Wild News

"Jacques Lemaire still loves coaching. But he has been wrestling with a simple question since about halfway through the season: Is he the right coach for the Minnesota Wild at this point in their history? Lemaire was extremely frustrated at times during the 2007-08 season. He would see certain players who could perform better, yet he couldn't seem to bring out their best. "I was thinking that I didn't want to disappoint Doug (Risebrough)," Lemaire said. "It hurt me. It hurt me. It felt like I'm failing." "

"Risebrough, in Tampa with the staff, has noticed the coach's frustration for some time. "When Jacques was talking about frustration, I didn't quite understand," Risebrough said Wednesday. "I know we didn't win in the playoffs, and there were times during the year that were tough. But he was frustrated because it's the coach's job to get the best out of the players. He started to say — here's the self-doubt — 'am I the right coach to coach the team?' "My answer to him is, 'Yes, you're the right coach.' Obviously, it's yes.' He's got a high bar. He has given us the level of success we've had. Players responded to him like they wouldn't have responded to anyone else. I can't think of anyone else coaching our team." "

"Jacques Lemaire still hasn't decided if he will return for another season as the Wild's coach. But a decision should be coming soon. Wild management and coaches are in Tampa, Fla., for three days of meetings, which start today. On the agenda: analyzing the season, which included a division title but also a first-round playoff exit; assessing the roster and the organization as it moves forward. Lemaire? "I have to talk to [GM Doug Risebrough] and then there will be a decision made," the only coach in the team's history said Tuesday."

"Wild forward and pending free agent Pavol Demitra was in Vancouver over the weekend so he could check out the city prior to returning to his native Slovakia for the summer. Demitra, 33, can become a free agent July 1 and both he and the Wild appeared destined to part ways after the season. The Demitra visit was confirmed by new Canucks GM Mike Gillis during a radio interview on Vancouver's Team 1040-AM. "

"Marian Gaborik is in Vail, Colo., rehabbing from arthroscopic hip surgery performed this morning, the Wild said. The team characterized the procedure as successful. Minnesota general manager Doug Risebrough said Gaborik had been playing with a mild injury in his right hip. "He said he could continue to play with it, but he decided to pursue an option that would make it better," Risebrough said. "

"Marian Gaborik underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip joint Friday morning in Vail, Colo., after it was discovered the Wild right winger had been playing with a torn labrum. After a postseason physical and consultation with team doctors, the Wild sent Gaborik to Dr. Marc Philippon, one of the world's leading orthopaedic hip surgeons who used to treat Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux."

"Marian Gaborik has what the Wild are calling a "hip deficiency" and will require further medical tests before the team determines the treatment. The Wild issued a short statement Thursday saying the injury was "attributable to overuse," after the Slovak Ice Federation announced the team wouldn't permit Gaborik to play for Slovakia in the world championships because of the injury. Wild general manager Doug Risebrough said he doesn't know how serious the injury is. "

"According to an email from the Slovakian newspaper Pravda Daily, the Minnesota Wild will not give permission to let Marian Gaborik participate in the World Championships because of a hip injury. The newspaper quotes the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation as stating that "based on an MRI diagnosis, the team doctors of Minnesota have recommended to Marian not to participate"

"Jacques Lemaire has two years left on his contract, but he still hasn't decided whether to return for his eighth season as the Wild's coach."

"Wild coach Jacques Lemaire was more frustrated by his team's inconsistency in 2007-08 than any other season during his tenure in Minnesota and was undecided Monday whether he would return for an eighth season."

"Wild defenseman Nick Schultz's only NHL coach has been Jacques Lemaire, who reiterated Monday that, although still under contract, he hasn't decided whether he'll return to Minnesota next season. His departure would be difficult, Schultz said."

"With his plate overflowing, it'd be easy for Doug Risebrough to feel weighed down. Think about the Wild general manager's offseason to-do list: • Deal with 10 unrestricted free agents, the most significant being Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra."

"The Wild's biggest personnel decision this summer won't involve any of the team's nine unrestricted free agents. Instead, it's Marian Gaborik who presents the biggest, and most pressing, challenge."

"That's a cryptic piece of evidence when trying to assess the status of Brian Rolston, 35, coming off his third consecutive season with at least 31 goals. And maybe even Pavol Demitra, the other key unrestricted free agent in a group of nine. He's 33 and coming off an underwhelming 15-goal season."

"Branko Radivojevic's NHL future is suddenly in jeopardy. The Wild right winger, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, revealed Monday he played almost all of Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He'll undergo reconstructive knee surgery and be out four to six months."

"Smiles and laughs were harder to find in the Wild dressing room Monday morning than elbow room in front of the Colorado Avalanche net as players collected personal belongings, signed a few more sticks and jerseys and then walked through the door for what would be the final time for some of them."

"The Wild's first-round playoff loss is a reminder that general manager Doug Risebrough stayed relatively pat at the trade deadline. The team that vanquished them, Colorado, did not."

"First, the Wild, which has $34.9 million of salary-cap room tied into 13 players next season, has to decide between Rolston and Demitra. In a fixed market, one in which Bouchard, a restricted free agent, might warrant a long-term deal between $3 million and $4 million a year like Koivu, Burns and Schultz, there’s only so much of the pie that can go around before a team gets hamstrung."

"The Wild's first-round playoff loss and Gaborik's inability to alter the series means the team's potentially tumultuous offseason might revolve around the Slovak star as much as any individual. Gaborik can become a free agent after next season. He is a star who has discussed playing in the Eastern Conference, and has hinted he might like to play for a more offensive-minded coach than Jacques Lemaire."

"Marian Gaborik... He set franchise records with 42 goals and 83 points this season, but his injury history and playoff flop are legitimate reasons to argue he's not worth the $10 million a year he'll want."

"While Jacques Lemaire would not guarantee he would return as Wild coach after the team's 2-1 playoff loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Doug Risebrough was confident Sunday that his former Montreal Canadiens teammate will be behind the bench next season."

"If I could reach into the North Stars' past and bring back just one player, I could solve a very large portion of the Wild's problems. That player wouldn't be Brian Bellows or Bobby Smith or Neal Broten. "

"The Wild had big aspirations when training camp began seven months ago, but Saturday night at the Pepsi Center, it was dispatched in the first round when the Colorado Avalanche took a 2-1 Game 6 victory to advance to the Western Conference semifinals."

"In a great final game in a great series, the Avs beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in Game 6 at the Pepsi Center on Saturday, avenging a 2003 playoff series loss to Minnesota."

"On to the second round. The Avalanche clinched its Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series Saturday night with a tightly-contested 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild before a roaring sellout crowd at the Pepsi Center."

"Chris Simon might have made his biggest impact in a Wild sweater Saturday, and he didn't even play in Saturday night's Game 6 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Saturday morning, Simon treated defenseman Nick Schultz as if he was dressed head-to-toe in Colorado Avalanche gear."

"With the Wild facing playoff extinction in Colorado, defenseman Nick Schultz willed himself into the series Saturday night after missing the first five games while recovering from an appendectomy."

"It is hard to pinpoint exactly when Mikko Koivu became the unofficial leader in the Wild dressing room, but there is no denying his authoritative presence. Regardless of Minnesota's fate this postseason, the 25-year-old center has established himself as a clutch performer and invaluable asset to a team facing a potentially chaotic offseason. "

"After the Avs won 2-1 in Game 6 on Saturday to eliminate Minnesota, Sauer admittedly was proud to have had a big hand in shutting down Wild star center Marian Gaborik."

"The main difference between these teams, considering the Wild had the superior record in the regular season, might have been in team management. At the trading deadline, the Avalanche added defensemen Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei and forward Peter Forsberg. The Wild added Chris (Healthy Scratch) Simon."

"Among the 19,364 who witnessed the Wild's playoff loss to Colorado on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center was Phil Falcone, Minnesota's new billionaire general partner from Chisholm, Minn."

"Andrew Brunette, the man who was supposed to be too slow to play for the Wild, has been killing them in this playoff series. He entered Game 6 with three goals and a couple of assists."

"The Wild confront playoff extinction at Pepsi Center with their most talented player facing a summer of searing criticism if his inopportune scoring drought becomes the enduring story line of the series. Gaborik, held without a goal or assist through five games, feels the pressure to produce in what he acknowledged Friday is the most important game of his seven-year career. "

"The Wild continue to reap fantastic returns on their 2004 free-agent investment in winger Brian Rolston, who leads the team with six points this postseason. Through five games, Rolston (two goals) and linemates Mikko Koivu (four goals) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (two goals, two assists) have factored in nine of Minnesota's 11 goals against Colorado. "

"In lieu of hiring a sports psychologist, Marian Gaborik will self-medicate today so he can rediscover happy thoughts. ¶ In order to restore his admittedly shattered confidence, Gaborik plans to sit down with video coach Matt Shaw and watch a whole lot of himself."

"The Wild holds one obvious advantage in this series, even while facing elimination tonight: Minnesota employs the two toughest guys in the arena."

"The Wild has proven all season it's not a good front-runner. Get a lead? Give it up. Build a six-point division cushion? Blow it in a week."

"With those scruffy playoff beards, it looked like a prison break. But the coach couldn't have appeared more at ease. It was as if he knew his team would respond well now that it faces catastrophe. The Wild seem to thrive on near-disaster."

"If you're about ready to shovel dirt on the Wild's 2008 Stanley Cup playoff run, just take a look back to five years ago today."

"After the Wild lost 3-2 Thursday night to the Colorado Avalanche, leaving them one loss from elimination in the best-of-seven playoff series, forward Brian Rolston put as positive a spin as he could on the outcome."

"Two years ago, Wojtek Wolski was a rookie sensation on hockey's biggest stage."

"Despite the Wild dominating the Avalanche in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, Theodore was a one-man show and the sole reason the Wild's season is on the brink of going down the drain after a wrenching 3-2 loss."

"The Wild are staring down elimination, and Marian Gaborik is squeezing his stick, still waiting for his first playoff goal. If that doesn't change, this might be another short postseason for Minnesota. "I just don't want to put too much pressure on him," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said after his star player went scoreless on four shots in a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series Thursday night. "

"It was the perfect game plan for a rubber game: Bend but don't break. But how bent was the Avalanche during large portions of Thursday's Game 5 with the Minnesota Wild? Like Ian Laperriere's nose. Like a David Beckham free kick. Despite being dominated for most of the first two periods, the Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2, taking a lead of the same margin in the Western Conference quarterfinals. "

""It's always a bonus when your goalie plays like that. We knew we had to come out harder in the third period, and I thought we did. It's all well-deserved for Theo. . . . He's given us a chance every game." Yes, on the one hand, it's what the guy is paid to do. Paid quite handsomely — $16 million over the past three seasons. And there were many times in the past two years when that contract seemed one of the worst values in professional sports. "

"For two periods, the Avalanche played hockey's version of rope-a-dope, allowing goalie Jose Theodore to absorb blow after blow while doing little of consequence in the offensive end of the rink. Thanks to Theodore, and two quick goals in the third period, the Avalanche escaped the Xcel Energy Center with a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to grab a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series."

"There was only one question worth asking about the Wild on Thursday night, and it had nothing to do with goons, goaltending, gumption or guts. It had to do with the G that matters most to this franchise: Gaborik. The question: How can a player this good be this bad when his team needs him this much?"

"Maybe it's nerves. Or a lack of confidence. Or not enough fiber in their diets. Clearly the Wild have to be more accurate when it counts. They worked their breezers off to get good scoring chances Thursday night and then turned to jelly when it was time to close the deal. "

"There has been some confusion over the Avs-Wild Game 7 because the NHL's original playoff schedule listed it as Tuesday night in St. Paul. Some sites still have it that way, but it has been changed to Monday, and a Santana concert, originally scheduled for Monday night, was switched to Sunday. So Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Monday."

"After the Wild defense was scorched time and again by the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series Tuesday night, coach Jacques Lemaire uncharacteristically launched a few shots of his own. Martin Skoula, to whom Lemaire went out of his way to point a finger, stood up and took it. "Just a horrible game," Skoula admitted. He was talking about all six defensemen, and so was Lemaire. "