On a spectacular April evening the stars were visible in St. Paul but the Minnesota Wild’s goal scoring barely flickered.  Last night at the Xcel Energy Center the Wild’s power play came through on one of five attempts, producing a too little too late goal as Minnesota lost to Anaheim 2-1, falling behind 3-0 in the quarterfinal Stanley Cup series. 

A large crowd attended a pep rally in Rice Park before the game.  On hand were owner Bob Naegele, Jr., former Wild player Brad Bombardir, Senator Norm Coleman and St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman.  Bombardir predicted: “I think we’re gonna go two-for-three on the power play and a 4-2 victory.…” 

But the crowd inside the Xcel Energy Center never reached its noise making potential as the Wild fell behind 1-0 in the first period and couldn’t tie the game or take the lead.  Twins stars Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer were in attendance.  So, too, was Governor Tim Pawlenty.  Scoreboard TV shots of Morneau and Mauer excited the crowd.  Then Morneau urged the fans to roar louder and get on their feet.   

The Wild sold out their 273^rd game last night.  That includes every pre-season, regular season and playoff game in the Wild’s six year history.  The banner hanging in the arena saluting the fans is well deserved. 

At his post-game press conference coach Jacques Lemaire praised his team’s effort but was critical of the Wild’s ineffective power play, a troublesome trait throughout the series with Anaheim.  He has “good character” players and they will play “hard” again on Tuesday night in game four.  Those players, Lemaire admitted, are lacking confidence and somehow must find it to send the series back to Anaheim on Thursday.  In three games so far the Ducks have shut down Wild star Marian Gaborik and other point producers, holding Minnesota to four goals. 

An early and swift exit from the playoffs can only be characterized as disappointing but at least Minnesota will have some comfort in losing to a highly hyped Anaheim team.  In a Sports Illustrated NHL players poll predicting the Stanley Cup winner, Anaheim was the choice.  The Ducks received 33% of the votes, followed by Buffalo, 23%, Nashville, 15%, and Detroit, 10%.  San Jose, my pick, received 6.5%.

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Wild president Doug Risebrough, coach Jacques Lemaire, assistant coach Mario Tremblay, assistant general manager Tom Thompson and coordinator of amateur scouting Guy Lapointe have a combined 28 Stanley Cup rings.  Lemaire was involved with 11 teams who won the NHL championship. 

The Wild had a record media turnout for this year last night with 305 people in the press box.  The largest number in Wild history was 450 during the 2003 playoffs.   

Here’s a Tubby Smith story that is testament to his friendliness and people skills.  A bus rider saw the new Gopher coach and yelled, “Hey, Tubby.”  Not only did Smith go out of his way to greet the person but he said hello to others on the bus, too. 

Gustavus Adolphus football coach Jay Schoenebeck reports via e-mail that former Gustie Ryan Hoag is playing in NFL Europe as a wide receiver.  Hoag, a 2003 grad, has had tryouts with NFL teams including the Minnesota Vikings.  

Former Gopher head track coach Roy Griak, now 83, is currently Minnesota’s coordinator for men’s track and field.  Griak, who came to Minnesota in 1963 from St. Louis Park High School, said he works out everyday for 30 to 45 minutes.  His routine includes 120-140 sit-ups.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster is featured in the Sporting News.  USC is the publication’s choice as the pre-season No. 1 college team.

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Herb Carneal passed away earlier this month but another legend he shared a radio microphone with in the 1960’s and 1970’s has been gone for almost 30 years now.  Halsey Hall and Herb worked together on Minnesota Twins games, forming a broadcasting duo that some believe will never be equaled.              

Herb was the low-key, smooth delivery play-by-play guy giving listeners a clear and concise description of the game action.  Halsey was the color man and we should write color with a cap C.  The loveable Halsey always was ready with a story, witty comment or baseball insight.   

Just looking at Halsey, or listening to him, made you feel good.  He had the appearance of anybody’s overweight grandfather.  He often had a smile on his face, a cigar or green onion in his mouth, and greeted you with, “Hi, kid.” 

Halsey had been a sportswriter and sportscaster in Minneapolis for many years before the Twins started playing here in 1961.  Over the years he had accumulated so many experiences and stories that I would look forward to rain delays during Twins broadcasts when Halsey had even more air time.   

Even the other team’s broadcasters sought Halsey during a rain delay. “If you had 30 minutes to kill there was nobody better,” said Dave Mona who covered the Twins for the Minneapolis Tribune in 1968-69.   

The Halsey wit was captured in Stew Thornley’s 1991 book, “Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall” (Nodin Press, Minneapolis).  Halsey was fearful of flying in airplanes and was famous for this quip:  “I’d like one chance to Chicago, please.”  He adored baseball including stories about the minor league Minneapolis Millers and their rickety old stadium, Nicollet Park:  “Every time a foul ball hits the roof, all the toilets flush.” 

Mona likened Halsey as a story teller to “an early Garrison Keillor” and recalled that before and after games other writers and broadcasters would gather around him. “Halsey would hold court,” Mona said.  “He’d be eating his scallions and drinking whatever beverage they were serving in there. Both before and after the game, as long as there was a crowd, he’d stick around.”   

“He was as funny a man as I’ve ever been around,” Herb Carneal said several years ago. He and many others thoroughly enjoyed telling stories about Halsey, not just hearing them.  One of Herb’s favorites, and Mona’s, was a day the Twins were playing the White Sox in Chicago.  Halsey was smoking his cigar and flicking ashes on the press box floor.  The ashes made contact with paper on the floor and set off a small fire.  Halsey’s sport coat, hanging on a chair, also caught fire.  

“Players came out of the dugout, everybody in the stands turned around because there was a substantial amount of smoke coming out (of the press box) and after the game the players wanted to know what happened,” Mona said.  “Jerry Zimmerman (Twins catcher), who was never really that good with a quote, had the best line…‘Halsey Hall is quite a guy. He can turn an ordinary sport coat into a blazer in nothing flat.’” 

Halsey’s trademark expression was, “Holy Cow!”  When something out of the ordinary happened during a game he would let loose with it.  Halsey historians claim he was using the term on radio before broadcasters Harry Caray or Phil Rizzuto made the expression better known across America to millions of baseball fans.   

What else would you expect from an original?

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