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When a season is as rocky as the Minnesota Wild’s, you take any victory you can get.   University of Massachusetts forward Casey Wellman is on his way to Minnesota today to sign a free agent, entry level contract with the Minnesota Wild.   Wellman, one of the most sought after collegiate level free agents, was pursued by 21 other teams but chose Minnesota in the end—a victory, to be sure.   The 22-year-old Wellman is ...

Let’s start this out with a hypothetical, shall we?   Imagine you are the coach of a hockey team that desperately needs to win in order to keep its playoff hopes alive. You’re coming off of an emotional win in an unfriendly environment against a division rival that you are chasing for playoff positioning and heading into another unfriendly environment against a division rival that has, on a whole, played terrible hockey ...

On Sunday afternoon, Derek Boogaard served the first of what is a two-game suspension for a knee-to-knee hit on the Edmonton Oilers Ryan Jones.   There has been much made about the hit so far, with a few members of the media weighing in.   From the Cult of Hockey’s David Staples:   “So it happened again, just as it's happened so many times with Derek Boogaard and an Edmonton Oiler, Boogaard—the very definition of a ...

As the Wild’s 62nd game draws ever closer, the trade deadline has left the team’s fans with a stark reality.   It’s playoffs or bust for this team.   By not moving Owen Nolan or shopping assets such as Josh Harding and *cough*JamesSheppard*cough*, there is a distinct message that Chuck Fletcher is sending to his team and to its fans.   “I believe in this team and I believe that we can make the playoffs ...

I’m sure this will make a lot of people happy to read, but it’s got to be said.   Sunday’s gold medal game will not do a single thing to make the sport of hockey any more relevant in the United States.   First of all, let me preface this entire diatribe by saying that I’m an American and I love hockey.  I’m nuts about it.  Can’t get enough of it.   That’s why I love ...

This article was originally published on Hockey Primetime . First Star: Ryan Miller, USA   Ryan Miller could very well go on to win the Vezina and Hart Trophies this season, but last night’s game would be the game for which many hockey fans in the US would remember him.   Miller survived Team Canada’s barrage of shots, making 42 saves to give the US a stunning 5-3 upset victory over the juggernaut Canadians. While ...

Originally Published on Hockey Primetime . á First Star: Jaroslav Halak, Slovakia á Can you say upset? All right, so it wasnÆt a huge upset, as Slovakia was one of the teams that many thought would be in medal contention in Vancouver, but the Slovaks 2-1 defeat of the Russians was definitely unexpected to say the least. á Halak stopped 36 of 37 shots, including 15 of 16 in the second and all 10 that he ...

Originally Published on Hockey Primetime . á á First Star: Thomas Vokoun, Czech Republic á In what was the first ôbigö game of the tournament, Vokoun shut down a Slovakian offensive attack led by Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa. The only blemish to VokounÆs amazing game was a second-period goal by Gaborik, but Vokoun was on his game stopping double-digit shots every period (34 in total) to lead the Czech team to a 3-1 victory. á á Second ...

This article was originally published on Hockey Primetime. First Star á Jarome Iginla, Canada ù What was this talk this season about Iginla slowing down? The Calgary Flames captain had a hat trick that sparked Team Canada to a 8-0 victory over Norway, despite a slow start that saw them not score a goal until the second period. Iggy opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the second, then ...

If anyone needed a break, it was the Minnesota Wild.   After a hot December that saw them tally 10 victories (a team record for the month), the team proceeded to lose three games in five days looking like a very tired team for the majority of those games.   But a two-day break in the Windy City and the presence of their fathers has the team rejuvenated and ready for action against the ...