Rotating captains

All season, the Wild have rotated the team captaincy on a monthly basis. Sean O'Donnell went first, and he was followed by Scott Pellerin, Wes Walz and Brad Bombardir, who currently has the honor. And that's the reason the team went with this unique system -- to make the position an honored one, something players coveted and worked for. "It's not a common thing," admitted coach Jacques Lemaire. "But I've seen, so many times through my 35 years in hockey, a captain that the team was tired of and then we'd have to trade him. Let's face it. It should be an honor." How do the players like it? "We have a lot of guys who came from similar situations and had a story why it didn't work earlier in their career," said Wes Walz, who liked the idea from the start. "It gives people a chance. I don't think I would have had the opportunity if we didn't rotate. I hope they were taking pictures for my hockey card. It gives everyone a chance, something to drive for. I'm not going to lie, I was honored to be captain and wish it lasted a little longer."

Recipe for expansion teams: Mix equal parts good coach, hungry and intense athletes and salivating fans.

Put it all together and an expansion squad usually gives the NHL a scrappy but losing team. It's like alchemy: You're looking for gold but always end up with something less valuable.

But the Minnesota Wild, already with 14 wins, threw a little extra into their expansion recipe; and although they're far from NHL gold, the Wild aren't exactly tin, either.

Instead of just a good coach, Minnesota has a premier one -- a proven winner -- in Jacques Lemaire. And instead of just picking the best mix of youth and gristled veterans, the Wild have uncovered a few sleepers and brought in great team-oriented vets.

"If you look at all of our players individually, they are all guys who come to work to play hard," Lemaire told ESPN.com. "But no, I didn't expect the guys to respond as well as they have."

Despite a recent 6-1-3 streak, the Wild remain four games under .500 and well out of the playoff hunt in the ultra-competitive West. No one mistakes the Wild with the Blues, but that's not the point. They're rarely out of games, and they're winning enough to keep the fans excited and the players motivated.

"I think, at the beginning of the season, it was all so new for everyone," said Scott Pellerin, who came over from the Blues and is one of the veterans bringing solid two-way play and locker-room leadership. "It was first time the Wild did this, the first time the Wild did that. Now, we got over that and tried to find our identity. That's the key. People getting their roles and playing them."

Fernandez's Wild year

The prospect of going from a Stanley Cup finalist to an expansion team could be quite daunting. Manny Fernandez is making the very best of it. The Minnesota goalie didn't see much action as Ed Belfour's backup with Dallas -- playing only 17 minutes in the playoffs. And just days after the Devils wrecked the Stars' repeat hopes, Fernandez was dealt away to the first-year team. "It was heartbreaking for me to leave Dallas because I think it was the first season where the team spirit in the room was so big," said Fernandez who has played outstanding for the surprising Wild. "Every time you have to leave a place like that, it is heartbreaking. But you have to get over it and life moves on." The team won't compete for the Stanley Cup for a while, but Fernandez doesn't dwell on how close he was to a title or how far away he is now. "I have to stop looking at the past and start looking from here on," Fernandez said. "We've got a great chance here. Maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but in the near future I think we can get this club real high." -- Associated Press

Lemaire is the guy who defines the roles and sells the players on accepting them.

"I had him a little bit in New Jersey," said Pellerin of Lemaire, who coached the Devils to a Cup title in 1995. "At the time, I was young and didn't really undestand the game, roles and what it takes to win. ... The way he explains the game, his knowledge and his confidence bring a lot to the team"

Lemaire is a bit of an odd mixture himself. Often, he's a fun-loving coach, willing to joke around on the ice. Other times, he can give a silent glare that could make Clint Eastwood nervous. Bu tthrough his time winning Cups in Montreal as a player and coach great teams in New Jersey, Lemaire has learned when to pamper and when to push.

"He's fun to be around, but he can also be serious and intimidating," Pellerin said. "He's really pushed us to become better players."

And as for a few of the so-called diamonds in the rough on the Wild roster, go no further than Lubomir Sekeras, a 32-year-old defenseman who has come out of nowhere and has eight goals -- which ties him for the team lead -- and 16 points. And what about Antti Laaksonen (8-9-17), who left Boston and has found playing time and success in Minnesota.

"Sekeras and Benysek (Ladislav Benysek), we didn't know how they would play and they have been just great," said Lemaire about the two surprising defensemen. "When you have good defensemen, you have the chance to have some success."

And the Wild have had a lot more success than anyone, even the organization, could have expected.

Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com.