Don't Blame Howard, Not Yet

By Adam W Parks

Sunday, April 18, 2010
Round 1, Game 3
Coyotes 4 @ Red Wings 2

I've been reading the comments and listening to the mutters. "It's time to put Chris Osgood in."

Starting goalie for the Red Wings truly is the toughest job in Detroit. The guy mopping the floors at Popeye's Chicken on Woodward Ave wouldn't trade positions--at least he doesn't get blamed when someone else burns the biscuits.

What is the reasoning behind the lack of faith for goalies in Hockeytown? What is with the love/hate schizophrenic relationship we fans have with that position? Why does the spotlight of negativity shine brightest on the dude in net over all the 12 forwards and six defensemen in front? How about complaining about how the Wings were unable to take advantage of a team that had lost its best player and captain for the last half of the game? The half of the game that Detroit played its worst!

In Game 1 Howard kept the score within reach by making 19 saves in the third period but the rest of the team got out-worked and out-played. In Game 2 he out-dueled Ilya Bryzgalov in an absolute shooting spree. In Game 3 his team played flat the entire game, got out-shot (14-9) in the third period for the second time when trailing in the game, and at times left him completely vulnerable.

Okay, so Howard's @#$% was weak on that fourth goal, but that was the first goal of the series that I put on his head. Here is a breakdown of the Wings' breakdowns on Phoenix's first three goals.

Goal #1 went to Sami Lepisto who scored just 30 seconds into the game. Nicklas Lidstrom and Johan Franzen played hot potato with the puck in the neutral zone and the Coyotes, as always, pressured the puck and forced it deep into the zone. Petr Prucha got a couple of shots on goal and put the puck in front from behind the net. Martin Hanzal should have scored directly in front, but Pavel Datsyuk made a great play to get the puck out of the crease. The puck squirted out and Lepisto hustled and beat out two Wings to it and found the open net. When the play collapses down low around the goalie and sticks and skates are flashing everywhere, guys have to come to the aid of their goaltender and sniff out and clear those pucks. Howard was left scrambling around the crease because his team was too busy watching the play.

Goal #2 was a rebound put in by Wijtek Wolski, who won a battle for the puck in the neutral zone (again) and moved the puck into the Wings' zone. Matthew Lombardi picked up the puck and got a bad angle shot on Howard, but Howard gave up a bad angle rebound. In these situations the trailing defenders must pick up and neutralize those crashing in on the net. The culprit in this play was Justin Abdelkader as Wolski followed his forward momentum in towards the rebound. Abby was late picking him up and Phoenix got another goal on another open look at the net. Howard directed the shot into play on his left, but he had plenty of teammates around in front of him that could have/should have nullified the rebounded puck.

Goal #3 was Sportscenter's #1 Top Play this morning. Can you really fault a goalie when an NHL goal beats out all other plays from all other games in all other sports on a Sunday? Prucha dropped the puck off the boards to Radim Vrbata who made a quick pass back to put Prucha into a position to skate by Lidstrom and get horizontal with speed in front of Howard. This is a situation where, as a defender, you never want to leave your goalie in. Moving side-to-side following a pass is difficult enough, but to track a player at full speed moving across the top of the crease might be the toughest play for a goalie to defend against. The shooter has an array of options from slipping the puck through the five-hole to elevating an easy wristshot over the goalie's glove/stick when he's down low to take away the ice surface. Prucha had Howard frozen on the near post and with that speed he easily moved got in front and was able to slide it in on the far side.

Even on goal #4, the Wings made a bad turnover in the Coyotes' zone and Jonathan Ericsson and Lidstrom were caught in a change. Phoenix brought the puck up so fast that Lidstrom did not have a chance to get set in his position and left the shooter with an open look. Howard has to stop that shot, and he has stopped those shots all series, but that one bad goal happened to be the the nail in the Game 3 coffin and was the one most remembered immediately after the game.

Notice how I mentioned Lidstrom's name in three of those four goals. Nick is the man, my Wing, has been since I first saw him skate. Barry Melrose said that the Coyotes made him look "average" in Game 3, and he was. He was also slow. He also had a minus-three rating. Yet the game hangs on Howard's head in the eyes of many fans. Nobody would dare say "Bench Lidstrom!" and this writer is nowhere near those words. But I will stand up for Howard and say that Lidstrom played a bad game, and when your best defenseman played like Nick did yesterday, your goalie is going to look like the jerk.

So, to those who are calling "Ozzy! Ozzy!", I now give you three reasons why the Wings must stick with Howard (even though he doesn't deserve to be benched anyway).

1. Chris Osgood is as cold as a Foreigner concert is cool.

In 2008 when Chris Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek in the first round of the playoffs, Ozzy started the same amount of games (40) and appeared in two more than the Dominator in the regular season. He had a better goals-against average and save percentage too. Hasek was on a short leash and Mike Babcock yanked him quickly. Howard took over the starting job in Detroit because he lead Osgood in every single statistical category. In 2010 Ozzy has only appeared in five games and was defeated all of his three starts, averaging four goals allowed per game in those losses. Detroit's problem is not Howard, and Osgood is not Detroit's answer. Not this season anyway.

2. Bryzgalov is better than Howard. The Coyotes have played better than the Wings

I'm not going to show a bunch of statistics for this point, I already did that before the series started. Both goalies had surprisingly great regular seasons. Howard is deserving of the Calder Trophy and maybe is in the discussion for the Vezina. Bryzgalov is deserving of the Vezina and is surely discussed for the Hart Trophy. Bryzgalov has more playoff experience and a Stanley Cup ring. Neither goalie has played exceptional so far in this series. The real difference so far between these two in the series is Bryz's team has played cleaner and tighter than Howard's.

3. History says, "Wings lost two games? No big deal!".

What does this series have in common with Detroit's opening rounds in the Stanley Cup seasons of 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008? Each of those teams lost two games in the first round. In '97 the Wings were tied 2-2 with St. Louis before winning in six. In 1998 they went down 2-1 to...guess who...Phoenix, and won the series in six. The Hall of Fame team went down 0-2 in '02 to Vancouver before ripping up four straight against the Canucks to win in six. Nashville snagged two of the first three games against the Wings in 2008 before the Wings three in a row to wrap up that series in six. Four first rounds all pushed to six-games all resulting in Stanley Cup Championships.

Sit tight everybody. The Wings aren't done, and neither is Jimmy.

Peace.

Mr. Abdelkader Goes To Phoenix, Mr. Zetterberg Goes To Arby's

By Adam W Parks

Mike Babcock is a hockey genius, but I think every fan in Hockeytown knew how much the Wings need Justin Abdelkader in the lineup to add energy and physicality for the playoffs.

Now I'm not saying that Abby is the sole reason why Detroit flipped the physical play on Phoenix (Wings-38/Coyotes 31 in Game 2 compared to Wings-20/Coyotes 43 in Game 1), but he did register five hits in just 8:27.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN 8 AND 1/2 MINUTES?

Not only did Abdelkader tie for second most hits for Detroit (Brad Stuart-7) with the second least amount of ice time, but he also had two shots on goal, earned a plus-one rating, and had one tremendous takeaway that led to an even more tremendous goal:



“We worked them down low, I came off the bench late, the third guy, they passed up to Wolski," Abdelkader said. “I just came behind him and took the puck away and saw I had a lot of open ice, was able to make a move and get a shot."

The goal gave the Wings their first lead of the game and was a spark that his team desperately needed.

WINGS' PHYSICAL PLAY LEADS TO A SHOWCASE OF SKILLS

By throwing the bodies back at the Coyotes, Detroit was finally able to open up some ice for their snipers, and guess which one tied Abdelkader in hits? #40, Henrik Zetterberg, racked up two more hits than the three goals he scored.

Who's got my curly fries? Z picked up his (and Detroit's) second hat trick of the season and showed the grit and attitude that a team leader needs to demonstrate in the postseason, and everyone else seemed to follow suit.

Hank, Pavel Datsyuk, and Valtteri Filppula all got lost in Game 1, but in Game 2 the trio combined for six goals on 18 shots on goal (six apiece). Zetterberg shot with 50% accuracy and posted a plus-two rating. Filpps scored twice, added an assist, and was also a plus-two. With an Adrian Aucoin blanket draped around him, Datsyuk took a cross ice pass from Johan Franzen and placed a perfect shot just under the cross bar.



Todd Bertuzzi had two assists: one on Filppula's first and the other on Zetterberg's game-winning second goal. That line collaborated for eight points on the night.

“We just knew our line had to step up and put the puck in the net," Bertuzzi said. “We had tons of opportunities to score, it was just a matter of time. Henrik played terrific. Fil did a really good job shooting."

The Wings figured out what they had to do last night. If they can continue to keep Shane Doan, Martin Hanzal (It's that damn Hanzal! He's so hot right now!) and the rest of the Coyotes from owning the boards and controlling the tempo of the game, Ilya Bryzgalov won't stand a chance against all their fire power.

Peace

Video Collage of Bob McNamara's Appearance On The HUGE Show

By Adam W Parks

Bob McNamara, the general manager of the Grand Rapids Griffins, sat down with Bill Simonson of The HUGE Show for a remote broadcast at Huntington Bank on 28th St. in Grand Rapids on Thursday, April 15, 2010.

Bob and Bill discussed Detroit's Game 1 loss to Phoenix; what went wrong, and what needs to be done to win Game 2. McNamara also provided insight on everything from Ken Holland's juggling act, to Steve Yzerman's young career in hockey management, to the development of Justin Abdelkader and what role he will play in the 2010 playoffs and in the future for the Red Wings.

As always Bill provided a light, relaxed, conversational atmosphere for his guest, and McNamara's knowledge of Hockeytown, the NHL, and hockey in general shines through brilliantly.

The interview below is edited from over an hour's worth of audio, so it is a little choppy transitioning from commercial breaks, but the content is top-notch! I added the still photos to the interview to provide a slide-show, visiual narration.

Enjoy!



Peace

People From Phoenix Are Phonecians

By Adam W Parks

Wednesday, April 15, 2010
Round 1, Game 1: Red Wings 2 @ Coyotes 3

What does playoff season mean to me? It means a couple extra beers and a few less hours of sleep. 7:00 AM came very quick this morning--and grogginess and headaches are always worse to deal with the morning after a Wings playoff loss.

PHONECIANS PLAY PHYSICAL

Detroit did not play a bad game last night, but they did lack playoff intensity and were continuously roughed up, especially late in the game. The Coyotes beat the snot out of the Wings to the tune of 43 hits to 20. 43 is a very high number, though nobody should have been surprised by the discrepancy in that category.

The Wings rarely out-hit their opposition and the prototypical game plan against Detroit in the playoffs is to play as physical as possible. Phoenix is a physical team. They're that type of team. They're not the type of team that will go out and score three powerplay goals to beat you...

HOW THE HELL DID THE COYOTES SCORE 3 POWERPLAY GOALS?

Detroit had the tenth best penalty killing unit in the NHL this regular season at 83.9% and gave up only four powerplay goals in the previous 53 shorthanded situations (93%).

The Coyotes ranked 28th (that's third-worst) in the league with their 14.7% power play efficiency and had scored just twice in their last 32 man-advantage opportunities (6%).

"Our PK kind of let us down tonight, which is disappointing because we've been so good lately,'' Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart said. "They won some faceoffs and were putting the puck on net.''

They were also putting the puck in net. Shane Doan screened Jimmy Howard on Keith Yandle's shot from the point for the first goal. Wojtek Wolski got a wide-open one-timer for the second. Derek Morris had a clean look off a clean face-off win and got the game-winning slapshot.

Three powerplay goals is the surprising result of Phoenix just grinding, hustling, and taking advantage of opportunities. Three powerplay goals is an anomaly.

So was Tomas Holmstrom's wristshot against Ilya Bryzgalov.

BRYZZY'S GIMME

Chances are Holmstrom, or any other Red Wing for that matter, will never score another goal against Ilya Bryzgalov quite like this:



Bryzgalov saw the shot. He reacted to it. His glove tried to close on it. He just missed it.

What was Holmer doing shooting a wrister from the blue line anyway? Kids, this is why you always put the puck on the net...you never know what'll happen.

We better believe that Bryz was embarrassed by that goal. His focus will be sharper from here on out because of that goal. The Phoenicians proved how dangerous they can be when they're down by one, and how difficult they can be when they're up by one. Down by a goal for nearly the entire third period, Detroit got out-shot 20-10 and Bryzgalov swallowed everything up with ease. Detroit will have to be more aggressive in order to create more shots against the Coyotes in Game 2.

The Wings lost Game 1 on the road, at least they didn't lose Game 1 at home. San Jose. New Jersey. Pittsburgh.

Peace

Should Babcock and Tippett Fight To the Death for Jack Adams?

By Adam W Parks

As intriguing as the Jimmy Howard V Ilya Bryzgalov matchup looks, the battle of brains between Mike Babcock and Dave Tippett could be even more compelling.

Both coached their respective teams to surprising finishes in the regular season. Tipps lifted the Coyotes out of the NHL gutters and led them to the fourth-best record in the NHL. Babs held together a proud but injury-plagued roster through one of the Red Wings' more memorable regular seasons in the last 10, 20, 30, maybe 40 years.

Both men are deserving of coach of the year honors, though it appears as if Tippett has the edge (according to media sources outside of Detroit). Babcock has never won the award despite being considered (also by most media outside of Detroit) as the best coach in the league, and he might be most deserving of it now more than ever.

Maybe they could share it? Split the trophy in half. The hockey media could come up with one of those spliced names for them like the tabloids did with BrAngelina. How about CockTipp?

Okay, let's get serious, we're in the playoffs now!

HOW DO YOU REPLACE THE 'GREAT ONE'?

Tippet will probably win the Jack Adams Trophy over Babcock in his first season at Phoenix after supplanting Wayne Gretzky. Does he deserve it? Absolutely, regardless of which team advances to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Tippett's first NHL coaching job was in Dallas where he spent the previous six seasons and took the Stars to the playoffs in every one except his last. The Stars won the Pacific Division twice and once made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2008 under his watch. (Who did they lose to? Damn right!)

In any other situation where someone might be asked to takeover a job that Wayne Gretzky left behind, the expectations would be too high to attain. Not in this case. Gretzky was the "Subpar One" as head coach in Phoenix. His Coyotes missed the playoffs in each of his four seasons, and they peaked at 38 wins and 83 points in 2007-08. They rolled around in the muck of the division, never finished higher than fourth, and in Wayne's final season in the desert they went 36-39-7 and declared bankruptcy. No wonder his head looked like a ripened tomato. He's lucky he didn't have a heart attack or blow a blood vessel in his brain. Don't people normally migrate to Arizona to relax when they get on in age?

Here is a picture gallery of Wayne Gretzky coaching the Phoenix Coyotes...










...wow...that's like a photographic timeline of his coaching demise. Here is one picture of Wayne Gretzky immediately after he resigned...



Tippet stepped into a disaster of a franchise and immediately got focus from his players and attention from the fans. He seamlessly transitioned a young, upstart team from a place of uncertainty and controversy to a very confident and talented fourth seed in the West.

Veteran players like Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski helped that metamorphosis--as did the Vezina Trophy candidate between the pipes--but Tippett deserves the credit. That's some great coaching.

BUT WHAT ABOUT BABS?

"We've had a great run. In saying that, the most remarkable stretch for me is when we had eight guys missing (due to injuries) and the guys hung in there and battled and chipped away and found ways to win games. To me, that's more remarkable than what we've done since the Olympic break."

That was Babcock after the win over Chicago last Sunday. Does he want the Jack Adams Trophy? Probably. Does he care if he doesn't get it? Probably not.

Babcock is the epitome of a hockey coach. Sly, sarcastic, intense, and most importantly: he's successful. Twist what he said and forget what he did with a healthy team in the last 21 games of the season. Rather take a look at what he did with the first 61 games with a tattered roster. It really was incredible that the Wings were even in a position to make a run for the playoffs.

I was a little concerned coming out of the Olympics break. A season in somewhat disarray, and he had just coached a win-gold-or-else team in the biggest hockey tournament in the world (which happened to be held on his home soil).

How does a guy focus on Team Canada when Team Detroit is sitting in ninth place in the West? How does a guy refocus on Team Detroit after winning gold with Team Canada? How does one man balance the highest hockey expectations in the world and in the NHL all in one year?

Babs has juggled more crap this season than any other coach, and he has come out smelling like a winner. Tippett may have the edge on the Jack Adams Trophy, but Babcock has the edge on Tippett in experience and results. Check out his resume:

2002-03 (40-27-9-6): Took Anaheim to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Finals in his first season as a head coach in the NHL.
2005-06 (58-16-8): Coached the Red Wings to a franchise second-best 58 wins in his first season in Detroit.
2006-07 (50-19-13): Led Detroit into its first season without the team's heart and soul (Steve Yzerman) for the first time in 25 seasons...won the Central Division and reached the Western Conference Finals.
2007-08 (54-21-7): Proved that somebody other than Scotty Bowman could bring a Stanley Cup to Hockeytown in the modern era.
2008-09 (51-21-10): Became the first coach in NHL history to win at least 50 games in four-straight seasons...then he coached in the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons and his third in six seasons.

Babcock is a coaching/winning machine. It is either tragedy or dumb luck that he has never taken home the hardware for best coach. It looks like it will be because of the latter this time around. Too bad, because this might be his most deserving season.

But whatever, he has his eyes on a bigger prize.

Peace

Wings Year In Review, Part II: Was This A Fateful Season Turned Around By Fate?

By Adam W Parks

Back in the middle of the season, many people were calling this a fateful season for the Red Wings. Now that they have miraculously climbed their way into the fifth seed many more might say that it has been an act of fate.

I do not agree with either outlook. I'd rather look at the season as a whole and see where things went wrong, went right, and how this team managed to end up with 102 points and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

If anyone ever wants to know what kind of an impact injuries can have on a team, tell them about the Red Wings of 2009-10. With several offensive absences before the season even started things were already stacked against Detroit. Then Johan Franzen was lost with an ACL injury, and the dominoes began to fall. That bastard injury bug transformed what was supposed to be a semi-transition year in Detroit and into a season of 82 battles in a war to make the playoffs. As player after player got bit, Mike Babcock pushed his depleted lines forward and squeezed all possible production from every ounce of potential.

I'm going to take a looooooong look back on the regular season to all of the departures and the injuries, and just how impactful additions like Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller were to this team.

HOSS-SUCK TO THE SUCK-HAWKS

Let's start with the departed. Most notable would have to be Marian Hossa who signed a 12-year, $62.8 million deal with Chicago for a shot at three straight Stanley Cup Finals defeats with three different teams.

What did we have with Mary-Anne last season? A team-leading 40 goals along with 71 points in 74 games during the regular season, but only six goals and 15 points in 22 playoff games. What have we missed this season? Hossa missed the first couple of months this season but still put up 24 goals and 51 points in 57 games. For comparisons sake, Pavel Datsyuk scored 27 goals in 80 games, Tomas Holmstrom got 25 in 68, and Henrik Zetterberg netted 23 in 74.

He was a hired gun that misfired in the playoffs, that is all. I sat next to a couple of Blackhawks fans at The Joe who drove in from Chicago for the game on my birthday on January 17. I told them, "Good luck with that 12-year contract." They both expressed concern and disappointment in the commitment to Hossa.

SAMI'S CAREER YEAR IN VANCOUVER

Then there is Mikael Samuelsson, the Swede who bounced around the league until landing in Hockeytown for four solid seasons. Sami was never known best for his abundance of scoring in Detroit, but rather his timely goals and ability to annoy the piss out of his opponents.

What did we have with Samuelsson? 19 goals and 40 points in 81 games last season. Modest compared to Hossa, though with those numbers he would rank fourth and seventh in goals and points respectively for the Wings this season. What have we missed? Samuelsson flourished in his first season with Vancouver and, at age 33, achieved career highs in both goals (30) and points (53) in 74 games.

He is a guy that is probably remembered less than others, but we might miss his shot and toughness more than anybody else during the playoffs.

HUDLER THE HEDGEHOG VISITS MOSCOW

How about the Russian immigrant, Jiri Hudler? "The Hedgehog" remains a polarizing player even after he fled for a tax-free contract. Some people hated him to begin with, some despise him for leaving, and some miss his spunkiness and offensive talents.

What did we have with Huds? 23 goals and 57 points while playing all 82 games last season. What have we missed? It's hard to judge the numbers without seeing the competition on the ice, but Hudler averaged a point per game(54) and scored 19 goals for the Dynamo of Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League.

Signs seem to be pointing to a return of Mr. Spunky to Hockeytown next season. His welcome will likely be mixed, but if he can put up 20/50 again, hard feelings will surely be forgotten.

Those three players were all in the top ten in scoring for Detroit last season. (Tomas Kopecky also left and he ranked 13th in points for the Wings last season, though I don't think anybody really misses him that much.) You cannot replace that type of production; not with as of a budget as Ken Holland had.

What Holland did to counteract the departures was masterful work of finding the right pieces that have fit perfectly. These free acquisitions have been as important to the success of this season as anybody.

BERRRRR-TURRRRRD-ZZIIIII!

Let me start with the Turdzzi. In Detroit Todd Bertuzzi has been anything but his old self. He kinda plays physical. He sometimes scores goals. He occasionally shoots when he has an open look. And despite all that luke-warm praise, Mr. Burt has been the Iron Man of forwards for the Wings as he has played in every single game this season (Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart are the only others to do so), whether we want him out there or not.

I have been kind of hard on Bertuzzi all season long for the dumb passes, stupid penalties, and caveman-like decisions. I couldn't stand the guy when he was in Vancouver, and I did not like the move to bring him to Detroit the first time, let alone again for this season.

However, his 18 goals are good for fourth on the team, his four game-winners is third most, and his 44 points puts him at fifth. He has been rotated into virtually every combination on every line thinkable by Mike Babcock, and the guy rolls with it. He has bought in and he loves it here.

Is he perfect? Hell no. Does he take too many penalties in the offensive zone? Hell yes. But that's Bert, the guy you love to hate and hate to love.

WINGS CLEAN UP ON EAVES

It took a while to really notice Patrick Eaves, but now he has wormed his way into our hearts with his endless energy on the penalty kill and forecheck, and his surprising toughness. Check out his fight against Kris Versteeg from my birthday game:



Not too pretty, but he hung right in there, didn't duck nor hide, and got some good shots in on Versteeg.

I love the third line of him and Kris Draper winging for Darren Helm. With all that speed they are a tough matchup for any line in the NHL, and they have the production to prove it. The trio finished ninth through eleventh in points for the Wings, Helm with 24, and Draper and Eaves each with 22.

What a bounce-back season for Mr. Eaves! He showed immense potential with the Ottawa Senators in 2005-06, scoring 20 goals as a rookie and accumulated 32 points with 14 goals his sophomore season. But he slumped after that, only scoring eleven goals over the next three seasons. He has 12 this season.

DETROIT STRIKES LIGHTNING WITH DREW

How happy do you think Drew Miller is that the Tampa Bay Lightning let him clear waivers earlier this season? How happy are you that the Wings snatched him up?

The former Sparty was an Anaheim call-up for the 2006-07 Stanley Cup Champion Ducks. That's him there holding the Cup as his brother, Ryan, forces a jealous smile. Over the next few seasons he continued to split time with the Portland Pirates in the AHL. He never fully cracked the Ducks' egg, and he was goal-less and scoreless in 14 games as a role player without a role in Tampa. The Wings picked him up in November and he finished with double digit goals (10) and 19 points.

Why did Justin Abdelkader stay put in Grand Rapids? Because it's been Miller's time. He has been like a really good Grateful Dead concert from Jerry's final years: a gem from the scrap heap. His gritty work on the fourth line and self-sacrificing style on the penalty kill make him invaluable at the end of the roster.

He has an impressive plus-five rating in a Wings jersey which is tied with Niklas Kronwall and Tomas Holmstrom and better than Dan Cleary/Helm/Draper (-2), Valtteri Filppula (-4), and Jason Williams/Bertuzzi (-7). Miller reminds me of Maltby in his younger years. Hopefully he remains a Wing for a long time.

Who knows where Miller would have landed if it were not for Wings' depleted roster early in the season? Speaking of a depleted roster, this team's chemistry and character stems from the guys who fell and picked themselves back up this season. Without the injuries this team would be in an entirely different position, though that is not necessarily a bad thing anymore.

WITH AND WITHOUT THE MULE

This team took on an entirely different look when Johan Franzen blew out his ligament against Chicago in the third game of the season. Though he was just the first of many to fall, his absence was missed the most; the Wings' top lines were not nearly as dynamic without him.

When he finally came back in February expectations were high that the Wings would immediately flip the ship around, but they lost two of his first three games back despite his two goals and three points. Franzen played for Sweden which helped with his timing and stamina, so when the Wings resumed their season the mule was ready to pack everyone on his back and lead down the long, treacherous trail towards the playoffs.

The Mule can score from anywhere on the ice, but when he gets the puck around the opposition's net the guy is nearly unstoppable. I also understand that he can even melt red leotards right off of roadies with his work on the guitar...but I have no personal experience watching that.

He opens up the ice for Pavel Datsyuk and draws attention away from Tomas Holmstrom. He changes the complexion of the team and provides great flexibility for Babcock. There is no way, no possible way that the Wings would have made the playoffs without his return.

INJURED KNEE, DONE DIRT CHEAP

Niklas Kronwall was having a breakout season offensively with five goals and 13 points in 21 games before his MCL was blown up from a knee-to-knee hit courtesy of Montreal's George Laraque. Kronwall missed two months. Laraque received a five-game suspension.

Kronner returned in late January, perhaps rushing the knee, but had to go back on the shelf in February. He has been relatively healthy since the Olympics break, and in that 21-game stretch he posted nine points and just two goals, though both goals and five of those points came in the final seven games of the season.

It looks like Kronwall is just now getting back into offensive form for the playoffs, though I'm looking for the bone-splintering hits rather than the goals! (Click on the picture to the left and play Where's Waldo for the four ladies with the "Oh My!" expressions on their faces. Priceless!)

Let's see, who else was there? Valtteri Filppula missed 27 games. Jason Williams lost 38. Holmstrom was sidelined for 14. Dan Cleary for 18, Eaves for 17, and Henrik Zetterberg for eight. Between injury and healthy scratches Jonathan Ericsson missed 20 and Kirk Maltby 30. Did I mention exactly how many Franzen missed? 55! Oh, and Andreas Lilja, who may not be a favorite amongst the fans but still is super solid on defense, missed an entire calendar year. Am I missing anybody?

It has been a ludicrous season when it comes to injury-induced adversity, but these guys persevered and finished better than any team in the league.

Some people believe in fate, that everything happens for a reason, or that God intended things to be a certain way for a certain purpose. I do not. (But then again I believe in Bigfoot.) If it was indeed fate that led to the prevalence of guys like Eaves and Miller, and the revitalization of guys like Draper and Lilja, then it must have also been fate that caused all those injuries too.

Perhaps that is the way of the world works, and perhaps a seven feet hominids covered in hair are tramping around Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It all depends on how you perceive things. I perceive the Wings as a team that worked extremely hard in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardships, relied heavily on each other and their coaches and their fans, and emerged out of a pile of shit shinier than any team in the NHL.


Chalking this season up to fate does not give this team the credit it deserves. I hope that I have.

Peace.