ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Wilds 14-year existence has revolved mostly about mediocrity. The narrative has finally taken a turn for the better.There is more confidence. There are fewer concerns. Advancing deep into the playoffs and, dare that ultimate goal be voiced, challenging for the Stanley Cup have trumped past hopes of simply playing a few bonus games in April.Every year you feel good about your team, but its just a little different. You feel like theres unfinished business, owner Craig Leipold said.Last season was far from smooth. The Wild lost their sixth straight game on New Years Eve. Coach Mike Yeo was on tenuous footing with an expiring contract, though Leipold said in a recent interview he really wasnt on the bubble.But despite foot injuries to Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise that kept them out for a total of 32 games, the Wild were at their best when they were the most vulnerable. The biggest health problem was between the pipes, where four different goalies were called on to start 19 or more games. After Darcy Kuemper picked up the slack for Josh Harding, who had taken over for Niklas Backstrom, Ilya Bryzgalov was there down the stretch to fill in for Kuemper.So here they are with every key player back from the group that upset Central Division champion Colorado in the Western Conference quarterfinals and reached the second round for just the second time in franchise history. Theres also an important addition in left wing Thomas Vanek.Mikael Granlund, who will centre the first line with Parise and Jason Pominville, now has a full year of NHL experience. Two other 22-year-old forwards, Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter, combined for 76 points last season. The speed of third-line centre Erik Haula, who is 23, was a revelation in the post-season with four goals in 13 games. Parise, Pominville, Vanek, Koivu, Matt Cooke and ironman defenceman Ryan Suter form a proven core of veterans.The pieces are in place. Yeo has a new deal. Now its up to them to fulfil that potential.Id have a hard time listing the teams that I know are better than we are, Leipold said. Theres probably a couple of them, but if we have a couple of our players step up like we hope we will this year that gap is going to get narrower.Here are some key nuggets to know about the Wild this season:GOAL SETTING: Harding is out indefinitely with a broken foot, leaving Backstrom and Kuemper to compete for time in the net. This is unquestionably the biggest issue to resolve, likely the hinge between status quo and a step forward in the playoffs. Thats one reason why Bryzgalov was invited to training camp on a tryout contract and the Wild have not ruled out keeping three goalies on the roster. I know its repetitive, but were just going to kind of evaluate every day, Yeo said. So I dont want to go in and say one guys got the edge over another right now.WINGMAN: The emergence of Granlund and Haula allowed the Wild to slide Coyle over to right wing, where hell start the season on a second line with Koivu and Vanek. Yeo declined to declare the move permanent, but the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Coyle has the presence and skills to make that a long-term fit if hes not needed again as a fill-in at centre.DUMBA ON Defence? Theres a top-six opening on defence, and prospects Matt Dumba and Christian Folin have been getting a long look during training camp. Dumba was the teams first-round draft pick in 2012. Nate Prosser was brought back this week via waiver claim for more depth.GRAND CENTRAL: The Wild pushed for realignment as much as any team in the league, desiring more road games in their own time zone to increase television ratings and more regional rivalries in their division to enhance ticket sales. In a classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for case, the Wild have found themselves in a brutally difficult division. They went 14-12-3 against the Central in 2013-14 and despite matching the second-highest point total in franchise history finished in fourth place. Only two of the 14 teams that missed the 2014 playoffs came from the Central, Nashville and Winnipeg.FAMILIAR FOE: The Wilds opener is at home against the Avalanche on Oct. 9 in a reprise of that epic seven-game series, and theres a rematch two days later in Denver. Julian Draxler Jersey . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Thomas Meunier Jersey . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. http://www.psgsoccershop.com/c-24-jean- ... ersey.aspx. Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. Adrien Rabiot Jersey . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. Custom Paris Saint-Germain Jerseys . Altidore strained his left hamstring in the Americans opener against Ghana on June 16 and didnt play in their next two games. "We dont know how much because we need to see how hes going, but hes available," U.Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - The University of Michigan fired head football coach Brady Hoke on Tuesday after four seasons, saying he had enough time to produce . Hoke posted a 31-20 record at Michigan, but never improved on an 11-2 mark and Sugar Bowl title in his first season with the Wolverines. They went 5-7 overall this season, including 3-5 in the Big Ten, marking the programs first losing season since going 5-7 in 2009 under Rich Rodriguez. Hoke was hired as the 19th head coach at Michigan on Jan. 11, 2011, after Rodriguez was fired following a 15-22 record in three seasons at the helm. Hoke, an assistant at Michigan from 1995-2002, was the second Wolverines head coach after Hall of Famer Fielding Yost to win 10 games in his first season. Diminishing returns in eacch season since then led to the 56-year-olds firing, athletic director Jim Hackett said.dddddddddddd This was not an easy decision given the level of respect that I have for Brady, Hackett said. He added: I wanted to make sure that Brady received adequate time to exhibit the results that would come from his effort and I believe that Brady and our coaching staff had enough time to produce those results and unfortunately they are not there. Hoke coached San Diego State for two season before coming to Michigan, going 13-12 overall. Prior to his stint with the Aztecs, he coached at Ball State, his alma mater, for six seasons. In 2008, the team went 12-1 with an 8-0 record in the Mid- American Conference. Hoke was 34-38 at Ball State with a 27-20 mark in the MAC. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale ' '