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CLOQUET LAKE…. There is never a bad time to take a deep trip into the forest and get some fresh air, take in the beauty of the outdoors, and just let the mind go where it will go. I’m not one of these guys who hikes or works out with the headphones on with music blasting away either. Don’t get me wrong, I am music crazy and have a somewhat fair to middlin’ collection of stuff spanning almost every category going back to the fifties. I was taught at an early age that there is something to appreciate in all musical offerings. When I listen to music, that’s all I want to be doing, trying to capture everything in what I am listening to.

Just this morning I was listening to a little holiday rock to boost up my holiday spirits. I had on Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by the great Darlene Love, as well as another version of this song by U2, Christmas by The Who, (featuring some wicked drum rolls by the late Keith Moon), Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty and more. But as much as I love music, when I used to do my full-blast 25-mile, all-out bike training, I preferred to let my mind go where it wanted to, sans headphones. That was part of the beauty of training like that: full-out exertion and unscripted thought.

Anyway, I’ll let others do the best sports stories of 2014. There are many I can think of, and with a mixture of sadness and happiness. Some teams that I have pulled for strongly in my lifetime were close to the brass ring in 2014 but ended up coming up a little short. Whether it was in hockey or, in particular, the Olympics, the teams that I cheer for came close but no cigar. The men’s hockey competition was particularly disappointing. However, when you assemble the best talent in the world and have a two-week tourney, just about anything can happen; there is no planned outcome, and predictions mean little. I have to say, though, that I had a pretty empty feeling for a few days after the event came to an end.

Should I get that emotionally attached to a sporting team or event? Why not? We should all have something in our lives that we truly love and care about, and the world of sports can run from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. I have experienced it all. I’ll keep it in perspective, though. Well, I’ll try to!

IN THINKING ABOUT THE near future of the NHL, it doesn’t hurt to look at the recent past. Gary Bettman has been the commissioner now for a little over 20 years, and if you think of where the league was when he came in to where it is now, you would have to give him a hearty thank you and congratulations. The game and the league have never been better, in my opinion. From any perspective you wish (financial, competition, exposure, brand-name recognition, and so forth), the NHL has got it all going on right now. And I don’t think it is any accident that it is occurring under Bettman’s watch.

I got a book last summer that you should read to give you a way to frame today’s NHL versus the NHL of the past. It is “The NHL: 100 Years of On-Ice Action and Boardroom Battles” by D’Arcy Jenish. The league has basically gone from a poorly run business entity dominated by guys who could agree on little to a corporate sports conglomerate that finally got its act together in the boardroom and on the ice. It is still evolving, but as a guy who saw his first game in 1960 on a black and white TV and can compare what we have today, I say Bettman’s vision for the league has brought it to heights it never achieved before.

Bettman was a former NBA exec when he came in, and that irritated me no end. But his business acumen has won me over. At this point, with a long-term CBA in place and some solid TV deals working as well, there is not much to do but manage and tweak
here and there. Recent developments on the expansion front are part of that. With the league currently at 30 teams, there an imbalance in the number of clubs between the two conferences, and two more teams would level it out. The NHL has recently given the go-ahead for a Las Vegas group to gauge season ticket interest. The greater Seattle area could be another possible locale for an expansion club.

The NHL in Europe talk has died down, and that is fine with me. I see no way, shape, or form from any standpoint possible that this could work, logistically speaking. Let it go. Then do something about banning all contact from behind, and I will pretty much be good to go. Kudos to the NHL—I love it…

THERE SEEMS TO BE a wave of positivity sweeping over the Twins organization as of late. They have signed free-agent pitcher Earvin Santana to a four-year deal, and everyone around the club is singing the praises of the hiring of Paul Molitor to replace Ron Gardenhire. Former popular reliever Eddie Guardado has been brought in as the bullpen coach, and hope and optimism have been refueled. I wasn’t sure at first, because of his lack of managerial experience, but I think Molly is going to do just fine. He has learned quite a bit in his many years in the league, and I think that will serve him and the club well.

I was a huge Gardy fan, but I now believe it was time to move on. Gardy hasn’t got another spot as of yet, but his chance will come. He is not done by any stretch. I would say that the upcoming season may be a settling-in year for the new regime, but with some young talent on the way, I believe the team will be making some forward movement sooner rather than later. And with the Minnesota Wild looking like anything but a playoff contender at the moment, it might be time to give some spring training lineups an in-depth looking at… PEACE

MFAN EXTRA: HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL READERS OF THE READER AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR AS WELL! OVER & OUT.

Marc Elliott is a sports opinion writer who splits his time between Minnesota and his hometown in Illinois…