Matt And Judd's Hockey Adventure

What are the Wild's chances of making the playoffs? Which Western Conference team has the best chance of surprising in the postseason? Lou talks about the playoff race in this week's episode of the podcast. He also tells us how the Wild power play could improve, why Ryan Donato is a special player and the one weakness he sees in Ryan Suter's game. We end up with Louie giving his opinion of the penalty called on the Gophers that ended their season at Notre Dame.

The Wild dropped another overtime game to the Islanders; why do they struggle so much in OT? Line changing debacle; Stalock's lack of wins; Boudreau's attitude after games; Foligno's comments; Leadership in the locker room; Why is Pontus Aberg getting so many minutes; Toughest remaining schedule; The White Caps winning the Isobel Cup and college hockey talk.

Lou Nanne had decided he would leave his position as senior vice president for the North Stars in April 1991 to take a job in the corporate world. But Lou's plans changed, at least temporarily, when the North Stars went on a shocking run to the Stanley Cup Finals. In this episode, Lou recalls how the North Stars got on a roll, how gratifying it was to see Mike Modano and Bobby Smith involved in the success and if it was odd to watch Bobby Clarke and Bob Gainey running the show. Yes, Louie also tells some fantastic Norm Green stories.

Parise's power play comments; Victor Rask returns; Is this a playoff team?; The Wild's home and road splits; Getting Kevin Fiala going; Ryan Donato impressing; Ganlund and Coyle update; Penalty shot debacle and Gopher hockey attendance issues.

Working the Boys' State High School Hockey tournament for the 55th year, Lou Nanne reminisces about his time in the booth. What's the greatest game Lou has called? Who are the best players he has seen? How difficult was it to analyze tournaments that included his son and grandsons? What player impressed Lou so much that he wanted the University of Minnesota to get that guy to change his mind about his choice of school? Find all the answers on this podcast.

Puppet Master Paul Fenton is pulling the strings and we want to know if you are you buying back in?; the new vibe in the locker room; Jason Zucker turning a corner; who would you want to play in the playoffs; why are the Wild a more sound team after the trades and schedule getting tough and obnoxious.

A week after predicting Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund would be traded by the Wild, Louie gives his opinions on the deals that sent the two forwards to Boston and Nashville, respectively. Does it bother Lou that Wild GM Paul Fenton traded Granlund within the division? Also, Louie discusses the art of trying to break up trades he didn't want to see happen back when he was a GM and which deadline deals did Louie like the best?

Judd, Lindsey and Declan are back to break down the Granlund and Coyle trades, Eric Staal's extension and is it time for a new captain next season?

With the NHL trade deadline approaching on Monday and the Wild struggling, Lou predicts general manager Paul Fenton will move three players. This includes one of Nanne's favorite forwards. Lou also explains why there should no untouchables on the Wild roster -- other than those with no-move clauses -- and discusses how a rebuild of the team might work. Lou ends the podcast by predicting which big names around the NHL will be on the move.

Lindsey and Declan host an emergency podcast to break down the Wild trading Charlie Coyle to the Boston Bruins. The Wild received prospect Ryan Donato and a fifth-round pick in the trade. Are there more trades coming? What does this mean for the Wild? And where does Donato fit in?

Recapping the recent losses to the Devils and Blues; Dubnyk's struggles; Who would you keep and who would you trade; Zucker's value;How to build this team for next year; Mike Modano conspiracy theory; Breaking up this group longterm; Why you wouldn't trade defenseman; Changing the current playoff format and what's Mike Yeo thinking right now?

What was the key to sparking the North Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981 -- hint, it took place Feb. 26 in Boston Garden -- and how much does the team's loss to the Islanders in the finals still bother Lou Nanne? The former North Stars general manager goes into detail about the North Stars' run to their first finals, including his favorites stories from that spring. Louie also recalls how he convinced Dino Ciccarelli's father that his son should sign with the North Stars.

Judd, Lindsey and Declan gather 'round where Judd asks if our opinion of the Wild has changed in the last week; Mikko Koivu's injury being a blessing in disguise; Time for Fenton to bail; Zulgad's trade plan; is Boudreau safe?; Attaching Brodin and Granlund in a trade; Send a letter to fans; Greenway and Kunin improving; Marcus Foligno; Shutting down Suter; Victor Rask shootout debacle; Dubnyk's playing time and more Wes Walz in the broadcast booth please.

What does the loss of captain Mikko Koivu mean to the Wild? Lou Nanne discusses the options that general manager Paul Fenton will have with the veteran center out for the season because of a knee injury. One of the potential possibilities might surprise you. Lou also gives his feelings about 3-on-3 overtime, the shootout and what's happened to the once mighty Western Conference.

It's another edition of Judd's Hockey Show where Judd, Lindsey and Declan discuss why the West is so bad; where do the Wild fit in; Fenton making more tweaks; Eric Staal's future; finding future center depth; the 2019-20 team identity; young players getting playing time; how analytics play into the future of the NHL; penalty-kill game theory and the Kendall Coyne, Pierre McGuire incident.

Did you know Lou Nanne decided to attend the University of Minnesota was because he thought it didn't snow much and because it had a good dentistry school? In this episode of the podcast, Nanne talks about how the Chicago Blackhawks got his rights when he was 13 years old, how Congress helped him get on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team and about the biggest character on those early North Stars teams.

Another episode of Judd's Hockey Show kicks off with the gang discussion the kerfuffle in Columbus; the Maple Leafs trading Jake Muzzin; NHL League news; should the Wild trade a defenseman; why the Western Conference is so bad and Judd, Lindsey and Declan provide their top 5 Minnesota-born (active) players.

Not even a year into his tenure as the North Stars general manager, Lou Nanne was told the franchise would be merging with the Cleveland Barons and it was his job to make it work. Nanne's role included deciding which players to keep and which to let go. Nanne talks about this crazy experience in June 1978 and tells the story of how he made sure Minnesota hockey legend John Mariucci kept a job with the North Stars. Also find out which team almost merged with Cleveland instead of the North Stars.

Judd and Lindsey are in for an emergency pod while Declan freezes to death at Hockey Day Minnesota. What does the trade mean for other Wild players? Will we see other players on the move? Who's next? Judd and Lindsey have you covered! Follow us on Twitter! @skornorth @jzulgad @lindseybrown35 @DexsTweets

Ten days after moving from player to general manager with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978, Lou Nanne began making trades. He didn't stop for the next 10 years. In this episode, Louie talks all about the art of making trades and why he was never afraid to deal, even if some rival execs didn't want to deal with him. Lou also tells the story of how he went from a veteran defenseman to a young executive all in the span of a few days.