Sid Hartman: Rolston, Wild feel good about playoffs

Brian Rolston, who came to the Wild from the Bruins as a free agent in 2004 in one of the best deals that General Manager Doug Risebrough has made, said he believes his team has as good a chance to win the Stanley Cup as any other team.

"Obviously it's a long road, and I think there's a lot of good teams in the West," Ralston said. "I think there's unbelievable teams in the West, but I feel like our team can play with anybody."

Even if Vancouver wins the division, he added, the Wild will be in good shape.

"But wherever we do land, it doesn't really matter if we win the division -- it'd be great if we did, that would be a feather in our cap, I guess," he said. "But we want to continue playing the way we are and roll into the playoffs with that same kind of intensity, and that's first and foremost for us. I guess you have to beat everybody if you're going to get to the ultimate prize, so wherever we get seeded, we get seeded."

Asked why the team has played so well recently after going 7-7-1 in December, Rolston said: "I think it's a lot of things. We got healthy -- that was a big part, with Marian Gaborik coming back, that made a huge difference. I just think we're just clicking on all cylinders, and we're just playing the system and we're also getting tremendous goaltending -- so it's a combination of a lot of things."

Rolston praised goalie Niklas Backstrom, whose record is 16-3-3 since he replaced the injured Manny Fernandez.

"He's been terrific for us since about 30 games left in the season," Rolston said of Backstrom. "He came in and really took advantage of an opportunity that opened to him. He's giving us a chance to win every night. I think that was one of the biggest keys in why we turned it around on the road."

Risebrough has said that the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement created some parity. And he is right. There are no longer one or two dominant teams and the Wild is the equal of any contenders.

Childress on Cook

The Vikings didn't re-sign veteran offensive tackle Mike Rosenthal, and one reason might be that coach Brad Childress says he sees a good future for 2006 second-round draft choice Ryan Cook, who did get some playing time last season.

Now Cook and another young player, Marcus Johnson, will battle for that right tackle spot if the Vikings either don't draft an offensive lineman or sign a free agent.

Childress said he believes he has two of the best offensive line coaches in the country in Pat Morris and Jim Hueber, and they will develop the young lineman.

"You know, he wasn't a project," said Childress of Cook, who played for New Mexico. "He was multiple-position guy. It's ... rare that a guy can play right tackle and give a decent account of himself and then can go in there and snap the football. And you don't find those guys very often. You've got to have guys that can -- when you only have seven offensive linemen up on a Sunday -- you've got to have guys that can do a few things along the front.

"I believe he does have a future."

Childress likes the athletic ability of the 6-6, 328-pound Cook.

"Great feet, has an anchor, can sit down and pass protection -- he can stop a bull rush," said Childress. "He is going to have to learn some things with his hands, but he's strong enough. He's got to learn hand skills of getting his hands inside -- but I might say that about all of those offensive linemen."

One area the Vikings will have to improve on is in pass protection. At times last season, quarterback Brad Johnson was running for his life.

Jottings

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman, talking after the Wolves blew a 25-point lead to Seattle on Tuesday night, said the team played poorly in similar ways in two prior losses to the Sonics: "Three games, all three games the same, we just ... don't have the mix of guys that, when it's time to put our foot on their neck and squash it right here, [have done that]. It's the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, you know, let's go out and play and try new things, all right, not make the extra pass when there's a guy standing right next to you who is wide open. [They] don't understand that."

It's amazing, because the Wolves aren't playing well, but according to Wolves President Chris Wright, there are only 500 tickets remaining for tonight's Miami game and it will sell out.

People close to the hockey program believe that forward Kyle Okposo likely will be the first of the drafted Gophers to sign. Okposo was picked by the Islanders, and they want to sign him.

Meanwhile, Erik Johnson, the first-draft choice of the Blues, turned down a contract that would have had him playing the final seven games of the NHL season. And the shoulder surgery that Alex Goligoski will have should delay his possible signing.

The price of Gophers season basketball tickets was set at $540 before Tubby Smith was named the new coach, so there can't be any increase in the price. The Gophers ticket office has orders for close to 1,000 new season tickets since Smith was announced as coach. Meanwhile, the Gophers ticket office is busy selling football season tickets, too, with close to 1,500 new packages sold.

Rob Moore, Timberwolves CEO, said that the finalists to run the Target Center are AEG of Los Angeles and Global Spectrum of Philadelphia.

The Gophers athletic department ranks seventh in the first winter Directors Cup standings, a program that honors overall success in men's and women's athletics. Wisconsin is No. 1 and Michigan is fifth in the Big Ten ahead of the Gophers. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports.

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said close to 400 state high school football coaches have made reservations for tonight's fish fry on the campus following a football scrimmage.

The National High School Coaches Association wrestling tournament is this weekend in Virginia Beach, Va., this weekend. Gophers wrestling coach J Robinson and his assistants will attend at least part of the tournament. Marty Morgan, one of those assistants, said he believes Minnesota high school wrestlers Zach Sanders, Jake Deitchler and Matt Mincey have a chance to win championships. ... The date for former Gophers wrestler Brock Lesnar to make his debut in mixed martial arts now has been set for June 2 in Los Angeles, according to Morgan. He will face 7-2, 355-pound Hong Man Choi.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Podcast twice a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com