Ancient rookie plays for Wild
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The year Magnus Johansson turned professional in his native Sweden, Patrick Kane was just 3 years old.
On Thursday night in St. Paul, the two "rookies" took the ice for the Blackhawks -- one 18, the other 34.
"I'm glad they don't call me rookie because of my age," said Johansson, who may have been playing for the first time in the NHL, but because of his advanced age doesn't qualify as a rookie. "For sure it's an old age for getting in an NHL game for the first time, but I've played for a long time in Sweden."
And the folks in his hometown of Linkoping, Sweden (pop. 130,000), are reading all about it courtesy of a reporter and photographer who have been following him around all week.
"It's a pretty big thing; I'm the first guy from that area to play in the NHL," he said.
Not that the 5-foot-11, 180-pound defenseman is surprised.
"I knew it would be tough, but I would've been disappointed if I didn't make the team," said Johansson, who finished with 3 shots on goal. "That was my goal. This is the place for me to be. This is my chance here."
Ol' Lang's time: Thursday's opener at Minnesota marked the 800th NHL game for Hawks forward Robert Lang.
"It's a great accomplishment," Hawks coach Denis Savard said of the 37-year-old. "He keeps himself in good condition, he's been on championship teams and his experience is going to help us get to where we want to go."
Main event: In the expected battle of tough guys early in the second period, David Koci used a strong late flurry to edge Wild brawler Derek Boogaard in a rematch of Sunday's preseason battle.
Getting closer: Denis Savard said that forward Tuomo Ruutu (knee) "looks ready for Saturday" at home against Detroit. The news is not so rosy for rookie Jonathan Toews (broken finger), who is a longshot to play against the Red Wings.
"We're doing what's best for our players," Savard said. "(Missing) one, two or three games is not going to kill them."
Nice touch: The Wild put together a moving pregame ceremony honoring some of the heroes of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse. Among those in the spotlight were a man who helped pull children out of a school bus and a young lady whose husband survived the collapse but died while trying to save someone else.
He said it: Denis Savard on if he was surprised the Hawks' Adam Burish took a run at Minnesota tough guy Derek Boogaard early in the game: "I'm not surprised at all. There's a reason why he's won a championship. The kid's got a lot of will."