Zach Parise did skating exercises early Friday morning but did not take part in either of the two Wild practices on the first day of training camp.
"It's day to day with him," coach Bruce Boudreau said. "As soon as the trainers tell me he's ready to go, he'll be here. I really don't think it's overly serious. … With three weeks [until the season] we want to make sure everybody hits Game 1 on the upswing."
Parise reportedly tweaked his back before camp.
Asked if the veteran would be able to play Friday, if there were a regular season game, Boudreau said, "I'm sure if you asked him, he would be."
Olympic ban blues
Ryan Suter is a two-time U.S. Olympian whose father, Bob Suter, was part of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team. Suter said he hadn't read Alex Ovechkin's strong statement this week denouncing the decision-makers for not letting NHL players compete in the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea. But Suter seems equally disappointed.
"I was, to be honest, really looking forward to playing," Suter said. "It's too bad that we're not able to, if that's the case. I don't think it's ever too late to change someone's mind, but I'd really like to play in the Olympics."
Minnesota nice ice
Saturday's practices are open to the public, with sessions at 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
The Wild is inviting fans to bring up to 3 ounces of water from "their local ice rink, pond or lake" to the Zamboni located outside Gate 1 of Xcel Energy Center. That water will be filtered and used Sunday to help make the Wild's ice sheet for the upcoming season.
