Ragged Xcel ice sheet bogs down Wild's stride

By KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune

Last update: January 18, 2008 - 11:10 PM

The last time the Wild went on the road, an extra sheet of ice was installed at Xcel Energy Center.

Come again? Well, with the U.S. Figure Skating Championship coming to town, a different sheet of ice, with different markings, had to be installed. So a figure skating rink was put in, and then another sheet -- for hockey -- was put in over it.

The result? Some pretty slow, chippy ice for the Wild to play on during a three-game homestand.

"It hasn't been good," said Brian Rolston after the morning skate, before the Wild's 4-2 loss to the Ducks. "It's been crazy. The last two games, it's really been bumpy."

Xcel Energy Center usually has some of the better ice in the league. But during games with Phoenix and Calgary, the puck was bouncing all over the place. Now, perhaps because of the extreme cold outside, or perhaps because the ice had been in for a little longer, players reported a better sheet after the pregame skate.

But the hope is that, once the team returns from its upcoming road trip, the ice will be back to what it was before the figure skating sheet was installed.

"It's unacceptable," center Eric Belanger said. "The last two games it's been the worst it's been all year. It's been a big difference."

And it's not just the bouncing puck. Belanger said the ice has been harder to skate on.

"You get tired quicker," he said. "You're first 10, 15 seconds [of a shift] you're good. After that it's harder to skate."

According to Belanger, bad ice is a problem throughout much of the league, though rarely here. He mentioned Montreal and Edmonton as two places where the ice is usually excellent as well.

Belanger has a plan for improving the skill level -- and, by extension, the scoring -- around the league. Forget about making the nets bigger, or moving the blue lines again, or refiguring goaltenders' equipment.

Belanger's plan: Make sure the ice in every arena around the league is top-notch.

"They're looking to make all these changes in equipment or the rules to bring back the skill," Belanger said. "But the biggest problem in our game right now is the ice. It makes such a big difference on the game. That's why you're not seeing as much scoring. The puck is bouncing all over the place and you can't make a pass."

He's back

The Wild has already gotten its closure in the matter, but Friday's game was the fans' chance to put the Brad May issue to rest.

May sucker-punched Wild defenseman Kim Johnsson in Game 4 of last season's playoff series. It gave Johnsson a concussion and earned May a suspension.

The Wild got its closure in Anaheim earlier this season, when May fought Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard. But Friday was the Wild fans' chance. As it turns out, the fans are still more interested in booing Todd Bertuzzi.

Etc.

• Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer and Sean O'Donnell each played in their 900th career game Friday, becoming the first teammates to do so in the same game since Jan. 23, 1992, when Mark Messier and John Ogrodnick did it. O'Donnell played 63 games with the Wild in its inaugural season, serving as its first captain in October 2000.

• The return of Boogaard to the lineup for the first time in 16 games meant Friday scratches were wingers Matt Foy and Branko Radivojevic and defenseman Petteri Nummelin.

• For the first time since his retirement, Wes Walz attended the game Friday with his family.