Back to work: Fun, Wild weekend ends for Boudreau, Suter, Dubnyk, Stevens

Greetings from All-Star Weekend, where the Metropolitan Division, coached by some fill-in named Wayne Gretzky, beat the Pacific Division, 4-3, in the championship.

Isn't it amazing how professional athletes' competitive juices start to flow when something tangible's on the line, like, say, $1 million?

The championship game was a tad different than the first semifinal that featured the oh-so casual Central Division getting waxed by the Pacific, 10-3. That meant the Wild reps got out of Dodge before the festivities even ended.

In the Final, things got real late. In fact, former Minnesota Mr. Hockey Ryan McDonagh kept the game from getting to overtime by blocking a Ryan Kesler shot destined for the back of the twine.

Quire the turn of events late. Kesler had a goal overturned because Connor McDavid was offside. The league implemented the challenge, not Gretzky, by the way. That goal would have made it 4-2 Pacific. Instead, the Metro's Cam Atkinson and Wayne Simmonds scored five seconds apart to make it 4-3 Metro. Simmonds, the Flyers' power forward and former King, was named MVP.

Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage in the Star Tribune while I was out here.

If you missed anything,

Here was my story on Scott Stevens and Jacques Lemaire being named two of the top 100 greatest players in NHL history

Here was my big feature on what makes Ryan Suter ticks. Also, great photo gallery from Carlos Gonzalez in here

Here is my fun notebook on Ilya Bryzgalov

In Monday's Star Tribune, a story with a bunch of cool stuff that happened all weekend to Boudreau, Suter and Dubnyk and how Boudreau really tried to talk up the Wild this weekend in the national spotlight and a story on the All-Star Game itself and some funny quips and a touching story about a Wild fan dad and his son, who is having brain surgery Friday. Keep young Owen in your thoughts and prayers, please.

Just a fun weekend. The NHL put on a great show, and it truly was amazing seeing so many of the game's greatest players on one stage.

He joked that he didn't ask for a timeout during the rout because instead he asked for running time.

"The whole weekend was great, meeting all the players and everything, especially before we played. I think everybody should be able to do this once. It was pretty cool."

As for the game, Boudreau said, "I think it was too much fun and not enough play, but what are you going to do? I'm not used to these kind of games. I think the format is fabulous. It's totally understandable. The guys are here on the break having fun. You're not going to get the intensity that you have of a Stanley Cup Final. The intensity of a preseason game would be good every now and again."

Asked by a reporter specifically about P.K. Subban's poor game, Boudreau joked, "Next question ... He struggled out there, but he's just coming back from an injury, so I understand."

The best part of the weekend? "Being here with my son and wife and them having the time of their lives. I just wish the other kids could have experienced it, and hopefully one day they will. If you would have asked me 10 years ago about coaching in an All-Star Game, I would have said, 'You're ludicrous, there's no chance.' Good things happen sometimes."

Suter said, laughing, it's weird sitting in the same room "right next to the team you're playing so you can't really talk strategy."

Dubnyk said the Staples Center "goal horn is going to haunt my dreams."

Corey Crawford and Dubnyk flipped a coin, and Crawford won, which meant he got to go first. He gave up five goals on 11 shots, so when he came to the bench to switch after 10 minutes, Dubnyk kiddingly told him his back and hip hurt and he couldn't play. Dubnyk relented and also gave up five goals on 11 shots.

"I hope [Johnny] Gaudreau's covered a little better on Wednesday, or it might be the same outcome."

Yes, the Wild plays in Calgary on Wednesday. Expect Darcy Kuemper to start the Wild's first game after the break Tuesday in Edmonton, which is 7-0-1 in its past eight, by the way.

One of the neatest parts of the day was how the All-Stars were announced to the ice and got to greet the remaining guys in town from the 100 Greatest Players.

"When they know your first name it kind of catches you off guard," Dubnyk said. "You're humbled to know they even know who you are."

Suter and Dubnyk each got to talk with Bobby Orr. Suter said he talked to Orr about Eric Staal and the Wild because Orr watches a lot of Wild games because he's one of Staal's agents. Dubnyk said Orr coached him in the top prospects game 12 years ago and remembered.

"My dad met him, which was pretty cool, at the prospects game," Dubnyk said. "My best friend's dad is a huge Bobby Orr fan. He took my dad's business card, and sure enough a couple weeks later the famous [Bobby Orr] picture showed up personalized to my best friend's dad. That's amazing. Even now that he remembered me from 12 years ago? Imagine how many people he meets."

That's it for me out here. Please give Monday's stuff a read. I think you'll enjoy.