Fisch described the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson as the best running back in the league and includes the defense among the NFL’s top five.
ESPN The Magazine’s April 6 issue includes the Gophers among seven potential surprise teams next fall who represent the BCS conferences. The teams, including the Gophers in the Big Ten, “may bolt up the standings more than any league rival.”
The magazine predicted the surprise team in the Big East will be Syracuse, the Gophers’ opening opponent on September 5 at the Carrier Dome.
Former assistant Gophers basketball coach Jimmy Williams works in Houston with ex-NBA player and coach John Lucas where the two help develop young players.
Don’t be surprised if Tubby Smith’s incoming group of recruits this fall looks different than previously announced. Neither seniors-to-be Travis Busch and Kevin Payton will return to the Gophers, opening up two scholarships for next season.
Fans voted the 1966 International Falls team and Roseau’s Neal Broten as the greatest team and player in Minnesota high school hockey history. The 26-0 Broncos won their third straight state title in 1966. Broten led Roseau to three consecutive state tournaments in the 1970s before winning the Hobey Baker award with the Gophers. More at Fan Zone on the Minnesota Wild’s Website, www.wild.com.
The results of the NHL Draft Drawing can be watched on VERSUS starting at 7 p.m. CDT tomorrow night. The drawing determines the first 14 selections for the June NHL Entry Draft.
Xcel Energy Center is the site of tomorrow night’s episode of “Project Xtreme” on DIY Network, airing at 9 p.m. local time. The show, which profiles interesting and demanding jobs that require extreme precision, uses tomorrow night’s segment to report on the conversion process from the Coldplay concert to a Wild hockey game last November. The episode will also be available online at www.diynetwork.com. Here’s a preview: https://www.xcelenergycenter.com/videoplayer.jsp?IS_PLAY=Y&MM_FILE_ID=110.