Bob CollinsThere was a good chance — and there still is, of course — that the Minnesota Wild would take our collective sports mind off the alleged criminal activity of the local football franchise, which, by the way, got tough with a player not named Adrian Peterson yesterday.
But nothing comes drama-free around here these days.
The Wild suspended goaltender Josh Harding, the feel-good story around here for a time last year when he came back after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Harding had a mysterious broken ankle which Michael Russo at the Star Tribune says he got when he kicked a wall after a fight with a teammate.
“We just have to figure out what happened,” GM Chuck Fletcher told Russo. “But I’m not sure I want to get into a whole public exposé of what happened.”
Harding is likely out for months, complicating the Wild’s goaltending situation.
The team signed Darcy Kuemper to a two-year deal, concluding a contract squabble between him and the team.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ latest controversy focuses on Jerome Simpson, but by the team after an infraction in Bloomington involving marijuana, an open-bottle, and a restricted driver’s license.
Simpson was already being disciplined by the team when the latest incident became known, but it happened earlier this summer.
Simpson wasn’t arrested and news of the infraction never reached the public. The Bloomington police chief told City Pages he had a press release ready to go at the time. But he said when you get in trouble with the Bloomington police, they don’t call your boss.
The Minnesota Twins were off last night and apparently everybody behaved themselves.
