Minnesota Wild Blog Posts

Big Daddys Unforgettable Halloween

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:58:32 EST

Big Daddy's spectacular Halloween weekend could not have ended any better than with a Darren Sharper pick to clinch the victory against the hated Dirty Birds on Monday night. Don’ t you feel sorry for people around the country living in cultureless gated communities whose neighbors are from anywhere USA, half of which will move within a year chasing a more lucrative job to fulfill the false illusion of sprawling malls, 401(k)s, mortgages, car payments, and college funds which define success in today’ s misguided America? In this edition on the Section 645 Saints Beat, Big Daddy thanks the Kingpin, reports from Section 645, recaps Monday night, covers the Voodoo Music Experience, plus gives a special Halloween report from Frenchmen St., and releases his

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Big Daddy Screams For Defense

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:57:40 EDT

Sunday’s rain showers didn’t slow down Black ’n’ Gold tailgaters readying themselves for battle. Entering the Superdome, Big Daddy encountered Jets fans displaying their typically rude, loud-mouthed New York attitudes, demonstrating why many despise New Yorkers. Cocky Jets fans’ relentless attempts to diminish Who Dat intensity were less effective than the Army Corps’ levees. After the Saints forced Jets fans to “eat it!” all day, those Yankees had nothing to say. In this week’s edition of Saints Beat, Big Daddy denounces Mayor C. Ray Nagin, reports from Section 645, recaps the New York Jets game, laughs at the NFL’s new policy, covers the 15th annual Gretna Heritage Festival, and release his

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Dallas Game

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:06:08 EDT

I was not happy at all about the first half. We had NO PASS RUSH and our offense just couldn't get it going.

There were a few really useless plays called and I know it's just pre season but, if we are going to run a "wildcat" formation...we should at LEAST get something out of it. I'm realy glad that we held them to ONLY 10 points in the first half. Then only gave up another 3 for the rest of the game. Our defense has been suspect to big plays and that needs to be addressed.

The second half was MUCH more to my liking. Davis has won my vote for #2 QB...maybe #1 if he had a little more experience. This kid is GOOD! I just have to say that. I had not really looked too closely at Davis until yesterday. The kid is GOOD!

He moved the team down the field like a seasoned vet and I know that when he get's his shot to shine, we'll need sun glasses because he's going to shine brightly!

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Wild sign Martin Havlat to 6-Year 30 Million Contract

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:41 EDT

Martin Havlat saw the writing on the wall in Chicago when they signed winger Marian Hossa to a 12-year contract earlier in the day. The Wild jumped on the chance at grabbing the free-agent winger.

''We are excited to add the speed and scoring of Martin Havlat to our lineup,'' Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said late Wednesday night. ''He is a terrific two-way player.''

Havlat had some serious injury problems in his 3-season tenure with the Blackhawks, but managed to stay healthy throughout all of 2008-09. He tallied 29 goals and 48 assists with the Blackhawks in 81 regular season games, and added 15 points in 16 games in the playoffs. Havlat adds even more speed to a very quick Minnesota lineup.

The Wild lost star Marian Gaborik to the New York Rangers in free-agency earlier on Wednesday. Gaborik played in just 17 games last season for his club, due to a nagging hip injury. The team rallied around the loss of their dynamic player though, finishing ninth and just being two points out of a playoff berth. With the addition of Havlat, this team is one to be reckoned with. Stud center Mikko Koivu scored 67 points to lead the team, and crafty winger Andrew Brunette added 50 points. Placing Havlat on a power-play line with these two strong players could improve the Wild's chances of earning a playoff spot.

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Goaltender Options for the Flyers - Part 3

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:54:24 EDT

Part 3 of my “Goaltender Options for the Flyers” series will include a couple of “international” goaltenders, and additionally, I will give you my final opinion on what I’d like the Flyers to do.

Part 1 of the series covered Unrestricted Free Agent Options. Part 2 covered Restricted Free Agent Options as well as trade possibilities.

Before I begin, I’d just like to make an update to one of my previous entries. I read a rumor today from Eklund (love him or hate him…I personally hate him) that I thought I’d just throw out there. It said that Giguere is apparently Holmgren’s Plan A this offseason. Although Giguere has his no trade clause and was in the Anaheim area for his son’s eye condition, he doesn’t really want to be a backup goalie, and if the Ducks plan to stick with Hiller he may consider moving. If true, it is certainly interesting news. The Flyers would definitely need to shed some salary in order to get him. To me that means Briere, Lupul, Carle, Jones or maybe Gagne.

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Goaltender Options for the Flyers - Part 2

Thu, 14 May 2009 13:53:35 EDT

Part 2 of this series will include Restricted Free Agent options as well as possible acquisitions via trade.

In Part 1 of this series I covered some of the more realistic Unrestricted Free Agent options for the Flyers in their quest to acquire a starting goaltender. In addition to the Unrestricted Free Agent options, there are several viable Restricted Free Agent options. The benefit of restricted free agents is that they are all young…that is, after all, why they are restricted free agents. They are often times coming off their entry level contracts, and just haven’t played enough seasons to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. The bad part about restricted free agency is that, depending on how much the player is signed for, the team is required to pay some sort of draft pick compensation.

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The Resurrection of Kentucky Basketball

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:57:34 EDT

The University of Kentucky Wildcats are the elite program in men's college basketball. They lead such categories as all time wins, winning percentages, NCAA tournament appearances, tournament wins, and tournament games. They rank second in tournament championships with 7 only to UCLA's 11. And yet, for the last 2 years the most prominent wildcats have been from Villanova, Arizona, and DAVIDSON!?

But fear not Ashley Judd, it seems your 'Cats will soon be king of the jungle again. If John Calipari agrees to come to Kentucky, not only will he bring his leadership, tenacity, and charm but also one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

A lot has to happen before this comes true, but if you are a high school student planning on attending Memphis and the face of the school leaves, what do you do? The reason you were attending Memphis was not for the legacy or the skill of the competition but was all cause of the coach. And now he's at the premiere program in the country. Would you rather be driving Mercedes or a Hyundai? The answer is simple.

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When the Minnesota Wild Become Full Strength

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:49:35 EDT

I’m not talking about the Wild’s penalty kill (which is the best in the NHL) but more of when this line up becomes 100% healthy. Chemistry is something that wild head coach Jaques Lemaire has preached and strived for in his 8 years as coach. By changing goaltenders in the middle of playoff series to different lines to keep teams on their toes. The team lately, I will openly admit, has had its struggles. Marian Gaborik for what seems like his 6th consecuitve season, has found himself on injured reserve and is fighthing to get back on the bench. He had is hip surgery, which last I heard went successfully and he is now back on the practice squad getting conditioned for his return. What does this mean for Minnesota?

As of yesterday the Minnesota Wild were one point behind on the eighth spot in the run for the playoffs. Last year, they won the Northwest Division. I don't think we can for a second single handidly blame Gaborik for it, there are plenty of other players on the Wild that cover his end of the bargain. Mikko Koivu has 17 goals and 43 assists, healthy. Pierre-Marc Bouchard has 16 goals and 27 assists, healthy. Andrew Brunette has 15 goals 21 assists, healthy. These top 3 players for the wild have played more than 60 games this year. Gaborik has played in 6. He is supposed to return to action soon along with Kurtis Foster who has been out with a broken leg since last year. These two are play makers, and when put out on the ice, in fact, make things happen. I think it might just be in the nick of time. The Minnesota Wild have always been a darkhorse, meaning you never see them on ESPN, if they pronounce their names right it's a miracle. When they are 100% which I suspect they are going to be real soon. Expect these guys to be right up there at the end. 100% is one thing, but if they continue to have the chemistry, there is not one team in the NHL that will stand in their way.

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Big Ten Picture Just Got Cloudier

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:42:05 EST

What a difference a night can make. Going into last evening the Big Ten looked like it was pretty much a lock in terms of who was going to the dance and who was out and who was riding the bubble.

Then last night happened and now everything is turned on its head. Northwestern goes into West Lafayette and knocks off the Boilermakers in stunning fashion and suddenly the Wildcats are, take a breath, polishing up their NCAA tournament resume.

It is hard to believe this once doormat of the Midwest, who was off the radar much of the season could now be crawling its way on to the bubble but they certainly deserve to be in the discussion. With wins over top conference teams like Purdue and Michigan State along with an out of conference victory against Florida State, Northwestern can certainly make the case.

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Playoff Hopes are Unnecessary

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:37:39 EST

The St. Louis Blues have made a recent push to make the playoffs, climbing out of the cellar of the Western Conference to six points out of the 8th and final seed. As of late, Blues media and fans are talking about a possible playoff run, putting the team in the big dance for the first time since 2004. Are these dreams necessary? Should Blues fans even want a playoff try this season?

Currently, the Blues have 58 points which places them 14th in the Western Conference, while the Minnesota Wild, currently in 8th, have 64 points. The pace that the Conference is going has the 8th seed ending the season with about 90 points. The Blues will need to go about 16-7-0 the remainder of the season to have a chance of making it. Keep in mind the Blues still have 3 games against the Red Wings, 1 against the Blackhawks and Sharks, as well as playing six of their last seven games on the road.

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