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This is Michael Russo's 17th 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.
Also find Russo on Facebook.
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Posts about Wild news
NHL cancels games through Jan. 14
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: December 20, 2012 - 3:06 PM
The NHL canceled games through Jan. 14, meaning more than half the season has been wiped out.
And the next announcement from the league will probably be that the season has been scrapped. The general feeling is that a 48-game season couldn't be workable unless it starts by mid-January.
Here is the league's release:
NHL ANNOUNCES CANCELLATION OF 2012-13 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE THROUGH JANUARY 14
NEW YORK (December 20, 2012) -- The National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular-season schedule through January 14. The cancellations are necessary due to the absence of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL.
A total of 625 regular-season games – 50.8 percent of the season – were scheduled for October 11 through January 14.
All-Star weekend scrapped (with updates)
Posted by: Chris Miller Updated: November 23, 2012 - 2:32 PMThe NHL canceled its schedule through Dec. 14 and also scrapped the 2013 All-Star weekend, which was set for Jan. 26-27 in Columbus, Ohio.
The decisions were expected because of the continuing lockout.
Russo had an in-depth look at the latest updates this morning.
Here is the league's release:
NEW YORK (November 23, 2012) -- The National Hockey League announced today the cancellation of the 2012-13 regular-season schedule through December 14. The NHL also announced the cancellation of the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend scheduled for Jan. 26-27 in Columbus, Ohio. The cancellations are necessary due to the absence of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL.
A total of 422 regular-season games – 34.3 percent of the season – were scheduled for Oct. 11 through Dec. 14.
“The reality of losing more regular-season games as well as the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend in Columbus is extremely disappointing,” said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. “We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their fans as quickly as possible.”
And here is the reaction from Donald Fehr:
TORONTO (November 23, 2012) – Don Fehr, National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) Executive Director, released the following statement this afternoon regarding the NHL’s cancellation of games through December 14th and the 2013 NHL All-Star Weekend:
“On Wednesday, the players presented a comprehensive proposal, once again moving in the owners’ direction in order to get the game back on the ice. The gap that remains on the core economic issues is $182 million. On Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league is losing $18-20 million per day during the lockout, therefore two more weeks of cancelled games far exceeds the current economic gap. It makes the NHL’s announcement of further game cancellations, including the 2013 All-Star Weekend, all the more unnecessary, and disappointing for all hockey fans – especially those in Columbus. The players remain ready to negotiate but we require a willing negotiating partner.”
Glover, Collins commit to Gophers
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 21, 2012 - 8:37 PMUpdate: The Gophers have landed commitments from two big defensemen who are playing for the national development program's U-17 team in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Both Jack Glover of Golden Valley and Ryan Collins of Bloomington played last season for Benilde-St. Margaret's as it won the Minnesota Class AA hockey title.
Glover is 6-3 and 173 pounds and Collins is 6-4 and 193.
Neither is expected to join the Gophers until at least 2014. The Gophers have nine defensemen -- one senior, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
The Gophers split at Michigan Tech over the weekend, and Saturday's 3-2 victory was coach Don Lucia's 600th.
NHL wipes out schedule through October
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: October 19, 2012 - 1:08 PMThe NHL wiped out the schedule through Nov. 1 on Friday, one day after rejecting three proposals from the NHLPA during a brief bargaining session in Toronto.
The league had previously canceled the Oct. 11-24 portion of the schedule but said that if a collective bargaining agreement can be reached by this coming Wednesday, training camp can begin Thursday with the aim of having a full 82-game season starting Nov. 2.
If that occurs, which seems unlikely, nine Wild games would have to be rescheduled. That would happen by adding one game a week every five weeks and games at the end of the season, which is scheduled to end April 13.
Lucia breaks leg, might miss world juniors
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: August 30, 2012 - 5:25 PMMario Lucia, a 2011 second-round pick by the Wild and son of Gophers hockey coach Don Lucia, might miss the first three months of his freshman season at Notre Dame after sustaining a leg injury in off-season practice Wednesday.
Lucia said he broke his left fibula and suffered ligament damage in his left ankle when a teammate fell on him during a battle drill.
"Hopefully I'll get back quicker than three months, but I'm in a cast for seven weeks, so there's not much I can do about that," Lucia said.
Lucia, who scored 42 goals and 94 points and won an RBC Cup with Penticton of the BCHL last year, is still hoping to make the U.S. team for this winter's world junior championships, but he knows it's in jeopardy.
"Hopefully I can get a few games in before the world junior camp," Lucia said. "In the meantime, I'll just work to do well in school and have a good second half. But this is very disappointing."
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recent posts
- Reilly, Lucia, Potulny go for gold with the U.S. at the world junior championships
- NHL update: Parise says it'll be 'pretty stupid' if talks blow up
- Don Lucia on Haula, Notre Dame; Bjugstad, Wilcox honored; NHL update
- Russo: World juniors, NHL labor update
- Russo: NHLPA disclaimer deadline comes and goes; Wild injury updates
- NHL/NHLPA working to salvage season; USA-Canada world junior rematch Thursday
- Gophers hockey rings in New Year with No. 1 ranking
- Postgame: Bjugstad leads trouncing of No. 1 Boston College; Haula injured
- Gophers return with same lineup against No. 1 Boston College
- Sunday's other big game: Gophers showdown with BC
- Gophers vs. Air Force line chart; BC's York sets NCAA wins record; NHL/NHLPA CBA update
- NHL sweetens offer to players
- Russo: Mariucci Classic story lines
- U.S. junior team routs Germany
- NHL cancels games through Jan. 14
- Setoguchi taking time off from ECHL team; Spurgeon update
- Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard "symptom-free;" Bill Daly: NHLPA dissolving won't "expedite things"
- Russo: NHL seeking to void contracts if players file 'disclaimer of interest'
- NHL goes to the courts against players union
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