Wild head coach Mike Yeo storms off after meltdown in practice
The Minnesota Wild have been struggling for three weeks and head coach Mike Yeo is finally fed up.
Yeo left the ice Wednesday after unleashing a screaming and stick-breaking tirade on his players at practice, as documented by Michael Russo of the MInneapolis Star Tribune.
It began rather innocently.
Yeo has stopped practicing and laying into the team #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
Yeo now skating the heck out of the #mnwild without pucks #herbies
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
That's when it escalated.
Yeo is going nuts in practice. Just slammed his stick in the middle of a scrum; screaming his head off. #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
Then came the grand exit.
Yeo just stormed off the ice after slamming his stick against the glass #mnwild.
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
The show must go on, so practice continued without him.
#mnwild continuing practice without Yeo. Assistant GM Brent Flahr and director of hockey admin Shep Harder left stands when Yeo left ice
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) January 7, 2015
Yeo explained his reasoning in a post-practice media scrum.
Meanwhile, center Mikko Koivu and goaltender Darcy Kuemper also departed practice prematurely.
Koivu may have aggravated a lower-body injury and Yeo said Kuemper has a minor injury of his own.
The Wild have lost eight of their last 10 games and things won't get any easier for the time being. Minnesota's next four contests involve the Chicago Blackhawks (twice), the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.