From The Archive: Something Wild

THN Archive is an exclusive vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 stories for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com. Today we will revisit a story about Wild superstar Marian Gaborik by senior writer Mike Brophy.

When Marian Gaborik was a kid growing up in Slovakia, he couldn’t wait until the spring when he would set his alarm dock for 2 a.m., shake the cobwebs out of his sleepy head and watch the Stanley Cup final on TV.

That was the only time of year North American big-league hockey was shown on TV in his hometown of Trencin.

“Every kid who played hockey in Slovakia dreamed of playing in the NHL,” Gaborik said. “It is the best league in the world; we all wanted to be there.”

At the rate Gaborik is progressing, it won’t be long before youngsters in Slovakia are waking up in the wee hours to watch him work his magic on frozen North American ponds at the most important time of the season. Gaborik’s Minnesota Wild was one of the NHL’s surprise teams through the first half, putting forth a challenge for a playoff spot in only its third year of existence. The 20-year-old right winger is one massive reason why.

And he is also one of the NHL’s hot young guns the league will show off in the 53rd annual All-Star Game in Florida. As the NHL returns to an East vs. West format after five years of having North America s. the World, there will be a significant number of players, Gaborik among them, the league will be counting on to carry the torch as the game’s older stars skate towards retirement.

There is also Dany Heatley, 22, Joe Thornton, 23, Eric Brewer, 23, and Marian Hossa, 24. And that’s just the main game. The YoungStars Game, featuring players 25 and under on entry level contracts, is also filled with kids who bode well for the future of the league (see pg. 49 for YoungStars rosters).

Minnesota’s original intention, way back when, was to start Gaborik in the minors. The Wild had that option because Gaborik was a European and not drafted out of the Canadian Hockey League. Players drafted out of major junior must play in the NHL or be returned until they have played three years such as Jason Spezza who is playing in the American League as an 19-year-old. Gaborik said he trained diligently in the summer before his first camp with the intention of making the Wild, even if the deck was stacked against him.

“What changed our mind was how he came in and worked really hard to make the club,” said Minnesota GM Doug Risebrough.

“He was an offensive guy who showed an understanding of the defensive game. For a new team to be competitive, obviously defense had to be a priority and it seemed like he wanted to prove to people that wouldn’t be an obstacle for him. He embraced the other side of the game.”

If you want to play in Minnesota for coach Jacques Lemaire, you’d damn well better embrace the defensive side of the game. Gaborik caught onto that early on.

“When I first got to Minnesota, I only knew a little about him,” Gaborik said of his demanding coach. “I knew he won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 1995. Obviously, I know more about him now.”

In some respects, Gaborik stepped into a perfect situation for an offensively skilled 18-year-old. By joining an expansion team desperate for scoring, all he had to do was flex his offensive muscles while showing he respected the job required of him at the other end of the ice. Using his succulent breakaway speed and a deadly accurate shot, he led the Wild with 18 goals and 36 points in Year 1. And he did it again, scoring 30 goals and 67 points as a sophomore.

You would think the Wild would mount a massive publicity campaign to bring recognition to their young star, but that’s not the way Risebrough or Lemaire operates. Rather, the Wild promotes a team concept. The job fourth-line right winger Matt Johnson does is equally important to the greater good of the team as anything Gaborik accomplishes. In fact, Risebrough bristles when the word superstar is mentioned in reference to Gaborik’s upside.

“I think Marian has the ability to be a really good player,” Risebrough said, “and that the term superstar gets used a little too loosely today. Everybody is trying to say they’ve got one and there’s probably only one or two in the league. We want him to be a really good player on a really good team. And we want to be that team.”

Gaborik is the whole package offensively. Some guys can skate, but they can’t shoot. Some guys can skate, but they can’t think. Some guys can shoot and think, but they can’t skate. Gaborik can do it all. He has a great shot, great acceleration and he makes amazing plays because he thinks the game well. Check him closely and he’ll make a play to get somebody else open.

“Playing for Jacques, he knows he’s not going to get away with a lot,” said Wild winger Andrew Brunette. “He has been taught the proper way early on that he’s going to play a team game. He can’t be selfish. He has been taught the little things that make you a complete player. He has an explosive first step, almost like (Pavel) Bure or (Peter) Bondra. He has a great shot. He reminds me a little bit of Sakic in that he gets his shot off in full flight.”

With 24 goals and 45 points in 47 games, Gaborik is on pace to better his season-high totals a third straight year. Included in his totals was a six-point effort in a 6-1 win over Phoenix Oct. 26 and hat tricks in wins over Los Angeles and Nashville Nov. 4 and 24.

“I put a lot of pres-‘ sure on myself,” Gaborik said. “Sometimes that can be good; sometimes it’s bad. But I want to learn as much as I can to be a better player every game.”

A lot of young players who have enjoyed early success have let it go to their heads. Not Gaborik. He knows his place on the team and has earned the respect of veterans who would not put up with a big-headed little so-and-so.

“He is a good kid who has gained the respect of the guys in the room,” Brunette said. “We’re not a big-star team, but he hasn’t been arrogant or cocky or tried to take over the reigns of the team. He just tries to fit in. He is very well-liked.”

And when he steps on the ice with the best players in the game in Florida, the rest of the world will get to see what Minnesota fans already know, he’s one of the best talents - young or old - in the game today.

Check out more here!