Jason Pominville's Powerful Slapshot

Remember Brian Rolston? Yeah, that guy who would often take slapshots in the shootout.

Well until recently, Rolston had boasted the most powerful slapshot in Wild history. Wild F Jason Pominville is giving Rolston a run for his money in the clap bomb department.

Wild All Time Top 10 Recap

As you saw in yesterday's post, we unveiled the #1 Wild player of all time. If you missed any of the posts, here they are again:

#1-Marian Gaborik

#2-Mikko Koivu

#3-Wes Walz

#4-Andrew Brunette

#5-Brian Rolston

#6-Pierre-Marc Bouchard

#7-Niklas Backstrom

#8-Brent Burns

#9-Pavol Demitra

#10-Dwayne Roloson/Manny Fernandez

Thank you to all of those who kept checking back on a daily basis.

Next week, I will begin my Top 10 prospects list, so please check back.


Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Wild All Time Top 10: #5-Brian Rolston

Brian Rolston

Seasons With The Wild: 3

Goals: 96

Assists: 106

Points: 202

In July of 2004, Doug Risebrough signed 31 year old Brian Rolston to a 4 year contract, to help boost a stale Wild offense. He was coming off a season in Boston, where he scored just 19 goals and 29 assists, but at that point, he was better than any in house option they had.

Unfortunately for Rolston and the Wild, the 04-05 season was lost to a lockout, as well as a year of that contract he had just signed.

But once the puck dropped again, the Wild had found a second line scorer they sorely needed.

In his 3 seasons in Minnesota, Rolston tallied at least 31 goals, and set a career high in goals, assists, and points in 05-06, when he scored 34-45-79 to lead the Wild in scoring that year.

Rolston was a good skater, but what set him apart from the league, was his slapshot. Rolston would use it in any situation, whether it was a penalty shot, or in a shootout. No goalie in the league stood a chance against Brian Rolston's slapshot.

He was also a team leader, being named the team captain a handful of times during his tenure here (Back then, the captaincy was handed out on a monthly basis under Jacques Lemaire). He was instrumental in leading the team to the playoffs twice, and the team's lone division title in 07-08.

Even though he only played 3 seasons here, Brian Rolston made a tremendous impact to the team on the ice. After his tenure ended in Minnesota, Rolston has played for 3 other teams (Devils, Islanders, and Bruins), and he has yet to show anything close to what he was here in the State of Hockey. So we hope he can say that his best years, were his years with the Wild. Because all of us Wild fans should feel that way...

Check back tomorrow and see who comes in at #4!
#5-Brian Rolston
#6-Pierre-Marc Bouchard
#7-Niklas Backstrom
#8-Brent Burns
#9-Pavol Demitra
#10-Dwayne Roloson/Manny Fernandez


Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

Wild All Time Top 10: #6-Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Seasons With The Wild: 9

Goals: 98

Assists: 229

Points: 327

The Wild drafted Pierre-Marc Bouchard with the 8th overall pick in 2002. He was coming off a season in the QMJHL where he posted a line of 46-94-140 in just 69 games played. Without a doubt, the Wild made the best possible pick at that point in the draft (Only two other players drafted in the first round, behind PMB, made an All Star Game), a rare credit to former GM Doug Risebrough.

Bouchard played 50 games for the Wild the following season. What they found, was a forward with great hands and elite vision on the ice to create scoring plays. He also used his phenomenal foot work, to turn defenders and goalies alike inside out, while him and his teammates were on the attack.

It took him two full seasons with the Wild, before he finally made his breakthrough. In the 05-06 campaign, Bouchard ranked third on the team in scoring (17-42-59), only trailing the big stars of Rolston and Gaborik. In the following two seasons respectively, "Butch" scored 57 and 63 points, while playing in 163 out of a possible 164 games.

Following the 2007-08 season, the Wild signed Bouchard to a 5 year extension. And now we are in the final year of that contract (Lockouts do not stop the contracts from going. If a year is lost, the player loses a year on his contract), and it has been disastrous. In the first game of the 09-10 season, Bouchard suffered a concussion, and never played again that year. He had played in parts of the next two seasons to follow, but he still battled post concussion symptoms, which is why he was held out more times than none.

He has yet to fully return to that player he once was. Should the lockout end, and any type of season gets saved, Bouchard should be at 100% (Fingers crossed!), and we will get to see a glimpse of that great player one more time. Because his future in a Wild sweater, beyond the 2012-13 season, is very uncertain.


Check back tomorrow and see who comes in at #5!
#6-Pierre-Marc Bouchard
#7-Niklas Backstrom
#8-Brent Burns
#9-Pavol Demitra
#10-Dwayne Roloson/Manny Fernandez


Follow Giles on Twitter @gilesferrell

For Your Enjoyment...

...watch this Game 7 overtime winner by former Wild forward Joel Ward, now playing for Washington. Also note that former Wild F's Brian Rolston, Benoit Pouliot and D Greg Zanon on the ice for Boston. Many thanks to Chuck Fletcher for sabotaging the Bruins season by trading away Pouliot (In 2009) and Zanon this past February. (I kid, I kid...or am I?)