Chewing through a three hour set of sports talk radio that focuses almost purely on hockey takes a few days. Here are, a week later, and we're still talking about Russo hosting last Friday's lunch time segment on KFAN. We've discussed what Kurtis Foster had to say about Zach Parise and what Edmonton Journal beat writer Jim Matheson's idea regarding the CBA this negotiations this summer.

One final thing to not, before Russo hosts again on Tuesday, are Matheson's thoughts on where Parise is going to play next season. Why do we care? Well, some of us don't, but some people out there can't seem to get enough of Parise and his soon to be free agency.

The question facing us today is: Where does logic (at least one man's) put Parise next season.

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In a move that few outside of Colorado support, even to this day, the Avalanche traded for Semyon Varlamov, giving up the pick we discuss today. Most (including me) figured the Avs were giving up a lottery pick for a middle of the pack goalie, boggling minds. It turns out that it wasn't a lottery pick, but netting a pick just outside the top ten for a middle of the pack goaltender is still pretty impressive.

Of course, goalies don't matter, so we'll move on.

Up today are the Washington Capitals, a team that seemingly has everything. Scorers, play makers, defenders, a solid goaltending corps... yet, they struggle once they hit the playoffs. So what do they need? Perhaps they need a big time shut down defenseman. There are still some top defensive talents left, after all. Or do they add forward talent to compensate for what looks like the departure of Alexander Semin?

Don't forget to check out the Hockey Wilderness 2012 Draft Page as well. Just click on the picture.

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Everyone has bad days. Everyone has good days. Then, there are days that make everyone smile, no matter what else is going on in your life. Today, we have one of those moments.

Following along on Twitter, we got this:

Yes, you just read that. Go ahead and read it again, we'll wait. Print it out, carry it with you. When someone (including yourself) tells you that you can't do something, go ahead and pull that out and read it again. Then tell whoever it was that tried to tell you that you can't to take a long walk off a short pier.

Absolutely magnificent work, Jabs. You still have an entire hockey world behind you, but this one is all you. Keep up the hard work. It's the gigantic victories like this that we can only imagine will fuel the passion you have to beat this. We can't wait to see the next victory.

The Masterton Award is named for former Minnesota North Star Bill Masterton. It is awarded, annually, by the NHL Pro Hockey Writers Association. The player who wins this award is supposed to best exemplify the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Of course, all that really must occur is for an individual to have enough members in your local PHWA to override the common sense of the other writers. See: Laperriere, Ian. The award was further tarnished this season when the Pittsburgh PHWA nominated Matt Cooke as their finalist. Thankfully, the rest of the PHWA corrected that insult, saving some grace for the award.

Who would you choose for the Masterton? Someone on the PHWA's finalist list, or someone else? Vote, then check to see who we voted for.

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Welcome back, Wilderness. Hopefully you all had a memorable Memorial Day weekend. It's time to get back to work.

Today, we look south to the Tampa Bay Lightning. It really is too bad there are no franchise goalies ready to be plucked in the first round this year. The Bolts could really use one or two of those, and it would make the choice a heck of a lot easier for us. Instead, it looks as though it it will come down to the same choice every other team in the draft is facing this year.

Do the Lightning take one of the defenseman available in one of the deepest defensive drafts in recent memory, or do they take one of the few forwards worthy of a first round selection? Time to decide.

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It was a good run. Ups and downs, left and rights. Spinning upside down with pure excitement and adrenaline running through your veins. Everyone on the edge of their seat after the last update on the 3rd Annual Sure Wish We Had Something Better to do With Our Time Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket Challenge. So much so that we decided to announce winner as soon as he or she was known.

So here it is. With a final record of 9-6, RedHeadZeb is the winner of the 3rd Annual Sure Wish We Had Something Better to do With Our Time Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket Challenge.

With this prestigious victory, sir, comes the honor letting everyone know that you are, for the next year, the reigning champion of the 3rd Annual Sure Wish We Had Something Better to do With Our Time Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket Challenge. We suggest getting that title put on business cards, and having new checks made.

After the jump, the prize that Zeb has won. His, and his alone.

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Good morning, Wilderness. We won't take up too much of your time this morning. Just wanted to remind you all to have a safe and happy Memorial Day, and to, at least for a moment, remember the intent of the day.

Thank you to each and every man and woman who serves and has served, and especially those who gave their lives to protect our way of life. Please keep those who are no longer with us in your thoughts today as well, military or not. This is a tough day for a great number of people.

Please, Wilderness, be safe today. Happy Memorial Day.

Continuing to dig through the three hours of hockey madness on KFAN on Friday, hosted by the venerable Mike Russo, there is still so much we could talk about. If you haven't listened to all three hours of it, you're robbing yourself of a great hockey experience.

OK, that may be too much build up, but in order to find the golden nuggets, you have to listen and read a ton about the game. Listening to the people who know the game inside out is one of the greatest experiences a fan can have. Especially if you a fan of the game and a fan of covering it.

In the second hour of the show, Russo spoke with Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. Matheson, fo those outside the know, is a hall of fame writer, with the chops and experience to run rings around most others covering the game. He is Edmonton's Russo, but was Russo long before Russo was.

Join us for a part of that discussion, and an interesting take on the upcoming CBA negotiations.

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Yesterday Mr. Mike Russo took KFAN over by force, using M-1 Abrams tanks and other assorted military devices to storm the radio station and force them to talk hockey for three hours at mid-day. Yeah... OK, Russo was invited to cover the Common Man Dan Cole's spot on KFAN, and Russo was artful in his ability to fill the three hour session with nothing but hockey talk.

It was nothing short of magnificent.

If you missed it, the entirety is available over at KFAN's archive. Look under where it says "Common Man." The guests were hockey related, including Denis Potvin, Kenny Albert, Jime Mattheson, and none other than soon-to-be-again former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster.

Foster's interview ranged in topics from free agency to NHL Network fill-ins to... wait for it... Zach Parise. As you should know, Foster played on the Devils for a bit, so he knows Parise, and might just have some insight into the man's thinking about where Parise might sign this summer.

To read what he said, and what it means... make the jump.

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Some days, it is difficult to be a writer outside the "mainstream." The view from the basement at my mom's house isn't always that good, what with the window well needing to be cleaned out and all. Other days, however, it is a great deal of fun to not be tied to a job that would likely fire me for expressing my opinion.

Today is one of those fun days.

First off, over at SBNation Minnesota, I take a look at this odd belief that if Zach Parise wins the Stanley Cup with the Devils, he would somehow then be more likely to sign in Minnesota. Sorry, Tom. That post was written last night, published this morning at 8AM, and ready for you to digest.

The reason I mention it, is because if the article from Sid Hartman had been available last night, you wouldn't even have known that Mr. Powers had written anything. Yes, Minnesota's favorite crotchety old man is at it again. Make the jump for a look at one of the most entertaining articles of the year.

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There are few trophies in the NHL that hold as much sway as the Calder. Well, the Stanley Cup seems to be pretty special, but still. The Calder is special. It takes a massive performance from a kid coming into a man's league. The best part of the award? It almost never goes to the guy that everyone thinks will win it at the beginning of the year.

This year, there were actually an abundance of players that should be considered, leaving some guys on the outside looking in. How in the heck Matt Read was left out is absolutely beyond belief. But hey, make sure to include the first overall pick. After all, he is the first overall pick.

Your turn. Who wins the Calder?

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Our draft rolls on, having gone from one relocated team in the Hurricanes, to another in the Winnipeg Jets. The burning question, my like the burning sensation left after using a public restroom in Winnipeg, is whether or not the Jets fans will migrate to Pittsburgh in the same numbers they did to St. Paul.

We have our doubts.

The Jets, for better or worse, inherited the Thrashers organization, and their strong inability to keep top talent in town. As the Wild learned with Gaborik, losing your elite players (either for picks or for nothing), can set an organization back a few years. The Thrashers lost nearly everyone that was ever worth much of anything. This leaves them in need of everything.

Except, of course, a big defenseman that seems to enjoy pushing his opponents face first into the boards. They've got that position all locked up. Hopefully the CBA negotiations get realignment done. This is too much fun.

Time to choose the next member of the Winnipeg Jets.

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Only in the NHL, a league known for its violent tendencies, would you find an award like the Lady Byng. Only in a league in which men make millions with the sole intent of creating intimidation with their fists would you find an award for the most gentlemanly player.

Today, you choose that man.

What the criteria are for this award is one of those mysteries no one really cares enough about to look into. Is it the guy with the fewest PIMs? The guy who, despite the heat of battle, helps his fallen foe off the ice? Or is it the guy who wears a tux to a dinner date with a sweet top hat and a monocle?

Who knows, but it's time to cast your vote, and then see who we voted for.

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Whew. Yesterday sure was fun, wasn't it? We had Mikael Granlund sign for three years, we had voting on the Wild's pick, and we had Cal Clutterbuck stepping up for what's good and just in the world. If your head isn't spinning just a bit, you probably aren't paying close enough attention.

By the way, you all selected defenseman Jacob Trouba for the Wild. So, there's that.

Next up are the Carolina Hurricanes. What do the Canes need? Like most teams drafting at this point in the draft, they pretty much need everything. They have Cam Ward, so maybe they don't need a goalie. They have Jeff Skinner, so they have a goal scorer, but they could always use another. How about the blue line? Everyone needs help on the blue line.

Everyone.

So, who will the Canes choose at eighth overall? That is up to you. Get on it.

A note on Trouba - despite what nearly every website you will visit says, Trouba is NOT from Minnesota. He is from Rochester, Michigan. This, per someone I have to assume is family and confirmed by multiple sources.

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We've known for awhile that Cal Clutterbuck would represent the Minnesota Wild in the You Can Play Project. Until now, we have not been able to see what that support looks like. The videos are being released at pretty regular intervals by YCP, and today just happened to be Cal's day.

Here is the video:

I'm not quite sure where Cal is in this video, but the spot was filmed while they were on the road, so it is not anywhere local. While the delivery of these videos still has the normal local-car-dealership-commercial feel to them, the message remains crystal clear.

The You Can Play Project is still expanding, and spreading their message rather quickly. If you would like more information, to donate to the cause, check out other videos, or just give them a click to boost their numbers, you can visit the You Can Play Project HERE.

Thank you to Cal for putting his name on this on behalf of the entire organization.

Continuing our wandering through the NHL Awards pre-season, today we look at the Norris Trophy. Awarded annually to the league's top defenseman, it likely should just be renamed the Nicklas Lidstrom Trophy and given to him on a permanent basis, even after retirement.

This year, the NHL's finalist are Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber and Erik Karlsson. Seventy-eight points from the blue line is something few teams can even dream of, let alone realize. Karlsson certainly made his case. Is it a good enough case to win over the writers here at Hockey Wilderness? Cast your vote, then read our choices.

You can also see who the folks over at the NHL hub picked.

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Ladies and gentlemen... we got him.

Via Wild.com:

Via Russo on Twitter:

With potential performance bonuses, Mikael Granlund's annual cap hit is $2.1 million -- per sources .... #mnwild

The Wild have finally inked top prospect Mikael Granlund, bringing to an end a two year wait that has had Wild fans freaking out and asking when he will sign so often even his mom wanted to yell at people. OK, not really, but it was pretty annoying. Today, all of that ends, and the Granlund era in Wild history begins. The Finnish Jesus is born to you, this day.

Other hyperbolic statements here!

The Wild, of course, avoid losing their top prospect back into the draft, or being forced to trade his rights for far less than market value. On the flip side, the hype machine has built the kid up so high that any small stumble is going to have fans in meltdown mode.

For now, he's in the fold. Now comes that little word that HWSRN was afraid to accept. Development.

Party on, Wild fans. They got him.

UPDATE 1:28 PM: Granlund's agent, Todd Diamond, said "Coming over may be a relief for him [Granlund]. He can be like Lennon or McCartney over there. He was the most Googled athlete in Finland the last two years."

Also, Granlund will, indeed, wear #64. The Wild's Twitter account says Granlund sweaters will be available Friday at all three Hockey Lodge locations. Post your pictures when you get yours.

UDPATE 2:56 PM: Missed this in the original press release, but the first 64 fans to purchase new Wild season tickets will get a signed #64 sweater.

We learned a few things from yesterday's vote. One, it's Teuvo, not Tuevo. Second, Ducks fans do not flock to vote in polls on sites about the Minnesota Wild. Flock. Get it? Is this thing on?

We received the fewest votes in the history of our community mock draft, but there were enough to determine that the Ducks are going to go for a big defenseman to shore up their blue line. The fans chose Matthew Dumba for the Ducks, leaving the home town team with a bevvy of other choices to choose from.

Are you ready for this? It's time to pick for your Minnesota Wild.

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Yesterday, the folks over at the SBNation NHL hub selected their winner for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to best goaltender in the NHL. The winner at the hub was Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, a guy who took the 29th rated offense to the playoffs. Impressive feat, well qualified, and with great numbers.

Today, we look at how the Hockey Wilderness staff voted. A couple of us even give you the reasons behind our votes, something that would be nice to have when the awards are done in Vegas. Imagine a hockey writer, broadcaster or GM being required to justify why they chose who they did?

Who wouldn't want the head of the Pittsburgh PHWA to explain their selection of Matt Cooke for Masterton?

Cast your vote for you pick for Vezina, then check out how we voted.

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Yesterday, Maple Leafs fans were a bit surprised that Mikhail Girgorenko was still on the board, and they overwhelmingly selected him as their pick. That, or bitter Habs fans stopped by to do so, one of the two. Regardless, Grigorenko's slide stops at five, and we move on.

The Anaheim Ducks were a team that everyone thought could make a good run. Then they fell flat, fired their coach, hired a fired coach, turned their season around, but still fell short. Their reward is the sixth overall pick, and a shot (at least in our draft) at one of the top defensemen available in the draft.

Will the Ducks look to shore up their blue line, or will they take a shot at one of the "lesser" forwards?

You get to decide.

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We do a few different contests a year here at Hockey Wilderness. We have the bracket challenge, the Yelnats Cup bracket challenge, and something here or there to keep people interested. Today, that all changes. Today, we offer up a contest with... wait for it... an actual prize.

You see, we want to see which of you out in the Wilderness has the ability to predict the first round of the draft. What better way to do that than to offer up a prize and ask each of you for your mock drafts? We couldn't think of a better way, other than maybe getting you all drunk and using having you try to mumble through Alex Galchenyuk without losing it on us.

Instead, we're going to run a contest, offer up our space to you, and hopefully be able to crown someone the winner of the first ever Hockey Wilderness Mock Draft Fan Post Contest. Make the jump for what we want, and the rules.

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Our mock draft jumps back into gear as we come out of the weekend. While we were away, the New York Islanders Filip Forsberg, sending Mikhail Grigorenko further into his expected fall. Next up are the great and powerful Toronto Maple Leafs, the organization everyone wants to be and no one seems to want to make successful.

Imagine the meltdown that would occur online if the Leafs won the Cup. Good lord, it would be beautiful.

That is for another day. Today, we need to choose who Brian Burke would pick with the fifth overall pick. We are left to wonder if there is a chart somewhere of which potential draft picks have the highest truculence ratings. Guess we'll just have to wing it and hope we pick the right kid.

Good luck all. The hockey world is watching today.

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