Let’s face facts… the Montreal Canadians aren’t exactly cup favorites this season. Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the Bell Centre was only paralleled by the Wild’s play on the ice, as the NHL’s best road team did nothing to make anyone question the legitimacy of their sterling 20-5-3 record as the visitors. Future Hall of Fame Marc-Andre Fleury turned away all nineteen shots he faced en route to leading Minnesota to a 4-0 victory. Marco Rossi and Frederick Gaudreau both a goal and an assist each as a part of an inspired team effort. This overall sequence of events invigorated my hockey soul and inspired me to submit this to you all for your consideration as Wild fans…
Give Me Five (Winning Thoughts)
Returns on Liam Ohgren’s time down in Iowa are trending upward… and that isn’t just because he scored his first goal of the season in Montreal. He looks infinitely more confident on the ice and seems to be in the right position to make a favorable impact now, and in the future. At 21, confidence is imperative at this stage in his career, and staying up in Minnesota the entire season wasn’t a formula to push the needle in the right direction. Ohgren played nearly point-per-game hockey in his 25-game stint in the AHL (12 goals; 11 assists) and got his trust in himself (along with the franchise) back. Let's imagine for a bit here… Ohgren continues taking steps in the right direction and can approach being a consistent top-six type winger… That would mean we got Brock Faber and Liam Ohgren for a player we were not going to resign (Kevin Fiala). Bill Guerin… are you just really smart or do you have some sort of sorcery-type powers?
If you watched the Wild-Canadians game and didn’t get a tiny bit sentimental in regards to Marc-Andre Fleury, then you are a soulless monster and perhaps need to find a new sport to enjoy. So what are the takeaways that someone who did not find themselves with eyes that were watering up… First, Marc-Andre Fleury, at age 40, is still a goalie that can dominate. While not on a nightly basis, there are still times it is apparent he is in complete charge of the game. Second, Marc-Andre Fleury should not retire at the end of the season, and I believe more than half of the NHL clubs would sign him in the offseason if he made himself available. He is greatness and we get to watch it. As a fan who has the pleasure of having him as a part of my favorite team, I can say without a shred of doubt that he is among the greatest individuals to ever take the ice. Third, Quebec loves Fleury… and the reception for their native son was wondrous. It shouldn’t be a surprise. I am reasonably sure that Quebec has an adequate level of knowledge of hockey greatness. Fourth, this is one of the top-ten goaltenders of all time… and hockey’s deep history makes his contribution to the position all the more impressive.
The players of the Minnesota Wild Hockey Club need to figure something out… and they have a bit of time to do so. How do we play like we do when Kirill Kaprizov is out when Kirill Kaprizov comes back? The likes of Matt Boldy, Marco Rossi, Mats Zuccarello, and Joel Eriksson Ek must get that all hammered out and not go back to being borderline complacent when #97 returns. This club could certainly run the table in the playoffs, and anything close to this outcome makes Bill Guerin’s GM of the Year candidacy a certainty. Missing $13,000,000 of cap space… the injuries… and the talent we have coming up from the past few drafts… Is this becoming a chess v. Checkers type thing here?
What is still my one hold-up on commissioning a statue of Bill Guerin to be placed in front of the Xcel Energy Center? Marco Rossi… Why have we not resigned him? We have cap space… we have an expanding salary cap… we finally have the type of center we have been searching for… I have been on the trend of voicing my concerns about this matter on a biweekly basis, and as we creep closer to the trade deadline, the shelf life of a resolution to this is getting closer to expiring. I would like to see Rossi stay for the long haul, but the worst outcome would be riding out the contract and letting him walk… Unless we win Lord Stanley’s Cup… then… like… whatever man!
This is truly a sign of the impending apocalypse… I have something to say about Jon Merrill… and it is not bad. I have been more than satisfied with the recent play of the almost 33-year-old (his birthday is on 2/3… and no I don’t have his birthday saved on my Apple Calendar) Oklahoma City native. There has been an uptick in his physicality and intensity and over the last few games Merrill has been in a better position more often. He is at a +3 over the last four games and has seen increased time on the ice. Perhaps Coach John Hynes’ version of a tongue-lashing in his press conference after the Flames game spoke to Merrill… or put the fear of God in him. Either way… John Merrill playing scared = John Merrill being an important cog in winning. There it is… I used the words uptick, intensity, physicality, cog, important, and better in reference to Johnny-Stache,
Jacob Middleton’s Eternal Search For Hockey Excellence
As I continue to evaluate Jacob Middleton’s position in/out of my coveted placement in the Inner Circle of Minnesota Hockey Excellence and Trustworthiness, Jacob continues to give me every reason to believe he may be eventually considered for permanent residence. This begs the question… Who could Middleton perhaps be joining as eternal dwellers in the Inner Circle? Neal Broten, Kirill Kaprizov, and Lou Nanne… Yep… that’s it. Granted, Middleton did not show up on the score sheet during the last three road games, but he has recorded ten blocks and has been a +3. He is approaching twenty points for the season (currently sits at seventeen) and is +18 for the campaign. If you had told me Middleton had a shot to break twenty in both categories this season, I would have hugged you and demanded we get twin mustaches to celebrate.
Five Predictions (2/1/25 v. Ottawa Senators)
I was once a guy who was, in some circles, being called the hockey predictor of this generation. Then, I stopped solid predictions and ultimately ended up being mostly not correct. Sitting at
pedestrian predictor mark of 33-27, I need to get back on track… not just for me, but for the dozens of fans (I exaggerate) that read this… So here are my five predictions for the upcoming showdown with the Senators:
Prediction #1: The Wild win their fourth straight on this road trip by defeating Ottawa.
Prediction #2: Liam Ohgren adds a point to his season total v. the Senators.
Prediction #3: Jon Merrill makes it back to an even +/-.
Prediction #4 (The Give-Me): The Ottawa Senators will continue to have one of the most boring logo/jersey combos in the NHL.
Prediction #5: One of my all-time least favorite hockey players ever, Brady Tkachuk, goes scoreless and remains an all-around imbecile.
Non-Hockey Announcement For General Entertainment
Remember the name Jeff Gillooly? Well, on this day, back in 1994, Jeff pleaded guilty to racketeering for his role in the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. Kerrigan did go on to win a silver medal in the Winter Olympics despite the incident, and arch-rival and ex-wife of Gillooly, Tonya Harding, failed to medal and was forever haunted by the fact she was once married to a putz like Jeff. Plus, Jeff Gillooly's mustache is a disgrace to mustaches everywhere... especially when compared to a mustache like Jacob Middleton's.