Jesper Wallstedt is giving the playoff-bound Wild a boost in goal, no matter how his name is spelled
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jesper Wallstedt let in a goal on a power play against the Minnesota Wild in the first period, looked up at the scoreboard to quickly analyze the replay, and realized something wasn't right.
The name on the back of his green jersey was misspelled : W-a-l-l-s-t-e-a-d. “An April Fool's joke,” Wallstedt said after beating the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night , “but a little late. ” So he's sure this was a classic rookie prank and not an honest manufacturing mistake?
“Yeah, 100 percent. I don’t know exactly who it is, but obviously I have a feeling of who it could be,” said Wallstedt, suggesting fellow goalie Filip Gustavsson was the culprit. When Marc-Andre Fleury retired last spring , he left behind quite the legacy as a prankster.
Though Fleury turned over the net to Gustavsson and Wallstedt on the ice, the 41-year-old with the second-most wins in NHL history has stayed around the team this season as a practice goalie and with an informal front office role as a player development advisor. Was it possible Fleury found his way in on the joke too? “Oh, I didn’t think that Flower could be involved,” Wallstedt said.
“Then I definitely think it’s a team job. Well done for them. Yeah, I’d rather take it that way than having my car on cinder blocks or something.