Through games of last Sunday the Gophers ranked No. 2 in the country in blocks per game, 6.2, trailing Mississippi, 8.3.   Minnesota leads the Big Ten in blocks and has three of the top five shot blockers in the conference, Damian Johnson, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson.

At mid-season Sports Illustrated picks O.J. Mayo as the NBA Rookie of the Year.  In its latest issue the magazine also chooses Kevin Garnett as Defensive Player of the Year.

Local sports fan Dennis McGrath described Wednesday night’s St. Thomas-Bethel game as “probably the most exciting basketball game I’ve ever seen.”  The Tommies, ranked No. 1 in the country, remained undefeated at 22-0 with a 75-72 win, rallying from a double digit deficit. Coach Steve Fritz’s team is 17-0 in the MIAC, while Bethel, Augsburg, Carleton, Gustavus and Saint John’s all have 11-6 records.

The Minnesota Minute Men have announced 10 candidates for the 25^th annual Mr. Hockey Award given to the outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state as selected by a panel of NHL scouts, Division I coaches and media.  The winner will be announced on March 15 at the Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet in St. Paul.  The candidates are Dan DeLisle (Totino-Grace), Marshall Everson (Edina), Ben Hanowski (Little Falls), Tyler Lapic (New Prague), Nick Leddy (Eden Prairie), Anders Lee (Edina), Danny Mattson (Academy of Holy Angels), Zach Palmquist (South St. Paul), Tyler Pitlick (Centennial) and Max Tardy (Duluth East).  Banquet ticket information is available by contacting Loren Feldkamp at (763) 422-9708 or mrhockeybanquet@aol.com.  Individual tickets for the event are $25.

The Wild has the opportunity to continue its success against Eastern Conference teams tomorrow night in a home game against Ottawa.  The Wild is 11-2-1 against the Eastern Conference this season while out scoring opponents 42-26. Ottawa defenseman Brian Lee is a native of Moorhead, Minn.  He has seven points in 27 games for the Senators.

The Gophers’ Jordan Schroeder is the top scorer among college freshmen hockey players at 1.25 points per game.  He and Dartmouth’s Doug Jones, 1.09, are the only freshmen averaging a point or more per game.  The Gophers (12-9-5) have lost four in a row for the first time since 2000 and play Alaska Anchorage (10-12-4) at home tonight and tomorrow night.

Comments Welcome

It’s likely Jacques Lemaire will resign as the Minnesota Wild’s coach after this season, according to a knowledgeable NHL source who spoke to Sports Headliners on condition of anonymity.  “Everybody I talk to thinks there’s a good chance he will leave,” the source said.

Lemaire, who has coached the Wild since the franchise’s first season in 2000, seems more frustrated than in the past.  “He’s never before been so openly critical of players,” the source said. “His frustration is showing through.”

Lemaire coached two other NHL teams before taking over the expansion Wild whom he has directed to three playoff appearances. “His history is, when he doesn’t feel comfortable he just leaves,” said the NHL insider who has pro hockey front office and coaching experience.

The Wild are struggling this season after winning the Northwest Division last year. Goal scoring has been an ongoing frustration and so too has the absence of injured All-Star Marian Gaborik who has played in only six games.

The Wild’s record is 27-22-3 with 57 points. The team is tied with Columbus for eighth place in the eight team playoff race in the Western Conference.  There’s speculation as to whether the team can make the playoffs but the source said a deep post season run could change Lemaire’s mind about next season.

He doesn’t doubt the possibility, referring to Lemaire as an “amazing” coach who can revitalize teams.  The NHL insider said many players around the league regard Lemaire as the best coach because he instills confidence and can sometimes convince players to master the subtleties of defensive play.

Even though he highly regards Lemaire, he thinks it’s probably best that after eight seasons he moves on, bringing change with a new coach.  The source said most coaches are tuned out by their players after five years but Lemaire has had a much longer run because of his reputation and ability.

Who would replace Lemaire? The source said he doesn’t know, nor does he have a feel for how much input owner Craig Leipold will have in the decision.  It’s known that Leipold values input from the fans and many want a Wild team with more offense.

As for Lemaire’s future, the NHL insider thinks the 63-year-old will not coach again.  He said Lemaire has other interests besides hockey and will have no problem walking away from the game.

Comments Welcome

Kevin Constantine, head coach of the Wild’s Houston farm team, will likely have his name mentioned if Lemaire leaves Minnesota.  He favors a defensive style, too.

Starting on February 27, the Wild play 14 of its 18 games on the road through the end of March.

A benefit for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Scott LeDoux will be held on Friday, April 10 at Champions Event Center in Elko.  LeDoux, 60, one of the most prominent Minnesota boxers ever, recently confirmed he has the disease.  Former Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg died from ALS and LeDoux is using Hilgenberg’s walker.  The former lead singers for Survivor, Santana and Totto will perform at the benefit, and a video tribute to LeDoux will be shown.  More at https://elko-speedway1.ticketleap.com/Rock-for-ALS-04-10-2009-07-00.

It’s worth taking seriously rumors Brett Favre could leave the Jets and quarterback the Vikings next year.  Favre undoubtedly can see the potential here and his role in filling the quarterback need.  Owner Zygi Wilf has shown he will spend money on personnel.

Twins pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Sunday with the major question whether Joe Mauer will be there and ready to workout next week.

Sid Hartman, talking on radio and TV this week, described steroid confessor Alex Rodriguez as a good person, noting that A-Rod responds to Hartman’s requests for charity items.

Glen Mason, the former Gophers coach, talking on the Big Ten Network last week to ex-Indiana coach Jerry DiNardo about Penn State’s Joe Paterno: “Can you imagine recruiting at 82 years old?  Who says recruiting is a young man’s game?”

Scout.com national recruiting authority Allen Trieu said on the network last week that Gophers recruit Kenneth Watkins, a defensive back from Detroit who was injured during his junior year, could be a “steal” for Minnesota.

Comments Welcome