Wild takes road less traveled

Preface: This is not to suggest the Wild's six-game series victory over the Blues was easy. It was not. No playoff series is easy.

This is to suggest, though, that the Wild — by finishing off the Blues with relatively little drama and at home — did this the easy way … and that such a thing is out of character both for a team that had to scramble to make the playoffs after a horrid midseason stretch and for a lot of teams in this market in general.

The recent history of Minnesota teams who have had success has been to do things the hard way, stretching series and even seasons to the very limit before prevailing.

Maybe this is all coincidental, but when you consider a lot of the top achievements of several of our top men's teams, the theme generally holds true: They don't make things easy on themselves — or their fans.

• Wild: The three previous playoff series the Wild has won came in Game 7 victories on the road. Two of them came after the team trailed a series three games to one (both in 2003), and the other came last season after the Wild trailed Colorado 3-2. Prior to Sunday, Minnesota never even had a chance to clinch a series at home.

• Twins: Their only two World Series titles, in 1987 and 1991, came after trailing series 3-2 and needing to win a pair of elimination games at home. They did it in both cases, of course, but they also gave themselves no breathing room after being up 2-0 in both series.

In addition, the only Twins team since then to win a playoff series — the 2002 Twins, who won the ALDS over Oakland — went the full five games against the A's before winning the deciding game in Oakland. And in that game, the Twins led 5-1 in the ninth before hanging on for a 5-4 victory.

• Wolves: In their one shining season, 2003-04, their most memorable playoff series in franchise history came down to a Game 7 at Target Center against Sacramento. And Minnesota needed all 48 minutes to win 83-80 — a victory that wasn't clinched until Chris Webber's three-point attempt at the buzzer spun around the rim before falling to the floor.

• Gophers men's hockey: Playing at Xcel Energy Center in 2002, the Gophers broke a 23-year NCAA title drought by defeating Maine in the championship game. But it took a tying goal with an extra attacker in the final minute to force overtime before Grant Potulny's game-winner in the extra session.

So rejoice, fans. The true Wild way would have been for the Wild to bow out of Game 6 on Sunday at home, then look lost in Game 7 before somehow pulling it out. The easy way sure is nice for a change.

MICHAEL RAND