VOYAGEUR COUNTRY-ALONG THE BOARDS:Fans perspective and analysis from the state of hockey covering the Minnesota Wild, Gophers and the state high school hockey tournaments. Also other favorites such as the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks. Occasional opinions of rivals old and new like the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
MSHSL Boys Hockey Tournament Class AA Finals UPDATE
What a great day for Minnesota hockey. First the Class A game goes into OT in a 5-4 thriller with Saint Thomas Academy edging Hermantown. Now in the AA Final between Duluth East and Eden Prairie it was locked 2-2 going into the 3rd OT when Eden Prairie scored on a trickler through the 5 hole ending a protracted battle in the longest championship game in Minnesota State Hockey Tournament history and a 3-2 victory.
MSHSL Boys Hockey Tournament Class AA Finals
The Class AA Boys State Hockey Championship between Duluth East & Eden Prairie is unerway early in the 1st Period. Coverahe on KSTC45. No score early. If it is 1/2 as good as Class A was should be a great game.
MSHSL Boys Hockey Tournament Class A Finals UPDATE
The Class A Hockey game between Hermantown & St. Thomas Academy was a great matchup. Hermantown went up 3-0 early in the 1st period with STA battling back to within 1 at 3-2. At that point the 2 teams exchanged goals before STA tied it up midway through the 3rd. The game went into overtime with STA prevailing in the 1st 8 min overtime 5-4. Definitely worthy of a championship game.
MSHSL Boys Hockey Tournament Class A Finals
Well the Class A Finals are set and about to drop the puck. Hermantown squares off against St. Thomas Academy. Neither team has lost against Class A teams all season. Both have played AA teams and have battled hard. Today 1 team gets their first Class A loss of the season in the biggest game many will play in their hockey life. All todays action on KSTC 45.
MN Hockey...Where do we go from here?
Minnesota hockey and its fans are reeling after a less than stellar hockey season from both of the major teams in the state. The Minnesota Gophers after years of players bolting for the NHL have had a couple solid classes and some stability but yet no results. They had home ice advantage for round 1 in the WCHA Final 5 and dropped the opening game to Alaska Anchorage 4-3. The Minnesota Wild in year 10 of the franchise and year 2 of the new leadership group appeared to be on the brink of putting things together and then...back to back 4-0 losses with 12 games to play and on the outside looking in.
In a state that demands instant sports satisfaction, has been waiting a long time for a Stanley Cup and expects NCAA Championships this has been a disheartening year. Minnesota also has a penchant for calling for the heads of its head coaches regardless of who they are and what they have accomplished. They at times have called for the firings of Bud Grant, & Tom Kelly. Now there have been rumblings of disenchantment with Don Lucia and Todd Richards.
All Don Lucia has done is win 2 national championships while here at Minnesota something not accomplished since the days of hockey legend Herb Brooks. This doesn't include his other accomplishments here and at Colorado College. RELAX people!! Lucia is a great hockey mind and hopefully will be going nowhere anytime soon. The problem with the Gophers is not with Lucia but with a system that allows the exodus of underclassmen espescially with no guarantee of NHL call ups or even an NHL career at any point. Remaining in college can only help their deveolopment and this situation should be addressed, not just for the benefit of the Gophers and other top programs but for the players and their future.
As far as Wild head coach Todd Richards while he is inexperienced, this is first stint as a head coach at the NHL level, he has made huge strides with this program. Richards and GM Chuck Fletcher totally revamped the system and the evaluation of players. They have begun restocking the minor league teams and results are beginning to show. They took over a team and system with nothing in the cupboard as former GM Doug Risebrough while hitting the jackpot with some players was very inconsistent in the draft and gave up many blue chip players in trades that did not provide tangible results. The 2009-2010 season, their first was a bust and a huge dissapointment. However at the beginning of 2010-2011 season things started to click. The team after several changes began to buy into the new sytem after 8 years under Jacques Lemaire. Richards had to earn their trust and respect which took time. They are becoming cohesive and team chemistry is high.
So while both teams may be dissapointments for this season, look to the future it appears to be very bright. Dont be short sighted and start over yet again or as is often the case in Minnesota we will be caught in the loop of starting over and always wanting. Look to the Minnesota Twins for reference and motivation. While people called for the head of Tom Kelly, former GM Terry Ryan stuck with him because he knew and believed in the man, he believed in the system being implemented. That system is still in place. While TK chose to retire after overhauling a team and its philosophy from the ground up, he left Gardy with a winner, talent piled high and a philosophy built for long term success. Give our hockey gurus time, I believe the results will come.
Stay the course in the state of hockey! The ship is not sinking.
In a state that demands instant sports satisfaction, has been waiting a long time for a Stanley Cup and expects NCAA Championships this has been a disheartening year. Minnesota also has a penchant for calling for the heads of its head coaches regardless of who they are and what they have accomplished. They at times have called for the firings of Bud Grant, & Tom Kelly. Now there have been rumblings of disenchantment with Don Lucia and Todd Richards.
All Don Lucia has done is win 2 national championships while here at Minnesota something not accomplished since the days of hockey legend Herb Brooks. This doesn't include his other accomplishments here and at Colorado College. RELAX people!! Lucia is a great hockey mind and hopefully will be going nowhere anytime soon. The problem with the Gophers is not with Lucia but with a system that allows the exodus of underclassmen espescially with no guarantee of NHL call ups or even an NHL career at any point. Remaining in college can only help their deveolopment and this situation should be addressed, not just for the benefit of the Gophers and other top programs but for the players and their future.
As far as Wild head coach Todd Richards while he is inexperienced, this is first stint as a head coach at the NHL level, he has made huge strides with this program. Richards and GM Chuck Fletcher totally revamped the system and the evaluation of players. They have begun restocking the minor league teams and results are beginning to show. They took over a team and system with nothing in the cupboard as former GM Doug Risebrough while hitting the jackpot with some players was very inconsistent in the draft and gave up many blue chip players in trades that did not provide tangible results. The 2009-2010 season, their first was a bust and a huge dissapointment. However at the beginning of 2010-2011 season things started to click. The team after several changes began to buy into the new sytem after 8 years under Jacques Lemaire. Richards had to earn their trust and respect which took time. They are becoming cohesive and team chemistry is high.
So while both teams may be dissapointments for this season, look to the future it appears to be very bright. Dont be short sighted and start over yet again or as is often the case in Minnesota we will be caught in the loop of starting over and always wanting. Look to the Minnesota Twins for reference and motivation. While people called for the head of Tom Kelly, former GM Terry Ryan stuck with him because he knew and believed in the man, he believed in the system being implemented. That system is still in place. While TK chose to retire after overhauling a team and its philosophy from the ground up, he left Gardy with a winner, talent piled high and a philosophy built for long term success. Give our hockey gurus time, I believe the results will come.
Stay the course in the state of hockey! The ship is not sinking.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Shutout Again
I am not in any way a fair weather fan but.........OH MY GOD!! Back to back 4-0 shutout losses when you have a chance to move back into playoff position and improve your overall chances. How does that happen when you have been competitive all year long? Where is the heart? Where is the sense of urgency? I am not angry but flustered and wonder how Wild players can think that this is a way to repay devoted and educated hockey fans. Their play has been a disgrace! They are better than this!!
OK I feel better now. Time to get back on the ice and to use a basketball analogy go on a run, wins and losses run not points.
LET'S GO WILD!!
OK I feel better now. Time to get back on the ice and to use a basketball analogy go on a run, wins and losses run not points.
LET'S GO WILD!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Playoffs or Bust
At the time of this posting the Wild have 14 games remaining on the regular season schedule. Next up is the Nashville Predators on the road. The Wild currently sit in the 9 spot just 2pts out of playoff contention. The Phoenix Coyotes are above them but the Wild do have a game in hand. They are also only 4 pts out of the 4th & 5th spots held by the Blachawks & Flames. Again they currently have 1 & 2 games in hand respectively.
With Nashville sitting just 1pt behind the Wild in 10th this is an important match up. Phoenix and Calgary will also be squaring off at the same time so the Wild have a chance to improve their positioning with a good showing. The team appeared to finally be getting healthy then Barker & Zidlicky both go down again.
The Wild blueline has really gotten a lot of help this season with call ups from the Houston Aeros. While it would be nice to have the regular lineup healthy for a change it is nice to have depth. This has been really good experience for the younger call ups and could prove vital down the stretch and into the playoffs.
With Nashville sitting just 1pt behind the Wild in 10th this is an important match up. Phoenix and Calgary will also be squaring off at the same time so the Wild have a chance to improve their positioning with a good showing. The team appeared to finally be getting healthy then Barker & Zidlicky both go down again.
The Wild blueline has really gotten a lot of help this season with call ups from the Houston Aeros. While it would be nice to have the regular lineup healthy for a change it is nice to have depth. This has been really good experience for the younger call ups and could prove vital down the stretch and into the playoffs.
MSHSL Boys Hockey Tournament
Today begins one of the greatest state high school tournaments in the country for any sport. The Minnesota State Boys High School Hockey Tournament kicks off at the Xcel Energy Center with the inaugural tilt featuring Alexandria vs. Hermantown in Class A at 11 AM. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press since its inception in 1945 the tournament has drawn over 5 million spectators including 118,934 in last years event.
Many of todays NHL greats have showcased their talents in this tournament raising their stock for the NHL draft. Minnesota is not just known as the State of Hockey because of our beloved Mn Wild, the former Mn North Stars, the Mn Moose, or even the St. Paul Fighting Saints. We have the multiple national championship winning Mn Gophers, and the majority of skaters on both the 1960 and 1980 Gold Medal winning US Olympic teams called Minnesota home. Even with all that the main reason we are the state of hockey starts here with our youth and their passion for the game rivaled only by the founding fathers of our planets greatest sport in Canada.
So whatever your plans are for today, change them or at least adjust them to take in some great hockey at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Wild. If you dont have time, stop into a neighborhood restaurant or bar like Tom Reids Hockey City Pub to get caught up on all the action and where things sit, it should be a fun ride.
Let's Play Hockey!!
Many of todays NHL greats have showcased their talents in this tournament raising their stock for the NHL draft. Minnesota is not just known as the State of Hockey because of our beloved Mn Wild, the former Mn North Stars, the Mn Moose, or even the St. Paul Fighting Saints. We have the multiple national championship winning Mn Gophers, and the majority of skaters on both the 1960 and 1980 Gold Medal winning US Olympic teams called Minnesota home. Even with all that the main reason we are the state of hockey starts here with our youth and their passion for the game rivaled only by the founding fathers of our planets greatest sport in Canada.
So whatever your plans are for today, change them or at least adjust them to take in some great hockey at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Wild. If you dont have time, stop into a neighborhood restaurant or bar like Tom Reids Hockey City Pub to get caught up on all the action and where things sit, it should be a fun ride.
Let's Play Hockey!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
State of Hockey Year 10
Year 10 for the Minnesota Wild and the Xcel Energy Center hardly seems possible. It still feels like the Minnesota North Stars just left for Dallas in the Norm Green fiasco. However that was 1993 and now our former team is having problems putting people in the seats. Rumor has it they are also on the verge of being sold yet again.
Back here in Minny things are starting to look up as the 10th season draws to a close. Todd Richards & Chuck Fletcher are in year 2 of implementing a new system and philosophy. The team finally started to play like they had bought into the system in December and haven't looked back since. They have climbed back into playoff contention despite a rash of injuries and are starting to get healthy for the first time all season. Arguably one of Fletchers best and at the time under the radar acquisitions Guillaume Latendresse skated for the first time in a game tonight in the last 58 games.
At the trade deadline the team had battled into playoff contention preventing a selloff. Fletcher said the way the guys were playing and with the team chemistry he was hesitant to make a deal and potentially disrupt the team. Additionally as previously mentioned guys were getting healthy for the first time providing additional depth. Many people feel that chemistry wise this team is one of the best if not the best in the 10 year history of the Wild. Only time will tell if that will be enough to get the team into the playoffs or make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup reminiscent of 2003.
One last thought after Hockey Day In Minnesota, followed up by the Wild participating in Hockey Day in America, it is VERY clear that the Winter Classic is LONG overdue in the State of Hockey!! NHL you owe Minnesota for 1993 and the 7 year wait for NHL hockey to come back. Let's make it happen!
Secord Still Sucks!! Norm Green.......choke on it!!
Back here in Minny things are starting to look up as the 10th season draws to a close. Todd Richards & Chuck Fletcher are in year 2 of implementing a new system and philosophy. The team finally started to play like they had bought into the system in December and haven't looked back since. They have climbed back into playoff contention despite a rash of injuries and are starting to get healthy for the first time all season. Arguably one of Fletchers best and at the time under the radar acquisitions Guillaume Latendresse skated for the first time in a game tonight in the last 58 games.
At the trade deadline the team had battled into playoff contention preventing a selloff. Fletcher said the way the guys were playing and with the team chemistry he was hesitant to make a deal and potentially disrupt the team. Additionally as previously mentioned guys were getting healthy for the first time providing additional depth. Many people feel that chemistry wise this team is one of the best if not the best in the 10 year history of the Wild. Only time will tell if that will be enough to get the team into the playoffs or make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup reminiscent of 2003.
One last thought after Hockey Day In Minnesota, followed up by the Wild participating in Hockey Day in America, it is VERY clear that the Winter Classic is LONG overdue in the State of Hockey!! NHL you owe Minnesota for 1993 and the 7 year wait for NHL hockey to come back. Let's make it happen!
Secord Still Sucks!! Norm Green.......choke on it!!
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