Game #52: Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche, Thursday February 2, 2012 at 8:00pm (CST), Pepsi Center [GAME PREVIEW]

Zidlicky, Zidlicky, Zidlicky.  Didn’t your mother ever tell you as a young child that if you didn’t have anything nice to say to not say anything at all?  Based on what Wild fans have seen in the local media the past couple of days, I’m guessing either she didn’t or it was a lesson you chose not to follow. 

Now if you’ve been living under a rock and are wondering “what the heck is she talking about” all you need to know is that a three-game consecutive scratch by the name of Marek Zidlicky chose to unwisely air his frustrations in the press.  One of his biggest complaints is that he’s not getting enough time on the ice with the forward line.  On top of that, he claims to be an offensive player.  Well let’s look at those claims.  First off, if you expect to play with the best players, you have to earn that time.  I know, it’s a novel concept.  A coach, boss, supervisor often has to juggle his or her players or employees in a way the benefits the team or workplace in the best possible way.  If you want to be part of a winning team you have to be a winner or committed to winning for that to happen.  As for Zidlicky being an offensive player, well this season that’s just offensive (yes, pun intended).  If you want to prove that you’re an offensive player, it’s pretty easy.  It’s called scoring goals.  As the old saying goes, even a blind squirrel can find a nut from time to time. 

I think what bothered me most about Zidlicky’s complaints, well beyond him complaining (read that as WHINING) in the first place, is that he tried to tug at the heartstrings of readers.  In his interview with Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune he had this to say:

I’m just thinking it’s pretty tough right now for me. My son, he’s in first grade and he needs both parents here. So it’s very tough. I don’t want to be selfish, go somewhere and I will be happy and leave my son here in the school. So, we will see. 

Yes, he did do that.  He used his own kid in a way to make people feel bad for him.  In the world of education, there are these things called “teachable moments.”  Zidlicky could have used this point in his career as a teachable moment with his kid.  Instead of talking with his son about the bumps in the road of life and showing him how to handle those bumps with dignity and respecting authority, he taught his son that when you face tough times in life, you simply need to blame your life on others.  Way to go Marek, you’ve helped create another generation of people with an undeserved sense of entitlement.

And speaking of authority, it seems that the struggling blueliner chose not to speak any of his bosses.  He never spoke to Mike Yeo, Darryl Sydor, Rick Wilson or heck even Darby Hendrickson.  If you truly feel you’re not being played to the best of your ability, or you’re not sure where you fit in, you start with talking to one of your coaches.  And let’s face it, they’re a coach for a reason.  Even worse, he didn’t even speak to the boss of their coaches before going to the press.  Clearly, there was a long, door closed conversation in General Manager Chuck Fletcher’s office after he whined to the press, but by that time the damage to his reputation had already been done.    At this point, I don’t care if we trade him, put him on waivers, or heck even buy him out.  I simply want him gone, and the thing is, I like many other fans wanted him gone before this chapter started.

I work in customer service.  I know that if I went to the press to complain about the corporate climate or ethics of the company that I work for, I’d be gone.  Not only would I find myself unemployed, I might even find myself in an expensive lawsuit.  Now, if there was really something bad going on in my company, I know I would have to file a formal complaint.  That complaint needs to follow a certain path.  In an ideal world, you start with your immediate supervisor and go up from there.  If the complaint is not dealt with appropriately in-house, then and only then do you risk going public. 

There’s a way to make a point, and Zidlicky broke all the rules with his.  The way Zidlicky went about this reminds me when former Wild forward, James Sheppard pretty much said to the press that he knew more about hockey than then head coach Jacques Lemaire.  Perhaps Zidlicky and Sheppard should get together for a beer and swap stories about how they know more about hockey than their coaches.  This story isn’t over yet.  Unfortunately, there will not be a happy ending until fans finally learn that he’s been dealt, waived, or bought out.  When that day happens, this is the image I will have:

Injury Report:

Minnesota:     Jarod Palmer (concussion), Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion, groin),  Mikko Koivu (left shoulder)    

Colorado:    Mark Olver (head), Matt Duchene (knee), Ryan Wilson (groin)

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