Talk about anomalies. A WCHA title is, for now, too far off
in the distance to fathom for traditional powerhouses Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Sixteen points too far.
Three years have gone by since a team not named the Gophers
secured the conference?s top spot, and not since the 1998-99 season did both
Minnesota and Wisconsin fail to finish third or better.
As it stands now, the two teams are in a three-way tie for
fifth place with identical 6-8-2 records in WCHA play. With 12 games left in
the regular season, it is almost inconceivable that Minnesota will make it
three straight atop the conference standings.
Yet the feeling isn?t of defeat or hopelessness.
Frustration, maybe ? on the part of Minnesota personnel and fans who expected
the team?s No. 5 preseason billing to come to fruition ? diversity, definitely.
But not surrender.
?We?ve been through a lot this year; we?ve had a lot of
things unexpectedly happen to us that have kind of set us back a little bit,?
Minnesota forward Blake Wheeler said. ?We feel pretty good about where we are
right now based on some of the frustrations we?ve had ? obviously not
performing up to our expectations of what we would normally anticipate at this
point in the season, but we?ve still got a long way to go.?
Even though these Gophers aren?t playing to the pace of
their predecessors, and the Badgers have struggled to remain afloat for the
second consecutive season with personnel overhauls occurring more frequently
than at any high-risk factory job, one thing hasn?t changed: the
Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry.
?The rivalry is always there; it doesn?t matter where you
are in the standings, whether they?re first, or we?re first, or they?re last,
or we?re last,? UW head coach Mike Eaves said.
And why should it morph into something altogether
uninspiring? Even a lost season can?t take away the sense of pride, the sense
of satisfaction a team can inherit from defeating its bitter rival. This is
especially true even when the game has little bearing on a team?s season. Case in
point: Navy?s football team defeated Notre Dame?s this year for the first time
in 44 years. So what if the ?07 Irish were among the worst compilation of
athletes the program has ever seen? The Midshipmen certainly savored the moment
and exhaled a long-winded sigh of relief ? to make up for half a lifetime?s
worth of losses.
Last year, the Badgers upended the top-ranked Gophers to end
their 22-game unbeaten streak. Based on the fan reaction following the game, it
may as well have been for the NCAA Championship. That?s only the half of it.
The players get every bit as much out of the rivalry as the fans.
?We always look forward to the Minnesota series, and the
crowd, whether we?re here or playing at their place, is second to none,? UW
senior forward Ben Street said. ?This is such a good rivalry. The whole town
sort of gets fired up for it so it?s an exciting time.?
?The emotion is spilling pretty hard because there?s always
extra incentive on the line. It?s just really not a game anymore,? Wheeler
added.
While this year?s matchup won?t nab either team a No. 1
ranking or launch them near the top of the standings, it does have some
regional intrigue. Both teams are battling for a position in the upper-tier of
the WCHA and an NCAA Tournament bid.
?To add that aspect to a rivalry series like this, where if
we go in and have a good showing then we can boost our WCHA position up a lot,
is huge,? Wheeler said.
For a couple individuals, the Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry
takes on a slightly different meaning.
Two prospects and lottery picks of the Phoenix Coyotes will
square off for the first time this weekend.
The first time UW freshman Kyle Turris, the third overall
pick at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and Wheeler, the fifth pick in 2004, met was
during the Coyotes? rookie camp this past summer. There, Wheeler offered the
?really young, pretty skinny looking? kid some advice.
?I told him not to let things get out of perspective; he was
drafted that high for a reason. It wasn?t just because he was a great hockey
player but because he?s a humble individual as well ? he?s a good person,?
Wheeler said.
Needless to say it will be odd that the two will face off
not as teammates Friday, but as rivals.
?We actually talked a little bit, and I told him to get out
of my way because I don?t really stop too quickly, so he could be in my way and
get into a little bit of trouble,? the 6-foot-4-inch, 216 pound Wheeler joked.
?It should be a lot of fun.?
Toss in the fact that Phoenix is looking to piece together a
team for the future ? Wheeler has learned not to get caught up scoping out the
crowd to see who might be watching ? and this should be one helluva series.
So in the wise words of Street, I sign off
with this: ?If you?re not excited for the Minnesota series, you should probably
check your pulse.?
Kevin is a senior majoring in economics
and journalism. To discuss men?s hockey with the originator of ?Tuesdays with
Haggy,? send an e-mail to [email protected].
