The Wild are officially hot! Six wins in a row and unbeaten in seven straight after last night's 5-2 win in Nashville. They are 8-1-3 in their last 12 overall, and have climbed to within 6 points of division leading Chicago with 3 games in hand.
Bruce Boudreau deserves a lot of credit for how this team is taking shape. He is quickly stamping his mark on the team and they are responding with a much better approach on a nightly basis. The results are heading in the right direction.
There were many that criticized the move to bring in Boudreau citing his recent failures in the playoffs and particularly in game 7s. This is not the playoffs by any stretch of the imagination, but how a coach handles a team and gets them to respond night in and night out during the highs and lows of an 82 game grind is the first step to getting the opportunity to play those meaningful games in the Spring.
Boudreau has an impressive track record of getting his teams to perform at a high level winning an astonishing 8 division titles in his 9 years behind an NHL bench. Game 7 losses aside, Boudreau is a winner and a refreshing change for the Wild and the State of Hockey faithful.
The regular season is a marathon and in this day of 24/7 news and over analysis we tend to get too high and too low with each passing day. Bruce Boudreau has a keen sense of how to keep his team engaged. There are times he needs to pull back and there are times he needs to let loose and call them out. But in the end every player knows that Boudreau has their back and the best interest of the team at heart.
Switching gears as we head into the holiday season we are all looking for great gift ideas:
First to preface this, Howard Shapiro had approached me and asked if I would read his book and give a short review. I have no monetary interest in the publication, just giving my input to our friendly hockey community.
"Hockey Karma" by Howard Shapiro.
The graphic novel is the sequel to "The Hockey Saint" from "The Forever Friends Series"
Hockey Karma is the follow up to " The Hockey Saint" and takes place 10 years later, following aging hockey superstar Jeremiah "Jake" Jacobson. Hockey Karma touches on topics that we face each and every day. The issue of substance dependency, women in sports and journalism and family relationships are all intertwined in this hockey storyline. There is even a very good political point tackled in a very inspiring way, and not left wing or right wing focused either.
It is a graphic novel geared more to a younger audience, but at the same time dealing with real life issues. No matter what age the reader there is something to take away from this enjoyable tale of hockey and lifelong friends.
http://www.animalmediagroup.com/shop/hockey-karma/