Remember how I mentioned on here and the radio last week that Michael Prochno scored the OT winner in Game 1 of the Schwan Cup to hoist Minnetonka to a win over St. Thomas Academy?
His older brother, Andrew, a former Minnetonka standout defenseman heading to St. Cloud State, is making national news in the USHL. Andrew Prochno, traded days earlier from Wateroo to Sioux Falls, may have coined a new hockey expression: "Dude could split a puck with that shot." Prochno shot a puck off the post so hard, it literally split in two.
How good a job did the play-by-play and color guy do with the analysis? Some great lines.
Here's a little feature written by Greg Wyshynski at Yahoo's Puck Daddy on the Prochno shot.
Former Wild assistant GM Tom Lynn was at the game. He told me he's "never seen that with a puck, excepting my Irish wolfhound that chewed one in half."
I talked to some NHLers about the shot last night and today. None has ever seen that happen. Prochno's either got himself an Al MacInnis superhero-power type shot or the puck wasn't exactly frozen properly.
By the way, look 52 seconds into that clip. Luke Strand, the former Aeros' assistant coach. He coaches Sioux City, the other team. Lynn told me Strand wanted the refs to put the faceoff outside the zone since the stoppage was caused by Prochno's shot off the post (like it left the rink). But the rulebook doesn't address pucks breaking in half, so it was the ref's discretion and the ensuing faceoff was in the zone.
OK, heading to the Bruins and Wild morning skates now. I'll be back on later with new blog.
Want to help me with my Sunday Insider? Who's your first half MVP for the Wild? Tell me in the comments and give me reasons
