BREAKING: #mnwild coach Bruce Boudreau was fired this morning at TRIA by GM Bill Guerin

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

#mnwild assistant coach Dean Evason will be named interim coach, sources say

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

NEWS: #mnwild General Manager Bill Guerin announced the club has relieved Head Coach Bruce Boudreau of his coaching duties. pic.twitter.com/PXUaaeH9ig

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 14, 2020

More insightful Russo tweets (w/Billy Guerin quotes) at the bottom of this blog — They were sent after this blog was written.

Holy shit… I thought Bruce Boudreau looked even more red in the face last night, than he normally does, when he talked to media after the Wild gave up a 2-goal lead to the New York Rangers last night… maybe this is why.

I feel bad for Bruce because he was one of the most respected coaches in the NHL before we got ahold of him…. he just couldn’t quite get to that Stanley Cup. He still has one of the best regular season winning percentages of any coach in NHL history, even as he walks out the door.

We ruined Bruce Boudreau… and he loves it here, which makes it even worse.

Nonetheless, changes need to be made and this Wild team needs a new look. As much as I love Bruce, the team needed a new voice, and now they will get one.

Billy Guerin now gets to pick his own head coach, as he continues to reshape this roster.

The Wild are only 3 points back from a wildcard birth so, while it sure seems like they are going into sell mode… it’s be interesting to see what Guerin does next and how far he goes in breaking down this roster, with a playoff spot still within realistic grasps, with over 20 games left to play.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Guerin: “in a decision like this, it’s never just one thing. I just felt the timing was right.”

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

Guerin felt team needs to go into stretch on a high and needed a new voice. “Last night was a game we should have won.”

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

Darby Hendrickson will go to the bench fulltime next to Dean Evason and Bob Woods #mnwild

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

Guerin: "It’s not about how many goals and assists you have, what you did last game. It’s about winning the game tonight. If somebody’s unhappy with their ice time or lack of production, that’s too bad. The coaches are going to do what they need to do to win the game at hand"

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

Guerin: "I have the highest respect for Bruce. … He’s a good guy and I planned on seeing it through. I came in (as GM) with an open mind and didn’t have a decision made. This was just something that’s been on my mind for a little while and I felt like today was the day."

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

Stalock, who adores Bruce Boudreau, is really beating himself up for last night’s blown lead. He says he “wears” this

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 14, 2020

But, he was very clear about one thing. Bruce Boudreau will be here next year and it’s not because of pressure from Craig Leipold (which some wondered). It wasn’t a huge surprise after it was announced that Bruce would be available today. Normally, you wouldn’t have Bruce by your side if he was about to get fired.

.@mnwild GM Paul Fenton: "Bruce is my coach next year. I have total confidence in him." pic.twitter.com/WcXdBXhX1Z

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 9, 2019

Fenton is clearly upset about any injury reports that have leaked to the media, and then to the fans, because he went over it and back to it multiple times and was audibly frustrated when discussing those issues. He’s smart about it though. He takes the approach that makes the PC media unable to question it: ‘Our game is dangerous and leaking injury specifics or reporting on them puts our players in immediate serious danger.’ – summarizing Fenton’s comments during the press conference (see full video below because FSN kept those parts off of their Twitter feed)

He also gave updates on some of the players dealing with injuries including Koivu, Parise, Dumba, and Suter (most of our team).

Fenton on injured players: Dubnyk, Parise will get better with rest, Koivu, Dumba will be ready by training camp.

Still won’t talk specifics

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 9, 2019

Fenton on injured players: Dubnyk, Parise will get better with rest, Koivu, Dumba will be ready by training camp.

Still won’t talk specifics

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 9, 2019

And, what are you going to do with all of these funds during the offseason, Paul?

"I'm not just going to spend to spend."

GM Paul Fenton wants to build a younger, faster @mnwild roster pic.twitter.com/lPrUsqMs5B

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) April 9, 2019

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 | Intro
04:30 | The world needs The Office to reboot
06:45 | 4-Minnesota team Parlay
09:20 | Timberwolves ruined Sunday before it started
15:45 | Vikings shit the bed in Chicago
19:30 | Brandon lost for words on Vikings struggles
24:00 | We love Zim but do we need an offensive head coach?
27:30 | Kirk Cousins frustrations
31:00 | Wild have lost 2-straight….
39:30 | Gopher Basketball saves the day
46:00 | Fuck the NCAA

It was a big day for Minnesota sports on Sunday. 4 major-market teams were in-action and Eric thought it would be fun to place wagers on said events…

…he finds out again the hard way that he should never bet on anything because the world is against him, and especially not on Minnesota teams. They are way too good at letting us down for free, to trust them with money on the line.

He bet on all 4 teams and only got as good as a push on his betting ticket. We talk about that, along with all of the teams he bet on.

– The Wolves fell back to reality after winning three-straight since shaking Jimmy Butler’s deep-dark shadow.

– The Wild lost their 2nd-in-a-row, after being the hottest team in hockey over the last 10 games.

– The Vikings are trying to throw this season away after losing to the Trubisky-led Chicago Bears. (This topic has Brandon ready to throw himself off of his 2nd story balcony.)

– Finally, we get to some winning as Richard Pitino has his squad off to a 3-0 start as they knock on the door of the top-25 ratings.

Minnesota sports might be depressing and we’re in the gutter with you. I assure you that listening to us cry into the microphone will make you feel better about where your own life is.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING OUTLET. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!

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In Zach Parise’s first official NHL action since April, 2017, the Minnesota Wild had what FSN’s Kevin Gorg called “arguably their best performance” of the 2017-18 campaign.

Their 5-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night marked their 40th game of the season (21-16-3).

First #mnwild win of 2018! #FLAvsMIN pic.twitter.com/bB3W3UcRS4

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 3, 2018

The pre-game smelling salts had to have been just for good measure. You’d imagine the Wild players had plenty of blood pumping through their veins, prior to, and throughout, the dominate victory. Parise (661 career points) returning from back-surgery DEFINITELY seemed to boost his teammates.

In regards to Parise, well, they threw him right into the interview gauntlet after the first period. He discussed how his legs felt good. If he is anything like me with his time off, I’m not very confident his lungs felt that way, but conditioning will only improve.

Parise says he “had really good legs” and felt great in the first period of his 2017-18 season. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/0miwSzIG22

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) January 3, 2018

As for how he actually played, the reviews were solid. Star Wars: The Last Jedi esque.

In his 13:35 of action on Tuesday, the former All Star had 3 shots on goal and 1 takeaway. Outside of Jason Zucker, Zach Parise had the most ice time out of the Wild’s wingers. Despite the team scoring a handful of goals, Parise was unable to find his way onto the scoresheet.

PSA to Zach Parise: pic.twitter.com/2msNrvqk12

— Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN) January 3, 2018

Even without registering a point, the overwhelming theme around his return is the WONDERS he does for the team’s depth. With Bruce Boudreau now having number 11 at his disposal, he isn’t nearly as handcuffed when setting his lines.

Minnesota is now 10-1-1 in their last 12 at Xcel. Knock on wood, but things are starting to trend in the right direction. However this season ultimately plays itself out, let’s hope the newly returned MN Native is along the ride. The fact we are about to parlay his return with Nino Niederreiters, seems to have the State of Hockey pretty optimistic.

Finally, earlier, I compared Zach Parise’s return performance to Star Wars reviews. However, Zach Parise is no Jedi. No, no, no. The man is more of a wizard type:

You’re a wizard, Parise! pic.twitter.com/fbD3sZ1VLK

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) January 3, 2018

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Zach Parise is scheduled to make his long-awaited return to competitive hockey on Thursday night.

Somewhat unfortunately for Wild fans, it won’t be on the NHL stage. As part of his injury rehab, the 33 year-old will be playing with the franchises minor league affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Zach Parise set to play for Iowa in #mnwild rehab stint, from @theothermegryan https://t.co/IVHZOWYmGg pic.twitter.com/qQ5jqfkkuW

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) December 27, 2017

Like winning $6 on $50 worth of pull-tabs, this is better than nothing. Beggars can’t be chooser’s. Given that Parise hasn’t skated on game-ice since April, just seeing him in an ACTUAL contest will be a blessing.

After a rocky first couple of months to their season, the positivity associated with Wednesday is appreciated. Bruce Boudreau’s club was able to parlay the Zach Parise news into a 4-2 victory over Dallas last night. The win snapped a 2 game losing streak and moved the club to 19-15-3 overall.

It has now been over two months since the winger’s back surgery. After practicing with the Wild the last couple of weeks, he has been cleared for full contact.

While Iowa has a back-to-back on Thursday/Friday, Parise is only scheduled to skate in the first contest. The game plan is to have him come back to the Twin Cities after the game. The staff, along with Zach, will then evaluate how he feels, and go from there.

Coming off back surgery, Zach Parise will begin his rehab assignment with the @IAWild tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/FAI3tnVONX

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) December 28, 2017

Why the trip to Iowa? Players getting sent down for a game or two during their rehab stint is nothing new. This isn’t the Twins sending Byung Ho Park to the minors last spring. Zach actually seems like he prefers it this way.

Parise refereed to a friend who went through a similar situation when offering his own take on the topic:

• “He said in hindsight that he wished he had gone down and played some games and gotten in shape and then stepped in. It takes awhile to catch back up to the conditioning level, the endurance level that these guys are at. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to get in those games and get those reps in. It just made the most sense that this would be a good starting point.”

In 2012, Minnesota agreed to a 13 year deal with Parise. 13 YEARS!! So…… no rush…… other than playoff hopes, right???

Wild fans have their heart and checkbooks invested in this one. Knock on wood that this rehab stint is Parise’s last…. which some Wild fans might find hard to believe.

Parise is a legend within these borders and naturally, we want to see our own succeed. On top of that, the Wild are kind of obligated to continue to pay the man:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com