HabsCast Hockey Blog

October 11, 2000, a day to be remembered. Hometown boy Darby Hendrickson launched the Wild into existence and put them ahead 1-0. There was one guy though, that really made an impact on me; Wes Walz tallied a few points in the tie but it was his work ethic that really impressed me. No question, he was skating hard, and fighting for lose pucks in the corners. The Wild really needed Walz’s tenacity and just the energy he brought to the play and which really seeped into his teamates. Walz’s style reminds me of Parish and even Voros in a way, because they all muck and grind in the corners as well as (and Walz especially) have tremendous vision on the ice, see open teammates, read plays well, as well as always being in position; Walz was exceptional at all of those. Walz was also a force in the locker room, and really got the team motivated as well as leading by example. The last thing Walz has going for him, and they don’t teach this at hockey school, is experience. Lets be honest, most plays in the NHL don’t work like they were drawn up on the board, they have to be improvised, and that experience gained can make a broken play into a great one. Older players have just seen more, dealt with more, and you can’t teach experience, no matter what you do. Walz is still a useful player and would still be very useful in the Wild system. I can’t really blame him for calling it quits, but I would sure like to see him back on as a coach

About the Author: I’m a 17 year old high school senior who’s obsessed with hockey. I love high school hockey, but follow college and pro hockey just as passionately. I’m also A huge Boston Red Sox fan. Also, CHeck out my blog…

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