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Even though he was a beloved member of their blue line for the past four-plus seasons, very few Minnesota Wild fans likely owned Jake Middleton T-shirts. It would not have made any sense, for a shutdown shot blocker known for doing postgame interviews with his bare chest and myriad tattoos on full display.
When the Wild traded the 30-year-old to Calgary on Thursday, the team’s general manager admitted it was a tough decision.
“Midsy’s one of my favorite guys that I’ve ever had. You know, the whole thing, how hard he played for us, always willing to stick up for teammates and things like that,” Bill Guerin said, after the Wild sent Middleton and three draft picks to the Calgary Flames for forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta. “Just his personality, you know, the no-shirt interviews and all that stuff.”
That move, coming roughly 24 hours after another big locker-room presence in Mats Zuccarello signing a free agent contract with Los Angeles, leaves two holes to be filled on the ice, and a massive void in terms of personality off the ice.
Zuccarello, who will be 39 soon and stands to make $6 million with the Kings next season, was the classic stand-up guy since joining the Wild in 2019.
For example, the way postgame interviews work is maybe halfway through the third period, members of the media request three or four players they want to speak to in the locker room. The team’s media relations staff writes those players’ numbers on a whiteboard, to let them know they will be interviewed. Always frank and honest, Zuccarello was known to, now and then, wipe his number off the whiteboard following wins, and just as often would make himself available, whether he had been requested or not, following a loss.
But whether or not he made himself available to talk, the familiar smile was always there, and his sense of humor could barely be matched.
Last October, when the crown prince of Norway — Zuccarello’s home country — visited the Twin Cities, the Wild forward met with the royal at an arena in Minneapolis and conducted a free on-ice clinic for a few dozen kids. When asked later what it was like to meet his country’s monarchs, Zuccarello had a mock-arrogant comeback at the ready.
“It was nice for him to meet the real prince of Norway,” Zuccarello said with sly grin.
The on-ice impact was clear for all to see. Middleton with his shot-blocking. Zuccarello with his, thus far, unmatched chemistry alongside Kirill Kaprizov. It’s no accident that with Zuccarello out of the lineup early last season, Minnesota won three of its first dozen games, and when he returned. the Wild went on a 10-0-2 run.
All of that made Guerin’s job last week even tougher. But in the desire to tweak a lineup that most believe can be a Stanley Cup contender next season, he said the goal was to get a little younger and faster. And that meant a net loss of personality in the locker room.
“This is a business. This is the business part of it,” Guerin said while heaping praise on both Middleton and Zuccarello for all they did in Minnesota. “Sometimes it’s tough. But you just, you have to move on.”
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When the Wild traded the 30-year-old to Calgary on Thursday, the team’s general manager admitted it was a tough decision.
“Midsy’s one of my favorite guys that I’ve ever had. You know, the whole thing, how hard he played for us, always willing to stick up for teammates and things like that,” Bill Guerin said, after the Wild sent Middleton and three draft picks to the Calgary Flames for forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta. “Just his personality, you know, the no-shirt interviews and all that stuff.”
That move, coming roughly 24 hours after another big locker-room presence in Mats Zuccarello signing a free agent contract with Los Angeles, leaves two holes to be filled on the ice, and a massive void in terms of personality off the ice.
Zuccarello, who will be 39 soon and stands to make $6 million with the Kings next season, was the classic stand-up guy since joining the Wild in 2019.
For example, the way postgame interviews work is maybe halfway through the third period, members of the media request three or four players they want to speak to in the locker room. The team’s media relations staff writes those players’ numbers on a whiteboard, to let them know they will be interviewed. Always frank and honest, Zuccarello was known to, now and then, wipe his number off the whiteboard following wins, and just as often would make himself available, whether he had been requested or not, following a loss.
But whether or not he made himself available to talk, the familiar smile was always there, and his sense of humor could barely be matched.
Last October, when the crown prince of Norway — Zuccarello’s home country — visited the Twin Cities, the Wild forward met with the royal at an arena in Minneapolis and conducted a free on-ice clinic for a few dozen kids. When asked later what it was like to meet his country’s monarchs, Zuccarello had a mock-arrogant comeback at the ready.
“It was nice for him to meet the real prince of Norway,” Zuccarello said with sly grin.
The on-ice impact was clear for all to see. Middleton with his shot-blocking. Zuccarello with his, thus far, unmatched chemistry alongside Kirill Kaprizov. It’s no accident that with Zuccarello out of the lineup early last season, Minnesota won three of its first dozen games, and when he returned. the Wild went on a 10-0-2 run.
All of that made Guerin’s job last week even tougher. But in the desire to tweak a lineup that most believe can be a Stanley Cup contender next season, he said the goal was to get a little younger and faster. And that meant a net loss of personality in the locker room.
“This is a business. This is the business part of it,” Guerin said while heaping praise on both Middleton and Zuccarello for all they did in Minnesota. “Sometimes it’s tough. But you just, you have to move on.”
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