Head size related to penalty minutes (Commodore)

I found this story on line. I find it interesting. I remember reading about studies like this when I was in college but I honestly didn't think people still conducted studies like this today. Hockey fatheads end up in the penalty box more often: studyJoanne Laucius, Canwest News ServicePublished: Wednesday, August 20, 2008Fatheaded hockey players are more aggressive than their slimmer-faced counterparts, a St. Catharines, Ont., study has found. Results of the study published Wednesday in the prestigious Proceedings of the Royal Society, concluded of the six Canadian-based teams, the faces of the Ottawa Senators are dead giveaways when it comes to predicting how much time players spend in the penalty box."We're not saying that Ottawa is more aggressive than any other team. But each individual player's face predicts how much time he had in the box," said Brock University neuroscience researcher Justin Carre.Carre, who studies fluctuations in hormone levels, wanted to test recent theories that link male facial width-to-height ratio to behaviour such as aggression. Changes in male facial shape start at puberty, when boys are exposed to the influences of testosterone, a hormone that also sparks aggressive behaviour.The researcher devised a lab experiment comparing facial ratios of a group of student volunteers with their aggressiveness while playing a video game. The measurements, performed with the help of a digital ruler, compare the width of the face at the cheekbones with the height between the bottom of the eyebrows and the upper lip. An unusually wide male face has a ratio of about 2.3, while a relatively narrow face has a ratio of about 1.6.Among the male students, those with wide faces were more likely to play the video game aggressively, even downright vengefully.Carre, who had played American college level hockey and is currently assistant coach of the Brock Badgers, decided to take the theory into the real world. "We wanted to come up with the idea of readily-available statistics - penalty minutes," said Cheryl McCormick, co-author of the paper and the Canada research chair in behavioural neuroscience at Brock.He shifted his gaze to the and calculated the facial ratio for the players on Canada's_teams using 2007-2008 roster photos and compared the results with the average number of penalty minutes per game the player racked up for aggressive behaviour such as slashing, cross-checking, high-sticking, boarding, elbowing, checking from behind and fighting. Goalies were not analyzed.Of the 18 Senators, Carre looked at defenceman Mike Commodore, who has since left the Senators, with a facial ratio of about 1.6 and only about a minute per game in the penalty box, was at the low end of the scale.Right-winger Chris Neil, with a facial ratio of almost 2.4 and about three minutes per game in the box, was at the opposite end. "(Chris) Neil was off the chart in the face ratio," said Carre. Of the Canadian teams the Ottawa Senators had the strongest "correlation" between facial width and aggression - although overall, the Senators were relatively gentlemanly players with relatively few penalties.The teams had an average correlation ranking of .30. The Senators scored the highest with .51, with the Montreal Canadiens next at .39, closely followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs at .37. The Vancouver Canucks rated .24, followed by the Edmonton Oilers at .20 and the Calgary Flames at .17.Brian Morris, a spokesman for the Senators, was at a loss for a comment on Carre's findings. It would be hard to draw conclusions based on facial measurements working from photographs alone, he suggested. "Seemingly, it's more of a theory than a scientific fact," he said.Carre spent Wednesday juggling requests from the international media to perform his calculations on the faces of other sports figures, mostly British footballers.And Carre believes there's a fascinating follow-up study to be done on how facial ratios affect hockey referees. Perhaps wide-faced players are more likely to be penalized than players whose faces are less threatening. "It might have implications for the type of officiating they get," he said. Ottawa Citizen Source

Devils put Vishnevski on waivers / Marcus Nilson can't leave Calgary

Looks like Lou Lamorielli is trying to shave some salary, to the tune of $1.4 million as the rough and tough Vishnevski was put on waivers today. Any takers? We'll see. He was a career-worst -12 with the Devils last season. He was benched by coach Sutter, and was basically the 7th defenceman.He's not known for putting up a lot of points, but he can sure kill guys pretty well.VishTube- Brett McLean feels the wrath of Vishnevski.- Boyd Gordon turns around to play the puck and bango! Vitaly shows him how to lay down real quick-like.That was a suicide pass wasn't it?- Vishnevski sends Tjarnqvist into the boards.- Karma. Ovechkin runs over Vishnevski. What a collision! Vitaly can take that kind of hit though. He's tough.Marcus Nilson wants to get away from the Calgary Flames and Mike Keenan, but he just can't get out of his contract. According to HockeyExpressen.se, a team from the KHL is interested in Nilson, but he has one more year (at $1 million) left with the Flames.According to the article, Nilson wanted to have his contract bought out but the Flames are not willing to do so. "They do not want to buy me out. It was a little pity. But they can do whatever they want."This change in attitude from Nilson contradicts how he was talking about playing in Calgary and under Keenan early last season (November). By December, he was a healthy scratch about 6 times.He finshed the season having only played 47 games, scoring 3 goals and 5 points. He also suffered a concussion injury, by the way.The gritty winger was mostly reduced to checking-role duty. At one point he was complaining about not being allowed to play enough 5-on-5 and was being used as a penalty killer mostly.I don't think this news has not even hit the North American papers yet, but I'm sure it will soon.MarcusTube- Nilson drops the gloves with Marty "beyond all" Reasoner.T Tags: Devils+put+Vitaly+Vishnevski+on+waivers Marcus+Nilson+wants+out+of+Calgary buyout Source

Off season Banter: 5 random Flames questions

Slow times and just for the sake of discussion I have five random questions. I enjoy all the interest and feedback here and hope this gets some good talk initiated:1) At 23 years old Dion Phaneuf was 5th among all NHL defensman in Minutes per game as well as overall points. He was tied for 24th overall in +/-. In his rookie season he was compared to Ovechkin and Crosby who were also rookies that year. Does his still warrant comparisons to those two as an overall talent, and do you think that we as Flames fans over - rate him?2) What's the most exciting single game you've either been to or watched in the last few seasons? The one that had you on the edge of your seat and thinking 'now that was a great game' when it was over?3) What do you think of Mathew Lombardi's hands? He's often criticized for being all speed and no hands, but he has shown flashes.What is his potential and how much room for improvement do you see him having?4) We were rumored to have interest in Olli Jokinen who ended up going to Phoenix for Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. What kind of package from us would have been the equivalent and would that have been worth it had it been available?5) Honestly, what's the deal with the Beer at the Saddledome and why does it seem to carry a little extra kick in the a$$?

Sommer's Gone

This is Roy Sommer. He was born in Oakland, California and played hockey there for Skyline High School 73-74. The following season he moved to Calgary to finish high school, eventually playing for Spruce Grove in the AJHL (then the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL). He was drafted by Toronto in 1977 (6th round, 101st pick overall) and then signed by Edmonton as a free agent by Edmonton to begin a new decade-January 1, 1980.Roy Sommer had one shot in his entire career. He scored.Sommer got into coaching after his career and has been sending Sharks to the for awhile now.--If Guy Flaming had been around in 1980, Roy Sommer might have been on his Oilers Top 20 Prospects list. Guy's final list is here and contains the usual interesting facts I've come to look forward to almost as much as those July issues of the Hockey News that hilighted my childhood.Among the nuggets in this edition:He has Jeff Petry #1 (he's wrong, it's Riley Nash)Vande Velde has improved in many facets of the game including his physical conditioning and overall fitness levels. He has developed slowly but big centermen don't grow on trees and if he can keep up and score enough this guy could be extremely valuable. All those puck moving college kids (Chorney, Petry, Wild) are still under 200 pounds. How many of those guys can a team run out there every night?Alex Plante survived the Mandelbaum's and is completely healthy. And with that, he's gone. Flaming has signed on as contributor to the Hockey News, has his own radio show and can be read on his blog (Coming Down the Pipe!) which appears to the right on the Oiler blog list. He is no longer a writer for HF, robbing Oiler fans of the number one reason to visit the site. Was it a requirement of employment by the Hockey News that Flaming give up his post? Did Hockey's Future pull the plug when Flaming received a very impressive opportunity? Whatever the reason, Hockey's Future lost the most compelling reason this reader had for visiting. Source

Most hated Maple Leaf players

OK, you had your chance to vote and here is the all-time despised Maple Leaf players.At starting goalie is Andrew Raycroft with his cement trapper and the gapping five hole. Raycroft managed to set a team records in wins but lost his starting job the following season. Next season he will be breaking the hearts of Colorado fans.Bryan Marchment makes the team on defense. Despite playing only one season on the Leafs just prior to the lockout, he obviously impressed Leafs fans with ability to take out players at the knees and his 13 league suspensions. After the Leafs he moved on to Calgary where he ended his career with an impressive 2307 penalty minutes and 40 goals.The other starting defenseman is Finish great - Aki Berg. The slow footed Berg used to delight Leaf fans with his puck carrying skills and this laser passes to opposition players. Berg played just over 3 seasons with the Leafs before returning to Finland. He was drafted 3rd overall by the Kings and scored an impressive 15 goals in the.The starting centre is Dmitri Khristick who was best known for being released as a free agent in 1999 by the Bruins rather than pay the $2.8 million that an arbitrator set as his salary. The Leafs signed him to a four-year, $10.29-million contract. He was the invisible and manged only 15 goals over 80 games before he was shipped off to Washington.On left wing is Swede Jonas Hogland who scored 29 goals in his first season with the Leafs. He was best remembered for expecting Mats Sundin to carry Hogland on his back for 4 seasons. Hogland was often seen disappearing whenever not playing with Sundin.Finally on right wing is John Kordic who in a brief career with the Leafs managed 446 penalty minutes in just 104 games. Hard to believe you get into so many fights from the end of the Leaf bench. Kordic helped establish Gord Stellick as a big league manager when he came to the Leafs in 1988 for Russ Courtnall. He will be best remembered for the day in 1992, when several police officers were called in to restrain Kordic, who was trashing a room at the Motel Maxim in Quebec City. He died in the struggle.Source

Chris Mason Works On His Game

fromo Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, After a sub-par season in Nashville, where Mason was ousted as the starter and then forgotten, he’s been traveling to Calgary this summer to work with Tyler Love, who runs World Pro Goaltending. Love, who has worked with Montreal’s Carey Price and Los Angeles’ Jason Labarbera, is trying to help Mason upgrade his technique.“It’s been a few things he wanted to work on ... when to stay down, when to get back to your feet,” Love said. “They are skills the new goalies coming up have ... like a Carey Price, who is very good technique-wise. Chris has been in the league awhile, and he wanted to go back and focus on his skills.”The work appears to be similar to what Blues assistant Rick Wamsley has done with Legace over the past two years. Wamsley has spent countless hours improving Legace’s footwork, and Legace’s trip to the NHL All-Star game last season illustrated the success.moreadded 3:25pm, Just realized this story is about a month old… sorry!

Roy a Flame - Updated

And I don't mean the arrogant, retired goaltender. According to the Flames website, the disgraced Tampa Bay enforcer is now a Calgary Flame. If this it true, I have to say Im dismayed and annoyed by this move. Roy is as useless a player as Godard and probably a worse enforcer. He was suspended by the Lightning last year after an incident involving the Philadelphia Flyers, where he lost a fight to Riley Cote and then proceeded to lose his mind on the bench.This addition does nothing for the Calgary Flames (besides make them even more generally hate-able I suppose). Actually, it makes them worse. My esteem for Calgary's off-season is surely and gradually being eroded. Blech!EDIT.nhl.com says he's a Flame too.EDIT II - Inside the Flames declares it official and notes the contract to be a one-year, 550k deal (meaning one-way I guess). Lefebvre notes that this is "Mark Smith all over again" in that the Smith signing was leaked prior to the official announcement thanks to an anonymous roster update by the.nhl. I would like to extend that comparison in saying that, like Smith, Roy is a needless addition to an already full line-up. Questions now that this is for real:1.) What does this do to Brandon Prust, who also has a one-way contract? I mean, the Flames now have 15 forwards signed for next season. Only Dustin Boyd is on a two-way contract and there's little chance of him spending time in the minors (especially if the org doesn't want to start receiving letter bombs from me). Marcus Nilsson might still go away, but that still leaves Calgary carrying 14 forwards (and 8 defensemen!). Not to mention the several million the club is over the cap. Either there's some kind of deal to get rid of some of these guys in the works...or the QC Flames are going to have an expensive roster next season. 2.) Sutter stated explicitly that the Flames "had no room on the roster for a 4 minute/night player" on the radio just 3 weeks ago. Course, I believed him, partially because it was so god-damned kick-you-in-the-crotch obviously true that is was hard not to take his word for it. Now I have to assume that Sutter either doesn't really mean anything that he says to the press (very possible) or that he's a slave to his whims. 3.) WTF is the point of this game of musical chairs GMs keep playing with goons? I mean, for godsake, if goons were worth a damn, you'd think a club might actually hold onto one for longer than a season or two. In Sutter's case, why the hell wouldn't he just sign Godard to a 3 year deal if he feels it's so necessary to have a pugilist on the roster all the time? For that matter, why didn't he sign Simon long-term? Or Oliwa? Why didn't he sign Roy beyond this season? Why keep swapping in a new meathead every off-season or two? Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.Final Update - Mirtle links me and adds some words on the Roy signing. He also links to one of his previous posts outlining the uselessness of enforcers, which saves me from having to write something in the same vein. Some of the worthwhile bits:The average enforcer in this study has played 16.5 games at 5.45 minutes per game for a total of about 90 minutes of ice time this season. In that time, against the worst opposition in the league, their teams have scored an average of 1.56 goals, allowed 2.66, and been out shot 38-30.At best, they're not a liability. At worst, they cripple their team, allowing somewhere in the neighbourhood of two goals per 60 minutes more than the rest of their team while generating almost zero offence or shots on goal.If I'm a coach or GM, isn't there a better option at the bottom of the roster?Source

Sutter Kremlinology

This site has had a lot to say about Darryl Sutter, and I'm sure there is going to be a lot more to come, as is proper and expected, for a place specializing in the interests and fortunes of the Calgary Flames. Now, these same Flames have had 3 straight first round playoff exits and if everything goes perfectly with Sutter's offseason moves the Flames are set up to make a giant move... sideways. The point of this particular post, however, is not so much Darryl's display or lack of hockey acumen but more about his political ability he uses in going about his GM-erily tasks. So is the clock ticking on Darryl? Is his job at risk?To answer that question boldly, I'll say that Darryl Sutter will be the GM of the Calgary Flames for as long as he wants to be - and I think the reason has been his keen judgment on how to consolidate his power within the Flames' organization.Remember Darryl came to the Flames after getting the boot in San Jose, but it was also after his brother Brian had been canned by the Flames 3 years before. So, Darryl obviously wants and receives the GM job as well as the coaching job when he comes to the Flames. This solves the SJ problem: there's no GM to fire him! He undoubtedly received detail info from brother Brian about the inner workings of the Flames management/ownership and any obvious buttons that need to be pushed or levers to be pulled. The hockey industry is notorious for being small, familial in the best sense, but also a little incestuous, so it isn't surprising that there are a lot of decisions made with regards to who knows who. But even within a system like that Darryl is noticeable for his focus (obsession?) on loyalty. The Flames organization is filled with family, Sutter loyalists, and people that aspire to be Sutter loyalists. The result is that the organization defers to Darryl in a couple of ways, 1) the obvious one of having people in place that support Darryl and are predisposed to carry out his decision/directions. 2) By having all the spots filled with people loyal to him there aren't any perches or even any oxygen within the org. for anti-Sutter usurpers. I find it interesting that the Flames don't have an assitant GM or a 'capologist'. This concentration of power effectively means that Sutter cannot be fired in a 'coup' like move. Firstly, simply because of the Sutter 'mystique' and of being a member of Alberta's hockey royal family (and Calgary is the one place in the, other than Edmonton, where this mystique is strongest and helps Darryl the most). Because there's no one in place that could effectively take over immediately (let the Keenan conspiracy theories begin; but I believe that the Flames would NEVER move to make Keenan GM. One word: Luongo) and ownership would have to be concerned about the reaction/morale of remaining Sutter 'guys'. So if there is any attempt at firing Sutter it'll have to be done by negotiating his departure, or moving him upstairs, so then it becomes less a 'firing' and more of a dynastic renewal, and there are plenty of Sutters (like Shark's teeth) in line to replace Darryl. And finally who wants to be the guy to have to give Darryl Sutter that news? Even if Darryl Sutter is your 'employee' he's more than a little intimidating. I bet he intimidates members of Calgary ownership. In short; Sutter's combination of Leonid Brezhnev, Fidel Castro, and Tony Soprano have wedged him into the GM seat pretty tight. But I hear you faithful readers saying, 'But Joe, isn't there some dramatic, cinematic way of describing your point?' Why yes, yes there is... dream sequence slowly begins.Harp music: ascending and descending scales, focus becomes soft, then softer, till totally white Harp music fades, Focus slowly sharpens to reveal Office Int. : The back of a solitary figure as he looks out of large office windows. Mid-morning bright (almost dazzling) sunshine streams into room. Blue sky can be seen right down to the snow covered horizon. A perfect Albertan winter morning.BZZZZT the intercom on the desk buzzes loudly but somehow seemingly 'asking' for permission to intrude upon the concentration of the lone occupant. He turns and strides purposefully from the windows to the desk, revealing to the audience that it is Darryl Sutter, GM of the Calgary Flames and presses on the intercom to reply:DS: Yes, what is it Comrade Secretary?Sec: Excuse me, Comrade General Manager, but Comrade President King is here to see youDS: Send him in. the camera moves to behind Sutter as it looks beyond him over his shoulder at his large, tastefully opulent, but tidy desk, around his darkly sumptuously mahogany paneled office toward the door. It quietly opens to reveal Ken King, president of the Flames enter and approach the desk, somewhat meekly holding and fidgeting with a Flames toque.DS: Comrade, please come in and sit down. King continues to approach the desk, but in doing so has to look into the bright sunshine coming from behind the silhouetted Sutter at his deskKK: Ahh, but Comrade; (as he shades his eyes) there's no chair.DS: Hmmm, is that so.BZZZZT. (intercom interupts)Sec: Excuse me, Comrade General Manager, but it is Comrade Vice-President of Secret P.. (nervous laugh) I mean, of course, Comrade Vice-President of Internal Security Sutter on the phone.DS: Brian! How are you? How's the meeting going, wait a sec, let me put you on speaker.. (DS pushes button on intercom, Brian Sutter's voice fills the office)BS: Darryl, you wouldn't believe it! Me and my boys barely arrived and took off our coats and rolled up our sleeves before the ownership was falling over themselves to agree to your demands, er I mean your suggestions going forward. Everybody here has decided to play ball!DS: Thats great Brian, keep up the good work. DS flicks off speakerphone, KK's eyes have widened upon hearing about the ownership and he now looks even more uncomfortable and pensiveDS: (gesturing to the windows and the beautiful view outside..) Isn't it beautiful Ken?KK: A truly beautiful sight Comrade.DS: Ken, are you a son of the Motherland?KK: A son of the Motherwhat?DS: A native of Alberta, Ken.KK: Oh.. No Comrade I was born in Saskatchewan.DS: Saskatchewan, ah yes, of course; EAST Alberta.BZZZZT. (intercom interrupts again)Sec: A thousand apologies Comrade General Manager, but Comrade Vice-President of Indoctri..(another nervous laugh, this one a little longer and little nervousier) I mean of course Comrade Vice-President of Player Development Sutter has left a message that he will be here in time for the meeting with Comrade Vice-President of Drafting and Acquistions Sutter.DS: Thats great, tell Duane and Ron to come right up after they arrive.KK: Uhmm, excuse me Comrade, but as Comrade President shouldn't I be invited to that meeting as well? (King is chewing the side of his lip, now as the toque in his hands is being almost teased out of shape)DS: Ken, what I wanted to talk to you about, is I'm thinking of making some changes...DS gets up from behind the desk as he speaks and walks toward the door gently spinning KK toward the door and letting his left hand drape over KK's shouldersKK: Comrade General Manager, I'm sure the board will support me in my position (KK says this WITHOUT being sure of the support at all, and his voice noticeably rising in pitch and with a slight quaver)DS: Oh, I'm not thinking of getting rid of you Comrade, no no, its more of a Brand change..both the men continue to walk toward the door, by this time KK has figuratively and literally shrunk in size and stature made even more apparent with the obvious comparison to the figure of DS right beside KK and as DS talks he gestures with his right hand as if referring to a name on a theatre marquee... DS: How does Comrade President Ken SUTTER sound?Source

Hard To Understand

I've always respected the Minnesota Wild and the job that GM Doug Risebrough had done in being cost-conscious in the new. They found hard-working, blue-collar guys in other the systems of other teams, and drafted extremely well. In finding these hard-working guys, they brought in players like Andrew Burnette, Wes Walz, Cliff Ronning, Sergei Zholtok, Brian Rolston, and Pavol Demitra to lead the way in terms of teaching the younger players how to work hard while leading the franchise to success. The young guys that have grown in the system are guys like Marian Gaborik, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux, and Nick Schultz. These guys are the foundation that Doug Risebrough has added pieces around, and have allowed the Minnesota Wild to be successful thus far. As the Wild look to become increasingly successful, I have a major question for Mr. Risebrough to answer, and this is the premise for this entire article.Yesterday, Mr. Risebrough went on record and stated that the Minnesota Wild had bought out the remaining three years of the contract that they had signed with Minnesota native and fan favourite in Mark Parrish. What struck me as odd in Mr. Risebrough's statement is this: "The unfortunate thing is when you have a big signing like that, people are looking at big production".Look, I get that Mark Parrish signed a contract that may not reflect the desired offensive output that Doug Risebrough may have wanted. In 2006-07, Mr. Parrish played in 76 games, and racked up 19 goals and 20 assists. His 39 points was good for seventh on the team in scoring. In 2007-08, Mr. Parrish played in 66 games for the Wild. He missed a number of games due to a variety of injuries, but still put up 16 goals and 14 assists.The problem that I have is one of dollars and sense. Not cents, but sense. Make that hockey sense. Mark Parrish is 31 years old. He still has a lot of good hockey in front of him. He's a fan favourite, and does an immense amount of work in the community with his charitable organization, 21 For Kids. Yes, I get that hockey is a business where winning and losing makes the difference for every player and member of a franchise, especially in the.The $64,000 question is this: why would you buyout Mark Parrish, a man who has an average salary of $2.65 million per season, and sign 36 year-old Owen Nolan for $2.75 million per season?Let me change the scenario a little here. The Minnesota Wild play in a suffocating defensive system employed by head coach Jacques Lemaire. When talented players such as Marian Gaborik are complaining to the press about how their creativity is being stifled in system such as Lemaire's, how is a power forward like Parrish supposed to flourish?Worse yet, Risebrough went out and signed the 36 year-old Owen Nolan to a two-year deal worth $2.75 million per season. Owen Nolan played in 77 games for the Calgary Flames last season, and scored 16 goals and 16 assists.Parrish in 2007-08: 66 GP, 16 goals + 14 assists.Nolan in 2007-08: 77 GP, 16 goals + 16 assists.Does that make any sense to anyone? Risebrough signed an older, slower Nolan for more money than he was paying Parrish, yet Nolan had a whopping two assists more than Parrish in 11 more games."I had to just look at certain scenarios, including his salary versus his performance," Risebrough told The Canadian Press. "I just felt like this is an opportunity to buy somebody out and let the player move on and the team move on."Excuse me? How does this make sense? You buyout a younger, cheaper player to make room for a guy who should have retired two years ago? I can understand loosening the purse strings to sign a guy like Andrew Brunette who, in the last few years, has become an extremely talented player. However, Risebrough is paying Nolan more than what he is paying Brunette.Nolan is the fourth highest-paid forward on the Minnesota Wild roster. He played on the third and fourth lines in Calgary, and Minnesota made him the fourth highest-paid player on their team. A 36 year-old has-been who scored 32 points is the fourth highest-paid forward on the Minnesota Wild. Does anyone see a problem here?If you think that Nolan will succeed as an offensive player in Jacques Lemaire's system, I have swampland in Florida to sell you. Nolan's best season came in 1999-2000 when he was an all-star with the San Jose Sharks. He racked up 44 goals and 40 assists that season, and played extremely well. Since the 1992-93 season, however, Nolan has not scored more than 66 points in a season aside from his all-star campaign. He hasn't broken the 50-point barrier since 2001-02.Remember, Nolan is earning more money than Mark Parrish on his contract. Parrish's point-per-game average last season was 0.454. Nolan's point-per-game average was 0.416. Does this make any sense?Statistically, there is no explanation for the buyout, and Mr. Riseborugh's statement about Parrish's buyout is nothing more than a rationalization. He made mistakes with his current contractual obligations, and he made mistakes in the past with contractual obligations. Risebrough even says as much when he stated that it "just felt like this is an opportunity to buy somebody out".As a fan of the game, this smells like a manure pile. Mark Parrish is a talented power forward, and deserves better than to have Mr. Risebrough use him as scapegoat for his own shortcomings. As Mr. Risebrough said. "the team was successful, and Mark was a part of that", so why would you get rid of him? If change was necessary, why not trade him?I'm sorry for your loss, Wild fans. Mark Parrish was a stand-up individual, and he deserved better than what he got. If I was part of the Team of 18,000, I'd be peeved right now. Mr. Risebrough scuttled one of your own, and that cuts deep.Good luck getting 50 points out of Owen Nolan next season, Mr. Risebrough. My guess is that he'll fall out of favour with Jacques Lemaire early, and find himself on the bench a lot more often than you'd like to see.And Wild fans, just remember who you're booing when Owen Nolan doesn't score 40 goals next season. It's not the guys on the ice who deserve the booing. It's the guy sitting in the luxury suite up above.Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!Source