NO PUN INTENDED

Playoff Preview Round 2: Detroit vs. Anaheim

2009-05-01T22:06:00.002-04:00

Shame on me for not posting about the Wings' 6-5 sweep victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets what feels like ages ago - while it might not have been the team's greatest victory (congrats to the Jackets and their fans for putting up the fight that they did; your team has a bright future ahead of it), it was a victory nonetheless which means the Wings have moved on to their next opponent - the Anaheim Ducks, a team that the past few years have turned into a pretty big rival.

Of course this preview is late as well, but let's just pretend no one noticed that.

Keys to Winning:

First and foremost the Ducks are one of the most physical teams in the league, and a huge part of this series is going to rest on the Wings' ability to deal with this and yet remain healthy. They have to play physically, but also stay smart - the Ducks are good at getting under other teams' skin, and there's a huge difference between playing pissed and letting that anger make you stupid. Unfortunately, staying healthy isn't always something a team has much control over (and the Wings are already missing Andreas Lilja, Kris Draper, and, at least for Game 1, Brian Rafalski), and thus there are plenty of other things the Wings are going to have to do if they want to move on. In line with this, the biggest factor in this series is going to be discipline. The Wings and Ducks both have some serious powerplays, but the advantage the Wings have here is that they've done much better than the Ducks at staying out of the box, averaging 10 minutes in the box per game to the Ducks' 17.

Another factor that could turn the series in Detroit's favor is their success at screening the goaltender. While the Ducks' Jonas Hiller looked great in the first round against the Sharks, the Wings will test him early, often, and constantly with the amount of pucks they put on the net in any given game, and even more importantly have some of the best screeners in the game to block his view and tip pucks in - guys like Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, and Dan Cleary. Hiller may be strong, but a lot of that is the Ducks defense in front of him - a team that shut down Steve Mason as easily as the Wings didn't shouldn't have a big problem putting pucks past Hiller, especially with the lineup and the depth they have.

Schedule:

Friday, May 1 at Detroit, 7:00 p.m. VERSUS, TSN2

Sunday, May 3 at Detroit, 2:00 p.m. NBC, TSN

Tuesday, May 5 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN

Thursday, May 7 at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. VERSUS, TSN

*Sunday, May 10 at Detroit, 5:00 p.m. TSN

*Tuesday, May 12 at Anaheim, TBD VERSUS, TSN

*Thursday, May 14 at Detroit, TBD VERSUS, TSN

Around the Web:

The usual Detroit culprits can be found at:

And if for SOME reason (sorry Finny!) you like the Ducks look into:

If you blog for either team and would like to be added to the list please feel free to let me know!

And Finally:

I know Game 1 is already over and the Wings won 3-2 (expect that post soon!) but I still felt the need to post a preview, because I expect this to be a hell of a series. I want to say the Wings will win, but I feel like, given the Ducks' gritty performances so far, and the outcome of tonight's game, that it may take 7 games to do it.

I leave you with one of my favorite Mike Babcock quotes ever, on my favorite Wings rookie and Grand Rapids favorite Jonathan Ericsson:

"Big body. Actually, he looks like Chris Pronger. Except for the cross checking."

Awesome. GO WINGS!

Ready With the Brooms (Wings 4, Blue Jackets 1)

2009-04-22T20:04:00.005-04:00

For 67 seconds the Columbus Blue Jackets and 19,212 of their fans (give or take a few, including Wings blogger Christy who made the trip to watch the game) basked in the exhilaration of the first ever post-season game played at Nationwide Arena, the goal they spent this entire season fighting to achieve. 67 seconds before Tomas Holmstrom scored the opening goal, took the wind out of the crowd's sales, and began yet another thrashing of the team unlucky enough to draw the defending champs.

Meanwhile, a slightly smaller group of us watched from Hockeytown Cafe, the sight of @cjsier's Detroit NHLTweetup, as the Wings ended up winning the game 4-1, taking a 3-0 lead in the series and all but sealing their place in the semi-finals.

Christine and your intrepid blogger (we're in the middle), having forced everyone to put on their playoff beards.

Home ice advantage did little for the Blue Jackets - in fact, rather than the crowd's electricity spurring on the players to victory, it was instead, according to Sarah of The Neutral Zone Trap, the team's lackluster performance that deflated the fans: The building was just crackling with electricity, and the Jackets’ defense broke down a minute in, Detroit scored, and the life started to go out of the crowd. They hung on for awhile, tried to get the team going, but the boo birds were out in the second period, and it was just funereal by the third. Disappointing for Blue Jackets fans, but exactly what we here in Detroit want to hear.

Interesting Stats & notes:

Chris Osgood's shutout streak was finally snapped last night, at 144:27 of goal-less game play. After three games, Osgood's stats have stayed strong - the playoff veteran, no longer hearing much comment about his unsteady play throughout the regular season, has stopped 76 of 78 shots in the past three games, holds a .67 GAA and a .974 SV%. Meanwhile, the Jackets rookie phenom and Calder Trophy nominee Steve Mason sits at an uninspiring 3.67 GAA, .888 SV%. For three games straight Mason has allowed four goals - not at all what Columbus, or most of the media covering this series, expected.

The Wings continue to get point contributions from nearly their entire roster. The team's 12 goals have now come from 9 different players (Jiri Hudler has 2, Henrik Zetterberg has 3), and 14 players have points. Meanwhile, R.J. Umberger remains the only Blue Jacket to score, once in Game 1 and once in Game 3.

Picking up where they left off in the playoffs this past season, the Wings have returned to the physical play that took them to the finals last season. Brad Stuart absolutely leveleing Umberger was the high point last night - unbelievably, Umberger returned before the game was over. More importantly than just being physical, the Wings are being smart about being physical, and it's getting noticed: “They check hard,” Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said of the Wings. “Everybody talks about their skill, but Detroit wins the fight for space, individually and collectively. That’s why they win so many hockey games. Yeah, they have skill, but in critical games, they win the fight for space. Regardless of what happens, if you don’t fight for your own space, you’re going to get run out of the building. They beat a lot of good teams by doing that.” Of course, the Wings have a whole lot of skill to back up that physicality, as well. (The Jackets, on the other hand, can't even seem to get hitting right, right now. Either that, or Mike Commodore just wanted to see what it's like to be on the winning bench that badly!)

The Wings hope to close the series out tomorrow night at 7 pm - the Wings certainly have to keep up the pace they've set so far and not let their collective feet off the gas, but here's to hoping for the sweep. GO WINGS!

"I Love My Life" (Wings 4, Blue Jackets 0)

2009-04-19T17:39:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's probably a little early for the "I love my life" sentiment - but I saw a fan yesterday at the Joe proudly carting around exactly that on a sign and I had to admit, I was pretty much feeling it after watching that game.

Yesterday night the Wings took a 2-0 lead in the series, posting a 4-0 shutout victory against the Blue Jackets in a phenomenal game that will hopefully really set the tone for the rest of this series.

The good:

Chris Osgood, once again looked great. He didn't steal the show quite the way he did in the first period of Thursday's game and he wasn't tested quite as much, but he still made a few fantastic saves - and more importantly made every save he needed to, earning his 14th playoff shutout. Osgood's SV%, which settled in at a seriously questionable .887 through the regular season, sits through these two games at an unreal .978, and he's sitting at 88 minutes of shutout time.

The crowd once again cheered on Ozzie's rising to the occasion - my throat hurts from chanting "OZ-ZIE OZ-ZIE!" so much!

The team is firing on all cylinders right now - 11 players picked up a point in yesterday's game, and the Wings' 8 playoff goals so far have come from 7 different players (congrats to Jiri Hudler for being the one with two). The stars have done their parts, and so have the third-liners. Everyone on this team is hungry and it shows. The Wings are simply outclassing the Blue Jackets. It's a strong statement, but the series so far is giving a lot of backing to John Grigg of THN's comment on the matchup: "Mason did all he could, but Detroit is just too good. Any of the Wings’ top-nine forwards could play on the Jackets’ top line and there may not be a Blue Jacket blueliner who could make the Red Wings. It’s that simple." I hope so.

The Bad:

Columbus will come out harder and even more desperate in Game 3 on home ice - but does anybody think the Wings can't shut them down right now?

The Ugly:

With 8:39 left in Game 2 and the Wings up 4-0, Antoine Vermette, whose play has been less than stellar in the series so far, took issue with Pavel Datsyuk and responded by hammering him into the ice from behind and then effectively climbing on top of him. A dirty play by a frustrated player, and the sort of thing the Wings are going to have to watch out for - the Blue Jackets ended the night with 34 minutes spent in the box. However on the bright side, the Jackets haven't yet acted out too poorly thanks to frustration; things could be much worse - and the encounter spawned one of the greatest Datsyuk quotes yet: "He just used me like pony," Datsyuk said. "He was on top of me. I don't like being the pony. I want to be on top."

The WTF?:

Maybe he thought it was his team's only hope (a legitimate concern), but someone should probably tell Jakub Voracek that you're only allowed to have one stick at a time...

That's all I got - Game 3, hopefully another dominate performance from the Wings, is Tuesday night in Columbus. GO WINGS! (Sidenote, the Griffins are up on the Hamilton Bulldogs two games to zero as well!)

Gotta Want it to Win it (Wings 4, Jackets 1)

2009-04-17T20:35:00.004-04:00

Okay, Hockeytown, time to relax. Your worst fears have been assuaged - this team is as hungry as ever. Your Red Wings want to repeat and have no intentions of settling for mediocrity. Nevermind what parts of this season looked like - the boys have turned it back on. Granted, it has to stay that way, but nobody can complain about the effort we saw last night at the Joe, and if they keep up that kind of energy, it's going to be a great trip through the playoffs.

Of course it didn't start out that way. In the first twenty minutes the Wings not only started off a bit flat, but also spent a tremendously frustrating amount of time in the penalty box, allowing the Blue Jackets a number of nice scoring chances. Lucky for them, however, at least one Wing had his head firmly in the game - Chris Osgood quickly stole the show, played with a swagger that suggested he at least had definitely turned it on for the playoffs. When Osgood's name was announced in the starting roster, the packed Joe Louis chanted the first round of "Oz-zie! Oz-zie!" - but it was tentative, hopeful but also nervous. Not so after the flurry of diving, sprawling saves he made to hold the score 0-0 after the first period.

Despite their success early on, the Blue Jackets, playing their first Game 1 ever, looked lost out on the ice for much of the game. Rookie goalie sensation Steve Mason couldn't save them from the swarming Red Wings once the team turned it on, and Osgood stole his Hot Goalie show, backstopping the Wings to a 4-1 victory. Osgood had some words to say about his performance in both this game and the regular season:

“I don’t doubt myself ever,” Osgood said. “People that don’t know me do. I’ve played for 15 years. I have the most wins in Red Wings playoff history for a reason, not because I’m a bad goalie.”

Exactly the sort of swagger you want to hear from your number one this time of year.

Osgood wasn't the only story of the game, of course. Rookie and NPI favorite Jonathan Ericsson scored the game winner (although it was the Jackets' Manny Malhotra who effectively put it behind Mason), his first career playoff goal. The Wings' third line of Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, and Mikael Samuelsson was huge - Hudler had a goal and two assists, while Filppula notched two assists of his own.

The other Wings goals came from Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen, while Columbus' was scored by RJ Umberger.

If the Wings can keep up the pace they set in Game 1, the series could be over quicker than expected - the playoffs are here, and the boys know it:

"It's been hard to find excitement before the games," Franzen said, alluding to the Wings' 2-5-1 record over their final eight games. "We were really looking forward to this playoff start. You feel it in your body. Your legs get a lot faster. Everything's more exciting."

As infinitely frustrating as it is to watch your team flounder, looking disinterested and bored, it makes it that more invigorating to see them like they played last night. Hopefully they can keep it up as the playoffs progress, but for now, the goal is to pick up another victory tomorrow night, Game 2 at the Joe. GO WINGS.

(Besides, when the opposition is already accusing you of cheating, you know you're doing something right.)

Go Big or Go Home. Playoff Preview: Detroit vs. Columbus

2009-04-13T12:46:00.004-04:00

It's official - playoffs are here. And I'm going to suck it up, stop being a terrible blogger who hasn't posted a single thing since December 10th, and get back into the grind, because now things are serious. Forget this 'work' nonsense that's been consuming my life, forget the constant driving down to the Joe (I've gone to 20 Wings games [and 1 Capitals game!] this season, including the Winter Classic, and posted about exactly zero of them), forget the desperate attempts to have a life outside of NHL Center Ice on my TV - the playoffs are here.

Yesterday night the playoff schedule hit the internet - although we already knew the Detroit Red Wings would start the post-season off against familiar Central Division foe, the Columbus Blue Jackets...so here we go.

Keys to Winning:

First and foremost the Wings have to play like they care. The team this season has an uncanny ability to turn it off as easily as they can turn it on. It's no secret that the Wings have a huge lineup of devastating forwards - Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, and on down the line. Unfortunately if the team decides to play lackluster hockey (see: Sunday's game against the Blackhawks) all the offense in the world can't save them. The talent levels are there (can you think of anyone on the Blue Jackets you really want to compare to the Wings top line talent?), but they have to want it to win it, and you know the Blue Jackets, making their first post-season appearance ever, want it. Equally important, the Wings have got to take this series seriously. Yes it's the Blue Jackets, yes again, and no it might not be a team that inspires fear in its opponents...but the last time the Wings blew them off they lost 8-2 at home.

Another huge, possibly the hugest, part of this series is going to be goaltending. The Red Wings' Chris Osgood, who took over the starting role from Dominik Hasek around this time last season, has strugging mightily this season, looking shaky at best. Meanwhile the Columbus Blue Jackets are riding rookie sensation Steve Mason and his 10 shutouts, .916 SV%. Looks pretty impressive standing next to Ozzie's 2, .887. Wings fans can hope for three things, however - first of all, that Ozzie gets it together. His game against the Predators last week, despite ending in a loss, was one of his best games all season long, and he has plenty of playoff experience. Second, that the Wings offense steps it up enough to solve Mason (the Blue Jackets have three 20 goal scorers, the Wings have five) and the defense, which has also faultered this year, can protect Osgood a little better. Third, the playoff-inexperienced Mason chokes under the pressure. Come on Wings, let's teach them that there's only one "Stevie Franchise".

Finally, the Wings are going to have to solve Rick Nash. The guy has two hat tricks against the Wings already this season and whether it be luck or skill, Nash has got our number. It's got to stop right now, or we're going to be in for a long summer.

Schedule:

Thursday, April 16	at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
Saturday, April 18	at Detroit, 6:00 p.m.	TSN
Tuesday, April 21	at Columbus, 7:00 p.m.	TSN
Thursday, April 23	at Columbus, 7:00 p.m.	TSN
*Saturday, April 25	at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
*Monday, April 27	at Columbus, TBD	TSN
*Wednesday, April 29	at Detroit, TBD	VERSUS, TSN

Around the Web:

The usual Detroit culprits can be found at:

And if you're into the Blue Jackets, or just want to read about the competition, check out:

If you blog for either team and would like to be added to the list please feel free to let me know!
Last and probably least:

Dammit, Red Wings, if for no other reason please, please knock the Blue Jackets out fast so we won't have to deal with any more of this Ohioan rivalry nonsense - the Wings are NOT U of M and the Jackets are certainly no OSU. Stop the crossover! Stop it now! Please!

Plus, as my mother points out, the Wings should be well rested for this series - they haven't really played in about a week. Wings in 6, GO DETROIT!

How much do you think they weigh?

2008-12-10T12:33:00.003-05:00

The Red Wings received their 2008 Cup Rings this Sunday night and they're so stunning it would be a serious shame not to allow them a post of their own:

Unlike the '97, '98, and '02 rings, this one is all white-gold and covered in diamonds. The front is of course lovely, but what really impresses me is the side, and its image of all 11 of the Wings cups complete with the dates of each.

My favorite comment about the rings had to be Mike Babcock's:

"It was nice,” Babcock said. “Usually, the only one who gets that is my wife, so it was kind of nice I got some.”

Fans at tonight's game vs. Calgary will receive commemorative rings - I can't make it so if anyone finds themselves with a spare lying around....!

Don't like beer? Have some alternative hockey beverage options:

2008-12-10T11:33:00.003-05:00

The Red Wings have joined forces with a college kid's two best friends - booze and caffeine. Granted #8 and #5's attachment is a little more classy than your average undergrad's method of indulging...

Recent Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee and former Red Wing great #8 Igor Larionov spent this past Saturday at two metro Nino Salvaggio locations signing bottles of wine from his Triple Overtime line. Nino's is my favorite fruit market around so of course I had to drop in, buy a couple bottles, and chat (very) briefly with the Professor. The two I purchased, the Slapshot Shiraz and the Triple Overtime Sauvignon Blanc, both look delicious, and to top it off, Igor Larionov himself (who clearly has great taste!) complimented my haircut. And all around success, I'd say! For those who didn't get to make the event I took a few pictures that you can find here. Here's to hoping the Wings win the cup again so we can celebrate in style!

Biggby Coffee, formerly Beaner's, which holds a dear place in my heart as the coffee shop I'd always stop at on my way in to my former job while in college at the bleary hour of 7 am (those were the days), has also decided to partner up with the Red Wings and offer a new "Number 5 Latte" in honor of the Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom. There's no word on what is actually in the drink - the closest Biggby comes to a description is the promise that "THIS ESPRESSO BASED DRINK WILL BE A SLAP SHOT TO YOUR TASTEBUDS" - but if you stop in to any Biggby location on a game day wearing Wings gear you can get a dollar off the "super cup size" and try it out for yourself! Coffee and hockey? How could it be bad?

This evening the Red Wings take on the Calgary Flames at home and hopefully the excitement of receiving their Cup Rings can inspire them to the sort of play we've come to expect - none of this come-from-behind high scoring games victory nonsense! (Although let's face it, I'll take a win however it comes.)

It Begins

2008-12-01T13:09:00.004-05:00

I'm sparing you the excuses for my absence (work work work work work) and cutting right to the chase:

Last night during NBC's Monday Night Football the NHL debuted the first big deal commercial for the Winter Classic, and it's glorious:

The commercial itself is gorgeous as a hockey commercial alone, featuring shots of players from both teams gearing up for the event, but the best part is the way the NHL seamlessly inserts Take Me Out to the Ball Game sung by Harry Caray - amazing.

I'm still involved the arduous process of getting tickets, but it's looking likely - hope to see you all there!

I swear this really isn't political

2008-11-04T23:14:00.003-05:00

For all of us State-bound, I think, no matter party affiliation, that we can agree on one thing:

Thank heaven the ads are over.

Apparently, our president thinks along the same thing: Check out the Onion's article. Not hockey related, but pertinent to the day and time...and full of the humor we all know and love from The Onion.

Happy election day everyone!

It's Quincey with an "e".

2008-10-28T16:27:00.003-04:00

Former Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey put up with a lot here in Detroit - from AHL playing time when he was certainly good enough to eat minutes in the NHL to the constant appearance of his name written "Kyle Quincy". While hardly suffering for the cause, it had to be more than a little frustrating.

Snatched up on the waiver wire (where he was placed through no fault of his own but rather because the Wings had such a logjam of defensemen that someone had to be sacrificed) by Los Angeles, Quincey has gone from a reliable call-up to a full-fledged NHL defenseman in record time. Joining the young, previously bottom-feeding Kings might not have been the most appealing idea around, but Quincey, now paired with Matt Greene, took it in stride, and has been rewarded with a huge amount of playing time (most nights he clocks in just behind Drew Doughty, with the second most time of everyone on the team). So far in 5 games he's scored 1 goal and picked up 2 assists - not bad for a self-proclaimed physical defensive defenseman.

One of those assists came last night during the Wings game against the Kings. Quincey was interviewed about the move at the time and how weird it was to go up against his former teammates:

"When I look back on all the possibilities, I'm real thankful it happened this way," said Quincey, who got caught in the Wings' logjam of talent. "It was definitely mixed emotions.
"One day, you realize part of your life is changing, you're not a Red Wing anymore, you can't put that jersey on again, you have to say bye to close friends.
"The next day, you're filled with excitement for a new opportunity, you're reunited with former buddies, it's a great spot in Los Angeles. We have a really young team. I think I fit in well here."

It's always hard to hear a favorite admit that he wanted to stay, but it sounds like he's poised to have a great time with the Kings this season, which I, being a huge Quincey fan when he was in Grand Rapids, am more than happy to hear. He was also interviewed during the second intermission last night wherein he admitted that he still looks up to Nick Lidstrom - but how could you not?

He also received big praise from Wings coach Babcock, which just goes to show how deep the Wings go, that they had to let someone go about whom they had such good things to say. The Kings picked up a pretty good thing, which I hope Connie and Marie are quickly learning! I admit I've been watching them a little more often lately to see how he's faring - always good to see one of your own succeed, even if he's not quite, anymore. Maybe Kyle Quincey can finally get some of the recognition he deserves. We miss you here in Detroit!

Breaking it Down

2008-10-28T15:17:00.005-04:00

These late games are killing me. As a lot of you know, I work super early mornings - usually I have to get up around 4 am and be coherent enough to count a lot of money by 5, so staying up and watching games that start at 10 pm are out of the question. While I was able to watch the last two games despite their late starts thank to days off, I still find myself nearly falling asleep during them (and subsequently sleeping late enough that my "breakfast" this morning consisted of a toaster strudel and some Andy Capp's hot fries at 2 pm), so my comments about the particular games may not be quite as astute as in the past (...as if they ever were).

Coming off of two shootout wins against Chicago and the LA Kings, both of which involved a comeback on the Wings part, the Wings have improved their record to 7-1-1 on the season, not too shabby! However, not everything is smooth sailing when it comes to Wings hockey right now, as the team has more than a few struggles to go along with their strengths.

PROS:

Goals for. The Wings certainly aren't short on firepower, as they lead the league in goals scored. Even better, the scoring is coming from across the board. Twelve players have notched goals thus far, and the team certainly doesn't need to be worried about secondary scoring.

Marian Hossa, after starting the season not poorly but slowly, has stepped it up. The most talked-about addition to the team put up a goal and two assists in Saturday's game against the Blackhawks and then scored the winning shootout in the shootout as well, curiously enough with a slapshot that blew right past Hawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Hossa now leads the team in points (12) and +/- (+7) and the chemistry between he and Pavel Datsyuk that seemed absent early in the season is really heating up. Don't worry though, Hank, I'm sure you're still Pav's favorite.

Brian Rafalski is second in points (10) and started off the season with a 7-game point streak (h/t to Gorilla Crouch for that link - what a neat Yahoo feature!) that set a club record. There isn't much else to say - he's been awesome. How's that defense of yours doing over there, New Jersey?

CONS: (Please note the first time I typed that it read, "CONKS")

Goals against. Usually a strong point for the Wings, this season the all-star defensive lineup has look just a little bit shaky. The team is 18th in the NHL for goals against, allowing an average of 3.11 per game - not a very pretty statistic. Not only that but the team who boasted a huge chunk of players in the top 10 league +/- this season has nine players in the red, lead by Brett Lebda who boasts a gaudy -7. Goaltending needs a little work as well; neither Chris Osgood nor Ty Conklin have been particularly bad, and both are racking up wins, but neither looks all that stellar, either. Osgood's save percentage is only .884 and he's 21st in the league in GAA. With the defense looking a tad wobbly, Osgood's going to need to step it up as well. Faultering defense and goaltending is a recipe for disaster. The Wings have been winning games, yes - close games. The defense needs to buck up and start playing like we all know it can, and should, be, or sooner or later these numbers are going to catch up with the Wings.

Johan Franzen's knee injury could put him out for 3-4 weeks. The Mule came into his own last season, breaking a Gordie Howe record for game winning goals in a month near the end of the season, tearing it up in the playoffs, and starting strong this year as well. with 5 goals and 2 assists in 7 games played. Unfortunatley Franzen took a knee-on-knee hit from Brent Sopel in Saturday's game against the Blackhawks and is expected to miss a month with a left knee sprain. The Wings have looked okay without his firepower so far, but Franzen was a key piece to last year's success and will be missed. Luckily for the Wings, they have a substantial amount of talent in Grand Rapids - Finnish Ville Leino will probably get the call-up if it becomes necessary.

Overall, the Wings look better than they do worse - but there are still a few question marks. While I'd like to let their record do the talking, it's also tough to watch a team play below what you think its real abilities are. It's early on in the season though and hardly time to get worried. Tomorrow night's game against the penalty-prone Ducks will hopefully be a good time for them to break out the devastaing powerplay, and Thursday's romp with the Sharks (which has a 10:30 pm start and which I will definitely see on a delay) should be an extremely good measure of how good the team is. (Don't get worried yet, the answer is "very!")

Final Verdict on the Hossa Signing (DET 5, ATL 3)

2008-10-25T18:58:00.003-04:00

It might have taken ten games, but nothing says it better than this goal, Hossa's first from this past game against his former team, the Atlanta Thrashers:

YEAH.

Hossa Gets it Done

2008-10-22T18:06:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday a group of coworkers and I headed down to the Joe to catch the Wings take on the Rangers - it seems like ages ago, having a three-day break in between games like this.

The game was fantastic one to see live, especially, from the quick start the Wings had out of the gate (Mikael Samuelsson scored 28 seconds into the first period, and Johan Franzen picked one up around three minutes in), to the sketchy third period where the Rangers not only tied it up but skated to a 4-2 lead on two goals by Aaron Voros. The real fun began with Jiri Hudler tied it up on the powerplay, but it was the ensuing overtime that was the icing on the cake.

After mentioning new Wing Marian Hossa's struggles to make a serious impact so far this season and jokingly swearing to my boss every time he fell short on an opportunity, it was Hossa who tapped in Pavel Datsyuk's shot to beat Henrik Lundvist and win the game in overtime for the Wings and also to notch his 300th career goal. So is Hossa ready to step up? Maybe, maybe not - after all, a tap-in is hardly proof of a sudden chemistry between the two, and more likely a happy coincidence. But you have to think Hossa's feeling better about, well, just about everything, scoring the goal that won a dangerous game against a team with one of the current best records in hockey. He'll be one to watch in tonight's game against the Blues (for the number one spot in the division - how weird is that!). About that goal, Hossa replied:

"It doesn't get any better than this, the 300th, the first goal as a Red Wing and the game winner in overtime."

I hope it does get better - let's see 301, 302, etc. With luck, that victory was an eye-opener to the team, who has seemed to be playing down to its opponents a little bit, as well as a jump-start to Hossa's season. Either way it was a fun thing to see live, and the Joe's reaction was awesome.

We'll see tonight in a game that promises to be interesting - Henrik Zetterberg will be back, along with Brad Stuart, but Andreas Lilja will be sitting out after undergoing an appendectomy. Also out will be Darren Helm, who was returned to Grand Rapids, but Darren McCarty, who cleared waivers today, could make his debut soon.

What's the Best Cure for a Hangover?

2008-10-18T14:22:00.004-04:00

Okay, I know, the Wings have played four games already and I'm off to a very bad blogging start - the fact is, I have to get up for work at 4 am most days, and when the game ends I'm usually crashed mere minutes afterward. However, I promise to make a better go of it starting now!

It's been an odd start to the season so far, but nothing to panic about yet. The unexpected 3-2 season-opening loss to the Maple Leafs caught us all off guard, but the Wings bounced back against the Senators and Hurricanes before dropping yesterday night's game against the Canucks in overtime. While the Wings haven't looked all bad, they haven't look all good, either - here's a few observations I've made since the beginning of the season.

For a team that preaches puck-possession, the Wings have made a lot of awfully bad turnovers thus far. From minor to downright cringe-worthy, it's something the team for sure has to work on in the upcoming games if they hope to regain the dominance of the past season.

We haven't seen a whole lot of what's expected out of Marian Hossa so far - he hasn't looked bad, per se, but his chemistry with Pavel Datsyuk leaves a bit to be desired. However, coach Babcock remains insistant that we won't see the Eurotwins back together again to save the day, even on the powerplay. Personally I miss seeing them on the ice together, and I think it could be of some help, given the way the top line has performed so far, but what do I know?

Ty Conklin looks fairly good in his debut - he scared me a little at first, with his flailing around (and has anyone else noticed his propensity for just falling over when making saves?), and his decision to cavort around the net especially against Carolina of all teams had me desperately hoping there would be no repeat of this debacle, but he did well to prove himself.

It's been, so far, a season of weird bounces (take Thursday night's game against Vancouver, for example) - but the Wings, and Chris Osgood, though he's looked solid so far, can't use that as an excuse. Many were created by poor execution on the players' part as well, and the team as a whole needs to ramp it up a bit. They've looked a little like they've been playing down to their opponents lately, and if they don't step it up, the hangover label is going to come back in full force.

Things won't get easier yet, as both Henrik Zetterberg and Brad Stuart will be out tonight against a scary Rangers club, but Darren Helm, who was called up to fill in for Zetterberg, and Derek Meech, who will see his first action of the season tonight, are more than capable replacements. I'll be at the game - my first of the season - hopeful that we'll see the effort this club is capable of. Go Wings!! (PS the best cure I've found? Greasy McDonald's hashbrowns. Ask my lovely friends in DC. But don't try that, boys, it can't be good for you.)

End Notes:
Former Wing and NPI favorite Kyle Quincey suited up for his debut with the LA Kings last night. I was only able to catch the first period of the game, but he looked good paired up with Matt Greene, was given time on the PK to showcase his self-professed stay at home defenseman skills, and showed that despite the Wings lack of room for him, he is in fact an NHL-ready defenseman. He also, according to the Kings recap, was part of a scoring chance that helped to set up Anze Kopitar's game-tying goal, and took a slapshot seven minutes into the second period that caused Hurricanes' Frantisek Kaberle to leave the game with a leg injury. While you of course don't want to applaud another player getting hurt, congrats, Kyle, keep it up and all our best!

Getting Down to Business

2008-10-08T16:28:00.003-04:00

The season starts (for real, nevermind those odd European games) tomorrow. The Red Wings look to defend the Stanley Cup and the Penguins (to be and equal opportunist to both blog authors) are out for revenge. Nevermind all this draft, trade deadline day, training camp business - tomorrow, hockey is really, truly, back.

So, getting down to some blog business:

I recently signed on as a guest blogger at Rumor Me This, representing the Red Wings for the duration of the season. Several others whose blogs I love, respect, and frequent, such as Marie, Cat, Tracy, and Jennifer, have joined as well, so be sure to check us all out. My first post, a Wings season preview, is viewable there, and I'll be updating at several points throughout the season with team status news.

The start of the season always means a site overhaul - in my case the last time I tried to make a new Pens/Wings playoffs layout during the finals last season I crashed my computer, so the chances of that happened are slim. However, it is in fact time to update the blogroll again! So, if you would like yourself added to or (hopefully not) removed from, or have suggestions of any blogs you think belong there, feel free to comment and let us know!

Finally, on a bit of a personal note, I made this post about Wings tickets prices recently and received far more feedback than I'd expected on the topic. One in particular was an e-mail from a reader, fellow fan, and season ticket holder named Dave who apparently took pity on my plight and who offered to let me purchase tickets from him to select games at prices that put Ticketmaster to shame. Having now increased the number of games I'll be at this season by three, I just want to say a huge thanks and comment on how awesome I think it is to see fans doing things like this for each other. I genuinely hope someday I'll be in the position to do something similar for a fellow blogger or fan. Thanks again, Dave!!

That looks to be about it - happy hockey season and GO WINGS (and...Penguins) from those of us here at NPI!

It's not you, it's us.

2008-10-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

There's been a lot of discussion this summer about the defensive logjam the Wings had going into training camp this season - with the resignings of Andreas Lilja and Brad Stuart as well as Chris Chelios, once again there wasn't a lot of wiggle room for the kids (even with Chelios out the team is only around $450,000 under the cap) - most of whom aren't really kids anymore and are ready for their own legitimate chance to perform in the NHL. The summer closed out with the defensive roster looking like this:

Obviously not going anywhere: Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart, Chris Chelios.

Maybe going somewhere: Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson.

However, Mike Babcock determined that the start of the season would see Lilja/Lebda as the third defensive pairing, as it was during the Stanley Cup Finals this past season and this afternoon Ericsson was sent to Grand Rapids as he can still freely move between teams without being subject to waivers, making the likelihood of his being traded nearly nothing. The moves left the final spot a battle between Meech and Quincey, and it appears that Meech has won as the team is trying to shop Quincey around.

The club likes the 23-year-old Quincey's size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and the physical element he brings, but believes Derek Meech, a better skater and puck-handler, has a bigger upside.
Meech, who also can play forward in a pinch, has outplayed Quincey in training camp and the preseason. The Red Wings likely are seeking a mid- to late-round draft pick for Quincey, who can't be assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL) without clearing waivers.

It has seemed a little bit inevitable since the start of the summer, but I personally was holding out hope that perhaps it wouldn't come to this. Having lived in Kalamazoo for the past four years, I caught a lot of Griffins games and Quincey quickly became one of my favorites. However, aside from a chance during the Cup Semi-finals agains the Ducks in 06-07, Quincey never really got a chance to break into the big leagues - the Wings are just too deep a team with too much talent to make it easy. During that run, all that was asked of Quincey was that he not mess up - a feat that he accomplished admirably. His attempts to join the team last season were stymied by an injury and the first part of his season with Grand Rapids was mediocre, but he bounced back after another short stint with the Wings to end the season on a high note.

In the end, Derek Meech may be the better fit for the Wings' puck possession style of play - but Kyle Quincey shouldn't be overlooked. He's proven himself to be an NHL-ready stay at home defenseman and even studied this summer under fellow Wing Aaron Downey to improve his enforcer-type skill set in attempt to fit himself into a niche and help the team.

I had the chance to meet Quincey at a signing at Gibraltar Trade Center recently - of the three signers (Quincey, Jimmy Howard, and Brett Lebda), Quincey's ticket cost the least, and when I stepped up to purchase one the lady behind the desk told me she'd sold less of his than the others by far. Quincey, however, was gracious - he signed my glossy and even took a few moments to chat. I told him I'd followed him in Grand Rapids and hoped to get to see more of him with the big club this year and he replied that he really hoped he'd be sticking around and would get a chance to do just that. Throughout the whole event his name was misspelled 'Quincy' everywhere it appeared - poor kid. (And incredible failure on the part of the staff - really? How authentic do you think a certificate that "Kyle Quincy" signed your item is?)

I'll be sad to see him go - I've always seen him to have a valuable skill set and a lot of dedication. But perhaps, not unlike the way Kerri at Some Like it Blue suggest about the Rangers and Petr Prucha, it's time for he and the Wings to part, in the hope that he can flourish somewhere where he has a better chance - and not to knock the Wings or their fans, only to lament the circumstances - to flourish. It can't be easy on a star-studded team that never seems to lose anybody, and there are likely many teams in the league that would take on a big, young, tough, fairly responsible defenseman with the sort of personality Quincey possesses.

Therefore if you go, Kyle - and it looks like you will - know that someone here in Detroit really did appreciate you and will miss you. All the best wherever you end up, hopefully somewhere that's a good fit - and thanks for not being too creeped out when I spent a good chunk of Griffins warm up time with my camera focused on you.

Ice cream and hockey

2008-09-29T18:35:00.002-04:00

What's better than hockey camp after a long summer? Hockey camp that's in the Green Mountain state. The Bruins have been training here among the leaf peepers for a few days, and tonight they will be at the main Ben and Jerry's factory in Waterbury, signing autographs and basically reaching out to a Vermont community that loves their hockey, and their 'home town' boys on the Bruins. The University of Vermont has housed a few NHL-ers in it's time, Tim Thomas being one of them (honorable mention goes to Mighty Mouse St.Louis and John LeClair), so this autograph session should be a nice touch to the Bruins stay and organization.

So B's fans, if you're in central Vermont at around 8pm tonight, you should check it out. I recommend the Phish food and a handshake from Patrice Bergeron.

(thanks to Teka for the heads up)

Pack up your tents and macaroni art, camp is over.

2008-09-27T10:39:00.002-04:00

That's right, kids, camp is over and the preseason is in full swing. The Penguins, who have topped the Atlantic in the preseason (which as we all know, means about jack in the long run, but it's still nice to see the Flyers below the Pens) seem to be getting their lines together and working pretty well, but with some changes coming into their (last?) season at the Mellon.

-Departures are always bittersweet, but Ryan Malone will be missed on the top line. Apparently SATAN and his ex-Islander counterpart are making their new homes there, and easing the ache left by he of the wonderfully tattooed arms. We will miss you, Malone! Enjoy sunny Florida and the Lightning.

Honorable mentions go to Ruutu and Laraque, who are going to missed for the character they brought to the ice...and the neverending intimidation and irritation to the opponent. Who is going to annoy the crap out of visiting teams and lead the Pens faithful in confusing chants that sound like booing? 'Coooooooke' doesn't have the same ring to it.

Hossa doesn't get a full sentence.

-Malkin is the new pointman? Apparently until Gonchar is healed (get well soon!) Malkin will take point on the power play, sounding excited about the prospect. Is it me or is he talking without the aid of a translator in his Trib interviews lately?

-A sign of the times: the Penguins have their own Facebook page.

A couple odds and ends here, but has anyone checked out the model for the women's t-shirts? Pretty, yes. Nice figure, yes. Vacant expression like someone drugged her? Yes. Come on, you're posing a nice looking lady in hockey clothing for oodles of cash and you can't do a smile?

Now, while my camp councilors this summer, a nice set of people in white coats that told me that making angry pictures with flying wheels and then burning them was a bad thing to do, recommend that I not talk about the ~~damn~~ Red Wings, it looks like the ~~dirty rat bastards~~ Wings will be hosting a rock concert for their opening banner raising ceremony on October 9th. Tickets are 35-45 bucks, which seems rather reasonable for the Wings. Congratulations to them and their win this past spring. Jerks.

So now that the Penguins are leaving for Europe this afternoon, the preseason is winding down and the 2008-2009 season is a week away, what are fan expectations for their favorite team? Anyone else think Tampa might be more of a challenge than expected? Capitals make a run for the Cup? Flyers fail horribly and cry themselves to sleep in April?

Either way, go Pens.

Time Out

2008-09-22T20:12:00.002-04:00

Preseason is rearing into full swing and there is blessedly more hockey coverage appearing by the day. However, as exciting as all that may be, there's always something to come along and remind us all about the things in life that are really more important.

Fellow HLOGger Bethany just texted me with some absolutely tragic news regarding former Oiler Jussi Markkanen:

Jussi Markkanen's son Oli-matias (4) fell out of a window in the goalie's apartment in Moscow yesterday and died almost instantly ... the CSKA goalie brought his family to join in him in Moscow just a couple of weeks ago ... it seems Oli-Matias was playing with his younger brother, climbed on the window sill and fell.

[...]

Unsure whether Jussi will stay or will require a break, the team has called up a spare goalie [...] The entire team went to Markkanen's place after the [last] game, to spend time with him and his family.

Of course an incident like this is always a tragedy, but Jussi has always been a favorite here at NPI - in fact, Jussi was one of the biggest part of 06 Oilers Cup run that brought Elly and I together as fans. I speak for both of us in saying that we would like to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to Jussi, his family, and everyone else affected by this loss. Whether or not Juicy returns to the CSKA lineup or takes a well-justified break, he will be always be missed as an Oiler in our hearts here, and our support will always be with him.

We love you, Jussi - all our best to you and your family.

Bobble the Vote!

2008-09-17T20:15:00.003-04:00

The Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate, announced their promotional schedule recently - most of the promos were the standard hockey cards, dollar beer nights, team posters and the like, but it was the picture at the top of the page that really caught my eye:

This is the sort of thing that makes me wish I still lived out on the west side of the state, where I used to catch Griffins games all the time. For those, like me, curious about just what is going on here, the blurb about this particular promo is as following:

"The Griffins’ early-season promotional schedule will be highlighted by “Bobble the Vote ‘08” on Saturday, Nov. 1 -- three days before Election Day -- with a giveaway of John McCain and Barack Obama bobbleheads that depict each candidate in a Griffins jersey. One thousand bobbleheads of each candidate will be available to fans, who will select their favorite upon entering the arena. The first candidate to run out of bobbleheads wins!"

While 'bobble' doesn't quite have the same ring to it as 'rock', props for coming up with such a ridiculous and yet excellent slogan as well as promo. I wonder how hockey mom Sarah Palin feels about her glaring omission? (Sorry Becca - the photoshop was too good not to toss up.)

For more information about Griffins schedule, tickets and promos - I can vouch for the games myself, they are cheap, a TON of fun and a great alternative to driving 4.5 hours from Grand Rapids to Detroit, a feat that gets a bit pricey for those living on the west side - see their website. Other particular notables include limited edition figurines of Darren McCarty (Dec. 20) and Valtteri Filppula (Jan. 10). For some reason the figurines have been given names, of sorts - McCarty's is referred to as "Hat Trick" for obvious reasons (WOW do I not vouch for that Griffins...themesong) but Filppula's is the slightly more obtuse "Superman". I can only imagine - and hope - that it has something to do with this.

Needs more Red Sparkles

2008-09-14T21:53:00.002-04:00

As it seems I'm stuck with the mantle of dispersing the Ty Conklin news and as he is now, in fact, a Wing (I'm still not over this, it makes me laugh every time I see it), here would appear to be the first look at his Red Wings mask, though he hasn't (yet, anyway) been using it in practice:

Rather matte for Conks, although it does seem to be in a similar vein as his Pittsburgh mask - quite a bit less shiny than what he wore in Buffalo.

Ticket Woes

2008-09-14T18:12:00.003-04:00

There's been lots of good Wings news lately - the team wins the Cup, they resign almost all of their players to contracts that work for both the players and the team (the most recent being another year for Chris Chelios and two for Kyle Quincey - the article also includes a great bit about him working with Aaron Downey at fighting; it's always great to see a player putting for extra effort to find a niche that allows them to truly benefit the team, and as Quincey is NPI's Griffins favorite, this was especially promising news for me.), they secure at least one year of Marian Hossa to bolster their firepower...the list goes on.

However, there's always a dark side to things. Red Wings tickets, fallen in favor this past season due to the economy woes of much of Detroit and potentially even the team's habit of falling just a little (or a lot - see the 05/06 playoff exit) short of the big prize (the season opener last year against the Ducks didn't even sell out), are once again a hot commodity. Winning the Cup set the tone for the coming season - prices could, and would, raise.

Of course, back in July we were collectively told that several upper bowl seats were actually going to drop in price - and for good reason:

Violetta said lowering the prices for some of those upper-bowl seats -- which basically run from goal line to goal line -- was done after research from this past season. Many of those seats were unsold as fans simply went to the next section up and bought $22 tickets.

Makes sense - in fact, I did exactly that last season, especially when it came to playoff time. Make no mistake, I'm a poor recent college graduate, then college student, and of course I was looking for the filthiest of dirt cheap - but even so, it sounded like a good idea to get more bodies in the Joe - after all, I'm not the only poor college student who loves her team.

Well, then the price chart washed up from the depths of the internet and lo and behold, the season ticket holders were the only ones really benefitting from these recent price drops. The rest of us saw across the board price raises from, according to James Malik, $4-$65 per ticket. Of course, it's not completely unreasonable to see a team jack up prices, even in a job-draught town like Detroit, after a Cup win. The really good part is what comes next - the team quietly, and by quietly I mean without any notice at all, introduced the sort of 'premium game' ticket pricing some teams (like the Buffalo Sabres, for example) have. Imagine my surprise when yesterday morning at noon I logged on to Ticketmaster with the futile hope of getting tickets to the season opener, and the more likely one of nabbing a few to see the Rangers on October 18th, and the Oil on at least one of the two dates. After a thorough round of fighting with Ticketmaster's website, I realized that the ticket prices for the two games were substantially different - to the Rangers game you could pick up seats in the upper bowl, row 18, for $55 apiece. The Oilers? Row 17 for $48. Let Malik explain:

In addition to boosting the prices of single-game tickets in a state that continues to lose jobs at an astonishing race based upon a Stanley Cup win, they've also introduced "premium" game pricing. If you want to go see the Wings raise their Stanley Cup banner against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 9th, you pay from $45-125 in the upper bowl, and from $125-235 in the lower bowl.

Want to see the Wings play an Original Six rival in the Rangers on Saturday, October 18th? It'll cost you from $35.00-$95.00 in the upper bowl, and from $95-195 to sit in the lower bowl.

Sneaky, very sneaky. Other games that are effected and considered 'premium' are the Original Six rivalries, the Penguins game on November 11, and the home game against the Blackhawks directly before the Winter Classic. The $9 tickets from last season still exist for purchase at the box office, going on sale in two month increments, but from the picking around I did it looks like the next step up - the $25 tickets - are practically unacquirable.

While I think it's very unfortunate to have this sprung on the fans, and it does truly suck that it's this hard and this expensive to get tickets to see the team you love, it's hard not to be happy that perhaps the team will be able to fill the Joe's seats again, following this victory. And besides that, it's something special to be a follower of a team like this in a city like ours. I can't say how many times I've thought it would be unbelievably nice to live in a city that didn't care, where you could walk up to the arena on the day of a game and pick up decent tickets from the box office a few hours before the game - but the more I've considered it every time I've realized I would hate to be in a town that didn't care, convenience or not.

It's a tough line to walk - on one hand, the price-gouging, especially in a city going through what Detroit is right now - is making it almost impossibly hard for some fans to attend games at all. How spectacular is having Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Hossa, Lidstrom, when you can't afford to see them live? On the other hand, being able to call this successful, this dynamic a team your own and to live in a city that bleeds for them, a real hockey city, often makes it feel worth it.

However, I ended up buying tickets to only two games, rather than the handful I would have liked, at least for now - and that sucks. While I'm not mad at the team per se, it's hard not to bear a little resentment at how thin my pocketbook is at the moment. So, what do you think? Worth it or not? Rip off, or okay? Would you rather life somewhere tickets cost spare change? I think in the long run, I like it here - unfortunate as it is. We'll always have FSN.

Pavel & Henrik, sittin' in a tree...

2008-09-04T19:57:00.004-04:00

For all Mike Babcock says about Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg agreeing to be split up because both wanted to play center, Datsyuk appears a little broken up over it, when asked about his feelings on the matter:

"My reaction?" Datsyuk said Thursday after an informal skate at Joe Louis Arena. "I start crying. I can't sleep two days. But now everything is fine."

Datsyuk and Zetterberg were a dominant one-two punch when they played together last season.

"I help Hank, Hank helped me," Datsyuk said.

Datsyuk is taking a wait-and-see approach with the proposed break-up with Zetterberg.

"Every year we start like that (on different lines)," Datsyuk said. "It's not new. It's a long season. Nobody knows. I'm happy we're still on the same team. I hope we finish on the same team."

It seems Pavel is as skeptical as the rest of us about whether or not the move will last. It's great to see the comradery and chemistry between those two (as D-Mac said last year, "they're together"), as well as Datsyuk's always entertaining humor. (Okay, I admit, that was the real reason I wanted to post this.)

"We can still be friends."

2008-09-03T14:39:00.005-04:00

Coach Mike Babcock has confirmed - "not maybe, for sure" - that the Eurotwin superstars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will be broken up for the upcoming season. Says Babcock,

"They're not playing together. It would be crazy to play them together. They both want to play center anyway."

While I've never heard anything on Zetterberg professsing the desire to play center rather than wing, they were both natural centers, told by Babcock when they were put together to decide amongst themselves who was going to play what, if I remember the story right, it certainly makes sense.

Adding Marian Hossa over the summer, and the breakout performance of Johan Franzen last season are the number one reasons the move is possible - and it's impossible to argue that with the new depth of the team, breaking up the stars isn't smart. Earlier in the summer the rumbling was that perhaps the big line would stay together, allowing for a second line of Hossa, Valtteri Filppula, and Franzen, but the plan for now is that Datsyuk will open training camp on a line with Hossa and Tomas Holmstrom, while Zetterberg will play with Franzen and Jiri Hudler, squashing all speculation of a Franzen-Filppula-Hossa line.

It's an amazing thing to see the team have enough depth to make a move like this, but questions remain. Will the new lines gel in the same way that last year's top line did? Not only that, but will Babcock stick to his guns? It's hard to doubt the man, but Babcock has tried on many occasion to split up the two and still, the standard philsophy these past few seasons has been whent he team struggles, put the Eurotwins back together and things will fall into place. While I hope the new lines succeed, seeing Datsyuk and Zetterberg playing together is something pretty special:

I for one am certainly torn - you always want to see the team succeed however possibly, and creating this much depth and allowing your best forwards to improve those around them is a great way to cement future success. With the talent the Wings have developing, it probably is crazy to put all your eggs on one line. But still, you have to love to see the sort of chemistry the Eurotwins possess. As usual, speculation is practically useless - everyone will have to wait until at the very least training camp to see the new lines, and the new Wings, at work for now.

More on McCarty

2008-08-27T14:33:00.003-04:00

The Grand Rapids Press reports this morning that McCarty has received a two-way (as predicted) offer from the Red Wings to return this upcoming season, which he is confident he will soon sign.

"We're just trying to work out some intricacies," he said. "I think there's some collective bargaining things in there that we're trying to get clarification on, but I'd say it's 99 percent that I'll be back in the organization."

The two-way contract means McCarty may return in 08-09 for a second stint Grand Rapids, much to the delight of the Griffins and their fans many of whom remember watching his home-debut hat trick this past season. Earlier in the week there were reports that McCarty's agent was looking elsewhere in hopes that the 36 year old free agent could perhaps garner a one-way contract from a team looking to add his brand of veteran grit. McCarty himself had stated many times that he would much rather have a one-way contract that would seal his season in the NHL, which received mixed reactions from Wings faithful - sure people love D-Mac, but is he necessarily still NHL material, especially given the sacrifices the Wings will already have to make to stay under the cap ceiling? Luckily for us, it looks as though we won't have to worry, as when asked about returning to GR McCarty responded:

"Who knows, I'll probably be down here for a bit. I love playing in Grand Rapids. If the call for me is to put my Griffins jersey back on, I'm all for it."

One of the things that impressed me the most this past season was D-Mac's attitude about playing wherever he found himself - which is probably one of the major reasons he made it as far as he did at all. Needless to say, Wings fans should once again be impressed with Holland & Co., persuading McCarty to stay under terms that suit the team's needs, keeping a fan-favorite under contract in a manner that clearly has the team's best interests at heart.

Last season McCarty posted a rather unremarkable 1 G 1 A in 17 playoff games (1 A in his three regular season outings) - but as he's shown, the scoresheet isn't necessarily where he proves his worth on the ice. Personally I look forward to seeing McCarty wherever he ends up and am glad to have him back in the fold especially in this manner. Hats off to the organization again for another good move - that is, assuming he does in fact sign, and we haven't jumped the gun!

Summer High-(and Low)-lights

2008-08-22T12:15:00.005-04:00

It's been 22 days since the last time I made a post here - so long that blogger has messed with settings and managed to confuse me - which I think is a testament to the long summer. Fortunately for me, some of the other Wings bloggers out there have kept up a little better with what few and far between notes of import there have been. To highlight:

The Wings, while maintaining their roster from the past season, have lost a whole lot of personnel. The team is now down two members of the coaching staff, a scout, and the assistant equipment manager. And of course, Scotty Bowman is a pretty big name to lose. I have to admit I share Christy of Behind the Jersey's fears (to exaggerate a little) that this could impact the team, but also her belief in Ken Holland and Mike Babcock. Still, it's a big question heading into the season.

Speaking of the roster, the Wings' is still too large - the team has yet to resign defensemen Chris Chelios and Kyle Quincey and forward Darren McCarty and with the recent resigning of grinder Aaron Downey to a one year, two-way contract that pays him $575,000 in the NHL, $100,000 if he's relegated to the minors, has only around $400,000 left in cap space. While it's impossible to argue that this logjam should have been a deterrence to the Wings when it came to signing Hossa, this September may get a little bit interesting. McCarty in particular has been looking into other teams who may be willing to make an offer, as he would prefer a one-way contract that the Wings are not in position to offer him. The news on Chelios and Quincey has been rather quiet lately.

The Ace of Sports is hosting a "Detroit Athlete of the Decade" competition, now down to the final four: The Lions' Jason Hanson, the Pistons' Chauncey Billups, the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez, and the Wings' own Nicklas Lidstrom. The contest involved bloggers from across the Detroit Sports blogosphere writing in their arguments as to why their athlete is the all-around MVP, and Lidstrom's well-penned plea was written by the Wing's blogosphere's own Dave of Gorilla Crouch. While all four athletes are a kind apart - clearly, given the honors they're up for - the stats that Dave gives for Nick's career are stunning. So go vote for the Captain!

Wings' preseason tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 am, starting at just $9 - it will be interesting to see how quickly they go, even as preseason games. I personally intended to go to the Wings/Leafs game, but as it turns out I'll be in Toronto that day, which will make it difficult. Preseason lacks the glitz and glamour of the regular season but it is a great chance to see the potential future of the team, depending on which night you go and what roster you see. Having moved back to the east side of the state, my chances to see the Grand Rapids Griffins this season are going to be slim, and thus a preseason game that many of them will play in will be a great way to see the developmental strides the boys have made over the summer.

The season looms ever closer - thankfully. While the Wings have had nearly the shortest summer in the entire NHL, it's still seemed like an eternity.

Flippin' Awesome...Mostly.

2008-07-30T19:15:00.003-04:00

The Red Wings avoided arbitration with center Valtteri Filppula (his hearing was scheduled for Friday), signing him to a 5 year, $15 million contract this afternoon. This is great news, as the Finn racked up 19 goals and 17 assists in 78 games last season and is only 24 years old. Filppula filed for arbitration at the beginning of the month after rumors began flying around that he might receive an offer sheet, which the Wings may have been hard-pressed to match, having only around $4 million in wiggle room at the time - a move that relieved many fans, confident that a deal would be reached, as it meant Fil would be sticking around one way or another, and was out of offer-sheet reach.

In and of itself, with no concern for where the deal puts the Wings with regard to the salary cap, the deal is a great one. Fil is expected to be a 30 goal scorer in the near future, and given his success on a line with Mikael Samuelsson and Johan Franzen, and the talent he's also shown playing with Pavel Datsyuk, who he may get time with next season if the Marian Hossa signing splits up Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, that's not unlikely. Of Filppula, Holland says,

"We love everything about him because he's a complete player with great character, and we think he can get even better. He plays hard, he plays hurt. He's got great speed and talent along with versatility because he can play left wing or centre.

The contract makes Filppula the highest-paid Red Wing forward after Datsyuk and Hossa, which shows how much faith the Wings are putting in the kid's potential. Given his performance last season, despite various slows in production throughout the year, and in the playoffs where he played through a groin injury, it seems the organization's expectations are well founded. After all, who remembers this goal? Pretty good for a kid who looks much too pretty to play hockey.

On the downside, Fil commanding $3 million pushes the Wings right up against the salary cap. The team has yet to resign defenseman Chris Chelios (whose deal was expected to wait until after Fil was resigned), forwards Darren McCarty and Aaron Downey (both of whom the Wings are now interested in signing only to two-way deals), and defense prospect Kyle Quincey - and this is where things start to get dicey. With only $977,667 left in cap space, the Wings will have to make a move before the season starts. The team will carry ten defensemen into the preseason, as Holland states that they're most likely not to make a trade until it is over, only one of whom is not required to clear waivers (Jon Ericsson).

The likeliest trade candidates, therefore, are recently resigned defensemen Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, and Quincey, once his contract has been settled. While none of these would be horrendous losses to the Wings, it would of course be nicer to keep them. Personally I find myself worrying over the future of Quincey, NPI's favorite Grand Rapids Griffin, given that despite his performance in the 06-07 playoffs, Ericsson has leapfrogged him as the number one defensive prospect in 07-08. Of the defensive logjam, Holland told the media,

"We'll have to make a decision based on the 23-man roster, the salary cap and age. We'll have to be prepared to trade some players. I would expect there would be interest in some of our players.''

Ominous words, and an even more ominous little letter 's' on the end of 'player' there - scary. You almost never want to see players moved, especially players with potential, but if Wings fans have learned anything through these past couple seasons, it should be to trust Ken Holland to make the right decision and get it done. Until he does, here's to painful waiting and hoping for the best - and congratulations to Val Filppula on signing a great contract and staying with a great team for the next five years.

ATT <3s NHL

2008-07-25T21:42:00.003-04:00

Inexplicably (but totally cool!) AT&T has decided that 2.5 million Oakland and Wayne County editions of the new AT&T Real Yellow Pages directory will feature the Detroit Red Wings on the cover. The shot of the team on the ice post-Cup victory, says the president of AT&T, is featured because, "It is our goal to keep our customers connected, but nothing connects communities like a championship team and we applaud the Wings for their accomplishment."

Cheesy, for sure, but it's certainly sort of neat to pick up the Yellow Pages and see the boys - and this time of year, it's the little things.

In honor of the recognition (or in recognition of the honor?) Wings grinder Darren McCarty was at Hockeytown Authentics signing autographs. Having missed him in Taylor and being in the area to begin with, I decided to stop by:

D-Mac, decked out in full support of Detroit and the Tigers (who would be playing across the street two hours from the end of the signing) - seemed like he was having a good time.

Freshly D-Mac-signed hat and the event-causing mini-phonebook.

Hockeytown Cafe was bustling (I proceeded to eat a panini - A+!) with the pre-Tigers game crowd, but McCarty - who looked like he was enjoying himself as much as someone writing their name for two hours straight could be, and who was very friendly - drew a fair amount of attention as well. The best thing about the event was that it was completely free, making it pretty irresistible after seeing prices charged at some other venues. The slight downside was that, compared to some other signings, the Cafe had only its own merchendise to work with, and thus your options for things to buy and get signed were a bit limited (they did, however, have the new red version of the Wings Locker Room hat - classy) - but most people (including me) had their own anyway. And hey, there was always the phone books!

Of hockey and fashion.

2008-07-20T21:54:00.004-04:00

A while back, the NHL announced that they were partnering with actress Alyssa Milano to create the hockey version of her women's clothing line full of frilled up, rhinestone-studded, "trendy" shirts, formerly featuring the logos of various MLB teams. Don't get me wrong, they were hardly all absolutely awful - but they weren't all good, either. When the idea of an NHL-based line came up, there were a few prototypes through out into the mix - a handful of 3/4 sleeve shirts emblazoned with the All Star Game logo, a girly red something and a more ice-rink-inclined vest (thanks Tracy for making that post!) but not much more. Certainly not on the scale of the MLB designs. And then the project seemed to fade away.

Until yesterday when I stepped into a new store at Lakeside Mall called "The Hook Up", specializing in sports apparel, knick-knacks, etc. I was checking out the Wings Cup Champions merchandise when I saw these:

Both (excuse the poor quality cell phone pictures) feature a small (although at least centered, in one) Wings logo and proclaims them the "Stanley Cup Champions" - which must make the logo a heck of a lot harder to work into the intended "cute" designs. The one on the right, like the earlier vest, seems at least like decent rink-wear, for those ladies who don't get cold too easily.

Apparently the NHL "Touch" line isn't dead after all - and in fact wants you to know exactly who won the Stanley Cup this year. Personally I (like Tracy) would think that winning the Cup especially would result in wanting the logo to be as big, obnoxious, and proud as possible, but these are far from as bad as (upon further investigation) they could be. And oh can they be. It seems a little odd that the NHLNHL seems to be at such a distance from the whole business though - even the Wings' online store features only a couple of the "Touch" designs - and none of the Cup Champs ones.

Thoughts? Opinions? Pitchforks? Obligatory Milano is hot comments?

Jimmy Howard: Still the Future of Red Wings Goaltending

2008-07-18T14:47:00.004-04:00

Okay, ~~panicky Sabres fans~~ everyone, the Miller-to-Detroit rumors can now officially cease:

The Buffalo Sabres signed goaltender Ryan Miller on Friday to a five-year contract extension through the 2013-2014 season.

See, I told you he didn't love Lansing - even given its status as a bastion of delicious greasy college-type food, being the point of origin for Biggby [then Beaner's] coffee, Gumby's pizza, and Menna's Joint - as much as you all thought.

Happy Schedule Day!

2008-07-17T16:27:00.003-04:00

Today is a beacon of light in the seemingly long, hot, endless summer that is the offseason. My car thermometer informed me we were seeing weather in the mid-90s as I left work this afternoon - muggy enough to literally fog up my glasses. Hockey, despite the fact that I spent several hours this week in an ice rink, seems years and years away on days like this. But with the release of the schedule, basically arbitrary and somewhat useless as it is, comes a breath of cool air and hope. Here are some notables regarding the 2008/2009 Wings schedule:

The Wings will ring in opening day at home in the Joe, raising their 11th Stanley Cup banner on October 9th. The game will be against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who the Wings play twice (a home and home) in preseason and afterward will not see again until next season. Nice touch setting up an Original Six rivalry game for opening day, NHL.

The three Eastern conference teams that the Wings will play both home and away this season, as per the new schedule structure, are Pittsburgh (woo!), Buffalo (kay), and Atlanta (...woo). It's a great idea to pit the two past-season Stanley Cup hopefuls at each other twice on the season and give the fans in both cities the opportunity for a rematch, but forgive my lack of enthusiasm about the Atlanta Thrashers. (And at the exact moment I type this I discover that former Oiler and NPI favorite Marty Reasoner has signed with the Thrashers and am suddenly more interested.)

By now it's common knowledge that the Wings will be playing the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in this year's Winter Classic. The game will be held in Chicago at 1 pm on January 1st, forcing the Wings to forgo their usual New Year's Eve game, but they will host the Hawks at the Joe on December 30th. I for one am excited about the game and do intend to go - while I, like others, was hoping for a Detroit/Toronto outdoor game somewhere closer to home, the fact that it's an Original Six matchup, and that the Hawks are poised to be a much bigger threat this coming season than in the past, should make it a fun game to see, as will the locale. It will be interesting to see how the NHL adapts a ballpark into a venue for hockey, and hopefully the event can lure in more fans in Chicago. It was a huge shame to see the hockey market there fall into such shambles, but an outdoor game against the Red Wings can only serve to help. I do, however, hope they rename the event - whether it becomes standard operations to have one outdoor game per year, a game hardly seems 'classic' if it's effectively being referred to as the 'Winter Classic II'.

For those interested, although ticket information has not be released yet, Wings GM and mad genius Ken Holland has put in a request to have "a fairly substantial number" of tickets available for Red Wings fans to purchase, and the NHL has assured their compliance. More information as it becomes available!

Another notable mention related to the schedule is that the Wings have adjusted some of their ticket prices for the upcoming season. Of note for poor recent graduates like myself, 1,869 upper bowl tickets have dropped to $33 from last season's $44 after studies indicated that many people, rather than forking out the $44, simply moved back a few rows and purchased $22 tickets, thus contributing to the plague of empty seats. Also affected were the first three rows off the glass, the prices of which have jumped from $85 to $125 per ticket.

Blogroll Updates!

With all these rumbling about the outdoor Wings/Hawks game, it occured to be the other day that we at NPI had absolutely no Blackhawks blogs on our blogroll. Coincidentally, I happened to check our linkbacks that very afternoon to see that we had in fact been linked to by both my fellow HLOGger Amy's My Tribe, and Clare's All Hawks Hockey. Make sure to check them out for some excellent divisional rivalry coverage!

Dallas Drake Calls it a Career

2008-07-16T12:20:00.004-04:00

Some people questioned Ken Holland last season when he brought Detroit draftee Dallas Drake back into the fold for his 15th season in the NHL.

Those people should know never to question Ken Holland.

While Drake made his way through the regular season looking relatively average, his gritty play stood out in the playoffs and made a huge impact on the Wings eventual Cup victory. The guy threw punches, delivered massive hits (My personal favorite being his apparent vendetta against no-name Toby Petersen during the Stars series; three times in one game Drake sent the former Oiler to the ice. That's what you get for standing out against our big Eurotwins line, Toby.) and genuinely seemed to enjoy every bit of his limited ice time. It was predicted at the end of the season that Drake would retire, but the official announcement came yesterday. Drake, who received the Cup second, directly from Nicklas Lidstrom on the ice the night of the victory, and who is now enjoying his time with it in Rossland, BC, said that mentally he has more hockey in him, but his body disagrees:

"Mentally, I want to play," Drake said. "I love the game as much as I ever have. But my body's not recovering as well. The years have worn me out."
[...]
"I played a long time and had a lot of fun," Drake said. "After winning the Stanley Cup, there's not a better way to go out."

Earlier in the season I made a post about being invested in each and every player on this year's team's specific quest for the cup, and Drake was one of the frontrunners. After fifteen seasons, he finally got to not only reach the Cup Finals, but to hold Lord Stanley high - and there's not a better way to go out than that. Plus, he takes a jab at Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre, and how can you not love that?

"I'm a little disappointed in Brett right now," Drake said of the Packers quarterback who retired in March but now says he wants to continue playing -- for another team. "You don't have to worry about me doing that."

Best of luck to you, Dallas, in all your future endeavors, whether they be hockey-related or not, and thank you for being a big part of a wonderful Red Wings season.

In Case You Didn't Get Enough...

2008-07-03T23:23:00.003-04:00

...about free agency and the Red Wings in my last post, I also guested on the I'm Not a Puckbunny Podcast again this week to discuss the Wings and the Kings with Connie of A Queen Among Kings this week, which you can listen to here. I also touch on the Wings' draft picks and the various adventures with the Stanley Cup so far.

The podcast just underwent a shift in operations, and I'll now be appearing as a guest the first week of every month (other regular guests include Finny from Girl with a Puck, Sherry from Scarlett Ice, and Cat from Untypical Girls as well as a rotating guest to fill out the last week of the month) to talk about updates both for the Wings and the rest of the league, so be sure to check it out! You can download each episode from the website above or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and I've added the convenient little embeddable player to the sidebar as well - so you have no excuse!

Ken Holland is a Mad Genius (I Hope)

2008-07-02T13:32:00.003-04:00

Wow. WOW. It's days like these you're happy to be a Red Wings fan. While a multitude of other teams out there are frantically racing around buying and selling and freaking their fans out, the Wings have sat back and made a few careful, smart, slightly shocking, deals. The other teams I follow frequently (the Leafs and the Oilers and to a lesser extent the Capitals - thanks Capschick) as well as many other teams in the league have made drastic roster changes, lost players unexpectedly, gained players unexpectedly, and set the fans on edge for what will be very different teams next year. Not so with the Red Wings, who once again have given us every reason to continue being confident in everything from the team to the management to the owners - and anything you can imagine inbetween.

First and foremost, Andreas Lilja
The Wings resigned Andreas Lilja to a two year contract worth $2.5 million. Lilja hasn't always been perfect, but despite all the grief he's gotten for a few boneheaded moves, he honestly hasn't make a substantial amount more mistakes than a lot of other defensemen, especially for the level of play expected from him - and it's easy to look bad when you're playing next to Nick Lidstrom, right? It's just unfortunate for Lilja that his mistakes always seem to wind up in the spotlight as gamebreakers. Nevertheless, he's been around the Wings for a while, understands the team philosophy, and can contribute as a fifth/sixth defenseman. He's also very affordable, and is receiving only a small raise over the 1 million he made for the past two season. The only problem with this signing in my mind, considering the next move the Wings made, is that it perpetuates a huge logjam of defensemen and creates the potential for a promising young kid to be lost.

Bringing Back B-Stu
After the Lilja signing, the chances of the Wings resigning UFA Brad Stuart, acquired from LA at the trade deadlline this past season, seemed slim. By the morning of trade deadline day, he was still unsigned and it seemed likely that he'd hit the free agent market where he could possibly make quite a bit more than Detroit was willing to offer. And then, just before noon, the news hit that he had indeed agreed to come back. The contract is for four years averaging $3.75 million per season - a little more than the Wings wanted to give and a little less than Stuart wanted to make. TSN reports the deal also includes a no trade clause for the first two years and a limited no-trade clause in the last two:

Stuart has moved around a fair bit in recent seasons, getting traded from San Jose to Boston in 2005 (as part of the Joe Thornton trade), from Boston to Calgary in 2007 before signing in Los Angeles as a free agent last summer.

It will be nice for Stuart, after all that, to get to settle down for a while. I had thought he was more than likely lost, so it was a great surprise to see that he'd decided to stay after all - and a testament to the environment surrounding the Wings that he chose to accept less to play for a team that seemed to tap into his potential. After struggling with the Kings (21 points and a minus-16 in 63 games) he clicked with Niklas Kronwall on the Wings (2 points and a plus-6 in 9 regular season games and 7 points and a plus 15 in 21 playoff games wherein he averaged over 21 minutes of ice time per night) and became an integral, top four part of the Wings' already stunning defense. He clearly liked his time here, and the way the Wings treated him (letting him travel back to LA for the birth of his second child comes to mind) and with Rafalski, Stuart, Kronwall and Lidstrom (because lets face it, even when his contract is up he isn't going anywhere unless he retires), our top four defense is locked up for a good long time. And in fact it was both family and his partnership with Kronwall, as well as tasting Stanley Cup victory, that brought him back:

“It’s been a tough couple of years from having a family and having to move around a bit, spending a lot of time a part,” Stuart said. “To be able to stick in Detroit for four years, I’m real happy about that. It’s not just about you anymore. It’s about the family and some times you have to make sacrifices to make everyone happy.”

[...]

“It was a pretty big factor. I really enjoy playing with him,” Stuart said of Kronwall. “We seem to have a pretty good chemistry. That's not always easy to find, so that was pretty important to get a chance to continue that. I'm excited to get going next year.”

Unfortunately the resigning of both of them does have it's downfalls in that the Wings now have a surplus of defensemen. Outside of the top four and Lilja, Brett Lebda will be back as well as Chris Chelios (though he's accepted a much lesser role and won't be playing as often as in the past) and then there are Derek Meech and Kyle Quincey, neither of whom can move back and forth between the AHL without clearing waivers any longer - and neither of whom aren't likely to be snatched up should they have to. On a personal level, Quincey is my favorite Griffin and I worry for his future with the organization - not because they want to lose him, but because they may have to. And then of course there's Jonathan Ericsson who's leaped from Mr. Irrelevant to the number one Wings prospect and could easily play in the NHL this season - but is stymied by not having to clear waivers and will likely remain dominating the AHL instead. Still, it's hard to find fault with either of these signings, even if they do have a small downside.

Jimmy Howard: Conkblocked
Since Dominik Hasek announced his retirement, it's been one of the biggest questions in Detroit - will Jimmy Howard, the "Red Wings goaltender of the future" for so many years, finally get his NHL chance? The answer appears to be probably not quite yet, as the Wings signed former Penguins backup goaltender Ty Conklin to a one year, $750,000 deal. It's a one-way contract which means the likelihood of Conks being sent down to the AHL in favor of Howard is slim. Holland's opinion:

"Ty Conklin has the inside track, but if Jimmy Howard is the obvious No. 2 guy (in training camp and the preseason), we'll reassess,'' general manager Ken Holland said. "Do we carry three (goaltenders)?''

Despite his rocky past with the Oilers, Conks looked incredibly solid with Pittsburgh last year when Marc-Andre Fleury was sidelined by an ankle sprain (18-8-5, with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, which ranked second in the NHL last season). Aside from that, he and the number one guy Chris Osgood should get along well as both possess seemingly very casual demeanors, and it'll also be interesting to see how a goaltender like Conklin plays behind the sort of stellar defense Detroit possesses - look for some gaudy numbers. Another good decision by Holland.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
Free agency had slowed down a little. Day One was pretty predictable as far as the Wings went, and aside from hearing that management had been looking into both Leafs captain Mats Sundin (which seemed unlikely given the offers he'd received from other teams) and at bringing back Todd Bertuzzi, it seemed as though perhaps the Wings would be done. And then, as I was pulling out of the Tim Horton's parking lot at 12:43 pm when I received the following text from a friend who'd been updating me all day:

"Hossa: 1 year, 7.4 million. DETROIT."

I stopped, stared, processed, and replied, eloquently, "WHAT?" Yes. Marian Hossa signed with Detroit, one year, $7.4 million. This sort of signing is what really puts into perspective how good your team really is. Hossa was offered nearly as much over five years by the Penguins and $9 million by Edmonton for a multi-year deal as well, and instead opted to come to Detroit for only one year, where the likelihood of him resigning after the season is virtually nil, as the Wings must then resign Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. This effectively underlines what pretty much everyone already knew: Hossa wants to win a cup, and Hossa wants to win it now.

Brilliant. Hossa scores goals, plain and simple - and while he's not quite the two-way player most of Detroits forwards are (frankly the only downside I could possible see to this signing is if he doesn't mesh well with the team and upsets chemistry - but Detroit has a habit of bringing out the best in players), goals are never a bad thing. The team had some extra money lying around for the upcoming season and they managed to negotiate their way into becoming a heck of a lot more dangerous. How, we might never know - but is anyone complaining?

Here's another thing I like about Detroit's management of their players: Hossa was offered 7.4 million because, reportedly, it was the most Detroit would pay any UFA. No one was allowed to come in and make more money than captain Nick Lidstrom. While it's not a big deal or anything, that sort of loyalty shown to a player who deserves it as much as Lidstrom is just another example of why players stick with this team.

Finally, one hilarious bit from the Wings report of the signing:

The Red Wings’ inability to get secondary scoring last season was constantly scrutinized in the media.

[...]

Landing Hossa, who has scored 299 goals and 349 assists with a plus-85 rating in 701 career games, should address secondary scoring.

Only with the Detroit Red Wings could Marian Hossa be considered secondary scoring!

Last but not least
Are the Wings done with free agency yet? Not quite, as they have to deal with making offers to Darren McCarty and Aaron Downey, should the pair be brought back (they're expected to) and Valtteri Filppula, an RFA, whose deal will likely not come until further down the road. And who knows what else may await - Hossa was certainly unexpected, there could always be more, however unlikely. But rest assured, already the team has shown the rest of the league that it is ready to come back bigger, sharper, scarier, and more devastating than before. Congrats, Ken Holland, and thank you!

More to come...

2008-07-01T17:26:00.003-04:00

Along with coverage of the resigning of both Andreas Lilja and Brad Stuart (yay!) but this just had to be fate right?

Ty Conklin signs a one year deal worth $750,000 with Detroit.

It should really be worth noting that I was so in a tizzy over this (Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? I just can't stop thinking that for me personally it's hilarious.) that I stopped at two banks on the way home from work, where I heard about it, and left my ATM card in the ATM at not one of them, no, at both banks. Thanks a lot, Ty Conklin.

Please, faithful readers, don't steal my identity.

The Difference a Year Makes

2008-06-24T20:39:00.002-04:00

The draft has come and gone, I've started a new job that has rendered me busier than I've spent a summer in years, and I've once again been slacking on coverage. Expect a post soon on the status of the newest Red Wings - although my Wings blogger fellows have given the matter ample coverage in the meantime, should be starving for something to read.

Watching the new little draftlings take the stage, I realized we've heard little on the status of last year's acquisitions and thus decided to do a little digging and figure out what they've all been up to:

Brendan Smith (1st round; 27th overall)

Brendan Smith, like Jon Ericsson, had converted to playing defense not all that long ago, and he even skated as a fourth line forward in his last game with Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA) this season.

Of course, that game was his first back after suffering a back injury (a "bulging disc" - serious ow) that cost him the majority of the season. He scored six points in his first four games, and ten after the first seven before sitting out more than half of the season. Very unfortunate considering the potential the season had for him, but Smith hasn't given up and will be back with the Badgers next year.

07/08 Stats:

Wisconsin Badgers (CCHA): 22 GP, 2 G, 10A

Joakim Andersson (3rd round; 88th overall)

Andersson played with three separate teams last year, moving between Boras of the Swedish second level league, and Frolunda, both the under 20 junior league team and Swedish Elite League. While he looks to have made little impact in the elite league, he'd only played one game at that level before this season, and cearly tore up the J20 league scoresheets, so perhaps Andersson just needs the time to accustom himself to the higher levels, where he should earn a full time spot next season.

07/08 Stats:

Boras (Swe-2): 33 GP, 6 G, 17 A
Frolunda (Swe-J20): 6 GP, 8G, 2 A
Frolunda (Swe): 9 GP, 1 G, 0A

Randy Cameron (5th round; 148th overall)

Randy Cameron played with Moncton of the QMJHL, putting up 39 points in 62 regular season games (the Wildcats missed the playoffs), the same point total as last season. In fact, he scored 5 less goals (and made up for them in assists), showing little offensive improvement. He was one of Moncton's leading scorers, but then again, Moncton was a rebuilding team with a 21-34-5-10 record (second worst in the QMJHL). )

07/08 Stats:

Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL): 62 GP, 12 G, 37 A

Zach Torquato (6th round; 178th overall)

Zach Torquato was the most visible of the Wings' 07 draft picks, owing to the amateur tryout he had with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He began the season resuming his role with a struggling Lake Erie (whom he captains at the age of 18) and still managed to notch a point per game (67 in 66 games). From my experience watching him in Grand Rapids (meaning this part is purely an opinion) he's a very slight guy, and he looks smart out on the ice and is great at putting the puck in the net (twice this season he scored two shorthanded goals in game) but he isn't as fast as you'd expect for someone smaller (he is 6', but certainly looks smaller on the ice), and doesn't skate all that well. His point a game pace in Erie dropped to 1 in 11 when he moved up to Grand Rapids, but he certainly showed flashes of promise as well. Torquato was Detroit's highest-scoring junior prospect this past season. Look for him to perhaps return with Grand Rapids next season?

07/08 Stats:

Lake Erie Otters (OHL): 66 GP, 25 G, 42 A
Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL): 11 GP, 1 G, 0 A

Bryan Rufenach (Round 7; 208th overall)

The Wings went off the chart to draft Rufenach, who had played just a handful (although he was a point per game player in 06/07) of games for the Lindsay Muskies the year before. This year he played on scholarship for Clarckson in the NCAA. He's been compared to Niklas Kronwall in terms of skating but unlike Kronwall nothing about his season seemed particularly remarkable. He was, however, only a freshman, and didn't receive a whole lot of ice time, which will likelky be improved upon as he is now a sophomore.

07/08 stats:

Clarkson (NCAA) 35 GP, 3 G, 3 A

Certainly a lot of room for improvement - but the kids seem to be doing all right. After all, Jonathan Ericsson didn't jump from Mr. Irrelevant to a top four projected defenseman overnight, either.

Next up - the newest Red Wings.

Playing Catch-up

2008-06-19T20:34:00.003-04:00

Let's not lie, the summer is, well, (save for a few particular dates) slow in terms of good juicy NHL news. Still, the past few days have brought a bit of interesting news where the Wings are concerned:

First of all Igor Larionov, who was eligible to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame last year, was elected this year. Larionov helped the Wings win three cups in eight season and gets referred to as the Wayne Gretzky of Russia - making this effectively a no-brainer. "The Professor" gave a quote, when asked about his time with the Wings, that I think really sums up the team, and the team's ideals as a whole - and just why they're as successful as they are:

"To play the style that I was taught to play back in Russia, which was back control, puck-possession and skating, and the creativity that you saw, and more important, to have a coach and an organization that was driving to win the Stanley Cup […] Those eight seasons with the Red Wings, I put in comparison with the eight seasons with the Red Army team and the national team. That was success. That was fun. It was unbelievable support from the fans. It was incredible.”
Congratulations, Igor, and best wishes for the future - it's an honor you completely and totally deserve.

I didn't make it to the Darren McCarty signing after all, but NPI correspondent Lady did! Here's what she passed along to me:

"McCarty is a super nice relaxed guy. He said that morning he'd been driving all around because his son had a baseball game, but that every day is a good day when you win the cup. I should have paid extra and had him draw a heart around Osgood and write "No one messes with my Ozzie" by it. The Wings are adorable and full of so much amazing bro-love."
She also sent some pictures my way but as they're personal shots that she and her boyfriend are in, I'm disinclined to plaster them all over the internet. Looks like everyone involved was having fun though!

This is the cutest video I've seen yet of the post-parade celebration at Cheli's - a big chunk of the team singing along to "We are the Champions":

My favorite part is Henrik Zetterberg holding up the mic for Nicklas Lidstrom - the Captain sure has been doing a lot of singing lately, hasn't he?

Finally there are plenty of upcoming events as well - of course the NHL Entry Draft is tomorrow and plenty of our fine blogger friends will be in attendance including Pookie and Schnookie (McCrotch) of Interchangeable Parts, Patty of Penalty Killing, Heather of Top Shelf, and Alix of the Humming Giraffe, so be sure to check out their respective blogs for coverage of the event itself, and stop back here for news of the Wings' draft selections!

The 2008 NHL Awards - A Liveblog...sort of!

2008-06-12T19:14:00.018-04:00

A good friend in Toronto invited me to hit up this year's NHL Awards with him - alas, the ever-escalating gas prices but the kibosh on that plan, and here I am in my living room with some green tea ginger ale and a tiny TV - and of course taking notes. I do, though, want to shout out a thank you for the offer, and I hope it's a great time!

The awards open with a whole lot of yapping most of which is not as funny as Ron McLean hopes it will be. Still, it's almost refreshing that year in and year out you never stop feeling embarrassed for him when listening to him talk. It's almost like listening to your dad make bad jokes at a family reunion - except at least you're not related. Anyway! I'm watching this alone in my living room because the bars we checked with didn't expect to be showing it - so of course I'm taking notes:

There's a shot of Henrik Zetterberg and girlfriend Emma Andersson, who looks cute as usual in her little yellow dress - I don't know why, but I've really grown to like her. For a couple that isn't in the spotlight very often, they just seem rather sweet. The camera also pans to Marian Illitch while McLean tells us all stories about Little Caesar's. I love my owners, but sometimes you have to wonder if they get sick of being known as "The pizza guys."

Martin St. Louis announces the Pearson award - he basically looks like he a robot, and I think if he lets himself get distracted by showing any sort of emotion, he'll forget the words to his very stilted, awkward speech. Alex Ovechkin, on the other hand, who takes the Pearson (yay!) has to unfold himself a little piece of paper full of notes, and then says he's nervous and apologizes. Ovie is always so adorable and personable that it's really hard to remotely dislike him.

Dominik Hasek takes the stage to talk about the Jennings, which he and Chris Osgood won this season - apparently Ozzie's still busy being sexy in Hollywood. I understood every single thing Hasek said (which included mention of yesterday's Czech Republic/Portugal Euro 2008 match - he says the Czechs looked better in the second half.) and I feel his English has gotten about a billion times better since the last time I heard him talk. A mysterious phenomenon indeed.

Craig Simpson makes a "The kids are all right" reference. Um. Please don't.

Guy Carbonneau presents the Selke, and Pavel Datsyuk's highlights video starts with a glorious slow-motion shot of him spitting. Come on guys, really? He wins it anyway. I was, I won't lie, sort of hoping Zetterberg would take it (he apparently only came in third!), but Pavel definitely deserves it as well. Mike Babcock gives him a pat as he walks up, but Zetterberg is nowhere to be found - oh well, they'll probably share it anyway. He also stammers as he speaks, which is super super cute. Then he says I love you to his family! Cute again! Followed by, "I want to speech longer but my English so..." Everyone laughs - I wonder what he'll say now when he wins the Lady Byng?

They honor the guy (I'm sorry I didn't catch his name fast enough) who basically saved Richard Zednik's life - that's really cool of them.

People (Cassie Campbell and Adam Graves) never realizes that back and forth speeches sound seriously silly. Check out that alliteration! Meanwhile, the King Clancy goes to Vincent Lecavalier, who thanks people for....recognizing that he gives to charity? He makes up for it by speaking French, but that hair is a serious knockback.

The Masterton, meanwhile, goes to, as predicted, Jason Blake. Not that I don't think he deserves it, but I really would have liked to see Fernando Pisani win. (Chris Chelios? He's just old. Come on! Everyone overcomes being old! Whether or not he's on my team!)

Red Kelly! He's the last to win the Lady Byng three years in a row - does this mean good things for Pavel Datsyuk? (Also, Kelly makes this award sound far more like a "real award" with his speech, slightly stilted and slow as it may be.) Kellly massacres Datsyuk's last name, but he wins again! As predicted, he admits to not knowing what to say this time and rushes off the stage.

In an act of ultimate irony, Charter Cable interrupts the NHL awards to thank me for using their service - their service that I have done nothing but damn since the Centre Ice fiasco earlier in the season. I hate you Charter, I hate you good - stop wrecking my hockey!

Ovechkin's talking about the last Caps game of the year - which I was at! I agree, Ovie, it was fun. Here's Scotty Bowman to present the award, with Cammi Granato who looks somehow very awkward in that dress. As of right this moment, I am officially annoyed with the little kids presentations. The way he just said "Things are looking gooooo~oood in Motown" horrified me. Bruce Boudreau wins the Jack Adams - and while I wouldn't have minded Mike Babcock taking it, obviously, like I said I was at that last Caps game, and I definitely think Boudreau deserves it for this past season. He gives a very sweet, likable speech, too. Yay Bruce Boudreau!

McLean wanted that Sean Avery joke to be way, way, way funnier than it was.

Mike Bossy and Wendel Clark tell me all about being a rookie and winning the Calder trophy. All I cared about from that clip was Martin Havlat looking adorably Zetterbergish. I love Nicklas Backstrom, but I hate Chicago, so we'll leave it at that Pat Kane takes it. (Okay no, I can't leave it alone - his speech annoys me. Stop already!)

NHL Lifetime Achievement award? Gary Bettman announces something he could never ever be the recipient of (you know, ignoring the fact that you probably have to play to pick it up) and then gives it to somehow I highly doubt, regardless of what he says, he knows anything about. But Gordie Howe! (One of the letter readers calls something "fierce" and all I can think of is that damn kid from Project Runway last season. Arghhhhh.)

The crowd shot before Gordie's speech features Nick Lidstrom! He looks very nice as usual - really, 38, Nick? I don't believe it. Hasek gets a highlight during the speech too, and he and Nick both still look at Gordie with the sort of awe you'd expect from a fresh faced rookie, not long-time Red Wings. It's kind of (really) cool that he still inspires that.

Jarome Iginla is adorable, talking to the little kids (who are less annoying in that brief moment). And wow, that little diabetes kid has some crazy memorization skills! Good job!

The kid in the Canucks jersey says his favorite player is Henrik Zetterberg! I like him already! Someone in the audience absolutely yelps - part of me wants to believe it's Pavel, loving on his Eurotwin partner.

NPI ex-Oiler favorite Jason Smith got a smiley two-second clip in the 'warrior' highlight package!

You can't imagine the Norris going to anybody but Nick Lidstrom, right? Right. His wife gives him a little kiss (cute!) and soft-spoken Nick goes up to accept his billion and fourth (okay sixth) Norris. His barely-there Swedish accent is strong tonight - but he doesn't feel like an encore singing performance, apparently.

...really? Martin Brodeur? Again? Sure the guy's good but...really? Boring. Boring, Vezina award-givers.

Alex Ovechkin wins the Hart, surprise surprise! Who wants a t-shirt? (But no, I'm glad he took it - and even more glad he's "nervous again". Adorable! And he loves you!)

And we're done! I'm still bitter that (at least in the States) we got no Stompin' Tom Conners (and plenty of the annoying kids) and also there should have been far more shots of Zetterberg - though they're now focusing on Pavel who somehow isn't paying attention to the camera despite it being literally right in his face - and that's cute too. Oh there's Henrik, chatting up Gordie Howe - is he getting something signed?

Anyway, congratulations to the all of the winners - while the quality of the NHL Awards show might be uh, questionable, it was fun.

D-Mac is back again!

2008-06-11T19:21:00.003-04:00

Darren McCarty will be signing autographs at the Taylor Gibraltar Trade Center on Sunday June 15th from 1-3 pm! For those like me who watched him all through this season as he made his way back to the big leagues, this is awesome - except I have Tigers tickets that afternoon for a game that starts at 1 pm, so I'm not sure I'll be able to make it.

I saw Valtteri Filppula and Dan Cleary at Gibraltar last year, although it was at the Mt. Clemens location, and it was a blast. You're ushered through the line fairly quickly, but you get a minute or two to chat (or, in my case, poke fun at Jiri Hudler) with the players. One word of advice though - since this doesn't sound like it's an actual sports card show this time, look for something to get signed (there's a $30 fee per item) in advance, or your only options will likely be a choice between a couple 8x10 glossies - nice quality but not always the picture you might have chosen!

If anyone else happens to make it, be sure to let NPI know all about it (with pictures!)

In the past few days...

2008-06-11T14:15:00.003-04:00

1. Wings' Czech madman goaltender Dominik Hasek has retired (for real this time):

"I know it's 100 percent the right time to say good-bye," Hasek said. "Physically, I feel great. It's all about passion and motivation. I just don't feel I'm ready to compete at the highest level. I don't want to disappoint anyone."

Say what you will about Hasek (and there's plenty to say), but his contributions to the Wings and to the position of goaltender itself, cannot be discounted. While his play did drop off this season, he still backstopped the team in part to the victory we've all been basking in. He combined with Osgood for the lowest GAA in the league even without looking as strong as he has in the past. And don't forget last year when he was the legitimate #1 and helped take the team to the Western Conference Finals. Dom even handled himself incredibly gracefully despite the disappointment of losing his job to Chris Osgood in the playoffs - which, don't lie, we didn't all expect. At any rate, I wouldn't have minded him sticking around another year if he'd decided to, but this is a good decision for him. The Dominator always wanted to be number one, and what better way to go out but on top, with another Cup-winning season as your last memories in the NHL.

2. Stanley Cup winning coach Mike Babcock has signed a contract to be back for three years. Babcock is the first coach to win 50 or more games each year for his first three with a team - and now he will have the chance to do it for three more. The Wings announced yesterday that Babcock signed a deal worth $1.5 million a season and loaded with bonuses, which makes him one of the highest paid coaches in the league - as well he should be.

Babcock is a Jack Adams finalist this season, and for good reason. Of course he has an amazing team to work with, but his coaching style itself is an absolutely huge part of the Wings' success. Says Ken Holland:

"I think Mike has been the perfect fit for our team. He's pushed our team to be harder, go to the harder areas. He's challenged our team to play harder every night and I think our team for the most part every night plays hard. A large portion of that credit goes to Mike.''

Very true. He knows when to push the team, when to back off, when to take them to resorts in Pittsburgh, and he seems to have maintained a good relationship with them on top of it. Every time you hear the players talk about Babcock it feels like genuine respect - and that's one of the most important things for a coach. And the man has a record, these past three years, of 162-56-28. 162-56-28! I for one am thrilled that he'll be back for another three years, looking to tie Scotty Bowman as the only coach to record four straight 50-win seasons. Here's to you, coach - I for one am hoping he can take it to six.

Plus, he has absolutely perfect hair.

3. (And the most important) Nick Lidstrom and Chris Osgood are bringing sexy (and Stanley) back:

Justin would be proud, boys (and how cute is Nicky Lidstrom singing "We're bringing sexy back"? Oh so very.)

To the victors go the spoils

2008-06-07T17:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon the Detroit Red Wings and 1.4 million of their greatest fans celebrated Lord Stanley's Cup coming back to Detroit after 6 long years (I know, I know, that really isn't a long period of time at all for something like this, but it was extra sweet for Wings fans after being expected to flounder some in the age of the salary cap to have rebuilt on the fly, capturing their 4th Cup in 11 years). I drove out with a few friends to spend the day in Detroit celebrating and it was totally worth the four hours total in a car and the $5.99 I just spent on aloe to soothe my horrible sunburn to see the team as happy and triumphant as they were. My friends and I managed to snag a nice elevated spot near the corner of Woodward and Congress to watch the whole parade, and then headed over to Hart Plaza for the rally afterward.

Some photos and highlights:

Al the Octopus was crowned victor of the Stanley Cup.

My friend and I at the start of the parade - you can imagine how sunburned I got.

I was incredibly excited to see Jiri Fischer riding on out of the scouts' trucks - he'll get this name on the Stanley Cup for the second time, albeit for a very different position this time.

NPI Griffins favorite Kyle Quincey with Mattias Ritola - I wonder how it was decided that Ritola was the one to get his name on the truck over Quincey, who played more games both this and last season. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself regardless.

My favorite from last season, Jiri Hudler, seemed to be having a blast - perhaps aided by some foreign liquid type substance - cheering, blowing kisses to the crowd, even at one point getting up on top of his truck. The best part, however, had to be his speech during the rally. I took a video of it, but this one (you can hear him after Darren McCarty) is much better:

Thank you, Jiri, for making me love you even more.

Tomas Holmstrom tipped his hat and bowed to the fans.

Valtteri Filppula.

Dallas Drake was given custody of the Clarence S. Campbell bowl for the duration of the parade.

Pavel Datsyuk, with his wife and daughter, took care of the President's Trophy.

One of the best parts of the parade was seeing Henrik Zetterberg making his way down Woodward using the Conn Smythe trophy as a hat. It was sunny outside, but wasn't it a little heavy, Hank?

He did lift it to resounding cheers from the crowds, though.

And of course, captain Nicklas Lidstrom finished off the parade holding Lord Stanley high.

We were standing much farther back at the rally, but had the opportunity to get closer and take some pictures toward the very end, when the players were passing the up around up on stage and waiting for photo opportunities. I like that someone (Derek Meech is my guess) is assaulting Niklas Kronwall with a hug off to the right hand side.

Overall, the parade was a huge success and a lot of fun. Several other Wings got to speak at the rally, as well as coaches, owners, local broadcasters, and the like. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick deigned to show up as well, although his speech - even his promise for free beer - was drowned out by the audiences resounding boos. Afterward the part went back to Cheli's Chili Bar, where apparently it got a bit raucous, as the Cup was dented during the festivities. Many of the local establishments expected to nearly double their usual intake for the day, which is great for a city like Detroit with its wobbly economy - and great for the team, as it shows just how devoted and proud its fans are.

I also want to extend a huge congrats to Christy of Behind the Jersey - I saw who I thought looked like her driving around a red corvette at the parade, and as it turns out, it was indeed! Sounds like an awesome day and a great opportunity.

Stay tuned for the adventures of the Cup this summer; NPI will be attempting to chronicle them as long as moving and working don't get too much in the way. And of course, Go Wings!

Your 2008 Stanley Cup Champions

2008-06-05T14:01:00.003-04:00

THE DETROIT RED WINGS.

What a series. What a game. Thank once again to everybody who contributed around here throughout the season; first and foremost to my amazing co-blogger Elly - our friendship did in fact (I think!) endure this last series of the 07-08 season - but also to everyone who commented, everyone who read, everyone who just lurked every once in a while. Without you, we wouldn't have a blog.

Nick Lidstrom becomes the first European captain to lift the cup. Henrik Zetterberg wins the Conn Smythe. The Detroit Red Wings take home Lord Stanley's Cup in 6. The parade is tomorrow at 11.

Congratulations, boys, the summer seems a little sweeter now.

Playoff Algebra

2008-06-04T13:47:00.004-04:00

I watched that heartbreaking Game 5 sitting hunkered down on a couch next to at least three other people I consider to have become hockey fans in large part because of me (this is not to brag about myself at all, but rather to admit to the fact that I have been forcing my obsession on all of my friends and am surprised they still stick around), entreating them to watch, to learn, to love the playoffs and to see their team through it, trying to explain to them what it feels like to watch your team lift Lord Stanley, to even be, yourself, in the same room with the greatest prize you can imagine.

And the whole time, what I found myself constantly explaining to them was, "I want x player to win the cup because y." Then I saw this post of Dave's, which was along similar lines, and I thought about it, and that really honestly is part of the reason I want this so badly - of course you always want to see your team win, but more importantly I want to see each individual little piece of the team to succeed. I want this for all of them.

I want Nick Lidstrom to lift the Cup as the first European captain to do it, after all the years he's given to this team and how he's quietly been the best guy out there nearly every night.

I want Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk to lift the Cup and prove once and for all that they are in fact one of the greatest duos in hockey. Ever. I want, I admit, to know that my Eurotwins, my stars, were brighter than the dynamic Crosby/Malkin pair. I want to see the looks on their faces when they jump on each other afterward like they do after every goal, because you know they will.

I want Chris Osgood to lift the Cup for all the years he's spent being "the worst goalie to win the Cup." I want the remarkable season he had when no one expected it out of him to be rewarded.

I want Darren McCarty to lift the Cup because what he did was amazing. Say what you will about how he let his life degenerate in the first place, but can you imagine struggling through the IHL, to the AHL, to the NHL, working back to the form you were in years ago because you only just now realized how much you love and need this sport - working all this way back and being able to lift Lord Stanley for your efforts? No better reward exists. And I want to see him lift it alongside Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, the Grind Line reunited.

I want Dallas Drake to lift the Cup because who knows, it could be his last year, and the fact that he's been in the league this long and through so much pain (seriously look at his face), celebrated 1,000 games played, and this is the first year he's even gotten to the finals.

I want Brian Rafalski to lift the Cup because of how long he spent apparently stifled in New Jersey, because he came home to Michigan and broke out, broke his career highs all over the place, and fit in so spectacularly.

I want Brad Stuart to lift the Cup because I want him to stay here, I want the fact that we rescued him (no offense Connie!) and brought him in to a place where he could shine to mean something. I want our one trade deadline acquisition, our little minor notch on the day, to become a huge piece of a championship.

I want Johan Franzen to lift the Cup because hot damn. Two hat tricks in three games, 29 goals in 28 games. Because he destroyed our expectations of him and then some.

I want Tomas Holmstrom to lift the Cup for every goal he's had called off, for every time his "large backside" has been in OR out of the crease with the same result, because he's been the pest we needed and his role is one of the most under appreciated. And because his Knob Hockey is the funniest thing ever.

I want Dan Cleary to lift the Cup because I want to think about all of Newfoundland nearly exploding. I want to see a kid who barely made the team in the first place, who floundered elsewhere, make the most of breaking out in Detroit.

I want Niklas Kronwall to lift the Cup because it would be the perfect end to his year, a season he finally got through without a rash of fluky injuries, and it would prove what a powerhouse he is in a way no one has gotten to see before.

I want Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula and Darren Helm to lift the Cup because I watched them in Grand Rapids and I saw them become, a little bit, what they are, and because they're the future, the "rookies" that we so often have passed up in the past.

Hell I even want Dominik Hasek to lift the Cup because yeah, he wasn't great, and yeah, people don't like him, but look what he still did for us this year and last year and who doesn't want to retire on a note like that. I even want Chris Chelios to lift it because it'll give one more thing for VS to tack on when they tell us how old he is every game. I even want Andreas Lilja to lift it because while I profess my hatred for him and he scares me, he's been an integral part too. I even want Brett Lebda to lift it because Kirsten loves him and he's a Chicago boy and that's almost hometown. And I even want Mikael Samuelsson to lift it because even though he can't score on an opening the size of the broad side of a barn if it killed him, he somehow manages to pull off the weird quirky ones that really, really matter.

Tonight is huge. We were so close we literally tasted it. 34.7 seconds away. Let's make it zero.

I want x player to win this cup because y. The whole team.

I want the Detroit Red Wings to win the Cup because I love this team, as a whole, in fractions, in pieces, and every single one of them deserves it. I want it, and they want it, and they're ready to fight for it. GO WINGS.

Too stressed to make a blog post title

2008-06-02T11:13:00.003-04:00

Well, as they say, tonight is do or die for the Penguins season. Will they pull off a historic win? We can only hope, and if this playoff run is any indicator, then the Penguins have a fighting chance to come back in a surprise burst of offensive glory, at least once more, and give us all hope of a game six with their ability to keep in the game.

The Wings are a scary team, and they have proven it over and over in this series, showing the fans why they topped out the league this year by a cool 11 points. Pittsburgh has stood up, gotten beaten down, bruised, but not out, and if the killing blow does come tonight then at least we can say they put up a fight and maybe, possibly, finally stop hearing about this team's inexperience. No one ever stops learning, but does getting to the Cup finals count as enough credibility to get them out of the nursery? When does a young team just become a team?

I don't have much to say about game 4, and if you look around the blogosphere, most people have already said it: the Pens should have had that game. They put pressure on, they made Osgood wake up and work for his saves, but sadly, fate was against them (as was the clock) and they couldn't seal the deal. Was it defense, lack of scoring, should Fleury be fed to the wolves for that awful save on Hudler? Or, perhaps, should Pens fans look at the big picture and realize that while the Penguins aren't beating back the Red Wings with a magnificent show of force, they're playing in the Stanley Cup, their first appearance in over 15 years and barely two years after they were scraping the bottom of the entire league in points. Do or die, win or lose, sink or swim, creamy or chunky, the Penguins are a team that their fans can be proud of, should be proud of, and they have given us a series that will be talked about for years to come.

Of course, Penguins fans would be a hell of a lot happier if we could talk about our team's magnificent comeback win against the titan Red Wings, how the Penguins offense exploded for a 5-4 all-out overtime battle in game 5 with a hat trick by Malkin to silence all his critics and secure a long and lucrative contract with Pittsburgh, thus ensuring the powerhouse duo of Crosby and Malkin on the tag line for years to come.

Hey, if you don't dream big, why dream at all?

8 pm.
Go Pens.

One More.

2008-06-01T16:34:00.003-04:00

It's getting harder and harder to make an objective blog post. With every game the Red Wings win, it's harder to sit down and type up a post about what was good, what was bad, how the game went, who scored and when and how.

Part of it is because this far along, you watch the game like I did, in a room full of your best friends, biting your nails and rocking back and forth holding your breath when it's tied 1-1 heading into the third and you know, you know, the next goal takes the game. Or when the boys are up 2-1 and suddenly all those obstruction arguments Therrien's been giving have gotten the Penguins a 5 on 3 that could turn the entire game around if the Wings make just one little mistake. Part of it is sheer pride and part of it is because as a hockey fan you can't help but shiver when you think of any team, especially your own, hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup. Just one win left. Looking at that image on the Wings' website right now is with that one lowly little number still clinging to life at the far bottom bottom right gives me chills. One more game.

Last night the Penguins lost at home for the first time in, as we've been reminded approximately four thousand times between CBC and NBC, three months. There was some concern when Tomas Holmstrom sat out, but Darren McCarty took his place and the Wings persevered. Personally I'm glad he got to play a Finals game, to basically complete the story of his comeback - I bet he never thought it'd get this far.

The game was incredibly tight, tense, and spectacular. Marian Hossa scored first for the Penguins giving the collective Wings fan base a coronary, but captain Nick Lidstrom netted the tying goal at 7:06 in the first to even things back out and calm us all down enough to resume drinking our beer, at least for a little while. The second period was uneventful and scary even - so you knew the third was going to be a serious stress test. Luckily for Wings fans, Brad Stuart was able to slide a puck to Jiri Hudler who, despite saying he wasn't expecting the puck at all and "barely knew where the net was," deposited it behind Fleury, top shelf gloveside with a nice little backhanded flip - ironically a sort of improvised version of his favorite shootout move. It was great to see him get the gamewinner and I sort of adopted him as my Wings rookie last season and he hit some rough patches this year.

The one goal lead was hardly enough to quell the stress, and the rest of the period was almost painful to watch, though the Wings performed marvelously. Just when the feeling was starting to set in that the Wings would be okay, the unthinkable happened - Kirk Maltby went to the box for hooking and Andreas Lilja was called for a questionable instance of interference only moments later leaving the Wings forced to defend a 5 on 3 for an incredible amount of time. Fortunately the Wings performed exactly the way a Stanley Cup winning team should be expected to, and the group of Henrik Zetterberg, Nick Lidstrom, and Niklas Kronwall shut the Penguins' best opportunity of the night despite their monumental effort - Lilja should be thanking god, because despite his very solid play all night long, a game tying goal on a call on him would have sent him once again to Wings fans' doghouses. Zetterberg in particular tied up Sidney Crosby's stick and made an amazing maneuver with his skate to save what would almost inevitably been the tying goal. When asked if that sequence was the best he'd played in his life, Zetterberg answered, "What part?"

Crosby, however, was less impressed:

“He made a good play on me; he got my stick,” Sidney Crosby said. “I don’t think he did anything out of the ordinary besides what any other guy would do on a 5-on-3.”

Zetterberg's response?

"I don't know. I couldn't hear him. I think he was a little frustrated."

Beautiful, Hank. Sounds like Crosby's inexperience is surfacing - but you can only imagine the level of frustration the Penguins are facing right now. Zetterberg, on the other hand, may have just won himself the Selke in one quick move - and Pittsburgh failed to take even one shot during the duration of the two man advantage.

Game 5, Monday night, 8:00 PM, gives the Red Wings a chance to win the Cup at home in Detroit. The Penguins are a determined team who refuse to give up, and with that in mind may generate entirely different results than their past two visits to the Joe - but Wings fans have no reason to be anything but optimistic that soon the city will be able to celebrate the way they haven't since 2002. I want to see Nick Lidstrom be the first European captain to lift the Cup. I want to go downtown and see the parade that I missed six years ago when I was only fifteen and couldn't quite understand the way I do now just what it feels like to come this far. Monday. One more game. Don't kill me, Elly.

GO WINGS. ONE MORE.

Here we go again

2008-05-31T12:20:00.002-04:00

The Wings took a day off yesterday to putz around on a mini golf course and try fly-fishing (your available entertainment in Pittsburgh, folks). I took a day off yesterday to celebrate a friend's birthday, but I see Elly managed to sum up Wednesday's game rather eloquently without me (although my sentiments differ slightly).

Tonight, however, all bets are off. Trash talking will be out in full force - both teams need this victory; the Penguins to keep hope alive and continue turning the series in their favor, and the Wings to rub them out at home and take the series back to the Joe in hopes of finishing it off on Monday night.

The Detroit Zoo has gotten in on it - for the duration of this series, the Penguinarium is no more:

Other fun facts:

Penguins forward Adam Hall, responsible for the game winning goal Wednesday evening, is a native of Kalamazoo, the town I currently reside in. By scoring that goal he has accomplished quite a feat - he's temporarily overtaken Yankee Derek Jeter as the most hated athlete hailing from Kzoo by the people of the city.

Tomas Holmstrom, despite all the buzz about his leg injury, skated this morning and expects to play tonight.

Elly and I both guested on the INAPB Podcast yesterday evening - we were both busy and were only able to record sound clips, which might actually be a good thing, as it spares everyone having to hear us snipe at each other. Here is the link to listen, if you're interested!

T-minus 6 1/2 hours until Game 4 - GO WINGS.

A lolcat for every occasion

2008-05-29T19:52:00.003-04:00

Re: Game 3

Go Pens

2-0? Someone get me a stiff drink

2008-05-28T10:57:00.003-04:00

It's a dark road ahead, and being down 2-0 makes it even worse, however the real kicker is the lack of even a single goal for Pittsburgh. Are the Pens going to get shut out completely in the face of the Red Wings' oppressive style of play? Will Therrien be fired? Will Pens fans desert in droves and become Blue Jackets worshippers?

No, and while it's fun to make up outrageous tag-lines, the fans, and the team, are far from out of the hunt, and it's extremely heartening to see the online community (NHL.com included for the most part) supporting and not discounting the Penguins as they have so many times in the past. Yeah, the Detroit fans and some fence sitters are already planning their parade, but the loyalists are here for the long haul. It hurts to see the boys clobbered by Detroit, but one solid fact about this Penguins team is that they can come back anytime, and hopefully, anytime will be tonight on home soil. Yes, this is a pep talk, but after the giant kick in the nuts that was game 2, a little pepping can't hurt. Go Pens? Go Pens indeed.

Am I going to post links to all the great articles floating around? No, I don't have three hours free in my life right now, but I will say that tsn has a great spread, not only of the Penguins and Wings, but of the entire hockey world right now, and in particular this little gem which talks about past Cups and playoffs stats. Definitely worth a look.

So what would bring a sparkle to the eyes of Pens fans around the world tonight? A bit more aggressive D and not being pinned in their own zone for 56 minutes a game are some obvious ones, a goal would be nice, or seven, and some hard pressure on Osgood, but I think there is something even more obvious and to the core that Pens fans would appreciate....and it has been taken off of the internet. So here is a call to anyone that has it/remembers it/can find it/knows where heavy.com has put it: find the Hasek Knob Hockey. Put it up on your blogs, embrace the wonderful love of knob hockey playoff goodness (With permission, of course)! I hope they'll put out Penguins ones, I can only imagine what those would be like.

Since I have not had the opportunity to post anything for the previous two atrocities, I'll catch up with a lolgwins (Go there. Feel the love) that expresses my emotions for games one and two:

Let's just forget that's Phoenix and make it red and white.

GO PENS.

Updates From Toronto

2008-05-24T03:06:00.004-04:00

Elly and I are trash-talking already (part of this might have to do with the fact that I tricked her into going to Philthy McNasty's for drinks tonight) between coffees.

I might have successfully swayed Sherry, with whom we met up with this evening, to cheer for the Wings - I told her neither Chris Chelios nor Dominik Hasek are playing in Game 1.

Johan Franzen won't play tomorrow night - he was on TV at the bar I was at, and I won't lie, I got really excited when I thought it was because he'd be back. Fortunately he's practicing, and it won't be long.

VS contacted me with some information and a video to share (it's their playoff anthem which I still love for the gigantic writhing octopus) and the promise of "some swags". An interesting bit of information from the document they sent:"During the Conference Final round, in which VERSUS aired nine exclusive games, the network witnessed dramatic increases in household ratings (up 71%), total viewership (up 77%) and viewership among Men 18-34 (up 152%), Men 18-49 (up 109%) and Men 25-54 (up 79%), making it the best-rated, most watched Conference Finals since 2002. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on May 11 was the most-watched and highest-rated hockey game on cable television in the last five years (1.7 HH rating and 2,345,834 viewers) and VERSUS’ most watched telecast ever." Always good news.

Tomorrow is the start of everything - until then, GO WINGS!

Playoff Preview: The Battle of NPI

2008-05-21T18:29:00.005-04:00

It comes down to this, folks. The Detroit Red Wings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Cup. Me vs. Elly. I made a really awesome Battle of NPI banner for the blog, but my computer overheated before I thought to save it. I'm smart, I know.

We at NPI think the highlight of this series is that it is going to have to be some amazing hockey. The two best teams in the league facing each other head on, the likes of which each other has never seen - not since preseason. Whichever team takes this series is going to have to be nearly perfect to do it.

Key Matchups:

Offensively, everyone is talking about the one-two punches of Sid the Kid and Evgeni Malkin vs. the Eurotwins and Selke finalists, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. There's basically no arguing these are the two most exciting, skilled combinations in hockey. Both duos have 40 point between them (20 goals and 20 assists for Pav and Hank, 13 and 37 for Sid and Geno), and both have proven themselves absolutely deadly. Perhaps because neither of the Eurotwins singlehandedly saved hockey (I kid), they don't seem to get the league-wide attention Crosby and Malkin do - but perhaps this will be the season that ends that. The Penguins pair is glamorous and offensively gifted, but the Red Wings duo excels at both ends of the ice, as obvious by their twin Selke nominations, and may be the more well-rounded. Either way, neither can be taken lightly.

Of course these aren't the only weapons for either team - Pittsburgh is finally getting their money's worth out of 20-point Marian Hossa, and the Wings, until he was sidelined with concussion symptoms, had a 12 goals in 11 games scorer in the Mule, Johan Franzen, as well as Tomas Holmstrom being a pest in front of the net. And of course something must be mentioned of the WWGRD phenomenon creating Gary Roberts - just not sure what that something should be (I'm a fan of the bracelets, for the record - but I'm going to have to boycott them through this series). Each team has established secondary scoring and substantial depth.

Both teams look strong on the defensive front. The Penguins who were originally thought to have a suspect blueline going into the playoffs added Hal Gill to compliment Sergei Gonchar among others. The Wings, however have the unflappable Nicklas Lidstrom (if they take the Cup this year it will be his fourth with the team, an honor he shares with the Grind Line and Holmstrom) and his new partner Brian Rafalski who combined are at least among, if not, the best defensive pairs in hockey. And then there's Niklas Kronwall and new addition Brad Stuart - don't call the Wings a soft team. These two will hunt you down. They will find you. And they will smear you across the boards. This defense has been a huge part of the Red Wings' success - they've seriously limited their opponents shots on goal, and if you can't get the puck on the net, you can't put it in, either.

And finally, the goaltending. Veteran Chris Osgood, a cup winner but often criticized as being the winning goaltender on a team that could have taken the cup with a pylon in net, fighting to prove his goaltending worth against relative newcomer, though not without any credibility to his name, Marc-Andre Fleury. Osgood (10-2, 1.60 GAA, .931 SV%) stole the start from Dominik Hasek and has been stellar ever since, but surely the Wings defense has played a huge part in that. Fleury (12-2, 1.70 GAA, .938 SV%) has been the Pens go-to goalie from the beginning and likely the stronger overall between the two, not to mention he's managed an admirable 3 shutouts so far, but he's also got inexperience working against him. Osgood should be on a mission - if he takes the Cup this year will it redeem him against all the trash talk he's heard since his last victory? The worst goalie to win a Cup is one thing, but I'm not sure you can argue the worst goalie to win two cups.

When it comes down to it, the teams are incredibly even-looking. Which will wind up on top, the youthful Penguins or the renewed Red Wing dynasty? Will we stay friends? Will the series be everything that's being predicted of it? We can only hope.

Schedule:

Game 1 -- Saturday May 24th, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 2 -- Monday, May 26th, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
Game 3 -- Wednesday, May 28th, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
Game 4 -- Saturday, May 31st, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
x-Game 5 -- Monday, June 2nd, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit
x-Game 6 -- Wednesday, June 4th, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh
x-Game 7 -- Saturday, June 7, 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at Detroit

Let's get it done before Game 7, okay guys? I'm lined up to go see The National in Pontiac that night.

Around the Web:

Elly and I are off to Toronto for the weekend so posting opportunities through Game 2 will be slim - thus, we refer you to some solid blogs from both teams to keep you posted in our absence.

Representing the Wings:

And the Penguins:

Empty Netters
The Pensblog, our oldest friends in the blogosphere!
Talk Hockey To Me
The Sidney Crosby Show
Going Five Hole

Friends & Foes

When your team has been disposed of, is it time to jump on the bandwagon of one of the potential Cup champs? Whether the answer is yes or no, everyone seems to be swaying at least one way or another. Through this final stretch of the season, the Red Wings have lured in such esteemed bloggers as Katebits (at least for the day!), Kirsten and Nadine, and the Penguins, meanwhile, have earned the loyalties of Cat (by way of latent understandable Wings hatred) and have been Connie's sweethearts from the beginning...anyone else? So far the Wings have it 3-2; Heather apparently likes both, and Sherry is leaving it up to whomever between Elly and I are more convincing over the course of this weekend in which we'll all be in Toronto. Let us know who you're rooting for and we'll add you to the list!

Once again, the series promises to be amazing - I can only hope it follows through. Hold on, folks, it ought to be quite a ride.

Six Long Years (Wings 4, Stars 1)

2008-05-20T03:08:00.004-04:00

The Red Wings put on a pretty damn good show tonight, in the face of an opponent who wouldn't go away, who really did scare us, even if just a little, even if we weren't about to admit it. The Stars fought until the end, and they were far better than they were given credit for being. But the Wings looked great and they did exactly what they needed to do - work as a unit, a gritty, determined, talented unit, that really, really wants to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. Now they just have to beat Pittsburgh. One step away. Be proud of them.

Game One of the Battle of NPI will be Saturday night at 8:00 pm - Elly and I are taking a mini-vacation to Toronto and will catch it together. With luck we'll get a preview post up before then, but for sure if neither of us kills the other, you'll hear from us after the weekend is over.

In the meantime enjoy these:

This is what everything is for.

The Ghost of Edmonton Suck

2008-05-19T15:32:00.004-04:00

I didn't post after Sunday's disappointment because I didn't have the words. The Stars latched onto this series and hauled themselves back into it and I felt that empty feeling of momentary panic in my stomach just like Christy. It has since subsided. I believe we can win this game and I believe we can win this series. But this is what it really comes down to, boys, because this is the thing that hurts the most:

TOBY EFFING PETERSEN.
Don't let this be what knocks you out.
SERIOUSLY.
We want a Battle of NPI (congrats to Elly and the Penguins!).

GO WINGS.

Someone pinch me

2008-05-18T18:46:00.009-04:00

Courtesy of Gettyimages.com

Wow.

Go Pens.

The Curse of 10 (Stars 3, Wings 1)

2008-05-15T13:02:00.006-04:00

How many times in the past few years have the Wings gotten to a 9 game winning streak? And yet 10 always seems to be inexplicably out of our reach. So maybe we should have expected it.

In general, the Stars outplayed the Red Wings last night. They the game for good reason - unfortunately for them there's going to be no one talking about the effort they finally mustered up and the hockey they finally got it in their heads to play. Because everyone is talking about Tomas' Holmstrom's rear end.

In an absolute debacle of a call, Kelly Sutherland, the center ice official, waved off a Pavel Datsyuk goal - which would have been the first of the game - on an interference call, claiming that Holmstrom was in the crease.

You tell me where the interference is.

When pressed to explain, the league conceded that his skates were outside of the blue paint, but that the call had been made because his backside was "hanging over the crease." ("I don't think that's a rule," says Henrik Zetterberg. Me either.) As if that weren't bad enough, the other excuse floating around is that it was a makeup call for a missed interference call on Homer in Game 1. Completely embarrassing. The idea of a perfectly legit goal being called off as basically an "oops we got it wrong" is disgusting. (Matt Saler [On the Wings] has a great post about this.) Congratulations, NHL, after making me think you had it in you to do something right (the fines assessed to Mike Ribeiro and Chris Osgood after Game 2) you go and spoil it with nonsense like this.

It's true you can't say that goal was the gamebreaker, but scoring the first goal in four straight games is quite the demoralizer. The Dallas Stars were playing great hockey last night, but there's no doubt in my mind that that call energized them, that they took something from it and went on to play better hockey, while it seemed to stick with the Wings in a much more negative manner. In some ways you can't blame them, but in others, things like this happen, and you can't use it as an excuse for not playing up to the necessary level.

Still, I have to say, most of last night's game is summed up by Datsyuk's reaction to his goal being waved off - "That's bullshit." (How great is his reaction there, actually? Not just the words, but the exasperated "whatever" screw-you hand wave? You can almost see him rolling his eyes despite the grainy Youtube quality. Pavel knows how inane that call was.)

And that's really unfortunate, because the Stars did play the better game, and they should be recognized for it - it's very unfortunate that they (hopefully!) won't have a win that isn't sullied by shoddy officiating and bush league "makeup" calls.

Podcasting again!

I once again guested on Finny (Girl with a Puck) and Connie's (A Queen Among Kings) "I'm Not a Puck Bunny" podcast, with Sherry (Scarlett Ice) and Cat (Untypical Girls). This week we spent a good portion of the time talking about this Dallas/Detroit series with reactions from both sides as well as the recent Fabian Brunnstrom sweepstakes, so plenty of things of interest for Detroit fans! As always you can check out this and every week's episode at http://imnotapuckbunny.podbean.com.

Hockey vs. Rent

2008-05-14T18:45:00.004-04:00

There's been much ado in Hockeytown for the past few seasons over the declining attendance, but this season it seems even our own sportswriters are chomping at the bit to call out the Detroit faithful. Joe Hass over at Behind the Jersey and Dave at Gorilla Crouch have both already covered the matter of Mitch Albom's latest attack on Wings fans over with a completely valid (and completely brilliant) mixture of facts and appalled outrage at his gall to first scold us and then suggest such this:

"I know the economy is bad. I'm not telling people to hock the jewelry or find a job.

But we're not talking 100,000 spots here, either. There are enough fans and money in our area to fill those absent clusters. Hey, if we can fill Lions seats, we can fill Red Wings seats."

Now, I'm just one fan, and heck, I'm probably not even the fan Albom is targeting with this argument, but for just a few minutes let me deign to think myself important enough to explain why at least one fan has only been to two games this postseason -both with tickets I got for free.

I just finished undergrad. I'm living in an apartment two and a half hours away from the Joe, where I have a job that pays me, well, enough to cover rent, Center Ice, and the occasional trip to the bar. And no matter how much the ticket costs, it's already $55 in gas to get home. The absolute cheapest tickets for round one were $45 on top of that - not so bad right? But really, those are the seats at the very top of the arena, a few rows at most, and the next best come in at, $55. We're already up to $110 and that's without the service fees, because when you're 2 hours away you can't really go pick up your tickets from the Joe box office.

Those tickets in the picture above are mine from Games 1 and 2 of this round. $140 for seats in row 11 out of (I believe) 23 in the upper bowl, and $200 for seats halfway up the lower bowl. And they were great, both seats. Amazing atmosphere, fans, everything. The fans aren't acting like their claim to Hockeytown is dying. But if I hadn't gotten lucky enough to snag a couple corporate tickets from my dad? Heck no, I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near the Joe - even the cheapest tickets this round clock in at a bank-account damaging $75, plus service charge, plus gas - and then you have to talk somebody else into paying that much to go with you.

Sure, Mitch, you probably weren't talking to college students in that article. You probably weren't calling for people to flock in from all across Michigan. In fact you were probably referring more to locals who still have stable jobs in our faltering economy, people who can maybe shell out that much for a game. But before you accuse Hockeytown of dying, think about all the people, all the fans, who would love to be at these games and simply can't do it.

I don't mean this to be a whiny woe-is-me I can't afford hockey tickets post, because I understand - I understand that ticket prices can only be knocked back so much (which they did this year, slashing some drastically) and that there's always going to be people who just have to wait it out until they hit the point where they can afford it, and I'm not blaming anyone for that. But, Mitch, don't knock the fans like me. We're doing what we can. We'd love to fill that arena if we could.

Say whatever you want, but whether I'm there or not in person, it isn't for lack of love for the game, the playoffs, or my team.

In 45 minutes the Wings will be trying to sweep the Stars to win the Western Conference Finals and advance for the chance to lift the Cup again for the first time since 2002, and if they do, when they come triumphantly back to the Joe to face their next opponent, I know a whole lot of people who would give anything to be in that arena spurring them on. Hockeytown isn't dead. GO WINGS.

Unstoppable (Wings 5, Stars 2)

2008-05-13T18:36:00.004-04:00

Early on in the season the Wings garnered a sort of reputation as a "3rd Period Team" - a team who, even if they faltered early, seemed to get it together and pull things off in the waning minutes of the game (remember Brett Lebda and that Minnesota game?). Of course there have been some notable exceptions to this idea - in fact there have been several games where the third period proved to be their downfall (how about the subsequent L.A. disaster, or the twice-blown lead in Nashville?).

Still, in this vein, what the Wings have been succeeding at continues to be sheer relentlessness - and for the second series in a row the opponent, lauded for this same quality, has failed to match their strides. Last night the Wings post a 5-2 victory over Dallas, giving them a 3-0 lead in the series - not unsurmountable, but a whole new level of challenge for the Dallas Stars, who now sit on the brink of elimination.

I feel like this image does a nice job summing up the current emotions of both teams right now.

Once again last night the Stars looked better than they had previously, knotting the game at two (goals from Pavel Datsyuk of Detroit and Nicklas Grossman - his first in the NHL - and Brad Richards for Dallas) until Jiri Hudler scored a breakaway goal off of a great pass from Niklas Kronwall to put the Wings up again. Shortly after, Henrik Zetterberg made a fool of Richards, beating him on a one-on-one, the goal which seemed to put an end to Dallas' hopes for the evening. Before the game was over, Datsyuk notched his third, completing the first hat trick of his career, and the third Wings hat trick in these playoffs. Even with Johan Franzen missing at least three games now, the Wings' offense has remained deadly.

Despite the "festivities" at the end of Game 2, there was little retaliation from either team in Game 3, at least of the sort that could have gotten them into trouble. While it would have been nice to see Darren McCarty wail on Mike Ribeiro just for old time's sake, I'm very grateful the Wings took out their frustrations over the whole deal in a purely winning-oriented manner. Their discipline and strength of character (with few exceptions; I concede the Osgood spear the other night) is another of their strong suits and has definitely been making a difference for them - even if Marty Turco disagrees:

"When the intensity rises, we like our chances in that regard, too," Turco said. "We don't think much of them on a personal, character level. We think that's to our advantage."

Really, Marty? Don't get me wrong, I like you, but maybe you should worry more about the Wings' outstanding ability to get pucks behind you than their characters, not to mention the fact that your highly-touted play coming into this series has fallen rather flat.

Wednesday night's Game 4 in Dallas (once again at 8:00 p.m. EST) should be interesting - the Wings have an opportunity to complete their second sweep in a row and secure a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals, but one can only assume the Stars will be putting out all the stops to keep their spectacular season alive. I believe - but no one can completely count the Stars out yet. GO WINGS!

Keeping it Going (Wings 2, Stars 1)

2008-05-11T15:14:00.004-04:00

The Red Wings won last night to go up 2-0 in the series against the Stars. Since one of Dallas' main accomplishments thus far was two quick road wins in enemy territory, being able to stymie them so far this has to give the Wings a pretty good feeling about the series.

Then again the Stars came out much harder last night than Thursday. They controlled the puck better, they looked more dangerous, more alert, even their supposed deadly powerplay connected to give them the one goal (a Stephane Robidas slapshot) they would earn for the evening. Not to mention the Wings were out Johan Franzen, a huge blow given his playoff production so far (the man has 27 goals in 27 games - same as the Eurotwins combined). Defensively, the Wings looked very good, but as Matt noted, "I don’t think the Wings have fully hit their stride in this round." The good news is, they're still playing well enough to win, and we can add "yet" to that sentence and hope for the best.

Unfortunately for Stars, their improved play still wasn't enough. They scored a pp goal, but they went 1/6 on the evening and couldn't put anything together in the second, despite the Wings spending half the period in the box. It was apparent their frustration from the first game carried over into the second.

Tomas Holmstrom was great; he continued getting in their faces despite some abuse from Stars goalie Marty Turco (whose aggressive behavior, including a couple cheap shots on Holmstrom and Val Filppula, finally cost him, as he was called for slashing), and he got the entire team so wrapped up in his antics that oftentimes they let up spectacular scoring opportunities for the Wings, including the Henrik Zetterberg eventual gamewinner. Things like this are why Homer is such a huge asset to this team.

It doesn't help the Stars either that Chris Osgood is playing like a man possessed. At least twice I was absolutely convinced the Stars were going to tie the game, only to see the puck slide back down the ice on the stick of a Wing. So good, in fact, that when Mike Ribeiro slashed him two-handed across the chest from behind the net at the end of the game and he went down writhing in pain (which I will admit, now, was extremely silly looking and unnecessary on his part) every fan in the Joe went dead silent as I can only imagine visions of Dominik Hasek in net passed through their heads. And wouldn't you have?

Speaking of that hit, whether or not Osgood intentionally jabbed at him with the butt end of his stick, and I'm not saying he didn't as he certainly did hit it, that sort of intent to injure slash is never okay, and I hope the league is aware of this when meting out judgment.

But what's even more not okay? Throwing trash on the ice. Yeah, Wings fans, I know, you weren't happy - I wasn't either, but I kept my beer securely in my lap. There's absolutely no reason to be hurling towels, wrappers, hot dogs, half-drank cups of beer (especially this - those people sitting below you really don't deserve to get splattered), on the ice. The team doesn't appreciate it, the officials don't appreciate it, the management doesn't appreciate it, and it just makes you look like a jerk. It's completely unnecessary and totally tacky - way to show pride in our arena. Congratulations you guys, you just negated all that whining you did about Don Cherry calling us rednecks. I know this is a good series and I know it's getting all our emotions up, but that's no excuse. Please, guys, don't help make Detroit and its fans look as bad as people say it is - stay classy, guys.

Game 3 is Monday night in Dallas at 8:00 pm (who else loves our travel schedule these playoffs?) - GO WINGS! And of course, here are some Game 2 photos!

And finally, it is friday.

2008-05-09T18:33:00.004-04:00

After a week's worth of waiting, the final day is here. In less than an hour the start of what will undoubtably be an epic series awaits, and with it comes the possibility of a chance to stand on the Cup stage...or take a jump off a cliff at being defeated by the Flyers.

I'm not going to do a finals preview (especially not after Steph's Wings/Stars dazzling post!), everyone knows what this final is going to be about. Physical, chippy play, breakout plays and solid goaltending; all the makings of a super conference final. If your stomach isn't in knots, you had better figure out what's going on.

Want a nice preview? Check out these bad boys (and girls!):
Empty Netters (solid as always)
The Pensblog (essential)
The Sidney Crosby Show (anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Sid)
Going Five Hole (great collection from around the web)
And, of course, NHL.com has a nice spread up.

Enemy territory more your thing?:
Flyers.Femme and Eager to go Psycho, my HLOGin' sistas
The 700 Level (pretty solid Philly blog)

Honestly, that's about as deep as I went into Philly territory this round. I get enough lore from the fans around here, asked for or otherwise.

Being a big fan of the lolcats site, I was pleased to see this version pop up on the net. Go there. Love it. (big thanks to The Pensblog for that particular gem)

Now it's almost time to drop the puck, and I have to venture out into the bar world with Flyers fans. Only one thing left to do:

Go Pens.

EDIT: Thank you, Blogger, for posting this a day late. Sheesh.

Make 'Em See Stars (Wings 4, Stars 1)

2008-05-09T17:47:00.006-04:00

The post title seems to be the slogan the Wings are going with heading into these conference finals against the Dallas Stars - they were even giving T-Shirts emblazoned with it at the Joe for an impromptu red out. It's a fitting one, given the outcome of the game one, in which the Wings defeated the Stars 4-1 and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

The new addition for this years' playoffs? Flames shooting from the scoreboard when a goal is scored. Awesome.

I was in attendance and didn't take any notes, so this may be a little sparse - but I made plenty of observations:

I'd be really interested in knowing how much time the Wings were in control of the puck vs the Stars. It seemed like, especially during a large chunk of the first and second, literally every time the Stars had possession you barely had the chance to hope they didn't take advantage of it before the puck was securely on a Wing's stick again. Maybe, as suggested by several sources included Mike Babcock, they were still feeling the effects of that Sunday night marathon, but the Stars showed a remarkable lack of skill in passing and puck control.

Similarly, we were told to fear the Dallas powerplay - which did look a little bit scary shortly into the first period when the Wings took an early penalty, but the second pp of the night was absolutely abysmal, and it didn't look too much better from then on. Dallas' only goal was scored at even strength. The Wings on the other hand, went 3 for 5 on the pp with only Valtteri Filppula's breakway goal coming at even strength. If their pp continues to click like this for the rest of the series they're going to be scary.

For Dallas to have a chance in this series, their best players really need to shine, and last night they all but didn't show up. Brenden Morrow scored the lone goal, which is a plus for them, as he's a force the Wings really need to be able to contain, given his play as of late. But Brad Richards? He was so unremarkable that I spent all night referring to him as "That guy with Fedorov's number" until I finally realized oh, that's him? - not impressive.

Despite the numbers, Marty Turco didn't look horrible - and while it was fun to chant Turrrrcoooo with the masses, you almost felt bad for him. The guys in front of him were majorly letting him down, and nothing he let in was a complete softie. Despite getting as many goals put up against him, he looked much better than Jose Theodore ever did last series. His stick save on Henrik Zetterberg's wraparound attempt - an almost sure goal - was awesome, and it forced Chris Osgood to make a quick brilliant save of his own to keep the flow of the game in our favor. However, he wasn't the goalie he'd been made out to be either, and the Stars are going to need him better if they

For the Wings, I thought Dallas Drake had a really good night. Twice I saw him make extremely nice takeaways - and both times until I saw his number I thought it had been Pavel Datsyuk, quite a compliment. Filppula looked really good as well, especially given his status was questionable after he twisted his leg in the last game against Colorado. Then again the entire Wings team seemed to be really in sync all evening long. They let off the gas a little at the end, but luckily the very frustrated Stars team was still unable to take advantage. Still, they're going to need to put out a full 60 minute effort to keep the series going the way it is now. Game two will be a completely different beast.

My photo gallery from the game (mainly shots from warmups) is here, but here are some of my favorites:

I have managed to pick up tickets to Game 2 (Saturday at 7:00 pm) as well, so expect more on Sunday, after the drive back to Kalamazoo! And of course, GO WINGS!

Playoff Preview: Detroit vs Dallas

2008-05-06T14:23:00.003-04:00

Dallas is totally screwing up my playoff pool right now - both of them, and Elly's too. And they shouldn't be - throughout the regular season it was Dallas who nipped at our heels before San Jose did, going on a tear that closed the gap from a 17 point lead to 8 in a matter of six games. We should have known better than to count them out. Dallas is a well put together team, more so than the Predators of round one or the Avalanche of round two - and Dallas is going to be a tough opponent (then again, I said that about the Avs as well).

Why the Wings are going to win:

First and foremost, depth. That's not to say that Dallas is over there running a one line team, but the Detroit is literally overstocked with playoff-capable guys. The Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line is always formidable (and looks to be sticking together for now), but the second line of Filppula-Franzen-Samuelsson is just as scary. The Hudler-McCarty-Helm line looked spectacular against the Avalanche. Every line is trouble. The hard hitting combo of the finally healthy Niklas Kronwall and trade deadline acquisition (thanks again Connie!) Brad Stuart is just worrisome to opponents as the skilled playmakers Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski. And Dominik Hasek, despite losing his job to Chris Osgood and playing pretty damn shaky in those two series two games, isn't yet something suited only to laugh at either. And the truly scary thing is the guys waiting in the wings - maybe they aren't the most talented guys, but the Wings don't have a single liability. Lose a forward (potentially Filppula) and Kirk Maltby with all his playoff experience is ready to join his former grind line partners. A defenseman, and Andreas Lilja is ready - and sure, sometimes he's sketchy, but the fact is for the better part of the season he was out there every night, and while he it's obvious the organization (rightfully) doesn't trust the final top four d-man spot to him, look at the season we had with him there. This leads to the biggest asset the Wings have going into this series - the puck possession game they can play constantly with this much talent means the pressure never lets up. There's never a chance for the opposition to breathe; the Wings just keep coming - and they're not afraid, anymore, to play a down and dirty style hockey game - which is exactly what we expected last series, and exactly what we might get this series.

And in tandem with that depth and pressure, sheer goalscoring. In the first series, Johan Franzen along put up as many goals as the Colorado Avalanche as a team. Throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs, Detroit scored 38 goals total. Of course, Dallas scored 35, a very comparable number, but can the Dallas defense neutralize powerhouses like Franzen (11 playoff goals so far), Zetterberg (7) and Datsyuk (5) easier than Detroit can Dallas top producers Brenden Morrow (7), Mike Modano (4), and Jere Lehtinen (4)? Doubtful.

And then there's goaltending. Detroit's stellar defense plays a huge role in the success of its goaltenders no doubt, but Chris Osgood, while he might not be the sort of goalie to steal games for us, is certainly the sort who won't lose them for us, either. Since he replaced Hasek in game in game 5 of round 1, he hasn't lost yet. And while it might be jinxing it to mention it - and (you knew it was coming) while it certainly isn't anything you want to play real faith in - it's hard to ignore that Dallas' Marty Turco, while playing out of his mind at some points not only this year but in last years' playoffs as well, has a 2-10-5 lifetime record against the Red Wings, which includes an 0-7-2 record in Detroit, where he has posted a 3.38 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. Ouch, Marty.

Finally, the Wings believe. Countless members of the team, the organization, the fanbase, have mentioned that this is the best Wings team they've seen since the last cup. Will it be easy? Of course not. Maybe they won't be able to dominate the way they did in round two, maybe they'll have to dig deeper through their wealth of skill, talent, grit, determination, confidence, than they have up to this point. But can they do it? You bet. They're simply too well put together at team not to - and I think they know that too. They're smart. They're scary. They're healthy. And it would take a hell of a lot to get past them feeling the way they do right now.

But Dallas flys under the radar, even having the season they did. So, being that that the series hasn't started yet and we're all still friends here, I've enlisted the help of Untypical Girls' Cat (who guested along with me on episode 12 of the INAPB podcast) to counter my predictions and tell me what we've got to look out for.

Why the Stars are going to win:

Despite how frightened most people I know are of this series (and me, too, I'll admit it freely), I really think the Stars have a shot. You can look at the regular season record against the Wings all you want, but this is a different beast. You want reasons? Oh, I'll GIVE you reasons.

The acquisition of Brad Richards at the trade deadline didn't look so awesome in the month of March. And then, suddenly, the playoffs hit and BOOM! Dallas had three capable scoring lines, centered by Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano, and Brad Richards. Not to say that the Stars had no depth in scoring beforehand, but having a guy like Brad Richards, who exhibits some patience with the puck and makes smart passes, certainly helps. Winger Brenden Morrow has been nothing short of a William Wallace-esque leader in the two series that have passed, always able to give a little bit more to get his team into it. No one will soon forget that quadruple-overtime game and the goal Brenden scored to win it. Some lesser known names have stepped up as well - Stu Barnes has suffered concussion-like symptoms since that big hit in a game against San Jose, but Toby Petersen (Steph's note: Really? Really?), the fourth-line center, stepped up and picked up his minutes in that magical game six. Antti Miettinen was the one to score the Stars' first goal in game six, Loui Eriksson has six points in the playoffs, and Joel Lundqvist has four. If these guys can keep playing at this level, I have no doubt that they can push through Detroit's defense, good as it is.

The Dallas defense has been pretty awesome since Sergei Zubov got back to 100% (although he'll argue that he's only at 99% - possibly still upset with himself about those two intercepted passes?). I will fully admit that Detroit's defense is absolutely incredible, and Dallas's might not match up. Sure, we have Zubov back, but we do still have three rookies back there (Nicklas Grossman, Mark Fistric, and Matt Niskanen). There are, though, two guys who have been incredible. Stèphane Robidas took a puck to the face and came back to the game after suffering a broken nose (insert your own joke there about poor Robi and his poor nose). Mattias Norstrom surprised the hell out of me with his five points (two goals, three assists) and fairly awesome play. Philippe Boucher suffered an unfortunate injury in the Anaheim series, but he is apparently skating again, which has to mean he's close. Right? RIGHT?!? One could say that the Dallas blueline will be outmatched, like, hardcore. Then again, you could have said that about the Ducks as well, who have an experienced and talented blueline. The Stars seemed to handle that okay.

And, of course, goaltending. You know what? I don't even want to talk about it too much. Everyone is making a big deal out of Marty Turco's record at the Joe, but this has been the season of shaking monkeys off backs. I'm fairly certain Marty can shake this monkey off, too. Sure, he has a 2-10-5 lifetime record against the Wings. Sure, he's never won in Detroit. But you know what? Right now he's boasting a 1.73 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Those aren't numbers I'd want to mess with, even if I am Chris Osgood with a 1.52 GAA and .937 save percentage. Marty seems to have a fire in him right now, a certain determination, and that will fuel him through this series.

The Stars have asked me to believe, and I have. I will continue to, despite how scared and nervous I might get. The Stars have faith in themselves. People are comparing this 07-08 team to the '99 team that won the Stanley Cup. This team will have to fight hard, undoubtedly. Will they? I have no doubt in my mind. Will their fans believe in them? I think so - I certainly will. Every member of the Stars organization believes that this team has what it takes, and I do too.

Interesting, I think, how similar the reasons are for both teams to prevail - this series really is a question mark.

Schedule:

Game 1 -- Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit
Game 2 -- Saturday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. Dallas at Detroit
Game 3 -- Monday, May 12, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Dallas
Game 4 -- Wednesday, May 14, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Dallas
x-Game 5 -- Saturday, May 17, 1:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit
x-Game 6 -- Monday, May 19, 8:00 p.m. Detroit at Dallas
x-Game 7 -- Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit

Another thing to love about playing Dallas - reasonable travel and none of those 10 p.m. games. I have yet to see who has nabbed the rights to which games, but I will update this list when the information is available.

Around the Web:

As usual, your Detroit blogs:

And our new opponents:

Cat makes a strong case, but I remain unconvinced. It'll be a hard-fought battle but I'm not ready to throw anything in yet. For more of my reasons why, check out this week's I'm Not a Puck Bunny Podcast (episode 14) where, while technical issues made me unable to actually interact with anyone else on the show, I did manage to review this past series and preview the current.

I'll be at the game tonight in section 223 watching Al twirl octopi once again; feel free to stop by and GO WINGS!

Bring it on, baby

2008-05-05T07:34:00.003-04:00

Thank heavens. Watching the third period gave me ulcers, but seeing the Penguins go to work in OT, stepping it up and playing the way that everyone knows they can....just a thing of beauty. Don't suppose the NHL can postpone the start of the conference finals till after my finals, eh?

A quick congratulations to Dallas, who by winning in an amazing 4 OT marathon, has officially killed my Western conference hockey pool. Thanks, Stars.

Get Out Your Brooms! (Wings 8, Avs 2)

2008-05-03T17:12:00.008-04:00

I know, I'm way late on the uptake - but Thursday was a night of celebration (though not at this bar, because the @#%&head bartender refused to put the game on any of their half a dozen televisions - a move which would have resulted in one less TV showing half naked girls in music videos), and this weekend I spent working Western's last MAC softball games of the year.

Thursday the Wings completed their sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in a decisive 8-2 rout that sends them to the Conference Finals for the second year in a row. With prospect Fabian Brunnstrom in attendance, the Wings Swedes apparently dressed to impress, notching all 8 of those goals themselves. Tomas Holmstrom got one, and Mikael Samuelsson two, but it the real stars were two other Swedes. Johan Franzen's second hat trick in three games (the first player to do so since Jari Kurri, 23 years ago), and 9th goal in the series (a feat which broke a Gordie Howe record). His first goal of the game, a quick (47 seconds later) follow up to Tomas Holmstrom's with 39 seconds left in the first, served to be the dagger in Colorado's heart - following it the Wings took off, scoring four in the second and one more in the third. The Mule continues to be on fire. Not to be totally outdone by Franzen, though, Henrik Zetterberg scored twice as well; the second of which was an amazing goal he put in while on his back on the ice (you know it's good when it even made the top play on Sportscenter the next morning):

Jose Theodore didn't look Game 1 bad, but he didn't look good either - and neither did backup Peter Budaj. Then again, they weren't getting a whole lot of help either, and having forwards who were scoring goals like that Zetterberg beauty isn't going to help anybody's confidence. Chris Osgood on the other hand, is doing his damnedest every single game to keep our faith in him firmly secured.

Despite the scoring circus the game turned into, however, the Avalanche stayed classy. I know I wasn't alone in worrying that he last few minutes of the game would turn into a brutal, cheap-shotting injury-fest, as the Avs tried to goon it up and leave their mark before their season ended - but they didn't. And that's awesome. Jibblescribbits sums it up perfectly:

Even though they were completely outplayed by Detroit, their character never sacrificed their class by gooning it up in defeat. Detroit fans remember Calgary last season, and Avs fans remember the Wild this season. Yet the Avs carried themselves with class and, despite being down 8-2 in an elimination game, still were trying. True character is revealed in tough times and no matter what the Avs proved they are nothing if not a team of character. So be proud of them, despite the pitiful game.

Losing in the manner they did is never easy, especially for a team who expected more out of themselves, and who didn't - or couldn't - play in a manner equal to their potential. And still, the Avalanche came out of the series demanding a certain respect for the way they responded. Kudos to them.

While the game was fun to watch, and it was fun to alternately cheer, gape, and laugh in disbelief as goal after goal went in, and while it's always awesome to watch your team sweep, especially playing as dominantly as Detroit did, on the other hand, it was bittersweet. No one though the rivalry was going to come back full force, but nearly everyone predicted a hard-fought series from both teams - and in the end, the Avalanche just didn't have enough gas in the tank to provide that. Of course, the ridiculous amount of injuries probably didn't help, either. Fans of both teams were pumped up expecting a series they didn't get (though perhaps they should have, as the Wings are now 8-0 against the Avs on the season), which was a little disappointing - not that I'm complaining about the actual outcome, either.

Other sources on Game 4:

Matt @ On the Wings
Joe @ Mile High Hockey
IwoCPO's liveblog @ Abel to Yzerman
Joe Hass' liveblog @ Behind the Jersey
David @ In the Cheap Seats

The Wings' opponent for the WCF hasn't been decided yet, as San Jose pulled it off again last night when Joe Pavelski scored the OT gamewinner to push a Game 6. If you'd asked me halfway through the season who I'd rather play, I would've said San Jose, because Dallas was terrifying. Coming into the playoffs I'd have said Dallas, because San Jose was terrifying. At the beginning of this series I would've said San Jose, because Dallas was terrifying - are you sensing a pattern? Either way, the Wings are on a roll and looking forward to the rest, so fans have no reason to be anything but optimistic.

Finally, a round of thanks to all the Avalanche bloggers for their help, their banter, their vehement hatred, and their commitment throughout the series - it's a fact that you always end up reading blogs of teams you might never have bothered with come playoff time when they're the opposition, but you don't always find blogs you intend to keep reading afterward. Thanks for being along for the ride, guys! (And, of course, GO WINGS!)

Keepin' it Going (Wings 4, Avs 3)

2008-04-30T20:24:00.003-04:00

Once again I missed the game - this series has really been a disaster in viewing terms, as I was spending the evening with a friend who will be moving soon, and it sounds like it was a good one. The return of Forsberg couldn't save them, either - here are some comments from around the web:

Matt @ On the Wings: Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg had probably their best game of the playoffs. [...] Peter Forsberg had some moments in which he looked dangerous, but the Wings did a great job of neutralizing him. I believe Nik Kronwall got a big hit on him and it was heart-warming to see little Brian Rafalski stand him up in the neutral zone in the third period. [...] The loss of Stastny compounded the loss of Smyth and made it much more difficult for Forsberg to make an impact. It was pretty obvious that he was playing hurt.

Mike @ Mile High Hockey: The Avs failed to take the body on Detroit's forwards as they entered the zone until the 3rd period, which resulted in plenty of opportunities for a healthy Detroit team to take advantage of a depleted Avalanche squad. When they did try to get the physical play up, it usually resulted in borderline hits that weren't called (luckily) or power play opportunities for the Red Wings. Quenneville also seemed to have the caution flag out for long stretches of the 1st and 2nd periods as the Avs looked content not to lose badly at times rather than putting the Red Wings on their collective heals.

Dave @ Gorilla Crouch: Detroit’s Big Three played a role in winning Game 3 last night, and in doing so put the Colorado Avalanche on the brink of elimination. [...] Finally, the Mule kept his improbable goal scoring run on track. He scored another goal last night which brings that remarkable run to 23 goals in 25 games. [...] Anyone who follows sports knows about the old cliche that your best players have to be your best players. Pavs, Hank, Lids and the Mule were just that last night and as a result the Red Wings are one win away from making a return trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Aaron @ The Dog and Pony Show: This Red Wings dominance was not unexpected. They were the best team in the regular season, and they are the best team in the playoffs. Detroit never had a post-lockout swoon like the Avalanche did, and by the looks of it they may never have any kind of swoon any time soon.

Let's hope so. The Wings have moved to 3-0 on the series, a familiar number this round, as both Pittsburgh and Dallas are up on their opponents by the same margin. Thursday night they battle the Avalanche in Denver for the sweep at 10:00 pm - GO WINGS.

(Meanwhile, Detroit sports fans rejoice for another reason - Tigers relief pitcher Jason Grilli is finally gone.)

Update: Mike Babcock has been nominated for the Adams Award, along with Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens and Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals. While the award is all but Boudreau's (and I certainly think he deserves it) for turning around the Caps this season, it's awesome to see Babcock recognized for his third straight 50+ win season with the Wings.

This is my favorite quote ever.

2008-04-29T18:23:00.003-04:00

As we gear up for Game 3 of this so far spectacular series tonight, we're confronted with a seemingly rotating thanks to injury Avs lineup: Tonight, Wojtek Wolski is out, Scott Hannan is in, Ryan Smyth is out, Peter Forsberg is.....?

A "definite maybe."

Awesome. Hilariously awesome. (Just about sums up Forsberg's past...well, few seasons, now, doesn't it?)

Puck drops at 10:00 EST - GO WINGS!

"Ride the Mule?" It's better than "Are You In?" (Wings 5, Avs 1)

2008-04-27T15:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning I made the comment that, since I was only going to be able to catch the first two periods of the game before having to get to campus for my commencement, "If the Wings aren't winning - and I mean blowout here - when I have to leave, there's going to be blood." While that may have been just a little hyperbolic, I certainly didn't expect the team to take such pity on my horrible luck with NBC broadcasts and do exactly that - it was 4-0 when I left for the ceremony, and when I announced the final 5-1 score, a quiet but enthused cheer snaked its way down my row of graduates.

This is what I like to see.

I missed a portion of the first period as well, because the bar I was at was full of people more interested in the NFL draft - I wished I'd heard Joe Hass' logic on the matter sooner so I'd had it to toss at them: "You can either watch Matt Millen make a mistake, or listen to the Wings fans chant “FIRE MILLEN!” after they announce the draft pick." I only missed the first few minutes though, and as soon as managed to get a bartender to make the switch I was rewarded with Johan Franzen's first goal of the night.

The Wings came out strong, playing hard, fast, dominant hockey, which was great to see after the Nashville series that oftentimes had the Wings starting out a little slower. This time they beat the Avs down from the beginning and allowed them no means of coming back. The game seemed tilted in the Wings' favor right from the beginning - Brad Stuart's wife had her baby over in LA and having taken care of things out there he came in to replace Andreas Lilja, so the Wings regained a strong defensive force while the Avs lost Wojtek Wolski for the series, and were also missing Peter Forsberg and Scott Hannan last night. Jose Theodore (being known as Jose Three-or-Four over at A2Y, which I love) did start in net, but was pulled once more after allowing four goals - he's apparently still "sick".

The Wings are played great hockey this series, and most importantly they're playing deep hockey. The Selke nominated Eurotwins impress as usual, but the second line of Franzen, Valtteri Filppula (who got impressively physical with Adam Foote last night), and Mikael Samuelsson are putting up points like there's no tomorrow, and the Jiri Hudler, Darren McCarty and Darren Helm line is quite the presence as well. It's great to see the talent shining from all places, and it's great that this allows for the big line to stay together - as good as they play apart, their best hockey happens when they're together. When the Wings play like they did last night there's just no stopping the pressure. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they collapsed underneath it.

Actually, this is what I like to see, too. Good for you McCarty!

To their credit the Avs tried just about everything they could to get motivated and claw back into the game. After Franzen's second, Filppula and Henrik Zetterberg each notched one for the Wings, and the Avalanche looked to be out for the blood the Wings were saving me from having to spill at commencement. McCarty dropped the gloves for the first time with the Wings since his return, against Cody McCormick as the Avs tried desperately to gain some sort of momentum. With a 4-0 lead and a blatant challenge, I'm glad McCarty showed what he's (still) made of. Unfortunately for the Avalanche the fight did little to help and was followed by a string of penalties that ended the Wings up with nearly three minutes of 5 on 3 time. Peter Budaj, then in net, helped them hold the Wings off but by that point it was too little too late.

I missed the third period, but while it sounds like the Wings took their foot off the gas and made a couple sloppy plays at the beginning, the turned it around quickly and in the end it worked out all right. Joe has the liveblog here.

Both teams get a bit of a break as Game 3 in Colorado isn't until Tuesday. It's inarguable that this has become the Wings' series to lose, but the team is remiss if they don't expect at least a bit more effort coming from the Avalanche in their own building. Whether or not they get Forsberg and Hannan back (Darren McCarty thinks Foppa at least, will be back - "I'm pretty sure that, unless Forsberg's legs gonna fall off, he'll probably be in there for Game 3."), and regardless of who starts in net (one has to imagine it will be Budaj, but they seem to continue believing in Theodore), the Wings need to keep playing the way they did in Game 2, and not let this early lead allow for the debacle Game 1 almost became - or we'll be the ones making this sort of game recap post.

News on Octopusgate:

I explained the matter to Elly who said: "But how about fighting? That gets people matter all over the ice." Good point. How about that, Mr. Bettman?

Freep blogger proves that "matter" does not indeed fly off of the octopus at all - I hope he really did mail out the shower curtain he used in the experiment.

Linesmen have to shovel the octopi up off the ice now - which takes longer and makes more of a octopi mattery mess. Al Sobotka doesn't seem too dissuaded by the new rules and twirled the octopus in the tunnel instead, an image that was put up on the Jumbotron. Unfortunately the NHL didn't like that either. What a bunch of crap.

Finally, if anyone finds that the "Ride the Mule" shirts being discussed in the post-game interviews really are getting made, direct me to them, all right?

My heart weeps

2008-04-26T11:52:00.002-04:00

Angel...how could you.

That's right, Buffy fans/teenage girls, he's a Flyers fan. Well, that explains why he lost his soul in the first place.

---

Has anyone been counting the number of times Penguins players have said, 'Well, we played the way we wanted to, and even though we were down a couple of goals, we just keep going and trying, knowing that we're never out of a game,' and then find them winning?

Awesome.

Go Pens.

A Good Start (Wings 4, Avs 3)

2008-04-24T22:59:00.004-04:00

The Red Wings opened the series with a 4-3 victory over Colorado. The beginning appeared almost like it could have been a blowout, as the Wings took a 4-1 lead and the allegedly sick Jose Theodore was pulled in favor of Peter Budaj, but the team started to let the lead slip away from them as the game kept going, which left fans on the edge of their seats throughout the latter half.

I only caught the third period (I turned on the radio on my way home to Ken Kal praising Andreas Lilja's play, which I took as a good sign, considering some of his earlier gaffs) after getting home from class, and thus I didn't actually see any of the goals, but the hockey I saw was a much closer, tighter game, as predicted. Ryan Smyth looked incredible, and, like I noted earlier, the line of he and David Jones created a whole lot of great chances. Luckily for the Wings, Chris Osgood stood tall and made some incredible saves, and Johan Franzen hasn't forgotten his recently acquiring incredible scoring touch.

The atmosphere at the Joe looked awesome, and it's clear that people are really excited for this series. What I caught of this game was some fun hockey to watch, and I hope that keeps up throughout the series, whatever the final result (although, of course, go Wings!)

For a reaction from someone who caught the whole game, check out Joe Hass' liveblog over at Behind the Jersey.

"I'm Not a Puck Bunny" Podcast

2008-04-24T13:11:00.004-04:00

For those of you who haven't heard it yet, Finny at Girl With a Puck and Connie of A Queen Among Kings put together a podcast called "I'm Not a Puck Bunny" every week. During this playoff season they've opened it up from their respective California teams and have been inviting guests on to speak about their own teams' performances. This week I joined them along with Cat from Untypical Girls to discuss current league news, this past round of the playoffs and make predictions for the next.

You can check the podcast out at imnotapuckbunny.podbean.com, if you're interested (and you should be!). Thanks ladies, for having me on - it was a great time, and I look forward to coming back if we make it through this round.

(I also want to correct a couple mistakes I noticed, listening to it again - first of all I was remiss in not mentioning Johan Franzen when Connie asked me who our clutch performers from Round 1 were - his OT breakaway goal that won game 5 for us was one of the hugest moments of the Wings' playoffs so far. Second, at the end I slipped up and mentioned seeing Ryan Smyth at a Dallas/Detroit game - obviously I meant Colorado. I also jump the gun on Nick Lidstrom's birthday - he won't be 38 until Monday! You didn't think I'd get through this whole thing without a couple grievous errors, did you?)

Playoff Preview: Detroit vs Colorado.

2008-04-23T20:59:00.006-04:00

This series is going to be exciting if Wings and Avs fans have to literally block out reality in favor of making up stories about the ridiculous events that take place on the ice. Since the possibility arose at the end of the regular season the internet has been abuzz with the prospect of a "renewal of the rivalry." In the next few weeks the stills of Roy and Osgood, Roy and Vernon, Draper getting smushed, Lemieux turtling, and the like, will populate your TVs, newspapers, and the internet like you wouldn't (or maybe you would) believe. Will it happen? Who knows - it's probably unlikely. But with the return of Darren McCarty to the Wings and Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg to the Avs, you never know.

Either way the potential for this series to resemble the frustrating one we just saw is there as well - during the regular season both teams played a close, rough game against the Wings with a similar sort of physicality and attention to preventing the strong puck control game of the Wings from overpowering them. In the end, the Red Wings wound up 4-0 against them, sweeping the season series.

Keys to Winning:

Unfortunately for them, however, their last game against the Avalanche was played February 18th - a week and some before the arrival of their trade deadline additions. While there was some discussion about whether or not the addition of Peter Forsberg would pan out and be worth it despite his injury-prone late career days, but he has one goal and four assists so far in these playoffs and has played every game. Ruslan Salei has looked great in an Avs uniform as well, notching four points throughout the first few games, and Adam Foote has provided a veteran presence that certainly hasn't help the idea of this renewed rivalry. The Wings had less going on in terms of bringing in new players, but they did bring back a familiar face in McCarty, who despite being doubted has looked better than expected thus far, even picking up a goal in Game 2. Their one acqusition on trade deadline day, Brad Stuart, has been quietly excellent. Paired up with Nik Kronwall he's given the Wings a physically-minded second defensive pair that's pretty intimidating, something the Wings get picked on for their lack of quite a bit. Stuart may miss the first game of the series, however, as the Wings have given him permission to stay in LA with his wife while they wait out the birth of his second child - very classy and sweet on the part of the organization.

After the first round of the playoffs and watching Dominik Hasek struggle while Dan Ellis was stellar, the importance of solid goaltending has only been emphasized. The Wings have decided to keep going with Chris Osgood for the time being - a decision that's very hard to argue when you look at his stats from the two games he played in Round 1 (.981 SV%, .39 GAA). Luckily it seems like, while others have been quick to attribute the term to the situation, there continues to be a lack of "goalie controversy" between he and Hasek - something that could only hurt the team. For now, Ozzie is the guy, and looking at his season and his experience, there's no reason to worry. Meanwhile entrenched between the pipes, in a serious turn-around season, for the Avalanche is Jose Theodore. Despite his shaky past couple seasons, Theodore has been strong this year, showing shades of his ultra successful past in Montreal. He made his way through six games against Minnesota with a .940 SV% and a 1.88 GAA - not too shabby. Theodore is far from impenetrable though, and not unable to be rattled. The Wings didn't let Ellis steal a series for the Predators, and there's no reason to expect Theo to get away with it either.

Looking at the blueprints, it seems as though the series will be a tight, low-scoring game with lots of checking, and in all honesty the key to winning is more than likely the team who plays the hardest; who wants it the most. The Wings top-notch defense will be focused on the top two lines, but as it was Ryan Smyth and David Jones' gritty third line who won them the final game in Minnesota. The Wings will need to respond in kind with plenty of secondary scoring (something they've done well to this point, given that Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall are both tied with Pavel Datsyuk for the top playoff scorer to this point) and more than a little grit and determination. It won't be an easy series, but neither was the last one - the Wings have got what it takes; they just need to use it.

Schedule:

Once again the TV schedule is less than brilliant:

Game 1 -- Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit VERSUS, TSN
Game 2 -- Saturday April 26, 3 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
Game 3 -- Tuesday, April 29, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
Game 4 -- Thursday, May 1, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
x-Game 5 -- Saturday, May 3, 1 p.m. Colorado at Detroit NBC, TSN
x-Game 6 -- May 5, 10 p.m. Detroit at Colorado VERSUS, TSN
x-Game 7 -- Wednesday, May 7, TBD Colorado at Detroit TSN

Cable exclusivity sure is a pain - FSN will not be able to cover any of the games VS has dibs on this round. Also unfortunately for me at least, Game 1 falls during the last final of my undergraduate career - but for once I'm happy about NBC's scheduling. My commencement is at 6 pm on Saturday night so this afternoon matinee allows me to catch it after all.

Around the Web:

For updates on Detroit make sure to visit the following:

And on the Colorado side of things:

I'm going to predict the Wings take it in 6, but I won't be surprised if it goes to 7. I'm also going to miss Radek Bonk's name being bandied about wantonly. Game one is tomorrow night at 7:30 pm - GO WINGS!

Done and Done (Wings 3, Preds 0)

2008-04-20T21:48:00.006-04:00

WINGS WIN SERIES 4-2

A familiar finish to a first round matchup, at least for Wings fans. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, this season's routing came with 100% less goalie freakouts that all but sealed the belief that the Wings would be taking game 6. It was a harder fought series than some expected, but in the end the Wings persevered the way we believed they would. Quick observations on the game:

The first few minutes were frightening - the Predators were playing hard, harder than we thought this team might be capable of. The sheer amount of time the puck spent bobbling around in front of Chris Osgood had me cringing. Kudos to them for being able to instill that sort of fear in Wings fans everywhere - but unfortunately they couldn't keep up the pace.

Speaking of Osgood, the longer this game went on the better he looked - Dominik Hasek didn't have a horrendous season or anything, but Babcock's decision to play Ozzie after Hasek dropped two games straight is looking pretty damn good right now. He's only gotten to play in two games, so these are obviously skewed some, but his stats? .981 SV% and a .39 GAA.

Not to sell the opposition short, Dan Ellis was playing well again - the fact that he came into these playoffs inexperienced and played as strongly as he did should give Predators fans a lot of heart for the coming years. He nearly singlehandedly kept them alive through some parts of this series and as much as we said he was no Kipper, no Roloson even, to steal away this series, he did his damnedest to prove us wrong.

Darren McCarty is having an amazing year. The fact that he got the opportunity to come back the way he did was one thing, the fact that he could perform well in the IHL was a given, in the AHL was a happy surprise, but seeing him back with the Wings scoring goals and playing the body like he did on those two defensemen that allowed for Jiri Hudler's third period goal is far beyond what anyone expected. Not only has he turned into the feel good story of the year, but he's gone from capable of playing at this level to a serious asset. We owe some serious thanks to Kris Draper for salvaging his career.

Niklas Kronwall is excellent. No seriously, how well has he been playing lately? Someone needs to build him a little bubble so he can stay healthy all season because he is a serious force. I love him paired up with Connie's Brad Stuart, too. While our defense terrified me a little at the start of this game, guys like these make me worry less for the future.

Nick Lidstrom's game winning goal was awesome. I mean, okay, it was a little ridiculous, yes. But it was awesome. When they interviewed him afterward he made it sound like he was trying to get that bounce in there and I for one hope he was - making the fact that it succeeded even more awesome. Not that I want it to be somewhat flukey goals like that to be what move us through the playoffs, but you have to admit, things like that are fun. And in this series we needed a little fun.

While this series frustrated me to no end at times, and while I have never been so sick of looking at Nashville's blue and puke yellow, it wasn't all horrible either. Maybe it's just because we generally only see Nashville during the regular season and, let's face it, just because we're the Red Wings doesn't mean any other team in our division is going to get all hyped up to see us 8 times a season any more than we are them. It was really great to see all the fans in Nashville give their them the support they did - maybe we write them off a little too quickly as a hick team that's just waiting to be moved to a hockey market that cares. The fans in this series were screaming, yelling, throwing catfish (which, still, ew - even if that makes me a hypocrite), and the city itself seriously got into it as well - throwing a viewing party at the Sommet Center where fans could watch the game on the jumbotron? Now that's cool (Becky, I'm totally jealous). So overall, good on you guys, Preds fans, for showing you are in fact a respectable bunch - consider me enlightened.

But of course, I'm still happy you lost! At any rate, thanks boys, for staying strong through the first round - now let's make it through the second. Dates aren't announced yet for the round two but rest assured we'll be ready for you, Colorado or Calgary.

That's More Like It (Wings 2, Preds 1)

2008-04-19T18:16:00.003-04:00

It's been a frustrating week for Detroit fans, losing both game three and four over in Nashville - in fact, I didn't even make a game post for Wednesday's game because about all I could have mustered up after watching it would have been the google image search results for "margarita". And the frustration doesn't let up. While the Wings won 2-1 yesterday in overtime, moving them back up to 3-2 in the series, the game made you swear far more than cheer.

At the beginning of the series, one of the big questions was whether or not the inexperienced netminder Dan Ellis would be able to steal some games for Nashville - and last night he very nearly did. Ellis stopped 53 shots over the course of the evening, some of them absolutely painful for Wings fans to watch. Dan Cleary has at least two brilliant opportunities quashed by the kid. The Predators didn't look amazing but, with an effort like that at their back end, they looked good enough. Even with Chris Osgood, who got the nod tonight, playing well, the whole rest of the game after Valterri Filppula's first period goal had every Wings fan sitting on the edge of their seat just waiting for Nashville to seize on one tiny opportunity and tie it up - and they did, at 19:16 in the third period.

The disappointment was evident everywhere - Ken Daniels' voice as he made the call, Henrik Zetterberg's third intermission interview, my whiny IMs to Elly - but the Wings didn't let up. It would have been easy to let that devastation affect their play negatively, heading into overtime, but instead the team play hard (for the whole minute and some that OT lasted). Valtteri Filppula, who had an extremely strong game, broke up a Nashville play that resulted in the puck being coughed up to Niklas Kronwall, who in term passed it forward to Johan Franzen, the Wings Mr. Clutch, who scored on the breakaway to end the game.

The Detroit Free Press ran an article that included quotes from Kronwall on the goal:

“Dumont tried to put it out to their D-man and it ended up right on my blade, almost,” Kronwall said. “I just saw Mule in the corner of my eye and tried to give it to him. It wasn’t really a good pass, he was just able to handle it really well and he came in and scored.

“I was just like, please, please, please. We deserved to win. We played really well and just stuck with our game plan the whole time. There was never a time when we sat back and relaxed. We kept plugging away.”

Personally, I can say that Kronwall wasn't alone in thinking "please, please, please," as Franzen swept the puck up - by that point it felt like every Red Wing and every fan was thinking the same exact thing. The team celebrated after that goal like they'd just won the series - and I can see why. 54 shots on net, at home, and with the Predators missing both Jason Arnott and David Legwand, and we lose? That would be a huge blow to recover from, and everyone knew it. Luckily we won't have to - but we will have to play this next game tough, get more pucks in the net, and figure out a way to solve Dan Ellis. The frustration refuses to let up - how sick are we all of watching this Nashville team? Here's to hoping it only lasts for one more game.

No more Octopi?

Meanwhile, in yet another frustrating move for Wings fans, the NHL as decided to ban the twirling of octopi before games - by Al Sobotka or anyone else, for that matter. From now on, because matter "flies off the octopus and gets on the ice," it will now cost the team a $10,000 fee if anyone but the linesmen dispose of the octopi. Personally I really hope this gets completely disregarded and the tradition continues regardless of the extra fees - it's a huge shame to see something steeped in as much history (Al Sobotka has been twirling octopi throughout 17 years with the Wings, but the actual tradition goes back 56) put down for such a silly reason. Chris Osgood doesn't approve either:

“Certain teams and certain traditions, they should just leave them alone,” the Wings’ Chris Osgood said. “It’s a shame. It’s great for the atmosphere, and the fans love it. The league should ask the fans first before they do anything. That’s who pays to get into the rink and see the game.”

Christy Hammond has collected varying blogger opinions on the matter here, and everyone seems to agree that it's stupid, a shame, an outrage, what have you - me too.

Wings in 5? (Preds 5, Wings 3)

2008-04-15T21:45:00.004-04:00

The Wings lost their first post-season game yesterday after leading first 2-0 and then 3-2 - unfortunate, yes, a late heartbreaker, yes, the reason I ordered a fourth beer, yes, but not the end of the world. I caught the game at a bar, so I missed most of the audio and was torn between the Wings and the Tigers (who mounted a great comeback win over the Twins - sorry Kirsten!) and thus don't have a lot of really intelligent commentary. The Wings didn't look spectacular but they didn't look horrid either - Nashville is getting a habit of scoring goals in quick succession against us, which really needs to be stopped, but getting past that, the boys are still managing to score. With luck they'll be hit withe some real urgency again before the game tomorrow night and can bring the series back to 3-1.

Here's what some others have to say:

Christy @ Behind the Jersey: You have to hand it to Nashville for continuing to come back and we finally saw some offensive production from the likes of Jason Arnott and David Legwand returned to the line-up. The crowd at the Sommet Center certainly was a factor in giving the team a much needed boost after their two key goals so you have to hand it to the fans as well. The series is on and let’s just hope the Wings come back Wednesday to take a 3-1 series lead before heading home.

Matt @ On the Wings: The Red Wings team that I saw in that period and a half was not the same one that won Games 1 and 2. They couldn’t pass efficiently, they made stupid decisions on attempted hits, and they looked frazzled. This experienced group let the crowd noise and Nashville’s exuberance put them off their game.

So okay, the Predators take one - the chance for a sweep is over but hey, most of us have been saying five anyway, right? Right.

Of course, does anyone else think the Predators are getting a little bit ahead of themselves with this nonsense? "The best moment in Preds franchise history"? "You have to wonder if this was a reversal of fortune where the direction of a series was changed in nine seconds"? Nobody's saying Nashville has absolutely no shot - but that's a far cry from a reversal of fortune that's all but handing Nashville the series.

And enough with the catfish.

The puck drop for Game 4 9:00 tomorrow night at the Sommet Center - GO WINGS!

Keep it Going (Wings 4, Predators 2)

2008-04-13T14:38:00.002-04:00

Bad weather did finally cancel the baseball game I was supposed to work - but not with time for me to get to the Joe. Fortunately, it at least allowed me to watch the game from my couch, rather that missing it entirely, which I'm thankful for - because what a game.

I have to admit, like many other bloggers have mentioned, while Darren McCarty's goal in the first to start off the scoring was hardly a key to the game, it was an amazing feeling to watch it go in and to see his celebration - the same one we used to see back in the day. I watched him with the Griffins through his comeback and it was a joy to see how he only got better each time I saw him, something that doesn't look to stop any time soon, and even more so to see how much fun he was having. The man loves the game:

"[The goals are] all special in their own way. I don't know if one's more special, but they all go in the special box," McCarty said. "Those are great reminders that what I'm doing is right and I'm on the right path. Because miracles keep happening."

McCarty's comeback is getting labeled (even by Kris Draper) as the feel good story of this season and it certainly deserves it. He's done exactly what the Wings hoped he would do when they signed him to a contract to end out the season, score some goals, make some hits - after all, as he says, "It's all part of the game, it's all part of the playoffs. You've got to suck it up. Chicks dig scars, anyway."

It wasn't McCarty, however, who really cemented this game for the Wings. Dominik Hasek, despite his behind the net gaff in the second that helped the Predators to score two quick goals and tie the game up, he played like a madman, which is exactly what we need out of the crazy Czech. Sometimes it's tough to deal with Dom - every time he leaves the crease you're left wondering if he's going to be brilliant or make a costly mistake. He did both last night, but the good outnumbered the bad. The Predators were on full out attack mode through the first period, and Hasek stood strong. The man is meant for the energy and the competition of the playoffs, and he seems to have found his groove in these ones.

Unfortunately for the Predators, to crack someone like Hasek they're going to need their star forwards to get their heads in the game. And when it's Jordin Tootoo who's your best player and lead goal scorer, it's safe to say that hasn't happened yet. Speaking of Tootoo, his second goal was an easy pot after our favorite turnover machine Andreas Lilja tossed the puck right to him. The best part about that goal was Greg Zanon's obnoxious, Crosby-esque taunting goal celebration was caught mic'd up by NBC - the guy hoots and hollers and skates off yelping "Five hole, five hole!" at Dom - only to have the next Wings goal (Kris Draper) go in off of his skate minutes later, after Babcock wisely called a time out and calmed the team down. Karma's is certainly a bitch. Tomas Holmstrom, who looks remarkable upon his return and was another huge player for the Wings yesterday, notched the last goal of the night.

The Wings looked good, but they could look better. Valtteri Filppula has to be frustrated with the number of near sure thing tap-ins he's just missed on, for one. The breaks keep on coming, as well - in the first period Radek Bonk put the puck past Hasek, but he knocked the net off on the play. The goal was waived off not because the net was off the moorings, but because the ref said he lost sight of the puck. Unfortunate for Nashville, as the ruling basically everywhere is that the goal would have counted. Yet another break for the Wings, and while it may not have won them the game, it would be nice to see us get one without anything flukey working in our favor. Fortunately even with these bits of luck, the Wings have consistently looked like the better team.

The puck drops for Game 3 Monday night at 7:30 pm, GO WINGS!

It wasn't pretty, but did you think it'd be? (Wings 3, Preds 1)

2008-04-11T19:19:00.004-04:00

The Wings took the early 1-0 lead last night in their first round series with the Predators, winning the game 3-1 on a goal from the continuously red hot Johan Franzen, and two from star Henrik Zetterberg. Unfortunately all I saw was the last five minutes of the second period, and the third, but this much was clear: The Wings weren't playing their best hockey, but then, they didn't need to be.

Dan Ellis was good, but not at all unbeatable, and while you can argue that Dominik Hasek wasn't particularly tested, he did what he needed to do. The amount of pucks he saw last night is the amount of pucks we should expected him to see regularly throughout the playoffs - the Wings have been a puck possession team all season and they're certainly not going to stop taking the heavy load off of him now. Meanwhile the big Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Tomas Holmstrom line was great, while the Predators big guns faltered - Jason Arnott was -2 with no shots and J.P. Dumont a -3.

There seems to be some controversy floating around over Niklas Kronwall's hit on Rich Peverly regarding if he left his feet or not (A2Y found this shot proving he clearly didn't!), and on whether or not Zetterberg's gamewinning goal came on a play that was offsides, but leaving both of those incidents alone, the Wings were still the better team on the ice yesterday night - and whether or not they were playing as good as they can be, they were playing as good as they needed to be, a point with which everyone seems to concur:

Christy Hammond: Overall, it certainly wasn’t Detroit’s best game but in the end they found a way to get the win. And really, that’s all that matters. I must admit, it was certainly frustrating to see the Wings outshoot Nashville by so much and still end the second with a 1-1 tie. I definitely liked seeing Henrik Zetterberg get on the scoreboard in the first game of the playoffs. It was more comforting and reassuring than anything else to see a top player perform well in the first game of the playoffs.

IwoCPO: the Wings don’t need to play perfect hockey to win this series. Limit mistakes, generate consistent offense, exhibit a few violent tendencies...and steady play in net. That’s really all that’s necessary.

Mike Babcock: That’s what the playoffs are about, being patient and waiting for your opportunity. We weren’t great but we were good enough to find a way to win.

Well boys, I think we've reached a consensus - but if you're going to keep that up, just make sure you don't let it slip too far. Game 2 is a 2:00 pm matinee tomorrow afternoon, and I'm hoping it rains and pours so that WMU's baseball game will be canceled and I'll be able to make it after all. 70% chance, everybody hope with me! GO WINGS!

(Just one last little bit, did anyone else see Zetterberg come out as first star last night? He clapped - which is one of my favorite little hockey player quirks - but then he waved, gloves still on, only with his fingertips. He looked positively adorable - and remarkably clean shaven as well. Wanted to start fresh for the playoffs? I hope he gets as scruffy as usual by the end.)

Playoff Preview: Detroit vs Nashville.

2008-04-10T12:45:00.005-04:00

The playoffs begin tonight, for those of us in Detroit, when the Red Wings take on the Predators, 7:00 pm at the Joe. Nearly every source I've found has all but written Nashville off - in fact I think every prediction I've seen has Detroit winning the game in either five or six. Christy Hammond has compiled a pretty comprehensive list of just about everyone's thoughts on the matter and it's unanimous. Does that scare anyone? I admit, going into this matchup I don't feel anxious at all - but that isn't to say it's going to be a total cakewalk, either.

Maybe it's just because I'm not a Nashville fan (although I think the amount of times we Wings fans see them per season gives us a little bit of clout in making statements like this), but names like Jason Arnott and Alexander Radulov (though he has been quite obnoxious against us this season) don't quite strike fear in the hearts of opponents the way the potent combination of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk do. Nick Lidstrom and his collection of Norris Trophies are second in the league with +40 while Nashville's leading defenseman in points, Marek Zidlicky is approximately -7,000 (okay, okay, -5, but his presence on my fantasy team all season long has me convinced otherwise).

Keys to Winning:

There's a lot of discussion about goaltending, and for good cause. Dan Ellis is expected to star for Nashville and he has the potential to steal games for the Predators, it's true. He also has only 45 NHL games worth of experience, none of which have come in the playoffs, and he's shown that he can be shaky - he's been pulled several times in favor of Chris Mason and vice versa. Despite the fact that he's had a remarkable shut out streak and been a nice surprise for the Predators for most of the season, he still hasn't really shown enough to solidify his spot as the starter. The Wings need to get to him often and early to rattle his confidence. It's worked before, and it can work again. As for the Wings, they'll be going with Dominik Hasek who's had his own share of shakiness this season. As Kukla says, the Wings need him "insane, active and abrasive. Steady would be good, outstanding would be better and spectacular sets the stage for a long run." If Dom plays the way he did last year and the defense continues to play the way they have been in front of him, even a hot Dan Ellis shouldn't pose a substantial threat. Both teams have capable backups in Chris Mason and Chris Osgood, however, so if either starter falters, expect to see a switch made in attempt to save the series. Between them, Mason and Ellis have 5 games of post season experience. Osgood and Hasek have 202.

The Wings' powerplay has been a huge part of their success this season and it needs to stay that way. Nashville has the third best pk in the league, and the Wings need to render that statistic worthless. The combination of the Eurotwins in combination with Brian Rafalski and Nick Lidstrom on defense is positively lethal. Add Tomas Holmstrom and the hot Johan Franzen to that, and what will hopefully be plenty of scoring opportunities from the second group of Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula and the Wings should be able to crack the Predator's pk for certain. Both on the pp and off it, if the Wings play the aggressive puck-possession style game Babcock has had them running with all season against the Predators, they shouldn't have a problem, as long as they get secondary scoring and don't rely too heavily on the big guns. The team simply has too much all around talent and firepower to be stymied by Nashville's high-ranked pk and strong forechecking.

Nashville has a strong physical presence, and players like Jordin Tootoo and Shea Weber will certainly be making their presence known. Fortunately, the Wings faced three tough teams last year in Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim, and seem to have learned how to adapt to playing against this sort of adversity. Added to that, the Wings did bulk up a bit for this season, picking up Dallas Drake, Aaron Downey and Brad Stuart, getting more out of Dan Cleary and Johan Franzen, and even reacquiring Darren McCarty, whose playing time may be limited but who will hopefully only help. Hopefully the Wings can initiate the hitting and goad the sometimes undisciplined seeming Predators into taking penalties, whereupon our pp can do its damage.

Injuries have taken their toll on both teams, but the Wings especially felt the damage through the month of February (which six of their regulars were out simultaneously) and are just beginning to really recoup their losses. Both Tomas Holmstrom (groin) and Brad Stuart (broken finger) are slated to be back tonight, as is, supposedly, Mikael Samuelsson (groin), but the Wings are still missing experienced grinder Kirk Maltby (hamstring) and have lost Tomas Kopecky, who had been playing strong lately, to a season-ending torn ACL and sprained MCL. Nashville has lost both Martin Gelinas and Jed Ortmeyer for the season (both with knee injuries) and David Legwand (foot) who is day to day and is doubtful for the opening game tonight. Needless to say, the Wings need to stay healthy to make a long run this season.

Schedule:

The playoff schedule, as updated as I've seen, is as follows:

Game 1 — Thursday April 10 at Detroit, 7 p.m., FSN, Versus
Game 2 — Saturday April 12 at Detroit, 2 p.m., NBC
Game 3 — Monday April 14 at Nashville, 7:30, FSN, Versus
Game 4 — April 16 at Nashville, 9 p.m., FSN, Versus, CBC
x-Game 5 — April 18 at Detroit, 7:30, FSN, Versus, CBC
x-Game 6 — April 20 at Nashville, 3 p.m., NBC, CBC
x-Game 7 — April 22 at Detroit, TBD, FSN, TBD

I had tickets to go to Game 2, but NBC decided to air the game last minute and changed its start time from 7 pm to 2 pm - I have to work a 1 pm baseball game in Kalamazoo that I can't get out of, so I'm out a substantial amount of money and likely won't catch a game until the semi-finals, thanks NBC. I also have class tonight and won't get to see Game 1 until I get home, so I for one am not thrilled with the scheduling!

Overall, the number of games I'm predicting it'll take the Wings is five. The number of times I expect to be entertained by Radek Bonk's name is infinite. GO WINGS!

Happy thoughts

2008-04-08T14:36:00.002-04:00

What a game.

Bring it, Ottawa.
Wednesday, 7pm.

Yay!

2008-04-04T00:58:00.012-04:00

Your 2007-2008 President's Trophy Winners
That kid in grey looks like he's in serious pain.

Red Wings 20591081489, Central Division ZZZZZ

2008-03-27T14:07:00.005-04:00

Sorry. It's been a while. It's hard to get excited about Central Division game after Central Division game.

Ozzie wants to know if the end is in sight (I can't see it either, buddy).

(I want to issue a quick thanks to my friend Chapel for providing me with a cap of this shot from the Wings victory over Columbus - after Henrik Zetterberg's hat trick, more than just hats were apparently thrown on the ice, and Ozzie decided to have a little bit of fun with these. Chapel also noted that the glasses make a great pair with the equally 80s style helmet.)

For those of you in the Detroit area, a couple fun promotional things to note as the playoffs are coming up:

The Wings are jumping on that silly Team Medallion bandwagon. You can get coupons daily between Sunday March 31st and April 20th in the Detroit Free Press and redeem them at participating venues for little tiny relatively useless (but neat!) collectibles. There are 20 featured Red Wings players, plus one "team commemorative" - which begs the question, which three regulars off the 23 man roster got snubbed? I probably won't find out, but if you do, let us know!

This Saturday, March 29th, the Wings will hold a rare open practice at the Joe. For $5 or a donation of new or slightly used hockey gear, fans will get the chance to participate in "fun contests and question and answer sessions with Red Wings personalities", as well as watch the practice. The practice will also feature a “fire sale” of autographed memorabilia from current and former Red Wings players and coaches. Unfortunately I probably can't make it out thanks to the obscene gas prices lately, making the third straight open practice I've missed.

Also with the playoffs up and coming, the "ARE YOU IN?" slogan is being bandied about quite a bit on the website and all the new graphics - I sincerely hope this doesn't stick as the playoffs actually begin; even Fire on Ice seems bearable by comparison. As a matter of fact, even "Join the Red Wave" seems bearable by comparison.

Finally, the Wings play tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues. Are you excited? I'm going upstate to watch the Griffins. Regardless, go Wings!

Friday, May 1	at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN2
Sunday, May 3	at Detroit, 2:00 p.m.	NBC, TSN
Tuesday, May 5	at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
Thursday, May 7	at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.	VERSUS, TSN
*Sunday, May 10	at Detroit, 5:00 p.m.	TSN
*Tuesday, May 12	at Anaheim, TBD	VERSUS, TSN
*Thursday, May 14	at Detroit, TBD	VERSUS, TSN