The Minnesota Wild’s season has been filled with turmoil from the beginning to the end. Coach Dean Evason was fired shortly after Thanksgiving due to a poor start to the season, and players and staff received a “kick in the ass” speech from team president and general manager Bill Guerin. Assistant general manager Chris O’Hearn’s departure on Wednesday further adds to the chaos and anxiety, and not just because the team has not responded to questions regarding the reasons behind his dismissal, which follows multiple investigations into Wild executives conducted by an outside firm the organization had commissioned.
What’s interesting is that O’Hearn was the front-office representative on the Wild’s latest four-game road trip, which ended Sunday in Seattle. He didn’t give the appearance that anything was amiss, being around the team in his normal jovial fashion and answering questions from reporters about the team likely needing to go into LTIR. Agents who have spoken to him in recent weeks said it was business as usual.
Surprisingly, Guerin was not present at the team’s charity event on Tuesday in St. Paul, nor was he part of the team’s first extended road trip under new coach John Hynes. At a fan meet and greet, Guerin’s wife Kara made an appearance on her husband’s behalf. She apologized to the attendees and said Guerin had an important call. The group recruited athletes Brandon Duhaime and Jake Middleton to step in for Guerin.
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