OMW!

That’s Oh My, Wild! We may be a 7 seed. It may take 7 games. But. We. Will. Beat. You.

I remember Kirby Puckett. He was one of those dependable guys on a team that added not only his talent, work ethic and leadership, but brought that intangible thing that can only be called “It.” The team, while getting on his shoulders, also wore that cloak of “it.” One of Puckett’s plays I remember from the World Series was a throw from center field that managed to reach home plate without a relay, dead on to the catcher (was that Harper?) and the runner was out. It was one of those plays that you can only marvel at and exclaim, Oh My!

And now we have J.P. Parise’s son playing for the Minnesota Wild. Zach Parise should be named E.B. Parise, because he is the Energizer Bunny. The way he flies around the ice, never giving up, chasing down the puck in the offensive zone, merely to give himself a chance to perform the miraculous. When Mikko Koivu released a shot in Game 6 against the now deceased Colorado Avalanche, Parise was being hassled by the goalie and another Avs player. With his back to the goal, he tips and redirects the puck in exactly the right way to score a goal that helped propel the Wild on to eventually win the series. This playoff season you can see the team climbing on his shoulders, cloaking themselves with “it,” maturing right before your eyes. Next up: Chicago Blackhawks. There will be more OMW moments.