Lorne Henning, who coached the North Stars for two seasons (1985-87), was in town Tuesday night as assistant general manager for the Vancouver Canucks, watching his team outscore the Wild 4-1 despite getting outshot 29-14.
Henning, 56, said the Wild are a playoff team.
"For sure," he said. "They're playing playoff hockey now. They play hard, they play tight, and they've got great goaltending."
If the Gophers men's basketball team gets into the NCAA tournament, it will be the first time in University of Minnesota history that the program has gone to the tournament three consecutive years. The Gophers (17-8) presumably need to win three of their remaining five Big Ten games to earn a bid.
Worth watching: Larry Fitzgerald Jr., the former Holy Angels star who is a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, can become a free agent after next season. He also has a contract clause prohibiting the Cardinals from designating him as a franchise player.
The Cardinals are nearly as desperate as the Vikings for a proven starting quarterback. If they don't sign one, it'll be interesting to see if Fitzgerald becomes frustrated enough to make himself available to his hometown team in 2012.
Twins catcher Joe Mauer, appearing on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Tuesday, won a video game batting contest against Fallon with a home run.
Fallon referred to Mauer, the all-star from St. Paul, as the "Anti-LeBron James" because he could have signed for "millions of dollars more" by opting for free agency rather than remaining in Minnesota.
Plans are under way for a retirement party for local hockey legend Glen Sonmor this spring at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub.
Minneapolis' Alan Anderson, who played at Michigan State, is fifth in NBA D-League scoring with a 21.1-point average for the New Mexico T-Birds.
Former Gopher Lawrence Westbrook is averaging 7.2 points for the Maine Red Claws, former Blaine High star Patrick O'Bryant 9.3 points for the Reno Bighorns and former Eden Prairie High star Ryan Wittman 6.8 points for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
George Toma, who has prepared the field for every Super Bowl, is back overseeing Hammond Stadium's field for the Twins in spring training.
Jeff Rosga, the former Gophers football standout from Mendota Heights, is the lead personal trainer for Timberwolves players through Life Time Fitness.
Roseville's Jim Marshall, 80, the hall of fame trainer who for 42 years worked for the Gophers, is doing well after prostate cancer.
St. Paul Urban Tennis was honored last weekend in Arlington, Va., as a recipient of the National Junior Tennis and Learning Chapter of the Year Award by the U.S. Tennis Association.
Gophers left wing Erik Haula, whose NHL rights are owned by the Wild, is tied for the team lead in assists with 15 in 20 games.
Chris Engler, 52, the 7-foot Gophers basketball player who played five seasons in the NBA, is teaching world history at Stillwater High.
Gophers baseball games at Indiana (April 24), at Michigan (May 6) and at Penn State (May 15) will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Hollis Cavner, who operates the 3M Championship, said Wednesday he recently spent a day with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill (Fla.) and expects the golf legend, who turns 82 in September, to return for this year's senior tournament at the TPC in Blaine July 31-Aug. 6.
Mahtomedi quarterback Dan Ferrazzo, who also plays shortstop in baseball, has committed to the University of St. Thomas, where he'll play both sports. Ferrazzo will be among starters in the Minnesota all-star football game June 25 at TCF Bank Stadium.
Gophers football season-ticket renewals went out this week. Cost is $275, but there is an additional $500 fee for some premium seats at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers last season had 33,000 season tickets on about 10,000 accounts.
It's apparent the reason Brett Favre hasn't spoken publicly about Aaron Rodgers' Super Bowl MVP performance for the Packers is that Green Bay proved it made the right decision in letting Favre go.
New Gophers volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon's contract is for seven years and $150,000 in annual base pay.
Depositions are under way in the Katie Brenny sexual bias lawsuit against the University of Minnesota over her golf coaching job.
After 12 consecutive weeks among the top 25 in the nation, the Gophers men's basketball team this week is No. 39.
The Twins and the Gophers are closing in on a deal to use Target Field for Minnesota's Big Ten schedule, but some doubleheader dates might need to be tweaked. The Twins will charge rent, which the Gophers don't mind. After all, the Twins donated $2 million toward a new Siebert Field.
Wild coach Todd Richards, on playing the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center: "It's boisterous, loud. If you're not into it there, something's wrong -- you better check your pulse."
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