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Denver writer: Wild players are goons in land of '10,000 dead car batteries'

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Sean Hill of the Minnesota Wild battles on the ice with Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche in the second period of game three.

Last update: April 15, 2008 - 3:00 PM

A Denver Post columnist is unleashing his harshest verbal cross-checks following the Minnesota Wild's overtime victory against the Colorado Avalanche Monday night, giving the Wild a 2-1 edge in the opening playoff series.

Mark Kiszla's primary point is that Minnesota is nothing more than a "goon-it-up Wild bunch" that has abandoned trying to win with skill.

Here are just a few samples from Kiszla's piece:

•  "Let the mugging begin. It's the only way the Minnesota Wild can win."

•  "The only good thing that can be said about Minnesota's 3-2 overtime victory against Colorado was the game lasted so deep into the night that it ended past the bedtime of most kids who could be frightened by the way the Wild mauls all the beauty from the sport."

•  "Minnesota, the land of 10,000 dead car batteries, has an inferiority about this hockey team. The Wild's style of play is as ugly and obnoxious as the uniforms, which look as if designed by a toddler who randomly pulled two crayons from the box of 64 and began scribbling."

You get the idea.

Kiszla also decries the "mugging" of Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg, the tackling of Colorado goalie Jose Theodore and paints the entire roster in one hue: "The dark hockey arts are practiced by every member of the Wild."

Reaction has been passionate among those commenting on the denverpost.com website, with the vast majority of the reaction coming from Minnesota:

"Complaining about the opponents' uniforms and style of play after a loss makes you sound like an idiot!" reads one comment.

Wrote another: "Boo-hoo, can I get you a tissue? The Wild got more than their share of penalties last night, you want to stop a team from playing rough? Take advantage of the power play opportunities."

--PAUL WALSH

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