P.J. FLECK – Page 31 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wild Owner Praises “Special Team”

Posted on May 1, 2022 by David Shama

Craig Leipold has owned the Minnesota Wild since 2008. Before that he owned another NHL franchise, the Nashville Predators.

“This is the best team I’ve had in 22 years of owning an NHL (club),” he told Sports Headliners. “It is the full package; very few weaknesses on this team. …It’s a special team and I think special things are going to happen.”

The Wild finished the regular season Friday night with a 53-22-7 record and second place in the Central Division. That’s the franchise’s best record ever. When Leipold owned the Predators they had best seasons of 51 and 49 wins.

The Wild open the playoffs at home Monday night against the St. Louis Blues. Even a casual Wild fan wonders whether this Minnesota team can make a deep playoff run and perhaps win the league’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. That would be a first for the Wild franchise that started as an expansion franchise in the 2000-2001 season.

“It’s a fine line,” Leipold said. “It takes a lot of luck, let’s be honest. It takes a healthy team. It takes a hot goal tender. It takes very opportunistic goals at the right time. And we have the ability to do all of that.

“We don’t have many weaknesses—and our power play and penalty killing I guess would be the two. But five-on-five we’re in the top of the league. You play five-on-five for 80 to 90 percent of the game so I like our chances.

“The first round against the St. Louis Blues is going to be a really good series. If you’re a hockey fan, you’re going to want to watch these two teams play.”

A developing worry since Leipold spoke to Sports Headliners is Friday night’s injury to forward Marcus Foligno. He left the game against the Colorado Avalanche after being kneed in the first period. Part of a shutdown line, his potential absence in the playoffs would be a setback for Minnesota.

Leipold watched his team practice late last week and he saw energized players enjoying themselves, not a group worn down by the grind of the 82-game regular season. “You can tell, they’re just having a great time.”

Leipold hired general manager Bill Guerin in August of 2019. He has renovated the roster and installed former assistant coach Dean Evason as head coach. Guerin, who came from the Pittsburgh Penguins as assistant GM, has shown a discerning eye for both evaluating player talent and character.

Guerin has earned the owner’s trust and confidence in making moves like adding defenseman Dmitri Kulikov last summer. The 31-year-old veteran’s experience and skills were a welcome addition to the roster, and presumably, too, is the Russian’s fit in the locker room where he joined countryman Kirill Kaprizov, last season’s NHL Rookie of the Year.

“Billy knows he’s got the green light to do any of those kinds of deals,” Leipold said. “He doesn’t need my approval for that. He’ll just do that deal. …I was very happy to get a player like Kulikov on our team.”

There is something else about Guerin that impresses Leipold a lot and it’s the GM’s will to win. “He wants to win a Stanley Cup where he is the general manager. Where this is his team. …It’s great to have a GM and a leader in that department that is driven that way.”

Kaprizov led the team in regular season goals, assists and points. He is in the first season of a five-year deal. Kevin Fiala was second in goals and points, and the Wild face a salary cap crunch trying to re-sign the restricted free agent in the off season. “I can tell you when we look at players we want to sign next year, Kevin Fiala is on top of the list,” Leipold said.

The owner can’t be sure he and Guerin will be able to retain Fiala. “If we were unencumbered by a cap system, we would spend whatever it takes to get him. But we live in a salary cap world and Kevin has played himself into a very good contract for next year, and we’ll see where it goes.”

The Wild and other NHL teams went through the worst of financial times at the height of the pandemic when fans weren’t allowed to attend games. Now the Wild are playing before sellout crowds and that’s significant in the NHL where gate receipts are vital to the bottom line.

Leipold said all the home playoff games will be sellouts and his expectation is the same for the 2022-2023 season. “The fans are spectacular. They see in this team a special team as well.”

Worth Noting

Anyone remember a Gopher player performing a song at halftime of a U spring football game? That’s what happened yesterday when sixth-year tight end Sam Pickerign sang on the field while a TV audience watched on the Big Ten Network.

Head coach P.J. Fleck also used his creativity showcasing wide receiver Michael Brown-Stephens who was targeted for numerous passes and also lined up in the backfield while his high school brother, Anthony Brown, watched from the sidelines. Brown is a four-star receiving prospect from Springfield, Ohio who has shown considerable interest in Minnesota.

Brown-Stephens was one of three spring game MVP’s along with defensive back Miles Fleming and kicker Matthew Trickett.

The maroon and gold defenses impressed in the intra-squad game, with defensive line redshirt freshman Austin Booker and Western Kentucky transfer cornerback Beanie Bishop among the standouts.

Byron Buxton apparently likes the month of April. Although the Twins center fielder missed some games with injuries, including yesterday, he played enough to lead the team in home runs and RBI (11). His six homers rank near the top among MLB leaders.

Buxton’s April a year ago was spectacular when he won the American League Player of the Month award. He hit .426, with eight home runs and 14 RBI. He scored 15 runs, with a .466 on-base percentage, an .897 slugging percentage and a 1.363 OPS. He set Twins records for March/April in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. His OPS broke a Twins record for any month, surpassing Joe Mauer’s 1.338.

Hall of Fame-bound Tony Oliva has signed a partnership agreement with Dan Stoltz and locally based SPIRE Credit Union. Oliva will appear in TV commercials and other promotions for SPIRE.

The baseball Gophers will host Nebraska next weekend for a three-game series at Siebert Field. On Saturday Minnesota will honor past teams including the 1960 Big Ten and NCAA championship team. The Gophers also won national titles in 1956 and 1964. No Big Ten baseball team has won the NCAA championship since 1966.

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Twins Boast 2 Potential MVP Candidates

Posted on April 10, 2022April 10, 2022 by David Shama

The Twins are only two games into the 2022 season but it’s clear they have two potential candidates for American League MVP. “I think we feel we have two of the game’s most elite players,” club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners.

The off-season signings of shortstop Carlos Correa and center fielder Byron Buxton give the Twins their best potential MVP tandem since the roster was led by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau years ago.

Playing for the Astros last season, Correa finished fifth in AL MVP voting. He hit .279 with 26 home runs and 92 RBI last season. He was No. 2 among MLB position players with a 7.2 WAR, per Baseball Reference (behind Marcus Semien’s 7.3). He also won the 2021 Rawlings American League Gold Glove at shortstop and the 2021 AL Platinum Glove Award, awarded to the best overall fielder in each league.

Correa, 27, enters this season on everyone’s AL MVP watch list, while Buxton is more of a dark horse because of his history with injuries. Both have similar abilities.

Despite being limited to 61 games last season, the 28-year-old Buxton hit .306 with 19 home runs, 32 RBI, 13 walks, 50 runs scored, nine stolen bases and a 1.005 OPS this past season. His OPS led league hitters with at least 200 at-bats and ranked second in MLB behind National League MVP Bryce Harper (1.044). His 4.5 WAR (per Baseball Reference) was the highest in AL/NL history by a player who appeared in 70 games or fewer. His 10 defensive runs saved (per The Fielding Bible) ranked fifth among all centerfielders.

“He (Buxton) makes us better in every way,” St. Peter said. “He impacts the game. Best defensive center fielder in the game. He runs the bases better than anyone else in the game. He obviously has tremendous power. Can spray the ball if necessary. If healthy, this guy is a top 10 player in baseball.”

St. Peter has similar praise for Correa, describing him as an elite defender and accomplished base runner. He praised him as a hitter who battles pitchers and hits with power. Correa won a World Series with the Astros (his previous team) and is known as a clubhouse leader. His resume, high character and leadership skills command respect from his new teammates. “When you have someone like that, it can be very powerful in a baseball clubhouse,” St. Peter said.

The Twins signed Buxton to a seven-year contract extension late last year. St. Peter said if the Twins hadn’t retained Buxton, they wouldn’t have been able to convince Correa to join the club. Together they help give the Twins a shot at what St. Peter hopes will be a “giant step forward” in 2022 (73-89 last season).

Worth Noting

Buxton hit a two-run homer yesterday to put the Twins up 3-2 in the eighth inning against the Mariners at Target Field. But in a repeat of last spring when the bullpen consistently faltered, Tyler Duffey blew the lead in the ninth inning as the Mariners won 4-3 and sent the Twins off to a 0-2 start in the new season.

It will be a surprise if the Gophers don’t add a running back before June from the transfer portal. P.J. Fleck and staff might well have been shopping even before Mar’Keise Irving announced last week he is leaving Minnesota.

Available running backs in the portal, per 247Sports, include Camar Wheaton, Alabama; Tharon Davis, Memphis; Joshia Davis, Colorado; Aidan Robbins, Louisville; and Peni Naulu, Washington State. Wheaton didn’t play for Alabama last season but coming out of high school he was the No. 1 RB in the nation, according to Rivals100. Minnesota recruits the Dallas area and Wheaton played in high school not far from Gophers high potential wide receiver Dylan Wright.

The Twins’ 28-man opening day roster Friday had only three pitchers (Jorge Alcala, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar) who were with the club a year ago for the first game. The 2022 Twins have 19 new players: 13 pitchers, three infielders, two outfielders and one catcher.

Pro Football Focus last week had former Eden Prairie defensive end Jermaine Johnson going at No. 13 to the Vikings in the first round of the April 28 NFL Draft. Edge rushers are coveted and Johnson has wowed scouts while at Florida State, in the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.

Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant isn’t surprised at Johnson’s ascension. “He had all the measureables (in high school),” Grant told Sports Headliners, while also praising Johnson’s work ethic.

Jeremiah Johnson, Jermaine’s brother, will be a junior next season for the Eagles. While Jermaine is 6-4, his brother is 5-9 and might play fullback, linebacker or defensive end.

Mike’s father, Bud Grant, will speak April 19 at the Twin Cities Dunkers annual dinner that raises money for the sports programs at Minneapolis and St. Paul high schools. Mike isn’t sure if he will attend. “That’s right in the middle of turkey hunting season,” he quipped.

Mike turns 65 Thursday, Bud will be 95 on May 20.

Word is UConn’s Paige Bueckers rented a Target Center suite for former Hopkins teammates to watch the Women’s Final Four. Estimates are Bueckers is earning $500,000 to $1 million from Name, Image and Likeness sources.

As a player Lindsay Whalen won more WNBA games than anyone in history, and she will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 10. But as Gopher women’s coach she has no winning seasons in the Big Ten. After four seasons she is 60-57 overall and 28-44 in conference games, while predecessor Marlene Stollings was 82-47 and 38-30, per records from Wikipedia.

With the Gophers, former men’s head coach Richard Pitino matched up against his dad in a November, 2014 loss to Louisville. Next December Richard’s New Mexico team will host Rick Pitino and Iona in Albuquerque.

It was 40 years ago last week the Metrodome opened for the first time with an exhibition game between the Twins and Phillies. That April 3, 1982 Twins’ win was followed by a regular season opening loss to the Mariners April 6.

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Kirk Cousins Ongoing Talk of the Town

Posted on April 3, 2022 by David Shama

Try opening your phone and not finding a recent story about Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins. This market is obsessed with the Vikings and Cousins—even five months away from the next NFL season.

Fans (knowledgeable or not) have strong feelings about Cousins and the Vikings who have missed out on the last two playoffs. Cousins and former head coach Mike Zimmer, while they have their supporters, have frequently been vilified by the public.

Cousins, who is among the best paid players in NFL history at $35 million this year, is a polarizing figure that the media and fanbase scrutinize constantly. Former Vikings’ linebacker Ben Leber suspects Cousins is among the “most polarizing” athletes in Minnesota sports history.

Head coaches and quarterbacks can cause that kind of divide. In Minnesota it has gone to extremes because Vikings mania goes on 12 months per year.

If Cousins hasn’t performed up to expectations since he arrived here in 2018, all the media and fan “noise” probably isn’t to blame. “I don’t think he allows a lot of outside distractions,” Leber told Sports Headliners. “I am sure he hears it and feels it and all that stuff but he is so regimented about his day that I don’t think that he’s going to really let that affect him. …”

What may improve the chances of Cousins being a huge contributor to a Vikings’ return to the playoffs is his relationship with new head coach Kevin O’Connell. The 33-year-old Cousins had a rocky status with Zimmer, while O’Connell worked effectively with him in 2017 with the Washington Redskins.

Leber refers to a “black cloud” hanging over Cousins in the past. “I think he is going to walk in now feeling like he is wanted there, and feeling like this offense and this team and the coaching staff is going to be behind him,” Leber said.

Leber, who remains close to the Vikings organization, said an absence of communication and rapport had to impact leadership coming from their quarterback.

“Well, I can’t image it not being a factor. When it’s publicly known that the head coach and the quarterback don’t necessarily have a relationship I think that’s an issue for any team.

“I think it’s a responsibility that the head coach has…to have that connection to the quarterback, whether you’re an offensive minded guy or defensive minded guy. Everybody knows that these 32 NFL quarterbacks are the most important player on the team, and most important person outside of the head coach. So the dynamic has to be solid. …I am not saying they have to be holding hands walking down the hallway, but I think it has to be respectful, and it didn’t sound like it was.”

This offseason, per Leber, there was a players’ meeting where team issues were candidly discussed. He was told about the gathering and won’t reveal a lot of details but said teammates of Cousins were wowed with the quarterback’s leadership.

Cousins reportedly verbalized concerns from the past season in ways those in the meeting never expected at the Vikings complex in Eagan, Leber said. “It certainly seemed like it turned some guys’ heads as far as Kirk’s leadership.”

Worth Noting

Gopher coach P.J. Fleck reads children’s books to his players on Friday nights before games. He read “Elephant Me” to high school coaches last Friday evening at the annual Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic. Educated as a sixth grade social studies teacher, Fleck uses children’s books to share life messages such as being true to who you are.

The clinic registered nearly 1,500 attendees, breaking the old record of 1,412 set in 2012.

Peter Usset, the former defensive coordinator at Henry Sibley High School, is the new head coach at Apple Valley. His staff includes 2008 Minnesota Mr. Football Varmah Sonie who played for the Eagles.

At the clinic and a Saturday night banquet the MFCA honored many state football leaders including Hall of Fame inductees from two different categories. High School Division: William White, Westbrook/Monticello; Bob “Bubba” Sullivan, Northfield; Dean Aurich, Mayer Lutheran; Gary Sloan, Grand Meadow; Rob Nielsen, Detroit Lakes. College Division: Gary Fasching, St. John’s.

Hutchinson’s Andy Rostberg was honored as 2021 Coach of the Year. His Tigers were 12-1 last year and won the Class 4A state title.

While rookie Joe Ryan starts the Twins’ home opener Thursday, ex-Minnesota veteran Jose Berrios will have opening day honors for the Blue Jays. Former Twin Lance Lynn’s status as the White Sox’s opening day starter appears uncertain after a reported knee injury yesterday.

The MLB Morning Lineup newsletter ranked the top 100 players in the majors, with Twins shortstop Carlos Correa No. 14, center fielder Byron Buxton No. 39 and former Twin DH Nelson Cruz, now with the Nationals, No. 90.

The Twins announced this morning they have reassigned left-handed pitcher Devin Smeltzer and outfielder Jake Cave to minor league camp. Minnesota optioned left-handed pitcher Jovani Moran to the Triple-A Saints.

Jim Lehman will be attend his 27th Masters this week. Representing his Minnetonka-based pro sports management company, he will be working with clients including Fargo’s Tom Hoge who is enjoying a breakthrough PGA season.

It was 25 years ago last week Clem Haskins’ Golden Gophers lost to Kentucky at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

After the tragic death of his son last summer, many in the college hockey world will be pulling for coach Bob Motzko to win the Frozen Four that starts Thursday night in Boston. The Gophers will be trying to win their first national title since 2003 and first under Motzko now in his fourth season at Minnesota.

Minnesota Junior forward Ben Meyers, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, leads the Gophers with 41 points this season (17 goals, 24 assists). That’s the most points by a Gopher since Rem Pitlick (45) and Tyler Sheehy (41) in 2018-19.

Vikings executive Lester Bagley, a franchise leader for years on community and business initiatives including the building of U.S. Bank Stadium, is the latest guest on the “Behind the Game” program seen on local cable markets and YouTube. The show is co-hosted by Agile Marketing owner Patrick Klinger and USHL commissioner Bill Robertson.

Professor Michael Hicks from Ball State told the Front Office Sports newsletter the economic impact of the Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis could be $75 million to $125 million.

Former Gopher Amir Coffey was a steal for the NBA Clippers when they signed him out of college as a free agent in 2019. He scored a career-high 32 points Friday night against the Bucks.

KARE-11 news anchor and former sports anchor Randy Shaver is a proud dad, sharing news with Sports Headliners that son Rob Shaver, 29, graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School on Friday.

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