The Minnesota Wild have gone from first place in the Western Conference to eighth, yet the team still remains optimistic it will make the playoffs this season, according to forward and St. Paul product Kyle Brodziak.
“Early on we had a lot of success and we were playing some good hockey and then we went through a stretch where we weren't playing so well,” Brodziak told the Journal in a phone interview last week. “It's tough to really pinpoint exactly what was going wrong. I think for two or three weeks we just couldn't find our game.”
“As a team I think it's a matter of everyone playing the same way,” he added. “We practice the same way everyday and when we're all on the same page and doing the same things, just the little things, we’re a good team. As soon as we get the puck we want to start going north and find a way to get behind their defence.”
Brodziak has appeared in all 50 games for the Wild this season and along with his usual duties on the penalty kill, something that seems natural to him, he has also had his number called on the powerplay.
“I'm playing a simple, hard game and that's when I think I have my most success,” he said. Every year I've pretty much been on the PK. It's going the same this year … the only thing different is that I'm starting to play a little bit more on the powerplay. It's nice to get that ice time as well and hopefully I can keep contributing offensively.”
With the team’s captain Mikko Koivu slowly returning to the ice from an upper-body injury he sustained a few weeks ago, Brodziak has been paired on the line with Nick Johnson and sniper Dany Heatley.
“He's been great. Obviously when you have a guy who knows how to score goals like that it's unbelievable to have,” he said regarding Heatly, who joined the team at the start of the season from San Jose.
“If you get the puck to him in a scoring position you know there's a good chance of it going in. The last three games we've been playing together. I feel like we've had a bit of chemistry.”
Brodziak is now in his third season with the Wild after leaving Edmonton, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2003 draft. The Oilers are one team Minnesota have had no trouble beating, winning the last eight contests, which is something that has baffled fans and players alike.
“I don't even know why that is. It's really weird. Even when I was playing in Edmonton it always seemed like we had trouble beating Minnesota,” he said. “It's just one of those things that you can't even explain why it happens. I remember seeing the stats and we won 16 home games against them in a row.”
Facing off against his old team is something Brodziak has gotten used to over time, but there are still moments, whether it’s on or off the ice, when he thinks about his old city and hockey club.
“I think early on it was a little strange … the first couple times,” he explained when playing the Oilers. “I still have friends on the team there. You kind of just get used to it. I think every player knows that feeling of playing against an old team or having friends on a team. Once you start getting into the game you don't really think about it. It's more just before the game and seeing them across the ice at warm up.”
“There's a lot of similarities for sure,” he added. “Minnesota is a big hockey town. The weather is actually very similar to being in Edmonton as well. It gets cold and there's a lot of snow. So when I moved it was a pretty easy transition. I think they call it basically as close as they come to a Canadian city in the U.S.”
Another thing the St. Paul player has noticed between the two cities is the amount of fan support each hockey team gets and how all the players have the drive to show they care by getting things done on the ice.
The Wild have missed the playoffs three years in a row. Brodziak wants to change that this year.
“The support is great in Minnesota,” he said. “Obviously they want us to win. Pretty much every night since I can remember there’s been a sold out arena. They support us all the time. Hopefully we can make the playoffs this year and regain some of the faith in our team.”
