If you're a fitness freak and wonder what kind of workouts Wild players are put through, now there's an app for you.
Kirk Olson, the Wild's strength and conditioning coach, has started a new endeavor in partnership with TRIA Orthopaedic Center. It's the Minnesota Wild fitness app powered by PEAR Sports, and now fans can not only experience tailor-made Wild workouts, but Olson will be the one in your ear guiding you the entire way.
Your workout is synced with the app, and you're given instantaneous feedback.
"You download a workout, it calibrates different levels and your heart rate, syncs it all up and it's like I'm there putting you through your workout," said Olson, who doubles as co-GM of Total Hockey Minnesota in Lakeville. "Now everybody kind of gets a piece of me. I'm right there telling you what to do."
Eighteen months in the works, the Wild is the first professional team to do something like this. Right now, there are five workouts, including a warm-up, two treadmill interval workouts and two strength workouts. This offseason, Olson plans to cut several more workouts, which are filmed in the Wild's workout room and inside a radio booth.
Each workout has a beginner and advanced stage.
"It's geared toward what I literally put our guys through," Olson said. "I had my heroes growing up. I was always of the mind-set, 'What do they do to work out?' And the neat thing, I've seen this firsthand.
"I'll have the [Kyle] Okposos and Zach Parises down at training center in the summer time, and I'd see these little kids watching these successful NHLers work out right before they're about to do the exact same workouts.
"It's really cool."
Olson said the workouts are for anybody "and is something you can do even in a hotel gym."
"High intensity interval training is what research nowadays is showing is the best thing to do," Olson said. "Running long distances, you get all these injuries that are chronic. High intensity interval training is easier on the body and because it's more strenuous, you're getting more bang for your buck. What is the sport that almost is high intensity interval training to the finest? It's hockey."
Seconds to spare
There was a close call only 1:41 into the Wild's 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Saturday night. Patrik Berglund redirected a Jay Bouwmeester shot for an apparent 1-0 Blues lead.
The play went to video review, and the NHL's situation room ruled it was a good goal because it wasn't scored with a high stick.
Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk immediately skated to the refs to protest the puck even went into the net. When he saw the replay again, Dubnyk began "banging my stick like crazy."
"I heard the tip, I never saw the puck and the horn went, so right away I just stood up and thought they scored," Dubnyk said. "And then [defenseman Matt Dumba] looked at me and said it never went in. They showed the replay and I'm like, 'OK, it never went in.' Then I was like, 'What's taking so long, what are they looking at? It never went in.'
"I'd love to know what happened behind the scenes. They announced good goal and the ref came over to me because obviously it's not their call at that point and said, 'I don't know what to tell you, it went to video and they said it was good video to say it's a goal.That's all I can tell ya.'"
Just as a referee was about to drop the puck for the ensuing faceoff, the horn sounded again once the NHL discovered the puck hit the outside of the net. If that puck was dropped, it would have been too late. St. Louis would have led 1-0.
"Oh my goodness, let's not even think about that," Dubnyk said.
Etc.
• Speaking of Dumba (plus-15 the past 14 games), he was plus-2, had three blocked shots, one shot robbed by Blues goalie Brian Elliott and was Minnesota's most physical defenseman in 20 minutes, 25 seconds of ice time. This came one game after he turned the puck over for the eventual losing goal to Anaheim.
"This is a great response game for him," Yeo said.
• The Wild will practice in Minnesota on Monday before flying to Nashville for Tuesday's game.
