Minnesotans Mixed on Ventura

The surprising election Tuesday of former professional wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura as governor of Minnesota did not go without notice in the Duck dressing room Wednesday.

“It’ll be exciting,” Coach Craig Hartsburg predicted.

Hartsburg was a Minnesota North Star defenseman for 10 seasons in the 1980s and met Ventura several times after games at the old Met Center in Bloomington.

“He’s a good guy, a very intelligent guy. He’s got a lot of life experiences,” Hartsburg said. “I remember he used to play in some charity games. He was a better talker than a skater.”

Center Matt Cullen, one of three native Minnesotans on the Duck roster, was less enthusiastic about Ventura’s election.

“That’s brutal,” said Cullen, from Morehead. “Regardless of how smart he is, he’s still an ex-wrestler.”

Cullen had no idea Ventura was running for office until he called home late Tuesday evening.

“I was talking to my dad when it became official,” Cullen said. “Honestly, I haven’t kept an eye on [Minnesota politics].”

Cullen admitted he didn’t vote Tuesday.

Right wing Jeff Nielsen, from Grand Rapids, Minn., made a crack about voting via absentee ballot. Defenseman Mike Crowley, from Bloomington, was unavailable for comment.

Forward Ted Drury, Harvard educated, was simply appalled by the events.

“Brutal,” Drury, seated several locker stalls away from Cullen, kept repeating. “Just brutal.”

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Hartsburg said he hasn’t lost faith in Cullen, who has struggled offensively. In fact, Hartsburg promoted Cullen from the fourth line to the second line for Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.

“He’s been down there on the fourth line [since the exhibition season],” Hartsburg said of Cullen, who hasn’t recorded a point. “He hasn’t seen much ice time. If he keeps it simple and makes the easy plays, he has more success. We think he’s a key young player for us.”

Hartsburg admitted it’s often difficult to remember Wednesday was only Cullen’s 71st NHL game. Cullen, who turned 22 on Monday, had six goals and 27 points in 61 games as a rookie last season.

“If you don’t realize how young he is, you expect more, more, more,” Hartsburg said. “I think he’s made progress. Part of it is realizing he can’t beat everyone one-on-one.”