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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.
Email Michael to talk about hockey.
Defending the Blue Line hosting charity game featuring Parise, others
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild off-season news Updated: May 21, 2012 - 12:26 PM
DEFENDING THE BLUE LINE TO HOST NHL PLAYERS
CHARITY GAME PRESENTED BY GANDER MOUNTAIN
EVENT TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 AT RIDDER ARENA
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Defending the Blue Line (DTBL) is proud to announce that the organization will host an NHL Players Charity Game and Autograph Session presented by Gander Mountain on Wednesday, June 20 at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota Campus. Players currently scheduled to participate include Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils), Josh Harding and Nate Prosser (Minnesota Wild), Matt Hendricks (Washington Capitals), Jamie McBain (Carolina Hurricanes), as well as Jordan Parise and USA Hockey star Gigi Marvin. Other NHL players participating in the game will be announced on www.DefendingTheBlueLine.org and via social media each week leading up to the game.
Tickets for the event are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and can be purchased at www.DefendingTheBlueLine.org or by calling Shane Hudella at (651) 253-6737. Groups of 20 or more will receive a discounted ticket price of $15 each. In addition, 14-seat Luxury Suites are available for $500. Player game worn jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off after the game and all fans will be entered into a raffle for Minnesota Wild Camo Sweaters, Wild game tickets and other fabulous prizes.
Schedule of events:
5:30-6:20 p.m. Autograph session with players (free with paid admission to event)
6:45-6:55 p.m. Pre-game warm-ups
6:55-7:00 p.m. National Anthem and Ceremonial puck drop
7:00-8:00 p.m. NHL Players Charity Game to Benefit DTBL at Ridder Arena
Defending The Blue Line is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by a group of National Guard soldiers in Minnesota. The charity assists families of all branches of the military with costs associated with hockey. They provide financial assistance for registration fees, free equipment, summer hockey camps, and send many deserving families down to Xcel Energy Center for a night of fun at a Minnesota Wild game, as well as other NHL venues.
Mikael Granlund officially joins the fold
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild off-season news Updated: May 23, 2012 - 9:20 AMFinally, after more than a year of concern by many, Mikael Granlund, the No. 2-ranked prospect in February's Hockey News Future Watch, is officially locked up.
The talented playmaking forward signed a three-year, $2.7 million deal. That includes annual $90,000 signing bonuses. He also received a potential performance bonus structure that raises his annual salary-cap hit to $2.1 million. The deal's been done for awhile and essentially the transfer paperwork needed to be finalized, then registered with the NHL.
I'd certainly suspect that you can pencil the Finnish Elite League star onto next year’s Wild roster.
As a 17-year-old in a league made up of men, Granlund scored 40 points in 43 games for IFK-Helsinki and was named the Finnish Elite League’s Rookie of the Year. As an 18-year-old, Granlund led IFK to a championship by tying for the league’s scoring lead. To put Granlund’s production in perspective, Wild captain Mikko Koivu combined for eight points in the same league as a 17- and 18-year-old.
As a 19-year-old this past season, he led the HIFK in regular-season scoring.
Granlund’s a Finnish rock star.
He appears on murals all over Helsinki, he's followed by paparazzi and became the toast of Finland last May by helping the proud country to a world championship in part because of a highlight-reel, lacrosse goal in the semifinals that’s been captured on a postage stamp.
“My mom has a lot of them,” Granlund said, laughing, last June. “For me, it’s not so big deal. It was just one goal. And that’s it,” Granlund added. “I tell people, ‘Come on, we won a gold medal. That’s what’s important.”
The ninth overall pick in 2010, Granlund can fly up ice, handles the puck beautifully and almost nonchalantly creates offense. He’s as good a distributor and a shooter and could give the Wild a bona fide Rookie of the Year candidate next season along with maybe even Charlie Coyle and certainly the Rangers' Chris Kreider.
The naysayers say he's too small, his footwork needs to be better. "I'll never be the biggest, fastest player. I've got to be the smartest," Granlund said last year.
Granlund has grown close with Koivu during the last two world championships and a stint in the Finnish Army. That’s got to music to the ears of the Wild brass, which envisions Koivu and Granlund as cornerstone fixtures of the Wild’s foundation.
“He’s a great guy,” Granlund said of Koivu last summer. “I need to learn from him. He’s a great player and great leader, so there’s much to learn from him.”
Granlund delayed signing with the Wild because he wanted to fulfill his six-month military obligation, finish school and “practice hard so I will be more ready when I come here.”
But he always promised Wild fans, “I want to play in Minnesota. That’s for sure."
Granlund was second in scoring at the most recent world junior championships. But in the semifinals in a must-score situation to extend a shootout against rival and eventual gold medal-winning Sweden, the puck slid off Granlund's stick.
During the precise time of Granlund’s shootout snafu, the Wild touched down in Vancouver. Later that day, Koivu watched the highlights.
He saw Granlund’s dejected face. He saw Granlund’s tears as he stood with his head slumped over the bench. So Koivu called Granlund to lift his spirits.
“At the end, it’s one shootout attempt,” said Koivu. “It’s not going to make him any worse or any better as a player.
“Everybody who knows the game, everybody who looks at the game, they know what kind of player he is. One shot won’t ruin that. He’s got to know that. It was a tough spot to be in, and a big deal for him. But it won’t make him any worse. He’s going to do just fine when he gets to [Minnesota].”
If you know Koivu, he’s not exactly the touchy, feely type. So for Koivu to show this kind of compassion was big.
“He said, ‘It’s just hockey,’” Granlund said. “He tried to cheer me up. It means a lot that he called me. He’s a great player, and a good friend.”
In last year's world championships, besides "The Goal," his nine points in nine games were second on Finland. This year, he played on the second line, but the coaches used Koivu's line, an energy line and a checking line more. He was benched during long stretches and did seem to struggle at times. He also, after missing the end of the regular season with an illness, reportedly struggled during IFK's playoff-round loss to Jokerit.
Is this a cause for concern? I asked reporter Samuel Savolainen of the sports magazine, "Urheilulehti," and he said, "The thing that was talked about for instand in our magazine was that he was simply burned out. After his sensational performance in the World Championships last year, he had to endure media exposure like never seen before. He had to tour with the trophy around the country and did everything. Interviews, commercials, PR-events, you name it. You can also throw in his brief stint in the military.
"He became such an instant hero and celebrity that (I'm not kidding) there were news in the tabloids about him having pizza and him going out to have a beer. He is incredibly polite, so he had a tough time to say "no". And I think all that put together just took such a huge toll on him. And it showed in a transparent way in the playoffs in the Finnish league and the World Championships."
We'll see. Regardless, this should be a very exciting development camp (July 8-15) and training camp (if training camp starts on time due to the league and union needing to modify the collective bargaining agreement) to see Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, Johan Larsson, Brett Bulmer, Jason Zucker and Zack Phillips compete for roster spots.
I'll be updating this later. Content from this blog came from numerous articles I've written on Granlund.
Here is the feature I wrote on Granlund when I got to watch him play in Helsinki two Octobers ago:
By MICHAEL RUSSO
mrusso@startribune.com
HELSINKI – Wearing a backwards powdered blue Yankees cap, Tuomas Eloholma shows off his red No. 64 “GRANLUND” sweater with the “I.F.K. est. 1897” blue crest on the front.
“I like him very much. He’s a very good player. He’s a very clever player,” Eloholma said of Mikael Granlund, the uber-skilled forward whom the Wild chose with the ninth overall pick in this past June’s NHL entry draft.
“He seems a lot older than he is. He’s just 18. If you don’t know his age, you can think he’s like 30 or he’s played a very long time. But he’s very young. He will be maybe the most talented Finnish player of all-time when he gets older.”
Now, in full disclosure, Eloholma is only 16 years old. He wasn’t born when Hall of Famer Jari Kurri strung 100-point seasons together for the Edmonton Oilers. Teemu Selanne’s 76-goal rookie year with the Winnipeg Jets and Saku Koivu’s dominance of the Finnish Elite League were also before his time.
So Eloholma’s sense of what could be the “most talented Finnish player of all-time” may be a tad warped.
But the kid who’s watched almost every Granlund game the past two years knows there’s something special about his favorite player.
“He’s the No. 1 center on IFK. He’s just 18. It’s very strange,” said Eloholma.
Granlund may have pimples. He looks years away from needing a razor. But there’s a reason Granlund’s face or action shot is on every IFK mural or poster in Helsinki. He’s lighting up the Finnish Elite League, a league full of men and one of Europe’s most competitive.
As a 17-year-old last year, Granlund scored 40 points in 43 games and was named the SM-Liiga’s Rookie of the Year. This season, Granlund is tied for fourth in league scoring with 10 points in eight games – but one point behind league leaders, teammate Ville Peltonen and Lukko’s Perttu Lindgren.
To put Granlund’s production in perspective, let’s take Wild captain Mikko Koivu. He played four years for TPS-Turku. He topped out at 30 points during his fourth season at age 21. At 17, Koivu had no goals and one assist in 21 games. At 18, Koivu scored seven points in 48 games.
“[Granlund’s] doing some pretty special things at an early age,” said Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, who along with owner Craig Leipold, the rest of the front office and entire coaching staff watched Granlund score a goal and three assists in Saturday’s 11-3 rout of Assat.
The Wild won’t label him a star in the making and create unreasonable expectations and pressure. But for the first time since Marian Gaborik in 2000 and Koivu in 2001, there’s a chance the franchise has finally drafted another blue-chip forward.
Granlund’s been taken under the wing by his linemate Peltonen, a living Finnish legend who’s played 382 NHL games for San Jose, Nashville and Florida. Granlund was 3 when Peltonen’s hat trick lifted Finland to its lone world championship. At 37, Peltonen is more than half Granlund’s age, and he’s become a father figure.
“I’m afraid to say so much and tell you how good I think he’s going to be,” said Peltonen. “Let him get where he can get. I’ll just say, Minnesota’s very lucky.”
Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom knows Granlund well. He owns a piece of IFK and used to play in Oulu, Granlund’s hometown.
“He’s a guy who just loves hockey,” said Backstrom, smiling with his eyes open wide. “It’s unreal to see how big his passion is for hockey. He’s got all the tools.”
Granlund’s skill was obvious against Assat. He can fly up the ice, handles the puck smoothly and almost casually creates offense. He wants the puck, he wants to hang onto it and he can anticipate what to do with it.
“He dominates from the center just like centers should do,” said Peltonen. “He surprises his linemates every now and then with his quick passing. It’s a lot of fun to play with him. He makes me feel young again.”
Leipold was thrilled to watch him in person, something the owner normally doesn’t get to do.
“He knows we’re here, and you can tell he’s got his wheels completely in motion and having a lot of fun,” Leipold said. “It’s a great environment to watch a game. I mean, this crowd is a wild, rambunctious crowd. It’s fun to watch. And it’s no secret we’re high on this guy. He’s going to be a big part of our future.”
The Wild will look to sign Granlund this year and bring him to North America next season. The team envisions Granlund eventually being Martin Havlat’s center or even a winger alongside Koivu.
“He’s always here with eyes open and ears open. He wants to get better,” said Peltonen. “Minnesota fans will love him.”
"Granlund Watch" should be shortlived; Wild injury updates
Posted by: Michael Russo under The draft, Wild off-season news Updated: May 20, 2012 - 9:42 PMWelp, the world championships are over, Mikko Koivu didn't medal for the first time in 12 international tournaments (an amazing fact Canadian Press' Chris Johnston tweeted today) and Mikael Granlund's got nothing else holding him back from signing with the Wild.
That should happen in the next little while, so hold your horses just a little while longer.
To use Mike Yeo's favorite word, it's a process, and when signing a player from overseas, it's not as simple as "sign here." There's a few hoops to go through to complete the transfer, especially with a lack of transfer agreement right now, so it could take a few days more for the paperwork to be finalized and registered.
But again, the Wild's confident it will be announcing soon that Granlund is signed and Granlund's side has also indicated things are positive.
The Wild also must sign Johan Gustafsson before June 1, which also is in the works. The 2010 sixth-rounder will play next season again in Sweden though.
The Wild tweeted today that the Granlund Watch begins, so you know if the team's tweeting Wild fans to pay attention, it's not anticipating any complications.
What else?
I talked to GM Chuck Fletcher and got some injury updates on players:
1. Guillaume Latendresse (concussion): Feeling much better and frankly probably could have returned at the end of the year, but there was no point. Fletcher and Latendresse will have a conversation in the next few weeks to try to determine his future. He can become a restricted free agent. Like I've written before though, I don't see the Wild tendering him a qualifying offer at $2.5 million after two injury destroyed seasons in a row. It'll either try to negotiate a different type of contract with Latendresse or let him become an unrestricted free agent. "We'll have a good conversation to see where he's at with his health and where he's at with his conditioning, and what he wants to do," Fletcher said. "I want to get a sense of how healthy he thinks he can be next year and where his head's at."
2. Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion): Also feeling better, but Fletcher has purposely avoided bothering him each week with "How you feeling?" questions. Fletcher is also supposed to meet with Bouchard over the next week or so. Bouchard has another year left on his contract.
3. Jared Spurgeon (concussion): Cleared a week after the season. Feeling good.
4. Marco Scandella (hand surgery, hernia surgery): He was playing with both for awhile apparently, and should be recovered by late June.
5. Mike Lundin (hernia surgery): Feeling better. I don't see Lundin returning though.
6. Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi (minor knee surgery): Both recovered.
7. Niklas Backstrom (minor ankle surgery): Recovered.
Things are quiet with the team right now. Amateur scouting meetings were held last week as the Wild amps up for the draft. Fletcher, assistant GM Brent Flahr & gang will be heading to the Toronto for the draft combine at the end of the month.
Congrats to Yeo, assistant coaches Darryl Sydor and Darby Hendrickson, equipment trainers Tony DaCosta and Matt Benz, athletic therapists Don Fuller and John Worley and strength and conditioning coach Kirk Olson were accomplishing the Tough Mudder in Wisconsin on Saturday.
I was supposed to head over there and cover, but I've been sick all weekend. Yes, they participated in one of the toughest competitions going, and I couldn't even watch it because I have a cold!
That's why they do what they do and I do what I do, I suppose.
That's it from me for now. I'll be on KFAN live in studio at 9 a.m. Monday.
Koivu's tying goal helps leads Finland to last-second win over the U.S.
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild off-season news Updated: May 17, 2012 - 1:27 PMIt seemed to me that Mikko Koivu never left the ice for Finland in today's quarterfinal match against the U.S. in the world championships in Helsinki, but the final ice time tally allegedly was 18:09 for the Wild/Finland captain.
Regardless, he was everywhere, won 13 of 19 faceoffs, had three shots and scored the tying goal with 6:58 left after driving the net and having a centering feed deflect in off his skate. A fired-up Koivu was completely jacked up after the goal was upheld by video review. Hopefully one day soon we'll see that during springtime in Minnesota.
Honestly, the Americans had no answer for Koivu, Jussi Jokinen and Valtteri Filppula.
Former Islanders prospect Jesse Joensuu then scored the winning goal with eight seconds left (his second of the game) to send the Americans home reeling. Not sure why the heck Jeff Petry and Chris Butler were put out there in the final minute by Scott Gordon.
Canada lost earlier in the day to Slovakia.
Koivu and Mikael Granlund (11 minutes today, benched last game in the third) advance to play high-flying Russia, who added Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, in the semis Saturday. The Russians are a formidable opponent, but Finland, looking to win its second straight gold, has the home-ice advantage.
Wild prospects Johan Larsson (No. 10) and Jonas Brodin (No. 28) are currently playing former Wild superstar Tomas Mojzis 
and the Czech Republic in another quarterfinal right now on NBC Sports Network.
As for Granlund, remember, he can't sign with the Wild until Finland is eliminated. So we're looking at next week, and again, I've talked to both sides, and talks have been positive.
Remember, the Memorial Cup begins Friday, and Wild prospects Charlie Coyle and Zack Phillips look to lead Saint John to a second consecutive Memorial Cup. They play London on Saturday, and all games are on the NHL Network.
Mike Yeo and many members of the Wild staff take part in Tough Mudder Saturday in Somerset, Wisconsin. If you want to donate to the Wild for Wounded Warriors cause, here is the link.
It's official: LaPanta is named Wild TV play-by-play man
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild news, Wild off-season news Updated: May 15, 2012 - 5:54 PMFox Sports North and the Wild made it official Tuesday morning: FSNorth veteran Anthony LaPanta is the new television play-by-play voice of the Wild. He replaces Dan Terhaar, whose contract wasn't renewed last month after seven seasons at the mike.
LaPanta, the Gophers' play-by-play voice since 2010 and the Wild, Wolves and Twins studio host since 2004, will join analyst Mike Greenlay as the Wild's television team.
The hire comes after three days worth of almost universally negative feedback from fans over LaPanta's expected hiring on blogs and message boards.
The Wild has the right to hire its own broadcasters in consultation with FSNorth. It was clear from the early going that FSNorth had a big influence over the decision. That's what happens when you pay big bucks for the local TV rights of a sports team, I guess.
The way it works with these deals in most cases is the teams pay the broadcasters, but FSN reimburses the team up to usually $250,000 to pay salaries. Any overages is paid by the team. So when fans complain to me about homerism, that's why I always write: "What do you expect? They're paid by the team."
I've gotten so many e-mails and tweets and I've read comments in the last couple days from Gophers fans and other WCHA fans that LaPanta is the ultimate homer. Again, I don't watch often because I'm working and I can't claim to know LaPanta well. But again, I say, what do you expect? FSNorth is a rightsholder, a partner. Don't want homerism, read a newspaper.
Turn on any local broadcast in any sports league, and for the most part, other than New York and Chicago and a few other markets, you're going to see the exact same thing, if not worse.
Ive gotten a lot of e-mails asking for other names that were interested in the job. I've got to keep most secret because the conversations I had with them were in confidence and some are under contract with other entities.
Former Columbus play-by-play man Dan Kelly, I'm told, was a candidate. Former Thrashers studio host and radio play-by-play man Dan Kamal was interested. The most intriguing name that may have been available is longtime Carolina play-by-play man John Forslund. I'm not sure he's looking to uproot his life because he's a staple in Raleigh and I've got to think will re-sign, but his contract is up June 30 and he's basically become the No. 3 or 4 man on NBC Sports Network. Like I said, not sure he was even interested and of course it would have taken a sweet, long-term deal to get him here IF it didn't work out in Raleigh.
One talented guy that was available is admittedly a good friend of mine - former Marlins announcer Roxy Bernstein. He's the Cal basketball announcer, fills in on Sharks games and hosts a radio show in San Francisco. So talented, great voice.
I believe about 20 or so folks, with varying degrees of experience, officially applied for the position..
Here's the press release. Youngblood will have a story for the paper tomorrow.
ANTHONY LAPANTA NAMED MINNESOTA WILD TELEVISION PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
FOX Sports North: the Exclusive Local Television Home for the 2012-13 Minnesota Wild Season
The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild today named Anthony LaPanta television play-by-play announcer.
LaPanta, a graduate of Totino-Grace High School and St. John’s University (Collegeville, Minn.), has covered the Twin Cities sports scene since 1991. The New Brighton, Minn., native has hosted the pregame and postgame shows on FOX Sports North for the Twins, Wild and Timberwolves nightly since 2004 and served as the television play-by-play announcer for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team the past two seasons. LaPanta has also served as a play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Timberwolves on a fill in basis.
“I have dreamed of doing NHL play-by-play since I was very young,” said LaPanta. “To have this opportunity in my hometown is truly special. I am a lifelong resident of the State of Hockey, and hockey is in my blood. From my work covering the Minnesota Wild for the last eight years, to calling games at the high school and college level, to spending as much of my free time as possible as a youth hockey dad, the game has been a huge part of my life. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”
Before joining FOX Sports North, LaPanta was the television voice of the St. Paul Saints for ten seasons and was the radio play-by-play announcer for the Twins in 1999. He has won four regional Emmy Awards (two for play-by-play and two for anchor/host) and was involved with the development of the Hockey Day Minnesota concept. LaPanta and his wife, Margo, have four children, and reside in Shoreview, Minn., where he is active in the hockey community.
LaPanta will team with television analyst Mike Greenlay on FOX Sports North, the exclusive local television home for Wild hockey. Greenlay enters his 11th year as the Wild’s television analyst since being assigned to the post on Aug. 13, 2002. The former goaltender previously served as the radio analyst for the Anaheim Ducks (1999-2001) and the Nashville Predators (1998-99) and also worked as a television analyst on several networks.
“This is a great opportunity for Anthony, we’re enthusiastic about his new role in our Wild telecasts,” said Mike Dimond, Senior Vice President and General Manager for FOX Sports North. “Anthony has worked long and hard as the face of our network. We’ll miss him in that capacity, but thankful he’ll still be part of our network moving forward.”
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recent posts
- Defending the Blue Line hosting charity game featuring Parise, others
- Mikael Granlund signs with the Wild
- Russo: "Granlund Watch" should be shortlived; Wild injury updates
- Koivu's tying goal helps leads Finland to last-second win over the U.S.
- It's official: LaPanta named Wild TV play-by-play man
- Russo: Announcement on Wild's play-by-play voice delayed by backlash
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