Wild picspam (for my hockey big bang fic)
Oct. 21st, 2013 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oanjaI thought it might be helpful to make a small picspam for people who aren't familiar with the Wild, but who might still want to read my fic. This is not a comprehensive Wild primer in any sense, and I only cover maybe about 20% of the players, but these are the most important for my fic. (All photos have been scoured either from tumlr or google image search and I haven't taken any of them. If you find your photo/gif here, feel free to let me know and I will credit you. I took some of the screencaps from the wild site, but that's about it)
Let's start off with Zach Parise, who is by far the most well known Wild player. Also the main character of my fic.
Quick notes about him as a player:
Everyone seems to agree that Zach is a really good player, who scores most of his goals from a few feet away from the net, which is pretty impressive for a guy who is only 5ft 11 (imo it's ridiculous how this is short in the world of hockey... Seems pretty tall to me.) He fights for the puck on the boards and isn't afraid to go to the 'tough areas of the ice'. Is considered hard working and the type of guy who never has an 'off night'. He was one of the few players on the Wild team who had positive Fenwick/Corsi numbers last year (basically just the first line managed that) so he's a good possession player as well. Plays on the PP and PK, so he's not only an offencive minded player but also a good two-way guy. Led the team in goals last season.
He seems good with the press and isn't afraid to say the team sucked if he wasn't satisfied with how the team played, or to criticize his own game for the same reason. This is seen as a very good thing in Minnesota and a lot of people would like him to be the team captain because of his frankness. (also because he's from Minnesota and not a weird foreigner...)
He was the alternate captain back in New Jersey in 2009 and served as the captain his last year there (2011-2012) when the Devils made it to the final. Parise had played his whole pro career with the Devils before coming to Minnie.
I won't go to the trade, because it seems like everyone knows about the Parise Suter sweepstakes. Cliff-notes version: they had wanted to play on the same team for a while and once they both became free agents at the same time they took their chance. A lot of teams courted them, separately or together, but they decided on the Wild in the end (Parise and his wife are from Minnesota and Suter's wife's family is from there, although they spend the off season in Wisconsin where Ryan is from). Zach's dad used to play for the North Stars (the old Minnesotan team, now the Dallas Stars) and was the captain back in the day. The Wild paid a lot of money for both of them, which makes some fans laugh and think it was a mistake. I guess we'll see.
And on to the photos:
He is a good looking guy by most standards and it definitely helps that he likes to smile and has all his teeth left.
He turned 29 in July, plays left wing, looks good in a suit and wears number 11 (he used to wear 9 back in Jersey, but that's Mikko's number on the Wild)
Did I mention the smile already?
Let's look at it some more... (also he's the alternate captain with Ryan Suter and they got the honor before ever playing a game with the Wild. Not that anyone seemed to mind)
He can be serious too (a rare cap of him actually looking up while doing an interview.)
Usually he does a lot of this (seems pretty common among hockey players though)
Good angle on him...
cutie-patootie...
And now you should be able to recognize him, right? :D
He's pretty much a lock for the USA Olympic team (if he's healthy)
He was there last time, when things didn't go so well for the US (scored the game tying goal, which led to the overtime)
But I don't like thinking about sad Zach, so let's instead have more happy Zach. That is the best kind.
I don't know why, but people seem to like seeing guys lick their lips, so here goes: (with extra mouth guard gnawing, which should also be a crowd pleaser. ;))
and lastly here he is being twirled around by the head coach Mike Yeo. I know I didn't teach you anything new about him as a hockey player, but this is almost worth it on its own, maybe?
Here is the lone goal he scored against the Hawks in the playoffs. It's pretty bad quality, but you get to see the all important after-goal-hug happen and it's great.
Here is the same hug captured in a photo. Everybody getting smushed by Mikko
I was going to link to a few videos from the Wild site, but they won't embed... *grr*
So instead here is a charming interview where he answers questions about 'what is your favourite...'
This is just hilarious to me. I don't even know what to say...
Moving on now...
Mikko Koivu
Is from Finland, he turned 30 in Mach and he's 6ft 2. He came over to the States in 2004, when he played the lockout season in the AHL. He's played his whole North American career with the Wild organization. They mentioned in the first game this season, that nobody on the current team has been there longer than Mikko (he's outlasted all his teammates so far). He was named the team's first permanents captain back in late 2009 (before that the captaincy rotated and Mikko had been either an A or C for about a year.) After that season he signed a long term contract with the team. (this was seen as big commitment and a sign of loyalty from him, as he was a good player on a pretty bad team)
On the ice Mikko is hardworking two way center, who is more likely to pass than to shoot (some people see this as a problem.) Last season he had the same amount of points as Zach, but Mikko mostly got assists while Zach got the goals, go figure...) He's good defensively and at the face-off dot. He was considered the best player on the team until the arrival of Parise and Suter and the team had a tendency to collapse if he wasn't playing well or especially when he was out of the lineup because of injuries. (a big chunk of the blame for the Wild losing to the Hawks in the play-offs landed squarely on Mikko's shoulders, fairly or not)
He doesn't appear to like talking to the press, especially right after games (which is a difference in culture between the NHL and Finland, where the press doesn't have access to the locker room). He has a tendency to resort to platitudes or cliches (oh my god he says 'obviously' a million times per interview) and it's hard to say if it's because of language trouble or if he just can't be bothered to speak his mind. He never (that I know of) throws the team under the bus, no matter how badly the game went. (which is seen as being a weak leader by some fans, who want things/people called out.)
As a captain he's really serious about team bonding... There is a rumor/fact circulating that one of the reasons Martin Havlat was traded away from the team was that he and Mikko didn't get along: a) because Mikko didn't think his work ethic was high enough and b) Havlar had a habit of skipping team meals/activities.
He also works with the rookies. This summer he trained with Granlund in Finland and had Nino over for a while as well.
Seems to be very well liked by the players and coaching staff.
here is a great article by the Wild's beat writer Michael Russo about how Mikko has finally loosened up now that he's a dad. This is a great quote from it: "DULUTH – The Wild captain is relaxed, happy and smiling. It’s been that way throughout training camp, quite the contrast for the normally serious, steely-eyed Mikko Koivu."
Now some photos:
He's generally a rather goofy looking dude, who also has all his teeth left incidentally. He comes from the long respected mold of Nordic hockey players with blond hair and blue eyes. Here he's sporting the Wild's Christmas jersey that I have actually grown to like... Also this looks like a very old photo, he's not that fresh faced anymore.
He makes this face a lot when talking to the press (the head tilt and eye contact. Not big on looking at the cameras though)
More interview caps. Like I said, big on the eye contact with the person who asked the question. Also lip pursing.
His eyebrows are almost invisible, which is rather unfortunate imo
On the ice he mostly looks pissed off
There is no love lost between him and the Canucks.
Here is a clip of him stealing Burrow's glove...
I love how it looks like Clutterbuck is hiding behind him. :D (he doesn't fight though, *soft euro*)
A writer for the Wild's SB nation blog recently said that Mikko can be terrifying sometimes and that she'd seen him make someone cry in the locker room. (she didn't say who, but my guess would be a member of the press), so you know... there is that.
Because I talked about Zach and the Olympics, I have to mention Mikko too. Everyone in Finland already knows that Mikko will be the captain of the team (barring injury) He was the team captain when Finland won the world championship in 2011 and it was a big deal back here (we take the worlds a lot more seriously here in Europe)
Most likely he was very drunk while he did this on national TV during the gold medal celebration (I think tens of thousands of people were also watching this happen live in Helsinki. I'm very jealous of those people)
He was also on the last Olympic team when Finland won the bronze. (Finland actually has medals from 4 of the last five Olympics. [insert the 'the more you know' gif here :D]) Also, Hi Teemu, hi!
Then a few random things here at the end
You have most likely seen that gif/video of Toews tripping a little kid by accident? Well that pales in comparison with how Mikko plays with kids...
here is the whole video. The music really tops it off... :D
Here is a Nike commercial thing about Mikko, idk, I thought it was pretty cool and you get a peek at his house
Here is the Becoming Wild episode of Mikko. It's quite long, but shows a more easygoing side of him (sadly the episode about Zach hasn't aired yet, but I'm sure there has to be one this season)
Oops, this almost turned into a Mikko Koivu spam... Moving on now
Ryan Suter seems to be Zach's bff. He's 28, plays defence (should have won the Norris last season) and is 6ft.1
I don't really know that much about him, other than he's very very good at his job and seems down to earth. There was an article about him just recently, which I think says a lot about him. you can read the whole thing here
A few quotes from it:
“For me, it was college hockey. My uncle played at Wisconsin. My dad played at Wisconsin. For me, it was play college, work at my dad’s rink when I’m older and then work landscaping with my brother. That’s all I ever wanted.”
About the Norris nomination: “I’d rather just go out and have nothing said and nothing written about me. Looking back now, I guess it’s pretty cool. But it doesn’t make a guy’s career, I don’t think, if they win a Norris Trophy or are a finalist. I mean, my uncle was one of the best defensemen in the league for a long time, and he never won the Norris. He was Rookie of the Year, but I don’t think a Norris makes or breaks you.
“It just was kind of an inconvenience.”
“I know I probably shouldn’t say that, but it is,” Suter said in his typical quiet, laid-back way. “I want to be the best player. I just want to be the best player … without anybody noticing. Some guys love the attention. Some guys play in the NHL just so they can say they played in the NHL. I just like playing … and want to win a Stanley Cup.”
Suter is “just simple and down to earth,” Dowell said. “When we were in college, the guy would drive around in his truck in snowstorms and look for people in ditches to pull them out. He’s a country boy.”
I Don't even know? He's approaching Bergeron levels of perfect...
A few photos:
(seems to also have all his teeth... Perhaps there is a theme to this spam)
With his kids (ADORABLE!!!!)
Can look confused while on ice
There is an interview of him after the first playoff game where he played all the minutes and got asked about it a lot. He's surprisingly funny. (talks about playing floor hockey with his kid after the game and being a good glider, which explains why he doesn't get tired...) but because LJ is being a dick and won't let me embed it, you'll just have to take my word for it. >_>
Jason Pominville aka Pommer
Got him at the trade deadline last season. He's 30, plays right wing and is 6ft. tall. Used to be the captain of the Sabres before he was traded and had played his whole career there. He plays (mostly) with Mikko and Zach on the first line, which has already been dubbed the Captain line, for obvious reasons. Seems quiet and soft spoken, and got criticized for that back when he was in Buffalo (not captain material, because bad with the press... So he has something in common with Mikko already) Signed a five year extension right before this new season started.
A few photos:
He doesn't have a lot of hair
part 2 will has stuff about the rookies, group photos and a few pics of Zach's and Mikko's families
Let's start off with Zach Parise, who is by far the most well known Wild player. Also the main character of my fic.
Quick notes about him as a player:
Everyone seems to agree that Zach is a really good player, who scores most of his goals from a few feet away from the net, which is pretty impressive for a guy who is only 5ft 11 (imo it's ridiculous how this is short in the world of hockey... Seems pretty tall to me.) He fights for the puck on the boards and isn't afraid to go to the 'tough areas of the ice'. Is considered hard working and the type of guy who never has an 'off night'. He was one of the few players on the Wild team who had positive Fenwick/Corsi numbers last year (basically just the first line managed that) so he's a good possession player as well. Plays on the PP and PK, so he's not only an offencive minded player but also a good two-way guy. Led the team in goals last season.
He seems good with the press and isn't afraid to say the team sucked if he wasn't satisfied with how the team played, or to criticize his own game for the same reason. This is seen as a very good thing in Minnesota and a lot of people would like him to be the team captain because of his frankness. (also because he's from Minnesota and not a weird foreigner...)
He was the alternate captain back in New Jersey in 2009 and served as the captain his last year there (2011-2012) when the Devils made it to the final. Parise had played his whole pro career with the Devils before coming to Minnie.
I won't go to the trade, because it seems like everyone knows about the Parise Suter sweepstakes. Cliff-notes version: they had wanted to play on the same team for a while and once they both became free agents at the same time they took their chance. A lot of teams courted them, separately or together, but they decided on the Wild in the end (Parise and his wife are from Minnesota and Suter's wife's family is from there, although they spend the off season in Wisconsin where Ryan is from). Zach's dad used to play for the North Stars (the old Minnesotan team, now the Dallas Stars) and was the captain back in the day. The Wild paid a lot of money for both of them, which makes some fans laugh and think it was a mistake. I guess we'll see.
And on to the photos:
He is a good looking guy by most standards and it definitely helps that he likes to smile and has all his teeth left.
He turned 29 in July, plays left wing, looks good in a suit and wears number 11 (he used to wear 9 back in Jersey, but that's Mikko's number on the Wild)
Did I mention the smile already?
Let's look at it some more... (also he's the alternate captain with Ryan Suter and they got the honor before ever playing a game with the Wild. Not that anyone seemed to mind)
He can be serious too (a rare cap of him actually looking up while doing an interview.)
Usually he does a lot of this (seems pretty common among hockey players though)
Good angle on him...
cutie-patootie...
And now you should be able to recognize him, right? :D
He's pretty much a lock for the USA Olympic team (if he's healthy)
He was there last time, when things didn't go so well for the US (scored the game tying goal, which led to the overtime)
But I don't like thinking about sad Zach, so let's instead have more happy Zach. That is the best kind.
I don't know why, but people seem to like seeing guys lick their lips, so here goes: (with extra mouth guard gnawing, which should also be a crowd pleaser. ;))
and lastly here he is being twirled around by the head coach Mike Yeo. I know I didn't teach you anything new about him as a hockey player, but this is almost worth it on its own, maybe?
Here is the lone goal he scored against the Hawks in the playoffs. It's pretty bad quality, but you get to see the all important after-goal-hug happen and it's great.
Here is the same hug captured in a photo. Everybody getting smushed by Mikko
I was going to link to a few videos from the Wild site, but they won't embed... *grr*
So instead here is a charming interview where he answers questions about 'what is your favourite...'
This is just hilarious to me. I don't even know what to say...
Moving on now...
Mikko Koivu
Is from Finland, he turned 30 in Mach and he's 6ft 2. He came over to the States in 2004, when he played the lockout season in the AHL. He's played his whole North American career with the Wild organization. They mentioned in the first game this season, that nobody on the current team has been there longer than Mikko (he's outlasted all his teammates so far). He was named the team's first permanents captain back in late 2009 (before that the captaincy rotated and Mikko had been either an A or C for about a year.) After that season he signed a long term contract with the team. (this was seen as big commitment and a sign of loyalty from him, as he was a good player on a pretty bad team)
On the ice Mikko is hardworking two way center, who is more likely to pass than to shoot (some people see this as a problem.) Last season he had the same amount of points as Zach, but Mikko mostly got assists while Zach got the goals, go figure...) He's good defensively and at the face-off dot. He was considered the best player on the team until the arrival of Parise and Suter and the team had a tendency to collapse if he wasn't playing well or especially when he was out of the lineup because of injuries. (a big chunk of the blame for the Wild losing to the Hawks in the play-offs landed squarely on Mikko's shoulders, fairly or not)
He doesn't appear to like talking to the press, especially right after games (which is a difference in culture between the NHL and Finland, where the press doesn't have access to the locker room). He has a tendency to resort to platitudes or cliches (oh my god he says 'obviously' a million times per interview) and it's hard to say if it's because of language trouble or if he just can't be bothered to speak his mind. He never (that I know of) throws the team under the bus, no matter how badly the game went. (which is seen as being a weak leader by some fans, who want things/people called out.)
As a captain he's really serious about team bonding... There is a rumor/fact circulating that one of the reasons Martin Havlat was traded away from the team was that he and Mikko didn't get along: a) because Mikko didn't think his work ethic was high enough and b) Havlar had a habit of skipping team meals/activities.
He also works with the rookies. This summer he trained with Granlund in Finland and had Nino over for a while as well.
Seems to be very well liked by the players and coaching staff.
here is a great article by the Wild's beat writer Michael Russo about how Mikko has finally loosened up now that he's a dad. This is a great quote from it: "DULUTH – The Wild captain is relaxed, happy and smiling. It’s been that way throughout training camp, quite the contrast for the normally serious, steely-eyed Mikko Koivu."
Now some photos:
He's generally a rather goofy looking dude, who also has all his teeth left incidentally. He comes from the long respected mold of Nordic hockey players with blond hair and blue eyes. Here he's sporting the Wild's Christmas jersey that I have actually grown to like... Also this looks like a very old photo, he's not that fresh faced anymore.
He makes this face a lot when talking to the press (the head tilt and eye contact. Not big on looking at the cameras though)
More interview caps. Like I said, big on the eye contact with the person who asked the question. Also lip pursing.
His eyebrows are almost invisible, which is rather unfortunate imo
On the ice he mostly looks pissed off
There is no love lost between him and the Canucks.
Here is a clip of him stealing Burrow's glove...
I love how it looks like Clutterbuck is hiding behind him. :D (he doesn't fight though, *soft euro*)
A writer for the Wild's SB nation blog recently said that Mikko can be terrifying sometimes and that she'd seen him make someone cry in the locker room. (she didn't say who, but my guess would be a member of the press), so you know... there is that.
Because I talked about Zach and the Olympics, I have to mention Mikko too. Everyone in Finland already knows that Mikko will be the captain of the team (barring injury) He was the team captain when Finland won the world championship in 2011 and it was a big deal back here (we take the worlds a lot more seriously here in Europe)
Most likely he was very drunk while he did this on national TV during the gold medal celebration (I think tens of thousands of people were also watching this happen live in Helsinki. I'm very jealous of those people)
He was also on the last Olympic team when Finland won the bronze. (Finland actually has medals from 4 of the last five Olympics. [insert the 'the more you know' gif here :D]) Also, Hi Teemu, hi!
Then a few random things here at the end
You have most likely seen that gif/video of Toews tripping a little kid by accident? Well that pales in comparison with how Mikko plays with kids...
here is the whole video. The music really tops it off... :D
Here is a Nike commercial thing about Mikko, idk, I thought it was pretty cool and you get a peek at his house
Here is the Becoming Wild episode of Mikko. It's quite long, but shows a more easygoing side of him (sadly the episode about Zach hasn't aired yet, but I'm sure there has to be one this season)
Oops, this almost turned into a Mikko Koivu spam... Moving on now
Ryan Suter seems to be Zach's bff. He's 28, plays defence (should have won the Norris last season) and is 6ft.1
I don't really know that much about him, other than he's very very good at his job and seems down to earth. There was an article about him just recently, which I think says a lot about him. you can read the whole thing here
A few quotes from it:
“For me, it was college hockey. My uncle played at Wisconsin. My dad played at Wisconsin. For me, it was play college, work at my dad’s rink when I’m older and then work landscaping with my brother. That’s all I ever wanted.”
About the Norris nomination: “I’d rather just go out and have nothing said and nothing written about me. Looking back now, I guess it’s pretty cool. But it doesn’t make a guy’s career, I don’t think, if they win a Norris Trophy or are a finalist. I mean, my uncle was one of the best defensemen in the league for a long time, and he never won the Norris. He was Rookie of the Year, but I don’t think a Norris makes or breaks you.
“It just was kind of an inconvenience.”
“I know I probably shouldn’t say that, but it is,” Suter said in his typical quiet, laid-back way. “I want to be the best player. I just want to be the best player … without anybody noticing. Some guys love the attention. Some guys play in the NHL just so they can say they played in the NHL. I just like playing … and want to win a Stanley Cup.”
Suter is “just simple and down to earth,” Dowell said. “When we were in college, the guy would drive around in his truck in snowstorms and look for people in ditches to pull them out. He’s a country boy.”
I Don't even know? He's approaching Bergeron levels of perfect...
A few photos:
(seems to also have all his teeth... Perhaps there is a theme to this spam)
With his kids (ADORABLE!!!!)
Can look confused while on ice
There is an interview of him after the first playoff game where he played all the minutes and got asked about it a lot. He's surprisingly funny. (talks about playing floor hockey with his kid after the game and being a good glider, which explains why he doesn't get tired...) but because LJ is being a dick and won't let me embed it, you'll just have to take my word for it. >_>
Jason Pominville aka Pommer
Got him at the trade deadline last season. He's 30, plays right wing and is 6ft. tall. Used to be the captain of the Sabres before he was traded and had played his whole career there. He plays (mostly) with Mikko and Zach on the first line, which has already been dubbed the Captain line, for obvious reasons. Seems quiet and soft spoken, and got criticized for that back when he was in Buffalo (not captain material, because bad with the press... So he has something in common with Mikko already) Signed a five year extension right before this new season started.
A few photos:
He doesn't have a lot of hair
part 2 will has stuff about the rookies, group photos and a few pics of Zach's and Mikko's families
