In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning. Things have changed quite a bit since our last look at coaches with warm cushions. For one, the Lightning are making me look bad at 3-1-3 since the last installment. The Leafs have won a few games and things have gone from bad to an Alexander Daigle brand of awful for the Hurricanes. We'll take a look at all of that and more after the jump.
When you watched the Minnesota Wild the last eight years, there were some things that could be counted on almost every game.
The teams coached by Jacques Lemaire weren't known for being lazy, uninspired, or unprepared. In fact, Lemaire has developed a reputation for getting the absolute maximum out of even the most marginal NHL players. They might not have been the most exciting team in the league, but they were competitive.
FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from Wild training camp.
ST. PAUL -- After nine years of the same voice at practice and during games, a significant change came to the Minnesota Wild after the 2008-2009 season. Veteran coach Jacques Lemaire was out, replaced by first-time NHL head coach and Minnesota native Todd Richards.
While the Wild had their share of success with Lemaire, most fans thought it was time for a change. That change isn't just the voice the players hear every day. Richards brings in an entirely new way of playing hockey for the Wild.
FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from Wild training camp.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It's not terribly common for a player with 300 goals and plenty of gas in the tank to try out for a team. For Petr Sykora, there may have been a tryout, but it was extremely short and equally effective.
The veteran winger agreed Thursday to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, just a couple days after word leaked that he was going to be in St. Paul for a tryout during training camp.
Considering a resume that includes over 300 NHL goals and two Stanley Cups, it's kind of odd to see forward Petr Sykora still looking for work.
The veteran was a part of the Penguins' championship team last season, picking up another 25-goal season along the way. Unable to find a contract offer to his liking in the NHL, and seemingly unwilling to jump to Russia, Sykora is instead going to try out for the Minnesota Wild.
The offseason sure has been interesting for the Minnesota Wild. The front office was overhauled, with former Pittsburgh aide Chuck Fletcher taking over as general manager and hiring Todd Richards as head coach.
Changes have come to the Wild on the ice, too, but one of the more notable developments of the offseason involves a player who has been with the Wild ever since he was drafted.
Chris Snow, director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild, is entering his fourth season with the team after spending a number of years covering the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Globe, and the Wild for the Star Tribune. He joined the team's hockey operations department when its general manager at the time, Doug Risebrough, was looking for something different in the front office.
"Doug was a really accomplished player," said Snow. "He played for a while in the NHL, but he was also a guy that was a free-thinker and really looked outside the box. He had a need for someone in the front office to do a variety of work, but I also think he wanted to look at the position with growth in mind."
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division.
It appears we are setting up for an offseason of significant change in the Northwest Division. Only the Vancouver Canucks will have the same coach as last year, and there could be some real upheaval in terms of personnel. Not only that, but two teams (Minnesota and Colorado) have changed general managers.
A new general manager -- Chuck Fletcher -- has arrived. Among the things he wants to do is up the tempo of play. No longer will this team be chided for playing a low-tempo, trapping, "boring" style of hockey.
The overhaul appears to be complete, as reports have Fletcher settled on his new coach.
In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning. 
When you watched the 
FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from 
FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from 
Considering a resume that includes over 300 
The offseason sure has been interesting for the 
Chris Snow, director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild, is entering his fourth season with the team after spending a number of years covering the Boston Red Sox for the 
It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division. 
Change has come to the 
