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WildHBcommunity: Huge Disappointment For Koivu Huge Expectations of Parise

February 10, 2014, 12:46 PM ET [21 Comments]
Tony Dean
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
WildHBcommunity: Huge Disappointment For Koivu Huge Expectations of Parise

My Heart Goes out To Kaptain Koivu

Here in the State of Hockey Mikko Koivu is a player that we take for granted not truly understanding how valuable and important his play and presence is to the Minnesota Wild. Koivu just announced that he does not believe himself healthy enough to compete in the Sochi Olympics. Team Finland lost their captain when Koivu determined he would not be capable of contributing which is a huge loss for them.

Koivu decision to pull out of Sochi in my opinion is as self-less and classy as it gets which is par for the course for him. Koivu not wanting to hurt Team Finland's chances as well as protecting the rest of his Wild season despite this being possibly the last olympics that NHLers will be able to participate is a huge personal sacrifice. I cant imagine how disappointed Koivu is right now.

Team Finland now has no Koivu on the roster as older brother Saku also declined his invitation also not feeling healthy enough to contribute to the team. The loss of the Koivu brothers and Valterri Filppula to a broken ankle on Friday has the Fins medal hopes in peril. The Wild's Mikael Granlund showed be prominently featured for Team Finland, currently it is assumed he will be playing on the top line with Aleksander Barkov and Teemu Selanne.

Selfishly Wild fans got good news when Kaptain Koivu pulled out of the olympics to give himself more time to recover from his broken ankle injury but there is no question in my mind that his decision weighed heavy on his heart and mind. I will be rooting for the the Finns in Sochi only after Team USA of course.

Zach Parise Will Lead Team USA to Gold in Sochi

Just watch this video and get fired up!



This USA hockey team is poised and positioned to win the Gold in Sochi in my opinion. With significant losses to other nations in recent days(Koivu, Sedin, Stamkos, Etc) the chances have increased that a repeat showdown of Team USA versus Team Canada is on the horizon in Sochi. Taking nothing away from any of the other nations as anything can happen but Team USA captained by Zach Parise is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Parise has been on fire since returning from a broken foot and his work ethic and passion will be infectious for Team USA in Sochi. Joining Parise for Team USA will be Ryan Suter who USA olympic fans will come to find out just never leaves the ice. Parise and Suter committed to each other in not only joining the Wild in free agency but also in leading Team USA as Suter has been selected as an assistant captain. Both Parise and Suter spoke about how important playing together in Vancouver for Team USA was to their friendship and respect for each other's talent.


Nino "KnightRider" Niederreiter Will be Playing Huge Role for Swiss




When Chuck Fletcher orchestrated the swap of fan favorite Cal Clutterbuck and a 3rd round draft pick for Nino Niederreiter during the 2013 NHL draft casual Wild fans and most specifically the lady Wild fans were upset and disappointed. Clutterbuck had been an easy player to become enamored with because of his energy and personality. Clutterbuck did very well to capture fans attention with his buzzing style and big hits. Clutterbuck at minimum had entertained the fans and captured their imagination especially during some very bland uninspired hockey for the Wild.

In Niederreiter Wild fans were able to watch his youtube highlights and read scouting reports about how talented the 20 year old Swiss forward was thought to be but his failure to launch with the Islanders was concerning. Since his arrival in Minnesota, Niederreiter has been so steady, hard working, and humble. Niederreiter continues to get better every time he hits the ice for the Wild this year and should be featured heavily in Sochi with the Swiss.

I am very interested to see Niederreiter compete against the best in the world with his home country on his back. The "KnightRider" or "El Nino" has been surprising complimentary in his time with the Wild this year showcasing great vision and playmaking skill. Wild head coach Mike Yeo has implored Niederreiter to let loose his hard shot this season and he has been finding the back of the net since. Niederreiter will be playing on the Swiss top line with Luca Cunti and Damien Brunner.

Just My Take,
Tony Dean

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