Nino Niederreiter has been bold enough with his hobbies to ride on the

outside of an airplane . On the ice, he plays a fearless game with a thick

frame that's tough to knock off the puck around the net.

The last few months, though, he found himself feeling a little anxious.

Niederreiter was a restricted free agent who filed for salary arbitration,
and the long-term contract he expected with the Minnesota Wild, a deal
they spoke openly of desiring to complete, had not yet come together. The
arbitration hearing scheduled in Toronto was coming closer and closer.

''I wouldn't say I wasn't worried. Obviously the longer the summer went,
the more you start thinking,'' Niederreiter said, adding: ''All of a sudden
you have to make plans for Toronto and all that stuff. Obviously you get a
little nervous. You never want to go to Toronto and make a deal there.''