Could something actually top Suter and Parise signing with the Wild?

I know what you're thinking: what could ever top the addition of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to the Wild roster? Well, there's one thing that MIGHT actually get Wild fans even more revved up for the 2012-13 season than they already are: the possible addition of Mike Modano to the Wild roster. No, I'm not kidding. The legendary hockey player from Detroit was recently inducted in the NHL Hall of Fame, and it was made known that there is a chance - alebiet small - that he would be willing to come back to the sport for one more season.

If he did come back, his obvious choices for a return would either be Minnesota or Dallas - given that's where he spent the majority of his hockey career. And although the Wild aren't necessarily in need of any more superstar power, the amount of publicity that would come along with bringing Modano back to the place he got his start for one last season would be immeasurable. Not to mention the amount of fan support the team would get from nostalgic fans around the state.

What do you think about the prospect of Modano returning to hockey?

No, I can't top Suter and Parise in Wild news

Since the Wild signed Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, it seems like there's no big piece of news that can really compete with that. It seems like that's the only thing that Wild fans really care about at this point in the game. But in an effort to really keep you guys in the loop, the Wild DID sign contract extensions with three Aeros players this week: David MacIntyre, Carson McMillan and Jarod Palmer. To be honest, I don't pay a ton of attention to the affiliate squads. I honestly have no idea who these players are. But the Wild obviously like the, from the 2011-12 season and since they are re-signing them, there is a possibility that they'll be playing on major league ice this winter, even if it is on a small scale!

Minnesota Wild schedule: which games will YOU pick?

Ok - now that the news of Parise and Suter joining the Wild has settled down a little bit, there are a couple of things you need to start thinking about.

1. What games do you want to go to this season? It's time for you to sit down and take a long, hard look at the Wild schedule. What are your top picks for games this season? Tell me in the comments. For me: Penguins, Maple Leafs and the Home Opener.

2. What do you think the Wild are going to do this season? Do you think they're going to kill it? Do you think they're going to be over hyped? I want to know what YOU think. Personally, I'm just hoping to make it to the playoffs - and then we can go from there. Although ideally? I see a Stanley Cup win in our near future.

Parise and Suter: Rebuilding the state of hockey

Here in Minnesota, we LIVE in the state of hockey. Hockey is like water here - you need it to survive in the winter. That being said, with the last three seasons that the Minnesota Wild have played it's been hard to actually WATCH the sport that our state is known for.

I have a feeling, though, that all of this is going to change. With the addition of Parise and Suter to the team, people are actually EXCITED about what's going to happen this season. People want to be involved with the team - and I'm even considering getting a new jersey! The only thing I need to be worried about: whether my jersey's going to read Parise or Suter. That is not going to be an easy thing to figure out!

So tell me: have YOU picked out any must-see games for the season? Did you grab season Wild tickets when you found out about where the team was at? Have you decided that you absolutely need another jersey? Has your faith and energy for this team been restored?

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter added to Wild roster

If you're any kind of Wild fan, you already know that Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were added to the Wild roster last week. Can I get a big, collective WOOHOO about all that? But here's what you may NOT know about how the addition of these two superstar players has changed the way that the State of Hockey is looking at the hometown hockey team:

1. The team just spent a collective $196 million on these two players (over the full course of their contracts). Do you realize how absolutely insane that amount of money is? But to be honest, it's worth it. I've been saying that the Wild need a superstar ever since Gaborik started majorly sucking. And now they have TWO. Which means sales will go through the roof and the team will FINALLY make the playoffs this year. The entire state can breathe a sigh of relief.

2. The team sold 700 season ticket packages over the 4th of July week after this deal was announced. How's THAT for fan support?

3. There are billboards up around the city of this pair in Wild garb. I think it goes without saying that these two are the new hometown role models - think they'll get the next Kemps spokesperson contract?

Addtions to the Wild roster

New additions to the Wild roster:

Zach Parise. Ryan Suter.

I am beyond excited.

Goodbye not being excited for hockey season. Hello ECSTATIC for my Wild tickets to arrive.

September can't come fast enough.

Summer and the Minnesota Wild

Helloooo 95 degree summer heat! I have three updates for ya'll this week on the Minnesota Wild:

1. The Wild is currently on their annual tour of Minnesota - which will end with the fan fest later this week at the Roseville Oval - actually I think they will be there tonight. Funny that a sport that requires frozen water is having a fan fest on one of the hottest days of the year!

2. Select-A-Seat is this week for season ticket holders. It's EARLY this year!

3. Guillame Latendresse of the Wild roster is going to test the Free Agency waters in July. I'm actually a little bummed to lose him, but we can use that space to add some stronger players to the team.

Happy Sunny Thursday!

2012-13 Wild Schedule released

It's finally here! The 2012-13 Wild schedule has officially been released!

Ok, I'm really not that excited about it. Usually I'm super pumped for this release. But this year, I'm just kind of "meh" about it. I don't know if it's because I was really sick of the Wild at the end of last season or because I'm really just enjoying the summer right now (or some combo of the two), but it just doesn't seem so exciting to start thinking about hockey right now. Regardless, I probably WILL be excited about the schedule come September, so I figured it was a good idea to check out the games that I'm for sure going to need to go to.  And here's what they are:

10/23 Wild vs. Canadiens: Anytime Montreal is in town, I'm there.
1/19 Wild vs. Penguins: Sidney Crosby? Yes please.

Annnd...that's honestly it for now. I can say for sure that I'll have more games to add to that list as the summer progresses, but for right now hockey just isn't really on my brain!

Zach Parise a future member of the Wild roster?

Can we please...PRETTY please...add Zach Parise to the Minnesota Wild roster? Actually, the Wild ARE planning on pursuing him. He's just not that excited about it. He's up for free agency next month and wants to sign with the New Jersey Devils. He's even told the New York Rangers know that he's not interested - not that that's super surprising, he might just not like the Rangers, right? Here's five GREAT reasons for Parise to consider coming to play for Minnesota:

1. He could be a superstar. Minnesota fans are known for latching on and being overly supportive of star players. He could BE that player.

2. Minnesota is the State of Hockey. Our population is made up of people that have the sport in their blood. Aka he'd never be lacking for a game to go to, a mite team to sponsor or a smattering of adoring fans.

3. The Xcel Energy Center was ranked the best arena in the US. Who wouldn't want to play there??

4. We have great team colors and uniforms - even if they ARE Christmas colors, they look good on just about any player. Much better than the bright red and ugly logo of the NJ Devils.

5. He's FROM Minnesota. AKA Total Built-in Fan Base. Joe Mauer, anyone?

Derek Boogaard example of athletic pain management gone terribly wrong

It was over a year ago now that Derek Boogaard passed away due to a drug overdose. Recently there was an interview with a pain management doctor on NPR about that state of narcotics being used for pain management in professional sports. It's interesting to note that Boogaard had been prescribed over 100 different medications in the three years leading up to his death. That's an insane amount of medicine for one person to be taking - I just don't understand how that happens. The doctor in the article blames it on the fact that there's a rotating staff of doctors that work between the games. But he also mentions that they do keep a thorough electronic record of the patient's history that they keep with them at all games. So how exactly do you NOT know what another doctor prescribed to an athlete two or ten games ago? This is a whole new piece of sports medicine that we're just starting to see. I'm interested to find out what else comes out on this, especially with the Olympics coming up.

Minnesota Wild Roster: 2012 Prospects

Each summer, Wild fans anxiously await the prospect camp that comes in July. It's a time to see which players are bringing what skills to the table, and more importantly: how the future of the Wild roster is shaping up. 2012 is proving to be no different, here's who is coming to prospect camp this year:

Mikael Granlund: Obviously - and we'd like to call him a shoe in. He's young, but he has a huge fan following (aka he can put behinds in the seats) and with a little pro coaching he'll be ready to play with the big boys.

Zack Phillips: He was drafted last year - 28th overall - in the NHL entry draft. He has a great sense for the game that's done him well on the junior level, but he's not aggressive enough to be a shoe in for the Wild roster quite yet. We're guessing he'll end up in Houston, at least for the start of the season.

Charlie Coyle: Acquired when the Wild traded defenseman Brent Burns, Coyle played alongside Phillips last season at the juinors level. He plays a very physical game and has strong offensive skills - so he could go either way (AHL or immediately to the NHL) depending on his level of play during prospect camp.

Jason Zucker: A versatile player, Zucker got some NHL ice time at the end of the 2011-12 season. This is another player that could go either way depending on his play during prospect camp. He's the kind of player that's great because he's versatile, but I wouldn't expect to see him on a first string line anytime soon.

 Jonas Brodin: Great defensive moves, but still needs some working with before he goes pro. He has the potential to be a strong defensive player but could use some time to continue maturing his game before he's thrown into the NHL full time.

New Wild roster member: Mikael Granlund

Like many other Wild fans in the state of Minnesota, I'm super excited to welcome Mr. Mikael Granlund to the Minnesota Wild roster! This kid has been dubbed "the Youtube sensation" after his lacross-esque goal in the World Championships last year got hundreds of thousands of views. Apparently, he's the most googled athlete in Finland and his agent compares his fame in his home country to that of the Beatles in London at times. The team is hoping for this kid to make a difference - and that's really what we need AS a team right now, so I hope that they're right. I don't think we can pin all of our future hopes on one player, but this is definitely a step in the right direction for the Wild roster.

What do the Wild do when they're not playing hockey?

With summer time and summer storms quickly approaching, I realized that while it's just the start of the off-season, before I know it my Wild tickets for next season will be arriving at my door before I even know it. Sure, we still have some important dates to get through: the Entry Draft, Prospect camp and training, but still: tickets come out in August. Games are announced in June/July. Which means the off-season isn't really all that long. And then I got to thinking: what do the Wild players actually DO during the off-season? They have to practice, train and spend time with their families. But most people don't have any idea where their players head off to after that last game of the season. Let me give you a better idea of what happens after the locker room closes down for the season. 1. The players head home. Not home to their Minnesota homes (unless, of course, they're FROM Minnesota). Home to their families. For a lot of the Wild roster, that means heading out of the country to Canada or Europe. They'll spend time with family and taking some down time before the kick off of the next season. 2. They participate in golf tournaments and charity events. Many players will fly back for special events during the off-season to show the community that they do care about more than just hockey. Several of the Wild players actually have their own foundations. 3. They make scheduled appearances - through the Wild and through their agents. They help with youth hockey camps, make stops on the Wild tour in June and all that jazz. 4. They practice, practice practice. The off season is time to relax and buff up, but that's more to relax from the grinding schedule of being on the road. These guys have to continues practicing and playing to stay in tip-top shape for next season.

Clayton Stoner of the Minnesota Wild Roster

There's not much news these days on the Minnesota Wild front. Although the team DID sign defenseman Clayton Stoner to a contract extension this week. Stoner and the Wild have agreed to a two year extension. Through this deal, Stoner will make about $2.1 million. Quite a salary for a guy that played in 51 games last year. The Wild are looking to expand and rebuild the a-team that they keep in front of superstar goalie Niklas Backstrom. Stoner is part of that key group.

2012 NHL Playoffs

Have you been watching the 2012 NHL Playoffs this season? Meh, I really haven't been keeping up with it too much either. There's just something that's not so crazy exciting about the games this year. I don't know if it's just because the Wild have been out of the playoffs for so long or what, but I'm kind of over hockey this year and ready for a little summertime break. That being said, I did catch a couple of cool 2012 NHL playoff videos this week that I thought I'd share. Happy May!

The Wild Roster and the 2012 NHL Entry Draft

This year, the Wild are pretty set for the #7 NHL Entry Draft pick. They didn't get quite bad enough to vie for a number one pick, but top five still means we're at the bottom of the league. But about to pick up some fresh talent, so maybe we're not in such a bad place. Hopefully.

What the Wild roster really needs is a super scorer - similar to the year that they picked up Marian Gaborik. In order to do this, they really need to get that number one pick - something that could be very costly to nab in the end. The last time that a number one pick was traded to another team was in 2003 when the Florida Panthers traded both the #1 and #73 picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the #3 and #55 picks AND a strong player from their roster, Mikael Samuelsson. For the Wild to get the Oilers to consider trading away their number one pick, they would have to get rid of multiple picks of their own AND a strong player from the roster. I'm just not so sure that that is something the management is willing to do.

I guess only time will tell - we'll have to wait and see what happens over the coming weeks...

Three Players on the Wild Roster to Have Surgery

Interesting news in the now off-season for our Minnesota Wild roster: three of our team members are scheduled to have surgery this summer. Niklas Backstrom will be having ankle surgery. Devin Setoguchi will also be having ankle surgery. And Dany Heatley will be having knee surgery. Hopefully these guys are planning for early summer surgeries so that they have all of the off-season to recover and are ready to hit the ice in September!

Minnesota Wild News...

I really don't have a lot to report on in Minnesota Wild news this week...

Let me tell you what I DO know.

1. They lost their last game of the season to the Phoenix Coyotes. Meh.

2. They DO have the seventh draft pick in the NHL Entry Draft this year, which means that we do have a chance at rebuilding a little bit early this summer.

3. The Wild roster needs to be changed up. They need to trade Heatley. He's not doing what he should be doing for this team.

4. We need a REAL game changing scorer to add to the Minnesota Wild Roster before the UFA Deadline in July. Then I will be WAY more comfortable with our prospects for next season.

That's all. Happy rainy Friday!

LAST Game on the Wild Schedule This Season

Ahhh yes. Sadly, we have the last game on the Wild schedule for the season - THIS Saturday! While it is a little bittersweet, I do have to say that I'm ready to get out and enjoy some nice sunshiney weather. And the last game of the season is always a blast! There are some great priced Wild tickets out there for Saturday night's game, which means you have room left in your budget for a babysitter for the kids. Or you could always bring the kiddos to the game, too! And if you're a super hockey fan, you definitely don't want to miss out on this game - otherwise you're going to be left waiting until OCTOBER to check out another professional hockey game this year. Well, that is, unless you nab some NHL Playoff tickets or something. Anyway, cheers to another season AND to summertime weather!

To Renew or Not To Renew: Minnesota Wild Season Tickets

This has been the age old question over the past few seasons with the Minnesota Wild: to renew or not to renew my Wild season tickets. With how terrible their last few season have ended up being, I've struggled with this decision at the end of each of the last three seasons. Last year, when the team announced all of the changes they were making, I decided to stick it out for another year like a lot of other season ticket holders. But this year, I just don't know if I can justify yet another losing season as an STH. I mean, I can still go to a ton of games next year if I want to - either by buying a small package from the Wild or getting seats from a broker for certain games - and I can always get season tickets after next season if things seem to be perking up. But based on the last several season as a very disappointed Minnesota Wild season ticket holder, I'm leaning more towards not renewing this year. Sadly.

Minnesota Wild Gear; The Super Sled

While the Wild aren't so doing so hot at this point in the season, it's definitely GETTING hotter outside. And with the heat wave we've been having here in Minny, it's hard not to think about getting outside in the summertime warmth. And spending time up at the lake. And on a boat. And...laying out on a floating device. Do you know what would be PERFECT for that? Oh, just this awesome little Minnesota Wild super sled. Show your support for the team in the offseason and lounge around the lake on this lovely green water toy. And it has a double use in the winter - use it as an actual sled in your backyard! Super cool for the super fan!

Minnesota Wild Love Blog

Do you love the Wild? Yeah, me too. I love everything about the team: the jerseys, the players, the coaching staff...there's nothing better than catching a Minnesota Wild game in the middle of a Minnesota winter! Or fall. Or spring. Heck, I'd even go to games in the summer if they played year round! Anyway, I love all things Minnesota Wild, and that's what I write about. Everything from their games to the Minnesota Wild roster to my favorite t-shirts that I get at the Hockey Lodge. Stay tuned for my favorite things Wild!