Blueshirt Banter Awards 2008-09 Season
Blueshirt Banter — ... He is the main reason for the Rangers PK success, and you gotta love his durability, 78 games played for a guy who never saw a shot he wouldn't throw his body in front of. As for my NHL nominees: Hart: Alex Ovechkin Washington Capitals Norris: Mike Green Washington Capitals Vezina: Evgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks Calder: Steve Mason Columbus Blue Jackets Selke: Mikko Koivu Minnesota Wild

The Ultimate Game Day Preview: Nashville @ Minnesota
On the Forecheck — ... Wild to watch: Mikko Koivu is their best two-way player, a legitimate Selke candidate who also has 63 points on the season.  ...

The 2009 Alternative NHL Awards
On the Forecheck — ... of the Maple Leafs committed 10 Tripping fouls over the course of the season to lead all players, followed by Minnesota's Mikko Koivu and Los Angeles' ...

Quote-acopia: Scouting Tavares, shaming Avery, and blinking
Lighthouse Hockey — ... Mikko Koivu #9 / Center / Minnesota Wild Height: 6-2 Weight: 200 Born: Mar 12, 1983   "I don't even get dust in my eye." ...

Loving the Outside Viewpoint
Hockey Wilderness — ... 5. Sheppard - Despite the fact that he is an awful center, he has size, and I think the talent is there for a big power forward. They need to get out of the pressure pot that is center and give him a chance to succeed. Also need to get rid of the Mikko Koivu comparisons and get him off of the checking line. Put him on a line with a solid center looking to score, and maybe Shep becomes a star. ...

2009 NHL Awards: Brind'Amour's Selke votes, Phaneuf for the Norris (and other voting oddities)
From The Rink — ... 3. Ryan Kesler, VAN 290 (1-9-33-14-10) 4. Henrik Zetterberg, DET 154 (3-3-8-17-12) 5. Mikko Koivu, MIN 154 (1-3-13-17-7) 6. David Krejci, BOS 109 (2-5-5-8-5) ...

Minnesota Wild 2009 NHL Draft: The Morning After
Hockey Wilderness — ... Brodziak played on the fourth line in Edmonton, but the Wild desperately needed to bolster their depth at center. Mikko Koivu was the only player on the team to give them a consistent presence in the face-off circle last season. Brodziak, who played for new Wild coach Todd Richards at Wilkes Barre in the AHL, won 51.6 percent of his faceoffs last season. Fletcher has called draft picks "the lifeblood of an organization," which underscores the impact he believes Brodziak can make with the Wild next season. ...

2009 NHL Free Agency: Minnesota Wild Needs v. Wants
Hockey Wilderness — ... back to his natural center position, but the team will also attempt to sign a second-line center behind Mikko Koivu. ...

Beyond the Wildnerness: Free Agency Edition
Hockey Wilderness — ... If Jukka and Tuire Koivu had their way, oldest son Saku would be signing with the Wild by roughly 11:01 a.m. today. If only it were that simple. The Wild, in need of a second-line center behind Mikko Koivu, is expected to try and unite the Koivu Bros. ...

Saku Koivu to sign with Anaheim Ducks
Hockey Wilderness — RT@AnaheimDucks: Breaking news: Ducks are expected to announce signing of former Montreal center Saku Koivu later this morning. - Ducks Twitter page Koivu to Ducks contract looks to be 1 yr / 3.25 million (TSN Tracker) This is horribly disappointing. Apparently Saku has decided to play with Teemu Selanne instead of brother Mikko Koivu. This will leave Fletcher to look elsewhere for an impact centerman. ...

The Ducks sign Saku Koivu to a 1 year, $3.25 million deal
Battle of California — ... and follow his brother (in this case, Mikko Koivu) to Minnesota. Instead of paralleling Niedermayer, Koivu decided to follow him to Anaheim. ...

Beyond the Wilderness: Foster, Koivu and Gaborik speak
Hockey Wilderness — ... just wasn't comfortable playing in Minnesota alongside younger brother Mikko Koivu. "I kind of felt that Minnesota's Mikko's place at this point," said Saku Koivu, the longtime ...

Too Little, Too Late From Gaborik
Hockey Wilderness — ... The story of Gaborik not receiving an offer from Fletcher's team has been circulating, as these types of "controversies" do in the summer. Everyone is aghast at how silly it is to have not even made the guy an offer. The truth is, not making an offer was pure genius. Instead of offering upwards of $7 -8 million a year to a guy that has shown nothing publically except contempt, Fletcher used it to sign Martin Havlat at a nice cap hit that allows him to retain Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns, and also to add players to make the team ...

Dany Heatley Trade Rumor and More
Hockey Wilderness — ... sweepstakes and it sounds like the Minnesota Wild have tabled an offer that will be tough for Murray to turn down. While the proposed deal does not include stud defenceman Brent Bruns, it does apparently include Mikko Koivu, ...

Cory Schneider's 2008-09 NHL Performance
Nucks Misconduct — ... loss to Columbus. -Fredrick Modin goal. Powerplay, nice setup from Nash. -Garth Murray goal. Schneider trips over his own feet on this play. -Kristian Huselius goal. Another nice setup by Nash. No chance for Schneider here. 12 minutes played but no goals allowed against in a 6-5 loss to Detroit on December 4. December 5. 2-1 win over the Wild. Schneider has a great game. Not much chance on the Mikko Koivu goal as he was interfered with and screened. December ...

Summer Hockey Fill: Get to know the Minnesota Wild
Blueshirt Banter — ... Hockey Wilderness: The right players? That is the ultimate question, isn't it? The Wild, never known for their offensive prowess, will suddenly find themselves in a new system with players drafted, developed and evaluated on their abilities to play positionally, play a puck possession/counter-attacking offense, take few chances and always know where their defensive responsibility lies. Players like Mikko Koivu, ...

Alex Semin's Defense
Japers' Rink — ... 3:19 0.90 Henrik Zetterberg 77 13 2.93 2.57 6.14 1:49 0.55 Mikko Koivu 79 2 2.40 2.41 3.81 ...

2009 Minnesota Wild Fantasy Preview
Hockey Wilderness — ... Mikko Koivu got off to an explosive start in 2009 with 9 points in his first 3 games. His breakout season was derailed late as he struggled with a knee sprain in March producing only 7 points in his final 18 games. Koivu does not possess the foot speed of his older brother Saku, but he is just as fiesty. His instincts manifest themselves in clever play making, as well as the ability to dictate tempo. Because of his late season injury induced swoon, he can probably still be had as a value pick in your fantasy pool. Surrounded by a healthy Havlat, Burns and ...

View From The Frontier - Season Warm Up
Hockey Wilderness — ... What the Minnesota defensive corps may lack in depth this season it won't be lacking in blue collar guts.  The aforementioned Zanon along with 6'8" Michigan Tech man-beast John Scott and newly acquired Shane "The Sheriff" Hnidy, at the very least the Wild will give color commentators lots of fun nonsense fodder and at best will perform admirably while punching some lights out. As for the forwards... Well, hey, at least the potential first line of Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen and Martin Havlat will be fun to ...

Training Camp Roster Released
Hockey Wilderness — ... 9 Mikko Koivu           Minnesota            NHL ...

Minnesota Wild make cuts, Petr Sykora signs, Nobody named Captain
Hockey Wilderness — ... get bit of a breather after camp's brisk start | StarTribune.com "The last couple days have been hard practices, and talking to the players, there's a little bit of soreness and fatigue," Richards said. "The fourth day of training camp is a little hump to get over. We looked it as a day where we can teach something and get something out of it while also letting the guys recover." Richards unveiled what could be the first power-play unit -- forwards Andrew Brunette, Mikko Koivu and Martin Havlat with point men Marek Zidlicky and ...

Daily Links: Boogaard scoring? Havlat sitting? Probert and Domi toe-picking?
Hockey Wilderness — ... some players tonight - TwinCities.com After signing top forward Petr Sykora of the Czech Republic to a one-year contract for $1.6 million Thursday, the Wild announced a lineup for the first home exhibition game at 7 tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets. On the ice for the Wild will be Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Brent Burns, Niklas Backstrom, Cal Clutterbuck, Derek Boogaard and Marek Zidlicky. Sitting out will be Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Owen Nolan, Andrew ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Preseason Game 3
Hockey Wilderness — ...     Questions to Answer Will Martin Havlat show up his old squad? Is this the last we'll see of Andy Hilbert and Danny Irmen? Where on earth is Mikko Koivu? Can Tyler Cuma shine in his first action of the year? Is Pouliot just leading us along to leave us wanting more, or is today his last chance to perform before heading back to Houston?

The Official "On the Forecheck" Fantasy Hockey League draft is complete
On the Forecheck — ... 6. (72) Jason Arnott - C 7. (73) Daniel Alfredsson - RW 8. (96) Mikko Koivu - C 9. (97) Sergei Gonchar - ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Where on earth is Mikko Koivu? I think it's safe to assume Koivu will be playing in the either the next game at Columbus or the final preseason matchup against St. Louis. ...

Minnesota Wild @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... to the bubble guys? Well, if the injury bug sticks around, we'll need plenty of bodies in Houston, and Pouliot may be on the shelf: Richards is mostly concerned though with all the injuries. Benoit Pouliot went down in the third period with a strained groin, and Richards was so worried, he benched Antti Miettinen (he should have gotten benched because of his play, quite honestly) and Kyle Brodziak due to the soft ice. Back in Minnesota, Mikko Koivu, James Sheppard, Andrew Brunette, Craig ...

Daily Links: Wild cut 7; Cuma to Juniors; Koivu frustrated with injury; Havlat interview and more
Hockey Wilderness — ... After sitting out with a minor injury since late last week, Mikko Koivu returned to the ice for a workout Monday morning at Xcel Energy Center and pronounced himself on the mend. "Felt good," Koivu said, adding that his prognosis is "day by day." Asked if he was 100 percent, he said, "If I'd be 100 percent, I'd be on the ice, hopefully in a game already." ...

Daily Links: NHL.com Wild Season Previews; Cal Clutterbuck; Brent Burns and more.
Hockey Wilderness — ... for Minnesota Wild - 2009-2010 Season Preview New coach Todd Richards has removed the shackles from his players, calls the club's new touchstone term "aggressive," and notes that professional hockey is an "entertainment business." And new General Manager Chuck Fletcher wants the Wild to be known for something other than a Lemaire-style lockdown. Wild try to put their problems on ice - TwinCities.com Nagging physical problems involving Andrew Brunette, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and several others have prevented ...

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Minnesota Wild
From The Rink — ... in goal, however, it's highly likely Richards opts for a far more aggressive style than we've seen out of Minnesota previously, so expect the goals for and against totals to rise. That's good news for the likes of Mikko Koivu, a rising two-way star, and bounce back seasons should be expected for ...

Daily Links: Bouchard back; Who backs up Koivu?: Wild players generous; Johnsson a family man and more
Hockey Wilderness — ... , five Wild players have purchased three of the 66 Xcel Energy Center suites and are dispensing tickets for those suites to charitable causes this season. Goalie Niklas Backstrom, who joined Mikko Koivu and ...

Gameday: Preseason finale sees Flyers host Minnesota
Broad Street Hockey — ... Forwards   Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat Owen Nolan - Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Petr Sykora Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck John Scott - Eric Belanger - Kyle Brodziak Defense Nick Schultz ...

Minnesota Wild @ Philadelphia Flyers: Preseason Game 7
Hockey Wilderness — ...     Questions to Answer Can the Wild get into the flow of the new offense? Can John Scott get a hang of playing wing? Will this be the opening day lineup? Does the offense start to click? Can Mikko Koivu get a jump-start into the season?

Minnesota Wild @ Philadelphia Flyers: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... The Minnesota Wild rebounded from a very weak first period to score two in the second period and two in the third period before Antti Miettinen won the game 5-4 in the shootout over the Philadelphia Flyers in the last preseason warmup for the Wild before starting the 2009-2010 season in Columbus on Friday. The Wild went three for three in their first shootout of the preseason, with Mikko Koivu and Martin Havlat also scoring. Havlat also scored in regulation, along with Cal Clutterbuck, Brent Burns and James ...

Forecasting the NW Division
Matchsticks and Gasoline — ... Robert - Minnesota. Havlat, Sykora and Brodziak are three good additions at forward, Mikko Koivu is excellent, their defence is OK, if a level below the other teams in the division, and their goaltending appears to be good. Backstom at 6 million a year might look like an over-pay down the road, but he and Harding are a good tandem. The two major X factors for the ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Game 1
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat Owen Nolan - Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Petr Sykora Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck John Scott  - Eric Belanger - Kyle Brodziak Defense Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson Greg Zanon - Brent Burns Shane Hnidy - Marek Zidlicky Goalies Niklas Backstrom Josh ...

Minnesota Wild @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... tied things up for the Wild on a nice play from Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu. Unfortunately, the Wild still showed signs all night of having trouble adapting to the new system, and at the 10:10 mark, ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game 2
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat Owen Nolan - Pierre Marc Bouchard - Petr Sykora Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Cal Clutterbuck John Scott  - Eric Belanger - Kyle Brodziak Defense Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson Greg Zanon - Brent Burns Shane Hnidy - Marek Zidlicky Goalies Niklas Backstrom Josh ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... At 6:29 of the third period, Mikko Koivu got the crowd to their feet as the power play finally connected. Havlat to Brunette to Koivu who buried it past Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Once that first one got past the seemingly unbeatable Giguere (the Wild killer), the team realized that yes, he was human and can be beaten. Six minutes later, ...

Minnesota Wild @ Los Angeles Kings: Game 3
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Cal Clutterbuck Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger - Martin Havlat Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Owen Nolan John Scott - Benoit Pouliot - Kyle Brodziak Defense Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson Greg Zanon - Brent Burns Shane Hnidy - Marek Zidlicky Goalies Josh ...

Minnesota Wild @ San Jose Sharks: Game 4
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Cal Clutterbuck Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger - Martin Havlat Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Owen Nolan John Scott - Benoit Pouliot - Kyle Brodziak Defense Nick Schultz - Kim Johnsson Greg Zanon - Brent Burns Shane Hnidy - Marek Zidlicky Goalies Niklas ...

Minnesota Wild Injuries; Wild Trade Talks; Houston Aeros Talk and more: Daily Links
Hockey Wilderness — ... Fletcher has been getting a lot of phone calls from GM’s in the last few days. That often happens when other GM’s read that you’re suffering injury after injury. I know Fletcher’s talking, but I don’t see much help coming. Here’s the problem. What does he have to trade that isn’t Mikko Koivu or ...

Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks: Game 5
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat Antti Miettinen - James Sheppard - Owen Nolan Benoit Pouliot - Eric Belanger - Kyle Brodziak Nathan Smith - Andy Hilbert - Derek ...

Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers: Game 6
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Kyle Brodziak - James Sheppard - Owen Nolan Benoit Pouliot - Eric Belanger - Nathan Smith ...

Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks: Game 7
Hockey Wilderness — ... Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - ...

Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Yet another tight game between the Wild and Canucks. Unfortunately, the Canucks continued the trend started last season, defeating the Wild 2-1 in Vancouver to give the Wild an 0-5 West Coast swing. Minnesota got out to a nice first period defensively, playing a tight game, keeping mistakes to a minimum but didn't get their first shot until the game was almost nine minutes old. Just 90 seconds after their first shot, the tight checking Wild took advantage as Mikko Koivu took a feed from ...

Minnesota Wild Name Mikko Koivu Captain
Hockey Wilderness — In what was generally expected, Mikko Koivu was named the first permanent captain in team history. ...

Off the Post - October 21st
Fear The Fin — ... plays, he adds "...of its soul" to the name. A fanpost on the readiness of potential NHL expansion cities. The Edmonton Journal placates their readership by keeping a running tally comparing Dany Heatley to the Oilers he would have been traded for. [more updates after the jump, and even more to come as the day goes by] The difference a year can make in Colorado... Mikko Koivu is the first permanent captain in Minnesota Wild ...

Wednesday links: Everyone into the doghouse edition
St. Louis Game Time — ... in the world is the Blue note? Gerard, Marcus, now you can get internet famous. [Blues] Hockey news Your winners last night, Pittsburgh, Calgary and Montreal. [Yahoo! Sports] Six games tonight. Can the Islanders win a game? [Yahoo! Sports] Jason Arnott will be out for two weeks. [TSN] Rich Peverley was on waivers last year. Now, hes' getting paid. [TSN] Mikko Koivu, no longer known simply as Saku's little brother, is the new captain ...

Wednesday's notes: Colin Wilson returns to Boston, while critics say the Predators are doomed
On the Forecheck — ... as well, as the Canadiens had lost five straight before topping Atlanta last night. The Hockey News: Headlines: Chris Chelios signs with AHL's Chicago Wolves, to make debut Friday Interestingly, The Hockey News by-line reads, "The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947." In other words, since Chelios' early days in the Montreal system. Koivu Named Captain - Hockey Wilderness Mikko Koivu is now officially the "Wild and Crazy Guy". ...

October 21 News and Notes
Matchsticks and Gasoline — ... . As well, Mikko Koivu has been named captain. I don't know if it will have any effect on keeping him in Minny, but he's certainly worthy based on his on-ice work.  ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game 8
Hockey Wilderness — ... Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... , but Burnsie rung the pipe, and the Wild wouldn't sniff that kind of scoring opportunity again until Mikko Koivu tied the game at 2 on a great redirect of Antti MIettinen's centering feed on the Wild's seventh power play of the game. Yes, you read that right. The Wild had seven power plays tonight, but only scored twice. Luckily the Wild kept the NHL's best power play unit on the bench most of the night, only finding themselves down a man twice. ...

Minnesota Wild @ St. Louis Blues: Game 9
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat Benoit Pouliot - Eric Belanger - Chuck Kobasew ...

Cam Ward to Start 10th Game in a Row - Canes at Wild Game Preview
Canes Country — ... As you can see, Belanger is having a pretty good season so far and will certainly be active again tonight as he always is against the Canes.  Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu are also at the top of the leaderboard for the Wild.  Martin Havlat and Chuck Kobasew are also worth watching. The game will be broadcast in HD by FS Carolinas starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.  Of course you can also listen at 99.9 The Fan.  We will have the "Live Game Thread" cranked up at 7ish. ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Game 10
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Chuck Kobasew Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat ...

And On The 11th Game, He Returns: Havlat, Wild @ Blackhawks Preview and GDT
Second City Hockey — ... ).  Mikko Koivu is a -9.. worst in the league.  Not too surprising then that the Wild are undefeated on the road (and have needed OT/SO to win at home).  The last time the Hawks ...

Minnesota Wild @ Chicago Blackhawks: Game 11
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Minnesota Wild @ Chicago Blackhawks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Chicago started to take over the game after that power play goal, while there were no goals in the second period, Chicago clearly carried the play, outshooting the Wild 11-6, then things only got worse in the third. The Wild seemed to pick up play early in the period, culminating in Andrew Brunette's 7th goal of the season, on the rebound from both Antti Miettinen and Mikko Koivu. Bruno has had a great start to the season, one of the lone highlights thus far. ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game 12
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Sheppard in the box for delay of game (puck over glass), Shea Weber put the Predators up 2-0 with a pretty wrister from Steve Sullivan and Ryan Suter. The Wild started to come back at that point, but it wasn't enough for the home-town fans, as the boo-birds found their way into Xcel Energy Center. The second period, however, got off to a great start, as the Wild scored on their first three shots. Starting at the 31 second mark, it was Brent Burns from Mikko Koivu on the power play, then at the 2:00 mark, Benoit ...

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers: Game 13
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Rangers Recap: Rangers Fall Short in Minnesota 3-2
Blueshirt Banter — ... picking up the puck down low. Mikko Koivu broke down the right wing and one-touched a pass across an open slot to Peter Sykora for a 1-0 Wild lead with about a minute and thirty seconds to go. ...

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers
Hockey Wilderness — ... . After his sloppy, and uninspired play led to a benching then being scratched in the Wild's last two games, the Czech veteran got the message and worked hard tonight, doing what he was brought in to do. Play around 13-15 minutes, work the puck down low and get on the scoresheet. Toward the end of the first period, Sykora, Mikko Koivu and ...

Let's take a look at the Minnesota Wild
PensBurgh — ... 0-2.  Given the Pens' record and scoring prowess, all indications would suggest Backstrom starts against Pittsburgh. Martin Havlat joined rank in Minnesota this offseason but hasn't exactly been off to the sort of start Wild fans had hoped for.  Havlat picked up an assist last night against the Rangers, his first point in eight games, and increased his point total to an underwhelming six (1g, 5a). Other names you want to keep an eye on around the Wild: Mikko Koivu (3g, 9a), Andrew Brunette (7g, 4a) and Eric ...

Minnesota Wild @ Pittsburgh Penguins: Game 14
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks: Game 15
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... has kissed his Olympic hopes goodbye and sits at -13. Mikko Koivu can't motivate the team on his own and Erik Belanger went out early with an "upper-body injury." After two good wins over the ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars: Game 16
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Petr Sykora - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... started the scoring by turning the tables on the Stars and instead of giving up the shorty, the Wild got one of their own. Later in the period, Mikko Koivu got back on the scoresheet with a nice goal on ...

Marc Crawford Shaking Things Up; Steve Ott In Trouble Again?
Defending Big D — ... last year on Brandon Prust, there wasn't an outcry on this one in Canada, like for instance this link (watch the YouTube) with the broadcaster actually naming what the suspension should be (five games) and then Boogaard amazingly enough getting five games. Well, Ott took a leaping elbow into the head on Sykora in my opinion. The league allegedly wants to rid head shots, well, then throw the book at Ott, too. Or maybe Stephane Robidas for his textbook boarding on Mikko Koivu last night that was somehow missed. I'll ...

Wild at Maple Leafs
Pension Plan Puppets — ... of excellent play continues and the Leafs can pick up a win against a team without much offensive punch. The Wild are transitioning from a defensive trapping team to a more offensive style and so far it's been a rough road for them. Brent Burns, who may have played his way off the Canadian Olympic roster this season, has been downright terrible posting a team worst -13. Martin Havlat, brought in to help people forget Gaborik, has one goal and is -12. Mikko Koivu is -11. Before we take the Wild lightly though I think it's ...

November 11 News and Notes
Matchsticks and Gasoline — ...  in his hotel room. Hmm. A game story based on watching events via television. Silly idea, it'll never take off. Marty Havlat still hasn't done much at EV, but Mikko Koivu was good last night, and the Wild, like St. Louis, wasn't going to be terrible every night for the balance of the season.  ...

Minnesota Wild @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Game 18
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck Kobasew ...

Minnesota Wild @ Washington Capitals
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Chuck Kobasew ...

Leighton's Last Stand: Wild at Canes Game Preview
Canes Country — ... Kostopoulos The defense will be mixed and matched but the team will probably try to stay with the Corvo/Gleason and Pitkanen/Wallin pairings much of the time. The Wild come to town with a two game losing streak and an overall record of 7-11-1.  This will be the final game of a three game Southeast road trip for them.  They dropped games to the Lightning and Capitals earlier in the week. They are led in scoring by their new captain, Mikko Koivu.  Vezina candidate Nicklas Backstrom is always ...

Minnesota Wild @ Carolina Hurricanes: Game 20
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Robbie Earl ...

The Streak is Over! Canes 5, Wild 4 in Shootout
Canes Country — ... team could score though and the contest went into overtime.  Brandon Sutter had the best chance in the extra period, but failed to convert on a 2-1 advantage.  Leighton held his ground at the other end and the game went to a shootout.  Fans had to be asking themselves, did they feel lucky? After Ruutu missed for Carolina and Leighton stopped Antti Miettinen, Jussi Jokinen made a nice move and flipped a backhander over Backstrom for the game winner. Mikko Koivu and Marek Zidlicky could not solve the Carolina ...

Minnesota Wild @ Carolina Hurricanes: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Once they got to the shootout, the Wild looked uncomfortable again, and the ice got choppy. Miettinen, Mikko Koivu and ...

Coyotes at Wild - Game Preview #21
Five For Howling — ... in the Western Conference standings. They have, however been pretty good at home going 5-2 and XCEL. Mikko Koivu leads the Wild in points at 5-13-18 and ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Phoenix Coyotes: Game 21
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Robbie Earl Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Martin Havlat Antti Miettinen - ...

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Islanders: Game 22
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - James Sheppard Robbie Earl - Kyle Brodziak ...

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Islanders: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... In a game with so many young guys in the lineup, it was nice to see the veterans play such a big role. Nolan scored twice, Mikko Koivu got a power play goal (which is nice to see, considering how anemic the man advantage has been), ...

Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse: What's the effect?
Hockey Wilderness — ... Cal Clutterbuck and will likely see Latendresse on his other wing. With these two coming in, it's already moved Nathan Smith back to Houston and will probably see Danny Irmen on his way out other, with Robbie Earl joining them if/when Chuck Kobasew, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard return. With everyone healthy, lines might look something like this: Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins: Game 23
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - James Sheppard Robbie Earl - Kyle Brodziak - ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... The shootout was the most bothersome part for me. Mikko Koivu used pure power to put the puck through Rask to open the shootout, but ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game 24
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Cal Clutterbuck Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  James Sheppard Robbie Earl - Kyle Brodziak - Guillaume ...

Game 26 Recap: Wild 5 - Avalanche 3
Mile High Hockey — ... used up the last of the goodwill he had stored up in September by taking a slashing penalty. I was kind of unsure how to proceed there for a while when Tucker was actually playing well, but now that he's back to playing bad hockey I no longer feel conflicted as a fan.  Anyway...shockingly, Minnesota scored on their powerplay when Mikko Koivu created a goal by coming out from behind the net with the puck (something he's done about 16,000 times against the Avs) before dishing to ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... The third period, though, was all Minnesota. The Wild got the first seven shots of the period, then Andrew Brunette added to his team leading goal count taking a Mikko Koivu pass and burying it for the game winning goal. Greg Zanon was also given an assist on the Brunette goal, his second of the day. ...

Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche: Game 25
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Chuck Kobasew Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  James Sheppard Guillaume Latendresse - ...

Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... While it didn't always look this way on the scoreboard, the Wild controlled this game. Colorado got sloppy once they had the lead and Minnesota took advantage of the miscues and poorly times penalties, worked their way back into it, and never relinquished control, carrying it through to the shootout, where Mikko Koivu and Andrew Ebbett sealed the deal. ...

Predators Game Day Preview: Nashville @ Minnesota
On the Forecheck — ... The main guys to watch out for are Havlat (who hasn't clicked in Minnesota yet but is too talented not to eventually), captain Mikko Koivu (who leads the team with 24 points) and former Pred Andrew Brunette, who paces the Wild with 6 power play goals. ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game 26
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Chuck Kobasew Guillaume Latendresse - ...

Steve Sullivan's four points not enough as Nashville Predators fall in OT, 5-4
On the Forecheck — ... In the third, an Arnott blast put Nashville up 4-3, and the Preds tried to shut things down from there, but a strong move by Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu to the net resulted in a ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... It's nice to see guys like Ebbett and Latendresse fitting in so well right off the bat. After he game, Ebbett was asked how he's fitting in with the Wild and he said "I wasn't having fun in Chicago, and haven't had fun playing since the playoffs last season. I'm having fun with this team" and that's the key to me. He looks like he's having fun out there, and it's contagious. Ebbett, Latendresse, Brodziak and Clutterbuck are providing enough energy to spark the guys like Mikko Koivu, ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game 27
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Chuck Kobasew Guillaume Latendresse - ...

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game Recap
Hockey Wilderness — ... Sometimes teams dominate from the start, sometimes they have to claw their way back and hope for the momentum to swing in their direction as they do so. Tonight was definitely the latter for the Wild. After the Wild spotted the Ducks a two-goal lead twice, each time it was the Antti Miettinen - Mikko Koivu - Andrew Brunette line who put the squad on their backs to keep the Wild in the game and force the extra session where the Wild won in the shootout on goals by Miettinen and Guillaume Latendresse. This was an ...

Predators Game Preview & Open Thread: Minnesota @ Nashville
On the Forecheck — ... Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen ...

Minnesota Wild @ Nashville Predators: Game 28
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Chuck Kobasew Guillaume Latendresse - ...

Minnesota Wild @ Phoenix Coyotes: Game 29
Hockey Wilderness — ... Forwards Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger -  Chuck Kobasew Guillaume Latendresse - ...