Did you ever read Comic Books as a kid? I read just a few, a few issues of Spider Man and that was about it. These ‘Graphic Novels’ had interesting stories, great artwork but all of them sort of followed a similar formula. When I bought these Comics in the early 1980’s, like most kids I never put much thought into their future value. I didn’t abuse the comic books, but I didn’t exactly take a lot of care making sure they stayed in pristine condition. The same went for my collection of baseball / football / hockey cards until I was around 12 years old when I learned that (gasp) they actually might be worth something. That changed everything; I immediately began to take great care for the cards condition and began to purchase price guides so I knew exactly what my ‘collection’ was worth. Like most kids, 99.9% of my collection was probably worth only the price of the cardboard it was printed on. I wasn’t lucky like Michael Rorrer who found himself inheriting a ridiculously rare comic book collection that included the most sought after one of them all in the 1938 Action Comics Issue #1 which introduced the world to an alien super hero named Super Man. Rorrer’s new collection is said to be likely to fetch in the realm of $2 million dollars or more! You can read all about it here. The closest I ever came to ‘discovering’ valuable family collection like this was when my dad found part of his old baseball collection, which was motley group of 1961 Topps Baseball cards. The most valuable card? He had two Warren Spahn cards, but unfortunately he used a rubber band to keep the group together and the Spahn’s were on top giving them a wonderful line across the middle of the card. Ouch, but honestly, what kid back then would’ve known better? So how does this relate to hockey or the Minnesota Wild?
A recent Comic collection discovery makes us all wonder why can’t we be that lucky
A few years back the Wild realized that it had weakened itself considerably as an organization due to poor drafting. More or less the Wild was like that care free kid back in the day who would take his baseball / football / hockey cards and put them in the spokes of their bicycle and ride around the block with them snapping away as they rode along ruining the cards in the process. The Wild realized that it could not just throw those draft choices away so it began to make changes by giving the axe to Tommy Thompson and the team started to make the drafts count. Or at least that’s what we and the hockey experts at ESPN and The Hockey News’ think. As it was when I was 12 years old, I had no clue what I really had. At the time I even made some amazingly horrible trades, ones that would’ve made former Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough proud as I dealt my 1987 Topps Jerry Rice rookie card for a 1990 Score Bo Jackson Football / Baseball card. What in the hell was I thinking? I dealt a card that is worth about $80 for a card that isn’t even worth $4. Like I said, it was Risebrough-worthy. I still remember when I came home and told my dad about the trade and he immediately gave me crap for my poor deal. I never traded any sports cards with anyone ever again. Perhaps this is how Minnesota’s current GM, Chuck Fletcher, felt after making the deadline deal for Cam Barker by dealing away Kim Johnsson and prospect Nick Leddy to the Chicago Blackhawks. I wonder if Chuck’s dad Cliff Fletcher gave his kid crap for that awful deal. So sometimes its good to wait a bit. No matter what I’m glad we’re no longer just looking at the draft to put guys in the spokes of this organization’s bike tires anymore. Will the Wild surprise its fans with a rare victory in Dallas or will the Stars bring the Wild back to earth?
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1st Period Thoughts: Minnesota had good energy to start the game, forcing the Stars to defend early. The Wild’s energy players like Darroll Powe, Nick Johnson and Matt Cullen was again pesky and creating scoring chances with their hustle and play along the wall. The Wild had the first real quality scoring chance of the game as Dany Heatley set up Devin Setoguchi for a quick shot that was held onto by Kari Lehtonen who hugged the right post and hoped for the best. The Stars would answer back with some pressure of their own as Mike Ribeiro raced up the ice and skated right through Minnesota’s defense, flying by Greg Zanon for a quick shot on goal that was blocked aside by Niklas Backstrom. Time and space were hard to come by as both clubs were moving their feet well. Dallas would strike first as some poor defensive coverage; most notably by Nate Prosser left Tom Wandell open for a shot that he swept on goal that was stopped by Backstrom but as Prosser tried to send it out of the zone he put the puck right back onto the stick of Wandell who wasted no time shooting it by the Wild goalie to put the Stars up 1-0. Minnesota tried to rally back with its top line where Setoguchi again had a good opportunity but Lehtonen was again calm and collected in the crease. The Wild started to have some success on the forecheck as they kept Dallas bottled up in its own zone as they forced a few turnovers near the Stars’ blueline. Darroll Powe was again buzzing all over the offensive zone, being physical and assertive as he ripped a few shots on goal. In one funny sequence, after shot on goal, there was a little pushing and shoving and Powe stirred up some ill will as Sheldon Souray and the former Princeton grad exchanged some trash talk. Yet it was at the end of the fracas that was truly hilarious as Mike Ribeiro moved in and grabbed Powe’s sweater and he’d turn and look at him saying, “what the hell are you doing” and the frail Stars forward stepped away from the challenge. Minnesota would earn a power play late in the period as former Golden Gophers defenseman Alex Goligoski was tagged for interference. Minnesota moved the puck reasonably well on the power play as they attempted to set up a few chances from the point as Jared Spurgeon directed a slap pass towards Heatley who couldn’t quite get enough of the puck to put it on goal. The missed opportunity came back to haunt the Wild as another defensive breakdown was exploited perfectly by Dallas, as Michael Ryder found Loui Eriksson with a pass as he was moving towards the slot and he’d move in and show great patience as he got Backstrom to drop and sprawl before lifting a shot up into the gaping net. It was another significant defensive lapse by Prosser who was just standing still near the top of the Wild’s crease. Minnesota had to be feeling some significant pressure being down 2-0 to Dallas, and for the most part they had been playing pretty well but you’ve got to give the Stars credit for executing so well. The Wild was out shot 12-8. I thought Minnesota was giving Dallas a little too much respect in the offensive zone and getting caught flatfooted as the Stars took the puck to the scoring areas of the ice.
2nd Period Thoughts: The Wild did not get off to a good start to the 2nd period as Dallas seemed to have more focus and would score just under 4-minutes in as former Wild winger Eric Nystrom buried a rebound chance to give the Stars a 3-0 lead. Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo had seen enough, so he pulled Backstrom in favor of Matthew Hackett. The change didn’t change the Wild too much as they again were sloppy with their passes and Hackett found himself fighting off a good chance for Steve Ott as he had Adam Burish in his face. Hackett was still looking sharp as he got across his crease to make a fine leg pad save on Eriksson. The Wild would finally get a small reprieve almost mid-way through the period as Trevor Daley held up Darroll Powe to give Minnesota a crucial power play. Minnesota’s best chance on the power play was by Dany Heatley who went on an improbable end-to-end rush where he stepped around a few defenders and as the Stars failed to clear the puck he poked a shot on goal that was blocked aside by Lehtonen. The Stars were able to give the Wild some difficulty by sending just forechecker in past the Minnesota blueline while the rest of the team sat back a little beyond the red line where they were able to harass the initial long pass up the ice. Dallas was forcing Minnesota to settle for shots from the perimeter which were of little threat to the Stars’ 3-goal lead. The Stars would go on the attack with its energy line and Minnesota was again too passive in its own zone and Adam Burish took the puck to the crease as he was hauled down as he attempted a backhand shot that was directed away by Hackett before he fell into the goal knocking net off its moorings. Nick Schultz would be called for interference and Dallas would go on its first power play of the game. Dallas’ power play effort looked like a cat playing with its food, waiting for the right moment to finish off its victim. The Stars’ moved the puck with good quickness that had the Wild’s penalty killers exhausting themselves chasing it all over but fortunately when they worked the cross-ice pass Dallas wasn’t able to connect on what should’ve been a great scoring chance. Dallas’ best scoring opportunity on the man advantage came off an errant pass that went right to Ribeiro who was 15-feet from the crease and his wrist shot was knocked down and covered up by Hackett to give Minnesota a much-needed kill. Unfortunately the Wild would take another penalty just a few minutes later as Dany Heatley was given a pretty questionable high sticking call. Dallas was a bit more relaxed on this man advantage and the Wild’s penalty kill was perhaps a bit more determined to dictate the pace of play and the Stars would struggle to do much of anything. The Stars killed their own penalty off when Mike Ribeiro held up Matt Cullen for an interference penalty. With the ice a little more open Minnesota was content to kill off the 41 seconds of 4-on-4 time so they could get rolling on their shortened power play. Minnesota worked the puck near the crease where Heatley had a number of swings near the blue paint but he could not get a puck by Lehtonen and the Wild again came up empty on the man advantage. Dallas was content to play a passive 1-2-2 for the rest of the period so they could carry their 3-0 lead into the 2nd intermission. It was another frustrating period for Minnesota, where the Wild out shot Dallas 10-7 but had nothing to show for it.
3rd Period Thoughts: Minnesota had an excellent opportunity to start the 3rd, as Kyle Brodziak fed a pass to the top of the crease which was hammered on by Heatley only to be stonewalled by Lehtonen. The Wild continued to show some urgency as just moments after Heatley’s good opportunity it was the hustle of Cal Clutterbuck that created a turnover that went out to the point that was stepped into by Zanon who blasted a slapper on goal that force Lehtonen to make a big save with Minnesota forwards looking to tap home a rebound that never came. With the Stars playing rope-a-dope the Wild continued to press the attack. The Wild were able to create the initial chance, but were unable to pounce on the rebounds as Dallas’ defense was tying up sticks and knocking guys down before they could pull the trigger. The Stars would get a little careless down the stretch with Minnesota pressuring and give the Wild some power plays late, including two sizable 5-on-3’s. The Wild were amazingly passive on the first 2-man advantage before Heatley would draw the defense towards him by feinting at a shot before finding Setoguchi wide open for a one-timer Lehtonen had no chance on. Now down just by two, the Wild would earn another 2-man advantage as Sheldon Souray lost his cool and cross checked Clutterbuck in not-so-subtle fashion. However the Wild were a bit too relaxed on the 2nd power play as they over handled the puck at the point and far too few shots were being taken and Minnesota came up empty. The Wild tried one last rally but they just didn’t have the legs and Wandell would score his 2nd goal of the game on an empty netter to seal a 4-1 victory.
Niklas Backstrom looked tired tonight, his rebound control was not that great and the Stars took full advantage of it. Yet you can’t blame it all on Backstrom, who was victimized by some suspect defensive play in front of him. It was an awful night for Nate Prosser who was caught twice not moving his feet and those led to two goals for the Stars. I thought overall the Wild’s defense was giving Dallas way too much freedom in their own zone, and they needed to be more physical and tough near their crease then they were. Too much of a reliance on poke checks and shot blocking instead of moving their feet and taking away time and space as they should. Matt Hackett was very good in relief, not allowing the game to get any worse while he was between the pipes, stopping all 10 shots he faced. I know he’s a bigger goaltender but he seems to make himself appear even bigger as he faces down shooter and so far he’s been forcing a lot of shots wide of the mark.
Offensively it was a familiar tale of too little too late. The Wild had some good looks early but then backed off and the Stars took over. I thought the energy line of Johnson, Cullen and Powe was reasonable, but I felt they had a little less jump in their skates and that made them more or less a non-factor offensively. The top line of Brodziak, Heatley and Setoguchi was ok, but they didn’t show enough desperation until it was too late. Heatley does appear to be very comfortable out there; and he continues to find his way onto the score sheet but when he winds up for his big slapper he has to put it on goal to at least give opposing goaltenders a chance to fail in stopping it. Too many of his big blasts are going high and wide. Erik Christensen gave us a brief glimpse of his skill as he had a nice rush in the 1st period; perhaps his best singular play not related to the shootout but he needs to show us more. Especially if he’s going to be used on the 2nd line and 2nd power play unit. He has some good hands, but he just seems to lack fire.
The Wild lost a great opportunity to move up in the standings and really be back into the playoff hunt tonight. The sad thing is, you can’t really blame the news of the trade of Marek Zidlicky for their lack of focus that put the Wild in a hole early in the game. Most Wild players did not know Zidlicky had been dealt until the 1st intermission. I realize the club played a tough game the night before in Florida, but if this team really wants to be in the playoffs this was a game it had to have. A game with the ability to swing the team 4 points one way or the other in the standings. While like many Wild fans I was overjoyed to hear the club was able to trade Zidlicky and over time became even more enthralled by the incredible haul our goal-less blueliner yielded (Kurtis Foster, Stephane Veilleux, Nick Palmieri, a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2013) us the loss has left a bad taste in my mouth. The Wild missed a major opportunity and now you have to consider Sunday’s game against San Jose a must win.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight is as follows: Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Matt Cullen, Erik Christensen, Warren Peters, Jed Ortmeyer, Matt Kassian, Darroll Powe, Cal Clutterbuck, Chad Rau, Kyle Brodziak, Nick Johnson, Nick Schultz, Greg Zanon, Justin Falk, Nate Prosser, Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon. Matt Hackett shared duties between the pipes with Niklas Backstrom. Josh Harding was a scratch while Marek Zidlicky was off the ice packing his bags to go to New Jersey as he was dealt just prior to the game.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Kari Lehtonen, 2nd Star Eric Nystrom, 3rd Star Tom Wandell
~ Attendance was 13,144 (I think that was a generous estimate) at American Airlines Arena.
Where Are They Now?
C – Rickard Wallin (Farjestads BK, Eliteserien) ~ Prior to the start of the Wild’s inaugural season in 2000, Minnesota acquired the rights to Rickard Wallin when it dealt Joe Juneau to the Desert Dogs after having selected him out of the Expansion Draft. The Wild patiently allowed Wallin to continue to hone his game in his native Sweden before finally calling him over in 2002-03 where he played for their American Hockey League affiliate in Houston. Apart from a few brief call ups, including his 2-goal NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings, Wallin waited for his turn with the Wild. He seemed to get his lucky break after the Wild struggled through 2003-04 with a late-season call up where he scored 5 goals and 9 points in 15 games. That is as close as it got with the Wild and Wallin spent the next two seasons being relegated to the AHL. The Stockholm-native took his game back to Europe where he played most of it in Sweden with Farjestad BK where he was one of the better players in the Eliteserien. His strong play in Sweden again got him noticed by NHL scouts and he was picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs who were intrigued by his playmaking abilities. Wallin would play 60 games in 2009-10 for the hapless Leafs, but despite lots of ice time Wallin struggled to finish his scoring chances. Wallin would then return to Farjestad BK where he currently serves as the team’s captain. The former Wild center has 8 goals and 25 points in 47 games.
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Brett Bulmer (Kelowna, WHL) ~ The Prince George, British Columbia-native seems to be getting his 2nd win as he has been making his presence more regularly felt on the score sheet after a 2-goal performance (giving him 26 on the season) in a 6-4 Rockets victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. Bulmer is also asserting his toughness as he dropped the gloves with the Oil Kings’ Keegan Lowe the son of former Edmonton Oiler player / General Manager Kevin Lowe. You can see the fight in the above clip, its a pretty decent scrap with Bulmer showing some good pugilistic instincts.
F – Anthony Hamburg (Omaha, USHL) ~ Another Wild prospect who appears to have gotten his 2nd wind is Anthony Hamburg. The Lancers’ captain chipped in 2 helpers in a 6-3 loss to the Sioux City Stampede. The Phoenix, Arizona-native has already achieved career highs in goals (7) and points (24) this season.
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