ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 It didn\u2019t take long after the Tampa Bay Lightning\u2019s Scott Sabourin delivered a hit to the back of Quinn Hughes that the enforcer had to answer for it.<\/p>\n
Wild veteran Nick Foligno called Sabourin an \u201chonest player,\u201d but he didn\u2019t like the hit, calling it \u201cunnecessary.\u201d So Foligno went toe to toe with Sabourin last Tuesday at mid-ice in a 90-second, big-boy bout.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what this team is. It builds the culture of protecting each other,\u201d Foligno said. \u201cIt was my turn this time. It\u2019s what we all bring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea of players standing up for each other is not new. But it\u2019s an important part of bringing a team closer together, sending a message to other teams on how things will be handled if top players are messed with. And Hughes, the former Norris Trophy winner, appreciated the gesture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt obviously means a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the type of team we have. It starts with (general manager Bill Guerin) getting these guys. It\u2019s a competitive team, and I\u2019m just really proud to be part of it. I feel like when teams have that (protecting each other), it\u2019s usually the teams that you see go far and deep. Just ultra competitive guys, men that stick up for each other and don\u2019t take any shit from the other team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerin acquired Foligno and Michael McCarron at the deadline. It wasn\u2019t necessarily with the thought of bringing in more fighters, but they do both have that element to their game. McCarron fought twice in this latest road trip, including bloodying the face of the Lightning\u2019s Corey Perry.<\/p>\n
And he has shown in recent games that he\u2019s quick to erupt if anybody takes liberties with teammates, especially his goalies. Against the Chicago Blackhawks, he went to town on Ryan Donato after a swipe at the Wild\u2019s crease after a whistle.<\/p>\n
Somehow he didn\u2019t get an extra minor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a long time in my career to figure that one out,\u201d McCarron said. \u201cI used to take a lot of minors for being maybe a little bit too much of a prick. Sometimes you just know that it\u2019s a long game and you can\u2019t get a guy right away. There\u2019s going to be another chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an art, I guess. It took me 12, 13 years to learn it. You don\u2019t want to be taking too many minors. It\u2019s OK if a guy comes (to the box) with you, but I don\u2019t know what the edge is. You just kind of feel it out. If a ref\u2019s on you and he\u2019s looking at everything you do, maybe that time is not the right time to do something. Maybe a little sneaky sometimes, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCarron said in a recent game against the Dallas Stars, he wanted to walk a fine line of being disciplined but also letting Dallas players know what will happen in a likely first-round matchup if they get too close to the Wild\u2019s goalies.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is noticed. Everything is watched tightly,\u201d McCarron said. \u201cYou want to be smart. There are some times where there\u2019s scrums in front of the net where you can get a guy, but other than that, yeah, just play physical, play hard and be really hard to play against, be a prick. And that\u2019s pretty much what I try to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerin knows there\u2019s been a lot of talk over the past few years about whether players should have to fight after clean hits, and he\u2019d always rather a teammate step in and defend another than not do anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good teams I was on all did it,\u201d said Guerin, a two-time Cup winner as a player. \u201cThe close teams I was on did it. Those are the things that make you a close team. Going out and drinking beers or having barbecues, that\u2019s not real closeness. Real closeness is how hard you play for each other, how you stick up for each other \u2014 the things you do out there on the ice to make you closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat Nick did the other night shows what type of player he is. Those are the types of things that as a general manager I want here. And if something happens to Nick, I\u2019d expect someone else to do the same. Not everyone really has fighting in their personal game, but there\u2019s a way you can stick up for your teammate, and that\u2019s what I see. It\u2019s been like that, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going away. I hope it doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus Foligno watched his brother\u2019s fight from the press box at Benchmark Arena and smiled. He was scratched due to a lower-body injury, but it got his adrenaline going. He even watched the replay a few times on his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a tough guy,\u201d Marcus quipped.<\/p>\n
The culture of standing up for each other isn\u2019t new in the Wild room, and a big reason for that has been Marcus, who is typically one of the players who steps in and fights if need be. Or delivers a big hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cIt just propels you, and when things get tighter, games get tighter, and you have each other\u2019s backs, guys just feel more comfortable out there doing their thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that someone\u2019s going to answer the call and not shy down from that stuff, it just brings everyone into the battle a little bit more. It\u2019s just something that\u2019s always been an identity here in Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turnout said it all<\/p>\n
We should all be as loved as Jessi Pierce, the respected and very much missed former NHL.com writer and popular Wild podcaster.<\/p>\n
Well over a thousand people were in attendance during a four-hour block on Sunday for a public visitation in White Bear Lake to honor Jessi and her three kids, who tragically died in a house fire on March 21.<\/p>\n
It was beautiful and sad at the same time.<\/p>\n
There were colleagues, friends and family members, including Jessi\u2019s two brothers, her mother and father and her grieving husband, Mike Hinrichs. So many friends of her kids. Several people from the Wild came to pay their respects, including Guerin and his wife, Kara.<\/p>\n
And there were complete strangers who were fans of Jessi\u2019s public persona.<\/p>\n
It showed the impact Jessi had on everybody in the State of Hockey. Always smiling, always upbeat, always friendly, it was all so genuine with Jessi. She loved giving her time, she loved hockey, she loved people, and all of that was clearly felt in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessi was just \u2026 she was always happy, always in a good mood, always a pleasure to deal with,\u201d Guerin said. \u201cHer constant good mood made her unique. She was a ray of sunshine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Marcus Foligno, \u201cJust devastating. Just a fun woman. Just brought a smile wherever she went. \u2026 She just loved hockey and the community that hockey provides. You\u2019re just thinking about Jessi, the kids and her husband and her family and everyone that knew her and loved her. We\u2019ll definitely miss her around the rink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said captain Jared Spurgeon, \u201cShe was a special person that brought a lot of life to this room. She was always smiling, joking around. \u2026 It\u2019s still hard to really wrap your mind around it. We\u2019re all very, very shook. If you ever met her, you could feel the energy around her. I still remember when she would bring the kids into the dressing room, doing interviews, holding them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
Updates on the college players<\/p>\n
Nothing is ever easy for the Wild.<\/p>\n
All set to sign his entry-level deal, Wild 2023 first-round pick Charlie Stramel broke his ankle in his final college game for Michigan State \u2014 a loss to Wisconsin, which advanced to the Frozen Four.<\/p>\n
The injury has delayed the process, as the Wild seek further clarity on its extent. Still, the Wild will likely sign Stramel to his entry-level contract in the coming days and burn the first year of the deal. That means Stramel would join the team, rehab with them and potentially be available in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The University of Denver\u2019s Rieger Lorenz advanced to the Frozen Four as he seeks his second national championship. When his season ends, the 2022 second-round pick will likely sign a contract that starts in 2026-27.<\/p>\n
As for the University of Minnesota\u2019s Jimmy Clark, he is expected to return to school with the Wild retaining his rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 It didn\u2019t take long after the Tampa Bay Lightning\u2019s Scott Sabourin delivered a hit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556450,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4828,385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-556449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-minnesota-wild","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}