Monday, December 28, 2009

Happy Holidays, Screw The Blackhawks

By Adam W Parks

Wednesday, December 23, 2009 Blackhawks 0 @ Red Wings 3

It has been nearly a week since the Wings were shutout for the second straight game, both by Chicago, both by the same score. Watching the game was miserable. Knowing that idiot Blackhawks fans were watching the game and laughing at our team's expense was unbearable.

It is still technically the holiday season, and even though I will be outside working on New Year's Eve and not someplace warm (American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida), I am maintaining a positive attitude and a cheery disposition. I will not allow the Blackhawks nor their fans get me down during this time of year. The season is not even halfway through and there is still plenty of hockey to be played. I am not going to talk about injuries or lack of scoring, free agents or the amount of times the Wings have been shutout at home this season. I'm not going to do it, not during the holidays.

After all, it is winter time, my favorite season in Michigan because of skiing, snowmobiling, and playing with my new dog Kaos (pronounced chaos) in the snow. Christmas is my favorite holiday, not for the gifts, not the copious amounts of food, but for family and friends. I hope everyone reading this had as good if not better Christmas in 2009 than I did.

As for the game

Detroit gave a stronger effort than the previous defeat in Chicago but was unable to put the puck in the net once again. There are so many reasons that can explain the Wings' back-to-back shutout defeats to the Blackhawks, but like I said, I am not going to delve into all of that. Not now at least. Reasons become excuses when you lose, and two bad losses in December will not define this season. Let us see how the Wings fair in another month or two.

As usual, Mike Babcock shot it straight after the game, "They were better two nights in a row, it’s that simple." He elaborated:

“I thought lots of guys tried. I think, at this time right now, their roster is better than ours," Babcock said. “It was evident as the game went on and we didn’t score. We had an opportunity on the power play (in the first period) to shoot one in the empty net and we couldn’t do that, and I thought it might have affected our game, for sure."

D Stretched Thin

For sure, scoring that goal might have changed things. Breaking the goal-less seal may have given the Wings the confidence and momentum to overcome the (currently) more talented Blackhawks. That goal could have relieved some added tension from the Detroit defense that was missing another important piece in Brian Rafalski (flu). Jakub Kindl was re-recalled from Grand Rapids but only logged 6:31 of ice time. He joined fellow Griffin Doug Janik who skated for a modest 15:26, though the rest of the defense was pushed much harder. For comparisons sake, Nicklas Lidstrom was on the ice for 26:14, and Brad Stuart spent nearly half the game on his skates at 29:09. Stuart admitted that the inability to score disrupted the Wings' game plan:

“When we got down 1-0, I thought we started to turn the puck over a little bit in the second half of the second period," Stuart said. “That might be from trying to make something happen from nothing because we haven’t scored in a while. But that’s not the way we have to do it. We have to keep sticking with the simple plays."

Griffin Eggs

Meet the New Swede-Wings fans unfamiliar with what is going on in Grand Rapids have seen a lot of fresh faces this season. Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Derek Meech, Brett Lebda, Ville Leino and Jonathan Ericsson are all part-timers turned regular Wings this season, while Doug Janik, Jakub Kindl, and Kris Newbury have stepped up and filled in admirably when called upon.

Mattias Ritola is the most recent Griffin to play for Detroit this season as Babcock swapped him for Newbury in hopes of creating more offensive opportunities against Chicago. The 22-year-old Swedish forward has eight goals (four on the power play) and 15 points in Grand Rapids, but could not provide a spark for the Wings in just his third NHL game of his young career. Ritola was on the ice for just 7:48 and failed to register a shot on goal.

Nugs and Notes

Back to Christmas-Mom gave me a pair of tickets for her and I to go see the Wings at Joe Louis Arena on my birthday in mid-January. Detroit will host Chicago for that game and guys like Niklas Kronwall and Henrik Zetterberg are expected to be back for that game.

So, go on Blackhawks, take your shutouts. Have your laughs. Enjoy your regular season successes. We will see you again soon, and I will be wearing my #5 jersey in seat 15, row 23, section 217A. Thanks Mom!

Happy Holidays.

Peace.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Top Line Rolls, Howard Hurls, Wings Lose To Dallas

By Adam W Parks

Saturday, December 19, 2009 Red Wings 3 @ Stars 4

Without Henrik Zetterberg, the Wings could have used a little extra kick against the Stars. Perhaps a roundhouse would have done the trick. In what was the first game of the Zetterberg-less era of this season the Wings skated away from one they could have won against a team that has been difficult to beat.

The Stars have been playing great hockey on their own ice going 5-0-2 in their last seven home contests, and their victory on Saturday was their fourth straight over Detroit in Dallas. The season series is tilted in favor of the Stars (2-1-0) with one more game to be played in Dallas.

Jimmy Howard looked shaky in net for the first time in a long time, and the Stars took advantage and got some goals from an unlikely source. Detroit's lower lines, which need to provide some offense every night until some players get healthy, were unable to find the back of the net, but the Wings did get production from the top guys. The players that need to step up the most in this time of need did on Saturday, but it was not enough to get the win.

Wings Get Goals From Guys Who Could, Do Not From Guys Who Should

For the time being, goal-scoring will be an even bigger issue for Detroit now than it has been earlier in the season, but it was a good sign to see the top line get some production in Dallas. Until the injured players begin trickling back into the roster, Pavel Datsyuk along with Todd Bertuzzi and Tomas Holmstrom will have to produce offense every night to give Detroit an opportunity to win. Each scored a goal against the Stars.

For Datsyuk it was his eighth of the season but just his second in the past 14 games. There have definitely been prettier goals off his stick, but right now Pav will take any bounce, or tip, he can get:



Bert has shot up the Wings' scoring rankings and is now tied with Zetterberg (10) for second most goals, and is third on the team with 21 points. His goal Saturday was his sixth in the last five games:



Against the Stars the trio on the first line were like a garage fire without a tank of gasoline on the shelf. They produced a total of seven points and were a combined plus-five on the night, but the rest of the Wings failed to ignite to blow up the Stars. Darren Helm returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sore wrist and played a great game, flying up and down the ice and disrupting Dallas defensemen and forwards alike. However he, nor any other Detroit center was able to get their lines in boxscore with a goal (Helm, Justin Abdelkader, and Kris Newbury all totaled minus-four on the night).

It has become easier for opposing teams to shut down the rest of the Wings as there is nary a true goal-scoring forward left on any line other than Datsyuk's. If you go down the line of forwards that the Wings have left besides Pav, Bert, and Holmer, Kris Draper has the most goals with five. Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller each have four, while Kirk Maltby, Abdelkader, Helm, and Ville Leino all have three a piece.

Detroit Goals from the blue line have come primarily from a duo who are currently missing: Kronwall (5) leads all Detroit defensemen in goals, followed by Jonathan Ericsson with three. Both are expected to be out for at least a few more games. Brad Stuart and Brian Rafalski each have two, and Nicklas Lidstrom has as many goals (1) as Derek Meech and Brett Lebda. Hell, even Newbury and Johan Franzen have that many, and they have only played in four and three games respectively.

I am not ragging on these guys; for many of the players these numbers are higher than what was expected before the season started. I am just making the point that there is not a lot of juice left that Mike Babcock has not already squeezed out of some of the players, but these guys will have to find a way to contribute even more offensively over the next couple of weeks. Fortunately, as it was obvious on Saturday, Bertuzzi is rapidly ripening in Detroit, and Holmstrom and Datsyuk still have plenty of the good stuff to yield.

Think Howard might have been a little hungover from his first career shutout in the previous game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday? Maybe he and Grandpa went on a bender in Greektown and really tied one on to celebrate. Perhaps he and Grandma sipped too many sodas while playing the slot machines at the Motor City Casino. Perhaps not, but either way you slice it, Jimmy was not ready for the Stars on Saturday.

The Tampa game was an emotional one for Howie, what with Zetterberg's injury, Babcock's 300th win, his first ever shutout, and playing in front of family members for the first time as an NHL goaltender. He has been playing great since early/mid November and all of that momentum culminated for him on Thursday. It showed on Saturday.

I hate to blame a loss on goaltending, but he definitely had his worst statistical game of the season. Howie allowed four goals on just 21 shots, and each score came with teams at even strength. His .810 save percentage against Dallas is his lowest for any other single game this year.

He has given up four or more goals in five games this season, but he faced a minimum of 32 shots in all of those other games except for one. In that game he gave up four off 23 shots, but still got a 7-4 victory against Anaheim. Looking back to the last time he gave up four goals in a game, a 4-1 loss to Edmonton on December 3, Howard had gone 4-1-0 and only allowed six goals in his last five games. The fewest shots he faced in that stretch was 26 which came in a 1-0 loss to the Blues.

Howard has been so good at times this season that we, or at least I, have occasionally forgotten that he is in his rookie season. Chris Osgood, as much as I love the guy, has not been missed. Do not worry about him too much, though, because I believe his breakout season is not over, and this turd of a game on Saturday is just a fluke. Unless Ozzie is ready to jump back in and be the go-to-goalie, the Wings will need Howie now more than ever this season, and he should be able to bounce back to form in his next start.

Dallas's Lucky D-Bag of a D-Man

Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins, whose last name should be properly pronounced SCRATCH-NUTS while reading this blog, tied up the game early in the second period when he scored his first goal of the season (32 games). It was his first since February 5th, and just his seventh in the past four seasons (241 games). Skrastins, 37, has only scored 29 goals in a total of 712 NHL games for an average of 0.0407 goals per game in his career. His stupid second period goal neutralized Holmstrom's not-stupid first period goal:



To make matters worse, this nut-scratcher scored again. Again it was early in a period, this time in the third, but this time it broke a tie and resulted as the game-winner. It was the first two-goal game of his illustrious goal-scoring career. Of all the weapons on the Dallas team, the Wings allowed the dullest to gouge them, twice, and to assist on another goal. That S is so W.

Peace.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Warning: No Review of Sunday's Game, Only Blackhawk Bashing

By Adam W Parks

Sunday, December 20, 2009 Red Wings 0 @ Blackhawks 3



I would like to go on record and say, and I quote, "Blackhawks fans suck! Blackhawks fans suck!"

As a hockey franchise, the Chicago Blackhawks only kinda suck. I actually have a little bit of respect for them. They are an Original Six team with a rich and illustrious hockey history that includes 13 very memorable division titles...and three whole Stanley Cup Championships...HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, I had to look that up. I'm super-serial, I thought they had more than that. I mean, even the New York Islanders (4) have more Cups than the Hawks. I shouldn't make fun, after all the Wings only have eleven, and that isn't even half as many as the Montreal Canadians. The Hawks made it to the playoffs last year for just the second time in eleven seasons after being absent for five straight. Detroit currently holds the longest streak for post-season appearances at 18 dating back to the 1990-91 season. But hey, no big deal Chicago, because your boys are back!

But in all seriousness, those 13 divisional titles are nothing to laugh at, and the Blackhawks seem poised to win their 14th this season. They have not won a division since 1993 when it was still called Norris, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Minnesota North Stars were in competition for it. But kudos to the Hawks for finally assembling a good team and becoming relevant again; the league is much better when the original teams aren't awful.

Just for arguments sake, you know, about who does or does not suck, since that 1993 season Detroit has won 12 out of a possible 15 Norris/Central titles, and has currently taken home eight in a row. But apparently even celebrities can be just as oblivious as the other imbeciles in Chicago.



Thank you Jeremy Piven, now I'd like to lock you in a dumpster. Cheeeeese.

Seriously though, I'm sure those 1934, 1938, and 1961 teams were fantastic in their own right, and I'm positive the fans were very respectful of the game and our country. Too bad somewhere along the line of 47 years the hockey fans in Chicago forgot about the good ol' days.



What a wonderful tradition. The one moment in all of American sporting events when fans put aside all differences and unite under one banner by taking off their caps, placing their hands over their hearts, and gazing upon the stars and stripes. It is wrong when stupid Canadians boo our National Anthem, just as it is when Americans do the same during O Canada, but what the morons do in Chicago before hockey games is awful, disrespectful, and (dare I say?) un-American. According to this article on nhl.com, this is how the "tradition" started:

Chicago's anthem tradition began during the 1985 conference finals against Edmonton. After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, Hawks fans entered Chicago Stadium on May 9 fully energized and ready to help their team get back into the series. The crowd was so excited they cheered all the way through the National Anthem — and the tradition stuck.

Also within the article, a fan attempts to explain the significance, "In many stadiums and in many sports, the National Anthem has become just part of the routine — rote and perhaps almost ignored," Blackhawks fan Steve Sobel said. "To Chicago Blackhawks fans, it is an integral part of the experience."

Another fan said, "I think back to my dad taking me to Chicago Stadium when I was a kid. (The anthem) was so loud it hurt," Blackhawks fan Ryan Comerford recalled. "I don't think the anthem is something that always has to be heard and taken in some sort of solemn reverence. I cheer because I love my country."

Sorry, but the "Star-Spangled Banner" is a solemn reverence. It pisses me off when people talk through it, much less cheer through it. It was written to commemorate American freedom, our freedom, and that is why people listen to it and cheer after it. If you want to hoot and holler during a patriotic song then play Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." or Neil Diamond's "Coming To America", and save the "Banner" from this mockery. Where else can you go and find an audience yelling and screaming like idiots through an entire song? A Cheetah Girls concert? Most certainly at a really solid Jonas Brothers show. What if Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" was drowned out by his audience during every performance? They would certainly miss the figurative meaning and would probably envision something entirely different from the point.

Hawks fans will argue that they are cheering for the song, for the troops, for America, but that is all BS. Remember, it all began one night when a crowd full of crazed, rude fans wouldn't shut-up during the song. Fact. It is a poor message and a tradition of bad taste. What about the kids in the audience? Is this a good example to make? A positive precedent to send? What happens in the Chicago-area school systems if a child starts yelling and screaming in the middle of it during an event? Do teachers have to remind the children, "Now, Bobby Belfouroenick Esposito Jr, we are not at the United Center today, please shut your mouth, be respectful, and pretend that you are a Red Wings fan for a moment."

Now, Wings fans are known to occasionally run down an aisle and throw a few octopi on the ice in a playoff game during the closing lines of the anthem, and fans cheer the toss. But it is an act made within the context of the game that does not disrupt or disrespect the moment of the song. In fact the fans reserve themselves enough to allow Karen Newman (Wings Anthem singer) to finish before blowing the roof off with hockey-related cheering. In Chicago they could play "Ice Ice Baby" from a ghetto blaster on center ice and it wouldn't make a difference.

Speaking of fan traditions, and speaking of Vanilla Ice, check out this attempt at a new Chicago Blackhawks fight song composed before the playoffs last season:



Yeah, I italicized new because there is an old Chicago Blackhawks fight song:



That is more pathetic than the Detroit Lions Victory Song.

The bottom line is that the Chicago Blackhawks, with nearly 100 years of history, is an underachieving franchise with a fanbase that has been taken over by idiots. Yeah, the theme song is corny and stupid, and the anthem tradition is just plain wrong.

So the stupid fans stupidly chant "Red Wings Suck" at home games. The Wings did suck on Sunday night for sure, but the Hawks haven't won anything yet. Show me a single signature Chicago victory over the Wings since 1992. The season series is split 1-1 after Sunday's shutout; the race for the Central Division isn't over. I'd like to see where the Hawks would be without six or seven of their regular and better skaters, or when the Wings get theirs back.

So chant away, Blackhawks fan, it will only make it sweeter when you fail again.

Peace.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

A Low Moment Amidst A High Time Against the Lightning

By Adam W Parks

Thursday, December 17, 2009 Lightning 0 @ Red Wings 3

Mike Babcock got his 300th career victory as an NHL head coach, Jimmy Howard got his first career shutout as an NHL goaltender, and the Wings got their season-best fourth straight win against the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night...but all milestones came at a mighty cost. Henrik Zetterberg is now the most recent casualty in an already depleted and decimated Detroit roster.

I have never seen Zetterberg get popped so square and so hard like he did on Thursday. Lightning defenseman Mattias Ohlund dropped a shoulder into Hank that stopped him, lifted him, and dropped him down upon his own shoulder. Boom goes the dynamite, Zetterberg out at least two weeks with a slightly separated shoulder. Babcock said after the game, "He’s probably upset with himself...he shouldn’t have got hit like that." Wings color commentator Mickey Redmond immediately pointed out that Z left himself open for the hit as he was reaching for the puck.

Nicklas Lidstrom made a similar assessment: "I can't say it's a bad hit. It's just that Hank was a little bit out of balance. He was reaching for the puck, trying to get it by and Ohlund was making good contact and hit him real solid."

Zetterberg knows he made himself vulnerable for the check: “It was a clean hit. I reached for the puck instead of going for his body, and he made a good hit. Next time I won’t do the same thing.’’

During the replay of the hit Redmond admitted, "I literally could hear that hit through my headphones. If that did not knock the wind out of him I don't know what will."

So What Now?

It has appeared as if nothing can hold the Wings down of late. They came back from an 0-2 deficit against Anaheim, survived a 2-0 comeback from Nashville, and won both games by a 3-2 final in overtime. They then dismantled Ilya Bryzgalov, arguably the best goalie in the league this season, and a good Coyotes team 3-1 before goose-egging the Lightning. But these victories came sans some recently injured players in Dan Cleary (shoulder) who was lost in the game against St. Louis, and Jonathan Ericsson (knee) who went down in the Phoenix game. And now without Zetterberg it will be interesting to see if the Wings can continue winning on a regular basis.

The way that this team has persevered and kept getting victories through these tumultuous injuries has been nothing short of amazing, as is the job that Babcock has done in keeping his players focused and positive. But this latest cataclysmic loss may prove more than even the Wings can endure. Hank leads the Wings with 32 points and is second on the roster with ten goals despite only scoring once in his last 15 and none in the past nine (including Thursday). That kind of production, albeit erratic, is simply impossible to replace.

Detroit has gotten this far this season largely in part from the skaters on the lower lines and not relying solely on the big guns like Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Nicklas Lidstrom. It has worked well this far, but take a look at the centers that Babcock has left to work with now (besideds Datsyuk): Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, and Kris Newbury.

Helm missed Thursday's game and the one before with a strained tendon in his wrist and is still experiencing pain, so it remains to be seen how effective he will be. He was a borderline Griffin before the season started but has become one of the best skaters every night for the Wings. Abdelkader was deemed not quite ready for a full role in Detroit and was expecting a stint in Grand Rapids, but like Helm, he has been one of the hardest workers on both ends of the ice. Newbury, Helm's replacement, had a fantastic debut with the Wings against the Coyotes, but was only supposed to be in the lineup for a couple of games. Now he will probably be relied upon through the New Year until either Zetterberg or Valtteri Filppula can return.

These three centers have played hard and have been essential to Detroit's success this season, but between the three of them they have scored a combined seven goals and 15 points. How much more do these guys have to offer? How much more can be asked of them? Is Helm ready to be a #2 center? Can Abdelkader become more of an offensive option in his rookie season? Will Newbury be able to continue his aggressive style of play in the NHL without drawing bad penalties?

Pav's Pressure

Perhaps a better question is will Pavel Datsyuk be able to handle the duties of being the true #1 guy without the assistance of so many weapons? Even with Zetterberg in the lineup, Pav has seen the ice shrink in front of him without weapons like Filppula, Johan Franzen, and Jason Williams, and he has struggled to score and create plays with all the added attention he has been receiving. Pav has just seven goals in 31 games this season with just one in the last 13, and now he will have to face every top defender and every top line in every game while Z is on the shelf. If necessary teams will be able to double up on him as the lower lines will not pose nearly as much of a threat.

As the Tampa game progressed without Hank on the ice it was obvious that Pav was not getting much room to work with, but he was able to make a fantastic defensive play that set up a great goal for one of his wingers.

In his own zone, Lightning defenseman Lukas Krajicek attempted to move the puck past Datsyuk and failed miserably. Pav dropped a backhand pass along the boards from the Tampa Bay blue line to Tomas Holmstrom who made a Datsyukian-type deke around a sliding defender and fed a crashing Todd Bertuzzi. Bert redirected the pass past goalie Mike Smith for his ninth of the season and fifth in the last four games. Bert has been the hottest Wing during this four-game stretch, getting both overtime goals against the Ducks and Predators, but his goal Thursday night never would have materialized without the stellar steal from Datsyuk.

Defensively, he is the same old #13, but Pav's scoring struggles are likely to continue unless all of the guys around him can elevate their games more than what they already have. But goals will have to come from that top line. If Datsyuk can continue to create plays for his linemates, and if Bert and Holmer can continue to capitalize on those opportunities, and if THEY ALL CAN STAY HEALTHY, then the Wings might just be alright.

Anyway, How Bout Dem Wings? How Bout dat Goalie?

Detroit has looked more comfortable and assertive early on in recent games. On Thursday they showed more confidence in the first period than I have seen in quite a few games, despite being out-shot, out-hit, and losing their best player. Tampa Bay also had the advantage in the man-advantage department with five power plays to Detroit's two, but could just muster three shots with the extra skater. Once an area of great concern this season, the Wings' penalty killing unit has been stellar of late, shutting down 36 of the last 37 shorthanded situations over an eleven game span.

Tampa topped the Wings in shots in every period and out-shot them 30-22 for the game, but Howard was there to neutralize the Lightning. This guy is incredible! I can't imagine where the Wings would be this season without him. He has been so active around the net by challenging shooters, redirecting rebounds safely away from opposing sticks and pouncing on loose pucks in the goal crease. The shutout lowered his goals-against average to 2.27 for the season, and Howie has only allowed an average of 1.87 goals per game in the last ten. With the way he has been playing over the last month and a half, it was only a matter of time for Howard to get that elusive first career shutout.

Thursday night he had a little extra motivation as his grandparents travelled from Oswego, New York, and were in attendance at the Joe to see Howard play an NHL game for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa got a good show as their little Jim-Jim earned himself his first career shutout. "It's exciting," Howard said. "To do it in front of my grandparents is something real special. They're a good-luck charm, I guess."

A great night for the grandparents, and a great night for the goaltender.

300 With A Bullet

While Howard got his shutout, Mike Babcock got his 300th win. Babcock has been a perfect fit in Detroit, the much-needed replacement to Scotty Bowman, and his numbers reflect it. In his six full seasons as a head coach in the NHL (two with the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, four with the Awesome Red Wings of Detroit), Babcock's 282 victories are more than any other coach during that span, and he currently ranks 13th amongst all active NHL coaches. In each of his four full seasons in Detroit he has won at least 50 games, a feat Bowman accomplished only twice with the Wings: 62 in 1995-96, and 51 in 2001-02. Babcock's Wings have also won its division in each of his four seasons, while Bowman achieved that in six of his nine seasons in Hockeytown.

His success has come with an overabundance of modesty, which he expressed in full with regards to #300. "It just means I've coached good players and I've been in the league a while," Babcock said. "When I first started, I thought if I could coach 300 games, that would be a home run. And then after you've been in the league a while, you start to think you belong and you get to stay a while."

In his first season as an NHL head coach with Anaheim he led Jean-Sebastien Giguere and the Mighty Ducks past the Bowman-less Wings and all the way to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals where his Ducks were defeated in seven games by the New Jersey Devils. He has coached three of his teams to the Stanley Cup Finals and has gone as far as the Western Conference Finals in four of his six seasons. Babcock won one wonderful Stanley Cup with the Wings in 2008 over the stupid Pittsburgh Penguins, proving that Detroit could still get to the promised land without Bowman behind the bench and Steve Yzerman on the ice.

However this season might be Babcock's finest as a coach, regardless of where they finish in the standings or how far they might make it in the playoffs. Think about what he has had to deal with this season. Th key free agent losses in Mary-Ann Hossuck, Mikael Samuelssuck, Ty Sucklin, and Tomas Kosucky (blah, blah, blah salary cap restrictions, whatever, if you're not a Wing, you suck). Jiri Hudler fled the U.S., his team, and his contract to chase non-taxable Russian rubles. All the injuries (you know who they are and I'm tired of listing them). He has had to deal with a goaltender situation that has seen the struggling Chris Osgood lose several starts to the more trusted and relied upon rookie. And yet, Babcock's Wings are confident, composed, and are creating more and more chemistry in the face of adversity. He has Detroit in a position where they can be seen in the playoff picture, and they could be the most dangerous team in the West if/when they get healthy.

Mike Babcock has never won the Jack Adams Award for the league's best coach, but so far this season he has been the most deserving.

Congrats on #300 coach.

Peace

Wings Top SI's Decade List

By Adam W Parks

It's December of 2009. About time for everyone to start ranking their 'best of the decade' lists. Sports Illustrated Magazine ranked its decade's best and worst for the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings taking the top honors in several categories.

From Michael Farber, SI.com:

PLAYER OF THE DECADE: Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
He's a man for his era, a defenseman who is practically perfect in every way. With post-lockout rule changes making the off-the-glass, crease-clearing blueline behemoth practically obsolete, the ability to play positional hockey and move the puck became paramount. Lidstrom, a Swede, was the most accomplished at the refined art, winning six Norris Trophies in the decade and becoming the first European to captain a Stanley Cup champion.

BEST COACH: Mike Babcock, Ducks and Red Wings
Canada's 2010 Olympic coach took teams to three Stanley Cup Finals, winning with Detroit in 2008 and losing Game 7s with the middling Ducks in 2003 and the defending champion Red Wings last June. Babcock is relentless and fanatical about details, figuring if the small stuff is perfect, the big picture will take care of itself. He knows the game and -- as important -- the makeup of his teams and character of his players as well as any coach in the post-expansion era.

BEST GM: Ken Holland, Red Wings
Without the gaudy top draft picks that have helped turn teams into champions - Pittsburgh is Exhibit A -- the Red Wings under Holland simply go about their annual exercise of excellence. The result: Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008 and a trip to the 2009 final. Holland has had fewer salary-cap problems than the estimable Lou Lamoriello of New Jersey, demonstrating a remarkable ability to navigate his franchise no matter what the economic system. Of course, Holland has the NHL's best support group, which included Scotty Bowman (until he left for Chicago in 2008) and still boasts assistant GM Jim Nill and European scouting director Hakan Andersson.

BEST FRANCHISE: Red Wings
Sure, they won two Cups and an NHL-best 15 playoff rounds during the decade, but the following explains why the Red Wings are the franchise of the 2000s: Hakan Andersson, their eyes in Europe, suggested that Holland select a lanky center from Sweden named Jonathan Ericsson with the 291st, and last, pick of the 2002 draft. After the draft, Andersson went to Ericsson's coach and told him he would be better off putting the lanky kid on defense. Ericsson is now in Detroit's top six, a defenseman with star potential.

Not that there is much of an argument for any of those above, but this one is a dead-on hit on the nowe:

BEST SINGLE-SEASON TEAM: 2001-02 Red Wings
Their fourth line in the 2002 Stanley Cup finals featured Igor Larionov centering Luc Robitaille and Tomas Holmstrom. Larionov and Robitaille are now in the Hall of Fame. (Holmstrom will also be going if the Hall establishes a wing for players who set up shop on the edge of the crease during power plays and talk trash.) While Detroit's 116 regular-season points fell two shy of Colorado's team of all-stars the previous year, the Wings' credentials were impeccable. Robitaille and Larionov represent just a sliver of slam-dunk Hall of Famers on that team, which included Steve Yzerman and Brett Hull (already enshrined), Dominik Hasek, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov.

This one goes out to Munchum:

BIGGEST NEAR-MISS: Jim Balsillie attempt to buy the Coyotes, 2009
The future of more than a franchise rested in the hands of a Phoenix bankruptcy court judge with the mellifluous name of Redfield T. Baum. If Baum had ruled (against a 26-0 vote of the NHL's Board of Governors) that Balsillie had the best bid for the franchise, pro sports could have turned into a free-for-all. In theory, any potential owner could then have bought -- and relocated -- a team, league rules and wishes be damned. Judge Baum ultimately rejected both Balsillie's and the NHL's bids, but in November awarded the team to the league after it tweaked its bid. Balsillie, the Research in Motion co-CEO, chose not to drag out the legal proceedings with an appeal. That sound you heard was all pro sports franchises heaving a sigh of relief.

This one I called nearly a month ago:

WORST FRANCHISE: Thrashers
Sorry to pick on them, but they edge the Blue Jackets for this dubious on-ice distinction. Both made the playoffs once in the decade. Both were swept in four games, mostly because you can't be eliminated in three. The difference is that Atlanta goalie Kari Lehtonen colored his hair a Thrashers shade of blue to help, ahem, inspire the team. (So much for dyeing and going to heaven.) The Jackets look like they have a firmer foundation heading into the next decade than Atlanta, which, if it can't re-sign potential unrestricted free agent Ilya Kovalchuk, might as well padlock Philips Arena. (Off the ice, of course, the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes, currently wards of the league, are the runaway winner.)

Peace.

Wings Hope to Avoid Lightning Storm Tonight, Familiar Faces Return to Ice

By Adam W Parks

The Wings will look to win a season-high fourth-straight game tonight by avoiding being struck by the Lightning. With just 31 points, Tampa Bay ranks amongst the league's worst, but that doesn't mean they're a bad team. Like the Wings, the Lightning have struggled from a few injuries and a few slumping scorers, but they are only eight points behind Detroit. Tampa is in a four-way tie with the Flyers, Rangers, and Maple Leafs for second to last place in the Eastern Conference, but they are currently only two points away from a playoff spot.

Despite being ranked third-worst in the NHL in scoring with an average of only 2.42 goals per game, Tampa has several potentially dangerous bolts on the roster. Martin St. Louis leads the Lightning with 35 points, and the 2008 number one overall draft selection Steven Stamkos is tied for fourth in the league with 18 goals. Ryan Malone is second on the squad with 16 goals, and superstar Vincent Lecavalier (29 points) is finally beginning to emerge from his relatively slow start to the season. Vinny only has eight goals on the season, but he potted a pair in his last game after going dry for five games.

Babcock: Don't Look Back

No other team has had to deal with and fight through the same sort of adversity as the Wings have this season, what with all the injuries rippling through the roster. Jonathan Ericsson is just the most recent in a list that includes Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Jason Williams, Niklas Kronwall, and Dan Cleary. Darren Helm (wrist) will miss tonight's game but is considered just day-to-day and should return soon.

As much complaining that can be done about this unfortunate luck, the Wings must continue move forward without excuses. Sitting on 299 career wins, coach Mike Babcock concentrates on what he has left, not what he has missing.

“If we’re waiting for them, we’re not making the playoffs,’’ Babcock said. “So our attitude is just find a way to win every night. I think guys have done a real good job with that, played really hard, given us a chance. That’s all you can ask for. We’re hanging in there.’’

He may not admit it, but I will. The sooner some of these guys come back, the better. The Wings have been able to scrape by so far and are okay with where they are at, all things considered, but any more hits to the roster could prove devastating. We shall see how the latest loss (Ericsson) effects Detroit tonight.

Janik Returns To Detroit

Filling the gap left by Ericsson will be Doug Janik (6' 1", 215), the tough-minded, steady-skating blue liner from Grand Rapids. He was recalled to Detroit once already this season for a 2-0 victory over Boston in early November, but now he will fill the roster on a regular basis until either Ericsson or Kronwall are ready to return.

"I'm not sure what my role will be," said Janik. "I've just got to go out there whenever they use me, try to the best job I can, keep my game simple and help the team."

Detroit captain and all-around awesome guy Nicklas Lidstrom believes Janik can be an asset rather than just a fill-in. "He can help us defensively, especially on the (penalty kill), being in shooting lanes. We need guys who can play steady defense.''

Kris Newbury, in the lineup for the second straight game tonight in place of Helm, holds Janik in high regard and has nothing but praise for his fellow Griffin. "He's real steady, good defensively. He's one of our leaders down there. He's a big guy in front, so he's very strong. He's very strong on the puck as well. He likes to block shots, clears the puck when he can.''

"Everyone here is so nice, they're very welcoming," Janik said. "We play a similar system there in Grand Rapids so it's a pretty easy transition. I just try to play steady, take care of defense first and move the puck out. That's what I've been doing down there and that's what I'll try to do here."

If Janik is able to do that, he will be just fine and the Wings should not miss much of a beat.

Filp, Franz, and Kronner Skate

As was reported a few weeks ago, Valtteri Filppula returned to the ice last week after having the cast removed from his broken wrist, an injury sustained in a game back on October 29. On Wednesday he returned to practice with his teammates but is not quite ready for contact.

“First time shooting the puck, it felt surprisingly good,’’ Filppula said. “Just wrist shots. Trying to get the strength back, get the motion all the way back.’’

All I want for Christmas is a healthy hockey team, and Filps is aiming for a full return shortly after the holiday. Hallelujah!

Apparently a Mule was scented on the ice at Joe Louis Arena. That's right kids, Johan Franzen laced up his skates and tested out his surgically repaired knee this week. Double Hallelujah!!

Franzen was lost in the third game of the season and had surgery on October 16. He has already stated that he will not be skating for his native Sweden during the Olympics, and he is still a ways off from returning to the Wings. Nevertheless, this is a great little bit of news for a fanbase that has suffered through a whole lot of bad news since his injury.

“It felt good, so I wanted to get out there to play around, play with the puck a little bit,” Franzen said. “I wasn’t hoping for a good workout or anything like that. I wanted to smell the ice and feel my stick.”

Scent of a Mule! You better watch out where you skate! We need you back at full strength for the postseason! Here, bask in these highlights and dream about March. Wha Wha Whoa Whoa Whoa.



I love that clip of him grabbing Patrick Kane's mouthgaurd right from his stinking teeth. Let's see that again.



Also getting back on the ice was Kronwall who, like Franzen, is out with a banged up knee. Kronner's injury was not as serious as the Mule's, but he is still expected to be out for several more weeks.

“Any time when you’re able to get on the ice again it feels like you’re on the right track,” said Kronwall. “It felt good and it was a step in the right direction. Now we have to start focusing in on getting the knee stronger and I’ll be back soon. I can still feel it’s a little weak and a little loose, just not there yet to compete in practice.’’

Another great sign for a Wings team that is managing to hold itself together with the help of leadership from the big names, extra effort from the role players, and solid minutes from the Grand Rapids guys. Here is what the lineups should look like tonight against Tampa Bay with Jimmy Howard getting another start in net:

Bertuzzi-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Leino-Zetterberg-Eaves
Draper-Abdelkader-Miller
May-Newbury-Maltby

Lidstrom-Meech
Janik-Rafalski
Lebda-Stuart

Peace. Stay Healthy.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Wings Win Third In A Row, Lose Sixth Skater To Injury

By Adam W Parks

Monday, December 14, 2009 Coyotes 2 @ Red Wings 3

On October 22 the Wings began a grueling road trip out West by first traveling to Phoenix to take on the confident Coyotes who were playing as good as any team in the league. The main reason for the Yotes success? Ilya Bryzgalov. Detroit lost in overtime in the desert and the young goaltender stopped 31 shots.

Since that victory Phoenix has maintained a fairly consistent season by relying on their goalie on a nightly basis. Heading into the game on Monday the Coyotes had earned 13 points in their last seven games (6-0-1) and Bryzgalov had a goals-against average of 1.95 over that stretch. He earned the honors of being named the NHL's third star in the week prior with a shutout and a 2-0-1 record, and his suffocating 0.97 GAA and .968 save percentage.

But on Monday in Joe Louis Arena Bryzzy was not the same Bryzzy from last week, or even October 22. This Bryzzy managed to stop 29 of Detroit's 32 shots on goal, but he coughed up a pair of first period goals and appeared shaky throughout most of the game. Pucks seemed to squirt out of his pads and dance around the goal line as the Wings could have, should have had more than three goals.

Detroit's Biggest Stars Dimmed, Little Ones Get It Done

This game is precisely why I am not worried (at the moment) about these Wings this season. Take a look at the boxscore from Monday, or just continue reading on. Not one of Detroit's big names made it onto the score sheet. Pavel Datsyuk: 0 points, 3 shots, -2 rating. Henrik Zetterberg: 0 points, 1 shot, +1. Nicklas Lidstrom: 0 points, 3 shots, even. Todd Bertuzzi: 0 points, 5 shots, -1. Tomas Holmstrom: 0 points, 3 shots, -2. It was the other ones who killed the Coyotes on Monday.

Is this a problem? Well, yes, you never want to see your best players struggle like that, unless they are being supported by the guys on the lower lines. In a situation like Detroit's, where a large portion of the offensive fire power is on the shelf, a team must get help and rely on unlikely sources to carry them through certain games when the usual suspects are not getting it done.

Check out the goal scorers for the Wings on Monday: Kris Newbury, Derek Meech, and Patrick Eaves. Look at who picked up assists on those goals: Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller, Brad Stuart, and Kris Draper. For Eaves it was just his third goal and ninth point of the season, and Meech's goal was his first point of the season. Meech has played 17 games this season and is now a regular on the blue line with Niklas Kronwall out for a few more weeks. As Meech brought the puck across the blue line it hopped up on its edge before he ripped a slap shot that fooled and "knuckled" past Bryzgalov.



Ahhhh, one of the greatest moments in cinematic history. Here is Meech talking about his first goal/point of the season:



A Newbury Sandwich

What a debut for Newbury! The 27-year-old got the call up from the Griffins to replace Darren Helm (wrist, day-to-day) in the lineup the morning of the game. “I got the call this morning and got here as fast as I could,” Newbury said. “I didn’t even get a nap. I just laid on the bed in the hotel until I came to the arena tonight.” Despite a lack of notice and sleep, he was able to make his presence known throughout the Joe early and often in his first game with the Wings.

On his first shift Newbury was whistled for goaltender interference when he gracefully smashed into Bryzgalov. The play was inadvertent and probably would have been overlooked for most of the other skaters on the ice, but the new guy got no love from the refs. Newbury leads Grand Rapids with 95 penalty minutes this season, so the bad boy box was fine and familiar for him.

Coming off of three straight nights in a row with the Griffins, Newbury may have had a few nerves but did not show any rust. In the game with Grand Rapids the night before in Toronto he scored a goal and also assisted twice against the Marlies. On his second shift with the Wings he scored the first goal of the game on his first NHL shot of the season. Kris Draper corralled a bouncing puck while skating towards the net and passed the puck across the ice. The puck slid by Drew Miller and landed right on the tape of the crashing Newbury.

"I was just trying to get my feet moving and drive to the middle, and the puck was just laying right there," Newbury said. "It was a little bit of a scary start for me, taking that penalty. But then, obviously, coming right out of the box and scoring was a little bit of a high."

On his third shift Newbury was called for another penalty, a tripping call, and took his seat back in the penalty box. In the first ten minutes of the game the newest Wing managed to take two penalties and score a goal and finished with two shots, one takeaway, no giveaways, and a blocked shot. He also won two of his three faceoffs in less than eight minutes of ice time in the entire game. Damn, that is a lot of production in such limited minutes. It doesn't get much better than that for a guy who never expected to be called up this season.

Coach Mike Babcock was pleased with Newbury's performance: "I really liked the addition of Newbury. I thought he had grit and good determination."

“It was a roller coaster first period for me taking those two penalties,” Newbury said. “It was just good to get that goal.” Yeah, for you and the team. Who knows where the game might have gone if the least likely of Detroit's goal-scorers had not broken through Bryzgalov in the first six minutes of the game?

Ericsson Down and Out

Talk about salting the snail. With about five minutes left in the first period, the Wings gave up a goal and lost another key component. Jonathan Ericsson was pestered deep in the Detroit zone by Phoenix winger Taylor Pyatt and, without getting his head up, was unprepared for Shane Doan's check coming from the other direction. Ericsson crumpled immediately to the ice clutching his knee. Unable to rise and rejoin the play, the big defender lay motionless as the Coyotes maintained possession of the puck and eventually got a goal from Pyatt.

It was a scary scene. Ericsson has had his struggles of late in his first full season in the NHL, but he has been one of most relied upon defensemen for Detroit. Watching the replay of the hit, it did not look malicious or dirty. Doan put a good check on Ericsson and the knees collided inadvertantly. It was an entirely different situation as the Niklas Kronwall injury, where George Laraque left his stupid fat leg out on purpose. Doan expressed concern about the injury, and Ericsson admitted the play was clean, just another one of those unfortunate collisions to sideline another important member of the Wings' roster.

As Ericsson was helped off the ice, unable to put any weight on the injured knee, it could only be expected that he would be out for an extended period of time. Worst case scenario would have been a Johan Franzen-type injury to one of the major ligaments in the knee. Best case, a bruise of sorts with no structural damage. Fortunately for him and the Wings, it was the latter: a deep bone bruise and a calf sprain, all ligaments intact. Detroit general manager was relieved under the circumstances that Ericsson will not miss a major portion of the season.

"We'll have a better feel in a week of how he's healing up,'' Holland said. "We're fortunate it's only two weeks or more. It looked like it could have been significantly worse.''

Two weeks? Please! That's nothing compared to everything else this team has had to deal with. Doug Janik will get the call up from Grand Rapids to replace the spot on defense.

Nugs and Notes

Yotes Stayin' Put-The Phoenix Coyotes declared bankruptcy earlier this year and the franchise off the ice has been in a state of flux and frustration for too long. NHL commissioner and resident moron likes having hockey teams in warm weather cities, and on November 3 the sale of the franchise to the league became final. For a cool $140 million, the NHL now currently owns the team with the hopes of selling it off to any potential buyer that will be committed to keeping the Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona...essentially force-feeding a cold weather sport into a warm weather market.

Recently, a conglomerate of individuals in the Phoenix area have created a company called Ice Edge Holdings, LLC, for the sole purpose of buying the team without any intentions to relocate. Bill Daly, NHL Deputy Commissioner, posted the following statement about a week ago in regards to the possible sale:

"The NHL and Ice Edge Holdings announced today that they have entered into a Letter of Intent to proceed in attempting to document and close a proposed transaction pursuant to which Ice Edge would purchase the Phoenix Coyotes' franchise. While much remains to be done, the NHL looks forward to working closely with Ice Edge to bring the sale to conclusion as expeditiously as possible. Ice Edge has committed to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona."

My question is why? Why is there such a strong urge to keep professional hockey in that part of the country? Is it because Bettman does not want to admit failure? If you remember, the Coyotes used to be the Jets from Winnipeg, Manitoba, where kids grow up wearing skates and hockey is the number one past time. There are plenty of other markets in North America that would fully embrace and support an NHL team. The Coyotes have already failed once as a franchise in Phoenix. Even Wayne Gretzky couldn't save them.

Mickeyism

Normally Mickey Redmond knows full well when he is saying something crazy and funny, but Monday he was victim to those with low-brow senses of humor such as myself when he said this: "Maltby's mad at himself for not getting it up." That's what she said Mick, that's what she said.

Peace.

Wings Skate Along Different Path, Find Similar Outcome

By Adam W Parks

Saturday, December 12, 2009 Red Wings 3 @ Predators 2 OT


















Another night, another 3-2 overtime victory for the Wings, and look who is in the center of that picture. Yup! Another game-winning overtime goal for Todd Bertuzzi!

Whereas they had to stage a comeback from an 0-2 deficit against Anaheim the night before, Detroit actually scored first, and second against Nashville, but allowed the Predators to get back into the game and force an extra session. In dramatic fashion, Detroit picked up a much-needed point on their Central Division rivals and are now 2-0 after losing Dan Cleary to a separated shoulder. With all the adversity they have faced, the Wings have hung in and are quite relevant in the Western Conference playoff picture. When last season they were the most feared team in the West, this group may be the most dangerous this season once all their pieces are back in place.

As for the remaining players who are not sidelined by injury, they are beginning to gel and rally together. "Role" players like Drew Miller and Patrick Eaves are stepping up and filling gaps, and the stars that are left are persevering and still producing. Despite not scoring a goal in the last seven games, Henrik Zetterberg is still averaging about a point per game (32 in 33 games). Pavel Datsyuk has only scored once in the past eleven games, though he has three assists in the last two including a pair on Saturday. But, however unlikely it may seem, it has been Bertuzzi that has been the most brilliant in the past couple of games.

Bert Does It Again, and Then Again

Hey Bert, what's wrong Bert? You scored two more goals on Saturday, Bert. And you got another overtime goal, Bert. But Bert, you still look like a caveman, Bert.

When Cleary went down with that untimely shoulder injury, two different scenarios were likely play out. 1) The Wings would wallow in pity and lose important points in games and ground in the standings. 2) Someone would step in with an iron will and a sturdy back and carry Hockeytown through another rough patch of this rough season. Honestly? I figured it would be the former.

With so many injuries rippling through this roster, how often can the Wings expect to put the rally caps on and bounce back with what they have left in the cupboard? Let's go through the names again: Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Jason Williams, Niklas Kronwall, Dan Cleary...am I missing anyone? Probably, but I'm tired of harping on it.

Bertuzzi, at least for now, has given this team reason to believe that they can pull together and drag this thing along for a while and wait for guys to return to the lineup. What he did against Anaheim was amazing. What he did against Nashville was unbelievable. His first goal, the first goal of the game, came off a nifty (if not lucky) shot that beat Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne on the far side. Bert carried the puck from the blue line along the right side boards to the circle, pulled off a little spin-o-rama move on a defender, and sent a blind backhand towards the net. At 6' 5", Rinne is a big boy between the pipes, and Bert's shot somehow made it's way underneath and past his pads.

That goal was as impressive as it was flukey. It is nice to see that Bertuzzi can still put on the brakes and handle the puck like that, but it is even nicer to see him finish the play. His overtime goal was both nice and impressive without a single trace of flukiness. Datsyuk swiped the puck away from a Predator and fed Bert an outlet pass that sprung the big guy on a breakaway. With a combination of speed and strength that is a relatively rare commodity in the NHL, he outskated the Nashville defender and positioned himself in a way that he could protect the puck, and then put a quick, solid move on Rinne.

If you missed the highlights of the game, check them out below. Never mind the idiot commentators who think it was Zetterberg with the breakaway winner.



Osgood Does Good

If you did not know, Chris Osgood had not won a game since November 5 against San Jose when he allowed just one goal on 34 shots. Granted, that was a great victory for Ozzie and the Wings over a Sharks team that still leads the West, but it happened over a month ago. Since that game, and before Saturday's, he had gone 0-3-2 in his last five starts, and now it appears (though nothing has been made official) that Jimmy Howard has taken over the regular starting goaltender position in Detroit.

Osgood stopped 33 shots from the Predators and held on when his team needed him the most. Despite being up 2-0 in the second period, Nashville battled back to tie things up early in the third. The Wings were outshot by a staggering 19-8 discrepancy in the second, and then again 11-6 in the third. Detroit could have folded under the Predators' pressure, but they maintained and survived through regulation, thanks mostly to Ozzie.

As big of a win as this was for the Wings, it was monumental for Osgood as he desperately needed something positive to build off of. Detroit will need him playing at a high level later in the season if they hope to have any shot at advancing in, or even making it into the playoffs. The future is unclear as to who will be the goalie that will be counted on down the road, but if Ozzie can regain some resemblance of himself then Detroit will be all the better for it...whether he is the starter or not. With the win he improved to 7-5-4 on the season.

Miller Time

Remember when I mentioned how "role" players were beginning to step it up for the Wings? Remember when I mentioned Drew Miller's name? Yeah, I did that on purpose. Miller potted the second goal of the game for the Wings in the second period by instinctively swatting the puck out of midair. The puck was well-below the cross bar as the refs actually got a call correct and utilized the video replay in a way that actually made sense.

Pavel Datsyuk started the play by intercepting a pass and taking the puck all the way deep into the Nashville zone. Pav sent a backhand shot that went over the should of Rinne, hit the post, and bounced to the waiting Miller. A great play from a Russian to an American, proving that the two former Cold War rivals can indeed work together to make Hockeytown a better place.

Miller also assisted on Bertuzzi's first goal earlier in the same period, and the two-point night is his first in a Wings jersey. He is one of those unexpected goal-scoring sources for the Wings as three of his four points on the season have gone for goals.

Griffin Eggs

Helm Down, but Not Quite Out-The speedy Darren Helm strained a tendon in his wrist but did not pull a Filppula. Helm was able to remain in the game and should not miss too much time with the minor injury.

"He's day-to-day, we're hoping he's OK for Thursday (vs. Tampa Bay),'' Holland said.

Helm races around the ice and forechecks as good as anyone for Detroit. He creates mismatches and problems for the defense no matter what line he is on or who he is going against. The Wings dodged a bullet with this injury as they could not afford to lose him for a long period of time.

Peace.