Showing posts with label Michael Russo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Russo. Show all posts

Monday, October 27, 2014

(Video) John Moore's head shot on Erik Haula



At the 07:12 mark of the second period, New York Rangers forward John Moore was given a match penalty for this dirty, dangerous, inexcusable head shot on Wild forward Erik Haula.

This hit is worthy of a suspension  and should land Moore a game or two vacation. Because this penalty is a match penalty, it will reviewed by the NHL. There is no excuse for this dirty hit.


Sunday, June 29, 2014

Wild Kicking the Tires on Jarome Iginla



Looks like the Wild are trying to add another top-six forward for their lineup. This is interesting news right here. I wonder what it would take to get Iggy in a Wild uniform? I would also applaud the move if it happened.
Michael Russo, Startribune – The draft is over, no player trades were made, so whether it’s Sunday or Monday, bet that Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and coach Mike Yeo will try to get together in Minnesota with pending free agents Matt Niskanen and Thomas Vanek.

While those have been the most well-publicized names surrounding Wild interest in advance of the market opening across the NHL Tuesday, the Wild has other lines in the water, too.

The Wild has been in contact with camp, according to multiple sources. It’s unclear if the interest is mutual, but it’s definitely clear that the Wild is interested in potentially signing the future Hall of Fame winger and, ironically, all-time leader in basically every offensive category against the Wild.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

(Video) Nick Holden's controversial goal - Game 7 Wild vs. AV's



This goal by the Colorado Avalanche's Nick Holden shouldn't have counted. Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper is clearly interfered with.

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Friday, April 18, 2014

Where the Wild a victim of interference on game winning goal?



Catching up on my reading, I have been following this story at work, today. I think you could make the argument that there should have been an interference called on the game winning goal. Thoughts?

Michael Russo also says that the head coach of the Wild Mike Yeo was going to talk to the supervisor of officials about the interference on the game winning goal.
Yeo said the Wild also plans to talk to the series supervisor of officials (Don van Massenhoven) Saturday to try to get a ruling on a few things they were upset about, like Brodziak and Cooke being bowled over by Barrie before Stastny’s winner, why Koivu’s net off the moorings wasn’t a penalty vs. Johnson knocking the net off, why that faceoff was outside the zone as opposed to inside when Johnson started the whole thing and the scrum, in the Wild’s eyes, was at the top of the circle.

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Thursday, April 03, 2014

Minnesota Wild: Brandon Bollig Hits Zach Parise in the back of the head



Another night, another NHL player hit in the head by an elbow/forearm, there's no excusing this hit. The NHL needs to start protecting its players from predatory type hits, or we're going to have all of the star players on the shelf. This is unacceptable; please tell me why Brandon Bollig needs to hit Zach Parise in this instance, for one it’s from behind. That’s a penalty in itself.


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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Minnesota Wild: Jason Zucker done for the season

It's been a tough season for the former DU Pioneer forward Jason Zucker and his season with the Minnesota Wild is probably over after having knee surgery.
Michael Russo, Star Tribune --- Zucker probably out for year.

Winger Jason Zucker is likely out for the season, General Manager Chuck Fletcher said. He will likely need additional knee surgery after aggravating his injury while training.

“It’s gone from something minor to not,” Fletcher said.





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Saturday, September 14, 2013

Saturday Afternoon Links: Beat Montana...












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Thursday, September 05, 2013

Hockey Buzz: Is Thomas Vanek Minnesota Bound?

Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I found this article over on Hockey Buzz. I wonder if this unconfirmed rumor is an e3 or an e5? Look, I like many Wild fans would like to see this happen, but you have to consider the source. If the news pertains to the Wild and it doesn’t come from Michael Russo, I am going to be skeptical.
Josh Rimer, Hockey Buzz -- Last night a solid source informed me that If Thomas Vanek is moved prior to the Trade Deadline, his destination of choice would be Minnesota Wild. Fitting since he played for the Gophers in 2004, Vanek has had his off-season home in Minneapolis and trains in Edina, Minnesota. His wife is from Minnesota and he has always wanted to play in Minny, especially having good friend Jason Pominville there increases his desire to be there.
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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Minnesota Wild depth chart



Michael Russo of the Star and Tribune has the depth chart posted on Russo's Rants and apparently this this team that the Minnesota Wild are going to go forward with. Looks like a decent lineup.
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Monday, July 08, 2013

Wild Hockey: Keith Ballard something positive



Today, I was out riding my bike, kind of percolating. Sometimes, I do some of my best thinking when I am out riding my bike. When I am out riding the bike I like to listen to my iPod and catch up on some of the podcasts that I might have missed while I was at work.  Today, I was listening to Michael Russo's podcasts who was filling in for Paul Allen on KFAN 100.3.

First off, KFAN should consider hiring Michael Russo, I really like his approach to talk radio, maybe I am the only one that feels this way, but I like how he approaches a radio show. Maybe it's because Russo isn't trying too hard, he's just himself when he fills in for Paul Allen. That's what I like about his shows. While he might not be as polished as a Paul Allen or a Jeff Dubay and Judd Zulgad, he's fun to listen to. Plus, he talks hockey, that's not something that happens a lot in this area. I wish there were more radio shows that simply talked about Hockey 24/7. Especially in the state of hockey.

For some reason, the sports talk radio hosts seem to want to ruin a good show talking about basketball and baseball. Today, Russo was interviewing newly signed Minnesota Wild defenseman Keith Ballard... This was a good interview to listen to, if you haven't heard it yet. You can listen to this interview on the embeded audio posted below. The interview starts at the 24:00 minute mark.

I think the Minnesota Wild are going to benefit from the Keith Ballard signing.


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Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Wild to buyout Tom Gilbert

English: Tom Gilbert in 2009.
English: Tom Gilbert in 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
According to Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild might have found their first candidate for one of the two compliance buyouts. I think it would be a great move. Gilbert was absolutely brutal last season on the blue line for the Minnesota Wild.
Michael Russo, Russo's Rants -- The Wild plans to place Tom Gilbert on unconditional waivers, sources say. That is the first necessary step to buy out the remaining one year of the veteran defenseman’s contract.

When Gilbert clears, the Wild plans to use one of its two allowable compliance buyouts on the 30-year-old native of Bloomington.

What's unclear, and we'll know soon, is whether Gilbert will go on unconditional waivers today or tomorrow. A correction to yesterday's blog: Teams have until tomorrow to put somebody on unconditional waivers for the purpose of using a compliance buyout by tomorrow's 4 p.m. CT deadline.

Gilbert will receive $1 million in each of the next two seasons (two-thirds of his $3 million salary), but it will free up an additional $4 million of salary cap space this summer for the Wild.

The move is designed to give Minnesota more flexibility this offseason. One can assume the Wild will need to add a defenseman or two this offseason. Gilbert would be free to sign with any team once free agency opens at 11 a.m. CT Friday.
Here was my grade season ending grade for Tom Gilbert that I submitted for the Hockey Wilderness. Incidentally, I look like I will be getting my wish as Justin Falk was traded this week to the New York Rangers.

Tom Gilbert: D

The former Wisconsin Badger Tom Gilbert is an utter disappointment in my opinion, that Wild are being cheated, he’s not worth the money he’s being paid. Gilbert is being paid a hefty four million a year to be a turnover factory and an unimpressive top-six defenseman. If I was a general manager for a day, he would be the first Wild player out of Minnesota; Justin Falk would be number two. The Wild should consider his four million dollar contract for an Amnesty buyout this summer as well. If they Wild could trade him for a bag of wood hockey sticks I would urge them to consider the deal. One positive is that he can’t play any worse than he did this season. Nowhere to go but up for Gilbert, I don’t think he can play any worse. Looking at the stats, in the plus/minus department, -11 is brutal.

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Monday, April 29, 2013

Cal Clutterbuck to the Oilers… Ouch!

A while back I took some heat on twitter for suggesting that the Minnesota Wild let Cal Clutterbuck walk, when the season is over. Now we have an Oilers beat writer from the Edmonton Journal suggesting that the Edmonton Oilers trade for Clutterbuck. Yeah that’s going to play well for Oilers and Wild fans. Not!
Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal – The Minnesota Wild likely can’t re-sign disturber Cal Clutterbuck for salary-cap reasons, so they will try to trade the restricted free agent this summer. As much as Clutterbuck doesn’t fight, which irks people when he runs them, the Edmonton Oilers should be all over this one. He could be a third-liner, for sure, and he provides energy, which was in very short supply this past season.
It will be interesting to see where some of the players on the Wild end up at the end of the season. Like I have said in the past, there are a lot of moving parts for the Minnesota Wild, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen are unrestricted free agents and you have to think that PMB is going to be gone, based on the unproductive and unimpressive season that he has had. Who knows with Cullen? Clutterbuck, Justin Falk and Jared Spurgeon are Restricted Free Agents; I can't imagine the Wild letting all of these players walk.

Next season, the salary cap for the Minnesota Wild is going to be 64,300,000.00 currently, the Minnesota Wild are sitting at about 70,120,744.00. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune has said in the past month, that Dany Heatly is likely amnesty buyout candidate this summer. So we will see. Like I said, there are a lot of moving parts.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

(Video) Mike Rupp will not be suspended by the NHL for taking run at Corey Potter



It was pretty obvious that the Edmonton Oilers were taking runs at Zach Parise during the third period of last night's game. I guess when you're a team that isn't going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you might as well try to hurt the other team's star players right. I guess your team can still have an effect on the outcome of the playoff field right?

Finally, after Corey Potter took yet another run at the Wild's Parise, Wild tough guy's Zenon Konopka and Mike Rupp had seen enough and went after the Oilers much traveled Corey Potter. Before Rupp could get at Potter, he was rescued by the linesman. According to Michael Russo, Mike Rupp will not face any additional supplemental discipline. This is a good decision by the NHL Department of Players Safety.


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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dustin Brown hit on Antoine Roussel



I found this little news tidbit on Michael Russo’s blog, obviously, we don’t see every hit or very news story, but it appears that Dustin Brown came very close to being suspended by the National Hockey Leagues Department of Player Safety earlier in the week for this questionable hit on Dallas Stars forward Antoine Roussel.
via Russo’s Rants -- Brown, who amazingly has never been suspended, does this time and time again and somehow gets away with it. In my opinion, he should have gotten suspended for what I thought was a very dirty elbow on Dallas’ Antoine Roussel two nights ago.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Kings Brown suspended 2 games for hit on Jason Pominville



First off, I was right, the NHL had no choice, they had to suspend Dustin Brown for his hit on Jason Pominville. In my opinion, the hit was a text book violation of the NHL's Rule 48. Obviously, we can debate that if you want. Also, this suspension doesn't make Brown a dirty player, but he does play with an edge and he does play on the edge. It was only a matter of time before he was suspended by the NHL.
Michael Russo, Russo Rants --- Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown has been suspended the final two games of the Kings regular season, the Los Angeles Times' Lisa Dillman reported. The suspension stems from Brown's elbow to the face of Wild winger Jason Pominville in the second period last night.

Brown, who had played in 314 consecutive games, will be well-rested for the beginning of the playoffs next week. The first of those games comes tonight against Detroit, which is probably not a good thing for the Wild, which is being chased by the 9th-place Red Wings (three points back with three games left).

"I had the puck on my stick, he’s coming to hit me and I’m just bracing myself," Brown said when I asked him about the elbow last night.

The Wild didn't practice today, but official word thus far is Pominville is day to day with an upper body injury. GM Chuck Fletcher said it was too early to know yet if the Wild needs to recall a forward. If Pominville is sidelined, the Wild has no extra on the roster right now unless Mike Rupp is ready to return Friday from a knee injury. Otherwise, the Wild will have to look to the Houston farm.



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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

This removes any doubt; Brown's dirty elbow on Pominville

s/t to Michael Russo... In case anyone is confused, this was a text book hit to the head and a violation of rule 48. Jason Pominville's head is targeted by Dustin Brown.

48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.
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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Charlie Coyle tossed from the game for what appears to be a legal hit on Artem Anisimov



Charlie Coyle's night lasted a grand total of 17 seconds and he was thrown out of the game for what appears to be a legal shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Blue Jackets forward Artem Anisimov.

For his efforts, Coyle was given a five minute major for contact to the head and a match penalty, and also received a five minute major for fighting.

While Coyle is not known for his fighting skills, I also like the way that he handled himself in the fight against Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky.   Checking with  Hockeyfights.com, apparently that was the first NHL fight of Coyle's NHL career.

According to Michael Russo from the Star Tribune, Coyle will not be suspended by the NHL because the department of player safety ruled that there was no targeting of the head. That also means that the match penalty will be rescinded as well.


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Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Some interesting tweets from today - early departures and signings
















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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wild's Charlie Coyle not suspended



I didn't watch the play live, I was watching the game between the Islanders and the Bruins, however, I do agree with the call and the NHL is making the right call by not suspending Charlie Coyle. I also think that it's  about time that the Minnesota Wild finally end up on the right side of a call from the NHL Department of Players Safety.




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