Author: David Shama

Fans and media might wonder about the return next season of Don Lucia as Gophers hockey coach, but not athletic director Joel Maturi.  “Gosh, no. Not even in the thought process,” he told Sports Headliners.

The Gophers have a disappointing record of 13-15-2 overall, 8-12-2 in the WCHA.  Last season Minnesota didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament for only the second time in Lucia’s coaching career with the Gophers that began in 1999.  The Gophers were 17-13-7 overall, 12-11-5 in the WCHA.  Lucia, who coached the Gophers to national championships in 2002 and 2003, also had a disappointing record two years ago, 19-17-9 overall, 9-12-7 in league play.

Maturi said he “continually” evaluates all coaches in his department but remains committed to Lucia whose team has lost five of its last six games.  The remaining regular season schedule has the Gophers playing three top 10 ranked teams in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll: Colorado (No. 8), UMD (No.6) and Wisconsin (No. 3).

In the past Gophers men’s hockey was a source of pride to Minnesota sports fans who almost annually are frustrated with football and men’s basketball.  The football team finished 6-7 including an Insight Bowl loss to Iowa State.  The basketball team has lost six of its last eight games.  Instead of a predicted invitation to the NCAA, the Gophers aren’t even a cinch to make the NIT.

“We’re having a tough year,” Maturi said.  “Going into the year I thought we would have a banner year in our (higher) visibility sports.”

Maturi and his staff will be finalizing the department’s next budget in a few months.  He isn’t counting on a reversal of state legislation that alcohol be made available to the public and not just in premium seating areas at TCF Bank Stadium, Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena.  He said not having alcohol in those venues has cost the University about $1 million this past year.

The athletic department has saved money by not replacing associate athletic director Tom Wistrcill who left Minnesota last year to become athletic director at Akron.  Now another Maturi assistant, associate athletic director Phil Esten, is leaving the department to become chief executive officer of the University Alumni Association. Maturi said he will decide in the next several weeks whether to fill Esten’s position.

Maturi expects Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith to have a new practice facility within five years or less.  Preliminary planning including location of the facility has started.  Both Maturi and Smith have had conversations with potential donors for the practice facility.

Smith’s Gophers play Wisconsin (19-6 overall, 9-4 in the Big Ten) tomorrow night at Williams Arena.  That’s one of five regular season games remaining, including three at home.

Minnesota’s only impressive Big Ten win was against Ohio State at home on January    9. That was the first game back for Ohio State’s Evan Turner who hadn’t played for weeks because of a back injury.  Since then Turner, who is the conference’s best player, has led No. 9 ranked (AP poll) Ohio State to nine wins in 10 games.

The Big Ten Network included former Gopher Voshon Lenard in a show about the top 10 Big Ten players during the 1990s.

Local TV viewership here of the Winter Olympics is expected to be among the highest in the country.  NBC reported that Minneapolis market viewership on KARE 11 was the fifth best in the nation during the first four nights of the Olympics.  On average, televisions in 365,000 homes here were tuned in per night starting with last Friday through Monday.  NBC will broadcast more than 835 hours of the Olympics from now through February 28.

Patrick Reusse’s first afternoon radio show on KSTP had a bumpy start.  Before he could introduce Gophers coach Tim Brewster on Monday the phones disconnected.  Then a minute or two into the conversation an unplanned commercial followed by a public service announcement interrupted the interview.  Reusse, who switched from a 5:30 a.m. show to a noon program because of KSTP’s new commitment to be a sports talk station, has criticized Brewster in the past but the two enjoyed a friendly chat on Monday.

Steve Watson is the new wide receivers coach for the Gophers.  Watson is a former player and wide receivers coach with the Denver Broncos.  He will recruit in Colorado, and has a son, Stephen, who is a defensive end for Michigan.

The Wild honored its five Olympians before its game on Sunday: Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen will play for Finland, while Martin Havlat and Marek Zidlicky will be on the Czech Republic roster.  The Wild also had five Olympians in  2006: Marian Gaborik (Slovakia), Mikko Koivu (Finland), Filip Kuba (Czech Republic), Brian Rolston (USA) and Daniel Tjarnqvist (Sweden).

The Wild is expected to have its 400^th consecutive sellout at Xcel Energy Center in its first home game after the Olympic Break, Sunday, March 7. The Wild has sold out every home game in team history, including all pre-season, regular season and playoff games.

A former NFL coach told Sports Headliners on Saturday he expects 40-year-old Vikings quarterback Brett Favre to return for another season in Minneapolis.

“With Favre I get the sense he probably will (return),” the source said.  “…He just can’t give it up (playing).  Here’s a guy to me who is addicted to the spotlight.”

Favre’s outstanding first season with the Vikings provides encouragement to the veteran quarterback to play another season, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.  “He had one of the best seasons in the National Football League in a long time and led the team to the NFC championship game,” the former NFL coach said.

On a team with more Pro Bowl selections than any other, Favre was the Vikings’ superstar.  Favre’s stats were among the most impressive of his career including his best regular season passer rating and he threw only seven interceptions in 16 games.  When he wasn’t passing the Vikings to victories, he was willing them to wins.  If Favre doesn’t return to the Vikings, his leadership will be badly missed.

He filled a void on a franchise that had nearly turned to “American Idol” in desperate search for a talented quarterback.  The results of Favre’s first season included a 12-4 regular season record, the team’s best showing since 1998.  The Vikings also reached the NFC title game for the first time since January 2001.

Favre, though, admitted his body, nearly 20 years older than some of his NFL peers, took a pummeling throughout the season and playoffs.  He reportedly was so beaten up after the NFC title loss to New Orleans he couldn’t play golf several days later.

But the same passion for football that motivated Favre to twice cancel retirement plans in recent years is likely to bring him back for at least another season and Super Bowl drive, according to some observers.

“The Vikings I am sure would love to have him back,” the Sports Headliners source said.  “Obviously he proved a lot of skeptics wrong with his play.  There’s no reason he can’t play as well (next season).”

Favre’s return doesn’t ensure a Super Bowl trip, though.  “I think they have a good team,” the source said.  “The chemistry seems to be in place, but in the National Football League rebuilding a whole team on a daily basis is not easy.”