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This is Michael Russo's 18th year covering the National Hockey League. He's covered the Minnesota Wild for the Star Tribune since 2005 following 10 years of covering the Florida Panthers for the Sun-Sentinel. Michael uses “Russo’s Rants” to feed a wide-ranging hockey-centric discussion with readers, and can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3 FM) radio and seen weekly on Fox Sports North.

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Posts about Wild training camp

Wednesday's Wild scrimmage will be critical for a few forwards

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: January 15, 2013 - 8:10 PM

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The puck drops on the 2013 Minnesota Wild season in 96 hours. Because of that, Wednesday night's 7 p.m. scrimmage at Xcel Energy Center will mean a lot.

Good evening from Chateau Russo, where I'm so glad to be writing about neutral-zone forechecks and not disclaimers of interests and memorandums of understandings.

The Wild re-released a limited amount of tickets for Wednesday's scrimmage and they've already been scooped up, so unless you have a ticket, find a really good friend that has one and beg OR watch on Fox Sports North OR listen to KFAN (100.3-FM).

And, of course, follow along on my Twitter, @russostrib.

FSN coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with a pregame show, and remember, Becoming Wild Episode 1, (I've dubbed, The Cal Clutterbuck Story) will re-air at 6 p.m. Episode 1 will re-air again after the scrimmage, followed by Becoming Wild, Episode 2 (I've dubbed, The Life and Times of Kyle Brodziak's Brother's Mustache).

Doors open at 6. Also, all Hockey Lodge locations will hold a 50% off sale all day. The sale is limited to floor stock only while supplies last and a limit of one jersey per person. Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. at the X; noon at wild.com and Ticketmaster.

The scrimmage will be a real one. There will Wild and Aeros split between the two teams. Real rules, refs, 20-minute periods with new 18-minute intermissions that will make my heart explode on deadline.

The scrimmage will be real important for a number of guys: (I'm hoping Mikko has a good game," joked Yeo).

The top-12 forwards are pretty much set:

Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Dany Heatley

Matt Cullen-Mikael Granlund-Devin Setoguchi

Cal Clutterbuck-Kyle Brodziak-P-M Bouchard

Darroll Powe-Zenon Konopka-Torrey Mitchell

Eleven of those forwards are on one-way deals, which means they'd have to get their NHL salaries in the minors (not Granlund).

Max, the Wild can only keep 13 or 14 forwards, so that will likely be two of Matt Kassian (one-way), Stephane Veilleux, Jake Dowell or Nick Palmieri.

Coach Mike Yeo said this is a very important scrimmage for them. It's their last evaluation. For any of those four to get the minors, they have to be put on waivers. That would have to come Thursday because opening night rosters must be submitted Friday at 2 p.m. CT.

But as you can read in my story in Wednesday's paper, GM Chuck Fletcher said the opening lineup could be rendered meaningless by Game 2. With injuries and performance in a shortened season, there will be plenty of adjustments this year, so if you don't make the team, you'll be back.

That's especially true for prospects like Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle and Johan Larsson.

"Whether it's guys that are here, guys in Houston, we're going to have good depth, and good in the sense that we have youth and we have veteran presence, and sometimes you need one, and sometimes you need the other," Yeo said. "We also have skill and we have role players, and again, sometimes you need one and sometimes you need the other."

Again, the anticipated D pairings are (with Marco Scandella and Jonas Brodin hurt; both skated today; few weeks away):

Ryan Suter-Jared Spurgeon

Clayton Stoner-Tom Gilbert

Justin Falk-Nate Prosser

Steve Kampfer and Matt Dumba are the extras right now

-------------------

By the way, if you didn't notice, Vancouver's David Booth is out six weeks with a torn groin sustained in fitness testing. Just mentioning it because this is the exact reason Fletcher said he chose not to do fitness testing this year. He wanted to avoid somebody getting hurt during it.

Ready to camp out, first Wild fan arrives for Wednesday ticket sale

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: January 15, 2013 - 11:49 AM

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Yet again, for the fifth time, Pat Vos from Minneapolis is the first fan on line to buy single-game tickets.

The University of Minnesota employee will camp out tonight in order to snatch up tickets at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning at the box office.

Normally fans camp outside along Kellogg, but that’s in the middle of September when the weather’s just a tad bit warmer. Vos has been given permission to cozy up inside the Xcel Energy Center Gate 1 lobby “thanks to Bob,” Vos said.

“Bob” is arena security personnel Bob Paulsen, who made a few phone calls to get permission to allow Vos into the arena. “I’ve put up with him for years,” Paulsen said, jokingly, about Vos.

“It’s the middle of winter – 9 degrees out,” Vos said.

Vos said he came armed with a “couple sandwiches, and … just some beverages of different variety,” Vos said, before laughing hysterically. “Probably maybe order some pizza later.”

Vos says he doesn’t anticipate the Wild having any trouble selling tickets after the lockout.

“Everything’s going to be back to normal,” Vos said, “not like other cities where I’m sure it will suffer. But here in Minnesota, this is a hockey hotbed. It’s almost a given anybody that was a fan will return.”

Granlund, Heatley, Kassian score in scrimmage; Bouchard, Dumba, Aeros updates

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: January 14, 2013 - 8:52 PM

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Mikael Granlund and Dany Heatley exchanged power-play goals and Matt Kassian scored the winning for the green team in Monday night’s scrimmage at the X.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard assisted on both power-play tallies (when there were power plays, if pieces of units were on opposite teams, those parts would join the other team for the power play. That’s how Bouchard got helpers for different teams. That make sense?)

Bouchard looked great, got some contact tonight and continues to work toward getting cleared to return opening night. Coach Mike Yeo is real encouraged.

Both goalies, Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding, looked good tonight.

Granlund, playing between Matt Cullen and Devin Setoguchi, scored off a nice wrister.

“He’s got a couple things to learn with puck management, but you have to be careful you don’t handcuff him,” Yeo said. “Sometimes he does things you don’t quite see or quite expect. He’s dangerous in a lot of ways.”

Yeo was real pleased with the tenacity on the ice.

“We wanted a hard game and we wanted to see some focus and some execution of our systems and our overall gameplan,” Yeo said. “I’m just real pleased with the work ethic the guys had.”

The Wild is videoing practice, and Yeo said the staff would pull some good clips from this to reinforce the system.

“Far from perfect by any means, but that’s to be expected,” Yeo said. “For where we’re at two days into this, quite happy so far.”

Remember, Wednesday night’s free scrimmage is at 7. Doors open at 6. The Wild has, for now, suspended ticket distribution due to high demand. If the season-ticket holders don’t use them up, they’ll open up some more.

“We’re excited to see some fans in the crowd,” Heatley said. “I think there’s a pretty good buzz here. They’ve been waiting a lot of time for this team to come out.”

If you can’t get in, it will be televised on Fox Sports North and broadcast on KFAN.

Monday’s scrimmage featured Houston Aeros players littered through both teams. It was their fourth game in four games after chartering to Minnesota on Monday.

Essentially, they are guinea pigs as the Wild prepares for opening night.

Yeo met with the Aeros before the game. Certain players like Jason Zucker, Charlie Coyle and Johan Larsson probably deserve a shot to make the team, but in a condensed training camp with every roster spot largely filled, they’re not getting a chance.

Yeo explained to the Aeros, “This is not a [fair] training camp. This is not a team evaluation of sorts. This is team preparation and getting ready for Game One. They’re a part of that and we need them to be part of that.”

Matt Dumba looked real good today, although he did get a welcome-to-the-bigs hit from Jake Dowell early in the scrimmage.

“He is going to be a really, really good player,” Yeo said of Dumba. “It’s a big jump. One week you’re playing junior hockey and the next week you’re coming out playing against world class players. I think he’s done a real nice job. You can see his strengths. He had that one great shift in the offensive zone. They controlled the puck down there for 45 seconds, to a minute, and a lot of it was going through him on the blue line. He has a great shot and he skates extremely well.”

Asked if there’s a chance he sticks past this week, Yeo said, “Just going with an open mind. All the D played very well. All of them.”

I did a story on the defense, particularly Justin Falk and Nate Prosser, in Tuesday’s newspaper, so please check that out. There’s also a notebook leading with Bouchard’s play tonight.

OK, that’s it for now. I will talk to you after Tuesday’s practice.

-------------------------

Wild scrimmage tonight; Early power-play glimpse; NHL GameCenter/Center Ice info

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: January 14, 2013 - 5:21 PM

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The Wild will be scrimmaging tonight at Xcel Energy Center. It is closed to the public, but for updates, you can follow me on Twitter at @russostrib and of course I will blog afterward.

I have gotten a lot of questions about what the Wild power-play units may look like. We may have gotten an early glimpse at the start of today's practice.

The two units practicing were Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Dany Heatley with Ryan Suter and Pierre-Marc Bouchard at the points. The second unit was Matt Cullen-Mikael Granlund-Devin Setoguchi with Tom Gilbert and Jared Spurgeon at the points.

We'll see how it works. I typically like Cullen at the point and a Kyle Brodziak or Cal Clutterbuck up front, but there may be times we say that based on injuries and who takes penalties.

The Houston Aeros are in town for the scrimmages.

Remember, as of right now at least, the team has suspended ticket distribution for Wednesday's 7 p.m. scrimmage due to high demand. Some still may be made available if the season-ticket holders don't gobble them up.

If you can't get in the building, it will be broadcast on Fox Sports North and KFAN.

FROM THE NHL

NHL CENTER ICE ON DIGITAL CABLE TO RESUME STARTING JAN. 19

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE LAUNCHES THE 2012-13 SEASON
WITH A 13 DAY FREE PREVIEW

NHL Center Ice Offers Fans Up to 40 Games Per Week,
Along With a Number of Free Enhancements

NEW YORK, Jan. 14 – In celebration of the NHL’s return, digital cable customers will receive a free preview of NHLÒ Center IceÒ from Jan. 19 through Jan. 31, 2013, announced the National Hockey League (NHL) and package distributor iN DEMAND L.L.C. The out-of-market subscription package is perfect for fans who live away from their favorite teams, for fantasy players, or those who don’t want to miss a minute of action from across the league.

With NHL® Center Ice®, digital cable customers can check out up to 40 live out-of-market NHL games every week across 14 channels, including a wealth of enhancements to enrich the viewing experience. The package is available immediately for a 2012-13 regular season price of $49.99, the lowest price ever*. The 2012-13 regular season runs from Jan. 19 through Apr. 27, 2013.

NHL GAMECENTER LIVE AVAILABLE FOR SPECIAL PRICE OF $49.99 FOR 2012-13 NHL
REGULAR SEASON

GCL Allows Fans to Watch Out-of-Market Games Live on Computers,
Smartphones, Tablets and Connected Devices, Including Xbox 360 for First
Time

League Also Announces Enhanced NHL GameCenter App

NEW YORK (January 14, 2013) – The National Hockey League today announced
that NHL GameCenter LIVETM, the League’s critically acclaimed,
out-of-market, live-game streaming product, is available this season for
the special price of $49.99.

The subscription fee of $49.99 enables fans to watch live and archived
games featuring teams outside a fan’s local market across multiple screens,
including smartphones, tablets, computers and connected devices. The
special price is available for this season only.

NHL GameCenter LIVETM offers fans worldwide* the most robust live-game
viewing experience with in-game interactivity, on-demand replays, DVR
capabilities, highlights and more.

NHL GameCenter App

The NHL today also announced significant enhancements to the NHL GameCenter
™ app, the official app that provides live streaming access and video
highlights during NHL games. Available on Android phones and tablets,
iPhones and iPads (and later this season on BlackBerry 10) the redesigned
NHL GameCenterTM app now features more free video for users -- including
post-game video highlights, a live-game simulation with real-time shift
changes and play-by-play for the ultimate second-screen experience in
hockey.

The re-designed app also has an improved menu structure, allowing fans to
transition easily from one section to the next and navigate more content
than ever with ease.

The NHL GameCenterTM app, available for download beginning tomorrow,
January 15, includes the following features:

NHL GameCenterTM (free)
· Live scores and stats for every team and player
· Live game simulation with near real-time shift changes, boxscores and
play-by-play (new this season)
· Post-game video highlights (new this season)
· Video on-demand content featuring the best selections from NHL
editors
· Full-season schedule and standings
· Customized game alerts
· Player profiles with headshots, bios and stats for all active NHL
players
· Customizable settings for up to five favorite teams (new this season)

Upgrade to NHL GameCenter™ Premium** ($4.99 or free for Verizon tablet and
4G LTE smartphone customers)
· Live radio broadcasts (home and away)
· In-game video highlights
· Condensed game replays

Upgrade to NHL GameCenter LIVETM ($49.99 or free with broadband
subscription)
· Live out-of-market game video (home and away)
· Access across multiple devices
· All NHL GameCenter™ Premium content

Verizon Wireless tablet and 4G LTE smartphone customers will continue to
get access to NHL GameCenter Premium content as well as additional
exclusive content for free. Exclusive free content for Verizon customers
includes live streams of NBC network games, NBC’s Inside the Glass and NHL
Network’s NHL On The Fly™.

Wild musings: Konopka's rabbit, airmiles this year; Wild live chat on startribune.com Monday

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: January 13, 2013 - 8:04 PM

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Training camp officially began this morning at Xcel Energy Center when 26 players took to the ice with coaches along for the ride.

"It was fun to be out there with them and see how they teach," said new defenseman Ryan Suter.

Good evening and sorry for the very tardy blog.

I left so many questions on the cutting room floor last week, I will be hosting another live chat Monday at noon at www.startribune.com/wild, so please join in and come armed with questions.

I will also be on XM Radio at 8:05 a.m. and in studio with Paul Allen on KFAN (100.3-FM) at 9:20 a.m.

Hopefully you read Sunday's Zach Parise piece here.

I sat down this afternoon with new Wild center and bruiser Zenon Konopka and was writing a lengthy piece on him for Monday's paper.

He is known leaguewide as one of the very best interviews, and the advertising was correct. Funny, thoughtful, analytical and very interesting. I actually left a good amount out of the story for future pieces that Konopka will weigh in on.

Konopka, 31, who has the most penalty minutes in the NHL since 2009-10, owns a piece of seven businesses, including a wine label, ZK28 (zkwines.com). His newest wine is the Wild One in honor of his new team.

He also owns a wine aerator and a grape seed oil business. He's got his hand in several others, including a neck therapy collar, a supplement company, etc.

His main web site is zenonkonopka.com, so check that out, and he is brand new to Twitter, where there's no doubt he'll let everyone see his personality. That is @zenonkonopka.

Oh, and he also has a rabbit named, Hoppy, that you can read more about in Monday's paper.

"In Syracuse [in 2007-08], we had one of the toughest teams of all time in pro hockey," Konopka said. "Really, it was a chapter out of Slap Shot. But I had a party at my house, and all the tough guys like Jon Mirasty and Derek Dorsett and Tom Sestito were all making fun of me, 'Oh, you got a rabbit, what's that about?' Before the end of the night, Mirasty is cuddling with the rabbit and wrestling Dorsett because he wants to pet the rabbit.

"The toughest team in the league by far and these guys just loved that rabbit."

-- As I reported in Sunday's paper, the Houston Aeros are indeed going to charter into Minnesota to scrimmage the Wild on Monday and Wednesday. The players will be integrated into each team.

Wednesday's 7 p.m. scrimmage is free and open to the public, BUT as of now, ticket distribution has been suspended because demand was so high. The Wild is waiting to make sure all its season-ticket holders can get in.

Once that is determined, the Wild may again open tickets to the public. This is your first opportunity to see Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikael Granlund, Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell in Wild sweaters.

The scrimmage will also be televised live on Fox Sports North at 7 p.m. with a pregame show at 6:30 p.m. The scrimmage will also be broadcast live on KFAN.

-- Like I said, please check out the Konopka story, and the notebook talks about the Wild's first day, from Mike Yeo's system work, to Pierre-Marc Bouchard looking good, to Wild's difficult travel this year (according to this blog, the most miles in the NHL) and how Ryan Suter and Zach Parise had trouble breaking old system habits today.

Marco Scandella is expected to get on the ice Monday for a twirl. He is sidelined by a groin injury and a few weeks away from returning.

Practice Monday is at 5 and scrimmage is at 6, so late news Monday. Like I said, please join the noon chat though.

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Posts about Wild training camp

Wednesday's Wild scrimmage will be critical for a few forwards

Ready to camp out, first Wild fan arrives for Wednesday ticket sale

Granlund, Heatley, Kassian score in scrimmage; Bouchard, Dumba, Aeros updates

Wild scrimmage tonight; Early power-play glimpse; NHL GameCenter/Center Ice info

Wild musings: Konopka's rabbit, airmiles this year; Wild live chat on startribune.com Monday

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