Tag: Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild front office investigations and shakeups: Everything we know so far

The Minnesota Wild have a lot of questions to answer

It’s been a chaotic season for the Minnesota Wild on the ice to begin the year, and it seems the roster is not the only part of the franchise in disarray.

Earlier this week two separate code of conduct investigations into the Wild front office were revealed via reporting from Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, leading the club to part ways with assistant general manager Chris O’Hearn.

Minnesota had already fired head coach Dean Evason on November 27 after losing 14 of their its 19 games to begin the year.

There is obviously a lot going on here so let’s break it down.

The NHL reportedly threatened Marc-Andre Fleury, Wild over Native American Heritage Night goalie mask

The NHL continues to fight all the wrong battles

The NHL has a well-known and horrific track record of supporting minority groups. Just this year alone, the league has already created some completely avoidable controversies while trying to police players and teams who wish to support causes like LGBTQ pride.

For The Win’s Mary Clarke has already succinctly summed it all up once this year:

Coming into the 2023-24 season, the NHL had banned Pride Tape and other various sorts of “cause messaging” displayed on player uniforms and gear. Alongside Pride events, this would have banned players from showcasing support for Hockey Fights Cancer or military appreciation nights, among others. The impetus for this change? Ivan Provorov’s decision to abstain from wearing a Philadelphia Flyers Pride Night jersey in warmups earlier in the year, causing the NHL to ban theme nights altogether.

Largely due to the efforts of Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott, players can once again use Pride Tape on their sticks. Yet it didn’t take long for the NHL to unreasonably bring down the hammer on a beloved player’s “cause messaging” for reasons passing understanding.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was all set to debut a new mask for Native American Heritage Night on Friday when the Wild host the Colorado Avalanche.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, Fleury wanted a special mask to honor his wife — who is a registered member of a tribe in Canada — and worked with a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community to help design a new lid he could auction for charity after the game. And, not for nothing, the helmet is absolutely gorgeous.

Unfortunately, the NHL won’t allow Fleury to wear the mask. The league reportedly threatened to fine the goaltender if he did take the ice with it on — even for warmups.

Per Russo:

Fleury said he was willing to limit his use of the mask to warmups — and accept a fine, according to his agent Allan Walsh — but the team will not let him because they were twice instructed by the NHL that it was against the rules. Fleury called the league’s decision “stupid.”

It’s truly hard to find anything the NHL could point to as a legitimate reason why Fleury shouldn’t be able to wear this paint scheme. If there is one, the league should speak up immediately and clear the air. Especially given the fact Fleury was able to wear a special edition mask honoring Native Americans when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021.

Otherwise, this threat of punitive action against the Wild and its players serves as another stark reminder that the league’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” messaging remains subject to the NHL’s terms and conditions.

Update:

The creepy ventriloquist dummy from Goosebumps tried to scare Flyers coach John Tortorella behind the bench

WATCH OUT, TORTS!

If you’re in the team box at an NHL game, you might want to look behind you every now and again for who might be lurking behind the glass.

For the Philadelphia Flyers’ Thursday night tilt against the Minnesota Wild, Slappy the evil ventriloquist dummy from the new Disney+ adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books showed up for some Halloween haunts.

Slappy got great seats for the Flyers’ game against the Wild, and he got a prime opportunity to give Philadelphia head coach John Tortorella a really good scare as he lingered right behind Torts as he was coaching.

It was great to hear the ESPN broadcast yell for Tortorella not to turn around with Slappy right behind him.

Hey, at least Gritty wasn’t afraid to welcome Slappy to the City of Brotherly Love.

Well, being that it’s prime spooky season, Slappy was right where he belonged at the Flyers game.

Maybe he and Gritty went trick-or-treating at the period breaks?

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Vikings tight ends chugs beer at Minnesota Wild playoff game

The Minnesota Vikings tight end room chugged a beer on the scoreboard while attending the Minnesota Wild Stanley Cup Playoff game.

The Minnesota Vikings just started their offseason program on Monday, April 17th. Players were back in the facility for training and meetings. It’s completely voluntary, but most players have a workout bonus tied to attending the off-season program.

One of the major benefits of the team being together is team bonding. Our own columnist Judd Zulgad is live at Xcel Energy Center covering the game and is reporting that the Vikings tight end room all attended the Minnesota Wild game together and chugged a beer on the scoreboard.

Teambuilding is a really important part of the offseason program and chugging a beer on the scoreboard was popularized by Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari when attending Milwaukee Bucks games.

Great to see Oliver bonding with his new teammates.

NHL fans were furious after Matt Dumba’s vicious hit on Joe Pavelski only drew a minor penalty

Should Matt Dumba be suspended for this hit on Joe Pavelski?

The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs aren’t even a day old and already there’s controversy brewing.

On Monday, the Dallas Stars were hosting the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. With the Stars up 2-1 late in the second period as the team was moving deep into the offensive zone, Joe Pavelski was rocked by a hit from Matt Dumba that send both teams into a frenzy.

On the play, Dumba backed into Pavelski with a violent hit that caught him high in the shoulder, causing the Stars’ forward to fall hard on the ice. Pavelski had to be helped off the ice after the hit and did not return for the remainder of the second period.

Originally, Dumba was given a five-minute major for the hit, but after review — which is a new rule this season — the Wild defenseman was given a two-minute minor for roughing instead.

You never want to see a player go out with an injury like that, especially on a brutal hit from Dumba that felt unnecessarily late. We’ll have to see if Dumba is given extra from the Department of Player Safety, but given the ferocity of the hit, it feels like a suspension could very well be in the cards.

NHL fans were absolutely irate that Dumba’s vicious hit on Pavelski was downgraded to a minor penalty.

The Wild’s Ryan Reaves wanted stronger smelling salts and he was so not ready for them

Reaves got WAY more than he bargained for.

Using smelling salts to improve alertness is likely nothing new for a professional hockey player. But the Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Reaves still might have bitten off more than he could chew Saturday night.

As the Wild battled the rival Chicago Blackhawks at home, Reaves asked for some smelling salts from a Minnesota trainer. When they apparently weren’t strong enough, he wanted something more potent.

While Reaves probably wanted the salts to get more “into” the game, he seemed to have some very visible regrets after taking the stronger variation. The 36-year-old exploded in discomfort upon inhaling the second version. That or the salts were just that powerful, and Reaves simply had to compose himself:

(Warning: NSFW language in the text below) 

Whatever Reaves’ aim was here, it worked out. He recorded a goal, and the Wild eventually prevailed 3-1. Though, next time, as Reaves detailed in the postgame, he might want to prepare accordingly for the stronger ammonia inhalants:

NHL fans thought Reaves’ seeming immediate regret upon taking the second version of the smelling salts was hilarious.

NHL fans were so upset officials stopped a goalie fight between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington

We were ROBBED of a goalie fight!

By now, most hockey fans understand Jordan Binnington’s capacity to act like a child. In fact, the St. Louis Blues goalie is probably the most infamous for throwing a water bottle at Nazem Kadri during last year’s playoffs.

So when Binnington started a goalie fight with the Minnesota Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury Wednesday, folks naturally wanted Fleury to beat Binnington up.

Plus, a goalie fight — awesome!

1. Who doesn’t want to see that?

2. How often do we actually get to see a goalie fight?

The answer is the officials at the game, who stopped Binnington and Fleury before they really revved up their fisticuffs. And … c’mon!

Ugh, we were robbed of some genuinely glorious goalie fight action. There’s no other way to slice. At least in Fleury’s case, his Wild got the last laugh in an 8-5 win where Binnington surrendered five goals.

Vikings announce special guest to sound Gjallarhorn at Saturday’s game

The star winger will sound the Gjallarhorn

The Minnesota Vikings are set to host the New York Giants in a Christmas Eve showdown on Saturday. Since the Vikings are at home, they’ll continue a tradition of sounding the Gjallarhorn, something that they’ve started since the opening of US Bank Stadium in 2016.

This Saturday, Minnesota Wild star left wing Kirill Kaprizov will get the honor of sounding the horn. Kaprizov is the first Wild player since center Erik Haula to sound the Gjallarhorn.

Other notable people that have sounded the Gjallarhorn this season:

Sylvia Fowles – Former Minnesota Lynx 
Cris Carter- Former Vikings Wide Receiver
Lonnie Warwick – Former Vikings Linebacker
Charlie Huizinga – Child battling acute Leukemia
Jared Allen– Former Vikings Defensive End
Paul Nakasone- United Stated Four-Star General
Sunisa Lee- Women’s Gymnastic Olympic Champion 
Jairus Wright- Former Vikings Wide Receiver 

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks odds, tips and betting trends

The seventh-place squad in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks (4-3-0), host the 10th-ranked Minnesota Wild (3-3-1) at United Center on Sunday at 7:00 PM ET. Minnesota lost 2-1 on the road in its last game on October 29 against the …

The seventh-place squad in the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks (4-3-0), host the 10th-ranked Minnesota Wild (3-3-1) at United Center on Sunday at 7:00 PM ET.

Minnesota lost 2-1 on the road in its last game on October 29 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Chicago’s most recent game was a road overtime loss, 4-3, to the Buffalo Sabres on October 29.

As hockey matchups continue, prepare for the outing with what you need to know before Sunday’s game.

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks Odds and Betting Lines

  • Favorite: Wild (-184)
  • Underdog: Blackhawks (+154)
  • Over/under: 6.5

Want some action on the latest NHL games? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO and NJ at Tipico Sportsbook.

Wild Stats and Trends

  • Minnesota has been victorious in three of the six games it’s played as the moneyline favorite this season.
  • Through one game with moneyline odds lower than -184 this season, the Wild have won every time.
  • There is a 64.8% chance that Minnesota wins this contest, per the moneyline.
  • Minnesota and its opponent have combined to score more than 6.5 goals in five of eight games this season.
  • They have averaged 3.4 goals per game (27 total) over that time.
  • Over on the defensive end, the Wild have given up 31 goals (3.9 per game) in those 10 matchups.

Blackhawks Stats and Trends

  • The Blackhawks have claimed an upset victory in four of the eight games they have played while the underdog this season.
  • Chicago has a record of 1-4 in games when sportsbooks list them +154 or longer on the moneyline.
  • Oddsmakers have implied, based on the moneyline for this matchup, that the Blackhawks have a 39.4% chance to win.
  • So far this season, 75.0% of Chicago’s games (6/8) have had more goals than Sunday’s over/under of 6.5.
  • They are scoring at a 3.5 goals-per-game average (28 total) during that stretch.
  • Over on the defensive end, the Blackhawks have given up 27 goals (3.4 per game) in those 10 outings.

Wild vs. Blackhawks Game Info and Start Time

  • Game Day: Sunday, October 30, 2022
  • Game Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • TV Channel: NBC Sports Networks
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)

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Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov contorted himself around a defender for a stunning deflection goal

Kirill Kaprizov is a magician!

Kirill Kaprizov is no stranger to pretty goals, but this one might just be his best yet.

Coming off a 108-point sophomore season last year, Kaprizov is the race horse that makes this Minnesota Wild team run. And so far this season, Kaprizov has delivered, this time in a big way to break a late first period tie.

With the Wild and Ottawa Senators tied 1-1 in the final moments of the first, Kaprizov turned a net-front pass into a score with ease. While Kaprizov looked tied up with a Senators defender in front of the net, the winger was able to contort his body around his opponent to get his stick on the puck to deflect it past Anton Forsberg.

Let’s see that one more time, shall we?

That’s just absurd from Kaprizov right there. You might have also noticed that Kaprizov leaves his skates as he makes that move, making it all the more impressive. What an individual effort here from Kaprizov for a highlight reel goal.

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