At the beginning of the season, there’s always that one fan. That one fan that can’t stop talking about how “This is our year! This is the year we win the Cup!” And you want to agree. You really do. But you know it’s not true. You know your team is just as mediocre as it was last year, and you know this is most definitely not your year.
But you smile and agree and cheer with him, because it doesn’t hurt to dream.
If you’re a Minnesota Wild fan, this has become a pretty standard experience over the past few seasons. You start the season with a glimmer of hope, and watch as it quickly fizzles away when your team tanks around mid-November.
But maybe, just maybe, this year will be different. Maybe this actually is our year, thanks to one key offseason acquisition:
Bruce Boudreau.
Out with the old
For the past six years, the Minnesota Wild have struggled to maintain consistency, much less win the Stanley Cup. The Wild have also struggled to find a perfect fit for the coaching position since Jacques Lemaire left. This might seem like an exaggeration, but let’s really think about it.
Todd Richards’ time in Minnesota was nothing to write home about.
Then there’s Mike Yeo. Yeo seemed like a great guy, and I know — the team gave up on him, and cost him his job, and he was a really quality guy, etc. etc. Maybe that’s all true, but Yeo was never going to be the coach that led the Wild to the Cup, regardless of whether he was a nice guy.
And lastly, we have John Torchetti, who was a great interim coach in Minnesota’s time of need. Yet, much like his predecessor, Torchetti just couldn’t give this team the stability it needed. After his newness wore off, the Wild reverted to its characteristic rollercoaster style of play, exiting the playoffs disappointingly in the second round. Making it to the second round of the playoffs doesn’t exactly sound like a failure, but for the Minnesota Wild fanbase, just barely squeezing into the postseason is no longer good enough.
The State of Hockey wanted more. And that’s what it got.
In with the new
After years of middling coaches and turbulent play, the Minnesota Wild finally seem to have a chance with Boudreau behind the bench. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a Wild fan. I’m saying it because it’s true.
Boudreau, the former head coach of the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks, has everything Minnesota’s former coaches lacked. He has more coaching experience than Richards, Yeo and Torchetti combined; an offensive mindset and a history of consistency; and, according to Brad Lauer, Anaheim’s former assistant coach, the ability to hold his team accountable.
“He’s very, very honest with you as a player,” Lauer said in an interview with the StarTribune. “That’s what players really like. There’s no gray area. You’re not in the lineup, he’ll tell you exactly why you’re not in the lineup. You’re not playing well, he’ll tell you why you’re not playing well.”
While Minnesota’s players might not exactly like Boudreau’s no-nonsense attitude, it’s what they need. This team walked all over Yeo last season, and he lost his job as a result. Yeo was hesitant to bench certain defunct veterans and to play youngsters that deserved a chance. He always seemed afraid to speak the truth or shake things up.
Minnesota’s new addition doesn’t seem to have that problem. Boudreau’s not going to sugarcoat things, and he’s certainly not going to hesitate when it comes to telling players they need to step it up.
Honesty and experience. That’s something Minnesota desperately needs.
Time for a change
Don’t get me wrong: the Wild’s former coaches had experience. It’s not like Chuck Fletcher just grabbed some guy off the street and asked him to coach the team (although that’s what it felt like at times). It just wasn’t enough experience.
Before joining the Wild, Richards, Yeo and Torchetti acquired most of their coaching experience in the minor leagues. That doesn’t mean they were bad coaches. It just means they were all inadequately equipped to deal with an already struggling team full of young players that needed guidance and veteran players that didn’t want to respect a coach who had never seen time in the NHL.
Boudreau certainly doesn’t have to worry about any of that. He’s not the kind of coach the Wild can walk all over. He’s fiery, respected, and knows how to deal with almost any situation this team might throw at him. Issues that caused Richards, Yeo and Torchetti to sweat are things Boudreau’s likely experienced countless times. He knows how to deal with bad attitudes, sloppy play and slumps. He knows how to bring a team together. He’s loud and outspoken. He’s everything this team isn’t, and everything they need to become. While the name of Minnesota’s game has been inconsistency, the name of Boudreau’s has been stability.
Looking ahead
Maybe I’ve been listening to that guy yelling “this is our year” a little too much. Or maybe this is all completely true, and Boudreau is exactly what Minnesota needs. I mean, come on. The guy is pretty good. He has the best point percentage among active coaches (.659), and an all-time record of 409-192-80. He was the fastest NHL coach to win 400 games, and he has 200-plus wins with both Anaheim and Washington. In addition to all of that, he’s also coached his way to eight division titles over the past nine season. Not too shabby, Gabby.
The Minnesota Wild roster is loaded with an insane amount of talent. Now it’s up to Boudreau to get his new team to live up to its massive potential. I don’t think he’ll have a problem. Plus, this is our year, right?