Wild: Darcy Kuemper gets critical start in place his career started

Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) deflects a shot by Buffalo Sabres left wing Marcus Foligno (82) past Wild defenseman Nate Prosser (39) during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Sept. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)During elementary and middle school, Darcy Kuemper and his classmates in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, walked to a nearby frozen pond with their hockey sticks during recess. They played in their shoes because with only 15 minutes, changing into skates would have been a waste of time.

After school, Kuemper would walk -- this time with hockey gear in tow -- the 10 minutes to the frozen pond near his house and play there. Sometimes his…