Patrick Kane's overtime winner lifts Blackhawks past Wild 2-1 to end series in Game 6

source : faceoff.com

The Chicago Blackhawks were chasing for much of the game, and the Minnesota Wild just kept generating chance after chance to score.

Once overtime arrived, though, all Patrick Kane needed was one friendly bounce to finish off another opponent.

Kane scored on a backhand at 9:42 of the extra period to lift the Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the Wild in Game 6 to clinch their second-round Western Conference series on Tuesday night, the fourth playoff overtime winner of his career.

"He's a special player, and guys have that instinct, have that knack of finding pucks, wanting to be out there, wanting to score," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Kris Versteeg scored 1:58 into the game and Corey Crawford came up with tough save after tough save among his 34 stops for the Blackhawks, who advanced to the Western Conference finals to meet either Anaheim or Los Angeles. The Ducks lead the other semifinal series 3-2, with the Kings hosting Game 6 on Wednesday night.

Since 2009, the first post-season appearance for Kane and co-star Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks are 14-0 in Games 5 and 6 of playoff series that were tied after Game 4. They're also 12-2 in games with a chance to win a series, including 6-1 on the road.

"We probably didn't play our best tonight, but just finding a way to win is something this team has done for many years now," Kane said.

Erik Haula scored his fourth goal of the playoffs and Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots for the Wild.

Minnesota pushed a frenetic pace for much of the night but paid for all those missed prime opportunities when a simple dump-in behind the net by Brent Seabrook took a strange bounce off the glass back toward the slot.

The puck slid past Peter Regin as he was tied up with a defenceman.

Kane snagged it, deked once and flipped it into top of the net. He said he wasn't sure right away if the puck was in.

But he soon found out.

"It seems like it was not our luck tonight," said Bryzgalov, who nearly matched Crawford save for save. "We hit some posts in the third period and they got like the first goal after some crazy two bounces."

The Wild kept up the pressure on Crawford that they created in the middle of the game, but whether it was the goalie's pads, blocker or a crossbar in the way, the pucks didn't go in.

"We really believe that we were capable of doing more than just winning this game," a dejected Wild coach Mike Yeo said, adding: "Our guys did everything that we asked and they laid it on the line, and that's what hurts."

The Blackhawks scored first in six of their previous 11 games in these playoffs and won each time, their only victory without taking the first lead coming in Game 5 against the Wild.

Versteeg put them right back in control just 1:58 in on his 28th birthday, when he outmuscled Keith Ballard for possession in the corner and flipped an bad-angle shot that bounced awkwardly among the bodies around the crease, hit the back of Clayton Stoner's leg and skidded past Bryzgalov.

The Wild got their break — or, rather, breakaway — soon after the first intermission when Haula sped to snag a pass by Matt Cooke that banked perfectly off the boards and he snapped the puck on the rush past Crawford's glove.

Each side brought an aggressive game plan, with defencemen pinching down often and all kinds of rushes developing both ways, particularly in that breathless penalty-free second period that had the home team buzzing so much that Quenneville used his timeout.

Crawford made two saves apiece on a pair of breakaways by Justin Fontaine. Cody McCormick tried a spin move to fend off Duncan Keith and nearly got the puck past Crawford, who used his left pad to stop it.

"On the road this was probably one of my bigger games of the playoffs so far," Crawford said. "This team seems to enjoy that position where we have a chance to eliminate and move on to the next series. We had a chance to do that and we stuck with it all game."

NOTES: Kane moved into the NHL lead with 35 post-season goals since 2009. ... The Wild had goalie Darcy Kuemper dressed for action for the first time since he was removed in the third period of Game 6 of the first round series against Colorado because of what the team labeled an upper body injury. ... The Blackhawks fended off two more power plays in the third period and dropped the Wild to 2 for 20 in the series.

Le Wild du Minnesota pourrait offrir beaucoup d'argent à Thomas Vanek le premier juillet prochain

source : toutsurlehockey.com

Charley Walters rapporte que l'été dernier, le propriétaire du Wild du Minnesota, Craig Leopold, a dépensé beaucoup de sous pour obtenir les services de Zach Parise et de Ryan Suter. Toutefois, lors des présentes séries éliminatoires, ces signatures lui donnent raison. Le chroniqueur croit que le haut dirigeant pourrait dépenser à nouveau beaucoup d'argent au cours de l'été 2014 afin d'acquérir les services de l'Autrichien, Thomas Vanek. Le journaliste parle d'une somme avoisinant les 40 millions de dollars. Walters suggère que Vanek remplacerait Dany Heatley monétairement et dans l'alignement partant.

Rappelons que Thomas Vanek a débuté sa carrière de hockeyeur avec la formation des Golden Gophers du Minnesota. L'athlète de 30 ans aura le statut de joueur autonome au premier juillet prochain. Depuis son arrivée à Montréal, Vanek a amassé 15 points en 18 parties en saison régulière ainsi que 3 points en 4 parties en séries éliminatoires. Vanek empoche actuellement un salaire annuel moyen de 7,142 $ M.


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Hockey goal (VINE) - Incredible goal by Patrick Kane game 1 Minnesota vs Chicago #hockey #icehockey #goal #incrediible #chicago #Minnesota

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Niederreiter's OT goal lifts Wild to 5-4 win over Avalanche in Game 7 of 1st round

Source : Faceoff.com

Nino Niederreiter hesitated for just a moment after scoring the winning goal, not sure if what he just saw actually occurred.

It happened, all right. His Minnesota teammates suddenly skating over to mob him made the moment real.

Niederreiter scored his second goal of the game at 5:02 in overtime after Ilya Bryzgalov made a big save filling in for the injured Darcy Kuemper, leading the Wild to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 on Wednesday night.

The right winger was a rather unlikely star with his first two goals of the series.
"An unbelievable feeling," said Niederreiter, whose team captured their first playoff series since 2003. "I think our heart made the difference tonight."

Minnesota trailed 4-3 before Jared Spurgeon scored on a nifty play with 2:27 left in regulation. Spurgeon waited for a clear look at the goal, and then shot it over Semyon Varlamov's shoulder and off the left post.

Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley had the other goals for the Wild, who will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in a second-round series that begins Friday. The two met last season, with the Blackhawks winning in five games.

Nick Holden, Jamie McGinn, Paul Stastny and Erik Johnson scored for the Avalanche as they returned to the post-season for the first time since 2010 and tied a franchise record with 52 wins in capturing the Central Division.

Not that it's much consolation — not now, anyway.

"The toughest part is to not come back tomorrow and be ready for Chicago," first-year coach Patrick Roy said. "We believe in ourselves and it's hard to see that it's over.

"I'm sure tomorrow is going to hurt more thinking it's over because we still have the emotion of the game."

Rookie Nathan MacKinnon couldn't agree more.

"It tarnishes the year a lot," said MacKinnon, who had two goals and eight assists in the series. "We wanted to make a run here and we had a chance twice to win the series, once in Game 6 and obviously tonight. It's tough to describe what went on.

"We've got to wait until September to get things going again, which is going to be a long summer, especially watching the playoffs. It's going to be tough."

The Avalanche took a lead on four different occasions, only to have the Wild respond. Niederreiter won it for Minnesota on a 2-on-1 break when he sent a shot over Varlamov's shoulder in the fourth overtime of the series.

"It's not easy to play against a good team," said Varlamov, who's a finalist for the Vezina Trophy that's given to the league's top goaltender. "They've been playing well against us the whole series."

Bryzgalov took over in net for Kuemper midway through the third. Bryzgalov started the series but was replaced by Kuemper in Game 2.

The veteran Bryzgalov stopped a shot with his left shoulder early in the overtime, paving the way for Niederreiter's winner. It was his only save in 13:15 of action.

Now, like most of the season, the Wild have a concern at goalie, especially since coach Mike Yeo isn't sure how badly Kuemper is hurt.

"If only we had any experience dealing with this," Yeo jokingly said. "We're fortunate we have good depth at that position."

Roy's first season on the bench for the Avalanche ended the same way his Hall of Fame goaltending career did — with a loss to the Wild in Game 7. Roy surrendered the winning overtime goal in 2003.

This one was just as agonizing.

"We had our chance — don't kid ourselves," Roy said. "We had our chance and they took advantage of theirs."

Niederreiter was starting to heat up in Game 6, but couldn't find the net. That changed on Wednesday.
"He raised the bar," Yeo said. "Got himself in trouble now, because this is what we expect."

Niederreiter was only happy to contribute.

"As a little kid, it's exactly the moment you dream about," Niederreiter said. "I'm very happy and fortunate that it happened tonight."

NOTES: Minnesota F Matt Cooke served the fourth game of his seven-game suspension for his knee-to-knee hit on Avs D Tyson Barrie. Cooke has appeared in the most Game 7s (seven) of any Wild player. ... Yeo said this is the start of a "budding rivalry" between the two Central Division foes. ... Wild F Kyle Brodziak had three assists. ... Colorado Fs P.A. Parenteau and Matt Duchene each had two assists. This was Duchene's second game back after missing almost a month with a knee injury.

MacKinnon's OT goal lifts Avalanche to 4-3 win over Wild; take 3-2 lead in series

Source : Faceoff.com

Sometimes, it's hard for the Colorado Avalanche to remember that Nathan MacKinnon is just 18 years old and only a rookie.

Because he keeps coming through in big moments.

The speedy MacKinnon scored 3:27 into overtime after P.A. Parenteau tied the game late in regulation, helping the Avalanche rally for a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and a 3-2 lead in the first-round series.

"The kid's special," Parenteau said. "I know it's cliche to say, but it's pretty impressive to see. ... This is the kid we want on our side."

MacKinnon is having quite the series, with two goals and eight assists.

Surprised at the poise of his No. 1 pick?

"We knew when we drafted him what kind of player we were drafting," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said as the series switches back to Minnesota for Game 6 on Monday. "He had a solid game."

A memorable one, too. After all, it's not every day a rookie scores an OT winner in the playoffs.

MacKinnon corralled the puck and poked it past Darcy Kuemper's glove with two defenders near him. Soon after, MacKinnon was mobbed by teammates.

He deflected the credit, though, saying it should go to Paul Stastny or Gabriel Landeskog for their roles on the play.

"Paulie forced the puck down in their end, Landy got it on the half-wall and I was screaming for it,"
MacKinnon said. "Definitely a good play by him."

MacKinnon's time in the spotlight was made possible by Parenteau, who scored with 1:14 left after Roy pulled goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 2:22 remaining. The strategy worked out again, just like in Game 1.

There may have been some controversy on Parenteau's tying goal, though, with Stastny possibly being offsides on the play.

At least, that was the Wild's take.

"They missed the call and we paid for it," Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter said. "No excuses. We have to play better in overtime. We've got to get more pressure on the kid (MacKinnon) when he comes to the net."

Wild coach Mike Yeo is hoping the breaks equal out.

"I would say we're due for, I don't want to say luck, but for stuff to go our way a little bit," Yeo said.
"I'm not going to dwell on what happened in the game."

When his team trails, Roy has been rather liberal in pulling Varlamov all season long, preferring to send out an extra skater with plenty of time left on the clock. It worked in the series opener, as Stastny scored with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation and then added the OT winner.

"We believe in ourselves more when we're down a goal," Landeskog said. "It's exciting to be a part of. It's not something we want to make a habit of doing."

Nick Holden and Cody McLeod also added goals for the Avalanche.

Kyle Brodziak, Zach Parise and Matt Moulson scored for the Wild. Two of Minnesota's goals came after a Colorado defenceman shattered their stick and had to play without one.

Parise tied the game at 2 early in the third when he glided down the left side and beat Varlamov with
a shot over his glove.

Nearly two minutes later, Brodziak gave the Wild the lead after defenceman Jan Hejda broke his stick and struggled to cover anyone.

McLeod had a short-handed goal at 8:04 of the second period, when he redirected a pass from Ryan O'Reilly past Kuemper.

The lead was short-lived as the Wild answered 1:13 later when Moulson tipped in a shot by Jared Spurgeon from the blue line. On the play, Maxime Talbot gave his stick to defenceman Andre Benoit after his broke and then Jamie McGinn passed his to Talbot, leaving McGinn without a stick.

The Avalanche may soon have leading scorer Matt Duchene back in the lineup as he skated with the team Saturday morning. Duchene has been sidelined since hurting his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29.

Expect Duchene back for Game 6?

"We're going to take a serious look at it," Roy said.

NOTES: The Wild were without suspended LW Matt Cooke for a second game after his knee-on-knee hit knocked Avs D Tyson Barrie out for at least a month. ... The Avs are 1 for 18 on the power play. ... According to the Avs, MacKinnon (18 years, 237 days) is the second-youngest player in Stanley Cup playoff history to score an OT goal. Don Gallinger was 17 years, 339 days when he scored an OT winner for Boston in 1943.

Avalanche vs Wilds : Une attaque muselée

Source : Tvasports.ca

Pour un deuxième match de suite, le Wild du Minnesota a dominé l’Avalanche du Colorado, jeudi, pour créer l’égalité 2 à 2 dans la série.

Le Wild l’a emporté 2-1, mais n’eut été le brio du gardien Semyon Varlamov, le pointage aurait pu être encore plus élevé.

À voir et à lire également :

• Sommaire
• Les Bruins en contrôle

Patrick Roy avait demandé à son équipe de placer plus de rondelles au filet, et il faut croire que le message n’a pas été compris. L’Avalanche n’a dirigé que 12 lancers sur Darcy Kuemper dans toute la rencontre.

 

De son côté, le Wild s’est encore une fois buté à Varlamov en pleine possession de ses moyens. Le gardien russe a repoussé 30 des 32 rondelles qui ont été lancées en sa direction.

 

Patrick Roy a retiré son gardien de but alors qu’il restait 2 min 30 s à faire au match mais n’a pu créer l’égalité.

 

Départ canon, encore

 

Le Wild a poursuivi là où il avait laissé lors du troisième match. La troupe de Mike Yeo a complètement dominé le premier engagement, dirigeant 14 lancers sur Semyon Varlamov contre seulement 3 par l’Avalanche sur Darcy Kuemper. Colorado a semblé complètement désorganisé et incapable de s’installer en territoire ennemi.

 

Contrairement au dernier match, le Wild a réussi à déjouer Semyon Varlamov lors des 20 premières minutes de jeu. Après avoir récupéré une rondelle en coin de patinoire, Zach Parise a servi une belle passe au défenseur Jared Spurgeon qui appuyait l’attaque. Ce dernier a décoché un tir sur réception qui est venu à bout du gardien russe de l’Avalanche. Mikael Granlund a obtenu l’autre mention d’assistance.

 

Sens unique

 

Peu importe ce qui a été dit dans le vestiaire de l’Avalanche entre les deux périodes, le résultat a été le même sur la patinoire lors du second engagement.

 

À la mi-match, les hommes de Patrick Roy ne comptaient que cinq petits lancers sur le filet de Kuemper, tandis que Varlamov avait fait face à 20 tirs.

 

À force de lancer, on finit par compter! Sur un avantage numérique, Jason Pominville a tenté un tir qui a raté derrière le but. La rondelle a toutefois heurté une barre métallique sur la baie vitrée et est revenue directement devant le filet. Charlie Coyle n’a eu qu’à pousser le disque derrière un Semyon Varlamov impuissant pour faire 2-0.

 

L’Avalanche a toutefois reçu ce dont elle avait besoin pour revenir dans le match : un cadeau de Kuemper. Trente secondes après le but de Coyle, Ryan O’Reilly a dirigé un tir faible vers le filet, de l’extérieur de l’enclave, qui s’est frayé un chemin entre les jambières du gardien du Wild. L’Avalanche marquait sur son septième tir dans le match. Il n’en a pas dirigé d’autres de la période.

 

Le match no 5 de la série aura lieu samedi, au Pepsi Center de Denver.

Habs : Parros, Pacioretty set to return to lineup

Source : Montrealgazette 


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 The Canadiens’ lengthy injury list is starting to shrink with George Parros and Max Pacioretty poised to return to the lineup during the team’s weekend road trip.

Parros, who suffered a concussion during the Canadiens’ season opener on Oct. 1, will play Friday when the Habs face off against the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m., RDS, TSN Radio 690).

Pacioretty, who has been out with a strained hamstring, will play this weekend, coach Michel Therrien confirmed Thursday before the team left for Minnesota. The Canadiens will wrap up a two-game road trip against the Avalanche Saturday in Colorado (10 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690).

“We’ll see for (Friday),” Therrien said.

The other piece of good news for the Canadiens and their fans was the sight of 6-foot-2 defenceman Alexei Emelin skating with his teammates at practice Thursday in Brossard for the first time since reconstructive surgery last May on the ACL and MCL in his left knee.

Emelin wore a no-contact jersey at practice, after which the Canadiens announced they’ve signed him to a four-year contract extension. The team, as per its usual policy, didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, which will pay Emelin $16.4 million, an average of $4.1 million per season.

“He can play big minutes against the opponents’ best players, and hard-hitting defencemen of his type are hard to find,” Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said in a press release.

“We are very confident that he will fully recover from his knee injury and be able to compete at a high level for many years to come.”

The 27-year-old Russian, who has been learning English, briefly addressed the media for the first time en masse in a scrum. He called it a great day.

“I’m very happy to stay for a long time in Montreal,” Emelin said. “It’s a great city, great team. I’m happy. My family, too.”

The contract negotiations weren’t long, Emelin added.

“I feel good,” he said about being back on the ice with the team.

“I think I need a couple of weeks more ... (to be) ready to play,” he added, suggesting perhaps a mid-November comeback.

Emelin would also like to take part in the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

TSN’s Darren Dreger tweeted on Thursday that P.K. Subban, who won the Norris Trophy last season as the NHL’s top defenceman, is a long-shot at this point for the Canadian Olympic team, based on information he’s gathered. It doesn’t mean Subban won’t make the team, Dreger added, “but, management concerns with high risk play still outweigh his offensive strengths.”

Subban, who is tied for the Habs’ lead in points (11) with Tomas Plekanec, suggested his focus isn’t on the ongoing speculation about the Olympic team makeup.

“I’m focused on this team here. ... And play hard and just trying to play my best every game, and do the best that I can,” he said.

“When you look at the start of the season, I don’t think it’s a bad start. But I think there’s room for improvement, so I’ll just get better every day.”

Therrien steered clear of the Olympic topic. When the coach was asked if he was satisfied with Subban’s play over the past few games, Therrien said: “P.K. is a player who brings us a lot of energy.
He’s a guy who offensively is able to score, get points.

“We have a team concept within our organization that we follow. And we believe — it’s our team concept that will get us in the playoffs and it’s our team concept that will make us progress as a team.”

Subban leads the Canadiens in power-play minutes, averaging 4:31 per game, but his limited play on the penalty kill is a bone of contention with some Habs fans. Subban is averaging 1:01 of ice time per game on the penalty kill this season, while his average last season was 1:27.

Subban is averaging 24:33 of ice time per game this season, ranking second on the Canadiens behind Andrei Markov’s 25:01. Last season, Subban averaged 23:14.

“He has more ice time this year than he had last year,” Therrien said when asked about using Subban less on the penalty kill. “So there’s a progression in the equation.”

Before the team left for Minnesota, Parros had his substantial and distinctive moustache shaved off for the annual “Movember” campaign that raises awareness about, and money for, men’s health issues.

“I’ve done it for a number of years and everyone always asks me why, but nothing draws more attention to the cause than getting rid of this thing and re-growing it,” Parros said.

“It’s a little embarrassing, at first. My upper lip looks a little smaller. And I have a few more challenges for fights because I look about 10 years younger,” Parros joked.

The 6-foot-5 forward suffered a concussion on Oct. 1 during a fight with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Colton Orr when he fell and his chin struck the ice.

“It feels good to come back, get off the (injured reserve),” said Parros, who is cleared to play. “I feel good. I feel good in my head, no headaches, no symptoms. Looking forward to it. You can’t sit around thinking about what happened. You’ve got to press forward and play the same way. So I’m looking forward to that opportunity and putting the past behind me.”

Carey Price will get the start in net on Friday. Therrien didn’t reveal more of his goaltending plans for the back-to-back games. Peter Budaj played with the Avalanche for six seasons before joining the Habs.

About 40 people headed to Minnesota with the team as part of a Habs’ father-son trip for the two games. Therrien called it well-deserved. Fathers make a lot of sacrifices for their kids, bringing them to practice and showing up at games, he said.

“It’s a great experience for not only the players, but for the parents, too, to be able to share that experience,” the coach added.

Therrien, whose father passed away a few years ago, has his son with him on the trip. Parros’s father couldn’t make it, but his brother is joining him. The fathers travelling with the team include Alex Galchenyuk’s dad and Karl Subban.

“It will be cool having my Pops on the road, said Subban, noting his father is now retired.

“It’s going to definitely be a fun trip for everybody.”

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Canadien : Pacioretty retranché

L'équipe du Canadien prend tranquillement forme.

Vendredi, à la veille du dernier match préparatoire, prévu samedi à Québec, le Tricolore a cédé l'attaquant Max Pacioretty aux Bulldogs de Hamilton.

Pacioretty s'était pourtant démarqué lors du match préparatoire de dimanche, à Montréal. Il a complété le camp avec 2 points en 2 matchs et un différentiel de +2. Mais il s'est blessé au haut du corps dans ce même match de dimanche et a peu patiné cette semaine.

À l'entraînement vendredi, Pacioretty semblait toutefois sur la voie du retour. L'athlète de 21 ans patinait aux côtés de Maxim Lapierre et de Jeff Halpern, tandis que quatre joueurs faisaient partie de ce qu'on pourrait appeler le « cinquième trio ».

Mathieu Darche, Ryan White, Ben Maxwell et Tom Pyatt ont été écartés des quatre premiers trios. Du lot, Darche et Pyatt pourraient remplacer Pacioretty, puisqu'ils étaient parmi les partants à la fin de la dernière saison et qu'ils ont tous deux joué avec Lapierre et Halpern pendant les rencontres préparatoires.

Voici la composition des trois premiers trios à l'entraînement de vendredi :

• Gionta - Gomez - Pouliot
• Cammalleri - Plekanec - Kostitsyn
• Moen - Boyd - Eller

Source : Yahoo.com(Sports)


Nouvelle LNH :

Jose Theodore avec le Wild du Minnesota

CKAC Sports a appris tôt vendredi soir que l'ancien gardien de but du Canadien de Montréal, le Québécois Jose Théodore en est venu à une entente avec le Wild du Minnesota.

L'entente entre les deux parties est valide pour une saison et est d'une valeur de 1,1 million de dollars.

À court terme, Théodore va s'entraîner avec le club-école du Wild dans la Ligue américaine soit avec les Aeros de Houston. C'est donc dire qu'il ne rejoindra pas ses coéquipiers en Europe. Rappelons que le Wild va affronter à deux reprises les Hurricanes de la Caroline les 7 et 8 octobre prochains à Helsinki en Finlande en début de saison régulière.

L'athlète de 34 ans était joueur autonome depuis que son contrat avec les Capitals de Washington a pris fin, à l'issue de la dernière saison. En 47 parties en 2009-10, Théodore a compilé une fiche de 30-7-8 avec une moyenne de 2,81 et un taux d'efficacité de ,911.

En 548 matchs en carrière avec le Canadien de Montréal, l'Avalanche du Colorado et les Caps, Théodore a remporté 245 victoires, subi 221 revers, inscrit 30 matchs nuls et subi 49 revers en prolongation ou en tirs de barrage. Il a conservé une moyenne de buts alloués de 2,68 et un taux d'efficacité de ,908 dans ces 12 saisons.

Théodore a touché 9 millions $ US sur deux saisons avec les Capitals. Le Wild a actuellement deux gardiens sous contrat: le Finlandais Nickals Backstrom, qui touchera 6 millions $ par saison jusqu'à la fin de la campagne 2012-13, et le Canadien Josh Harding, mis sous contrat pour une saison, au coût de 1,2 million $.

Source : Ckac.com

Wild : Le CH intéresse Veilleux

(Source : Yahoo)

La pression démesurée qui gravite autour du Canadien a de quoi rebuter bien des joueurs autonomes sans compensation.

Qui plus est, l'incertitude qui plane quant au futur de l'équipe n'aide en rien la cause.

Pourtant, l'attaquant Stéphane Veilleux, du Wild du Minnesota, se dit prêt à venir jouer à Montréal.

« Le Canadien m'intéresse. C'est une des équipes dans ma liste si elle m'approche », a déclaré le Québécois vendredi sur les ondes de Sports Extra.

Par contre, le Tricolore doit régler sa structure administrative avant que Veilleux appose son nom au bas d'un contrat: trouver un nouveau propriétaire ou garder l'actuel, nommer un nouvel entraîneur-chef et décider du sort du directeur général Bob Gainey.

Le Beauceron de 27 ans vit exactement la même situation au Minnesota. Le directeur général Doug Risebrough a été congédié, tandis que l'entraîneur-chef Jacques Lemaire a remis sa démission.

Raisons pour lesquelles Veilleux a embauché un agent, Allan Walsh, pour la première fois de sa carrière.

« Risebrough a été là pendant huit ans, moi aussi, j'étais dans l'organisation depuis huit ans. Je ne voyais pas l'utilité d'avoir un agent. J'étais à l'aise de rentrer dans son bureau, de me représenter moi-même et de faire les négos moi-même », a-t-il dit.

Après quatre saisons complètes avec le Wild, son coeur est d'abord et avant tout à Minneapolis, mais il ne ferme aucune porte.

« J'aimerais rester avec le Wild. Mais l'avantage d'être joueur autonome sans restriction, c'est que tu as d'autres options. »

Avant de savoir ce que l'avenir lui réservera, l'auteur de 13 buts et 10 passes la saison dernière passera une semaine à Wimbledon, question d'assouvir une autre passion.