More photos » by Adrian Wyld - AP

about 8 hours ago: Ottawa Senators goalie Mike Brodeur pumps his fist at the conclusion of his NHL debut against the Minnesota Wild in Ottawa, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009. Brodeur made 22 saves to win his debut 4-1. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

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Well, that didn't exactly go smoothly did it? Not that anyone really could have expected a win, but I was holding out for an OT loss. But sadly, that didn't happen.

Frankly, from the drop the Wild looked very solid, their biggest issue was simply that they didn't pepper the rookie goalie Mike Brodeur with rubber as often as they should have. The first period was seemingly headed to a 0-0 tie until defenseman Anton Volchenkov took a slapper with under three minutes left and it hit a stick out front, going over Niklas Backstrom's shoulder. The Sens took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

When the Wild came out for the second, the Wild looked flat, and this is essentially where the wheels fell off. Not even 30 seconds into the 2nd period, Milan Michalek threw a snapshot through Backstrom for a very soft goal. This was followed by less than crisp play by the Wild in the offensive zone, and a very strong forecheck and exceptionally strong puck possession by the Senators. At just over two minutes to play in the2nd period, Jarkko Ruutu put the garbage in the dumpster leading the Senators to a 3-0 lead heading into the 3rd period.

In the third, Backstrom had another soft goal go under the pads for a 4-0 lead. A decent shot by Erik Karlsson for his first career NHL goal. Congrats to you Mr. Karlsson. The Wild from that point on looked like a team that couldn't hear the horn soon enough. While they did get a goal from Martin Havlat when Nick Schultz' shot hit his shin guard and bounced in, it was a garbage goal which only had the moral victory of NOT allowing Mike Brodeur's NHL debut to be a shutout win.

Now, I know what you are thinking..."Mike, you haven't mentioned the Power Play." There is a reason for that dear reader, in order to talk about the "Power Play," first, one has to convince me that the Wild have one. Truthfully, this is a glaring issue for this club. One which cannot be overlooked, one which is very inconsistent. Is the philosophy wrong? Has no quarterback stepped forward to consistently run it? Perhaps the pass first mentality can't be broken? I have no answers, but if I am Richards & Co...this is my number one concern heading in to Monday.

All in all, the Wild played pretty damn well for the shenanigans which took place yesterday. Again, I was hoping for an OT appearance, to get a point, but alas, this didn't occur. As we look back, with all the circumstances which surround this game, only three things seem relevant/concerning:

1) Power Play - Ummm...wow. Beuller?? Beuller??? Frye??? Frye??? I would gladly have a better PP as my Christmas present.

2) Niklas Backstrom's confidence in his gear - The normally steady Backstrom looked very very shaky. Soft goals that he doesn't normally give up, pads that he recently determined as too old, and a helmet which he wore for a few years. It will be interesting to see how Nik plays the next few days.

3) Will the break-in period of gear slow down the progress - Hockey, being the animal it is, the next few games are going to be crucial to win some so that everyone gets comfortable in their equipment, and this insanely odd circumstance is well beyond us.

I have one more thing...as a parting comment...I am fairly certain that Greg Zanon is a cyborg. He had to run down the aisle after the high stick to simply replace his eyeball. Clearly his spare parts were not damaged in the fire.

It had to come to this...we ask you fine members of the wilderness...

Who has the best hair? Or, should we say, the "not as bad" hair?

                          Brendan Witt          

                  Darby Hendrickson

 The poll awaits....

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

about 1 month ago: Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle (3) jumps into the arms of teammate Scottie Upshall, after Upshall scored the go-ahead goal against the Minnesota Wild during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. Shane Doan, back right, and Robert Lang (20) also celebrate. Phoenix won 3-2. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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Minnesota 2 - Phoenix 3

Greetings all, Nathan had more important things to do last night, (congrats on nine years my friend) so, I figured I would pop on in and give a game recap from the perspective of section 210, row 1. Never been in the upper deck before, so this was a good experience. You sure can see the plays (or lack thereof) developing from up yonder. Alrighty...let’s get to it...

Another Fraud Sellout at the X last night, packed to the rafters...if you are counting the nearly 2000 empty seats. The 'Yotes came in not faring well over the past Millenium versus the Wild, and we were told that on the scoreboard before the game. I felt this was a classic "Dick and Bert" moment, and, well, if you watched the game, you know the kiss of death occured.

The Wild came out Slloooooooowwww, and seemed to lack energy the entire game. The only consistent energy came from the Brodziak/Earl/Clutterbuck. The slow pace of the wild was matched by an equally lethargic attack from Phoenix. I saw more excitement at the prospect scrimmage this past summer. With under a minute to play, the Wild lost Owen Nolan for tapping a player's ass with the blade of his stick slashing. When the 'Yotes came out on the PP in the second, they scored on a laser from the right side of Backstrom off the stick of Radim Vrbata. 1-0 Yotes. That was all the scoring in the 2^nd.

The Wild bounced back with a nice hard working goal from the Koivu/Brunette/Miettinen line. Bruno found a free puck and an open net, and buried it. 1-1 tie. Sadly, as often happens, the Wild found themselves down 2-1 after a horribly played puck at the blue line led to a 2-1 the other way, and James Vandermeer faked the crossing pass and pushed the puck behind Backstrom. Come to think of it, I think it wasn’t so much a misplayed puck, but Kim Johnsson falling down.

With roughly five minutes to play, the Wild once again tried this "scoring" thing, much to the celebration of the fans. It was another classic Andrew Brunette setup from behind the net. Puck came hard around the back wall, Bruno pushed it along, Koivu tapped it back to Bruno who slides it in one motion out to Mittens who buries the puck from maybe 6 feet away. 2-2 tie.

As much rejoicing was occurring, the Wild forgot that the puck being dropped symbolizes that play is resuming, and within 20 seconds, Scottie Upshall takes a rebound off Backstrom and slides it underneath Nik for the 3-2 lead, and eventual game winner. It was a soft, soft goal, and it really took the wind out of the collective sails of the players and the fans.

Neither team was especially good this evening, but the Wild was worse. Please note that word choice…as opposed to the classic cliché of "they were the better team." Sadly, in this case…the wording, as it reads, is more accurate.

Lets take a look at the 5 questions posed by Nathan "Swine-Flu Survivor" Eide…

1.     Any chance Danny Irmen can continue the first career goal trend? Well, he did get to wave at his family in the crowd, and I did see him out there…so he was physically present, but sadly…no goal for you!

2.     Can Brent Burns continue improving upon his plus/minus? Burns was a -1, so by definition, this is a step back.

3.     Will the Coyotes know how to play in front of actual people? They did look a bit puzzled by the breathing life forms on the other side of the glass…but they won, so, I guess they know how.

4.     Ilya Bryzgalov is in net. He tends to play very poorly against the Wild (1-7, 3.42 lifetime). Will this trend continue? He played pretty well. Controlled rebounds, didn’t do anything stupid. A very serviceable performance, and got his win at the X.

5.     8 shots against Washington, 0 against Carolina. Which Martin Havlat will show up? Havlat had 4 shots, one was a decent opportunity. The Martin Havlat who likes to carry the puck into the zone and curl also showed up! I think it is time to look at getting him his number back…he clearly feels like "10 less of a man."

Just in time for the holidays, here is a "how to" guide, to help you spot a fake Wild sweater.

I have been a hockey jersey purchaser/trader for many years now, and I want to share some information so that you can make an informed decision about purchasing hockey jerseys, specifically, for this area, Minnesota Wild jerseys.

The estimation, which is floating around, is that 85% of all hockey jerseys sold on craigslist/ebay are knockoffs. These counterfeit jerseys are produced in China, and purchased by "distributors" here in Minnesota. Before you get all excited about that amazing jersey for "only $80.00" per se, ask yourself, "is this too good to be true?" More than likely, it is. "But it has a fight strap, it must be genuine!" I ask you, " is elastic white material hard to come by these days?" "But it has a tag, and an NHL logo, and even has the rbk stitched on tag inside the jersey" you say? I counter with, "if an entire jersey can be made, how hard is it to sew a bunch of collar tags, and to print on cardstock a ‘tag’ for the sleeve?" I’m not trying to be mean, just trying to save you from buying something which isn’t real. This is intended to help. Please read carefully after the jump.

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On the very bottom of Russo's Rants, he mentioned that Jim Dowd retired today.

One can only tell, from television, but Jim Dowd always appeared to be a very good man, and an excellent example of how a professional hockey player carries himself. He played all of, or part of, 16 seasons at the NHL level.

Congrats on a fine journey in pro hockey Jim, and good luck in your next stage of life.

I have to say thanks to Buddafisch, because when I read yours, I had to try my own. This was way too fun, and a great way to kill an hour at the end of the work day.

Oh, also...it expresses my frustration as well. I encourage all to play with this...but make sure you give props to Budda for being your "muse."

Minnesota Wild got ya down? Puzzled by decisions the management team has, or hasn't, made? Pissed off about the horrible stretch run before you?

Then have no fear ladies and gents...I encourage you to forget about the frozen water, and think about the open water, and how fun it is to fish that water! Don't believe me?? Just ask Owen Nolan!

That is right, the same Owen Nolan who gives his grit and heart every time he on the ice, wants to teach you how to catch some delicious bass. Head on over to Fish TV and watch some of Owen's better casts, landings and cheesy smiles.

Again, that is http://www.fishtv.tv/

Thank you again Owen. You have been the bright spot in my day again, even on a day that has no hockey game.

I have been reading, and reading, and watching, and reading about this team. Life has done its usual maneuver of getting in the way of regularly contributing to this site that nate, budda, marthaler, joe and handler have made very good. Luckily, I have a minute, and here I have a chance to throw something out there.

Nate and I have discussed this many times in person, or over IM, but I am curious to see what the community here at Hockey Wilderness has to say...

The Wild are skating closer and closer to losing the fan-base they love. For these first years of existence, the Wild have been given the free pass because they are a new team. Well, Doug, Craig and Jacques, in case you haven't noticed...you are no longer a new team. In two seasons, (or is it one?) the Wild will be a ten-year old franchise. A ten-year old franchise who has not displayed a consistent progression towards being a force in the league. Lets dispel a few rumors shall we? Rumors about why this progression may not be occurring.

1) Mpls/St. Paul is a small market - Truth be told, for most sports it is. But not hockey. The wild have enough revenue to be able to spend to the upper limits of the cap, if they so chose, so this excuse is out.

2) The players don't care about winning - This is bogus. I have complained that the effort hasn't been there on nights, but all-in-all, these guys want to win. The problem is, the other team also wants to win. Players want to lift that hunk of metal above their heads; lift it with pride, its the cup...the hardest trophy to obtain. Eighty-Two games is a long time, then a potential for twenty-eight more games in the playoffs makes me not buy that the players are content to give the fans a few extra games. They want to go deep, but the better question is can this team as it stands?

3) Players don't like Minnesota - Nobody wants to play here. This has been said, and there may be a sliver of truth. But it has nothing to do with the city, its people nor the facility. Name me a player who wouldn't want to play in front of a sell-out crowd, in a facility which is a beautiful as the X? It isn’t the fans, the city or the venue...perhaps, it could be something else.

So, if these situations aren't the issue, what is? My take is this...the management team was a good start-up crew, but they don't know how to take a team to the next level. I am not confident that this group of people know what it takes to take a promising young, and new team, and turn it into a consistent threat for the cup. Don't get me wrong, I don't buy that the ownership/management doesn't want to go deep into the playoffs either. The ultimate goal is to earn more revenue, and more games sells more ads, more beer, more foam fingers, etc. But again, similarly to the point at the end of point "#2," can they take this team deep?

My hypothesis is no, they cannot. The team has drafted very poorly, the team makes very strange fiscal decisions when it comes to personnel and the team policies regarding contract negotiations during the season have created more issues then they have quelled.

These policies, and this style of management works very well when establishing a new franchise in a community. But what I don't think anyone is asking is...what happens when the newness wears off? What does the turnout look like, when mediocre seasons pile-up over and over, in a state that known for its knowledge and passion for the sport of hockey? In all honestly folks, there wasn't a huge uproar when the North Stars went south. Why? Cause there was still hockey to be seen. Quality solid hockey, played with passion was(and still is) being enjoyed everywhere. This mindset may be suppressed in the minds of hockey fans, but eventually, the desire to spend $75+ dollars on a wild ticket will be replaced with cheering on the kids from your community at the Friday night High School Games, or driving to your closest D-1 WCHA game.

So what happens to a pro hockey team, in the state of hockey, when the newness is gone, and the team fails to compete for dominance in the league? The wild management need look no further than their colleagues in the Target Center. For years, the T-Wolves were building, and then they were doing well enough to make the playoffs now and again. Hell, they even made it to the conference finals...they were new, we forgive all. And then...nothing. No winning, not reason to believe...and fan support plummeted. Players starting leaving town, and potential free agents, ignored offers from the Wolves.

In a similar fashion, could this be why players aren't anxious to sign with the Wild? Maybe it isn't the venue, the fans or the city. Maybe, the free agents of the NHL see the Wild as a destination to be watched, and loved by fans, in a large hockey market, all the while, on a team, which isn't prepared to take its organizational game to the next level. Thus leaving players who want to win, overlooking a contract from St. Paul. (Do these tie in with the rumors from earlier? hmm.)

A new team can afford to play on the cheap, but an established market team can't. At year eight, a team needs to realize it is quickly approaching established-hood. I don't know how this message can be conveyed any other way than this...progression and winning keeps fans happy and keeps dollars coming in..."doing it how we have always done it" yields complacency and a lack of interest.

If this management team can't take the Wild to the next level...then doesn't ownership want to change the management staff? Again, why sell 41 games worth of beer, when you can sell 50+ games worth? Why settle for an occasional free agent, when you can create a culture where players are willing to take less to be part of "that?" Why do something half-assed, when you have the means to go all out?

Something needs to change, and preferably soon. A state like MN deserves a better product on the ice than we have seen the past two-four years. I hate to think about the Wild in the basement of the league, but sometimes I wonder, if that is where they need to go, before the message is received by the "powers that be."

If the Wild management/ownership doesn't start thinking of new ways to succeed, their former "new" team will become yesterday's news.

I watched this game, and all I heard myself yelling "SELL! SELL!!!" This is not a good team folks, and regardless of how badly we want them to be...they are not good. Reload, rebuild, whatever jargon you want to use...this is what you have to do. Don't expect the playoffs. Don't expect anything worth your money. Things aren't going to change. And this stretch against the Sharks, the flames, the hawks, the wings, etc. is gonna'  be brutal. As a note of my frustration and acceptance in the weak weak team, called the wild, please note the lack of three reasons why the wild could have won.

Why the Wild Lost:

1) 1-7-1: When you create a culture of losing, you lose. That record over the last nine games is well, shitty. I am fairly certain that somewhere, there are people screaming at the tv. I wasn't one of them tonight, but I am getting closer.

2) Passing: I think that there were 4 solid passes all night. I have seen USHL teams pass better. Horrible. Just Horrible. And, oddly enough, two errant passes led to St. Louis goals.

3) Goal timing: This was the 8th game in a row that the wild have yielded the first goal of the game. This has to stop, or not, because the players kinda seem like they have given up on the year. The other timing issue is the immediate coughing up a goal within two minutes of scoring one. PMB scores, game tied...30 seconds later, no longer tied. Nice work everyone.

I think that it is becoming apparent that either the players, or the system have to change. Cause frankly, I am starting to feel like I am wasting evenings watching a game I truly respect and love.

...the smoke and mirrors are no longer working.

This is not a good hockey team. At least not right now. But more than likely, now that every team is in mid-season form, the Wild's "truthiness" has been exposed.

3 goals in the last 12 periods. need we say more?

The end.