ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) - The Minnesota Wild on Monday re-signed left wing Antti Laaksonen, the only player to appear in every game during the franchise's first three seasons, to a one-year contract.
Laaksonen has played in all 246 regular-season games for the Wild and ranks sixth in the NHL for the longest current regular season games played streak at 251 contests.
The 29-year-old Finn had 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points, 26 penalty minutes and a plus-minute rating of plus-4 last season, and one goal and three assists in the playoffs when the Wild made a surprising run to the Western Conference finals.
Laaksonen recorded career highs with 16 goals and 17 assists during the 2001-2002 season. He has 104 points in 284 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota.
The 6-1, 180-pound Laaksonen was drafted by Boston in the eighth round of the 1997 draft. He signed with the Wild as a free agent on July 20, 2000.
Méschda Hoschbess holy a.k.a. Rosebud ...und nichts ist wie es scheint!!
Brawls. Blood. Mayhem. Philly style. You want it - we got it!
newcoming tough enforcers: --> Leafs-Fans können hier klicken!! Garrett Burnett HFD GP 62, G 6, A 1, P 7, Pim´s 346 - Peter Vandermeer PHI GP 77, G 5, A 8, P 13, Pim´s 335 Sean McMorrow ROC GP 64, G 0, A 1, P 1, Pim´s 315 - Darcy Verot SJN GP73, G 5, A 11, P 16, Pim´s 299
Wild name Risebrough President & GM; Majka Senior VP
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (wild.com) -- Minnesota Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the parent company of the Minnesota Wild hockey team announced today that Doug Risebrough has been named President and General Manager. In a related move, MSE also announced that Matt Majka (pronounced MAY-kuh) has been promoted to the newly appointed position of Senior Vice President of Business Operations. These moves coincide with the departure of Tod Leiweke, who accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.
In his new role, Risebrough will continue to oversee the hockey operations department including all matters relating to the clubs player personnel, coaching staff, scouting department, and minor league personnel. His new responsibilities will involve the direction of all business aspects surrounding MSE, including the Minnesota Wild, its minor league affiliate the Houston Aeros, Wildside Caterers, 317 on Rice Park and the facility management of Xcel Energy Center, Touchstone Energy Place and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.
Majka had previously held the position of Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorships for the Minnesota Wild. In his new position he will oversee the day-to-day business functions for MSE from a marketing perspective and a financial standpoint. Majka will work closely with Risebrough on all business matters related to MSE.
Bob Naegele and I know that Doug is a great leader, MSE Chief Executive Officer Jac Sperling said. Promoting Doug is the right thing to do as we further unite the hockey side of the operation with the business side. Doug is a winner and will be a winner in his new position.
Strong leadership is already firmly in place for this organization and I hope to continue to build on the foundation, Risebrough said. We will look to combine the Minnesota Wild hockey philosophy with the solid business decisions made throughout the company.
I am looking forward to working with Doug and the rest of the organization, Majka said. We will continue to shape MSE into one of the premier sports and entertainment providers in the country.
Risebrough was named the clubs first-ever Executive Vice President/General Manager on September 2, 1999. Risebrough, 49 (1/29/54), won four consecutive Stanley Cup championships as a player with the Montreal Canadiens from 1976 to 1979. He also appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals twice with the Calgary Flames. In 1986, the Flames, captained by Risebrough, lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Canadiens. In 1989, Risebrough served as an assistant coach on the Flames only Stanley Cup championship team. He has participated in the Stanley Cup playoffs 25 of the 29 years he has been in the NHL as a player, coach and executive. The 2003-2004 campaign will mark Risebroughs 30th season in the National Hockey League (NHL) and fifth with the Wild. He and his wife, Marilyn, have two daughters, Lindsay and Allison. The family resides in Edina, Minnesota.
Majka, 42 (10/21/60), came to the Minnesota Wild in October of 1997. His responsibilities have included overseeing corporate sponsorships, sales and marketing of the suite and St. Paul Club levels, brand development and presentation, community relations, merchandising and the 10,000 Rinks Foundation. Matt came to the Wild from Rollerblade, Inc., where he worked from 1984 to 1997 and held numerous positions though his 13-year tenure. The Detroit, Michigan native has lived in the Twin Cities for over thirty years. Matt, his wife Kymberly, and their sons, Sam and Nick reside in Wayzata, Minnesota.
Both Risebrough and Majka will assume their new roles with MSE immediately.
Méschda Hoschbess holy a.k.a. Rosebud ...und nichts ist wie es scheint!!
Brawls. Blood. Mayhem. Philly style. You want it - we got it!
newcoming tough enforcers: --> Leafs-Fans können hier klicken!! Garrett Burnett HFD GP 62, G 6, A 1, P 7, Pim´s 346 - Peter Vandermeer PHI GP 77, G 5, A 8, P 13, Pim´s 335 Sean McMorrow ROC GP 64, G 0, A 1, P 1, Pim´s 315 - Darcy Verot SJN GP73, G 5, A 11, P 16, Pim´s 299
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- As the Minnesota Wild prepare for their fourth season, one of the biggest stars of last season's improbable playoff run, Marian Gaborik, is preparing to play in the league opener for Dukla Trencin of the Slovakian Elite League.
It's a sign that Gaborik, Trencin resident and restricted-free-agent winger, is preparing for a holdout after helping the team to the Western Conference finals last season. NHL rules permit Gaborik to dress with his former club for nine games or until the NHL season begins, said Gaborik's agent, Allan Walsh.
Wild players report for physicals and photos Sept. 11, leaving Walsh and Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough 10 days to get a deal in place if Gaborik is to arrive on time. Whether the Wild makes an effort to get Gaborik signed for that reason remains to be seen.
"I don't think one party can accept that responsibility," Risebrough said.
Said Walsh: "Marian has not been invited to camp. He does not expect to be in training camp unless a contract is done."
Gaborik made $1.075 million in each year of his three-year entry-level contract. Incentives for offensive production brought him an additional $3.3 million in 2001-02 and $3.4 million last season. All told, he has earned about $10 million in three seasons.
Neither Risebrough nor Walsh would reveal possible terms of a new contract. However, Gaborik's deal was expected to be in line with those signed in 2001 by Ottawa's Marian Hossa and Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier.
Like Gaborik, Hossa and Lecavalier played out their entry-level deals and were beginning their fourth professional seasons. And both had similar success. Hossa amassed 161 points through three seasons, Lecavalier 146. Gaborik is at 168.
Both, like Gaborik, were free agents without arbitration rights. Their only leverage was to sit out, and they did. Hossa missed two weeks before signing for a reported $9.2 million over four years. A native of Gaborik's hometown, Hossa played six games with Dukla Trencin before signing.
Lecavalier held out for the entire preseason before agreeing to a four-year deal paying $10.2 million. Lecavalier's agent, Kent Hughes, said the deal could be worth $14.5 million with incentives.
Hossa and Lecavalier received about $1.5 million in base salary in the first year of those contracts.
Last week, though, Tampa Bay raised the bar for a player of Gaborik's status. The Lightning re-signed fourth-year center Brad Richards for $9.25 million over three years, beginning at $2.4 million this year, plus incentives similar to those in Lecavalier's contract.
Richards amassed 198 points during his first three seasons. Since 1993-94, only Paul Kariya (246 points) and Milan Hejduk (199) have more points in their first three seasons.
Walsh can argue that Gaborik was much better than Richards when it counted. The Wild winger piled up 17 points in 18 playoff games last year. Richards had five assists in 11 playoff games.
"There is not one person in the hockey industry that would argue that Richards is more valuable to Tampa than Marian is to Minnesota," Walsh said.
Though unlikely, it is possible a team other than Minnesota could sign Gaborik to an offer sheet. The Wild would have five days to match any offer or receive up to five first-round draft picks as compensation.
Risebrough would not say whether he would match any offer.
"In Marian's case there's no doubt he has shown us the potential to be a good player," Risebrough said. "But I've said all along, I want a good team, not a good player."
MINNESOTA WILD - WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALIST 2002/2003 Lions Forum Playoff Tippspiel Champion 2003
"Autorität setzt zwingend Freiheit voraus, die sie anerkennt oder leugnet; Freiheit wiederum das Wort im politischen Sinne genommen, setzt ebenfalls Autorität voraus, die mit ihr verhandelt, sie zügelt oder duldet. Entfernt eine von beiden - und die andere hat keinen Sinn mehr: Die Autorität ist ohne eine Freiheit, die diskutiert, Widerstand leistet oder sich unterwirft, nur ein leeres Wort; die Freiheit ist ohne eine Autorität, die ihr ein Gegengewicht bietet, ein Un-Sinn."
In Antwort auf: Brandner scored in the opening minute of the second period for a 5-0 lead and on the power play with 5:47 remaining, making it 9-0. A 28-year-old Austrian, Brandner was an eighth-round draft pick in 2002.
Brandner hat beim 9-1 gegen die Rangers 2 mal genetzt!
In Antwort auf: Brandner scored in the opening minute of the second period for a 5-0 lead and on the power play with 5:47 remaining, making it 9-0. A 28-year-old Austrian, Brandner was an eighth-round draft pick in 2002.
Brandner hat beim 9-1 gegen die Rangers 2 mal genetzt!
In Antwort auf: Brandner scored in the opening minute of the second period for a 5-0 lead and on the power play with 5:47 remaining, making it 9-0. A 28-year-old Austrian, Brandner was an eighth-round draft pick in 2002.
Brandner hat beim 9-1 gegen die Rangers 2 mal genetzt!
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a.k.a. Rosebud
...und nichts ist wie es scheint!!
