--In a span of a few hours, Wild rookie James Sheppard went from thinking he would make his NHL debut Saturday night to not actually doing so.

Awaiting his American work visa, Sheppard was told Saturday morning he cleared and would play that night.

However, just an hour before gametime, Sheppard was told that a paperwork mishap between the team and the league office would prevent him from playing.

"It's my fault," assistant GM Tom Lynn said.

Lynn said the team got word from the immigration office Friday that Sheppard had been cleared to begin working. Lynn said under the old collective bargaining agreement that a non-roster player would then automatically be placed back onto the active roster.

Lynn assumed that was still the case, but it isn't. Lynn was supposed to fax formal paperwork to the league office by 4 p.m. Saturday, which he didn't.

Said Sheppard, "It's just unfortunate timing. Just the timing of everything, it happened and there's nothing I can do. Sure, it's disappointing, but there's nobody to blame."

--Despite playing only 14 shifts in a rough performance during Thursday's opener, veteran defenseman Keith Carney doesn't expect to start slowly like last year.

"That was totally different," Carney said. "Last year I came in, and it took me awhile to get adjusted, to get going. I didn't skate a lot during the summer, I didn't feel particularly well and it took me awhile to learn the system and fit in.

"I don't feel that at all this year. I feel 100 percent."

Still, Carney only got nine minutes from an unhappy Jacques Lemaire in the opener.

"I want him to get out of this as quick as possible," Lemaire said of Carney. "He has to get into his best shape, play the best he can as soon as he can do it. It goes for every player. The team doesn't have the time to wait for an individual to get at his best."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"I love that car. I don't want to go too big. I don't think I'm ready for that. Maybe a little upgrade. Just something to get around in because I'll be awfully busy." -- C James Sheppard on wanting a new car because he left his 1991 Honda Accord with 375,000 kilometers on it back in Nova Scotia.

Copyright (C) 2007 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.