Last night's "Wild Town Hall" theme was all about accountability. From owner Craig Leipold and GM Chuck Fletcher to new head coach Bruce Boudreau, the Wild are in this to win the Stanley Cup.
That may seem like an obvious statement but when the words are spoken from each of the key parties leading the show, the message carries a lot more weight and the stakes just got raised a lot higher.
Owner Craig Leipold loves owning the Wild, and he stated that he relishes his position as owner of the State of Hockey's NHL franchise. He equated it to owning a football team in Texas or owning a basketball team in Indiana. Minnesota is the State of Hockey and Craig Leipold wants to bring the Stanley Cup here to the roots of American hockey. That commitment should be music to Minnesotans ears.
Bruce Boudreau fielded many questions from the Minnesota Wild faithful. They wanted to hear his views about everything from how he would position a forward in front of the net on the PP to how he would avoid the mid-season slumps that have haunted the Wild in recent seasons. Boudreau made it clear that players will be held accountable and will have to earn their ice time.
The point that really hit home to me from Boudreau, was when he talked about how tough the Wild teams were to face when he coached against them. He commented on how prepared they were and their attention to detail. But then he said he could never figure out why they didn't have more points. That too should be music to the Wild faithful ears as well, because their is a new leader in town and he is here with one single goal, to win the Stanley Cup.
Let's go crazy!