Plains, Trains and Automobiles back from Saskatoon

Good morning. Brian Stensaas is covering Wild practice today as I finish up my Sunday Insider package.

I'll be writing about the five Minnesotans -- Derek Stepan, Danny Kristo, Jordan Schroeder, Jake Gardiner and Mike Lee -- who won a gold medal at the world junior championships Tuesday night in Saskatoon.

Just got off the phone with Hastings' Stepan, who will be honored tomorrow night with Gardiner and John Ramage between periods of Wisconsin's game against coincidentally the USA Under-18 team.

The kid's as good a quote as he is a player.

Because of a mechanical problem, several USA players, including the Minnesotans and their families, had their flight cancelled out of Saskatoon on Wednesday. They all got rerouted, and many are still awaiting their bags.

Because of the new travel restrictions out of Canada into the U.S., no carry-ons are allowed other than holding your laptop. So Stepan put his gold medal in the carry-on. None of his bags has arrived, and Stepan says the airline doesn't know where they are. The tournament's leading scorer is holding out hope that the bags can be found because of what's inside.

I'll have this and more in Sunday's column.

I've got a number of guests lined up, including former NHL GM and coach Doug MacLean, a Wild player that you'll want to hear, Thrashers associate GM Rick Dudley to talk Ilya Kovalchuk, Chicago Blackhawks (tomorrow's Wild opponent which he helped build) and more and Minnetonka boys' hockey coach Brian Urick, who coaches the only undefeated AA team in the state, I believe, with four Division I-bound (as of now) players.

Star Tribune Vikings writer Judd Zulgad will come on with me from 6-6:30 and is willing to take calls, and Twins writer LaVelle E. Neal the Trois will be on 6-7. I think Joe Mauer's name will come up.

Get your hockey calls ready.