Minnesota had the tables turned on them Sunday night when former Wild players Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin and their Nashville Predators teammates returned to Minnesota to pin a second-straight loss on the Wild, putting a damper on an emotional night in which long-time captain Mikko Koivu’s No. 9 was retired. 

Nashville captain Roman Josi scored twice, including a critical power-play goal 1:05 into the third period, and goaltender David Rittich turned away 26 of 28 Minnesota shots to lift the Predators to a 6-2 win before a purely coincidental 19,009 at Xcel Energy Center. Matt Boldy and Jordan Greenway each tallied for the Wild while Minnesota goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen allowed four goals on 23 shots. 

“This is as special a night as possible and it kind of sucks,” Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba said. “But we’ll put it behind us, have a good night with with our old teammates and celebrate Mikky.”

Mikko Koivu poses in front of his number retirement banner with his mother, Tuire, his father, Jukka, and his children Kasper, Sofie and Oskar on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

In a moving pre-game ceremony hosted by Bally Sports North’s Wild play-by-play voice Anthony LaPanta, Koivu’s parents and children were on hand along with his brother, Saku, and niece, Ilona. Niklas Backstrom and Kyle Brodziak were among several former teammates in the building but they represented the group on the ice while Wild owner Craig Leipold and GM Bill Guerin rounded out the dignitaries. 

Wild fans watched via the scoreboard video screen as the guest of honor emerged through the wooden doors of the team dressing room, walk the short hallway to the bench and onto the ice as he had done so many times before in uniform. The roar of the crowd crescendoed with each stride until it peaked as he appeared in the arena, acknowledging the fans’ love with waves as he made his way to his seat.

Leipold spoke first and relayed the story of Koivu receiving the captaincy for the first time while Guerin presented Koivu with a custom Rolex engraved watch. Backstrom and Brodziak presented framed montage of images representing Koivu’s career in Minnesota before current Wild captains Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Marcus Foligno bestowed a new set of custom-fitted golf clubs upon Koivu.

In a touching speech, interrupted several times by cheers and random shouts of “we love you” from from fans, Koivu could hardly have left anyone out as he thanked his family, teammates, coaches, GMs, support personnel, Leipold and, most of all, the fans of ‘The State of Hockey.’

“Having my jersey number retired by the Minnesota Wild is a greater honor than I know how to say … in English or in Finnish,” Koivu said in his speech.

Nashville’s Mikael Granlund and Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon await the ceremonial puck drop by former teammate Mikko Koivu prior to Sunday night’s game at Xcel Energy Center. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

All fans in attendance received commemorative “Koivu 9” replica banners and Wild players donned special Koivu #9 jerseys for on-ice warmups. 

Koivu dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff flanked by former teammates Mikael Granlund, now a Nashville Predators assistant captain, and Spurgeon, the chosen heir to Koivu’s Wild captaincy.

Selected in the first round (No. 6 overall) in the 2001 NHL Draft, Koivu scored his first NHL goal Nov. 6, 2005 against Jean-Sebastian Giguere and the Anaheim Ducks. Koivu was named the team’s first full-time team captain on Oct. 20, 2009 and followed that up a day later with a goal, an assist and the shootout winner to beat the Colorado Avalanche. 

Mikko Koivu surveys the landscape during a break in an Oct. 6, 2018 game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Koivu became first player to skate 1000 games in a Minnesota Wild sweater on Dec. 1, 2019 when he tallied the decisive goal in a shootout win over the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center. In 1,035 games over 16 NHL seasons (2005-2021), Koivu recorded 711 points (206-505–711) with 594 OIM and a plus-68 rating.  His 1028 games played, 504 assists, 709 points, 2,270 shots and 252 power-play points all rank first in franchise history. 

Koivu finished his career with a brief seven-game stint as a Columbus Bluejacket to begin the 2020-21 season where he registered his final goal and assist. 

The Wild got off to an adrenaline-fueled start, notching the game’s first five shots, but Filip Forsberg netted Nashvilles’s first shot of the game at the 8:24 mark of the first period for a 1-0 Predators lead. Less than five minutes later, however, Wild rookie Matt Boldy pounced on a loose puck along the goal line to Rittich’s left and buried his 12th of the season from a sharp angle with assists from Freddy Gaudreau and Kevin Fiala. 

Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon battles Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm as Predators forward Eeli Tolvanen lurks behind. (MN Wild/photo by Bruce Kluckhohn)

The 1-1 score held up until near the midpoint of the second period when Josi skated straight up the slot, completely unimpeded, and slipped a backhand shot between Kahkonen’s glove and the top of his left pad at 8:44. But Minnesota answered back at 11:10 with Jordan Greenway’s fifth goal of the year on a power move to the net from the left circle, beating Rittich inside the far post. 

Unfortunately for the the evening’s festivities, it took just 50 seconds for Nashville’s fourth line to answer when Philip Tomasino jumped on a juicy Kahkonen rebound to score into a wide-open net for his ninth of the season.

Evason twice pulled Kahkonen for an extra attacker but that only resulted in an empty-net goals by Forsberg at 17:42 and Nick Cousins at 19:31.

Greenway said, win or lose, the ceremony was a great recognition of what Koivu meant to the franchise.

“Obviously, we would have liked to get the win for him, it would have made the night that much better,” Greenway said. “But when it comes down to it, that’s a once in a lifetime thing you’re able to be a part of and it’s inspirational … Even with a loss, it’s incredible and something that will definitely be celebrated.”

The post A Legacy Lauded appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota’s Kaapo Kahkonen gave up five goals on 29 Nashville shots in his first action of the season while the Wild’s fourth line of Nico Sturm, Nick Bjugstad and Brandon Duhaime provided all of the offense which wasn’t nearly enough.

Big Picture

Already with two goals to his credit, Nashville’s Ryan Johansen surveys the landscape for more in the second period of the Predators’ 5-2 win over the Wild on Oct. 24, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Although undefeated through four games, Minnesota hosted the 1-4-0 Predators with perhaps the most precarious, albeit entertaining, 4-0-0 record imaginable. Including tonight’s game, the Wild have surrendered the first goal in each of its five games thus far.

Wild forward Frederick Gaudreau said it becomes a different game when trailing from the start.

“Not the game itself, it’s more mentally,” Gaudreau said. “It’s just harder to always trail behind and feel like you always have to come back. When you get the lead it just gives you more confidence.”

With a pair of overtime wins and Marcus Foligno’s game winner with eight seconds left in regulation to beat the Kings, Minnesota has led only 30:19 of the season’s 308:13 total playing time, meaning the Wild has only played with a lead for 9.8 percent of the season. 

“You can’t do it every night and we’ve been putting ourselves in that position but, fortunately, we’ve been able to come back and score those big goals when needed,” Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said. “Tonight we didn’t have that, I guess, luck we can call it.”

Reliance on luck was bound to catch up with Minnesota sooner than later. Tack on some inconsistent goaltending and the Wild were ripe to be knocked down a notch by a hungry Nashville team trying to slow the bleeding of its rough start. 

That fact wasn’t lost on the team as Sturm noted it was a topic of discussion in the dressing room prior to the game. 

“At some point you know you’re gonna face a team, like today, they were so desperate,” Sturm said. “I think that it’s, it’s definitely a lesson to learn. I mean at some point we’ve just gotta score first, it’s that simple.”

Minnesota has allowed 14 goals against over its last three games and, outside of Cam Talbot’s massive save on Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley in overtime in the home opener, the Wild have not been able to count on Talbot and Kahkonen to bail them out when their sloppy play required it.  

The Recap

A disastrous first period saw the Wild commit four penalties — two of them in the offensive zone — leading to two of Nashville’s three goals, consistently turn the puck over, fail to score on a rookie goaltender and get a shaky start from its own goaltender. Minnesota trailed 2-0 before the game was six minutes old on back-to-back power-play goals by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen, his first of two in the period, and the Predators led 3-0 after one. 

Minnesota’s Brandon Duhaime tosses Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm aside as he looks for a rebound Predators’ goaltender Connor Ingram would not surrender in the Wild’s 5-2 loss on Oct. 24, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Energy was the hot topic after the game, specifically the Wild’s lack thereof.

“We didn’t start right,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We knew they were going to be desperate, which they were, and we didn’t come close to matching it.

“To a man, likely besides Sturmy’s line, we were were all bad.”

A great bank pass by Wild defenseman Jon Merrill found Bjugstad in stride behind the Nashville defense and the former Gopher netted his first of the season at 11:30 of the second period to cut the lead to two. But Josi picked up his fourth point of the game when his shot deflected off Filip Forsberg’s leg just 1:45 later and Tanner Jeannot gave Nashville what appeared to be a 5-1 lead entering the final period. 

Sturm, Bjugstad’s lookalike, had other ideas and the pride of Clarkson University cut the lead back to three at the 19:57 mark. Duhaime, who scored his first NHL goal the night before against Anaheim, picked up his first career assist when his shot trickled through Ingram to a waiting Sturm at the weak-side post. 

“The harder you try, the more complicated it gets sometimes in most games, and I think that’s what helped us, at least tonight,” Sturm said of his line’s three-point night. “It was mentioned just try to keep it simple and get the pucks in and go and forecheck and try to recover those pucks. As long as we keep doing that we’ll have success.”

Sophomore Slump?

Minnesota’s top line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov has provided a few spectacular moments to start the season and have a combined 14 points (5-9–14) but the $45 million man on the left side is still seeking his first goal of the season. Whether the contract and its enormous expectations are weighing on him or not is up for debate, but the fact that he appears to be pressing and trying to do too much, resulting in turnovers and poor decisions, is not.

“Not only one guy is concentrating on you, but all five guys on the ice are watching for him,” Evason said. “So if you try to beat people one-on-one, it usually turns over or you try to make a softer play, it turns over. As we know, he’s a gritty guy and he’ll figure it out.”

Evason said the key for Kaprizov to get back on track is to simplify his game going forward. 

“We know that he can get in on a forecheck, he can finish his check, and that’s what he’s got to do first. Then, you know, worry about the pretty passes and pretty plays after.”

Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov dives for the puck as part of a net-front scramble in the Wild’s 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Oct. 24, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The post Wild’s Luck Runs Out appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Ex-Gopher Pitlick keeps NHL debut close to home

St. Paul — A little more than a week ago, Rem Pitlick saw his junior season with the Minnesota Gophers squad come to an abrupt and controversial end. The Gophers lost 2-1 in overtime to Notre Dame in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, meaning there would also be no NCAA Tournament for the maroon and gold.

Turns out, Pitlick will still be part of a postseason club. It’s just on another level.

Pitlick made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators Monday night and it just happened to be close to home at Xcel Energy Center as the Predators faced the division-rival Minnesota Wild. He skated 14 shifts for 9:43 on the ice as the Predators clinched a playoff spot with a 1-0 victory.

“That was crazy out there,” Pitlick said. “It was a lot of fun. Definitely some learning moments, but something I’ll never forget.”

Pitlick, a third-round (76th overall) Nashville pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, left the University of Minnesota early and signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Nashville on March 22 following the season-ending loss for the Gophers on March 16.

In three seasons with the Gophers, Pitlick skated in 112 games scoring 47 goals and 108 points. He set career highs in all three offensive categories this past junior season, scoring 21 goals, 24 assists and 45 points.

He turns 22 years old on April 2. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said Pitlick looked good and played a smart game in his debut.

“It’s a big task to come in, a young player that is meeting a team for the first time and a coach and a system,” Laviolette said. “That could be a bit overwhelming, but our guys are pretty good in there. They’re good guys. They took care of him.”

Plymouth’s Rem Pitlick warms up on the Xcel Energy Center ice prior to his first game as a professional. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Still, Pitlick was the one that had to get out there and play the game, Laviolette added. Pitlick was listed as the right wing of the second line on the lineup sheet, along with center Kyle Turris and a familiar face to Minnesota fans, Mikael Granlund.

The Predators (43-28-6) took a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal from Ryan Johansen 4 minutes, 32 seconds into the game. It was a lead that held up despite 29 shots from the Wild (35-33-9) on Nashville netminder Juuse Saros.

Though Pitlick didn’t register a shot on goal, he played a role in the victory and didn’t have any glaring mistakes either. Late in the first period, he chipped the puck into the Wild zone and got it to Granlund for a scoring chance that was broken up. Near the end of the second, Pitlick sent a neutral-ice pass to Granlund who fired a shot on Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Pitlick helped set up Granlund for another scoring chance early in the third, too.

He also took his first NHL penalty, for delay of game, when he sent the puck down the ice and up over the glass with 10:50 to play in the third period. It came as the Wild’s Marcus Foligno was going off for holding, so the result was 4-on-4 hockey rather than Pitlick putting his team on the penalty kill.

Pitlick said after the game that he was nervous out on the ice, jumping into a level of time and space that is a lot faster than what he’s played.

“But I think with more games and with just watching the game even more, you’re going to know that you have even more time than you really think you do out there,” Pitlick said. “Something I think I’ll gain with maturity as I continue playing.”

Pitlick did well jumping in for his first time, his coach said.

“There was a lot of wall play on breakouts in the defensive zone where I thought he won the battles,” Laviolette said. “He was in the right spot. He did the right things.”

He continues to follow in his father’s footsteps. Lance Pitlick was a defenseman for the Gophers from 1986-90 prior to an eight-year NHL career with Ottawa and Florida. A ninth-round (180th overall) NHL Draft pick, skated in 393 career NHL games, scoring 16 goals and 33 assists. Rem’s cousin, Tyler Pitlick, started in the NHL with Edmonton in 2013-14 and is currently with the Dallas organization.

During warm-ups Monday, there were some fans in Predators gear around the Nashville zone and bench area. Pitlick, a Plymouth native, took the ice first, skating around a bit and putting a puck in the net before his teammates joined him and the Wild skated out at the other end. At the end of warm-ups, Pitlick set up P.K. Subban for some slapshot practice before firing the puck into the net himself and was the last to leave the ice.

After the game, Pitlick was asked about the text messages he received throughout the day, and he said he’d get back to as many people as he could.

“There’s a lot of people that helped me get to this moment,” Pitlick said. “Those people know who they are, and I’m forever grateful for them.”

The post A Night to Remember appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk didn’t skip a beat in his return to the ice on Friday night against the Nashville Predators. After missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury, Dubnyk made 41 saves on 43 shots in the Wild’s 4-2 win against his former team.

In case you forgot, Dubnyk was in the Predators organization for two months during the 2013-14 season. After being traded from Edmonton, he made just two starts for Nashville. Eventually, the Predators demoted him to the AHL and even ended up trading him to Montreal, just two months after acquiring him.

Friday’s win was Dubnyk’s fifth-straight victory against Nashville, improving his career record to 12-6-2 against his former employer.

“Little bit of nerves, but not really,” said Dubnyk when asked if he was nervous for his first game back in two weeks. “I was kind of happy where I was mentally; then I stand around for the first eight minutes of the game and watch the guys go to work.”

Minnesota had a strong showing on both sides of the ice in the first twenty minutes, as Nashville didn’t register a shot on net until the 7:57 mark of the first period. Meanwhile, Mikael Granlund put Minnesota on the board first. Shortly after, P.K. Subban sneaked a wrist shot underneath Dubnyk’s arm, but the Wild skated into the first intermission up 2-1, thanks to a second goal from Granlund.

“Coming back, you don’t want to be jumping at pucks and hoping for pucks to get to you,” said Dubnyk. “You just have to wait and allow that first shot to come whenever it does. That was probably the best start we’ve had in a long time.”

Devan Dubnyk with one of his 41 saves in the Wild’s 4-2 win over Nashville on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo by Russ Hons)

However, the Predators had a much better showing in the second period. During the first 10 minutes, Nashville outshot Minnesota 12-2 – and put on 18 shots by the end of the period – but Dubnyk was a brick wall. He robbed Ryan Johansen with a slick-glove save, absorbed a big blast from Subban and stopped Kevin Kiala on a breakaway too.

On the other end of the ice, Wild defenseman Matt Dumba lit the lamp for his seventh goal of the season and the Wild skated into second intermission leading 3-1.

Once again, the third period got off to a disastrous start for Minnesota. The Wild already began the frame down a man, and then unfortunately, Dubnyk slashed Viktor Arvidsson, which gave Nashville a 5-3 advantage for 46 seconds. Despite successfully killing off the two-man advantage, Kyle Turris ended up netting a power-play goal, making it a one-goal game.

As the regulation winded down, Nashville pulled Pekka Rinne for an extra-attacker but they still weren’t able to knot things up. With under a minute to go, Mikko Koivu was able to clear the puck out of the Minnesota zone and set up Granlund for the hat-trick – the second of his career – securing the win.

Although they started slow out of the gate, Nashville peppered Dubnyk with 34 shots over the final two periods.

“After the first goal, you could have thought: first game back, oh my god how rusty is he?” said head coach Bruce Boudreau after the win. “But he made some really good saves. I think it was really good that they had a lot of long shots, that he could get the feel of it back again. He stood tall, he did a great job.”

“I think it was a good game for work wise,” said Dubnyk. “That’s why you keep yourself in shape and train hard while you’re out, so you’re ready for those opportunities.”

With the win the Wild improve to 20-15-3 on the season and occupy a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture. Both teams will square up again on Saturday, Dec.30, from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The post Dubnyk looks sharp in his return appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Second straight shutout has Minnesota searching for answers

Nashville – The Wild are in a lot of pain these days for a team that went into its 45th game with the most points in franchise history.

Minnesota suffered its fourth loss in a row Saturday, a 3-0 decision to a Nashville Predators team that had lost its previous five games.

The Wild were unable to figure out Nashville’s goaltending, a bit of a surprise because regular Preds starter Pekka Rinne had the night off. Instead, Carter Hutton stood tall in the net, finally raising his save percentage above .900 this season.

The Wild had plenty of early chances and later outshot the Preds 13-5 in the second period, yet eventually extended their stretch of scoreless periods to six.

“Two games, no goals,” muttered forward Mikael Granlund. “The fact is, you can’t win the hockey game if you don’t score.”

It seemed that Wild players were at least focusing on shooting the puck, with the possible exception of Thomas Vanek and his dazzling but perhaps overused ability to pass.

Vanek had zero shots on goal compared to a combined 15 for defensemen Marco Scandella and Ryan Suter and forward Jason Pominville. Charlie Coyle, Mikko Koivu, Justin Fontaine and Matt Dumba each registered no shots on goal.

“That’s the tendency when you’re pressing,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “The tendency is to try to find a prettier play or a nicer play or the sure play for a goal. We’re trying to make the extra play to guarantee the goal, and in the meantime we’re missing a lot of opportunities.”

Thanks to a goal by ex-Wild forward Eric Nystrom, who deflected a point shot by Shea Weber past Devan Dubnyk just 1:24 into the first period, the Wild were trailing early in this one.

Again.

“We had a good start, too,” Yeo said. “But that’s kind of been the story: We’re chasin’ all game, every game right now.”

The only goal they yielded in a 1-0 loss to Winnipeg 24 hours earlier was scored just 3:07 into the first period.

Two early strikes against.

“Cheesy goals, too,” Suter said.

A power-play goal in the third period gave the Predators a 2-0 cushion and they added an empty-netter, which was enough against a team with five goals now in its past five games.

“It is frustrating,” Granlund said, noting that it is time for the Wild players to take a deep breath. “We just need to get better and we need to change this track quickly.”

Yeo, whose team has a 22-15-8 overall record, admitted to the same frustrations.

“We have to use this stretch, as bad as it is, to make sure that we dig in and get a little bit stronger in our game,” he said. “If we do that, then the results will follow.”

Now the Wild must attempt to regroup in upcoming back-to-back road games against Anaheim and Los Angeles.

“It’ll come,” Suter said. “We’ve got guys that have scored a lot of goals in there.”

The post Wild shoot blanks again appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Dubnyk’s 23 saves blank Preds on Suter’s three-point night

Things appeared a bit grim for the Wild as they came limping home from Boston last week, losers in their previous three games, missing a few key guys and seemingly unable to take the lead in a hockey game.

Trying to make hay in the super-tough Central Division is never easy, but even less so with Zach Parise, Marco Scandella and Justin Fontaine injured and several other players including Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin fighting off illness.

Maybe equally important, Minnesota had formed the very bad habit of falling behind.

In their past eight road games, they led for a total of 1 minute, 12 seconds.

Consequently, everyone involved with the team came to the Xcel Energy Center Saturday fully aware of all of the above … and collectively vowing to change things.

Then they went out and played a nearly flawless game against the Nashville Predators, removing any doubts early and hammering the Preds 4-0 in front of 19,056.

“We really needed that,” center Mikael Granlund said.

“We were just on,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “It’s been awhile.”

This time, the Wild took the lead 13:07 into the first period on a point shot by Suter with winger Thomas Vanek screening Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne.

“As soon as that went in, there was a lot of relief for our team,” Suter said. “We’d been chasing, and I think that was what was taking away from our structure and the way that we were used to playing.”

Coach Mike Yeo said that yielding the first goal over and over on the road had “weakened our game.”

Different story Saturday.

“Coming off the road, the trip that we had, I think we talked about playing good hockey right off the bat,” said Vanek, an offensive force all evening who finished with a goal and an assist and now has 16 points. “I think it was probably one of our most complete games.”

This was a group effort, from Devan Dubnyk, who made 23 saves to record his third shutout and 11th win of the season, to Brodin, who scored his first goal of the season, to captain Mikko Koivu, who got an assist for 18 points this season and played with reckless abandon throughout the 700th game of his NHL career.

Suter, whose goal was the first of his career against the team he played for prior to Minnesota, added two assists Saturday and assumed the Wild’s lead in points this season with 19 in 19 games.

After coasting with less than six minutes of ice time in the ho-hum third period and finishing with 26:24 for the game, he was able to relish an evening when the Wild simply refused to let the Predators in the game.

“We hadn’t been playing well at all on the road,” he said. “We knew we had to come home and get this thing turned around quick. I thought we did that; I thought we finally played 60 minutes.”

Even Jason Pominville, who still has zero goals this season, produced two assists to boost his points total to 10 and Granlund netted his third goal of the season while adding an assist.

As well, the Wild showed some toughness. Christian Folin fought Eric Nystrom and Nate Prosser squared off with bad-boy James Neal of the Preds, whose check sent Parise to the injury list on Nov. 5.

“To see guys dropping the gloves out there, you never expect them to,” Dubnyk said, “but it shows how we feel about what he (Neal) did to our best player. It’s important just for the symbolic part of it. Guys are going to go out and play for each other.”

Also important, with three days prior to their next game, is the Wild may soon get Parise back in the lineup, while Fontaine and Scandella are not far behind. Too, other guys will have a chance to shake off lingering illnesses.

Injuries and illnesses hurt, Vanek noted, but he stressed that the Wild “are a deep team.”

Deep and with a brighter outlook after Saturday night.

But they worked for it.

“We said this morning, we knew that coming back home would energize us,” Yeo said. “But what I like is we also said that we can’t just assume that coming back home is going to solve everything. We saw a lot more purpose in a lot of the little things that had been ailing us.”

The post Wild victory is just what doctor ordered appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Phil Housley’s journey to hockey immortality is complete

As an under-aged player, a young Phil Housley tried out for the Squirt A team in his hometown of South St. Paul, but the future NHL star did not make the cut. It wasn’t long, however before the phenom made his mark and was eventually called up during that season.

Housley went on to receive the Most Valuable Player award from a team that initially cut him. Today in Toronto, Housley receives hockey’s highest individual honor when he becomes one of seven new members inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Enshrined into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004, Housley joins fellow NHL players Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger along with women’s Olympian Angela Ruggiero, Hockey Hall of Fame Chairman Bill Hay and Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos among the Hall of Fame’s class of 2015.

Housley becomes just the third Minnesotan to be so honored, joining White Bear Lake’s Moose Goheen (1952) and Eveleth’s Frank Brimsek (1966).

“Which is incredible because of all the great players that have come out of here,” Housley said. “You look at that 1980 team and a lot of those players had great careers so it was a little bit surprising to me but certainly I’m very honored.”

Housley is thrilled his wife Karin, a Minnesota State Senator, and children Taylor, Reide, Wilson and Avery will all be in attendance in Toronto along with several friends from his eight stops throughout his NHL career (Buffalo, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Washington, Chicago and Toronto).

The absence of Housley’s parents, MaryLee and LeRoy, who have both passed away will not go unnoticed, however.

“I know they’re going to be looking down on me very proud and I’m sure they’re just gleaming up there,” Housley said. “That’s going to be a little bit emotional for me when I mention my mom and dad, because they had so much to do with it.”

(Photo courtesy Hockey Hall of Fame)

After starring at South St. Paul High School, Housley was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 1982 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old defenseman so impressed Scotty Bowman, the Sabres Coach/GM at the time, Housley made the team the following Fall and was named to the 1983 NHL All-Rookie team.

He never spent a day in the minors in a career spanning 21 seasons and nearly 1500 games with eight teams. The seven-time All-Star’s 1,232 points (338 goals and 894 assists) were the most ever registered by a U.S. born player at the time of his retirement in 2003. Former Minnesota North Star and Dallas Star Mike Modano eclipsed that mark in 2007.

Housley won gold as a member of Team USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and was an Olympic silver medalist in 2002 playing under coach Herb Brooks in Salt Lake City. He most recently made his mark internationally when he led Team USA to gold as Head Coach of the U.S. National junior team in the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia.

After nine years behind the bench guiding Stillwater High School’s boys team, Housley is in his third season as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators, first under Barry Trotz and now under Peter Laviolette.

Nashville happened to be scheduled to visit Minnesota on Nov. 5, Housley’s final game with the Predators prior to his departure to Toronto for Hall of Fame festivities.

“It’s fitting that we’re playing Minnesota right before the induction ceremony takes place on Monday,” Housley said. “It’s been just a great summer, I had a grandson (born) about six weeks ago and, obviously with the call (to the Hall of Fame).”

Housley was joined on the ice by his entire immediate family during a pre-game ceremony honoring his accomplishment in which he dropped the ceremonial first puck between Wild captain Mikko Koivu and Nashville captain Shea Weber.

“He contributes an awful lot inside of our locker room with our team and our young players and to the coaching staff,” Laviolette said after the Predators defeated the Wild 3-2. “For him to get recognized for his career is pretty special.”

Housley has been charged with mentoring a young defensive corps in which five of Nashville’s blue liners are 25 or under, including Seth Jones the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Jones, who was a rookie in Housley’s first year behind the Predators’ bench said he loves playing for him.

“A lot of the D on our team are kind of young and still learning the game,” Jones said. “It’s funny because we are all very offensive and like to skate the puck just like he did so whenever he gives insight everyone’s all ears.”

Fellow defenseman Mattias Ekholm referred to Housley’s resume` and the instant credibility that comes with it on the ice.

“His numbers speak for (themselves),” Ekholm said. “He almost has a point a game in the NHL. How many defensemen can do that?

“It’s a huge honor for him and I think it’s long, long overdue.”

Housley says he feels fortunate to be able to coach a defensive unit with such great work ethic.

“These guys come to work and they’re eager to learn, they want to get better, they’re great competitors,” Housley said. “They’re one of the strengths of our team and they’re all mobile so it sort of fits hand in hand.”

Housley spoke proudly of growing up and honing his skills in South St. Paul during a 2012 interview with Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

“We had 10 outdoor rinks and that’s all we did,” Housley said. “Hockey was just my passion whether it was in the winter or the summer playing ball hockey.”

Like most kids, Housley said he would head to the outdoor rinks after school but that wasn’t enough. He would also make his mom get up an hour early on school days so he could skate before school as well.

Housley vividly recalled getting up especially early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to be first at the rink because he knew the rinks were flooded on Friday and Saturday nights.

“I just loved driving up and looking at that fresh sheet,” Housley said. “It was fun just to be around by myself doing different things and eventually all the kids would come and we’d have some pick-up games.”

Last week Housley spoke about how much the community of South St. Paul meant to him and his development.

“You surround yourself with people that shape you at a young age, you know, all the coaches and just the community itself,” Housley said. “It’s a blue-collar town, you had to work hard … and it was great to grow up there.”

Housley fondly recalls many of his youth coaches including legendary South St. Paul Peewee A coach George Powers, along with his squirt coaches Tom Moore and his own father, LeRoy. But he singled out his Bantam A coach, Paul Moen, a well-known figure in South St. Paul, who spent several years as an assistant coach at South St. Paul High School in addition to his work with Minnesota Hockey.

“I really loved his intensity and just joy to see the guys together at practice and winning at games,” Housley said of Moen in that 2012 MHM interview. “He just had a passion for it and he’s still doing those things today.”

Although Housley was center throughout his youth hockey career, Doug Woog, his coach at South St. Paul High School, had other plans in mind for him.

“He decided to put me back to defense,” Housley said. “He thought I could see the game in front of me really well and thought I had pretty good mobility.”

“Or he maybe just wanted to play me more, I don’t know,” Housley added with a chuckle.

Whatever it was, the decision spawned a remarkable and well-decorated playing career for which Housley will now be immortalized in Toronto.

“You never really think when you enter the NHL that you’re playing to become a Hall-of-Famer, you’re just in the moment,” Housley said. “But certainly when you look back at all the hard work you put into it and all the great people and players that you played with that put you in this position I’m very grateful.”

Editor’s note: Dan Myers and Scott Tiffany contributed to this article.

The post From South St. Paul to the ‘Hall’ appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

[See image gallery at minnesotahockeymag.com]

The post Gallery: Wild vs. Preds appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

It was clear there was no love lost between the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators. In the 3-1 Nashville win, fists flew like kites on a windy spring day.

First it was Ryan Carter and Paul Gaustad, then Matt Cooke and Shea Weber, and finally Nate Prosser and Mike Fisher. But as the bad blood flowed, it was the Predators who got the upper-hand and held on to become the first NHL team to reach 60 points this season.

With the game tied 1-1 in the third, Nashville forward Calle Jarnkrok picked up a rebound and sent home the puck for the 2-1 lead just under four minutes into the frame. Forward Colin Wilson added some insurance five minutes later off a Justin Falk turnover that went right to Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom’s doorstep.

Minnesota’s lone goal came off the stick of Charlie Coyle, for his fourth of the season. Coyle tapped in a Christian Folin feed that Nashville netminder Pekka Rinna lost track of. Despite the tally, Rinne stonewalled the Wild the rest of the way, making 36 saves on the afternoon.

[See image gallery at minnesotahockeymag.com]

— by Kelly Erickson

The post Gallery: Wild vs Preds appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota comes back from two goals down but falls in OT to Nashville

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The post Gallery: Wild vs. Predators appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.