Kirill Kaprizov makes All-Stars, Timberwolves win and more
Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov celebrates his hat trick with teammates along the bench during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 21.
Karl B DeBlaker | AP
The National Hockey League’s All-Star weekend kicks off Thursday in Toronto. The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov is there — he’s the first Minnesota player to be chosen to play in the games for three seasons in a row.
Back home in Minnesota, the Timberwolves won over the depleted Dallas Mavericks. The same night, Anthony Edwards was fined $40,000 for publicly criticizing officials after Monday’s game in Oklahoma City.
Our favorite sports guys, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson, joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the latest in Minnesota sports news. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and Eric is the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports radio. Together they host the sports talk show 10,000 Takes.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: The National Hockey league's All-Star weekend kicks off today in Toronto. The Wild's Kirill Kaprizov is there. He's the first Minnesota player to be chosen to play in the games for three seasons in a row. All-Stars aside, the League has a break from games this weekend.
Joining us right now to talk about the Wild's standing and other Minnesota sports news is Wally Langfellow, Eric Nelson. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and the co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric is the other host of that show and the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio's Eye on the NFL. Guys, how are you?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: On this beautiful February afternoon, I'm well. Thank you.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. Happy spring, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: I know, right? Exactly. It doesn't feel real out there. Let's talk, shall we, about basketball? Wally Langfellow, let's talk T-Wolves.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. So they got a win last night over a depleted Dallas Mavericks team. For the second time in their two trips to Minnesota, the Dallas Mavericks left behind their two star players Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Luka, by the way, a week ago, scored 73 points in a basketball game.
Yet, he couldn't find it in his heart to travel to Minnesota, and the Timberwolves took full advantage in pounding Dallas last night. Although, I will say, I was there, and it took probably midway through the third quarter and then into the fourth quarter before the Wolves finally took over. It was kind of a pedestrian first half. I just told Eric-- we were talking a few minutes ago. I said I almost fell asleep watching it in the first half.
ERIC NELSON: I agree.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: But the Wolves turned up the heat well. Hey, look. That's better than the alternative. A week ago, Eric and I are sitting in the media section, and you had the strong odor of marijuana from behind us, so at least we didn't have that. It was a weed-free night at Target Center. But they won last night. Well, I'm just telling it like it is.
CATHY WURZER: That's fine. That's what I expect from you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: 121 to--. Well, you want the truth? You're going to get it. They won 121 to 87. Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points, shot well, 11 for 15. Not much for Anthony Edwards. He only had nine. He probably still reeling from the $40,000 fine he got earlier in the week for commenting on the officiating on live television. He was fined thereafter, and so he's a little bit lighter in his wallet as a result thereof.
Oh, by the way, the All-Star Reserves will be announced tonight. There are no Timberwolves in the starting lineup, but it is assumed that Anthony Edwards will make it. I saw something in the Star Tribune today that said that, will they possibly get three, meaning Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert? That's a pipe dream. I do not think that's going to happen.
I think they're going to get Anthony Edwards, maybe Karl-Anthony Towns. Not that Towns and Gobert don't deserve it, but it's going to be Anthony Edwards, and I'd say it's a very, very slim chance that one more of those two gets in. So there you have it.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Say, by the way, I want to bring Eric in here, but maybe he can add to this. I missed the story. Anthony Edwards being fined 40,000 bucks?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. They had a game against Oklahoma City, a huge game on Monday night, two of the top teams in the NBA, and Ant had a monster jam as he knifed into the paint and threw the ball down. And it looked like he did get fouled, but there was no call. And he was he's pointing to his forearm area to the referee, barking at him.
And then after the game, he told Lea B. Olson who does some of the broadcasting for the Timberwolves-- he basically did not say kind things about the officials. And then the NBA said, all right. We're going to dip into your bank account and take $40,000 out of it because the referees are taboo. Even if they aren't very good, you cannot criticize them. It's kind of like being in Russia. You don't criticize anybody in the Kremlin.
CATHY WURZER: Got it. Thank you for that. OK, let's talk about Wild. The Wild are off for All-Star weekend.
ERIC NELSON: They are, and maybe that's a good thing. Because the Wild are, right now, one of the bottom feeders of the NHL. They only have 47 points, and there's only five teams in the entire 30 team League with less. So can they recharge their batteries and make a run in the second half? We shall see.
But we do know that the Wild's lone rep in the All-Star game is Kirill Kaprizov for the third straight year. He's certainly the face of the franchise. Also, Minnesota's PWHL team off this week and over the weekend. And that new Hockey League-- none of these teams, Cathy, have nicknames. I think they are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity.
How can you not have a name? How do you sell caps and jerseys? Anyways, they'll be part of the NHL showcase. It's all up in Toronto, which calls itself the center of the hockey universe. Taylor Heisey, a forward for Team Minnesota, and Nicole Hensley, one of the goalies for the team, will be playing in the three on three showcase. So it's all about pucks in Toronto, Ontario, this weekend, and some Minnesota athletes involved.
CATHY WURZER: I thought we were the center of hockey with Hockey Day in Minnesota last weekend, but I guess not, which is all right. Say, Wally, I'm going to go over to you right now. It's February the 1st, and I understand that on Valentine's day, Twins pitchers and catchers are reporting for work.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: They do, so we're roughly two weeks away from baseball getting started. Let's not forget that the Twins play their opening game in March this year. So baseball opens up in March, and they've been doing that the last couple of years as they continue to stretch the season out and try to give these guys more days off during the regular season because they haven't.
They're not going to trim down the number of regular season games. Baseball owners do not want to do that because they want to collect as much money as they can from you, the fan. So thus and so, we have a longer season with days off so that the players can get some rest occasionally. But yes, pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers on Valentine's Day, February 14.
In the meantime, the Twins trying to patch some holes. They traded Jorge Polanco. He was the longest tenured Minnesota Twin on the roster coming into this season. He is gone, dealt to Seattle earlier this week. Twins got four players and some cash in return. Anthony DeSclafani, he is a pitcher that pitched for the Giants the last couple of years, was traded to Seattle in the off season, and is now a Minnesota Twin.
He will move into their rotation probably somewhere in the middle of their starting rotation. He's probably the key piece to that as of right now. Because let's not forget, they lost Sonny Gray, and they lost Kenta Maeda. Those two guys left via the free agency route, and so those are two very big holes that they have to fill in their pitching rotation, both of them gone, and so they hope that DeSclafani can at least fill one of those two spots.
I would look for-- and this is no secret-- possibly Max Kepler to be the next one traded away. And again, there's another guy that's been a long term Minnesota Twin, but I think that he's probably next. They feel like they can fill that spot in the outfield.
He was reportedly going to be part of a bigger deal with Seattle, but they couldn't come to terms on that, so they just went with Polanco. So we'll see if they find a suitor for Max Kepler. That's next on the agenda, I would guess.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Say, before we go, Eric, we want to talk Gopher hoops?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. Rough night for the Gopher women as they were knocked off on Wednesday by Penn State 80 to 64, so that's three straight losses for Minnesota Gophers, now 4 and 6 in the Big Ten, 14 and 7 overall. And they don't have Mara Braun, and she's clearly their top player-- out with an injury probably for the rest of the season.
Another Gopher women's basketball note, though. Ari Petersen, she's an eighth grader at Providence Academy in the Twin Cities suburbs, Plymouth. Her father is Adrian Peterson. You may have heard of AP. He used to run the ball for the Purple. Well, Ari has received already a scholarship offer from Minnesota Gopher women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
She hasn't committed yet, but she did put it out there on Instagram. I know you follow that stuff closely, Cathy. And also on this team at Providence Academy, if you're looking for some good hoops to go see, is Maddie Greenway. That's Chad Greenway's daughter. She's a sophomore, and she's considered one of the top recruits in the nation for the 2026 class. So they got a lot going on out there in the western suburbs when it comes to basketball.
As far as Gopher men, they don't play again until Saturday. They host Northwestern at the Barn at 1 PM. It's a big game. Gophers got to win the other day against Penn State, and they're trying to get some momentum going so they can possibly make a run at the NCAA tournament. We will see.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. Getting back to Providence Academy, I mean, how are they doing in their conference? Might we see them in the state basketball tournament?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. I don't have their record in front of me, but my guess is, yeah, they're going to be a team to reckon with. And they've had some good athletes over the years out there, and who knows? If they get to the state tournament, Cathy, you might see Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway in the stands. I would say there's a good chance you will see them at the game.
CATHY WURZER: Oh my gosh. You guys covered a lot. I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Have a good one.
ERIC NELSON: Thank you, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: You too. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine, and Eric Nelson is the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio's Eye on the NFL. And together, they host the sports talk show 10,000 Takes on the radio and on TV.
Joining us right now to talk about the Wild's standing and other Minnesota sports news is Wally Langfellow, Eric Nelson. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and the co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric is the other host of that show and the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio's Eye on the NFL. Guys, how are you?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: On this beautiful February afternoon, I'm well. Thank you.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. Happy spring, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: I know, right? Exactly. It doesn't feel real out there. Let's talk, shall we, about basketball? Wally Langfellow, let's talk T-Wolves.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. So they got a win last night over a depleted Dallas Mavericks team. For the second time in their two trips to Minnesota, the Dallas Mavericks left behind their two star players Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Luka, by the way, a week ago, scored 73 points in a basketball game.
Yet, he couldn't find it in his heart to travel to Minnesota, and the Timberwolves took full advantage in pounding Dallas last night. Although, I will say, I was there, and it took probably midway through the third quarter and then into the fourth quarter before the Wolves finally took over. It was kind of a pedestrian first half. I just told Eric-- we were talking a few minutes ago. I said I almost fell asleep watching it in the first half.
ERIC NELSON: I agree.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: But the Wolves turned up the heat well. Hey, look. That's better than the alternative. A week ago, Eric and I are sitting in the media section, and you had the strong odor of marijuana from behind us, so at least we didn't have that. It was a weed-free night at Target Center. But they won last night. Well, I'm just telling it like it is.
CATHY WURZER: That's fine. That's what I expect from you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: 121 to--. Well, you want the truth? You're going to get it. They won 121 to 87. Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points, shot well, 11 for 15. Not much for Anthony Edwards. He only had nine. He probably still reeling from the $40,000 fine he got earlier in the week for commenting on the officiating on live television. He was fined thereafter, and so he's a little bit lighter in his wallet as a result thereof.
Oh, by the way, the All-Star Reserves will be announced tonight. There are no Timberwolves in the starting lineup, but it is assumed that Anthony Edwards will make it. I saw something in the Star Tribune today that said that, will they possibly get three, meaning Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert? That's a pipe dream. I do not think that's going to happen.
I think they're going to get Anthony Edwards, maybe Karl-Anthony Towns. Not that Towns and Gobert don't deserve it, but it's going to be Anthony Edwards, and I'd say it's a very, very slim chance that one more of those two gets in. So there you have it.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Say, by the way, I want to bring Eric in here, but maybe he can add to this. I missed the story. Anthony Edwards being fined 40,000 bucks?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. They had a game against Oklahoma City, a huge game on Monday night, two of the top teams in the NBA, and Ant had a monster jam as he knifed into the paint and threw the ball down. And it looked like he did get fouled, but there was no call. And he was he's pointing to his forearm area to the referee, barking at him.
And then after the game, he told Lea B. Olson who does some of the broadcasting for the Timberwolves-- he basically did not say kind things about the officials. And then the NBA said, all right. We're going to dip into your bank account and take $40,000 out of it because the referees are taboo. Even if they aren't very good, you cannot criticize them. It's kind of like being in Russia. You don't criticize anybody in the Kremlin.
CATHY WURZER: Got it. Thank you for that. OK, let's talk about Wild. The Wild are off for All-Star weekend.
ERIC NELSON: They are, and maybe that's a good thing. Because the Wild are, right now, one of the bottom feeders of the NHL. They only have 47 points, and there's only five teams in the entire 30 team League with less. So can they recharge their batteries and make a run in the second half? We shall see.
But we do know that the Wild's lone rep in the All-Star game is Kirill Kaprizov for the third straight year. He's certainly the face of the franchise. Also, Minnesota's PWHL team off this week and over the weekend. And that new Hockey League-- none of these teams, Cathy, have nicknames. I think they are missing out on a huge marketing opportunity.
How can you not have a name? How do you sell caps and jerseys? Anyways, they'll be part of the NHL showcase. It's all up in Toronto, which calls itself the center of the hockey universe. Taylor Heisey, a forward for Team Minnesota, and Nicole Hensley, one of the goalies for the team, will be playing in the three on three showcase. So it's all about pucks in Toronto, Ontario, this weekend, and some Minnesota athletes involved.
CATHY WURZER: I thought we were the center of hockey with Hockey Day in Minnesota last weekend, but I guess not, which is all right. Say, Wally, I'm going to go over to you right now. It's February the 1st, and I understand that on Valentine's day, Twins pitchers and catchers are reporting for work.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: They do, so we're roughly two weeks away from baseball getting started. Let's not forget that the Twins play their opening game in March this year. So baseball opens up in March, and they've been doing that the last couple of years as they continue to stretch the season out and try to give these guys more days off during the regular season because they haven't.
They're not going to trim down the number of regular season games. Baseball owners do not want to do that because they want to collect as much money as they can from you, the fan. So thus and so, we have a longer season with days off so that the players can get some rest occasionally. But yes, pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers on Valentine's Day, February 14.
In the meantime, the Twins trying to patch some holes. They traded Jorge Polanco. He was the longest tenured Minnesota Twin on the roster coming into this season. He is gone, dealt to Seattle earlier this week. Twins got four players and some cash in return. Anthony DeSclafani, he is a pitcher that pitched for the Giants the last couple of years, was traded to Seattle in the off season, and is now a Minnesota Twin.
He will move into their rotation probably somewhere in the middle of their starting rotation. He's probably the key piece to that as of right now. Because let's not forget, they lost Sonny Gray, and they lost Kenta Maeda. Those two guys left via the free agency route, and so those are two very big holes that they have to fill in their pitching rotation, both of them gone, and so they hope that DeSclafani can at least fill one of those two spots.
I would look for-- and this is no secret-- possibly Max Kepler to be the next one traded away. And again, there's another guy that's been a long term Minnesota Twin, but I think that he's probably next. They feel like they can fill that spot in the outfield.
He was reportedly going to be part of a bigger deal with Seattle, but they couldn't come to terms on that, so they just went with Polanco. So we'll see if they find a suitor for Max Kepler. That's next on the agenda, I would guess.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Say, before we go, Eric, we want to talk Gopher hoops?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. Rough night for the Gopher women as they were knocked off on Wednesday by Penn State 80 to 64, so that's three straight losses for Minnesota Gophers, now 4 and 6 in the Big Ten, 14 and 7 overall. And they don't have Mara Braun, and she's clearly their top player-- out with an injury probably for the rest of the season.
Another Gopher women's basketball note, though. Ari Petersen, she's an eighth grader at Providence Academy in the Twin Cities suburbs, Plymouth. Her father is Adrian Peterson. You may have heard of AP. He used to run the ball for the Purple. Well, Ari has received already a scholarship offer from Minnesota Gopher women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
She hasn't committed yet, but she did put it out there on Instagram. I know you follow that stuff closely, Cathy. And also on this team at Providence Academy, if you're looking for some good hoops to go see, is Maddie Greenway. That's Chad Greenway's daughter. She's a sophomore, and she's considered one of the top recruits in the nation for the 2026 class. So they got a lot going on out there in the western suburbs when it comes to basketball.
As far as Gopher men, they don't play again until Saturday. They host Northwestern at the Barn at 1 PM. It's a big game. Gophers got to win the other day against Penn State, and they're trying to get some momentum going so they can possibly make a run at the NCAA tournament. We will see.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. Getting back to Providence Academy, I mean, how are they doing in their conference? Might we see them in the state basketball tournament?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah. I don't have their record in front of me, but my guess is, yeah, they're going to be a team to reckon with. And they've had some good athletes over the years out there, and who knows? If they get to the state tournament, Cathy, you might see Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway in the stands. I would say there's a good chance you will see them at the game.
CATHY WURZER: Oh my gosh. You guys covered a lot. I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Have a good one.
ERIC NELSON: Thank you, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: You too. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine, and Eric Nelson is the Vikings reporter for CBS Sports Radio's Eye on the NFL. And together, they host the sports talk show 10,000 Takes on the radio and on TV.
Download transcript (PDF)
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.