more spirited after the 3 transactions between the clubs this summer. The first two meetings are in San Jose and it will be interesting to see if Dany Heatley, who was dealt for the first time not upon his request and Devin Setoguchi who signed a 3-year deal with the Sharks a few days before being traded will have a some vitriol for their former club. When the Sharks arrive in Minnesota in January and February it will remark the return of Martin Havlat, fan favorite Brent Burns and former whipping boy James Sheppard. No doubt if the Wild are doing well and the Sharks are struggling or vice versa that these games will be used by some as an easy way to pick a ‘winner’ in these deals.
Wild vs. Chicago (Dec. 14th) – On a more sentimental note, it will be interesting to see how Wild fans react to the return of another fan favorite in Andrew Brunette. Brunette is the 2nd leading scorer in franchise history with 119 goals, and 321 points in his 489 games played with the Wild. Many will never forget his hard work down behind the goal to set up teammates or the fact he scored the most important (and memorable) goal in Wild history in Game 7 versus the Colorado Avalanche in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals. I have little doubt his return will be full of genuine cheers and perhaps periodic ovations of respect to one of the most modest and candid players in the league. The game is also interesting because the next season the Wild will likely be division foes in what many former North Stars fans had been missing for nearly 18 years in what was one of the most intense rivalries in the NHL.
Wild vs. Winnipeg (Dec. 13th, Feb. 16th) – Remember the feeling of reconnecting with an old friend or perhaps an old enemy. That will likely be the feeling when the Wild travel to the MTS Center where I have little doubt more than a few Minnesota fans will make the trip to ‘welcome’ Winnipeg back to the NHL. I also have little doubt that there will be more than a few Jets fans that make the trip to St. Paul when the two clubs face each other about two months later. Large numbers of Winnipeg fans attended the NHL Entry draft this summer in large numbers, even though their team had a paltry performance. The Jets are speculated by many to also be a future divisional opponent of the Wild which should rekindle some of the rivalry the two areas had back when the North Stars and Fighting Saints were around. The game also will mark the return of Minnesota-native Dustin Byfuglien who seems to be getting better and better after an outstanding 2010-11 season.
Wild vs. Vancouver (Nov. 3rd, Feb. 9th, Mar. 19th) – Wild fans, here is your last chance to live up this rivalry with the Canucks as a divisional foe. I only included the home games because the Canucks will treat Minnesota as they treat everyone else that plays them in Vancouver, with complete disrespect. I doubt there will be a riot after the Wild’s last divisional game in Vancouver on December 19th, but it is Vancouver so you never know! Wild fans have numerous reasons to hate the Canucks, from Matt Cooke threatening Matt Johnson with his stick, Mattias Ohlund‘s lumberjack chop that broke the leg of Mikko Koivu or the recently passed away Rick Rypien assaulting a Wild fan here. So Wild fans should bring their hate and let them have it one last time as a sort of a going away present.
Here is the whole 2011-12 Regular season schedule, home games are listed in italics and all game times are according to Central Standard Time.
October (10 games; 6 home, 4 away)
Saturday, October 8th vs. Columbus – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Monday, October 10th @ NY Islanders – 12:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, October 11th @ Ottawa – 6:30PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, October 13th vs. Edmonton – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, October 15th vs. Detroit – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, October 18th vs. Pittsburgh – 7:00PM ~ Versus
Thursday, October 20th @ Edmonton – 8:30PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, October 22nd @ Vancouver – 3:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, October 27th vs. Anaheim – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, October 29th vs. Detroit – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
November (15 games, 8 home, 7 away)
Tuesday, November 1st @ Detroit – 6:30PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, November 3rd vs. Vancouver – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, November 5th vs. St. Louis – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, November 8th @ Calgary – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, November 10th @ San Jose – 9:30PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, November 12th @ Los Angeles – 9:30PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, November 13th @ Anaheim – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, November 15th @ Columbus – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, November 17th vs. Colorado – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, November 19th vs. St. Louis – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Wednesday, November 23rd vs. Nashville – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Friday, November 25th vs. Edmonton – 3:00PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, November 27th vs. Calgary – 5:00PM ~ FSN-North
Monday, November 28th vs. Tampa Bay – 6:30PM ~ Versus
Wednesday, November 30th @ Edmonton – 8:30PM ~ FSN-North
December (15 games, 6 home, 9 away)
Friday, December 2nd vs. New Jersey – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, December 4th @ Anaheim – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, December 6th @ San Jose – 9:30PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, December 8th @ Los Angeles – 9:30PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, December 10th @ Phoenix – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, December 13th @ Winnipeg – 7:30PM ~ FSN-North
Wednesday, December 14th vs. Chicago – 6:30PM ~ Versus
Saturday, December 17th vs. NY Islanders – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Monday, December 19th @ Vancouver – 9:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, December 20th @ Calgary – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, December 22nd @ Edmonton – 8:30PM ~ FSN-North
Monday, December 26th vs. Colorado – 5:00PM ~ FSN-North
Wednesday, December 28th @ Nashville – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, December 29th vs. Edmonton – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, December 31st vs. Phoenix – 5:00PM ~ FSN-North
January (10 games, 3 home, 7 away)
Wednesday, January 4th @ Vancouver – 9:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, January 7th @ Calgary – 9:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, January 10th vs. San Jose – 6:30PM ~ Versus
Thursday, January 12th @ Chicago – 7:30PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, January 14th @ St. Louis – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, January 17th @ Philadelphia – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, January 19th @ Toronto – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, January 21st vs. Dallas – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, January 24th @ Colorado – 8:00PM ~ Versus
Tuesday, January 31st vs. Nashville – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
February (13 games, 7 home, 6 away)
Thursday, February 2nd @ Colorado – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, February 4th @ Dallas – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, February 7th @ Columbus – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, February 9th vs. Vancouver – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, February 11th vs. Columbus – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, February 14th vs. Anaheim – 6:30PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, February 16th vs. Winnipeg – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, February 18th @ St. Louis – 1:00PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, February 19th vs. Boston – 2:00PM ~ NBC
Thursday, February 23rd @ Florida – 6:30PM ~ FSN-North
Friday, February 24th @ Dallas – 7:30PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, February 26th vs. San Jose – 5:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, February 28th vs. Los Angeles – 6:30PM ~ Versus
March (15 games, 9 home, 6 away)
Thursday, March 1st @ Montreal – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Friday, March 2nd @ Detroit – 6:30PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, March 4th vs. Colorado – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, March 6th @ Colorado – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, March 8th @ Phoenix – 8:00PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, March 11th vs. Calgary – 5:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, March 13th vs. Dallas – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, March 17th vs. Carolina – 1:00PM ~ FSN-North
Monday, March 19th vs. Vancouver – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, March 22nd vs. Calgary – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, March 24th @ Buffalo – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Sunday, March 25th @ Washington – 4:00PM ~ Versus
Tuesday, March 27th vs. NY Rangers – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, March 29th vs. Florida – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, March 31st vs. Los Angeles – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
April (4 games, 2 home, 2 away)
Sunday, April 1st @ Chicago – 6:00PM ~ FSN-North
Tuesday, April 3rd @ Nashville – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Thursday, April 5th vs. Chicago – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
Saturday, April 7th vs. Phoenix – 7:00PM ~ FSN-North
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