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Minnesota Wild Blogger •
It seems somewhat appropriate to introduce Chuck Fletcher as the new GM of the Minnesota Wild at the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S. It reminds Minnesota fans that Jacques Lemaire, Doug Risebrough and their philosophy of how the game of hockey should be played is all but a memory. No offense to Lemaire or Risebrough, but Minnesota fans needed a change. And with Chuck Fletcher, Minnesota fans will now get a taste of "up tempo, agressive, fast" hockey. However, Mr. Fletcher was quick to point out that every NHL team plays the dreaded "trap". So it won't be such a radical change, but his emphasis that he put forward at his news conference was that he wanted a team that is "more aggressive up ice"; to have 3 to 4 lines that can score i.e. depth; to have a team who's best players are committed to "paying the price"; players that will go to the net despite knowing they will be cross-checked; and a team that is offensive minded that won't back up and simply give up ice to it's opponent.
His first priority is selecting the next coach of the Minnesota Wild. Owner, Craig Leipold, indicated that all of the candidates that had in person interviews were asked about coaching candidates that would be on the "short list" and the same names kept coming up over and over. Sort of how Mr. Leipold describes talking to other NHL people about who they would look at for GM candidates. Apparently, the NHL people would always mention Chuck Fletcher and then some other name. But it was Fletcher's name that kept rising to the top and it was Fletcher who closed the door to all other candidates for GM awaiting 2nd in person interviews after completing his 2nd interview with the Wild.
Given the fact that I am short on time, allow me to offer some opinions after attending and participating in today's news conference: Chuck Fletcher seems that he will be a very good manager for the Wild and I do not believe that Marion Gaborik is Chuck Fletcher's type of player/person and, therefore, will not be a member of the Minnesota Wild next year (Note: up until today's news conference, I thought the Wild would make a serious run at Gaborik this offseason and offer as much money and/or longer term as anyone else). I will post another, more indepth article this weekend regarding today's news conference.
In speaking with player agent, Neil Sheehy, he said regarding Fletcher: "You're gonna like this guy" and that Chuck was "a first class guy". Owner, Craig Leipold, stated that player agents will have their work cut out for them with Mr. Fletcher as he was a very tough negotiater when it came to his undisclosed, multi-year contract that he hammered out last night with Mr. Leipold and the Minnesota Wild. Sheehy, who has negotiated with Fletcher in the past, stated that, above all, he was honest and well respected among the agents and that will serve him well as the Wild take their first major step forward as a franchise.
That's all for now. Enjoy the long weekend, be safe and look for a more indepth blog on today's news conference introducing Chuck Fletcher as the new GM of the Wild.
His first priority is selecting the next coach of the Minnesota Wild. Owner, Craig Leipold, indicated that all of the candidates that had in person interviews were asked about coaching candidates that would be on the "short list" and the same names kept coming up over and over. Sort of how Mr. Leipold describes talking to other NHL people about who they would look at for GM candidates. Apparently, the NHL people would always mention Chuck Fletcher and then some other name. But it was Fletcher's name that kept rising to the top and it was Fletcher who closed the door to all other candidates for GM awaiting 2nd in person interviews after completing his 2nd interview with the Wild.
Given the fact that I am short on time, allow me to offer some opinions after attending and participating in today's news conference: Chuck Fletcher seems that he will be a very good manager for the Wild and I do not believe that Marion Gaborik is Chuck Fletcher's type of player/person and, therefore, will not be a member of the Minnesota Wild next year (Note: up until today's news conference, I thought the Wild would make a serious run at Gaborik this offseason and offer as much money and/or longer term as anyone else). I will post another, more indepth article this weekend regarding today's news conference.
In speaking with player agent, Neil Sheehy, he said regarding Fletcher: "You're gonna like this guy" and that Chuck was "a first class guy". Owner, Craig Leipold, stated that player agents will have their work cut out for them with Mr. Fletcher as he was a very tough negotiater when it came to his undisclosed, multi-year contract that he hammered out last night with Mr. Leipold and the Minnesota Wild. Sheehy, who has negotiated with Fletcher in the past, stated that, above all, he was honest and well respected among the agents and that will serve him well as the Wild take their first major step forward as a franchise.
That's all for now. Enjoy the long weekend, be safe and look for a more indepth blog on today's news conference introducing Chuck Fletcher as the new GM of the Wild.
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