It occurred to me the other night that I hadn't heard a lot about new Wild scoring forward Martin Havlat.  I wondered if part of that was because of the Wild's abysmal start to the season or if maybe it was because Martin Havlat's agent,  Allan Walsh, was off picking fights elsewhere on the Internet. 

I decided to take a look at Havlat's statistics and, to say the least, it was unispiring.

Looks like the milk in there is sour because I want to barf.

I thought Martin Havlat was coming here to make people forget about Marian Gaborik. 

Ahem...

So what gives?  What does this mean for the Wild and just how bad has Martin Havlat been so far on this full-of-disarray Wild team?  For such a daunting task I've enlisted the help of Gabe at SBN's Behind The Net (a must-read if there ever was one) to break down just how poor Martin Havlat has been this year.  Take a look after the jump... If you can stomach it.

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It's time to warm up the wagon. 

The prospects from the reign of boredom are in Traverse City, camp opens up for real this week and damn it all, it's time to get this new regime in order.  Beware, however, as things are likely going to get a little rough this year but with a big helping of hopefulness - hopefulness that arrives in the form of video game pictures taken from EA Sports' NHL 09... Since NHL 10 won't be out for another week and we don't get freebies here.

But Joe, this new future scares and frightens me - what's it going to be like on the other side?

It's likely going to be a bit painful this year but we'll call it "Growing Pains" and just leave Kirk Cameron on the outside looking in, although Alan Thicke might get a phone call since he's Canadian and actually does play hockey and might provide a little better depth on the wing at a cheap price.

What's it going to look like though? There's no Mary-Anne to pick on for being injured and I won't know who to take out with my vocal abuse.

Don't worry, that's all taken care of because the burden of the offensive workload moves to another set of shoulders.  Let's just hope he keeps his head up to celebrate like this a lot this season:

You better believe there's more where that came from after the jump including a look at how the Wild could be viewed with the rosiest of Iron Range Rust lenses.

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We know that the Wild will be showing off their new alternate third jerseys at the Minnesota State Fair on August 30th, but brilliant hockey logo and jersey dedicated website Icethetics has photos of the new duds and the key word to remember here is "green."

I know it's been a while since I've visited here, and while I have been busy patting myself on the back for assisting everyone here in yelling loud enough to get Doug Risebrough fired, it's only fair that I start sniffing around a bit to see who can step in and help right the ship.

Of course, neide has been on the mark here with his potential GM profiles taking the time out to look at things logically and address how their résumés match up with what the Wild should be looking for.

The same can't be said of other folks in hockey media who are looking to hook their compatriots up with new jobs.

Go ahead, hire me... Please?  I've got a couple rings!

I know that there's generally a Toronto slant on some news and, let's face it, when you've been as unsuccessful as the Maple Leafs have been over the last few years sometimes you just want to spread the misery around a bit. 

After the jump, we'll take a look at the array of washed-up executive stars who are being mentioned to spread their special brand of Toronto misery around to Minnesota.

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Minnesota Wild Owner, Craig Leipold, announced today that the organization will not renew the contract of President and General Manager, Doug Risebrough, beyond the 2008-2009 season. "The entire Minnesota Wild organization is forever indebted to Doug for his substantial efforts in establishing this franchise’s solid foundation and winning tradition," said Leipold. "The positive impact of Doug’s service will be felt for many years to come. We wish Doug the very best." The search for a new General Manager will begin immediately. The first order of business for the incoming General Manager will be to select the Team’s next Head Coach. Until a replacement is found, Assistant General Manager Tom Lynn, will be acting-General Manager.

I don't know for sure what there was to agonize over, but this is a move that was necessary for the Wild to stop treading water.  Now it's up to Craig Leipold to make the right choices to fill some very important spots.

According to two outside NHL sources, Wild GM Doug Risebrough has been fired by owner Craig Leipold. It is unconfirmed inside the organization.

Leipold was said to have agonized over the decision but decided, in the final analysis, that a change in direction was called for. - Russo

EDIT: 4:30 pm CDT

All from Russo

“I got a call from [assistant coach Mario Tremblay] and he told me this and I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It was shocking, it was shocking. I never expected it. I never thought he’d be fired after I left,” former Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. “We tried to get this team better. What Craig thought was something different.
“Us, I thought we did some decent things there. We don’t know anymore what to think there. It just shows you the owner has a different perspective than a lot of people could go.” - Jacques Lemaire

Lemaire was unable to get in contact with Risebrough.

Lemaire, by the way, does not want the job.

From the Leipold conference call:

• He made his decision a month ago.
• He told Risebrough Tuesday, and he took it professionally.
• The new GM will only be GM, and not GM and President
• On whether Lemaire would have been fired if he didn’t quit, Leipold said he hasn’t thought about that because he always assumed Lemaire was leaving.
• He has a little of former GM’s and bright stars he’s interested in. Candidates have solicited him already today via call and email.

I'll admit, it's been pretty easy for me to come here and prattle on endlessly about how this team has no future - about how they seemingly didn't get the memo about the rule reinforcements allowing offense to flourish after Gary's Temper Tantrum Over Money that killed an entire season. 

After all, I'm just some jerk from New York that watches the Wild from a distance and without any emotional attachment whatsoever.

With that said, I've come to you today of all days to admit I've been dishonest with you all.  I know that I've mocked and belittled Wild general manager Doug Risebrough whenever buddhafisch or neide have allowed me off of my leash to write here and some of you may have agreed with what I wrote and your rally cries urged me to feed the beast.

It's all a lie though. 

I'm but a simple columnist.  I'm here to spew forth with venom to feed the masses whether they like it or not, to say things I don't actually believe in that will help bring you all here.

The fact is, I've stood fast to one belief all season long for this Wild team and this organization:

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I know that the NHL struggles in competing for television ratings with poker, but in my efforts to reach out to this apparently huge market of, ahem, sports enthusiasts - I'll use a metaphor to describe today's NHL trading deadline to them.

The "river" card is about to be revealed and it's time to decide if you want to stay in this hand and go for the big money or re-group and see what the future holds for you.

Is today the day that the preparations for the 2009-2010 begin and you fold or is it time to push all in and just go for it?

It's put up or shut up time for the Minnesota Wild and they may have made a huge tell about what they've got planned for today. 

Easy money after the jump.

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I'm going to keep it simple since I haven't been around here in a little while.

I could ask you to insert a joke about being bored with a boring team, but the Wild just lit up the Maple Leafs 6-1.  I'll put that joke to bed for now.

What's got me though is the state of flux the front office of the Wild puts you fans in.  It's maddening to see - let's recap the big ones:

We Love Gaborik!

Burn Mary-Ann At the Stake!

We have to get Backstrom re-signed now!

Trade him so we can get something in return!

I get it, you guys are frustrated that is only consistent at being inconsistent.  I've got a new rallying cry for everyone though, and it's one that I know you can all support and it's one that you might start saying come this offseason or after the trade deadline, depending on how things go.

FIRE DOUG RISEBROUGH!

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It appears that this is the end of the world as you know it and you don't feel fine.

All is lost and the glaring problems the team has had all along are rearing their ugly heads so much that even the biggest die-hard fans are taking issue with them.

Adding to that is the nonsense with Marian Gaborik.  In fact, Jacques Lemaire hired a special assistant to deal with Gaborik personally, but Gaborik wanted no part of his treatment.

Unfortunately some of his "coaching methods" were adopted by the scoring forwards and...well, you see how that's worked out.

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I know we've been having some fun here with Marian Gaborik's situation.  You know, with him being an apparent petulant child about his contract, his apparent wont to hit free agency at the end of the season, his supposed desire to just get out of Minnesota and shake off the shackles of Jacques Lemaire's system and become the scoring dream machine that most every expects that he would be just about anywhere else.

Most everyone has been more than happy to pack his bags, send him out of town and kick him in the ass on the way out.

I get that, I understand it and I even advocate feeling that way.  After all, if a guy seems to not want to play for your team...why bother investing your time, emotion and care into what he's doing on the ice.

The pickle the Wild find themselves in, however, is that they desperately need him.

Reunited and it feels so...uneasy?

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Folks out East here might not realize it (Nick in New York excluded of course) but the Minnesota Wild just keep on winning.  Folks here don't have much excuse for not seeing the Wild, they've been the Versus Network's prized pet the last month, and even a stinker of a game against Colorado may have tricked folks out this way that maybe, just maybe, these Minnesota guys can light it up whenever they want.

Well, I won't go and say that, that may have been the worst game the Wild played all year.  Fortunately, the Wild followed that up with maybe their most sound and destructive game against St. Louis in a 4-0 shutout win. 

Backstrom gets another shutout, Mikko Koivu continues to be the man and most notably to a mostly ignorant Eastern media... Jacques Lemaire is putting everyone on notice that he's still around, he's still preaching the same game he always has and he don't need no stinking superstar to make it happen.

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It's time to give thanks here on the Frontier and for the Wild, well, that was a rather thankless effort against Dallas, but one that could be foreseen given how the Wild closed out their victory over Washington.

Let us not dwell on such a frustrating loss for it's time to sit down and give thanks and to partake in the annual ritual of carving up the turkey.

This year, I've cooked you guys up a feast of Wild turkey.  Eat up and enjoy everyone.

 
There's plenty for everyone - just look out for the breast meat, it's a bit lacking but the drumsticks are really tender.

I got a transcript from a meeting at Versus Network home office this morning.  It turns out they had to call for an emergency meeting today to discuss the results of Wild's 2-1 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The theme of this meeting seems to read like this:

"This is why we can't have nice things..."

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I was watching what was being billed as the Be-All, End-All game of the year featuring Detroit and Pittsburgh.  You know, the one where Versus suggested that Pittsburgh was looking for revenge.

Apparently the Stanley Cup is now treated like the WWE Championship Belt and this was the rematch clause being enacted by the Penguins.  What I did notice at times through the game was that those same Penguins were going to be on Versus again next week.  Crosby!  Malkin!  Fleury!  Godard!  Er, yeah.  Suffice to say, the opponent wasn't important, but Pittsburgh was playing and that's that.

Getting the cold shoulder of ignorance and probable date with Joe Beninati waxing poetic about Marian Gaborik's wonky groin were the Minnesota Wild, the sacrificial lambs-to-be.  As usual, however, Versus is going to miss the boat on some good things happening across the ice.

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I can sense that you guys are frustrated and it fills me with pride to see it. 

No, I don't like schadenfreude and I do my best to not practice it.  I do stress patience with your team, because in the Western Conference where you've got the biggest of the big dogs, the Wild are very much still puppies.

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You don't know me, but perhaps you should get acquainted with me before I step up and hit you hard tomorrow and every Wednesday throughout the Wild season.

You can call me Hockey Joe for now and I know you'll bristle at a lot of the things I'll share about the Wild compared  to how the outside of Minnesota world sees them.

Hey, they're on Versus a bunch of times this year, that makes me fully qualified to mouth off.

I kid, I kid. 

I've gotten the call out of the Eastern bullpen to provide some perspective on the Wild and perhaps dish out a little common sense if necessary.

If you're trying to figure out what to expect, think of it this way:

I'm sure you've had a friend that supports you but you almost never see eye-to-eye with, right?

Yeah...

That's me.