More hockey talk

Getting home late tonight from the X, where the Wild won a "must-win" game, 4-0 over Calgary. The playoffs are still unlikely, but at least the dream is still alive. The next "must-win" game is Sunday in Detroit, where we usually get squashed.

But one of the gutsiest things I've seen in a long time is the ongoing play of Andrew Brunette. Bruno is 35 years old, and at some point in this season he suffered a partial tear of his ACL. Reporters who cover the team say that off the ice, it's a struggle for him to walk normally. But he shows up every night, laces up the skates and keeps playing because the Wild have needed him, and because the playoffs are still possible.

Tonight he showed up again, and scored his 21st goal of the season, the 26th game-winner of his career. If we're eliminated, I'm sure he'll shut it down, have surgery, and begin a long, difficult rehab that I hope will be over by next October.

I know that we throw around the word "courage" a little too much, particularly when it pertains to professional athletes, but what he's been doing the past two months really is courageous, and it's a great example for all the young guys on the team to watch. Bruno, this one's for you.