Minnesota Wild 2010-2011 First-Half Review and Awards

I suppose it's about that time, huh folks? We've seen an ... interesting season in the NHL. Spin-o-rama's, shoot-out controversies, #DanEllisProblems, Bribery in Toronto, a decision finally made in the desert, the gutting of a World Champion, The rise of the Stamkos, Adrian Dater being ... Adrian Dater and much much more.

Let's be honest, none of that crap really matters. What matters is the team we love and whether or not they are succeeding in their goal of building a Stanley Cup contender.

Easy answer - No. Good lord no. Not yet anyway.

I think what this ultimately comes down to is that the Wild have proven they are not good enough nor bad enough. Frankly, they're in the least optimal position in which to find a professional sports franchise. Mediocre. Our prediction before the season was that the Wild would be between 10th and 12th. I would be shocked if they finish somewhere else.

What am I looking forward to in the second half? Press Box Popcorn and learning about Gabriel Landeskog, Joel Armia, Dmitri Jaskin and Sven Bärtschi.

What would a first-half review be without looking at the awards, so let's get to it

Bryan's review/preview:

Circular Theory:

I am expecting to be as frustrated with the Wild during the second half of the season as I was in the first half. Seriously! For a team that has outshot opposing teams only 4 times this season (only one of those games being a win), you would think the team would be consistently bad. Surprisingly, the Wild have found ways to win (leads the league with 20 wins after being outshot), including a number of "hit the boards behind the net and hope it rebounds in front" type of goals. In addition, our second period play is horrendous, scoring only 28 goals in the second period (good for 2nd last in the league).
However, there are some bright spots, such as the improved play of Cal Clutterbuck, Martin Havlat and Brent Burns have kept the Wild afloat. Of course, we can’t forget key players like Mikko Koivu or Andrew Brunette but the previously stated players are having career years (or in Havlat’s case, having a hell of an improvement year).
It is not a good practice to be outshot by teams on a consistent basis but the Wild still manage to win, so the major question is, how long the Wild can hold on with only five points separating the Wild at 10th and the Predators at 4th?

Monica:

I think someone was confused when I asked for a first-half review, second-half preview, since she posted hers yesterday, then sent me an email from "LidSTRoMfaN97@RedWinGZR00L.NeT"

J-S:

Ridiculous, all I did was ask for one small thing, and dude went OFF on me.