LATEST STORIES FROM WILD PUCK BANTER
What Has Happened to Brent Burns?
6 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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What is going on with Brent Burns? Not that long ago he was considered to be among the better young defensemen in the game, mentioned in the same breath with Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester and Mike Green. Two years ago he had an All-Star caliber season and was thought to be on the brink...
Squirt Practice
7 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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I am writing this post from my son's hockey practice. He is 10 years old and a C level squirt. The typical practice consists of 40 minutes of skating drills and 20 minutes of hockey drills. Too much time is spent skating. Let the kids play. Teach them the breakout.Then again, if...
Improvement
8 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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Well it appears that the team has pulled out of their piss-poor play over the last week or so and has showed signs of improvement. With good games played against Dallas, Toronto and Tampa Bay, the Wild have shown some good signs. Namely, they're putting more pucks in the opponent...
Pucks Gone Wild
21 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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Lately I've been writing more over at our sister site, Pucks Gone Wild. Check it out!
Overtime Again
27 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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Some quick thoughts about last night's overtime win against Carolina:Cal Clutterbuck may be the key to this team. It's hard to overestimate his impact on the Wild's team energy. Hope he stays healthy.Nik Backstrom should play every night. Who cares if we need to showcase...
Benny the Beast
29 days ago by
Wild Puck Banter
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I attended Wednesday's shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche and came away impressed with the play of Wild forward Benoit Pouliot. Outside of players named Mikko and Brent, #67 was the best Wild player on the ice. He was a presence in the offensive zone and often seemed...
On an Island
October 21, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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I know this post is non-Wild, but sometimes issues like this require their own forum.Can you imagine being in a different country and having to get to the store to buy a taco? Or having to obtain a work visa? Such is the case for hockey players playing in foreign countries. American...
Fire Sale?
October 19, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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I am not a subscriber to the ESPN Insider service, but I did notice that they posted an article today that was titled "Wild Preparing for Fire Sale". It doesn't take rocket scientists or title insurance examiners to figure out that this may be the case sooner rather than...
Thrashers North
October 17, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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So this is what it must be like to be an Atlanta Thrashers fan. Hopefully the team can put together a strong game tonight against the equally-as-bad Vancouver Canucks. Luongo got pulled again last night, so there's the silver lining. To make things a bit more interesting, tonight...
Wild on the Clock?
October 15, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Clearly the team is struggling so far this season. One overtime win in 5 games is not a great start. And now Marty Havlat has tweaked his groin on the soft Anaheim ice. Maybe it's time to start looking at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and see who we might land with the first overall...
Canuck Week
October 13, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Yes, it's Canuck Week here at Wild Puck Banter again. It seems like just yesterday when we recounted the Canucks' playoff collapses, bad uniforms, poor management decisions, coaching failures and poor players, but another year has gone by. With the Wild in Vancouver Saturday...
Game 1 Thoughts
October 04, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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For my thoughts about Game 1, hop on over to Pucks Gone Wild.
Is It 2007 Again?
October 03, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Last time I checked, the majority of all major sports' games were broadcast in high definition. I can turn my television and watch football, baseball and even basketball in living detail. Heck, I was even able to watch the "Real World Road Rules Challenge" in HD the other...
Prediction? Pain.
October 01, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Everyone's making predictions, so here goes mine:Western Conference:1. San Jose.2. Calgary.3. Chicago.4. St. Louis.5. Minnesota.6. Detroit.7. Anaheim.8. Columbus.9. Los Angeles.10. Vancouver.11. Nashville.12. Dallas.13. Edmonton.14. Phoenix.15. Colorado.San Jose is on top again...
Colton Will Be Back
September 28, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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For today's post, click over to Pucks Gone Wild.
What to Expect
September 25, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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The season for the Wild is only 8 days away. Each season should bring new and exciting innovations, and this one is no different. Here's what to expect from Wild Puck Banter once they start playing games that matter:1. Immediate after game thoughts ~ I'll try my best to post...
Richards Must Go
September 25, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Another convincing and humiliating loss to the Blues. Todd Richards can't coach his way out of a box. He's reminding me a bit of Les Steckel. Trying to introduce his own "up-tempo" style system isn't going to work if you don't have Sid Crosby or Geno Malkin...
Tell Jason It's Just Business
September 21, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Read this article in the Columbus paper.I LOVE the first posted comment here under the article:tom:"don't hold your breath waiting for a suspension Chimmer. The past has told us that it is open season on Blue jackets as far as the league is concerned."I guess I didn&...
Curmudgeon
September 19, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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cur-mudg-eon [ker-muhj-uhn] -noun- a bad tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.What have I become? I attended the Wild-Bluejackets game last night with the best seats I have had the opportunity to sit in. Fourth row in the corner. I could see Derek Boogaard's pores when he went...
Ranking the Defensemen
September 18, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Let's take a look at this season's likely list of defensemen and where I think they rank in terms of a combination of (a) defensive, shut-down ability and (b) offensive spark:1. Brent Burns ~ poised for a big bounce back year. Was on the verge of stardom 2 seasons ago then...
Guess Who's Coming
September 14, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Stanley Cup winner Petr Sykora, that's who. And just what we needed, a guy who consistently scores. Word has it he's coming to St. Paul on Tuesday for a tryout. When he makes the team he's expected to sign a 1 year deal worth around $1.25m. Whose roster spot does he take...
Line Projections
September 09, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Early, yes, but if I'm Todd Richards, here's how I set up the forward lines (center-left wing-right wing):1. Koivu-Marty-Brunette2. Shep-Nolan-PMB3. Belanger-Gilles-Miettinen4. Brodziak-Boogey-ClutterbuckWhile I think PMB is arguably the best playmaker, I would place Brunette...
Make It Official Already
September 08, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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Maybe they're waiting for training camp to open, but it's high time they named Mikko Koivu the permanent captain of the team. He's been their rotating captain a few times and has been their unofficial captain since the lockout. As far as alternates go, I'm guessing...
Wake Me Up...
September 04, 2009 by
Wild Puck Banter
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...when September ends. Yes, I've used this Green Day line in previous years, but I am convinced that they are hockey fans. One more month until regular season hockey starts. One month until Nik Backstrom begins another Vezina-quality season. One month until Mikko wears the "...
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