Author: David Shama

Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra shared their optimism last weekend with Sports Headliners about the Wild’s playoffs prospects.  With 12 regular season games remaining, Minnesota looks like a playoff team for just the second time in franchise history.  The Wild are in seventh place in the eight team playoff race in the Western Conference and could move higher before season’s end. 

“This is the best team in Wild history,” Gaborik said Saturday.  “No doubt about that.  There’s great talent, great players here. We’re playing as a team so that’s big.”

Gaborik’s linemate, Demitra, picked up two assists on Sunday to help the Wild defeat Colorado, a team trying to enter the elite eight of the playoffs.  Demitra is in his first season with the Wild but likes this club.  “I think we can compete against any team in the NHL,” he said.

Sunday’s win gave the Wild a 24-7-5  record when Gaborik is in the lineup.  Overall the team is 39-24-7 with 85 points and been playing some of the best hockey in the NHL for two months.  The explosive Gaborik missed 34 games with a groin injury and if anyone needed evidence of the 25-year-old’s importance to the team his absence was conclusive proof.  Gaborik, although he’s played in only a little more than half the team’s games, has 23 goals, second on the Wild to Brian Rolston’s 27.   Rolston has played in 31 more games.  

Gaborik thinks he’s playing as well as ever during his six year career.  “I feel very good on the ice, and then we’re clicking with Demitra there,” Gaborik said.  “He’s a great player.  He’s helping out and we’re helping each other out.  We’re good out there.”

Demitra said his fellow Slovakian “can get open all the time and score goals.”  He admires Gaborik’s “incredible speed” and ability to “score big goals.”

Demitra is tied for the team lead in assists with Rolston (56 each).  Demitra assessed his performance modestly, saying it was “okay” and there are inconsistencies during an NHL season.

While goal tending and defense will be vital to any playoff success for the Wild, there’s no doubt Gaborik’s health now and in the future is a franchise focus.  Groin injuries can be recurring and he has a plan for this summer.

 “I need to address it over the summer and have a good training,” he said.  “It’s going to be important so I try and be healthy the whole year. …”

At 25, Gaborik can anticipate even better performance in the future. “Hopefully I can get better and better,” he said.  “Hopefully I can try to get healthy and play a whole year, and just improve every game so hopefully the peak is going to come.”

No one has been more of a victim from the Timberwolves’ seven guards traffic jam than Bracey Wright, the 22- year-old 2005 second round draft choice from Indiana.   He has played in two games for a total of five minutes since January 22.                

The return of 2005 No. 1 draft choice Rashad McCants from injury  has reduced Wright’s minutes (minimal anyway).  Wright has played in 14 games this season, averaging 8:30 minutes per appearance, only five times playing more than 10 minutes.  He is averaging 2.9 points per game.

Wright’s best stretch of game action was from late December through January 21.  He played sparingly, but at least was on court for most games.  During that 11 game period he sometimes showed the scoring ability (particularly with his outside shooting) that attracted the Wolves to him when they drafted him as a 20- year-old player.  He made 36% of his three point shots and 38% of his other shots in the 11 games, plus six steals. 

Wright was encouraged and not surprised by his play during that period, the best opportunity he’s had with the Wolves (he only played in six games last season after spending most of his time in the NBA Development League).   “I am a confident player by nature,” he said.  “I believe in what I can do, but just going out there and actually doing it boosts your confidence a little bit more. …Things I worked on paid off in the game.   It just let’s me know I am moving in the right direction.”

He said he’s received no explanation about why he’s not playing but you just “roll with the punches.”  Frustrating?  “It has been but I look at myself as a valuable player, a valuable guard so I think I can play. …But it is what it is and we’ve got eight guards on the team and the staff chooses who they feel gives them the best opportunity to win each and every night so my number just hasn’t been called.”

Wright will be a free agent after this season and is taking a “we’ll see” approach to his future in Minneapolis. “Once the season is over my agent and I will sit down and we’ll go from there.  I really don’t know. I don’t know the plans that they have for me here. …”

Sid Hartman’s birthday is Thursday and he will be 87, according to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. 

Here’s one man’s guess as to the Twins starting rotation by June 1:  Johan Santana, Boof Bonser, Matt Garza, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey. 

Could the impasse over acquisition of the Rapid Park land for the new Twins stadium be solved by Hennepin County paying the land owners about $13 million and giving development rights to property elsewhere owned by the county?   

Reception problems:  KSTP Radio, the new Twins station, doesn’t have a clear signal in our Eden Prairie home and a friend reports the same problem in his west Bloomington office. 

When ex-Detroit Lion Charlie Sanders is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer more than 20 of his former University of Minnesota teammates are expected to attend, according to Dr. John Williams.  Sanders was a star tight end on the Gophers’ 1967 Big Ten Conference championship team.  Williams, a Gopher teammate who also excelled in the NFL and played in three Super Bowls, is a dentist in north Minneapolis.   

Gopher recruits Blake Hoffarber of Hopkins and Al Nolen, Jr. of Patrick Henry are among 20 Minnesota Mr. Basketball award candidates.  Kansas recruit Cole Aldrich of Bloomington Jefferson is also on the list.  There are five finalists for the Miss Basketball of Minnesota award: Kachine Alexander, Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Alyssa Karel, Cretin-Derham Hall; Macie Michelson, Marshall; Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central; Janessa Wolff, Park Rapids Area.