“Nuh uh…you’re foolin’, right?”

Loosely translated, that was my reaction when one of my coworkers told me Doug Reisbrough had been fired. I thought there was no way. He insisted, and I check out the interweb (sorry IS team, I’ll do an extra 5 minutes of work this weekend) and sure enough, Wild owner Craig Leipold pulled the trigger and surprised everyone by firing DR. I am still in shock. Never saw this coming. I’m so used to hearing about the T-Wolves and Glen Taylor’s “country club” and the other pro teams here in Minny doing just enough to be almost competitive…I just never thought this was possible.

So, I did what any other tech-savvy fan would do…I posted the Strib story to Facebook. Within minutes I had comments from friends expressing their “Like” for the news. No surprise here. DR had worn thin with the Team of 18,000 and I was one of them.

I welcome the change. Whoever Leipold brings in, Reisbrough never had the guts to pull the trigger on a deal. I give him credit for building a playoff contender out of an expansion team, but it is time the Wild become a Cup contender.

What Does it All Mean?
Suddenly this summer which a week ago was going to be filled with fan uncertainty on has new drama. Sure, we don’t know what the new philosophy will be, but there is a new enthusiasm, a new hope that the new regime can bring in new talent and put together a winning product. I have hope that Leipold will bring in a well-known hockey man as GM, and a well-known hockey man as coach. I have hope that this change means Kevin Constantine is not the likely successor to Jacques Lemaire. I am prepared for a year or two of rebuilding in order to bring meaningful playoff hockey to the Xcel Energy Center. I have hope of seeing the Stanley Cup in the outstretched hands of Brent Burns and Nicklas Backstrom. I have hope of going nutso in the streets of St. Paul.

Here’s to hope.

Wild @ Red Wings 1-10-08 - A View from Someone Else's House
What a day in the State of Hockey. The team was sold, Gabby was named to the All-Star Team, Dominic Moore was placed on waivers to make room for Mikko Koivu, and the Wizzy played a wild game in Detroit. After blowing leads of 1-0, 3-1, and 4-2, they gave up the probable go-ahead goal with 1:08 left in the 3rd, but Eric Belanger scored just 19 seconds later with the goalie pulled to force overtime. Oh, and then we went to a shootout. Gabby scored his first ever shootout goal for a 6-5 Wild win. I'm tired.

The Sale
Bob Neagle selling his majority interest in the Wild to Racine Wisconsin's Craig Leipold sort of took most everyone by surprise. There had been rumblings. Lou Nanne had talked about the possibility on his weekly appearance with KFAN's Dan Barreiro. But I don't think many people felt it was this close. I certainly didn't. Craig Leipold is the former owner of the Nashville Predators and appears to be a hockey fan at heart. The league respects him, and that should bode well for the Wizzy overall. Leipold was on with Barreiro this afternoon (podcastable on KFAN.com). I don't sense anything funny in this deal - seems to just be an owner who was ready to sell for a nice profit and another hockey guy who wanted to get back in the league.

The Game
5 goals (+2 in the shootout) against the Wings was a nice surprise. 5 different goal scorers - Skoula, Gaborik, Fedoruk, Foy, and Belanger. Gabby had a very strong game with a goal and 2 assists plus the shootout winner. Backstrom was pretty shaky again, but Harding came in in the 2nd period and played a great game. He made a number of point blank saves keeping the Wild in it. He was also strong in the shootout, stopping Zetterburg on his signature deke and sweeping backhand.

Rolston scored in the shootout on his patented slapper from between the circles. Osgood guessed the wrong side, and looked silly. Gabby then won it with a nice deke and five-hole goal.

Jots

• How weird must it have been for Moore to play in tonight's game. Being placed on waivers today means he'll either be claimed by another team or will be assigned to Houston. Knowing it will be his last in a Wild sweater for at least a while must have been a strange feeling.
• Foy played a pretty good game considering he never cracks the lineup. He played his typical fiesty game.
• The Wild's PP is up to 5th in the NHL!
• Gaborik will be the Wild's only representation in the All-Star Game in Atlanta.
• Detroit is good. But they appear to be losing some fanbase in Detroit. There were a good number of empty seats at the Joe.
• Skoula's goal came in the 1st, pinching on a nice feed from Gabby. Give him some props for that.
• Not only did Sweet Lou from the Soo correctly predict the Wild would be sold to Leipold, he also said that the Washington Capitals would sign Alex Ovechkin. Did they ever. The two parties agreed to a 13-year, $124 million deal, the first ever $100 million deal in the NHL. Ovechkin may be worth it, but a 13 year contract? Ever hear of career-ending injuries?

Next on the Docket - Wild @ Chicago Blackhawks (Fri 1-11-08)
The Wizzy have always had the Hawks number, and I think it continues here. We should see a boost from tonite's win and the return of Mikko Koivu. Wild 4 Hawks 2