THEY CAN STILL HANG THEIR HATS ON THE MURDER THING: Michael Farber of SI.com last week proclaimed St. Paul the new “Hockeytown,” replacing Detroit.

It is a sad thing, what has happened to hockey interest in Detroit. We all know about the empty seats at The Joe, but that isn’t the only reason for icy reception the Red Wings now endure.

Detroit GM Ken Holland to SI: “Steve Yzerman retired [in ‘06], and there were people who were Steve Yzerman fans first and Red Wings fans second. We had a work stoppage [the ‘04-05 lockout]. Maybe in Canada where hockey is part of the fabric you can pick right up where you left off, but here the bubble fans found other things to do. And we’re fighting our own success.”

What those “bubble fans” are doing, we have no idea. But based on the state of the auto industry, we know they aren’t counting their money.

In response to the SI piece, the ST. PAUL PIONEER-PRESS reports that the NHL’s Minnesota Wild “are running with it.“

The team last week sent out a media release about Farber’s proclamation that quoted St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman: “Kids in Saint Paul grow up eating and sleeping hockey, so this recognition is really for every parent who has sat in an arena supporting their kids and the tradition of hockey in Saint Paul.“