As a small business owner, I have come to hate April 15th (tax day). Every year, it's the same old, same old: Gotta pay more money that I don't have. One small problem with hating April 15th: it's my lovely bride's birthday. Usually makes for a stressful time around our house. I usually am scrambling to pay uncle Sam and don't have any money to spare for a cool birthday present. I don't know if it's simply b/c the 15th is on a Sunday this year and, therefore, tax day isn't until the 16th or what, but the tide appears to be changing. The accountant called and said that I overpaid on my quarterly estimates and have enough left over even to cover the first quarter for this year. I took care of my shopping before I got the call just figuring that, as always, I would just find a way when he called with the bad news. And while I expected bad news, it just didn't happen. A pretty appropriate analogy for our team here in Minnesota.

The past couple of games have been enough to get even the most optimistic Wild fan discouraged. But it doesn't have to be bad news today. Sure, we're down. But we are definitely not out. Our boys are back in town at the "nuky blanky" as PA and Dubay refer to the Xcel Energy Center. And there are over 19,000 of us who are ready to show the Ducks what real, sold out hockey fans are all about. I suspect there millions more who can't make it out to the X, but will have their T.V.'s tuned in as if it were the U.S. playing in the gold medal hockey game. We have a great home record. We play the Ducks much better in St. Paul than in Orange County. And we need a Win in a bad way. Not that we couldn't come back from being down even 3-0, but it's time to make a statement! It's time to play our game! To take it to the Ducks! To roll all 4 lines as effectively as we have most of the year! To execute on the power play and to kill penalties with a vengance!

So, in honor of tax day, I say: MAKE EM PAY!!!!!! And pay dearly they shall. The gloves are off. The guantlet has been thrown down. It's time to stand up and let our team know that we are right there with them, every step of the way (stride for stride). In fact, just to let them know how pumped up we are, I suggest that from the opening face off until the final horn, we stand with them. Seats are for casual observers. Casual observers we are not. We were born with a stick and a pair of blades, on the ice we cut our teeth. We took our knocks in the penalty box, our mother was the referree. This sport was here before we came, it will be here when we're gone. Our game's in the blood and our blood's in the game. Lay us down under a frozen pond. We will fight to the end, we will stand and defend, our flag flying high and free. We were born the child of the strong and Wild. in the State, the State of Hockey!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to Minnesota, Duckies!!! This is our pond, it's frozen, and you're not welcome here. Plus, it's April 15th. It's a new day, a new game, and we're gonna make you pay! Go Wild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(KABOOM, KABOOM, KABOOM..........quack, quack, quack....thud!)

UPDATE - WHAT IS THIS? THE DUCKS BLOG? ONE WOULD THINK THAT FROM READING ALL OF THE COMMENTS. COME ON MINNESOTA, GET ON YOUR FEET, IT'S TIME TO WELCOME BACK THE MINNESOTA WILD!!!!! LET'S HEAR FROM SOME MINNESOTA PEOPLE AND/OR FANS ON THIS SITE. THESE DUCKS FANS ARE LIKE A VIRUS, THEY JUST START TO TAKE OVER. TIME FOR A SHOT IN THE ARM OF SOME SERIOUS ANTIBIOTICS TO KNOCK DOWN THIS BIRD FLU I FEEL COMING ON. HOW ABOUT A WIN OR TWO (i.e. take two of these and call me in the morning) LET'S HEAR FROM YOU WILD FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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