Minnesota teams that bonded have only retreated

JIM SOUHAN @Souhanstrib

To build team harmony during the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves bonded in the Bahamas, and the Minnesota Wild vacationed in Vail. Let's hope they improved at snorkeling and skiing.

Their players might have become better friends, but the relationship-building has not succeeded in ways visible to the ticket-buying public. Entering the weekend, the Wolves are carrying a six-game losing streak that represents the first crisis of Ryan Saunders' head coaching career, and the Wild is scrambling to overcome one of the worst starts in franchise history.

Both of which are remindful of the most celebrated bonding exercise in Minnesota sports history, one that sent a…