from Michale Russo of the StarTribune,

Just mention Zenon Konopka's name to Stephane Veilleux, and the red-headed Wild forward chuckles and rolls his eyes.

"He's a very, very funny, very different character," said Veilleux, Konopka's roommate three seasons ago in Tampa Bay.

Konopka is the Wild's fascinating new enforcer and fourth-line center. He is on his 14th team in 11 years as a pro, and there's a reason he instantly becomes popular with teammates and fans at every stop.

He has a pet rabbit named Hoppy. He's an entrepreneur who owns a piece of seven businesses, including his own wine label, ZK28. He's the ringleader for most team activities. He is not only one of the NHL's toughest fighters, but he is a dynamite penalty killer and a faceoff specialist.

And he admittedly loves to push the line as far as he can take it, whether it's a faceoff strategy that actually resulted in a rule change across the NHL this season, or a pregame antic during warmups.

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