Howard, Wings Get A Win On Hockey's Greatest Stage

By Adam W Parks

Sunday, December 6, 2009 Red Wings 3 @ Rangers 1

New York, New York! The Wings went into the city that very rarely rests and wrangled the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Detroit was able to avoid dropping three straight games (despite going down 0-1 and allowing yet another first period goal) with a fiery intermission rally session from Kris Draper, a streak-snapping goal by Pavel Datsyuk, a Dan Cleary game-winner (with a little help from Henrik Lundqvist), and a career game from goaltender Jimmy Howard.

If You Can Make It Here, You Can Make It Anywhere!

New York City can be intimidating to even the coolest of cats, but Howard stepped up and played his best game of the season in his first NHL appearance in the Big Apple. Hailing from Syracuse in northern New York, the Wings' rookie goalie grew up watching the Rangers and idolizing fellow American and Stanley Cup winning puck-stopper Mike Richter. Howard stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced and could not contain his exuberance from the victory in his home state during a postgame interview with Fox Sports Detroit's Trevor Thompson:

"This is a very very special win. Growing up, a northern New York kid, I watched whenever I could, the Rangers on the MSG Network. And to get a chance to go out and play in this building and get a win, it's something really special."

Howie's best stop of the night is sure to be a highlight of his hopefully bright career. Amidst a barrage of Rangers shots in the first period, New York winger Ryan Callahan was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked down by Jonathan Ericsson. The stage was set for the most exciting play in hockey inside the most exciting venue in the NHL, and Jimmy Howard stole the spotlight by kicking out his left pad to make a tremendous toe save.

“I figured when he was going out there wide, he was going to do that little stop-back move,’’ Howard said. “When he got to the top of the crease, he continued going and it was basically desperation, get something over there, and luckily I was able to get a toe on it.’’

Most of Howard's 28 saves were nothing short of spectacular as several of New York's shots came off of excellent, high-quality scoring chances. Coach Mike Babcock to said of his rookie backup goalie, "He had Velcro on him, the puck stuck to him." Howard got the start after Chris Osgood continued his struggling ways in a 3-4 shootout loss across the Hudson River in New Jersey the previous night, and now whispers are getting louder that Howard may supplant Osgood as the Wings' #1. Ozzie fought through rough play last season, but the Wings had Ty Conklin and enough offensive fire power to rely upon. Howard is proving to be just as solid of a backup as Conklin and gives the Wings a chance to win every night. Howard will get the start at home against the Blues on Wednesday, and for the time being, should be the regular starting goalie for Detroit until Osgood can reclaim the job.

Howard's New York Breakthrough Debut Just A Routine Event at the Garden

Jimmy Howard, stopping 28 shots, got his first victory in New York in the same building that Michael Jordan, scoring 33 points, played his first ever NBA game.

MSG. The Garden. "The World's Most Famous Arena." That giant freaking building on 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd. Whatever you refer to it as, Madison Square Garden is the entertainment epicenter of America's epicenter. The current Garden was constructed in 1968 and is actually the fourth Garden built in New York. It has been the host of numerous memorable and historical events in the realm of sports, music, and popular culture. It was the site of the "Fight of the Century" in 1971 between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, and the first rematch in 1974, "Ali-Frazier II". Marilyn Monroe sang the famous "Happy Birthday...Mr. President" line to John F. Kennedy there during his 45th birthday party. And Hulkamania was born at The Garden when Hulk Hogan made short work of The Iron Sheik to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship in 1984.

As far as live concerts go, the Garden is the meccha for indoor venues in the United States. Michael Jackson made his first ever concert appearance there with the Jackson 5 at a Miss Black America Pageant in 1969. John Lennon made his final concert appearance at The Garden in 1974 by making a surprise cameo during an Elton John show. The Who through down in 1974 at MSG for four consecutive concerts that only needed a few hours to sell out sold off of just a single radio announcement, broadcasted six months prior. Three years later, Led Zeppelin sold out six-straight shows with just word of mouth and street demand. The Garden got psychedelic 54 times with the Grateful Dead as it was a favorite East Coast spot for Jerry Garcia and company to get weird...and if you know me at all, you probably know where I'm going next...

Yup, Madison Square Garden is also a favorite place for Phish, who has played the venue 16 times. On four occasions Phish has performed New Year's Eve celebrations there, and their December 31, 1995 show was dubbed by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the "Greatest Concerts of the 90s". Read about it here. Listen to it here. My own first Phish experience came at Madison Square Garden, another New Year's bash on December 31, 2002. It was my first trip to New York, an all-night road trip with my friend James from Coldwater, MI to his girlfriend Katrina's apartment in Manhattan (so much thanks to the Paleski's for graciously offering their living room, and bathtub, for me to sleep in). It was a special night (besides being in New York for the New Year) as Phish was playing their first concert after a more than two-year hiatus. We were fortunate to have tickets in hand as extras were scarce; I saw a girl burst into tears of pure joy as she shelled out $500 for a single ticket. Another not-so-lucky girl held a sign that she had scrawled: I DROVE ALL THE WAY FROM ANCHORAGE, PLEASE SELL ME YOUR EXTRA.

It was an exhilarating experience trying to soak in the Madison Square Garden mystique as I wandered around aimlessly with my good friends James, Katrina, and Tim. There is a sign as you enter MSG that reads: THIS IS THE PLACE. In an email conversation, James recalled, "The Garden is the place. No more needs to be said." From the streets outside, to the long corridors inside, to our seats slightly behind the stage (Page side), I was absolutely astounded at the size and grandeur of the venue. Completely overwhelmed by the circumstances of my visit, I hope to return to The Garden sometime to take in a hockey game. Until then, my memories of the venue will remain similar to this video:



Anyway, I've rambled on long enough about non-Wings related things, so back to the game.

Intensity the Key, Detroit Matches Drape's

For the rest of the Red Wings not named Jimmy Howard, this was not necessarily a picture-perfect win. Detroit out shot New York 14-6 in the first period, but gave up four good scoring opportunities and a goal in the opening session. In the previous ten games (3-5-2), the Wings had been outscored 5-12 in the first periods of play and had lost six after allowing the first goal of the game. After Brian Boyle scored a tip-in goal with about five minutes left in the first, alternate captain Kris Draper ripped himself and his teammates in the locker room.

“I just got in there and had a little bit of a snap and kept on going,’’ Draper said. “I was embarrassed (by) the way I played in the first period. I look at myself as one of the leaders on the team, work ethic-wise and emotion-wise, and I didn’t think anything was there.’’

Draper continued to rant about his rant:

“This one just kind of came from the heart. I started and things kept coming to me. There’s so much tradition, it’s such a great jersey to put on day in and day out. I have a lot of pride being a Red Wing. I just kind of felt we weren’t playing with enough pride. That was one of the things I tried to hammer home.’’

Sounds similar to something that Steve Yzerman might have said in his day. Draper is the second-longest tenured Wing on the team and is more of a vocal leader than captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Usually positive, loose, and joking around (that is him kissing the lathered face of Kirk Maltby), Drapes must have struck a nerve with his teammates as Detroit came out in the second and third periods and looked like a different, more Wing-like team.

Datsyuk Gets Team and Self Going

With 8:01 left in the second period, the Wings had just come off a power play and Pavel Datsyuk had just ended an eight-game goal-less streak. Henrik Zetterberg shoveled a backhand pass towards the front of the net that snuck through the legs of Tomas Holmstrom and came bouncing sloppily for Datsyuk to clean up. Lidstrom also assisted on the play and both he and Z got another helper on Dan Cleary's third period goal.

Dating back to his last game with a goal on November 21 in Montreal, Datsyuk has just three points in eight games. His line has been diluted from injuries, and Babcock has been incessantly rotating players between the top two lines. Bertuzzi and Cleary, Cleary and Leino, Leino and Holmer, Holmer and Bertuzzi, etc. Against the Rangers he unleashed the Dats/Hank/Holmer line a little more frequently and it paid off just when he needed it to. The goal did not come off a dazzling Datsyukian deke, rather the puck barely squirted underneath Lindqvist's pads, but whatever. Who cares? They all don't have to be stylish.

Pav got himself in the boxscore and his team on the scoreboard. The most important thing for the Wings right now is to find consistent scoring, and that starts with their best players. At a crucial time like this, 29 games into the season, when ravaged with injuries and losses, Babcock may need to rely on this line a little more often until players start returning to the roster.

From A Bad Angle, Cleary Scores A Good Goal

Dan Cleary's locker is adjacent to Draper's in the locker room. He had a front row seat for the emotional pep talk:

“It set in everybody’s head for sure,’’ Cleary said. “(We) took it to heart, made sure we came out and played with a little more emotion.’’


It took a little while for Cleary to personally demonstrate that Draper's words had indeed sunk in as he snapped the 1-1 tie and netted the game-winner for Detroit with 2:03 left to play in the third period. As Cleary skated toward the net he was clearly interfered with by a Rangers defender (no call) but was able to collect the puck and send it towards the goal. Lundqvist stopped the zero-angle shot but pushed it in with his own pad as he moved in the crease. In a third period that saw the referees give New York every chance to score (the Rangers received three straight unanswered power plays in the first ten minutes), Cleary got an timely goal in an unlikely way. It was his seventh of the season and third in four games and was his first game-winning goal of the season.

Lidstrom Vs. Gaborik

In his first season in New York sniper Marian Gaborik leads the NHL with 21 goals on the season. It was the obvious duties of Lidstrom to match shifts with the dangerous winger, and Nick skated 26:15 of ice time to his adversary's 23:44. Lidstrom had this to say about the league's scoring leader:

“He’s so good at anticipating plays, taking off on that far side. You have to pay special attention to him all the time because he’s a fast skater. He knows when the puck’s coming to him.”

Cleary's game-deciding goal was set up by a tremendous defensive play by Lidstrom in the Wings zone as he took the puck from Gaborik and started a rush in the other direction with an outlet pass to Zetterberg. Gaborik did not register a shot on goal the entire game, not even in his 4:27 of power play time, whereas Lidstrom earned two assists for himself. It was just his second two-point performance of the season and first since October 15 against the Los Angeles Kings.

Griffin Eggs

Less of Ericsson, More on Howard-Don't get me wrong, I love Jonathan Ericsson and his potential as a top defender for the Wings, but he is going through some growing pains in his first full season in Detroit. In New York he looked slower and weaker than I have ever seen him, and he was caught out of position on several crucial occasions.

Howard bailed out his former Grand Rapids teammate with that spectacular penalty shot save...twice. First, Ericsson turned the puck over, and then he was called for tripping Callahan on the ensuing breakaway. Howard makes the save, no harm no foul. Earlier in the game however, on the only New York goal, Justin Abdelkader, another former Griffin teammate of Howard's, made an ill-advised pass in the Rangers zone that was intercepted and taken the length of the ice. Abdelkader hustled back into the play but could not catch up to his man, Boyle, and Ericsson could only watch as Christopher Higgins slipped a pass to the trailing Boyle for the tip-in score. Ericsson was in position, but failed to pick up the goal scorer.

Ericsson (-1) was the only Detroit defender that finished with a negative rating while skating for 20:08. He has been thrust into a difficult role for a young blue-liner as he is one of the Wings' top penalty killing defensemen, and his role has only expanded with Niklas Kronwall on the injured reserve. At times, he appears to be a shut-down and foreboding physical presence, but at others he has shown careless judgement and poor decision making. He has looked very sharp for much of the season, but the mental side of the game needs to develop to match his size and strength. When that happens, opposing teams watch out, because this guy can hurt you on both ends of the rink.

Nugs and Notes

-Osgood the Backup?-Babcock has not made anything official, but the 'Wizard of Oz' is heading down a yellow brick road towards the bench. He has a sub-par 6-5-4 record on the season, is winless (0-3-2) in his last five starts since returning to the lineup from the flu, and he has not won since November 5. The Wings have had plenty of reasons to point to for their lackluster season thus far, but Osgood points a big finger in his own direction.

“I got to get to the level I’ve been in the playoffs for this team,” Osgood said. “Maybe last year, we were so far ahead I didn’t have to. But the position we’re in right now, I got to get to that level now and continue the rest of the regular season.”

Fortunately for Ozzie Howard has been tremendous in his stead. In three less starts and one less appearance, Howard leads Osgood in every statistical category save shutouts (Ozzie one to Howie's none). Howard is 8-5-1 on the season, has faced more shots (410 to 395), and has allowed less goals (37 to 41). However Ozzie, 37, is a true Red Wing, through and through. He has never really shown an ego in Detroit and he could not be happier for his young counterpart's success (and he appears to enjoy saying ‘Jimmy’).

“Awesome for Jimmy,” Osgood said. “We’re going to need Jimmy to be there. I’m behind Jimmy 100 percent.”

The Wings need to do whatever it takes to get into the playoff picture. If Howard does takeover the starting goaltending position, then it is for good reason and for the team’s best interest. I will never think anything less of Chris Osgood, whether he is stopping pucks or riding the bench. He has earned my respect more than once over and I am grateful for the great memories I have witnessed him in a Wings jersey. Hopefully he can regain his form, but worst case scenario for him, Detroit will have the best backup in the business.

Mickeyism

Artem Anisimov will have a very short NHL career if he does not realize the simple fact that if you skate with your head down in the NHL, you are going to pay a hefty price.



If you are unable to listen to the audio of the video above, here is a transcription of Mickey Redmond's response to Stuart’s hit:

"This kid had no perception, at all, that he might get hit. Watch him! He's got no idea that he's going to get hit! That is unbelievable! We are playing hockey! That's unreal! No wonder these guys are getting hurt. You know you got a cannonball coming at you in Stuart who likes to hit. I don't care what you're doing with the puck...he didn't react at all. There's a few Tweety Birds up there right now. Holy jumpin'. Ding dong. He'll remember the next time he sees #23 with a Red Wings jersey on. 'This guy might hit me. it just might happen'".

Peace.

ps. Since I could not resist, here are a few excellent quality videos from Phish's recent run at Madison Square Garden for you to enjoy. The last one goes out to the memory of John Lennon who was murdered in New York City 29 years ago today. Enjoy Phish's take on The Beatles' "A Day in the Life".

Imagine Peace (for John).