Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/641682
Zach Parise I just love talking the game with him, and every time I walk away, I feel I learned something else. There's a lot of mutual trust and respect, which is why I was able to write about his relationship with his dad during J.P.'s illness and ultimate death. Incredible and infectious work ethic. Andrew Brunette Just a great dude. He'll prob- ably go down as one of the most respected Wild teammates I've covered. Huge heart with a deafening laugh. Kurtis Foster The most horrifying incident I've covered in the NHL is his crash into the end boards in San Jose that left him with a broken femur. One of the most incredible stories I've written in the NHL was sit- ting in his hospital room at Methodist and telling his story. Such a nice guy. There are so many others—Mikko Koivu, Niklas Backstrom, Derek Boogaard, Kyle Brodziak, Keith Carney, Keith Ballard, Ryan Carter, Nate Prosser. Too many to name. I've been lucky to cover Jacques Lemaire, who taught me so much about the sport, and Mike Yeo, who may be the most accessible coach I've ever covered. In Florida, I was lucky, too. I got to cover the best player I've ever covered, Pavel Bure. I covered Hall of Famers like Ciccarelli, great characters like Brian Skrudland, Scott Mellanby, Rob Niedermayer, Billy Lindsay, Tom Fitzgerald, Paul Laus, Valeri Bure, Trevor Kidd, Roberto Luongo and so many more. And coaches like Doug MacLean, Terry Murray and my favorite player as a kid, Duane Sutter. Maybe the best learning experience was getting to know Bryan Murray, one of Wild GM Chuck Fletcher's mentors. Murray was the first GM I covered in the NHL and he was instrumental to the start of my career. Murray, now the Ottawa Senators GM who is courageously battling cancer, embod- ies what I love about hockey people: decent, hilarious, fiery, great character and passionate about the sport they love. Honestly, the quality of the people in hockey is one of the biggest joys for me, and it keeps me coming back to the rink every day. That along with a steady paycheck and an enormous amount of frequent f lier miles. Michael Russo covers the Wild and National Hockey League for the Star Tribune. He co- hosts a podcast on malepatternpodcasts.com, can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen on Fox Sports North. Follow him on Twitter at @russostrib. MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // MARCH.2016 28 RUSSO'S RANTS "...what I love about hockey people: decent, hilarious, fiery, great character and passionate about the sport they love." Brian Rolston is always the first person that comes to mind when people ask me who my favorite hockey people are. PRESENTED BY PHOTOS: MINNESOTA WILD. GETTY IMAGES