Things are getting dire as the Minnesota Wild enter the midway point of the season. They’re tumbling down the standings and are now in sixth place in the Central Division. After a crushing overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night, the Wild were back to work at practice Wednesday. Apparently it didn’t go so well.
According to reporters on scene, Yeo snapped at his team and slammed his stick to the ice. He then left the practice early.
KSTP in the Twin Cities captured video of the tirade on the team, which ended with Yeo breaking his stick over the boards before exiting the ice surface. WARNING: There are very many beeps, so prepare your ears accordingly.
Yeo addressed his outburst with the media afterwards. Here are some of his comments via the Pioneer Press:
“We weren’t good enough,” Yeo said. "We’re not in a position where we can come in and be, let alone decent practice, a bad practice. I’m not going to accept that.”
Frustration is clearly boiling over and Yeo could be a head coach on the hot seat with the way things are going. But it's hard to imagine a lot of coaches out there being able to overcome an .894 team save percentage, which is the second worst mark in the league.
Some of the players addressed Yeo’s outburst including Thomas Vanek, who has had his own struggles this season.
Vanek: I think yeozie finally lost it with us #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
Vanek on Yeo: I think it was good and maybe needed. There's only so much you can say before you snap #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
These are desperate times for the Wild as the playoffs fall further and further from their grasp. These may be professional athletes and may not respond as well to that kind of outburst, but something has to give with this team. As Vanek said, the head coach can only do so much before he reaches the limits of his patience.
The Wild are 7-8-5 since the quarter mark of the season, which is one of the worst runs in the Western Conference over that span. They have dealt with injuries and illness throughout the year, but even when healthy, they’ve been losing games.
Very little has gone right for the Wild in recent weeks and it all appears to be coming to a head now.
