Wild NHL Premiere!
By Editorial Staff
The first semi-week of the NHL season is done. I have put this off since Thursday afternoon. Warning: this post will be as “pretty” as the games Thursday and Friday.
Thursday was awesome. Barely any sleep all night Wednesday, anticipating the NHL Premiere in Helsinki, Finland. THIS was going to be awesome! The very first season game throughout the league, and The Wild were part of it! Still wondering who they sold out to. The Wild part of something big, and the first in line? No way!
So being all hyped up, even after a lousy preseason [see preseason means nothing] I was so ready for this game. I did my EVERY game, pregame ritual singing The State of Hockey anthem into a hockey stick, sportin’ my Mikko jersey of course. I am ready to go, and so are The Wild!
The first period looked ok. Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen did their thing as they always do. Working that puck, yeah! Guillaume Latendresse nets one crashing the net. GO Wild! I am out of my seat and yelling, thinking the next Kyle Wellwood may be back this year. My dogs realize it is hockey season again, they run out of the house. Our love/hate relationship has just went to the “hate” side for the next 8 months. Or should I say 6 months? [see any golf course] No, I will remain optimistic at this point in the game. We just scored, and are in the lead of game 1 of the NHL Premiere, in Helsinki Finland, FIRST game of the season league wide! *fist pump*
The first period wasn’t all that bad. The Wild looked ok like I said, but were a bit slow to me. Then my buddy Cam Barker, to the box for the worst interference call I have seen this season, [see NHL Premiere] I still do not know what he was thinking. This only leads to Brandon Sutter scoring on a PPG with 9.2 seconds left. I will say this, Backs was not in fault here. (please do not quote me on that) The Canes’ D was the start of all of this, keeping the puck in our zone, Right, to left, to deep right, straight to Sutter, with a nice deflection. Beautiful play by them. Tied at 1, the fun begins, The Wild’s second period is always stellar.[see any Wild game]
Intermission was fantastic. Way for Jonesy and Ward to love on Mikko, and we all know this is well deserved. Ward also mentioned that Mikko cannot continue to carry this team alone. Epic statement.[see any game Mikko plays]
Second period was a disaster on ice for The Wild. Cullen brought it, and tied the game up at 2. I could hardly believe it though. The D was rough, and most of the players appeared as if they were concreted to the ice. Craig Leipold should invest in some mini jackhammers for times like this. Something has to get us out of this horrid 2nd period slump we have not been able to overcome for a “few” years. [see Jacques Lemaire hierarchy]
They played well in the third. Well I should say the 2nd half of the third. I know it is shocking to hear this. We play all game, every game, all 60 minutes. [see wishful thinking] Nick Schultz did not have a good game. He was in the crease, or damn close on all 3 goals. He had that Antti Miettinen look on his face all 3 times. Oh the horror, the horror. Each goal with him there, my dogs ran farther and farther back in the yard. Welcome back Wild hockey season!
I cannot say too much good about this NHL Premeire, from Helsinki Finland, the FIRST game of the 2010-21011 season with The Wild. [see my boys] I can take a loss easier when we actually play. If any kind of effort was there for an entire 60 minutes [see Mikko] then we could become the Edmonton Oilers of this season, and I would not flinch a bit. [see little white lies] Fact is, we have a LOT of work to do. Calling for Richards head is not the answer. [see tomorrow’s blog for Friday’s game thoughts, as this may become another “see little white lie”] Calling for anyone’s head after this game is not the answer [see “yet”] It is only the 1st game of the season. I have hope. [see “nothing else left”]
Edmonton up next. Can we take out these kids? I optimistically [see little white lie… again] think so. We can this. We ARE The State of Hockey. We are Minny! [see sports leader of the world] We have overcame! We will conquer the NW division! [see LOL]
Comments or debates? I hope so!
therealhockette@gmail.com
twitter.com/nhl