Niklas Backstrom – Page 3 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Yeo Coaches to Win Stanley Cup

Posted on July 13, 2012July 13, 2012 by David Shama

Second-year Wild coach Mike Yeo didn’t have his team in the playoffs last season but that’s certainly the future expectation now with the early July free agent signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to 13-year, $98 million contracts. Yeo will need to show he’s a high level coach, matching the promise of a roster led by talented veterans like Parise, Suter, Mikko Koivu and Niklas Backstrom, plus the much anticipated development of young prospects including Mikael Granlund.

Yeo characterizes the addition of Parise and Suter, the 27-year-olds who will revitalize the team’s scoring and defense, as exciting and not adding to his stress. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I am working and doing everything I need to do to prepare the team,” Yeo said. “This is not about pressure. This is about opportunity, and now we have opportunity here.

“For me, I don’t coach to try to keep my job. I coach to try to win a Stanley Cup. You add a couple players like this and all it does is enhance those chances. So to me this is not about pressure. This is about excitement. This is about opportunity.”

By the size of the investment in money and contract years made by the Wild to Parise and Suter, will Yeo have to coach them differently than other players? He answers that coaches relate to players individually, implying it will be no different with his two new arrivals. It’s up to coaches to understand what makes players “tick.”

Making Yeo’s job easier is that Parise and Suter are quality people on and off the ice. Tom Reid, the former North Stars player and radio analyst on Wild games, told Sports Headliners the two are “great mentoring” players.

Yeo, who has the reputation of being a players coach, is of course hoping there will be no NHL labor strike and training camp starts on time in September. “…We have to be real focused on our training camp, making sure we get off to a great start in the season,” he said. “Just build off this kind of excitement and build the positive things we’ve got going on right now. …”

Koivu was the team’s leader in assists last season with 32. Parise scored 31 goals for New Jersey. Will the two be on the same line?

“I don’t want to say it’s a given, but when you show up for day one of training camp, that’s who you are going to see,” Yeo said. “We won’t beat our heads against the wall but we will expect them to complement each other very well and I am fully expecting those two to click right off the bat.”

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Wild Face Challenging Offseason

Posted on March 16, 2012March 16, 2012 by David Shama

Look for the Wild to make an offseason to-do list that could include signing New Jersey’s Zach Parise or Nashville’s Ryan Suter, or both.

That’s the opinion of an NHL expert who told Sports Headliners the franchise wants to improve its scoring and upgrade its image by adding a talented player or two. Parise, who was born in Minneapolis, ranks in the top 25 this season in both goals and points. Suter, a defenseman with Nashville, was an NHL All-Star this year. Both have expiring contracts.

Possibly complicating the offseason for the Wild, though, is a looming NHL labor strike that would hit the franchise’s budget if the season were shortened or cancelled. The NHL collective bargaining agreement expires September 15 and famous negotiator Donald Fehr will represent the players.

The NHL expert said the Wild lost over $20 million during the NHL “work stoppage” 2004-05 season. This season, assuming the Wild don’t’ make the playoffs, will result in a loss of at least $8 million, he said.

The team has only 12 regular season games remaining and is 13^th among 15 Western Conference teams in total points. After a strong start to the season, the Wild has faltered badly and appears almost certain to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.

Season tickets totals have been declining in recent years and the NHL expert believes perhaps up to 25 percent of season tickets might not be renewed in 2012. The total season tickets could drop to the 8,000-9,000 range, or roughly half of the franchise’s all-time high. “It’s hard for fans to plop down money with the team they put on the ice,” the source said.

The disappointing season on the ice can impact future revenue streams beyond season tickets. Areas like sponsorships, suites and signage.

The Wild haven’t been able to score goals and lack the depth to replace injured players. Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse have been among the contributors unable to play. “They pretty much have to play a perfect game to win,” the source said.

First year coach Mike Yeo isn’t to blame for the disappointing season. “I don’t think you can point a finger at him,” the source said. “There have been so many lineup changes and injuries.”

The source believes the Wild may trade veteran goalie Niklas Backstrom during the offseason. That would relieve the team of an estimated $6 million salary, money that could be used trying to sign a Parise or Suter. But even with the addition of some star power, the Wild will be trying to rebuild with young players.

“The Wild are basing a lot of their future on young players acquired through the draft and trades,” the NHL expert said. “There’s no guarantee all those guys are going to make it. It’s going to take awhile for them to get acclimated into the league and make any kind of impact.”

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NHL Outdoor Game Possible Here

Posted on January 6, 2012January 6, 2012 by David Shama

Minneapolis-St. Paul remains a possibility to host the NHL’s New Year’s Day Winter Classic, according to a hockey source who asked that his name not be used.

Five outdoor games have been played, with Chicago being the farthest west of the sites so far. “A lot of factors enter into the NHL’s decision about hosting the game,” the source told Sports Headliners.

He said those factors begin with what NBC wants and the potential for TV ratings. Other factors are the on-ice reputation of the host team and having a natural rival to play against, plus high profile players and a “glamorous market,” according to the source.

The Wild haven’t even been a playoff team since 2008. The franchise has been searching for a high profile scorer since the departure of Marian Gaborik to New York. The best rival for the Wild in a Winter Classic game here is Chicago. Minneapolis-St. Paul can’t match the glitz of some American markets but in this area’s favor is a national reputation for both playing and watching hockey.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is on record saying Minnesota will one day host a Winter Classic. No announcement has been made about the 2013 site but the source said Detroit may host the game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. “The league is receiving flack for not getting western teams involved,” he added.

The Cleveland baseball park will host the Ohio State versus Michigan outdoor hockey game on January 15. Tomorrow Boston’s Fenway Park will be the site of a college hockey doubleheader.

Target Field potentially could host a Minnesota Winter Classic. Although the stadium has fewer seats than TCF Bank Stadium, the venue can sell alcohol while the University’s facility does not.

Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners his organization has made its interest known in having Target Field be the site of a Winter Classic, and also he is considering a college-high school showcase. “We’ve always felt Target Field would be a fun venue for hockey,” he said.

While there’s nothing definitive to announce, St. Peter said he’s “pretty confident” that in the next 60 to 90 days the Twins will further detail plans for hockey at Target Field. Any hockey at the baseball stadium would be played in January or early February, he said.

Love Contract Talks Face Deadline

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners he will be meeting with Kevin Love and his agent Jeff Schwartz this month regarding a new contract for the All-Star forward. “It’s our intention to make every attempt to sign Kevin,”Taylor said.

Under NBA rules, the Wolves have until January 25 to negotiate with fourth-year players like Love. If a deal isn’t made by then, contract talks have to wait until after the league season.

Love will be a restricted free agent following this season. That means the Wolves could match any deal from another league team and retain him.

Speculation is Love could command a multi-year new deal paying him more than $60 million. Love, 23, has become one of the league’s elite offensive forward, averaging 25.7 points and 15 rebounds per game.

Taylor hopes to keep both Love and rookie point guard Ricky Rubio for many years. He reports “good talks” with both players. “I think and hope their main goal will be wanting to be on a winning team,”Taylor said.

The Wolves were 17-65 last season but are dramatically improved, already playing competitively despite a difficult early schedule. Taylor is hoping a nucleus of Love and Rubio will produce a lot of wins for many years.

Taylor also told Sports Headliners his franchise, despite a renaissance in public interest, will lose money again this season — perhaps $15 million. About $10 million, Taylor said, is because of the shortened pre-season and regular season caused by the NBA labor dispute.

Worth Noting

The Winter Classic this year — like the college football bowl games — was on January 2 and played during unusually mild temps in Philadelphia. Dan Craig, a River Falls native and the NHL’s ice guru, is credited for his work in having the surface ready to play.

The Wild might be looking to trade goalie Josh Harding, perhaps hoping to secure young prospects and gain payroll relief. Harding’s contract ends after this season and the team’s other main goalie, Niklas Backstrom, has an estimated salary of $6 million. The Wild probably doesn’t want to have several million dollars tied up in salaries for two goalies next season. Harding reportedly earns less than $1 million this season but figures to command a lot more in 2012.

Marian Gaborik is having an impressive season with the Rangers. He ranks second in NHL goal scoring with 23. At 29, Gaborik has entered his peak years. The native of Slovakia once spoke no English but has taught himself the language.

Former South St.Paul High School and Notre Dame hockey coaching legend Lefty Smith passed away in South Bend earlier this week. He was a St. Thomas college graduate.

Wolves second year guard Wayne Ellington remembers his rookie hazing. He had to bring center Al Jefferson a bottle of 5-hour Energy before each game. “Sometimes I would forget and…be scrambling out to try to find him one,” Ellington said last week.

This year Ellington said Wolves rookies Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams had to find baby oil for all the players. “It just goes on throughout the season,” Ellington said. “They haven’t even tasted any (major hazing) yet. They’ve had it really good so far as rookies.”

Ellington said Rubio, a native of Spain, is making progress with his English. “He’s a great guy,” Ellington said. “He’s pretty funny. He’s learning our slang pretty fast so it’s funny listening to him.”

Wolves veteran guard J.J. Barea said he’s never seen a player come into the NBA that can pass like Rubio. “…He can control the game, he can pass the ball,” Barea said recently. “He likes to play defense, he likes to play hard. So I think he’s doing a good job.”

Could Rubio one day be the league’s best point guard? “At some point definitely,” Barea said. “He keeps getting better, (and) keeps working like he’s doing. Keeps getting better on offense. Shooting wise I think he’ll be good.”

Barea’s girlfriend, 2006 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, is expecting a baby boy on March 5. No name decided on yet.

ESPN’s John Hollinger analyzes stats and rates former Orono prep Jon Leuer, now with Milwaukee, as the seventh most efficient rookie in the NBA. The Wolves’ Rubio is No. 10 and Williams No. 17.

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