MN Wild 2016-17 – Official thread.

hop307 wrote:

Looks like Yeo will get an early start as bench boss of the Blues.

I just saw that Hitchcock got the axe. Yeo is taking over just in time for a midseason slump.

Wow, that is nuts. I guess it make sense though. The team is struggling and he’s gone next year anyway, why not try and light a fire. Like they say, you can’t get rid of 24 guys. They need a goalie. In fact, all the teams in the central division are proving this year you cannot go anywhere without goaltending and good defense.

I saw a list of the top teams and it is completely void of a lot of the usual suspects.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Granlund was at the receiving end of one of those “snot-releasing” hip checks. He got right up though, but that was a good old fashioned hip check!

And then Zucker got the guy back with a shoulder as he was trying to deliver a second hit! I loved that.

It’s a little Alanis Ironic that as Yeo becomes a head coach I am now ready to shake the cobwebs of doubt out of my head. The team is just solid. And the obvious difference this year is scoring. They can score themselves into a win even with bad games. Remember all the struggles from seasons past were not defense or goaltending usually, but that the entire team went into a scoring funk. There have been games this year where they didn’t play 60 minutes, yet they win, so no one says they didn’t play 60 minutes.

I didn’t watch the 3rd last night.

Poor Pomminville, another pipe.

Staal has 2 pts in the last 8 games. Does it matter? Nope.
Coyle has 1 goal in his last 12 games. Does it matter? Nope.

Stewart is on track for his best season since 2009-2010 when he scored 28 goals.

No one is suggesting anymore it is maybe time to part ways with Granlund.

It’s a fun ride and one we have been waiting for a long time to happen.

What is wrong with some people.

Whoops, this was last year. Sorry, I am eating lunch and enjoying YouTube.

Loved everything about the game last night. A perfect example of how the Wild win by doing it Bruce’s way.

I love how the Wild’s 4 lines of #1 lines grind down an opponent. There’s just no let up on the Wild attack because scoring comes from anywhere and everywhere. Which line does an opponent try to match their best D line against when all 4 of our lines score like #1 lines? It’s no wonder we’re in the very un-Minnesota position of being the team nobody wants to play.

The other thing I like is that finally, we have a Wild team that can totally victimize the opposition’s weakest point. And do it over and over again.

It’s no secret that Edmonton has the same issue they have had throughout all these #1 picks that were supposed to overwhelm opponents with firepower: Offense ain’t defense or goaltending. Edmonton’s weak point. So the Wild went out and got to work and sent the second netminder in 2 games on the Walk of Shame by hammering away at the weak spot with huge success.

mplspug wrote:

No one is suggesting anymore it is maybe time to part ways with Granlund.

Yeah, not a lot of Pierre-Marc Grandlund jokes going on this year.

Also not a lot of that unicorn hunting “we need a #1 center” talk. Whatever a “#1 center” is. So do we have 2 of them now, or one of them, or which one is the #1, or does 2 + a #1 center add up to 3 #1 centers?

Awesome job by Kuemper last night. Getting the #2 guy to deliver a 2 goal game is awesome. To be honest, that first goal had eyes and was going in no matter who was in the net, an upward deflection off your own player right in front of the net isn’t going to get stopped no matter who’s there.

Good luck to St. Louis with Yeo. I see Chicago lost last night, so the Wild start to build some breathing room and I think we still have 3 games in hand if I’m counting right?

Tough one tonight on the back to back. It’s going to be hard and Calgary knows it.

Grouse

mplspug wrote:

What is wrong with some people.

The Flyers front office staff created that situation deliberately. They knew full well that if you hand a Flyers fan anything, they’re going to throw it on the ice. It’s part of the jackass culture of being a Flyers fan.

We had these 2 guys from New York sitting next to us one time when we were playing the Pens. They must have bought the tickets on stub hub or whatever.

One of the guys commented, “God the fans are so quiet. Where’s the yelling at the refs or the “Sid Sucks” chanting?”

The guy behind us said to the New Yackers, “This is Minnesota. We don’t have to be a-holes here.” Summed it up pretty nicely.

Grouse

mplspug wrote:

And then Zucker got the guy back with a shoulder as he was trying to deliver a second hit! I loved that.

I saw that! Zucker has done that a couple times, he can really lay a hit into someone for his size. He is having a fantastic season.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

The guy behind us said to the New Yackers, “This is Minnesota. We don’t have to be a-holes here.” Summed it up pretty nicely.

Well, not since I left apparently. I’ll admit I am the obnoxious fan everyone hates. I hate obnoxious fans too. I hate myself. It’s so embarrassing I used to heckle the opposing team of the USHL team that played at Columbia Arena.

Hitchcock was just fired Yeo is taking over!!

Except we feel the need to boo our home team any chance we get. I don’t remember that 10 years ago.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Nice to see Parise score a Parise goal last night, must have been the white tape

I think u could almost see the relief..hopefully he gets rolling

Brady Valberg wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
Nice to see Parise score a Parise goal last night, must have been the white tape

I think u could almost see the relief..hopefully he gets rolling

He finally switched from black to white tape. Clearly that is what has been holding him back!

I think the majority of the booing is coming from the bandwagon fans paying up for tickets now. I have sold several tickets for games for more than double face value. I had to triple my tickets now so I still have some games to go to.

biggill wrote:

Except we feel the need to boo our home team any chance we get. I don’t remember that 10 years ago.

I have no problem with the booing. If you are spending money for entertainers to entertain you and they don’t appear to be putting in the effort, they deserve the booing.

I find the PP “SHOOOOOT” annoying though.

mplspug wrote:

It’s a little Alanis Ironic that as Yeo becomes a head coach I am now ready to shake the cobwebs of doubt out of my head. The team is just solid. And the obvious difference this year is scoring. They can score themselves into a win even with bad games. Remember all the struggles from seasons past were not defense or goaltending usually, but that the entire team went into a scoring funk. There have been games this year where they didn’t play 60 minutes, yet they win, so no one says they didn’t play 60 minutes.

It’s a fun ride and one we have been waiting for a long time to happen.

Can Boudreau counter the curse?

Tuch up, Boudreau frustrated with Coyle. Hopefully Tuch gets a look on Saturday. I just don’t understand Coyle, sometimes he looks like John Leclair, most of the time he doesn’t.

Well, good job for Bruce calling out Coyle for needing some “straightening out.” I’ve been frustrated with Coyle’s lack of consistent production for the last 2 seasons. Everybody seemed to be so in love with Coyle because he was “big” and there’s the perception out there that the wild were too small. Well big is a great thing if it’s scoring goals, but when it’s stinking the place up with near zero offensive production…

Time to give Tuch a look and see how the big league looks on him. Send Coyle down to the minors until he gets straightened out or dangle him as expansion bait and protect Zucker instead. Coyle’s been coasting too long on the appeal of his size.

BTW, that game was just a stinker last night in Calgary. If it would have been a 3-1 loss I’d say more about the poor quality of the officiating and the continued string of blown calls/no calls, but that doesn’t really matter when you stink it up that bad. Hit the reset button.

Grouse

I’m pretty sure sending Coyle down would expose him via the waiver wire.

I have read a couple places that Coyle has been playing with a nagging injury, shoulder possibly. Now would be the perfect time to sit him, we were off yesterday, practice today, sit him on Saturday, then we do not play again until Tuesday in Winnipeg.

I don’t think Burce would be talking about having a meeting and getting Coyle “straightened out” if it was just a nagging injury.

We have to figure out a way to protect Zucker and not Coyle. Either deal Coyle’s underproducing buttski out of here or find another option. Hopefully the little chat with Bruce will be the boot up the backside Coyle needs so we can get his play looking at least a little better just in time for the trade deadline. Then deal him quick.

Grouse

If he is playing with a nagging shoulder injury, I bet its something that is going to require surgery and a long recovery, so he’s playing through it and no rest will help.

We cannot lose Coyle…he’s our LGBTQ Ambassador. Yep, the NHL named an LGBWhatever rep from each team.

NHL names a player on each team as LGBTQ-inclusion ambassador

hopefully Tuch can become one of those late season call-ups that makes a difference, I’m excited to see him play!

mplspug wrote:

We cannot lose Coyle…he’s our LGBTQ Ambassador. Yep, the NHL named an LGBWhatever rep from each team.

NHL names a player on each team as LGBTQ-inclusion ambassador

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

But is it too much to ask for us to have an LGBTQ Ambassador who also scores GOALS?

I mean, who’s the LGBTQ Ambassador for, say, the Caps? It’s Ovechkin right? Probably. So there, there’s what we need. Sensitive and supportive off the ice, killer goal scorer on the ice. That’s what we need to shoot for.

Grouse

Washington Capitals — Braden Holtby

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
We cannot lose Coyle…he’s our LGBTQ Ambassador. Yep, the NHL named an LGBWhatever rep from each team.

NHL names a player on each team as LGBTQ-inclusion ambassador

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

But is it too much to ask for us to have an LGBTQ Ambassador who also scores GOALS?

I mean,

who’s the LGBTQ Ambassador for, say, the Caps? It’s Ovechkin right?

Probably. So there, there’s what we need. Sensitive and supportive off the ice, killer goal scorer on the ice. That’s what we need to shoot for.

Grouse

The Caps are screwed, their Ambassador doesn’t score any goals.

CaptainMusky wrote:

The Caps are screwed, their Ambassador doesn’t score any goals.

Well, we have something in common then. Neither does ours.

Grouse

Was I the only one who stayed up on the late shift to watch Saturday’s game?

AKA “The Mikael Granlund Show”. Wow. A Granlund Hat Trick and what a pass to Koivu for another goal. Granlund was on fire the whole game.

The white tape continues to pay off for Parise. I don’t know why he waited so long.

Yes, they let in 3 goals, but IMO no goaltender in the league including Dubnyk is going to stop that batted out of the air shot, so pretty tough to be too critical.

I’m just not used to the Wild having so much firepower. They give up 2 goals and I’m having kittens thinking holy crap, we’re in trouble. I have to get some MN Sports Fan Chill Pills. It’s hard to get used to after the anemic offensive years when giving up 3 goals meant the Wild were going to lose. Now they just bang in 6 goals. Does anyone know how many games the Wild have had this year where they scored 4 or more? I know memory is a faulty thing, but I have to think they are in franchise record territory this year with the number of games they have scored over 4.

OK, let’s shoot down the Jets and get back from this swing 3 for 4. I really enjoy beating Winnipeg, it’s almost as much fun as whipping Colorado.

Grouse

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far this team just keeps rolling. That was a long night and my liver paid a heavy price, but it was a glorious game. I thought it was fitting that 3 hats were thrown onto the ice for Granlund’s first hat trick. One for each goal! It was really nice that he could share that moment with his little brother! LOL