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Stars-Wild in NHL playoffs with top rookies from two years ago
Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, who would turn 26 during this series if it goes past five games, had 40 goals and 35 assists in 67 games during the regular season.
DALLAS — Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson is quick to point out that while he finished second behind Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov for the Calder Trophy, it wasn’t even a close vote to determine the NHL’s top rookie two years ago.
Kaprizov, who got 99 of the 100 first-place votes back then, and Robertson are now the leading scorers on their respective teams. They face each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs, with the Central Division rival Stars and Wild opening their best-of-7 series Monday night.
“He’s an amazing player,” Kaprizov said of Robertson, the 23-year-old who this season became Dallas’ first 100-point scorer (46 goals, 63 assists). “He gets opportunities from nothing.”
Robertson said much the same about Kaprizov, whose 40 goals and 35 assists came in 67 games. He was back for Minnesota’s final two regular-season games after missing a month with a lower-body injury, and said he was starting to feel like himself again after that and a couple of practices.
“You just see the development, how much he’s taken over as their main guy, as their top scorer, top player, and so dynamic on the ice,” Robertson said. “He’s someone that can elude you, can get away and just make something happen out of nothing, and just create so much.”
Neither Dallas, going into the postseason on a six-game winning streak, or Minnesota made it out of the first round of the playoffs last year. Robertson scored only one goal in seven games against Calgary. Kaprizov, who would turn 26 during this series if it goes past five games, had seven goals in a six-game loss to St. Louis. It was the Wild’s sixth consecutive loss in the opening round.
“We left last year’s playoffs disappointed in how we handled the situation, all of us,” third-year Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We talked to ourselves and to each other about we have to be better when we get back there. We’re back there, we have to be better.”
IN NET
Three-time Stanley Cup winner Marc-André Fleury is in the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season, the longest streak for an NHL goalie. He is part of a Wild tandem and expected to split games in the playoffs with 24-year-old Filip Gustavsson, like they did most of the season.
When Evason was asked if he knew who would start Game 1, he said he did, then laughed when telling reporters he wouldn’t say who.
The Stars have Minnesota native Jake Oettinger, whose NHL debut came during the 2020 playoffs. He had 64 saves in Game 7 against the Flames last May, part of his 272 over seven games before an overtime goal ended the first-round series. Oettinger is 37-11-11 this season with five shutouts.
“Just that poise and that confidence and swagger he’s had over the past couple of years that he’s developed is something that is an advantage for us, especially after last year’s playoffs,” Robertson said. “I’m sure he’ll have that same type of swagger.”
FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
Before moving south to Dallas in 1993, the Stars called Minnesota home and were the North Stars. The expansion Wild’s first season was 2000-01.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin played 18 NHL seasons, three for Dallas about two decades ago. Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano, an advisor for Minnesota, spent 20 of his 21 seasons playing for the North Stars/Stars franchise.
Dallas won a first-round series in six games in 2016, the only other time these teams met in the postseason. In four meetings this season, Minnesota twice won shootouts and the Stars had a pair of 4-1 wins.
“A couple of overtime games, not a lot of room, physical. I think that’s going to be the story of the series.” first-year Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.
STILL AROUND
Three players on both teams were part of the 2016 series. Still with the Wild seven years later are their top three defensemen: Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba. The Stars return three forwards: captain Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Radek Faksa, then a rookie.
Benn is in his 14th season and has 78 points (33 goals), his most points since he had 79 (36 goals) in 2017-18.
ICE CHIPS
Wyatt Johnston, the 19-year-old center for the Stars, tied for the NHL rookie lead with 24 goals. It is also the most for a Dallas rookie. … Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek missed the last four games with a lower body injury after getting hit by a puck. He skated Saturday and Sunday on his own.
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Two years ago, the memorial was built in Wayzata to commemorate the 9/11 victims, including Minnesotan Gordy Aamouth, Jr.
WAYZATA, Minn. — Twenty three years ago, the world changed when two planes crashed into the World Trade Centers. Twenty three years ago, thousands of families lives’ changed learning they lost a loved one, including the Aamoth family in Minnesota.
Gordon Aamoth, Jr. was working on the 104th floor of the South Tower at Sandler O’Neill & Partners as an investment banker. He was 32 years old.
“I was driving down to St. Paul where I was working and heard it on the radio that the first plane hit. Obviously that was a shock to everybody. My mind was racing with what tower is he in, then shortly after the second plane hit. I turned around and drove home,” Erik Aamoth, Gordon little brother said.
It’s been a long journey of healing for the Aamoth family. The support of the community has helped them remember Gordy. The Blake School named their stadium after him. Two years ago, a 9/11 memorial was built in his honor in Wayzata.
Sometime within the last two – three weeks, someone vandalized that memorial. They stole an artifact that from ground zero, a piece of glass from the towers.
“I was sad. It’s disappointing because this is a community asset. It’s important to the community. It’s not just about our family,” Erik said. “That piece of glass is very, very rare and almost impossible to replace. So, we are really hopeful it can be returned.”
The Wayzata Police Department is offering a $1,000 reward for the safe return of the piece of glass. Adding, they won’t ask any questions.
If you have any information to where the artifact might be, call Wayzata Police.
Gov. Tim Walz joined volunteers in a 9/11 Day of Service event at Wilkins Auditorium.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Hundreds of volunteers gathered in Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul to pack meals as part of a 9/11 Day of Service event, for the Cross Services food shelf in the Northwest Metro and Second Harvest Heartland, which is handling distribution of the food.
“Food insecurity in Minnesota continues to rise so events like this are critical, especially the holiday season is just around the corner so we think of the extra budget strain on families in the community this is coming at a great time,” Anne Laskey of Second Harvest Heartland told KARE.
Among the meal packers was Governor Tim Walz, just back from a vice presidential campaign stop in Arizona. He thanked volunteers on the packing line for spending part of their day helping to feed people.
Minutes earlier, he spoke to the whole room about the significance of public service on 9/11.
“It may have not lasted as long as we’d liked, but there was a moment around shared values. There was a moment of unity about caring for one another,” Gov. Walz told the crowd. “It’s in the times of need that we become our very best. It’s in the time of trauma that we rise to the occasion, and so thank you all for being here today.”
Volunteers also heard from Cindy McGinty, a board member with the 9/11 Day organization. McGinty, who lives in Massachusetts, lost her husband Mike in the North Tower during the attack. She talked of an acquaintance who owned a landscaping company who started mowing her lawn for free after the attack and kept doing it until she moved away eight years later.
“The terrorists thought they could tear us apart,” she said. “But what they really did was they brought us together, and that’s what 9/11 is really about.”
The goal for AmeriCorps volunteers and others who filled the auditorium was to create and pack 230,000 oatmeal instant breakfast meals.
“They approached us at AmeriCorps and said, ‘We need help finding more people to help. We need to pack a lot of boxes.’ So, we were proud to partner with them and find AmeriCorps members to help out today,” Julia Quanrud of the nonprofit Serve MN told KARE. “It is a real need. We know in Minnesota families are struggling. And, so, to come together like this and support organizations like Second Harvest heartland is a really incredible thing to do.”
A look back at Dr. Michael McGee’s testimony has already altered the results of four different cases spanning decades.
SAINT PAUL, Minn — Back in 2006 in Douglas County, Michael Hansen was convicted of killing his infant daughter based in part by the testimony of Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael McGee, who ruled her death a homicide.
That conviction was overturned in 2011 after a judge found McGee gave false testimony. McGee, who testified in counties all over the state for decades, defended himself.
“I didn’t give incorrect testimony. I gave correct testimony to the best of my ability of what we knew then and I still think its true,” McGee told KARE 11 News in 2011.
But McGee’s medical findings and testimony raised alarms in other cases too. In Kandiohi County, Thomas Rhodes was released from prison last year after the state’s Conviction Review Unit determined McGee was unreliable.
“Dr. McGee’s testimony was pivotal in that case,” said Carrie Sperling, director of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Conviction Review Unit. “Not one of the ten experts found evidence that would have supported Dr. McGee’s conclusion in that case that Jane Rhodes death was the result of a homicide.”
And before that, in 2021, a federal judge changed the death penalty for Alphonso Rodriguez in the 2003 murder of Dru Sjodin to life in prison.
“The judge characterized the testimony of our medical examiner as false and misleading,” said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.
That judge’s ruling caused Ramsey County Attorney John Choi to order a full review of McGee’s cases.
And now, the nonprofit group conducting the review for Choi’s office has found seven cases to scrutinize further with a panel of out-of-state medical examiners.
“In these seven cases, the cause and manner of death was at issue,” said Kristine Hamann from Prosecutors Center for Excellence, the nonprofit group hired by Choi to conduct the independent review. “I do want to caution that simply because there is seven cases, we have rendered no opinion about whether those cases are good, bad or indifferent, we are not there yet.”
Hamann says the final phase of review will involve a panel of three medical experts.
“None of them are from Minnesota, none of them know Dr. McGee,” Hamann said. “They are three highly respected medical examiners from three different parts of the nation. Each of them will review all seven cases and they will talk about them together and reach a decision.”
When the review is finished, Choi says he is prepared to dismiss charges and release people from prison if that is the recommendation he receives.
“I think everything is on the table. Whatever justice requires us to do,” Choi said.
Minnesota Attorney General Review
So far, all four cases that have been altered due to Dr. McGee’s conclusions or testimony stemmed from crimes that took place outside of Ramsey County.
That’s why the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office is also now expanding it’s review of cases statewide in which he was a witness.
Sperling said the first phase of that process has turned up at least 11 cases where more review is required.
“We will be consulting with independent medical experts to determine whether McGee’s testimony and opinions were accurate and appropriate,” Sperling said. “Although we can’t predict the outcome, I think we do expect that very few, if any, of these convictions will be affected by this review. Simply because, in the vast majority of homicide cases, the cause and manner of death is obvious and not really contested.”
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