Wild – Page 53 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wild Owner Blunt about Cup Ambitions

Posted on November 14, 2018November 14, 2018 by David Shama

The Minnesota Wild has been making owner Craig Leipold feel better as of late. Leipold, 66, is facing his fourth hip replacement in coming months and is still on crutches following replacement No. 3, but his spirits were lifted by the team winning five of seven games on its recent road trip.

“Boy, we’re all looking at this team right now going, man, they’re playing together,” Leipold told Sports Headliners on Monday. Last night, in the Wild’s first home game since the club’s longest road trip ever, Leipold’s boys lost to the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals. It was the Wild’s first home defeat of the season, and predictable against such a quality team and after a long road trip.

The Wild has a habit of earning its way into the NHL playoffs but then making an early exit. Leipold expects more than just showing up for the postseason like his franchise has done for six straight years. “We’re not playing to come in second or third or fourth,” he said. “We’re playing to win the Cup. That’s what we want to do. That’s our objective and I think if you asked our players, that’s the reason they play hard every night.”

The Wild has mostly been receiving quality play from all four lines, and goalie Devan Dubnyk has been sharp. Leipold knows after 18 games there is a lot of hockey remaining on the schedule but he is hopeful that among the reasons this team could avoid long losing streaks is team rapport. “We really do have outstanding leadership in the locker room,” he said.

Preseason concerns included not scoring enough goals but results have been better than expected. Mikael Granlund, long known for his potential, is part of the reason. He leads Minnesota in goals with 10 and also has eight assists for a Wild best 18 points.

“He’s a special player,” Leipold said. “I think a lot of people around the league have seen it. And now I think he’s believing it as well.”

Veteran stars Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, coming off injuries last season, are constantly scrutinized by interested fans to see if they appear healthy. They tell Leipold they are “100 percent” and even if they only currently check in at 90 the owner is happy. Suter and Parise have played in all the games so far, and Leipold praised their talent and work ethic.

After games Leipold can often be found sitting in a corner location at Herbie’s On The Park, the two-year old restaurant and bar located in the historic Minnesota Club near Xcel Energy Center. He enjoys watching patrons celebrate when the Wild win. He also allows himself to fantasize about being in Herbie’s after the Wild win the Stanley Cup.

“That is the ultimate,” Leipold acknowledged. “There is no finer dream that I could have.”

Worth Noting

In 2008 Leipold bought the Wild from Bob Naegele Jr. who died last week. The funeral is next Monday in the Twin Cities. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Leipold said. “Many Wild employees will be there. He was a very popular man and he was a mentor to me.”

Because of Mr. Naegele’s funeral, the date for the Old Timers Hockey Association Luncheon has been moved from next Monday to the following day. The Tuesday, November 20 event begins at 11:30 a.m. at Mancini’s Char House in St. Paul.

Bill Robertson, men’s WCHA commissioner, will be the guest speaker. Dick Jonckowski will emcee.

I was reminded this week how badly conference leaders and the NCAA needs to make improvements to the game of college basketball. A typical game like Monday night’s early season matchup between Minnesota and Utah was frequently slowed to a crawl at Williams Arena. In the first seven minutes, for example, there were two timeouts and two stoppages for officials to view replays on a TV monitor.

In the second half, Utah called timeout with 8:10 remaining in the game. About 22 seconds later the play on the court stopped again for one of the eight mandated media timeouts during a game. Along with the coaches’ and media’s timeouts, add in how the college game is over officiated with unnecessary foul calls. The result is a roadblock to allowing the flow and rhythm that is a natural part of basketball.

It’s way overdue for college basketball to adopt policies regarding both officiating and timeouts similar to the NBA. The pro league knows what it is doing. The college game is clueless. The NCAA is stealing a lot of showtime from its so-called student athletes while infuriating fans.

Gophers senior forward Jordan Murphy, who was a preseason All-Big Ten candidate, had 17 rebounds and 11 points Monday night. His total play looked even better than hyped. Freshman guard Gabe Kalscheur, who hit his first five three-point shots and finished the game with 19 points, might have the smoothest shooting stroke of any Gopher in a long time.

Murphy and junior guard-forward Amir Coffey received some of the most enthusiastic applause in the pregame introductions. Head coach Richard Pitino, coming off last season’s 4-14 Big Ten record, received a very quiet reaction from the fans.

The Twin Cities Dunkers hear from Gopher women’s basketball coach Lindsay Whalen on Friday. Then Hugh McCutcheon, the Minnesota volleyball coach, talks to the breakfast group later this month.

McCutcheon’s volleyball team, 16-0 in Big Ten matches, concludes its regular season conference schedule on the road the next two Fridays and Saturdays with matches against Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. No Gopher team in any sport has been undefeated in the Big Ten since the wrestlers were 19-0 in 2001-2002.

The Big Ten Network reported Monday that among major college football teams there are only four who are 13-1 in their last 14 conference games. Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Northwestern who the Gophers play on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Northwestern Wildcats, 6-1 in league games, have clinched at least a share of the Big Ten West Division title and are playing for the best bowl game invite in their remaining games. Minnesota, 2-5 in the conference standings, is averaging 452 yards of offense in its last four games. This is Minnesota’s longest streak of at least 400 yards of offense since it went seven straight games over the 2005-06 seasons.

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Ed Duren Interception a Gopher Classic

Posted on October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 by David Shama

When Minnesota renews its football rivalry against Iowa tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium at least a few former Golden Gophers will think back to October 15, 1966. On that date Ed Duren, a husky defensive lineman, had the thrill of his career when he intercepted an Iowa pass and ran 95-yards for a fourth quarter touchdown in Minnesota’s 17-0 win at old Memorial Stadium.

Duren, 72, died last week in the Twin Cities of complications from diabetes. A visitation was held Monday in St. Paul, and a number of his teammates were at the mortuary including Jim Carter, who encountered Leon Trawick. “We were teasing and laughing about that run,” Carter told Sports Headliners.

Anyone who saw the play recalls it with affection. Duren was built stoutly at about 6-1, 240-pounds. He was on the field to plug holes at the line of scrimmage, not run a near 100-yard race. But that’s exactly what he got an opportunity to do when teammate Ezell Jones tipped an Iowa pass by Ed Podolak.

The football popped up in the air and Duren grabbed it at the Minnesota five-yard line. The big fella headed for the end zone, lumbering at a slow pace while observers wondered if he might drop to the ground from exhaustion. “It took him a day and a half,” Carter joked.

Carter remembered that a couple of faster teammates ran alongside the plodding lineman and wanted him to hand off the football. “It (the return) took forever. I got a kick out of it,” Carter said.

The 1966 team had a mediocre 4-5-1 record but bigger things were ahead the next year. Duren’s senior season of 1967 produced a Big Ten championship for the Gophers when they tied Indiana and Purdue for first place. He was named to the Big Ten’s all-conference second team defense.

Duren’s interception run is the second longest in Minnesota history, after Gary Hohman’s 99-yarder in 1969. Duren’s signature moment meant a lot to him, as did the 1967 Big Ten title and the championship ring commemorating the achievement. Just days before his death Minnesota-based Jostens replaced the original championship ring that had been stolen from him.

Al Nuness played a role in that kindness. Nuness, now retired, worked for Jostens for more than 20 years and was a friend of Duren’s dating back to the 1960s at Minnesota. “That’s kudos to Jostens to turn that around (in a short period),” Nuness said.

Nuness was a Gophers basketball player when Duren was in school. Players from the two sports lived in the same campus dormitory. “It (the interception) was one of those things we all laughed about together in the dorm,” Nuness said.

To this day folks are still chuckling and remembering Ed with fondness.

Worth Noting

Prayers to my friend Tom Sakal, captain of the 1967 Gophers, who is battling cancer. He has been a winner all his life—with the Gophers, in the Vietnam war, as an insurance executive and husband to wife Rosemary.

The Minnesota and Iowa teams that play tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium have identical 3-1 overall and 0-1 Big Ten Conference records. The Gophers lead the all-time series 62-47-2 but results this century have been poor. Iowa has won five of the last six games. Since the 2000 season the Gophers have five wins in the series.

Among the many intriguing freshmen prospects on the Gophers’ roster is 6-9, 400-pound offensive lineman Daniel Faalele, who is likely to be redshirted. “He’s just an incredibly strong guy,” coach P.J. Fleck said. “He’s only got to get stronger, which is scary.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said junior safety Amani Hooker from Minneapolis wasn’t highly pursued by other Big Ten schools when he was at Park Center High School. Hooker, though, has impressed as a Hawkeye starter and certainly would look valuable in a Gopher uniform Saturday with safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota’s best player, out for the season after foot surgery.

Minnesota likely will use walk-on freshman Jordan Howden as Winfield’s replacement in the starting lineup against Iowa. He struggled filling in for Winfield two weeks ago against Maryland. The Las Vegas native excelled in prep football and track in Las Vegas where he finished fourth in the state 100 meters with a time of 11.21.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has at least 100 receiving yards in each of the team’s first four games this season. He needs 100 receiving yards at Philadelphia on Sunday to become the third player in NFL history with at least 100 receiving yards in each of his team’s first five games to start a season.

Results of a study on collisions by birds with the exterior glass at U.S. Bank Stadium are expected next spring. The Vikings, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Audubon Society and professional researchers are involved with the two-seasons study.

Twenty-five Vikings games have been played at U.S. Bank Stadium since the facility opened and for 13 of those dates the massive pivoting doors that bring outside air into the building have been open.

The Wild can probably play with any NHL team if a core of key players stays healthy. Problem is Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jared Spurgeon and Eric Staal all have histories with injuries.

Thehockeywriters.com is among those who don’t see a successful season for the Wild, predicting a sixth place finish in the seven-team Central Division. An article by Larry Fisher on Tuesday said Suter won’t be the same player after his severe ankle injury, Koivu and Staal “will start showing their age,” and Devan Dubnyk’s “days as a top-10 goalie or even a top-20 goalie are numbered.”

The Twin Cities-based WCHA office reports 12 alumni from member schools are on NHL opening week rosters including three Minnesota natives, David Backes (Robbinsdale) from the Bruins, Casey Nelson (Stillwater) from the Sabres and Tyler Pitlick (Minneapolis) from the Stars.

Former Gophers All-American Conner McHugh is training in the breaststroke for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Brother Max is a Gopher freshman and a possible Olympian someday in the breaststroke.

Simone Kolander, the former Gophers All-American soccer player and daughter of ex-Minnesota basketball standout Chad Kolander, is one of 25 interns working in the U Athletic Department.

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2 Positions May Top U Recruiting List

Posted on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by David Shama

P.J. Fleck has 24 verbal commits for his 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports, and that could mean his work is all but done. Yet there still could be some big news before National Signing Day in December.

Speculation is the Golden Gophers head coach will hold back a scholarship offer or two to see what develops in the coming months. Recruiting authority Ryan Burns from Gopherillustrated.com will be watching. “Defensive back and offensive tackle look like the two positions that they really want to address with these…remaining spots,” Burns told Sports Headliners.

Defensive backs Omar Brown from Minneapolis North and Jalen Graham from Detroit interest the Gophers, Burns said. So, too, do offensive tackles Joacheim Price of Algonquin, Illinois and Hunter Poncius from Buffalo, Minn.

Burns said Price might be the most highly sought after among players Minnesota is evaluating for a possible final scholarship or two. Price has multiple Big Ten offers but unfortunately tore his ACL earlier this summer.

Burns reported that Gophers offensive line coach Brian Callahan scouted Poncius at his game last Friday night. The 6-foot-8, 255-pound Poncius has verbally committed to North Dakota State but National Signing Day isn’t until December 19.

Under NCAA rules, schools have a hard cap of 25 players that can be signed to scholarships in a single football recruiting class. In the fall of 2017 Fleck also had most of his recruiting class lined up but added two offensive linemen late. They were IMG Academy four-star recruits Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Daniel Faalele.

“It’s always interesting to see what P.J. Fleck does in November-December, when it’s time to really make sure those signatures (Letters of Intent) count,” Burns said. “…With P.J. Fleck and the way he’s able to make a great first impression on kids, I am not really counting anything out.”

If one or more players who have committed changes his verbal pledge, that will open up more scholarships for Fleck’s class of 2019 that currently is ranked No. 30 nationally in the 247Sports composite national rankings.

Right now Burns looks at the list of 24 verbal commits and believes four-star defensive lineman Jason Bargy from Momence, Illinois could be the “crown jewel” of the 2019 class. Burns said the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Bargy might not contribute immediately but the prep senior has the highest “ceiling” of any defensive lineman coming to Minnesota since the days of Ra’Shede Hageman who left the program after the 2013 season.

“You can’t teach that size, that athleticism, that speed (of Bargy), and Gopher fans have been searching for that elite pass rusher for quite some time,” Burns said. “Well, once Minnesota is able to get Jason Bargy in here, given a year or two…I think he has the impact to absolutely be an impact player.”

Overall, what has Burns upbeat about the Gophers 2019 class is that Minnesota is going after and winning recruiting battles against other Power Five conference programs. Examples are Texas prep players Jacob Clark and Nnamdi Adim-Madumere. Clark, a quarterback, was recruited “hard” by Iowa and TCU, Burns said. Wide receiver Adim-Madumere turned down Alabama and Texas A&M when he committed to Minnesota.

“…P.J. is winning some recruiting battles that the previous staff wouldn’t even entertain,” Burns said. “If they did entertain them, they wouldn’t win them.”

Worth Noting

Running back and Minnesota verbal commit Treyson Potts from Williamsport, Pennsylvania injured his ACL a year ago but is playing again and he excites Burns. A potential playmaker in multiple ways, Potts might be the successor to Rodney Smith returning kickoffs in 2019 or 2020. “He is extremely electric when he gets the ball in space,” Burns said.

Jornell Manns, a freshman wide receiver from the 2018 recruiting class, is being redshirted but he intrigues Burns who predicts a starting role next season. “That is my bold call. I think he starts over (current redshirt freshman) Demetrius Douglas.

“I think his skillset is very unique. He can be in the slot, (and) in high school he played running back. So you can have him potentially take some carries out of the backfield, but he is a very dynamic player when he gets the ball in space.”

In its bowl projections this week Collegefootballnews.com predicted the Gophers against USC in the December 31 San Francisco Bowl in Santa Clara.

Recent dining options for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins include Jensen’s in Eagan and Murray’s downtown.

Head-scratcher: why is CBS sending its top NFL broadcast team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo to Minneapolis for Sunday’s likely mismatch between the 0-2 Bills and 1-0-1 Vikings?

Superstitious: Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau drove the same route to Target Center last season when his team was on a winning streak.

Homecoming: The Minnesota United (versus Portland) will play at TCF Bank Stadium Saturday night in its first home game since August 4.

The United’s last regular season game at the Gophers’ football stadium will be October 22 and ticket sales are expected to go over 40,000 this week. TCF Bank Stadium has a capacity of more than 50,000 and the United is trying to set a new single match attendance record for Minnesota professional soccer.

A record announced attendance of 49,572 was established over 40 years ago at Met Stadium for a Kicks game. The Loons move into their new 20,000 capacity Allianz Field next year. See the promotion #50KToMidway.

No team in professional sports may eat better quality and tastier meals at its practice facility than the Minnesota Wild, now starting a second season being served by KZ Pro Visioning, the company founded by Minnesota culinary authorities Andrew Zimmern and Gavin Kaysen.

“We know that what you put in your body…is the most vital preventive there is. It’s also the most positive restorative there is,” Zimmern told Sports Headliners.

Zimmern suggested other professional sports organizations in America are more casual in both science and art when feeding athletes. KZ’s goal for the Wild is to hit all the right targets including glycerol, protein and calorie needs.

The food has to be right not only nutritionally, but satisfying. “…We look to food to fill us up many different ways, not just calorie counts,” Zimmern said.

With their knowledge and holistic approach, Zimmern and Kaysen intend to pitch their culinary expertise with KZ Pro Visioning to other American sports organizations within a year or so.

Both Zimmern and Kaysen are James Beard award winners. The connection with the Wild came when a player (Zimmern wouldn’t reveal his name) dined at one of Kaysen’s Minnesota restaurants and suggested how great it would be to have his teammates eat this well.

Zimmern, who lives in Edina, is famous nationally as a TV travel and food host on the Travel Channel. He grew up in New York City and participated in sports. “But then I got into 10th grade and I discovered girls and beer,” he said with a smile. “Otherwise, I would be in the pros right now; sort of like the Gordie Howe playing through five centuries with different teams.”

What would Zimmern eat everyday if he was limited to the same breakfast, lunch and dinner? With no hesitation he answered bagels and smoked fish for breakfast, mussels for lunch and his grandmother’s roast chicken for dinner.

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