Byline: STAFF WRITER
Andrew Brunette has a lot more hockey left in him, but the veteran showed he may have a solid broadcasting career ahead of him during the Wild's skill competition Sunday.
The Wild's third all-time leading scorer sounded like a natural behind the mike as he interviewed teammates and high school athletes during a funny feature that can be seen on wild.nhl.tv.
Some of Brunette's most comical lines:
-To accuracy shooting winner Kim Johnsson: 'Does it really count when you hit the target and it doesn't even break?'
-To Martin Havlat: 'We have deceptive shots. They're actually not as fast as they look.'
-To righthanded shot Owen Nolan, who took lefthanded shot Nick Schultz's stick and scored in the shootout: 'So there is a goal in there.'
-To Schultz, who pointed at Hopkins goalie Alex Fons during a shootout attempt before missing wide: 'When you pointed, were you pointing to the glass? I thought you were pointing to the [fan] in the yellow up there.'
-Schultz also had a funny line about Eric Belanger, who's known among Wild teammates to be a tad negative: 'He's got a newfound attitude. He's so positive lately. He's really just like driving our team right now.'
Hockey Day affection
Coach Todd Richards conducted his pregame media session Saturday with one eye on reporters and the other on a small TV anchored on a wall in an interview room.
A short time later, players and personnel were tuned into a TV hanging above an equipment drawer behind the locker room.
It was Hockey Day Minnesota, and just about everyone seemed to be enthralled with the outdoor high school games taking place on Fox Sports North.
'If I were a high school kid from Minnesota, I would love this,' right wing Cal Clutterbuck said. 'It kind of puts this on a big stage, everyone's coming out to watch you. It's great for the fans and the state and I'm sure it's tons of fun for these kids.'
Every NHL player has a story or two of growing up playing on outdoor rinks. Some have kept that tradition alive.
Schultz has a pond behind his home. To keep the surface smooth, Schultz bought a RinkRake. It's a device you attach to a garden hose and drag across the ice like the flap on the back of a Zamboni.
'I like to get out there and give it a little flood,' Schultz said. 'It's something that my son this year is getting into a little bit more.'
Etc.
-Last week, center Andrew Ebbett accidentally knocked over a few teammates' sticks while putting his away in the stick room, causing him to quip, 'I'm trying to rub it on someone else's to get some goals.' Ebbett has not scored since Dec. 5.
-Wild minor league defense-man Maxim Noreau, who played in the AHL All-Star Game, was named the AHL player of the week for scoring three goals and four assists in two games.
-Limited spots remain for the Wild Fantasy Camp on Feb. 12. Men and women 21 or over with high school or college experience can participate. The eight-hour camp includes a chance to watch the Wild's morning skate; a Chalk Talk from GM Chuck Fletcher; on-ice drills with former NHLers Brad Bombardir, Jim Dowd, Darby Hendrickson and Shjon Podein; a game with NHL Alumni; a dinner; two tickets to the Wild-Thrashers game; and more. Cost is $795. To register, call 651-602-6000.
Up next: 7 p.m. Wednesday vs. Detroit - Xcel Energy Center - TV: FSN (830-AM)
