Tag Search Results for "red Wings"
On the eve of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Calgary Flames there are many questions to answer. Can Kipper put this team on his back and take down the mighty Wings in Round 1? Can Jarome Iginla be the superstar he is and light it up against a talented Red Wings Team? Can Calgary outmuscle and outscore the #1 Seed in the West? Can Alex Tanguay be the complim...
In today’s watered-down version of the National Hockey League, it can be easy to forget that in 1966-67, there were only six teams fighting for the chance to raise the Stanley Cup to the rafters. In fact, there were only 28 teams in all of professional hockey, including the American, Western, and Central leagues. That means two full teams of NHL players today would have ...
For your reading pleasure:
Western Conference
Detroit over Calgary in 6
Anaheim over Minnesota in 6
Vancouver over Dallas in 5
San Jose over Nashville in 6
Eastern Conference
Buffalo over Islanders in 5 (should go with a sweep...but will throw the Island a bone)
New Jersey over Tampa Bay in 6
Rangers over Atlanta in 5
Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 7
Take t...
It all starts at 5:00MST tonight for Flames fans - the dreaded Red Wings are our first round opponent and some fans couldn't be happier.
Sure we beat them in 6 games in 2004 and sure the Oilers beat them last year...but the difference between those 2 Red Wing teams and this one is one man: Dominik Hasek.
I think the Red Wings have more confidence this year than othe...
Well last night I talked about how Versus was leaving me in the dark by showing the Canucks game (a move that paid off well) instead of the Wild game, but really that decision isn't Versus problem, it's the NHL's. This time of the year there is four games every night, it's definetly the most exciting time of the season. The NHL should take advantage of that by showing off ...
Even though the Preds are off tonight I will still be watching Versus and the scoreboard from around the league. Here are my PREDictions for tonight’s match ups.
[b]Calgary at Detroit[/b]: As much as I want to predict an upset here I think the Wings will come out on top tonight. I see a low scoring affair…2-1 or 3-2 Wings. (Detroit wins the series)
[b]NY Islander...
I think having Zetterberg back will help ease the loss of Bertuzzi tonight. Of course, Zetterberg is rusty and will have to quickly get back into game shape, let alone try and recapture the chemistry he had before the disk issue. I think Calgary will try and punish the Wings physically, especially our defense. Missing Kronwall hurts. This should be a very interesting s...
Tampa's going to SPOOK the devils tonight. 4-2 probably.
NYR vs. ATL will be as exciting as the build up was for PIT vs. OTT. Then look what happened, the upper seed played like the upper seed. Kovi and crew, do yer thang!
Buffalo -- Score lots, rack up d'em points, my pool entries are count'in on it. Just another day at the office for Vanek and co.
And then t...
10. Don Whittman and his terrible commentary. Bring back Cuthbert, for the love of all that is hockey.
9. The Flames didn't even look like they were that concerned they were being manhandled.
8. As per above, someone did mention to the Flames that they playoffs have started, right?
7. Too many penalties. Way too many. So undisciplined.
6. Simply speaking, th...
Well, we saw those dreaded lames. the F-ing lames at that.
They played the game like it was a recreation league game and they just couldnt wait to go out and grab a beer after. The Flames now really have something to prove sunday as they put forth the worst effort by a team so far this season. I dont think ive ever turned a playoff game off within the first five minutes....
Well, the playoffs are still young, but there are still some interesting storylines that have started to develop.
[b]Senators and Penguins game 1:[/b]
This was not the game that anybody expected. Many people thought that the Sens would take this one, but not in the way that they did. The thrashing that was handed out on Wednesday should not be any indication of how...
...Outhustled, Outskated! Get the picture? This pretty much sums up game one in Detroit. The Wings pretty much won every battle. They worked harder, fought for pucks, made crisp passes and capitalized on scoring opportunities. Kipper played his butt off, but that simply wasn't enough on this night. For most of the game, the Flames couldn't muster up a decent shot and...
Congratulations to the Red Wings beating the Flames 4-1 last night. However, the Flames did not come to play last night and we should be expecting a lot more from them come Sunday and when they are at home. Anyways, with it looking like Bertuzzi is going to be in the lineup Sunday (well hopefully), who is going to sit for the Red Wings? Most look to rookies Jiri Hudler and...
That's right... Lidstrom sucks defensively! If anyone else is currently watching the Flames-Wings game, you just saw Primeau skate around Lidstrom with ease to set up a highlight reel play, only to be stoned by Hasek...
Now we all know that Lidstrom is one of, if not the best defenceman in the league, but the point of this is to point out that every defenceman ends up o...
The heart of this city, the passionate Flames fan, is breaking right now. You can feel the rupture resonating down the red mile, through every basement and every bar, and you can see it in every face.
Kipper is playing beyond human, as we're so accustomed to... yet it is not enough. The forwards are not creating chances, are not forechecking hard, and look as though t...
I predicted a Flames win in 7. Well, for that to happen, there needs to be drastic improvement from, oh, about 18 Flames right now...
Kiprusoff is the only reason either of the games appeared close. This reminds me of that series between Winnipeg and Detroit in 1996 when Nik Khabibulin almost stole the series for the Jets. But as in that series, Detroit has simply be...
As a young kid, at any sport, you're taught to always give 110%. You are told to leave everything out on the playing field. It seems that a certain player has forgotten that all season. He has forgotten that he plays for the best team in the Western Conference, and he is looking out of place. I am talking about Robert Lang.
Today, I laughed at him. Sometime during ...
Game 3, in Calgary, down 2 - 0, does it get any bigger than this? No. It's that simple. The Flames must come out with enerygy tonight. Forcheck hard, win battles, be physical and most importantly get the first goal. Tonight, I'm afraid, is do or die. Win this game and we have a series. Lose, and start thinking about the summer and next year!
43 and 51 SOG in th...
I don't think Red Wings fans could have hoped for a better way to start this series. They have dominated the entire 120 mins of this series so far. They have been the more skilled, but maybe more importantly, the more PHYSICAL team. They are initiating the hits, taking it to the Flames, and making a statement that this years Red Wings team is a PHYSICAL hockey team. Th...
It is unknown if Burtuzzi will play in tonight's game...but if he does who sits. It would be hard to sit Filipula, who would have been the obvious choice had this been Game 1. But Fillipula had scored 2 goals and his line had played extremely well with Franzen and Hudler attacking and crashing the net. Hudler is another option, but he is playing on both that line and h...
Keys to Game 3:
Forecheck.
Play physical.
First to loose pucks.
Win the battles.
Discipline.
Composure.
Period 1:
There's the effort. That's how we really play. Had a few solid chances. Unlucky to not put any in. Iggy looks better. Conny is flying. Kipper looks solid again. Even Stuart is impressing. Warrener is a machine. 4minute penalty killed with ...
The passion. The toughness. The win.
This was Flames hockey. This was the grit we saw in '04. This is what we expected.
We were forechecking. We were winning the battles. We were making short passes and skating. We can beat the Wings. 1 down, 3 to go.
In 2004, a young man (well, if you count 26 as young) got to live a dream of a lifetime and go to a Stanley Cup Finals Game. That young man was me, and being from Newfoundland where the closest NHL team is Boston (it could be Toronto, but I can't stand the Leafs) I never even got close to a pre-season game in my first 25 years of life.
That year, I experienced the grea...
Tonight Game 4 of the Flames-Red Wings series goes at 7:30MST (9:30EST for the majority of readers on here) and to say something that is obvious - Calgary needs the win. Not only do the need the win, they need to get it in convincing fashion.
Sure they beat the Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night but many of the glaring errors the Flames made in Games 1 & 2 are still around...
It was the night of nights. Everyone in town knew that we had to play better, regardless of our victory on Tuesday. The swing game was live or die. No way we could crawl out of a hole going back to the Joe. It was tonight or bust.
We've played consecutively better every game, and believe it or not, I think we still need to get better. Kipper is inhuman. I think he...
And we should give thanks for that. The Flames came out today and played a SOLID first period. If we had played that way the whole game, we would have won. However, we stopped skating after the first period. Not only that, we kept giving the puck away, both in our own zone and at the offesive blueline. How can you expect to win when you do that? How can you even expec...
The Flames have done themselves no favors as they now head into game 6 on Sunday down a game and on the brink of elimination. The Flames started off game 5 fairly well and even outshot the Red Wings for most of the first period. But, it was a second period special teams disaster that marked the beginning of the end for Calgary. Dan Cleary roofed a penalty shot during a Fla...
seriously, people need to take a very,very deep breath about the McLennan slash. come on, real hockey fans will tell this used to happen all the time. I remember Ron Hextall jabbing the forward infront for position to see where the puck. Hextall did slash players and faced the consequences. He would a) face the player (thats call players policing themselves or b) get a fin...
And with that, the Detroit Red Wings have eliminated the Calgary Flames from contention.
As much as I was pulling for the Flames, the Wings deserved to win this series. Kiprusoff was the only guy on Calgary's roster who was showing up to play every game.
A major surprise was the play of Johan Franzen in this series. I barely knew who he was prior to this series, and...
Well, as hard as this is for me, a Flames fan to say, the better team won. Calgary played this game with grit and heart, but so did the Detroit Red Wings. Half of the problem coming into this series was the fact that many flames fans, among others, had it burned in their minds that #8 seeded Calgary could easily beat the #1 seeded Detroit, as the Red Wings have struggled t...
The Wings win in 6 games.
Before everyone gets on my case about this blog, remember one thing - I'm a fan and I'm going to tell it how I saw it. You may disagree but this is what I saw. The reasons we lost this series:
1. Detroit was the better team. Forechecking, passing, defensive play - they played all 6 games the same and lost 2 by one goal which were winnable...
Again for your reading pleasure....
Sabres over the Rangers in 6
Senators over Devils in 6
Sharks over Red Wings in 5
Canucks over Ducks in 6...maybe a homer pick but you have to follow the heart at times.
Rangers will surprise some as they are much better than advertised. Sens will do great as they are crazy hungry for the first time ever. Sharks are a damn f...
WildMTUFan writes...
Round two predictions; Final Two Minutes Radio Show
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[b]Eastern Conference[/b]
[i]New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres[/i]
I’m a firm believer in the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres and have been since I realized how incredibly good they are. They have explosive offensive talent running thick through four lines or even six lines depending on how you look at it. The team is only bettered by a solid defensive core that actually doe...
The first round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs was very exciting, even with the lack of close series. The matchups we got were outstanding, such as Nashville-SJ, Detroit-Calgary, Vancouver-Dallas, and there was so much passion to go along. How will round 2 pan out?
[b]Buffalo vs. New York Rangers[/b]
I love the Rangers right now, they're playing with a huge amount of...
But can they keep it up? Much depends on the availability of Tomas Holmstrom and Brett Lebda. Lebda's replacement, Kyle Quincey is a minus 1 for the series thus far, and steady, reliable defense is required against the Sharks. Unless Lebda returns soon or Quincey steps his game up, the Red Wings have a vulnerability that the Sharks can exploit.
Holmstrom, on the othe...
Since the flyers are out of the playoffs and i love to look at stats after games and after brilliant jobs by the refs in yesterday's games i decided to look at one stat that should be alarming. THe Amount of Pentalies called in a playoff game
[b]27 Power Plays called in Two Playoff Games[/b]
The refs are carrying out buttman's message by continue to call the phantom ...
Ever Drink a nice ice cold [i]glass[/i] of water? Now, ever drinks a plastic bottle of water with that distinct plasticy taste??? And don't even make me bring up the beer in the plastic bottle, Blasphemy! Distinct difference in my opinion and since this is my blog, all you get is my opinion. And since this is my blog, I get to make up words like plasticy. Now imagine ...
Okay…so I was talking to my dad the other night about the Wings and Sharks (I think it was before game three) and he said something that I found very interesting. He said that he didn’t mind the Wings playing the Sharks because they don’t finish games well.
Hmmm…I thought. Let’s see. The Sharks just beat the wings in Game 1 2-0 and I thought they finished that...
Last summer the Vancouver Canucks traded power-forward Todd Bertuzzi to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Roberto Luongo. The trade also include several other parts including Bryan Allen and Alex Auld going to Florida and Lukas Krajicek coming to Vancouver. When all was said and done the trade appears to be a steal for the Canucks as Roberto Luongo had an MVP worthy sea...
Alright, Sharks. The time has come to put Saturday's dull performance behind you and dig deep to keep the dream alive. It's times like these that the hockey world sees leaders emerge in the face of adversity and put their team on their back. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau - this means you. Joe, let's awake from the dream that told you to seek out the miracle play and put th...
[b]Second Annual Grimmy Award Winners[/b]
Note: Since my last name is Grimm, the title of the awards are a take-off on my name and the music awards of a similar name.
[b]Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins[/b]
Runners-up: Roberto Luongo (Vancouver), Vinny Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)
There have been heralded youngsters throughout the history of the NHL. Way...
Your intrepid author has called 4 of 4 Round 2, calling the exact amount of games 3 out 4. So, yes, I am tooting my own horn. Toot!
My predictions made back on April 26th
[url]http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=7150[/url]
My Pick Was: Ottawa in 6
Result: Ottawa wins in 5
I predicted that Ottawa would beat NJ in 6. They did it in 5, NJ completely unab...
Well another disappointing result for the Sharks. When will I be able to get on board with this team and really consider them a contender? This coming from a Habs fan with obviously no vested interest in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs, for obvious reasons. The Sharks seemingly had the goods to make an extended run, solid defense, good goaltending, #2 PP unit and a number...
In years watching hockey this might be the best final four teams left in the NHL playoffs in YEARS.
So lets start out West
[b]#1 Detriot Red Wings v #3 Anaheim Ducks[/b]
Detriot has been playing great hockey and beat a physical Calgary team and a bottom feeder team in san jose. The ducks beat up on wild and kim johnsson's head. They also had a great series against...
So…I guess I showed my true colors last night in the Sharks – Red Wings game. It was the moment (you’ll remember it) when Grier was pursuing Lindstrom and Hasek came out to play the puck. Hasek goes to play it off the boards and Grier intercepts it and goes for a sure thing wrap around just as Niklas “faster than a speeding bullet” Lindstrom comes sailing...
You've seen the scenario in many cartoons. The character is trying to make a decision and he has a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, both offering advice on which way to go.
That is me with the Western Conference Final. I am a massive Oiler fan and I just don't know what to do with the Anaheim Ducks.
On one-hand, I hate the Ducks. Well not...
As promised...
[b]1 Buf vs 4 Ott[/b] - Total toss-up. If either team wins, I am not surprised. Buffalo has the speed edge, and they're a bit more spread out in terms of offense. Ottawa has slightly better defensive depth, and their top line has been beastly in these playoffs. Goaltending, imo, is a wash. But I feel the Sens have played better in these playoffs, and...
I'll be frank: I'm surprised how many people are picking the Wings to beat the Ducks. No, I don't think the Ducks are invincible and no I don't think they are guaranteed to advance to the SCF, but you'd have to think they are favorites by a fair margin. Detroit doesn't have Kronwall or Schneider and I doubt that Lebda is at 100%. If the Ducks play physical enough with the ...
Well, it looks like both teams of the Western Conference finals have earned their position as the top two teams in the west. A good amount of people have predicted Calgary to emerge from the first round. Even more predicted the Sharks would emerge from round two. Even if everyone were to predict the Ducks, I'd still have a source of worries from a Detroit team that abso...
grapes17 writes...
WCF Preview: Babcock-Burke only one aspect of Wings-Ducks
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
When Brian Burke took over the post as Anaheim general manager in the summer of 2005, the future of then-Ducks coach Mike Babcock immediately came into doubt.
Sure, Babcock took the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002-03, the first of his two years in Southern California. Yet from day one, it seemed there would be a clash between Babcock and Burke.
Babcock's Duck...
[img]http://bp1.blogger.com/_oCmYyKF1nYg/RkMyBFMs7FI/AAAAAAAAAKo/2W51rn2Cv0A/s400/detsan.jpg[/img]
[b]
WINGS WIN!! WINGS WIN!![/b]
Game 5 and 6 showed what a champion is supposed to look like.. The Wings never looked liked they were going to lose while the Sharks looked scared.. Really, I can't even say the Sharks looked desperate. That would require SJS to have a pulse...
Conference Finals Predictions
Oh I wanted the Preds to be here…I really thought they would be. Man when we traded for Foppa I could have sworn I overheard a call from the NHL’s official engraver checking to make sure that Tomas Vokoun doesn’t have an ‘H’ in his name. Now I know it was the tee time manager at the Karlovy Vary Country Club asking if would need...
I am 33 years old with a 4 year old little boy and another child just days away.. As a fairly even keeled sports fan (yeah, the trashcan? ancient history) I do not get as worked up as I used to as a 20 something lunatic who would go off after every home team loss.. Keep this in mind when I tell you that I was genuinely NERVOUS in the hours leading up to today's game.. You ...
If the rule is the refs are supposed to blow the whistle once they lose sight of the puck, there is no friggin way they could see the puck down Dom's pad. Watching that in realtime, the whistle should have blown well before he was pushed into the goal by Neidermayer, let alone not blowing until after he was in the net and the puck fell out of the pad. How they could overt...
This will be my live blog while watching the game.
First Period:
1:04 - Detroit looks hungry. You know a team is outplaying their opponents when they start getting powerplays, and we are seeing that now. Pronger was just lazy on that last call.
:42 - What a shot by Holmstrom. I disagree with the commentator in this case though. He said that the Anaheim defense...
With the double elbows to the head from Pronger and Neidermayer on Tomas Holmstrom, there needs to be suspensions. Both of them should get at least a game. I know Pronger got away with out being called but the replay clearly shows both of those goons elbows up at the head.
Yes it could be seriously detrimental to the Ducks playoffs hopes but that is just to bad, you pl...
Why do you not give a damn about your hockey team? Why do you not show them any due respect? Oh and...What are the Ducks gonna do when Pronger gets suspended, as he should?
The Ducks of Anaheim, formerly known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have been one of the most successful hockey teams in recent years. Beyond the three Western Conference Final appearances and beyond...
Wow! Did the Ducks know what time the game started? I realize it is a seven game series, but they responded to the first period like it was a regular season game? There was very little real pressure throughout the game and it looked to me like they could care less to be there...just like their fans! Their one shining moment was the hit on Holmstrom. I hate the fact th...
One thing I'm not seeing in the Conference Finals series is the geniuine hatred between the teams involved. Its not a requirement for a well-played and entertaining series, but it sure would make watching these games a bit more bearable. Every year there seems to be a series or two that is just a venemous battle between two teams, leaving most of the participants with scar...
(to see a video of this hit go to www.predjoe.wordpress.com)
Is there any reason that this kind of thing should happen? I think if you are a Pronger fan you can say that he is taller and Holmstrom had his head down a bit and Pronger just came in where he normally would.
However, I think, if you look at the video carefully and without bias you will find this was, wit...
This is a tough blog for me to write. During his tenure in Vancouver I had several opportunities to speak personally with Brian Burke either via letter, email or in person. In fact, in the hours leading up to his dismissal as General Manager/President of the Vancouver Canucks, I keying an email to the big irishman. As I pushed the 'Send' button, I received an 'undeliverabl...
That is more like it...much better effort all-around! Both game 4's were two of the most fun and frenetic battles of the playoffs...great to watch! I did not want to go back and count...but aside from missing on the Senators wrapping up their series in game 4, I was spot on every other call I made!
It took Buffalo all of nine seconds to [b]find the net[/b]. [b]Chri...
[b]1 Buf vs 4 Ott - Ott in 7[/b] - Didn't take as long as I expected, as the Sabres bowed out in five. I called the goaltending a wash...maybe I said that cuz I was cheering for the Sens. Miller is the better goalie, but not by as much as a lot of people are still thinking. However, Miller was inconsistent in the first two rounds. Of course, in this series, he was the ...
The NHL just released the schedule for the 07-08 hockey season and at first glance it looks favorable for the Preds.
- Saturday Night Fever: The Preds have 14 Saturday home games. For a team trying to get butts in seats nothing is better than a Saturday home game.
- Never Far Away: The Preds have only tow long road trips...a five game swing in Late October that takes...
Hola guys.
Ice Melts at 32 F, or 0 C for those of you north of the border. And seeing as it got to 92 today, I should be thinking baseball. But with the Reds 40-55 and 13.5 games back, I'm just waiting for the next 78 days to pass, so that I can throw on that sweater and relax. Instead, I'm gonna take a stab at some Central Previews. I'll do another one in September, as...
red_avi9 writes...
08 should be a piece of cake for wings...until the playoffs.
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The season of 08 is looking great for the wings as of now.last year the wings came tied for first with buffalo{buf had more wins} in points and the only divisionmate who even contended with them was the predators.i mean, lets face it chicago, the hawks suck and the same goes for the bluejackets.the blues are really on the right track but at most they'll contend for a playo...
It has been said that Mr. Holland is still looking at the market. Well who is not? I am feeling very comfortable with the Wings line-up this season. With the coming of age of Johan Franzen, Daniel Cleary and Flip. I think that Johan can replace what Todd Bertuzzi was supposed to bring to the wings grit with the help of aged Dallas Drake. Zetterburg and Datsyuk are definite...
Before I begin, I'm going to make a quick comment on giving Bettman the powers that David Stern has. I personally think its not needed since the worst trouble hockey players get into are bar fights. There's no strip club shootings, or dog fighting, or any other high crimes that have happened yet, and until that does happen, don't give Bettman the power Stern has. Minor int...
The NHL may be thinking of expanding again, and with the new rules in place it might just be a perfect time to expand and realign some teams in the league.
I think if the NHL does expand by two teams the perfect two choices would be Winnipeg, Canada since they do have a great fanbase and support for hockey in the NHL, there stadium can hold 15,003 and there team was mov...
I though it might be interesting to see how hockey ranks across NHL cities compared to other major sports in that city, this is my opinion as i have watched hockey in 15 different cities and discussed hockey with many fans in the cities that i was in, i hope to add 2 more cities this year in completing all 30 teams down the road, please feel free to correct me if your from...
If there is one team the Detroit Red Wings need to be looking out for in the rear view mirror, it’s the St. Louis Blues, and this year, the Blues are much closer than they appear. No, the Blues won’t contend for a Cup (at least not for a couple more years) but for the time being, they have a real shot at making life hard for the Red Wings in a very weak Central Divisi...
Next, I looked at the Central Division
[b]Columbus Blue Jackets[/b]
Could this be the year the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs... NO. However they will be better. Mainly because the Columbus Blue Jackets fired Doug MacLean and heired Scott Howson. Also the team got immediately better last year when they heired Ken Hitchcock. The Blue Jackets are stacked with ...
[b]Originally posted (and more readable) on [url]www.prednation.com[/url][/b]
In Part I, we took a look back at the expectations going into last season. That look provided a brief glimpse at the players we were going to ice as well. At this time last season, we were a team coming off of a 100+ point season. We were going into the season expecting another 100+ point c...
I watched Detroit and Tampa Bay today. Here are my notes from the game:
- I never got to watch much of the Lecavalier/St. Louis show last year but hopefully that will change this year with my purchase of NHL Center Ice. It is the end of the 2nd and Marty already has 2 beauty goals. Vinny didn't play but the telecast made up for it by showing all of his 52 goals last yea...
I miss seeing the Leafs play the Wings.
When the Leafs moved to the east, I knew that I would see less of them but thanks to this wonderful new schedule, I never get to see those two teams play. For me, they are right up there with Leafs/Habs or Leafs/Sens games. Always good regular season games and playoff games. I hope that with the new schedule for next season, ...
Here we go into '07-'08! Another great season of NHL Hockey is about to start, and the Wings are hosting the defending Stanley Cup Champs at the Joe tomorrow. What's it going to take to win? Well, the usual stuff, as usual, and some new stuff. Franzen has got to take on the role of Power Forward, Samuellson has got to get a lot more consistent, and the youngsters; Fillpu...
Oh, my Red Wings! The lines seem to be starting to come together, and things are starting to click a little......but......
Granted, last night's shootout loss at Chicago followed the loss of Franzen and some shuffling of lines, but the Wings have always shuffled lines and often just because they could. What the Wings haven't always done is scrambled in their own...
cougar763 writes...
Red Wing Attendance and Better Things to Talk About
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
At this point we all know that the Wings are having some small issues with attendance. However, this is not the end of the world scenario that everyone is making it out to be. They sold out every game for over 10 years, it was bound to happen, and with the situation in the stat right now they are still getting a pretty good showing. With the economy the way it is (the stat...
Due to the injury to Johann Franzen (out 3-4 weeks), Mike Babcock has changed up his lines, shortened his bench, and Matt Ellis is in the lineup in a 4th line role. The thing is, the line combinations other than Zetterberg/Holmstrom/Datsyuk seem to be set in quicksand, and even that line gets the "mixmaster" approach every now and again.
In tonight's 4-2 victory ov...
Thursday night will be a match up of i think the two top teams in the Western conference between the San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks will be hungry as they host the Detroit Red Wings the team that ousted them from last years playoffs in six games.
Many picked the Sharks or Wings to be hoisting the Cup come this spring, making this to be one hell of a...
Many writers have opined that the CBA is favorable to the owners, or favorable to the players, or favorable to no one. How many have actually taken the time to slog through all 475 pages of the current agreement? Don't worry. One need read only as far as the CBA Preamble. If what it states isn't true, then the integrity of the whole CBA is problematic. Frankly, it is prett...
Great insight on it, it's going to be a great game to say the least. Expect guys like Nolan, Sarich, and Conroy to stand out tonight. They're the guys who can stick to a Red Wing like glue and keep the forecheck energized.
I attended the Nashville game a couple days ago and I wasn't satisfied with the play of both Nashville and the Flames. Both teams didnt bring any so...
[b]Wings and Preds[/b] tonight at 6:30 cst from the Joe on FSN. The Wings, as usual, have started out red hot and are leading the tough Central. The Preds are on a bit of a roll wining 5 of their last 6 and three in a row. This is, by far, their toughest test of the year.
The Preds always seem to play the Wings tough and I expect the same kind of effort tonight. I loo...
We all know that as fans it seems like there are only 2 emotions in our fan-lives, a giddy rollercoaster of ups and downs, from supreme and utter glory as our team wins to dark, lonely despair as they fail don't.
In some ways it's easier to be a fan of a really good team, like the Wings, or a fan of a struggling team, like the Blue Jackets.
The Red Wings of the pas...
[i][b]Loyal Predjoe Blog Reader:[/b] Hey Joe you know that we lost last night right? In a shootout?
[b]Predjoe:[/b] We won baby!
[b]LPJBR:[/b] Oh...I get it. This is about the disallowed goals from last night.
[b]PJ:[/b] Heck yeah baby...V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!
[b]LPJBR:[/b] Ok...what are you smokin and can I have some?[/i]
Folks...this is how I feel today. I feel li...
So far, the young season has provided many highlights for the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets, off to a franchise-record 8-4-2 start.
They have taken full-heartedly to Ken Hitchcock's structured mentality, and using their speed and forecheck to pressure opponents into turnovers. Vintage Ken Hitchcock hockey.
With a team as young as the Jackets, it is plausible to wond...
I just read an article by Helene St. James of the [i]Detroit Free Press[/i] ( [i]Cloud 9: Wings' streak ties record; Zetterberg extends his[/i]) in which she states that the Joe Louis Arena was only "two-thirds full" last night.
This is simply not true and anybody with a calculator can verify the actual percentage.
In fact, the actual attendance last night against Co...
As a Chicago Blackhawk fan, I can tell you the excitement and anticipation I've experienced all day long, but I don't want to ramble on and on and on. Not only was Detroit on the schedule for today, Chicago fans experienced a change up if you will.
Rocky Wirtz announced that 7 Blackhawks games would be broadcasted through CSN. The first of course, was televised today w...
[b]The NHL did a great thing[/b] by putting a large chunk of divisional games so early in the season this year. It really gets the rivalries going and gives each team a great opportunity to see what they are competing against in their division. For a long time I was wondering why they NHL didn’t do more of this...to me it seemed so easy a solution to add meaning to th...
The Blues beat Detroit which is always a good thing, but there are a couple things that really irked me tonight...
-Night Class. I didn't catch the entire game and only saw the last period. I missed the one freaking time that Blues not only beat Detroit, but beat them on national TV!!!
-eric brewer. I didn't capitalize his name because he was very bad. I understand m...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Central Division Is The Most Competitive in NHL Right Now
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
This fact is proven with the Blackhawks beating the Red Wings for yet a fourth time already this season, keep in mind the Wings only have five regulation losses, with the other coming against another central division team, the Blues.
The Central Division is home to the best team in the Western Conference, the Red Wings, and no other division currently has every single t...
red_avi9 writes...
osgood or hasek? duhhh!...that is until the playoffs start.
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
hasek-the wings payed him a salary for what he did last year not taking into account that hes no chelios and hes 42.hes finished ,maybe a couple games left in him.
OZZIE-the man who should be starting on a regular basis is 9-1 and the 2nd best gaa average in the league{not counting sundays 5-4 win against cbj}.OZZIE is a great goalie SO START HIM.
if they both start ...
So I was up early this morning. Its been 3 days since the Predators have played a hockey game and I am going out of my mind. Of course it doesn't help that we lost an overtime game on Saturday to the Blues and then got outright beat on Monday by the Blues. So I am up early, all of the family who is in from out of town are starting to make noise upstairs and it won't bel...
Yes I know that I took some time off from the ol' blog this weekend. Truth be told it felt kind of good. I took the time to sit back and enjoy time with my wife and 23 month old little girl. Don't get me wrong...I watched some hockey but this weekend was about family and pausing to take time and be thankful for what we have been blessed with. I have an incredible wife, a b...
And hear we are, just over a week after the 5-1 loss to the Coyotes. A week ago we had newspapers and radio shows picking out who was going to be the new GM of the Leafs as everyone had assumed his days were done. Since then the Leafs have picked up 5 out of a possible 6 points and for the time being it seems as though that is all but a distant memory……For now. ...
Once again Babcock mixed up the lines, putting the youngsters Filppula and Hudler up with Datsyuk against the Habs, and magic happened.....who does this guy think he is?? Scotty Bowman?? After a short stretch of not-so-stellar performances, and a couple of injuries to key checking-line players, Mike Babcock was basically forced to shuffle the forward lines around to get ...
[b]It seems appropriate [/b]that guys wearing red would come calling in the month of December. That's right Pred fans the hated and despised Red Wings are in town for a 7:00 game at the Sommet Center (why do I put where the game is? Seriously...when was the last time a hockey game was played at Municipal?). Everyone knows that when these teams square off fans of both teams...
[i](I was out sick yesterday so I apologize for no post on the Wings game from Monday night but here are some thoughts on that)[/i]
[b]
If there is such thing as a moral victory[/b] the game against the Wings on Monday was one such game. This was a frustrating game to watch as a Preds fan as chance after chance was stoned by a red hot Chris Osgood. Osgood is in the midst...
After the release of The Mitchell Report I some interesting words of wisdom from a great NHL vetern and soon to be Hall of Famer:
Chris Chelios, the fitness freak he is, believes his league is as clean as white as snow.
“For some reason, hockey’s never been involved, and I don’t think it ever will be,” the Detroit Red Wings defenseman said Thursday, just befo...
I like numbers. Not as much as the typical baseball fan, but I like them nonetheless. So here's a nice list of them. My plan is to stare at them for a while, come up with a list of observations, and then make up some irrational impressions about what they mean.
Team Avg. Attend. %Cap
1.Montreal 21273 100
2.Ottawa 19631 106.1
3.Philadelphia 19489 99.9
...
During the 90's, Scotty Bowman, Barry Smith and the rest of the Detroit Red Wings were the nemeses of a crumbling Blackhawk organization.
Some 15 years later, it can be argued the Scotty Bowman, himself, is a small part of the Blackhawks' rebirth.
How so? Well, a few years back the Blackhawks hired Bowman's son, Stan, to their front office. A graduate of Notre Dame...
[b]RED WINGS
A FORCE, AS ALWAYS[/b]
The Red Wings probably have the best Dman in the League, and two of the best forwards in the league. They are Stanley Cup Contenders. They are the toast of the west. Why? Simple, they are that good; they have a solid defense, and adequate goal-tending which looks better because of their defense. Simply put, this team has no wea...
Here are some of my thoughts on who the Red Wings should/could acquire to improve their chances for a long playoff run.
[b]Mark Recchi[/b] Ten points in ten games in Atlanta, he's found new life and would fit good on a second line wing.
[b]Glen Murray[/b] Power forward with some gas left in the tank, would fit good on a line with Zetterberg, probably available if the...
Anticipating tomorrow night's game against the Red Wings at the United Center, I'm reminded of the final lines from the epic 1995 film, Braveheart:
"Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like scotsmen . . . and won their freedom."
I'm officially setting aside my cynicism and real...
As a continuation of my Braveheart theme vis a vis the Hawks' tilt with Detroit last night, the title is my way of saying: right metaphor, wrong battle. Like the Scots at Falkirk (not Bannockburn), the Hawks fought valiantly, but were outnumbered, and in the end succumbed to a superior foe.
Hats off to the Wings. They came out fast and focused and put the Hawks in an im...
John Jaeckel writes...
Hawks trade aging Swedish d-man for future superstar
Posted Friday | Comments 0
Not really.
Well, maybe.
Yes, yesterday, Dale Tallon continued his stockpiling of draft picks in exchange for the Hawks' wretched refuse, picking up a 7th round pick from Florida for Magnus Johansson.
Last night I watched tape of the Hawks' AHL farm team, the Western Division leading Rockford Ice Hogs, playing the Lake Erie Monsters. The Hogs' talent has basicall...
TheMike12 writes...
Sens Vs Wings, Prove me Wrong Ray..Prove me wrong..
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I woke up this morning with the kind of giddy excitement you had as a kid, waking up on your birthday or Christmas morning, you just know that today is something special, of course im talking about what I think is the game of the year so far in the BEST of the East vs the BEST of the West, the clash of the titans between the Sens and Wings. Since the start of the season wh...
Well what can I say, this game lived up to all the hype surrounding it, fast paced and edge of your seat action. The Senators showed they are a team to be reckoned with, coming on the good side of a 3-2 win against the First place overall Detroit Red Wings. Captain Daniel Alfredson also put on a show tonight with 2 goals and so many other amazing plays I couldn't possibly ...
Like Frankenstein's Monster, I was nearly driven off the chicagoblackhawks.com message boards the other day by an angry mob of villagers wielding pitchforks, for daring to say that the Hawks had no chance of making the playoffs.
"This is a fan board. Why are you here?" One poster reasoned.
I am a fan. But I am also a journalist, and therefore I need to make objective...
(All, I am no longer HB28, but my real name. Nice to meet you)
I just got done responding on Al Cimaglia's blog with regard to Denis Savard's system.
Make no mistake, Savard-Bashers. He has a system. He has a vision. And it's working.
As a Hawk fan, it's very easy to be cynical about any member of the front office or staff who comes from within the ranks. For year...
[b]From another name in the rumor mill to a foundational player[/b] in the Preds future. JP Dumont has played all parts this past week in the press and I, as a Pred fan, could not be happier in the role he is ultimately cast.
There is no denying that JP has been red hot and the Preds had to be fielding calls from interested GM's wondering about the availability of the ...
[b]The AVS begin February with a 2-0 loss to Detroit in Motown. What more can be said? A lot.
The first period was a tough one...Colorado gets 3 shots on net but played a good portion of the period in the box, including a 5-3 on which bombs were dropping from Lidstrom and Rafalski (among others). What really struck me in this period was our poor passing. Whether it was...
Trotz has said it. The players have said it. The prognosticators have said. I've said it. Everyone has said it...this is playoff hockey. The Preds are in the midst of a stretch run that could be one of the most exciting in recent history.
I thought it was put rather well by Carolina Hurricane Cory Stillman in an intermission interview during the Versus broadcast on Tues...
You know when you ride that really scary roller coaster and you thought you had a great time...that is until you get off and realize that you were clinching your fists so tight the whole time that you cut off circulation. That's how last nights game against Detroit felt to me...a bit too much of the white knuckles.
[b]The Start We Needed:[/b] Wow! I don't think anyone s...
Daniel Cleary was a first round pick in 1997 by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks would only see 41 games from Cleary before bailing on him in a worthless trade to the Oilers. The Oilers didn’t benefit much from Cleary either as he played four seasons with the Oilers producing 35 points on season but otherwise wasn’t affective. Cleary would play one more season for a W...
[b]It's the Cabo san Lucas to Tony Romo[/b]. It's the kryptonie to Clark Kent, the Jennifer Aniston to David Schwimmer. Call it what you want, Joe Louis Arena has not exactly felt like a La-Z-Boy to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
But they busted out a bag of Cheetos and made themselves at home tonight.
[b]This time, it was the Blue Jackets who vaulted[/b] to a multi-goal...
While most likely out of playoff contention, the Blackhawks appear nonetheless to be on their way to a successful season (as compared with the previous decade and a half of futility) in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
The Hawks will probably finish over .500. They're 4-1 vs. Detroit this season. Their line-up is studded with young players who are emerging as N...
1-0 Dallas over Detroit
Dallas is now 8 pts behind Detroit for the presidents trophy lead
Going into the trade deadline I've had two big concerns about the stars: adding a veteran defender and adding a scorer to play with Modano to keep Dallas from being a 1 line team. The young defenders are solid players, but veteran experience can't hurt, and a 1 line tea...
(Hold your salvos, let me explain first, not trying to pick any fights here)
I started this discussion on Al Cimaglia's blog a couple of days ago, and received a few insults from a guy named "Steve" over it. And yes, a few others on the blog, chimed in that I was being overly optimistic. "Steve" challenged me to blog this subject. So I am. And I can't wait to start read...
DucksFan07 writes...
Lidstrom Takes a Punishing Hit..... and no Response
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
I've been trying to post this for four days, so I apologize for the rather untimeliness. I still don't know what the problem is/was. I just hope it works this time.
Before you "bomb throwers" get started, I am going to take a neutral stance on this and just want to compare how various teams would have responded. Let's hear how your team would have responded. The R...
I've been trying to post this for four days, so I apologize for the rather untimeliness. I still don't know what the problem is/was. I just hope it works this time.
Before you "bomb throwers" get started, I am going to take a neutral stance on this and just want to compare how various teams would have responded. Let's hear how your team would have responded. The R...
Another game, another hurt defenseman.....this time, Chelios, the last really experienced, steady blueliner the Wings had on the roster. We still don't know the extent or severity of the "contusion" that he suffered, but if anyone can get back quickly, it will be a fitness nut like Cheli.
As for filling out the blue line corps, I think Ken Holland has his work cut ...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Flames Beat Wings; Why The Flames Shouldn't Trade Tanguay
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Alternate title: Flames Beat Wings; The Stupid Trade Rumor That Just Won't Die.
Miikka Kiprusoff finally got his first shutout of the year, making 38 saves as the Flames beat the Wings 1-0 on Friday night. Alex Tanguay scored the winning goal 12 minutes into the first, stealing the puck behind the net and doing a Steve Smith special, as he sent the puck in front where i...
It's great to see Hull, Mikita, Koroll, Esposito, et al returning to the fold and rejoining the rising tide of Blackhawk Nation.
And in that spirit, there's another old-time Blackhawk who needs to be invited back to the U.C..
He was with the Hawks for eight seasons and three playoff runs. He played on a line with Coach Denis Savard. He scored the last goal ever score...
mapleleafsforever writes...
And he's thrown the challenge flag onto the... ice?!
Posted Friday | Comments 0
You can probably see where this is going but bear with me. I beg you. Recently we've had some issues with blown calls. Serious issues and seriously blown calls. The one with Detroit and San Jose was unfortunate, admittedly, but let's be reasonable; one point will not lose them the President's Trophy. It will take at least two. But I digress...
The incident in Atla...
[b]In a game that will be remembered [/b]by some for a controversial goal or a non call that led to said goal I will remember this game as an ugly night for Predators hockey.
[b]Let me explain.[/b] The Preds were, quite simply, outplayed last night by a very good Sharks team. A team that has, for the past two seasons, had our number and dialed it repeatedly. The Ron Wi...
It's been said that if you have two starting goaltenders, you don't really have any. That might not be true if you happen to be Team Canada and have Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo on your side. But if you're the Detroit Red Wings and your options are Chris Osgood or an elderly Dominik Hasek, it may be so.
Of course, the point of this blog isn't about speculation of w...
As I mentioned yesterday I blogged live from the Preds - Red Wings game last night. below is my blow by blow recap as it appeared live on my other blog www.predjoe.wordpress.com.
[b]Pre-Game[/b]
it is early...I tend to get to games early to try and nab one of my special free parking spots. I scored one tonight so I am feeling good!
the Sommet Center has the Duk...
I wrote this blog in the beginning of this year, and I got bashed for it.It turns out I was right on almost everything.Please read this ,and let me know how wrong or right I was.
08 should be a piece of cake for wings...until the playoffs.
Posted 12:37 PM ET | Comments 13 | Edit | Delete
The season of '08 is looking great for th...
[b]With Friday nights impressive win[/b] the Preds have climbed back into the last playoff spot in the West (Edmonton - Calgary had yet to play as of this posting late Saturday). Dan Ellis was, once again, spectacular and continues his impressive streak of hockey. He has put this team on his shoulders and is carrying them...big time! (on a bit of a side note...how about th...
Opinion about this year's Red Wings team, as it has been each year since the lockout resumed, has been deeply divided. At the beginning of the season, ESPN's most visible hockey analysts diverged thusly: E.J. Hradek picked the Wings to win the Stanley Cup, while Barry Melrose declared them a "second class" team in the Western Conference. This division was still clearly app...
[b]Dan Ellis has strung together[/b] a series of performances that should, in my opinion, win him player of the week honors. Starting with last Sunday's 2-1 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks Ellis has gone 3-0-1 in his last four posting 2 shutouts and allowing only two goals and just one in regulation. The guy has been a stud. Early last week I had a post that I tit...
I'm going to get my entire bracket set down instead of going round-by-round. Last year, I was 15 for 15 in predicting the Ducks over Sens; but I actually felt last year was easy to pick... this year, I'll be lucky if I get half right.
Nonetheless, I surge forward... unlike last year, I feel EVERY team, 1-8, in both conferences could beat/upset and move to the second ro...
[b]When the season began[/b] few expected that the Nashville Predators would be preparing for their fourth straight playoff appearance. Not many teams can lose Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Paul Kariya and Peter Forsberg replace them with Martin Gelinas, Jed Ortmeyer, Radek Bonk and Dan Ellis and expect to complete. Not only did the Preds compete this year b...
Ahhh yes...the playoffs...every hockey fans favorite time of year. Where 16 teams are given that chance to win the sports ultimate prize, The Stanley Cup.
Round one has the Predators traveling to Detroit to face the President Trophy winning Red Wings. The Preds typically play the Wings tough and should provide more than enough for the Wings. Instead of doing my typical...
Some quick thoughts before bed (have to get up at 4:45 to work out!):
Preds were out shot 40-20...that cannot happen and we have a chance in this thing.
Dan Ellis is showing the rest of the NHL what we have learned this season...this kid is legit! Solid game for his first playoff start ever. He kept us in it for sure and bailed out the D several times.
There...
I am already feeling a bit anxious today due to the 2 day break between games 2 and 3 between the Sharks and Flames.
Thankfully, there is some afternoon hockey to watch between Detroit and Nashville. Does anyone else notice that Detroit is constantly almost interfering with opposing teams goaltenders? Holmstrom is always parked right in front of the net, and as much as ...
Just a few hours away from hitting the 'dome in anticipation of Game 3 between the Sharks and the Flames. I expect a wild and crazy crowd and I just hope that the Flames don't get over-hyped for the game and take some bad penalties early. I expect another tight game and hope the Flames continue to hit the Sharks and don't try to beat them at a finesse game, regardless of...
Call tonight's game what you want...
"Must win."
"Statement Game."
"Gut Check Time."
"Critical."
[b]Whatever you want to call it[/b] the Predators have no other choice but to win tonight. While it's not win or go home it is win or start looking at where you'll be vacationing next week.
While the Preds find themselves down 2-0 in the best of seven contest...
I am still at a loss as to how to describe last nights game. It was electric. It was amped. It was hockey heaven for a Preds fan. I cannot imagine a more gutsy performance or never say die attitude than what the Preds displayed last night.
[b]Some observations:[/b]
[b]Following the two goals in 9 seconds[/b] to give the Preds the lead the place went berserk! For the...
Nobody had ever seen anything like Sean Avery's stick-in-the-face antics against Brodeur. Most people thought it was unsportsmanlike behavior, not in keeping with the integrity of the sport of hockey. The NHL acted swiftly to clarify the rules, [i]aka[/i] the "[i]Sean Avery Rule[/i]" to make sure this never happens again without an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of 2 mi...
Well, it's probably the most cliche blog a hockey fan can possibly write, but here are my round two predictions!
[b]Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers[/b]
Both teams are coming off 7 game series, but the Habs have had an extra day off and have home ice advantage. The Flyers will be playing 3 games in 4 nights. The Habs should take games 1 and 2, but I expect t...
When I wrote my first blog for all the hockey fans watching their team on the golf course while other teams competed in the playoffs, I announced that the Washington Capitals were my choice to go as far as possible. Unfortunately that all came to an end two days ago and now I have to sit back in my chair and decide once again.
We're left with Detroit playing the Avs and...
sm623181 writes...
The Truth about hitting the Post/Last night's wrap up
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
...We all know that "clank". It's the last minute of the game. Your team is down by one. They've pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. It's a jumble of players in front of the net when suddenly the puck pops free and right to the stick of you star. He shoots with just seconds left on the clock. It's almost as if everything is moving in slow motion.
"CLANK!"
...
...I've read alot of complaints on all teams in the playoffs so far.
...Really the only series have serious second round involvement in has been the Flyers/Habs and I can say that there has been some pretty one sided officiating. Montreal has had almost twice as many power plays. Am I to belive that while we were in the lead we were taking careless penalties all game....
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings for reaching their respective conference finals.
-The job that Flyers coach John Stevens has done in the playoffs is nothing short of spectacular. The guy had a team that was supposed to be road kill in round one and navigated it past two teams whose coaches were finalists for the Jack Adams. Since a 39 p...
1st round I was: 6/8
2nd round: 2/4 (I missed the whole western conference)
So far, i'm at 8/12... not bad.
[b]Eastern Conference Finals[/b]
[u]2.Pittsburgh VS 6.Philadelphia[/u]
WOW! This is going to be a series, whether it's a sweep or goes to Game 7. If the Pens manage to win you have to wonder just how badly they're going to be beaten up before the win and if th...
nephew23 writes...
Fitting End To An AWESOME Series! Morrow = Conn Smythe!
Posted Monday | Comments 0
It is 2:34am as I am finally home and headed to bed. I had to get a few thoughts in first ... there will be more tomorrow.
WOW ... that was one helluva game ... playoff hockey at its finest! Turco and Nabokov were OUTSTANDING! I cannot wait to watch the game on DVR and hear the call from Ralph and Razor! So much for the blowout ... but who knew Mr. Vezina would show...
Blamm writes...
Game 6, The Final Four (the NHL remix), and The Great Monkey
Posted Monday | Comments 0
Well, put that one in the books. You can tell the real fans from the "I'm just watching because the Mavs aren't playing" fans this morning by the red, cracked eyes. It took four overtimes in Game 6, but the Stars finally finished off the Sharks at 1:30 am Central with a 2-1 victory. When Morrow scored the game winner, we wondered if they would just review it out of habi...
If there's anything certain in this year's playoffs, it appears to be this: pray you're player didn't do a Stanley Cup promo. If you've watched any hockey this post season, you've undoubtedly seen the spots ending with various NHL stars stating, "and that's how the Cup changes everything." Let's see how these featured players are doing:
Roberto Luongo and his Canucks ...
Well now....I've been thinking about this series and reading up on what all the "experts" have been saying and I've made up my mind. I'm pretty sure having the experts vote is the kiss of death anyway...so let them predict away (they are after all, the ones who said Habs in 5).
The way I see it, the Pens have really coasted through the playoffs. They haven't been chal...
...I'm going to be in Europe from the 9th to the 16th...so i'll be missing the first 4 games of the series. Does anyone know a way I can watch abroad??? Help! I appreciate any ideas.
That's a lyric from the Kid Rock song "Wasting Time". Not my favorite song of his (I am a fan though) but a darn good lyric. And one representative of this year's version of the Detroit Red Wings.
Everyone in Detroit remembers Steve Yzerman lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. Even if they didn't see it live or weren't old enough to really remember it. The image ...
We're down to the final round before the Stanley Cup. The remaining two teams after the Conference Finals will own some minor bragging rights to the East and the West, but the Cup is what defines it all. It defines every injury that was played through; every broken bone, blood gushing wound, any limp or ache: everything. And now we're only 14 games away from it all, at the...
Well now....I've been thinking about this series and reading up on what all the "experts" have been saying and I've made up my mind. I'm pretty sure having the experts vote is the kiss of death anyway...so let them predict away (they are after all, the ones who said Habs in 5).
The way I see it, the Pens have really coasted through the playoffs. They haven't been challe...
[i]3 hours to go ... anybody else feeling that nervous energy?!?![/i]
There is no better way to sit down at the poker table than to be given chips on the house! There is a freedom that accompanies playing with free money ... no risk to your own bank account allows for uninhibited aggression and generally (for good players) leads to a better overall game. This is the s...
1) The game is over by 9pm. Wow, what a difference it makes to have an opponent in your time zone.
2) The first two periods had me in "gulp" mode, but I think the Stars were somewhat shell-shocked at the start (though I can't really say why). However, a strong 3rd period showed more of the team we've seen in the first two rounds...so I'm feeling better now. I don't t...
...Kimmo Timmonen out with a blood clot in his foot...and all of a sudden people go from being extremely hopeful to completely defeated. What is wrong with you people!?!
...I love Timmonen, I really do. He is honestly one of the best defenseman I've ever seen and he has been nothing short of spectacular in the playoffs so far. The main factor that AO wasn't on a scor...
Yet another inspiring and hard-fought Red Wings victory in the playoffs. Are the professional pundits [i]finally[/i] going to learn that the Wings ARE "physical enough" to get through this? Is anyone going to admit that the "Red Wings are too old" isn't going to fly anymore when the difference in average age between Detroit and Dallas is less than a year? No matter, rega...
Let's face it folks, with both the East and West Conference Finals series' at 3-0 in favor of the Penguins and the Red Wings respectively, we know what the Stanley Cup Finals matchup will be already. With only two teams in history having come back from 3-0 deficits, the odds are astronomical that these two teams don't face off for Lord Stanley's prize. So let's look at t...
nephew23 writes...
Missed Opportunities and Credit Where Credit is Due
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Tonight could mark the end of a fantastic season for the Dallas STARS. The fans in Dallas, including myself, and a few others around the world have been more than compensated for our time, money, and energy spent. It has been an awesome run filled with many memorable moments and a great sense of optimism for the future, and specifically the next few years. By no means a...
While the outlook may appear bleak, it's not completely hopeless. Heck, it's been done before. I'm not buying into San Jose's theory of every 33 years...I'm just saying this team has been special this post-season, so why the hell not?
One thing I noticed in VERY brief spurts during the first three games that I was finally able to confirm in game 4: Detroit plays incred...
[b][i]Good quote from Mikey-Mo...[/i]
[quote][i]"We've felt if we could get Game 6 at home, it would be a whole different animal," Modano said. "And then, who knows what can happen Wednesday in Detroit? But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We knew it would be an uphill battle. Nobody picked us to win this thing from the start. The last couple games, we've found ...
[b]Optimist:[/b] Good morning, all! I'm Optimist!
[b]Pessimist:[/b] And I'm Pessimist. Today, we'll be breaking down the remainder of the Dallas / Detroit series.
[b]Optimist:[/b] That's right. On the verge of being swept, the Stars have come back from the edge and have made this a series! What exciting hockey to watch! I hope this series goes to seven games, regar...
Nothing would have beaten another win, but I could not be more proud of [i]my[/i] Dallas STARS! I hate being on the wrong side of the handshake ... but our boys deserved a great send-off ... and myself and the fans came through nicely! Detroit was no doubt the better team but Dallas gave them a run for their money. After 3 straight first-round exits, the STARS erased so...
The [i]Pittsburgh Post-Gazette[/i] published a cartoon that showed the giant Uniroyal tire that is near Detroit Metro Airport adorned in Winged Wheel regalia. The air was going out of the tire and the caption was "Deflate the Wings."
In response, the [i]Detroit Free Press[/i] invited readers to submit their own posters to counteract the Penguin attack.
Currently, 28 ...
Seven games, decided by one goal in double overtime. And even then, it could go either way.
Yes, that is the prevailing thought for this year's Stanley Cup Finals between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Through three rounds, the Wings have lost just four games while the Penguins have just two defeats.
Two great teams that would be great teams at any point in the league's his...
Here we go, the last "Outsiders Looking In" Edition of the summer, and with only two teams remaining there should be plenty of us, so let's start talking some Stanley Cup hockey.
[b]The Pittsburgh Penguins vs. The Detroit Red Wings[/b]
A battle of talent that at times is so good it's obscene. Strong, impressive goaltending on both ends, young and rising stars that ha...
So the Latest from the NY Post has the Rangers walking away from Sean Avery. Are we missing something? Does Aves have pics of Sather in Marv Albert gear? Did Sather have his heart set on dating the Olsons? Well it looks like the closest Glen will get to one of them, is watching his Full House DVDs on the plane. What makes this situation even worse is that it looks Long Is...
The Series heads back to Pittsburgh for what could be the start of many years of seeing the Pens in the SCF or could be the last time that we see a SCF game played in Pittsburgh for a little while.
I will not go totally negative with the blog (just for you Jules) but history shows that the Pens have a long tough road to travel against these Wings in order to just get ...
When you hear Pens fans crow about how few Wings fans show up for games 3 and 4, they probably won't mention this little tidbit from Ticketmaster:
[b]Additional Information:
Mellon Arena is located in Pittsburgh, PA. Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of PA, OH, WV, MD, NY, NJ, DE, VA and the District of Columbia. Residency will be based on credit car...
Steve Willamson is my newest hockey hero.
The Orlando-based Tampa Bay Lightning fan completed every hockey fan's dream last winter, visiting all 30 NHL arenas in 30 nights.
Including Mellon Arena in Pittsbugh.
Why is that significant, you ask? It appears Williamson is not welcome in Mellon Arena. Neither are residents of New England, the South, the West, or much o...
After watching Sundin accept the Messier Award yesterday,I couldn't help but realize why the Rangers aren't mentioned in the " Mats sweepstakes". They will lose a few vets in Shannahan and possibly Straka. Malik and Mara could walk and the cap will increase. After reaping the rewards of the first award recipient ( Shanny) ,maybe the Rangers should follow up with the seco...
Enjoy
http://flyerflies.com/blogs/Buts/
Have a great weekend.
Well, this was a hard night for the Penguins. This was the first home loss since February 24th. This game was frustrating to watch, as a Pens' Fan, though I am sure the Wing's Fans loved at least the final two periods. The Penguins were deflated at the end of this game, as a group. One positive was in the post game press conferences, hope could still be heard in Sidney...
Although I bleed Red,White,and Blue for my Rangers, the game of hockey always comes first. My dedication to the game and love for the sport continues to grow as I get older.But being a goaltender, I gain more and more respect for the warriors in the mask. Their helmets and equipment are not just an obsession but their own personal styles and techniques are an art with in ...
grapes17 writes...
Sykora, Gonchar, Ruth, Baun -- this was one for the ages
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
This is why we are hockey fans.
Monday night was a game for the ages, and if you do not believe that, consider the names of Bobby Baun and Babe Ruth were invoked sometime around the second or third overtime.
Pittsburgh defenseman Sergei Gonchar left the game early with an upper-body injury -- and this time, it really looked like the entire upper body -- after crashin...
I think my feelings are best summed up in a quote from [b][i]Anchorman[/i][/b]...
[i][Wes Mantooth to Ron Burgandy][/i][b][quote]From deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure, straight hate you. But dog-gone-it, do I respect you![/quote][/b]I sincerely hate the Red Wings, as any true-blooded fan of another team does ... but when the last save was made and...
What a great performance by the Wings. They are a super talented and well coached team. The pressure they put on the puck at all times is incredible. The talent they they have with the draft position they have had in the last 10 years is incredible. A model franchise and classy organization.
Congratulations to the team, management, and fans!! Enjoy the cup for the ...
As he watched Marian Hossa's last second attempt to tie the game roll through the crease, Dan Cleary stood at the top of the crease with a stunned look.
The puck rolled across the crease -- it appeared to be a split second late anyway -- and Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood raised his hands to the hockey gods. The Detroit Red Wings had won their fourth Stanley Cup in jus...
Whether you think he'll be bought out, then signed as a Free agent or traded willingly, the general feeling is that Darcy Tucker will likely end next season on a different NHL team. Moving him really doesn't free up that much cap cash, but players like Tucker can be game-breakers, and as such, retains a good reputation among NHL coaches and GMs.
So, assuming there are t...
I am as disappointed as any Pens fan and season ticket holder about the loss of Marian Hossa.
You can also probably guess, judging from my name and picture, I am not the biggest Red Wings fan.
Nonetheless, Marian Hossa did something yesterday that is seldom, if ever, seen in professional sports.
At the end of the season, Hossa said that he would take less money to...
Marian Hossa has received a thorough drubbing in the Canadian media for signing with the Red Wings. The criticism has been across the continent from Vancouver to Toronto, and from TSN as well. The worst thus far seems to have issued from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star, hammering Hossa for wanting to seek a chamionship ring and " . . . play out of a smelly, crumbling Joe ...
Red Wings forward, Dallas Drake, has announced his retirement today saying that he will not pull a Farve. This means that he is done with playing hockey in the NHL. He was a good, gritty journeyman and an intregral part for the Red Wings during the Stanely Cup Run.
I actually met Dallas. He played at Northern Michigan and ended up marrying a former classmate of mine ...
SoCalSharksGirl writes...
Sharks Development Camp and Possible Assistant Coaches...
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
There was an article on Tuesday on the Sharks site announcing that the Development Camp will be taking place for the next 5 days at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Unfortunate for us, the camp is closed to the media and the public, to allow for the guys to work without feeling judged.
McLellan will be there, but not on the ice. He will be observing and mentoring from a room abo...
After looking at the Red Wings schedule for the upcoming season I notice some very, very sweet weekends! As mentioned earlier in Mark Spizzirri's Red Wing blog here on Hockeybuzz, they have 2 tough road trips out west and of course everyone is talking about the New Years Day game vs. Chicago Blackhawks outdoors at Wriggley Field along with the unveiling of the Stanley Cup...
Its been 19 days since the the wave of blue and white faithful sat on edge waiting to see if Mats Sundin would sign on the dotted line with the Habs. Perhaps the Canucks would lure him with that huge 20 Mil. deal they waived.. wait, maybe he's gone to retirement.. Noone counted Sundin as a Leaf for the 08-09 schedule. Noone thought he'd ever come back to the lowly bottom...
The Detroit Red Wings are giving goaltending prospect, Jimmy Howard, all the confidence in the world even though is has not one but two battles on his hands this upcoming year. Howard will earn $600,000 if he makes the club or $200,000 if he is assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. He will not have to clear waivers if sent down. He will also earn a set salar...
I won't write what others have written about the Red Wings signing Valterri Filppula, however I will write about how much money he will will receive for the 5 year contract and what that means to some current Red Wings players.
Filppula's contract is:
2008-2009 $2 mil
2009-2010 $2.5 mil
2010-2013 $3.5 mil for the final three years
What this means is the Red Wing...
Today, I picked up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and saw a story about the competition in Rams training camp for the 3rd string quarterback position. So, I decided it was time to start writing about hockey, because I’m already sick of football and baseball. Since the Post-Dispatch isn’t going to satisfy my hockey craving, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. Today, bo...
It indeed has been a short summer for the Detroit Red Wings. By know everyone knows that the Wings added Marion Hossa to their lineup. He could have been the steal of the free agents especially since he signed quick and wanted to come play for Detroit. One thing I learned was that Hossa is good friends with Red Wings 4th liner, Tomas Kopecky. I expect this had a lot to...
Source's close to the Zetterberg camp said that they have been told that there will be no contact talks between Henrik and the Red Wings till after December. My source has told me that the Red Wings want no distractions coming in to this season that might hinder them from having a strong start to the season. Once the New Year comes Henrik Zetterberg will be the first Win...
I know, I know, everyone and their dog is doing predictions (although Bert is quite good at it I hear)...here goes more
Western Conference
1. Detroit
2. San Jose
3. Calgary
4. Anaheim
5. Dallas
6. Chicago
7. Minnesota
8. Edmonton
9. Colorado
10. Columbus
11. Vancouver
12. Phoenix
13. St. Louis
14. Nashville
15. Los Angeles
Eastern Conference
1. Mo...
CSullivan10 writes...
Why the Red Wings should trade Lilja and Samuelson.
Posted Friday | Comments 0
It is pretty well known that the Wings need to make some kind of a move, if not two moves in order to insure they can be under the cap not only this season but for the next couple seasons. They have an over-abundance of talent on offense and defense and that obviously gives Ken Holland many options with how to get his team there. As a long time Red Wings fan, growing up ju...
It was the 6-1 red hot Rangers coming into Detroit to face the Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings who held a mediocre 2-1-1 record. Both teams showed up to play and turned out one of the most exciting hockey games of this season. At first it seemed to be devloping in to a one-sided affair, with the Wings capitalzing on the Rangers' slow start with two goals in the first four m...
These are the 10 worst +/- players in the league:
Player Team GP G A P +/- TOI/G
Kris Draper DET 8 0 0 0 -6 11:46
Fabian Brunnstrom DAL 7 5 1 6 -6 13:18
Chris Phillips OTT 8 0 1 1 -6 21:44
Adrian Aucoin CGY 8 1 0 1 -6 15:43
Nick Foligno OTT 8 2 1 3 -6 13:54
Brent Sopel CHI 7 0 1 1 -6 15:14
Tom Preissing LAK 5 1 2 3 -6 18:29
Bre...
Winners of the last 20 Stanley Cups and how they finished in their conference:
[img]http://hotpointshockey.com/images/stanleyCup2.jpg[/img]
07-08 Red Wings 1rst 115pts
06-07 Ducks 2nd 110pts
05-06 Hurricanes 2nd 112pts
03-04 Lightning 1rst 106pts
02-03 Devils 2nd 108pts
01-02 Red Wings 1rst 116pts
00-01 Avalanche 1rst 118pts
99-00 Devils 4th 103pts
98-...
steal_your_faceoff writes...
Global Markets Down - NHL "Stock" Soaring Into the Black
Posted Friday | Comments 0
[b]Global Markets Down[/b]
[img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee162/JHRIV/primerate1.jpg?t=1227324887[/img]
I'm sure you've read the papers and heard the nightly news. On Wall Street, the Dow hits it lowest levels in 5 1/2 years. On Main Street, U.S. jobless claims hit a 16 year high. From the Great Wall to the Champs d'Elysee, global recession fears send Asi...
To many Vancouver fans, the Luongo injury was/ is bad news, but to those that have been following the team closely, many know that the team is a tight knit united that wasn't going to shake in its boots and collapse. This team had already won 2 games in a row with Sandman in net, and the red hot trio of Demitra and the Sedins has been looking like a fit that won't be broke...
Despite being outshot 30 to 19, which is not usually the case - in fact it was their lowest shot total of the season - and the Boston Bruins ran away with a 4-1 victory over the Stanley Cup Champs, Detroit Red Wings. Boston, second to only the Sharks in the current standings, are now holding an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, but the record has only been an example of...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Flames Drop Heartbreaker; Almost-Mid-December Thoughts
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
What had looked like their best effort of the season turned into the most heartbreaking loss of the year for the Calgary Flames tonight. Despite two two-goal leads, an unexpectedly valiant effort from Curtis McElhinney in net, and the best overall effort of the season, the Flames still lost 4-3 in overtime to the Red Wings.
There are two main reasons I see for this los...
After a long hiatus due to user name and password issues, I am back and I have a beef.
How in the name of Gary Bettman can he have the player ted for the lead league in goals as a write in candidate for the NHL All-Star game. Jeff Carter is having a monster year and has barely any All-Star votes in comparison with your "superstars" of the league. I know he will be added...
WOW! Finally something to cheer about and even put to paper ... or web page, as it is! The Dallas Stars shut down and defeated the mighty - and much hated - Detroit Red Wings! If nothing else comes of this season, we can celebrate this night as our (mini) Stanley Cup victory!
Clearly, the Stars have had very little to be happy about so far this season. That goes for...
The 2008-2009 regular season officially began for Red Wings and their fans last night with the 6-0 win over the Sharks.
Awarding the Stanley Cup championship rings this week was absolutely the last celebration of the 2007-2008 season in Hockeytown. It is now back to nothing but business.
Frankly, it has been hard to get too concerned about the Wings so far this seas...
Happy Holidays to all of my fellow HockeyHeads out there...
I Wish the best to all into the New Year which, for the NHL, begins at the corner of Clark and Addison for the 2nd Annual Winter Classic--which seems like an oxymoron, but I digress. In a very short time, the W.C. has unquestionably become one of the too few highlights for the NHL (regular season) that really ...
In a game that would have even Jeff Goldblum studdering, the Avs beat the Red Wings.
It was a wierd game, Saturday night, one that the Avs were supposed to lose. Thanks to Oli Jokinen and a snow blower, the Avs were without Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic, respectively. They had Tyler Arnason taking Paul Stastny's spot. They were starting Peter Budaj, who hasn't played well...
The effects of high altitude are well known in professional and amateur sports. On the plus side, the thin air means the athletes will be able to move with less drag and greater efficiency. However, unless trained or acclimated to altitude, most teams will not be able to perform at maximum level when playing in Denver. This is especially true when the athletes are hockey ...
Most of the time, third uniforms are a failure - in all sports. Lot's of teams will go with a color combo - usually to black - to look tough, one supposes. Or, they go with colors that are non-traditional for the team. Or, they find some "designer" to "update" the look.
Unfortunately, on the whole, one gets the impression that the creation of a third look is only d...
Jesse Connolly's recent article, entitled "Why Alex Ovechkin Will Never Be the Face of the NHL" really got me pondering this question again, as I have so many times in my life. There has always been a player regarded as the face of the NHL, and that player was generally recognized as the best in the league at that time: Players like Richard, Howe, Orr, Gretzky and Lemieux ...
After dwelling in the basement of the Western Conference for most of the season, including dead last at #15 only 19 games ago, the Dallas Stars have battled all the way back to the #7 seed. According to the NHL, the Players Association, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement ... that means the Stars are currently a playoff team! With their domination over Detroit this y...
The big question in Chicago this week will not be the ongoing goalie Soap Opera (now starring a new player, unorthodox Finnish import, Antti Niemi).
It won't be the running debate between Hawk fans as to whether 2005 first round pick Jack Skille is the second coming of Bobby Hull or Ken Yaremchuk.
It won't even be rumored minor deals for the likes of Dominic Moore, N...
That was the worst finish I've ever seen in my life for a series-clinching game in the NHL playoffs. What a joke! All the many calls let go and the linesman decides to make that ridiculous call at that critical moment of the game. Pathetic! The Blue Jackets deserved better. The linesmen should be embarrassed ... the refs should be embarrassed ... and the league should...
I honestly dont think it matters what happens in the East bracket, [b]the Red Wings are unstoppable![/b]... even by Tim Thomas and the Big Bad Bruins.
This is not an easy pill to swallow, coming from a guy whos inlaws are from Michigan, and whos wife's cousin married a Michigan State hockey fanatic dubbed simply as "the Angry Guy". Beckster and I go out there ever year...
So I was 7 for 8 in 1st round predictions (Sharks....tsk tsk tsk). Not only did they screw up my predictions but my playoff pools are done!
On to Round 2:
[b]Boston (1) vs. Carolina (6) -[/b] This will be a great series. I like Carolina but Boston, after disposing of the Canadiens in 4 straight are riding high with confidence - I'll go [b]Bruins in 6[/b].
[b]Was...
Brown's "controversial" hit on Hudler in game 1 of the Detroit vs Anaheim series was legal and clean. It was shoulder to shoulder and Hudler got rid of the puck less than 2 seconds before. It didn't help Hudler that he wasn't paying attention, or was slightly bent over as he was turning up the ice. [b]The problem is that Hudler was skating in one direction, but playing the...
I don't know why, but it seems like in every playoff game this year I've seen at least one goal called off because the referee was not in position to make the call or seen a team called offsides by a line judge trying to catch up or who got in the way of a clearing attempt.
Tonight it was Detroit's Marian Hossa who scored the game-tying-goal with just over a minute left...
If you play Detroit 7 games straight, you're going to let up 6 goals one of those games. I hear the whispers from you Ducks fans about Hiller. Of course you'll give a bad rebound here and there, Zetterburg, Hossa, and Datsyuk are shooting on you. You'de be lucky to give up rebounds period. Its a tough feat to bring down the Sharks and then face the Red Wings, think about ...
BryanM writes...
League Needs to Assert Itself Now or Lose Control Forever
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Versus showed the aftermath of the Detroit Red Wings-Anaheim Ducks Game 6 during the first intermission of tonight's game 7 between Pittsburgh and Washington. After watching it I can't help but think that the NHL has lost control of these playoffs. Maybe it's just because they have two of the dirtiest teams in the league playing each other, or maybe it's because Colin Camb...
Memo to Bettman:
Don't move up the Stanley Cup Finals without checking Yanni's schedule at the Igloo,first.
And where is that Pan Flute guy playing these days?
And don't forget the WWF. Your pals back at the NBA had to pay big bucks to resolve that conflict with the wrestlers in Denver.
At least they got swept. Holik OUT, Havelid OUT! Im ready for the home opener. Bring on Phaneuf!! Good Call Ek. Rest in Peace Peter Zezel.
Down with the Wings.
While it is an exciting time to be an Islander because of the tremendous hustle and bustle regarding the first overall pick, you can bet your ass no one is having more fun than Penguin and Red Wing fans. For the second year in a row, the Penguins and Red Wings will be facing off in the Stanley Cup Final, and you can bet that both teams will be even more prepared for each o...
Listen up all you Penguin-haters! This blog is for you!
It hasn't even been 12 hours since the game ended, and already I've seen multiple stories suggesting that this series is a repeat of last year's Cup Finals. That the result will be the same and there is nothing the Penguins can do about it. They can't win four out of five against Detroit.
It's time for all of us...
1) Glad to see that Malkin didn't get suspended. When you have two skaters who don't have their shirts tied down it is hard to label either a "fighter." Although, Zetterberg did serve in the Swedish army for a few months and it looked like he had a pretty good uppercut technique and could have landed a few good ones if the refs had let him. But for what purpose after the ...
What a game! Just when it looked like Detroit was going to run away to a 3-0 series lead, Brooks Orpik lands a big hit on Darren Helm and the Penguins begin a relentless third period attack (with the help of six skaters on the ice for almost 30 seconds and a clueless Red Wings bench).
With the Penguins now on the board in the series, here are five things they need to do...
Before the media has a chance to jump off the Red Wings bandwagon (again), I'll put in my two cents on Game 6.
First of all, Detroit was asleep at the wheel in the first period. With the exception of Chris Osgood, the Wings really did look like the older, more exhausted team. The one positive they can take away from the first 20 minutes is that Pittsburgh did not score ...
Whether it be Pierre's and Milbury's red ties in game 5 and Milbury's red tie tonight. Or Pierre's and Olczyk's MULTIPLE assessments on the NUMEROUS times the Penguins should have been called for interference, or that the Red Wings should not have been called. Or them belaboring Malkin's cross check on Filppula when, a millisecond before, Kronwall planted [Fedotenko?]'s ...
I will be watching game 7 of tonight's Detroit vs. Pittsburgh game on NBC.
Not CBC.
Yes, it has taken me the entire season to get to this point. But I just can't hack it anymore.
I love Ron MacLean. I LOVE Don Cherry; I mean, I don't always agree with him, but his segments are always entertaining and I appreciate his patriotism and his passion for hockey. He sa...
nephew23 writes...
Guerin, Boucher, and the Pittsburg Penguins are Cup Champs!
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
[b]Happy congratulations to Billy Guerin, Philippe Boucher, and the newly crowned Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburg Penguins!!![/b] I'm sincerely happy for Billy G. and Philippe Boucher, as they both spent several quality years here with the Dallas Stars. As a rookie with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, Guerin raised his first Cup at the age of 24. Tonight, 14 years later, ...
First things first, congratulations to captain Sidney Crosby and his Penguins for winning the 2009 Stanley Cup. Well done, guys, you put on quite a show. It was a hard fought series, right until the final seconds when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had to dive across the crease to rob Detroit captain Niklas Lidstrom of a sure goal. Wondering what Fleury was thinking when all...
Bah! I had a nice long blog full of coverage on tonight's game and more but it all went away when Internet Explorer unexpectedly quit on me. I should really start doing these on Word documents and they copy-paste them.
Anyways, I'll try my best to replicate that previous effort.
[b]
The Flightless Birds fly high[/b]
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on the...
So they young Pens finally crested the proverbial mountain and overcame 2 - 0 and 3 - 2 series defecits to conquer the Wings and win the first (of what could be many) Stanley Cup of the Sidney Crosby era. As a Rangers fan I am not obligated to feel anything other than disgust and envy when a hated division rival succeeds where the Rangers have failed for the last 14 season...
Another NHL season is in the books. The Pittsburgh Peguins are the 150th Stanley Cup Champion since the trophy's creation in 1893, the Detroit Red Wings became the only franchise in the history of the NHL to lose more than one Game 7 at home in the Cup Final (1945 and 2009). The Blackhawks and Blues returned to the post-season, and the NHL saw its first all-California play...
With the 2009 NHL Draft now just days away, most fans are practically salivating with the anticipation of adding premium talent to their respective teams. Like most fans, I will be scouring the list of players that my team drafts looking for the next stars and assuming that each of our draft picks will ultimately help the NHL club achieve on-ice success. Before we go makin...
As the New York Islanders embark on a tough decision with the first pick in the draft, John Tavares will likely be heading to Long Island. The pressure on Garth Snow, the Islanders GM, will be great. With Snow being questioned about his qualifications to be a GM plus having control of a franchise whose future in Nassau County is up in the air. So the question is....do you ...
I dont see any possible way the Red Wings can retain Hossa without loosing significant assets in the form of Hudler, Fillpula & Stuart and only have 20 names on the roster every night. I am one of these long time Wings Fans that is ready for significant change.
I would like to see Draper and Holmstrom traded, as well as Maltby waived (cause no one would pay for him) an...
Let's get right to the argument, shall we? There are two major points:
[b]The signing makes good short-term sense.[/b]
I don't love Jason Williams, and I wasn't particularly sad to see him go. But, he isn't a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. Last year he put up 29 points in 39 games with Columbus (after a rough patch with Atlanta) and the year before tha...
With all this talk of trading a glut of high draft picks for Phil Kessel (1st round, 5th overall), discussion of 'draft pick value' seems to be the rage. I can't really beat the work Scott Cullen at TSN has done in analyzing the statistical odds a draft pick will make the 'big show' but I can throw in my two cents as to the value of draft picks to the Leafs.
When peopl...
You won’t find much about hockey in this blog but rather some words of wisdom that may save you the pain we have endured over the last 24 hours.
I hope you all are as lucky as I am to have found a special someone who not only humors your passions in life but truly shares in them as well. Much to my surprise, my bride of more than 10 years suggested that we take a much...
I have been lucky enough to live in the Detroit area since I was 5. Well I don't know how lucky I really am given the economy of the city the last 5 years but one thing is for sure, it has been great being a Red Wing fan.
Growing up there was definitely some down times. I remember my father getting calls from Mike Illitch himself back in the 80's practically begg...
It's finally happened. The Sabres have scored more than the Buffalo Bills in a single 60 minute game. The scary thing is, the Sabres are still playing.
Unfortunately, I was unable to actually sit down and watch the Sabres play up until tonight. Aren't weddings wonderful? I saw bits and pieces of the Coyotes game. Other than that, I haven't been able to see a game.
T...
The Flames went into two arenas that have been quite unfriendly in the past and walked away with 4 points. First, the Flames shut out the two time defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in Joe Louis Arena, which is no easy task. For the first time since 1977, the Red Wings were shutout twice in a row at home; the Flames being the back half of that equation. The fo...
I thought I would take a look at the Detroit Red Wings, and how some things never last...
Dynasties in sports are something to behold. The Yankees, the Bulls, and the Patriots all have held this title in their respective sports. The Detroit Red Wings have held this title in the NHL for the better part of the last 13 years. However, the Red Wings are a team on the decl...
I know that historical analogies, especially in the sporting universe, are a risky proposition. But Todd McLelland’s second season in San Jose reminds me a lot of Mike Babcock’s second season in Detroit.
Babcock, as you’ll recall, was brought in at the beginning of the lockout to replace Dave Lewis and bring the tough, dominating personality that the Red Wings had...
Here are my picks for the second round, which kicks off tonight in Pittsburgh. The fourth seeded Penguins will host eight seeded Montreal. Boston, the six seed, and Philadelphia, the seven seed, will meet in the other Eastern Conference duel. Out west, the top seeded Sharks will host the Detroit Red Wings, and the Canucks (3 seed) will travel to Chicago to face the Blackha...
I know this is a little late since the second round has already started...but here is what I think could happen in the second round of the playoffs.
Western Conference
---------------------------
(1) San Jose
vs.
(5) Detroit
[b]Prediction: San Jose in 6[/b]
[i]Synopsis[/i]: Even knowing that San Jose is up 2-0 in the series, I unfortunately think that Detroit'...
NHLNumbers writes...
Best Draft Years Between 1998 - Present (Anaheim to Detroit)
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Total Games Played and Player Quality Considered - All results are open to debate
Anaheim Ducks 2003 Draft
Rd 1. Ryan Getzlaf
Rd 1. Corey Perry
Rd 6. Drew Miller
Rd 8. Shane O'Brian
Atlanta Thrashers 2000 Draft
Rd 1. Dany Heatley
Rd 6. Darcy Hordichuck
Boston Bruins 2006 Draft
Rd 1. Phil Kessel
Rd 2. Milan Lucic
Rd 3. Brad Marchand
Buffalo Sabres ...
This afternoon it was reported that the Detroit Red Wings signed veteran defenseman Ruslan Salei. Ken Holland has been saying he'd look at a veteran for the third defensive pairing, and opted for Salei. Essentially, Salei is a very similar player to Andreas Lilja. He provides little offense - though certainly a bit more than Lilja would - and is a steady player in his own ...
[b] Primary Staff:[/b] Ken Holland (GM), Mike Babcock (Head Coach)
[b]2009-10 Stats:[/b] 82GP 44W 24L 14OTL 102PTS
[b]Place:[/b] 2nd Central, 5th West, 7th NHL
[b]Top Scorer:[/b] Pavel Datsyuk – 80GP 27G 43A 70P
[b]Captains:[/b] Niklas Lidstrom (C), Pavel Datsyuk (A), Henrik Zetterberg (A)
[b]OFF-SEASON MOVES[/b]
[b]OUT:[/b]
Brett Lebda (Signed with Toronto)...
The Anaheim Ducks managed to goon it up in the Red Wings home opener to the point that they goaded the four-time Lady Byng winner Pavel Datsyuk into a fighting major. The result boded well for the Wings, but you can't read too much into that. They looked sloppy at times and committed some bad turnovers. Jimmy Howard got a shutout as much by the luck of how the calls went...
The Red Wings pulled another one out tonight, almost in spite of themselves. Taking three penalties late in the third period proved that the Wings have a decent penalty kill, but it's best not to try to give games away. Detroit's boys escaped with another two points against a Central Division rival that may prove critical down the stretch, but it wasn't pretty.
The Re...
In Detroit's recent trio of games against Colorado, Dallas, and Phoenix, their performance has ranged from a step behind all the way to highly competitive. The bottom line is inconsistency. Some of that is still early-season rust being shaken off, compounded by yet another spate of injuries that have taken out Jonathan Ericsson, Brian Rafalski, and Johan Franzen.
The...
The Red Wings have come on strong in the last five games. They have actually played the puck possession game and dominated opponents. Their sluggish start to the season left me a little worried, but they have gelled, switched up lines to increase offense production, and played the solid defensive game that Detroit is known for.
I am enthused to see the recent r...
In an era of hockey that epitomizes the youth movement, Detroit strays from the norm. Maybe its because of their lack of high draft picks, or first round picks at all, maybe its because of the style coach Mike Babcock preaches, or maybe their just getting all the right 30 something year olds. Either way, its working. Boasting a 14 man, 30 and over roster, 8 of which exceed...
Check out my latest post over at The Hockey Writers as the Islanders head into the second half of the season riding a two-game winning streak and having gone 6-3-1 in their last ten!
http://bit.ly/e73mBS
-Rob McGowan
Follow me on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/IslesRM
As our Preds turn the 1/2 pole and start the last half of the season, I can only sit here and think of what could be. As I write this, the Preds currently sit in 5th place in the Western Conference at 52 points, 7 points behind that team from eastern Michigan and 1 point behind the Coyotes for 4th. Should I be happy and content with where we are, especially with all the ...
Check out my latest post at The Hockey Writers as the Islanders have claimed Evgeni Nabokov off waivers for the remainder of the season!
http://bit.ly/gUu5Tb
-Rob McGowan
Follow me on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/IslesRM
I can't seem to vent enough about this and this isn't as a Red Wings fan. I think they'll be fine either way, and I'd be just as pissed as if this were the Caps, Avs or Tampa signing him only to lose to the Islanders.
The Islanders claiming Nabokov off waivers was flat-out disrespectful to the guy. Say what you want about his stats in the playoffs, but he put in 9 yea...
With all that has gone on in Hockey Town this season there has been one player who has been a steady force in the Wings Line-up. The contribution is coming from the most unlikely of source... #44 Todd Bertuzzi. Ever since his incident with Colorado, Big Bert has not played like himself or the way he can. Maybe it was nagging injuries or the fit was just not right in Calgar...
There have been some big moves already before the deadline -- maybe the most we've seen this early since the NHL lockout -- and certainly, more to come. It seems the most intriguing targets for most teams are the players that will be UFAs at season's end. And, this off-season boasts some of the biggest names around the league, however, some of them will most likely re-sign...
Well, I certainly picked the wrong time to get mad at the Red Wings and turn the TV off in utter frustration. The Wings looked real sharp for the first 6-7 minutes, especially the Young Guns, in Helm, Abdelkader, and Miller. I've especially liked Miller's play of late. he's really battling hard to try earn that permanent spot and get out of that dreaded game-by-game rot...
I know I'm probably the only one thinking about this right now, being 3 weeks removed from the trade deadline, and another three weeks from the start of the playoffs, but it's just been something I've been kicking around lately, especially given the opinions of the some of the other folks I've heard lately.
The Red Wings stood still at the trade deadline, as is their M....
I know it’s a little late for a post-game wrap-up, but better late than never, I guess. The Red Wings dropped a heartbreaker to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday and I have a few theories…
The first is a little convoluted. I think maybe the Red Wings have a little stage fright. I haven’t checked the numbers (and maybe I should), but I think the Wings have a lo...
Let’s start by saying that I really enjoy watching the Red Wings and Blackhawks square up. It seems that there’s a different kind of energy between the two that is brought out only when these Original Six foes square off, even from Playoff hockey. I’m not saying it’s better, it’s [i]different[/i]. It’s one of a kind. Couple that with Nick Lidstrom’s signa...
Really?
10-3?
The only thing I want to know is how many busted hockey sticks the custodial staff had to clean up from the visitors' dressing room at Scottrade Center... I hope it was a lot. It's time to get mad....
The Detroit Red Wings finished up their regular season with a win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center yesterday, solidifying their place as the number 3 seed. Next up will be the Phoenix Coyotes, a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Quarterfinals. The season series between these two clubs was split down the middle, with both teams grabbing two out o...
The Detroit Red Wings put to rest any doubts of their ability to perform in the post-season with a convincing win over the Phoenix Coyotes at Joe Louis Arena last night. It seems that the regular season woes are definitely behind not only the Red Wings players, but also the fans as well. The team has been booed off the ice on more than one occasion for the first time in ...
The Detroit Red Wings completed their sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes last night in Glendale by a score of 6-3.
A team on the ropes is always known to put their best foot forward, in desperation or otherwise, and the Coyotes did just that. Despite what has come to be a customary early lead by the Red Wings, Phoenix kept the score tied for the majority of the night, and ...
It’s 2010 all over again as the Detroit Red Wings will meet the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Semifinals. The seeding remains the same too, as the Sharks secured home ice advantage once again for this series.
The Red Wings have been resting up for over a week after sweeping the Phoenix Coyotes last Wednesday, and have been able to mend their bumps and bru...
The Detroit Red Wings dropped their first game of the Western Conference Semifinals to the San Jose Sharks in overtime by a score of 2-1.
They also answered a few questions which have been flying around the last week. “Will 8 days of rest be too much for the Red Wings?” Not in the end. The Wings started slow, almost sloppy, and it took a penalty kill which allowe...
The Detroit Red Wings head back to Joe Louis Arena down 2 games to the San Jose Sharks after losing 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The loss was catalyzed by a complete lack of discipline by one of the least penalized teams in the regular season. The San Jose Sharks must have taken notice of Jimmy Howard’s reaction to Joe Pavelski’s snow shower in Game 1 and decided to tr...
Not only is it frustrating, but it’s getting a little eerie too. Exactly like 2010, the Detroit Red Wings enter their two home games down to the San Jose Sharks, and they lose a third period lead and drop Game 3 in overtime. This, of course, after beating the Phoenix Coyotes in the Quarterfinals.
And that’s not all…elsewhere in the League, the Boston Bruins take...
Friday night was a big night for the Detroit Red Wings, as they force a Game 5 by besting the San Jose Sharks by a score of 4-3. The bounces went their way. That's about it. The same reason the Sharks have won the previous three games.
There isn't a whole lot to say besides rehashing the same factors over and over again. Good goaltending, fowards were better on the ...
The Detroit Red Wings clawed their way back from a 2-goal deficit to force a Game 6 in Detroit with a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.
Through a stellar third period, the Red Wings scored 3 unanswered goals and left the Sharks shocked and shaken. The Sharks dominated play from the opening face-off right up until the start of the third period. Go...
The Detroit Red Wings, at one point down 3-0 in its series against San Jose, have forced a decisive Game 7 with a 3-1 victory last night at Joe Louis Arena.
Finally…the Red Wings were able to put together 60 full minutes of solid play from all ends of the ice. Jimmy Howard was solid in goaltending again, only letting in one fluky goal between the pads from Logan Cout...
I've been reading just about all the articles I can find regarding tonight's Game 7 between the Sharks and the Wings and I'm seeing a pattern here that makes me wonder.
Most every article mentions how the odds are very long indeed against the Red Wings mounting this historic comeback and winning tonight.
To me, that mountian has already been climbed. Detroit already...
The Detroit Red Wings ended their season with a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion last night. It was a very exciting game to watch and both teams played well. The Sharks just played that much better. It seems that the best players from each team stepped up. Just look at the scoresheet…Setoguchi, Couture, Marleau, Zetterberg, Datsyuk. Several articles f...
The reports are becoming more and more numerous that the Atlanta Thrashers organization will be (or already has been) sold to True North Sports and Entertainment, which would move the team up to Winnipeg. There has been a lot of speculation as to how the Conferences will shuffle to make room for a team going from the Southeast Division in the Eastern conference to (ostens...
electric81 writes...
A Red Wings Fan's Guide to Brian Rafalski and the Sharks
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The last couple of days have been pretty eventful in the hockey world, and for a Red Wings fan, there’s some thought-provoking conversation fodder out there.
So Brian Rafalski has announced his retirement with one year remaining on his contract, and the San Jose Sharks were defeated in 5 games by the Vancouver Canucks on a loopy, lucky, double-OT goal by Kevin Bieks...
[b]Ryan White Signs 1 year deal with Montreal[/b]
First of all, congratulations to Ryan White for signing a one year deal with the Habs. Good signing for the Habs. White plays with a lot of poise and is one of maybe 2 players who will drop the gloves at any moment so they need a guy like him to play physical for them. He has a year to prove he belongs because there are ...
It’s really hot here today, like it is everywhere else in the country (I even heard that people in Alaska have actually unzipped their winter parkas). What better way to beat the heat than by talking a little hockey. I haven’t posted at all since the Cup was awarded and there have been a few key happenings since then on which I’d like to comment. So bear with me�...
Kris Draper’s announcement of retirement on Tuesday makes the third such landmark resignation by in the past 2 months. While I was a big fan of Chris Osgood and Brian Rafalski, there’s something about Drapes’s retirement that stands out. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly why…
I loved watching Draper play. No offense to Drew Miller or Patrick Eaves, but...
Looking for sleeper picks in your upcoming fantasy draft or interested in who to look for as possible up-and-comers next season? You've come to the right place. After hours of statistical analysis, I have compiled a top-10 list (featuring video evidence) of rookies/prospects who are likely to breakout next season as bonafide NHLers or even superstars.
For the purposes...
Over the Next 30 days I will be Previewing each of the National Hockey League Clubs heading into the 2011-12 season starting from the Anaheim Ducks. Day 10 of the series belongs to the official AarifDeenReport Detroit Red Wings Preview.
Please resort to myhockeybuzz page for previews of teams falling before this team.
[b]Follow me on Twitter @AarifDeenReport please....
rather than try to retell the whole story ill just assume everyone has heard of this and to those who havnt direct you to espn.com to check it out.
basically a banana was thrown from the stands at Wayne simmonds during a shootout attempt.
This is my first blog and done from my Iphone so cut me some slack. that being out of the way lets jump into this.
first up th...
The Red Wings have closed out the regular season with a record of 4-3-1, which of course doesn’t mean much, but it’s the best way I could think of to start this blog.
The Wings roster was rounded out this past week with the signing of Fabian Brunnstrom and Cory Emmerton to their respective posts, filling the holes that were left from Kris Draper and Mike Modano. ...
I spoke about the Red Wings in the last entry, but now it’s time to take a ppek at the rest of the Western Conference. For the most part, the teams seem to be improving. There are a few teams to note though.
Lots of folks have been hanging on San Jose to be the all-out favorite this year, having brought in defenseman Brent Burns and forward Martin Havlat from Minnes...
[img]http://wwwcache.wralsportsfan.com/asset/racing/nascar/2008/09/25/3611612/25368-nhl-400x300.jpg[/img]
[b]Follow me on Twitter @AarifDeenReport please.[/b]
We are now 8 days into the new NHL season. We’ve got goals, fights, suspensions (with videos), shutouts, and yes! The first classless act of the season from Mr. Arron Asham (albeit he’s a good guy, and ma...
The Red Wings seem to be just the nicest team in the NHL these days. In two straight games, they’ve to put their own aspirations in the drawer. They stepped aside and allowed Washington to be the lone undefeated team. Last night they also decided that enough is enough, and Columbus should have a victory too. Remember your dinner table manners and that nobody can have...
Did you watch the game last night? I did. And yes, I think Mikko Koivu should have definitely been called for his chippy hit on Kronwall. That aside, though, it’s starting to get really frustrating that the Red Wings can’t score. They did garner a point out of the ordeal against the Wild last night, but I’m sure that is no solace to the team who has scored only ...
I wanted to wait to post this blog after the results of the hearing on Chris Stewart for his hit on Niklas Kronwall Tuesday night. It certainly was a dirty hit and the immediate response of a major penalty plus a game misconduct was appropriate. It was also announced yesterday that Stewart would receive a 3-game suspension without pay, a little over $46,000.
I di...
The Detroit Red Wings boarded Red Bird III last night after beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 at the Honda Center. The win garners Detroit 4 points out of a possible 8 on their recent road trip. 4 points is respectable, although I think the Wings would have been a little more satisfied with 5 or maybe 6. A better performance against St. Louis on Tuesday could have given the...
I know this is a little late, and after a lot of other bloggers have posted their quarter milestone reviews, but I just now got the opportunity. So here ‘tis!
As of today, the Red Wings sit fourth in the Western Conference with 29 point, which is a pace set for 116 by seasons’ end. They are only 2 points behind the leaders, and justifying how their recent swing is...
Eklund has been heralding a possible move of Alexander Semin the last few days with the Detroit Red Wings being one of the top contenders. A few thoughts…
Semin hasn’t been in his top form since 2009-2010 where he posted 28 goals and 26 assists. He’s been decent enough this season, with 5 and 5. I haven’t been paying too close attention to the Capitals but ob...
Hey All,
I'll be back here ready to go for the Sabres game tonight. Get my take on the game as it unfolds tonight. Stay tuned!
In order to win here, 5 minutes prior to puck drop, Buffalo needs to defend their end aggressively. Zetterberg leads this offense, and pose a serious threat if Buffalo gives them the blue line. Hopefully they have fast break outs of their own...
The NHL announced yesterday that for the 2012-2013 season, the teams would be shuffled into a four-conference league. This is a huge win for the Detroit Red Wings organization and for their fans. For years, Mike Ilitch and Company has been yearning for a ticket into the Eastern Conference, and they thought they might have their chance when Atlanta moved north. They now ...
Nice win tonite, the last three games the Wings have outscored the opposition 16-4. A few things I noticed.
Malkin was amazing tonite, got the goal late in the first when Kronwall pinched in and allowed a breakaway. Seems like he fired the puck twenty times tonite.
Datsyuk was the wings best player, assisted ona goal then killed a penalty minutes later. Grea...
The annual canadien west coast trip, followed by a revenge game with Nashville to finish the trip. How many points do we need to get for the trip to be a success? I think five is the magic number, any less is a bad trip, and more a gift. Road blues are still a problem this year, hopefully this trip takes care of it.........
It’s been a long time since I posted anything (which is to say it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to watch a Red Wings game in its entirety). Ironically enough, the last game I was able to watch was December 6 at St. Louis.
It appears the tables have turned in the steadily-heating rivalry against the St. Louis Blues with the Wings taking this battle 3-2. ...
I am not normally one to tell people who spend big money on attending an NHL game what to do, but I think booing Max Talbot in his return to Pittsburgh would be a poor choice. I believe this for a few reasons:
First is that the Penguins were not going to offer him anything close to market value. They had moved on from him. I think it was the right move for the Pengui...
It's hard to believe that halfway through the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are just now meeting for the first of six times tonight when the Hawks host the Wings at the United Center.
Over the last ten games, statistically speaking, the Blackhawks and Red Wings share virtually identical stats all around. Both teams have played very well of...
Always enjoyed this semi rivalry, turco, Hull, Niewendyk, Guerin, Hatcher of the nineties, guys like Modano, Ott, Robidas, ect... have generally made this an enjoyable series. The current stars seem to be lacking a true identity, guys like Morrow and Ericksson are quasi stars, guys like Souray and Lehtonen are filler pickups, they look like they will be fringe playoff te...
The Wings have sent Conner down to get his injured wrist rehabbed, but also it frees up cap space, there is a chance that it is a precurser to a deal. Hemsky for Kindl???
h
The Chicago Blackhawks just got a little too cautious at the end of the game last night against the Detroit Red Wings leading 2-1 with less than five minutes to play in the third period.
In only their second season matchup against division rival, Detroit, the Blackhawks were looking to break out of a 3 game slump that started on January 2nd, 2012, only to extend it with...
14 of the past 19 on the road, an absolutely brutal, brutal stretch, the last three games the Wings havent had their legs, falling behind early by two or more all three times. I nice week at home, games every other day, plenty of rest and home cooking for this years best home team, Datsyuk healing, Jimmy Howard rested up. currently sitting in third place, two points behi...
Dear New York Islanders Players, Organization and Fans-
First, I want to congratulate you on your victory against the Detroit Red Wings last night. A 5-1 score is very respectable against any team in today’s NHL. Also, it’s a great feeling to garner a solid victory at home after a disappointing road trip. Your goaltender seems to have shaken the cobwebs away. Yo...
After readings the comments to my last post, it’s now clear to me that the impression I intended to make was not translated to those who read it. It was never my intention to “bash” the New York Islanders. I was actually “bashing” the Detroit Red Wings. I did not wish to insinuate that, had they played with the intensity they normally do, the Red Wings would h...
One might say that things are "pretty even" between the Chicago Blackhawks and their division neighbors, the Detroit Red Wings.
They're so even, in fact, that the Blackhawks only hold a slight edge over the Motor City by two points in the standings and Detroit has one game in hand.
The two teams will meet for the third time this season in Detroit tomorrow at 11:30 AM...
So with a very important stretch of games ahead for the Jets, it will be interesting to see what GM Kevin Cheveldayoff does with this team nearing the deadline if they are out of reach of the playoffs. Lets look at a few of the factors that currently haunt this team and how they might be rectified.
Defense -
Believe it or not, the Jets roster has some pretty good ta...
Tonight marks a chance for the Buffalo Sabres to try and get back on track. Ryan Miller will be back in net tonight. If he plays like the Ryan Miller of old the Sabres could steal one tonight and lift the burden of this road losing streak off their backs.
Now Miller can play as well as he wants but the forwards and the defense need to give him the support he needs. They...
First off, hats off the the Detroit Red Wings for setting a franchise record 15 straight wins at home.
Now down to business. As the old saying goes, "When it rains it pours." I'd say at this point it is flooding for the Buffalo Sabres. A 5-0 dismantlement of a Sabres team who is finding it impossible to find itself. And by that I mean this Sabres team just doesnt have a...
Jimmy Howard has turned into the modern day version of Billy Smith, intense, focused and God help you if you enter HIS crease. Last year in the playoffs against San Jose I felt he entered his own, even though we lost. Pavelski and his constant snow showers, Howard refused to back down and played a whale of a series.
He is 27, entering his prime. I have to admit I wa...
I wonder how worried Deanno is about losing his job if the Kings a)Lose in the first round, or b) don’t make the playoffs?
I don’t know too much about Dean’s tenure in San Jose, but after listening to Craig Button a little while back, it seems as though Dean managed the Sharks the same way as he is currently managing the Kings by not making the right moves, let al...
Feb. 6—The Red Wings dropped a loss tonight to the Phoenix Coyotes. The game was closer than the 3-1 score reflected because of the empty net goal of Martin Hanzal at the end of the game.
Joey MacDonald had a decent game with 22 saves, but there is already talk of shopping for another goalie while all-star starter Jimmy Howard recovers from a broken finger. Evgeni Nab...
The Detroit Red Wings will head into this weekend with the home win streak of 18 games and the NHL home win record of 20 consecutive games on the line. The current record of 20 consecutive home wins is held by the 1929-30 Boson Bruins and the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers. The record would be a wonderful thing but the Wings may have bigger fish to fry.
By bigger fish, I mean...
The debate rages on about who the greatest NHL defenseman of all time may be. Names like Paul Coffey, Raymond Bourque, and Chris Chelios come to mind. These were all great players in their own right, but the conversation always seems to boil down to two elite players, Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom.
Until recently there was no argument. The greatest defenseman in NHL h...
The Detroit Red Wings made history on Tuesday Feb. 14 by winning 21 home games in a row and breaking the NHL record for most consecutive home wins in a single season.
The talking heads are already downplaying the Wings’ accomplishment by pointing out that winning 21 consecutive home games is much easier in today’s NHL because after the NHL lockout the league went t...
The Detroit Red Wings made history on Tuesday Feb. 14 by winning 21 home games in a row and breaking the NHL record for most consecutive home wins in a single season.
The talking heads are already downplaying the Wings’ accomplishment by pointing out that winning 21 consecutive home games is much easier in today’s NHL because after the NHL lockout the league went t...
A week to go, decision time is here. Best record in hockey, slowly pulling away from the Blues, eyeballing the nucks for the conference crown, go with what we have or make a deal?
We need one more solid forward, period. I LOVE the Miller, Abdelkader and Helm line, never been a Abdelkader fan but these three have something. They really should be a fourth line though, ...
Just in time for the Red Wings to get goaltender Jimmy Howard and forward Dan Cleary back from injuries news hit hard about superstar Pavel Datysuk getting arthroscopic surgery on his knee this morning. Datysuk, who is leading Detroit with 59 points in 59 games, is expected to miss the next couple of weeks.
General manager Ken Holland said the surgery was "minor" and he...
According to the Detroit Free Press the Red Wings are working on a two-year contract extension with forward Todd Bertuzzi. The contract is expected to be finalized before the weekend.
Bertuzzi is in his final season of his original two-year contract that pays him just under 2 millions dollars a season. The new contract is reported to bump his salary up over $2 million....
Kyle Quincey was the perfect pickup for the Wings. As I see them, here are the reasons...
1. Former Wing, knows the players, the system, wont disrupt chemistry.
2. You can never have enough d-men in the post season. This gives us eight.
3. Insurance with Stuart moving on.
4. Can quarterback the second power play unit, something we desperately need.
5. He paired with...
Okay this current Red Wings slide just never seems to end.
After they broke the NHL record for the most consecutive home wins, it seems like an entirely differently hockey, well in most part it is because it is.
Let's take a quick run down of players that have missed a game of late: Pavel Datsyuk, Nick Lidstrom, Jimmy Howard, Todd Bertuzzi, Patrick Eaves, Dan Clear...
famousjon writes...
Predator history from the eyes of a younger brother
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Last night was the most significant win in the young history of the Nashville Predators.
It was not the best game the Predators ever played. It was not an upset or a comeback for the ages. It was not a dominant performance. It didn't include the greatest goals, saves, or hits in Predator history. It wasn't a game that will go down in the NHL history books for anyt...
With Nicklas Lidstrom off to a retirement home and the Red Wings looking to "rebuild", this off-season could be a big one for Red Wings fans. The Red Wings have a good core group of players and have a lot of cap room to sign some intriguing free agents. Here is what Ken Holland should do, in my opinion:
-Re-sign Justin Abdelkader: three years, $5.4 million ($1.8 mil AAV...
JasonPanov writes...
Free Agent Signing to Add Energy to Detroit Goalie Corps
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I know I promised (on Facebook) that I wouldn't make any Monster jokes, but I couldn't help myself. Wings have inked former Toronto backstop Jonas Gustavsson to a 2 year deal. Gustavsson went 39-45-15 in 107 appearances with the Maple Leafs over the past three seasons with a 298 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. To be honest, I’m not terribly exci...
JasonPanov writes...
Detroit Red Wings have Signed Ryan Suter and Zach Parise
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Relax, this is just a little trick I picked up in Colorado. In what could be the oddest news of the opening day of NHL free agency, the Avalanche and the Islanders have both signed Matt Carkner. Unfortunately, Gary Bettman has ruled that two teams cannot share a player, and since Matt Carkner only actually signed with New York, they get him. An interesting tactic, thoug...
I am not trying to lend credence to any unverified rumors, but in anticipation of working a double shift tomorrow with no access to any hockey news, I wanted to put my thoughts on these “reports” out there.
[b]Parise/Suter[/b]
I would be ecstatic if both were signed. If I had to pick one: Suter. I haven’t found a single intelli...
In the first cheer-worthy move of the day, the Wings have brought back Mikael Samuelsson. Again, I’ve already said that I liked Monster’s signing, but he’s more of a stocking stuffer since I expect Joey MacDonald to put up a serious fight for the number two gig. Okay, so this guy is probably a stocking stuffer, too, but let’s call him a fan favorite. I liked Sam...
For most Detroit Red Wings fans, this off-season has been a complete disaster. I even heard an interview on the radio, that suggested it was an absolute meltdown in the front office and Ken Holland should be fired immediately. This is just ludicrous. Sure you could look at it from one perspective, we lost one of the best defenseman to ever lace them up in Nick Lidstrom. We...
So it's come to this, folks. We've missed out on the Suter/Parise sweepstakes. We lost Wideman to Calgary (though with the contract, this should be considered a relief), Garrison to Vancouver, and Carle to the greatest man to ever lace up as a member of the Winged Wheel. Ken Holland, it would seem, is running out of options. However, the man is a wizard, and I present this...
[b]For everything hockey - 24/7 news updates, scores, humour, blogs, and everything else in between, please follow me on twitter at https://twitter.com/DailyNHLGrind.[/b]
We are now currently just a few days into the most horrifying month of the year for the entire hockey world. Seriously now, August definitely is the worst time to be a hockey fan. Free agency has die...
Yes, the NHL is locked out. However, I will still blog about the NHL and, more specifically, the Detroit Red Wings. Since they are not playing any games and I cannot complain about poor performance or how Brendan Smith is the “real deal”, I will discuss other topics relating to the Red Wings of the past. Hopefully the season will start soon with the recent 50/50 propos...
The NHL Entry Draft began in 1979, following 16 years of the NHL Amateur Draft. Here are the Top 10 Red Wings draft picks made since the first Amateur Draft in 1963.
1. [b]Steve Yzerman[/b] C, 1st Round 1983, #4 overall
2. [b]Marcel Dionne[/b] C, 1st Round 1971, #2 overall
3. [b]Nicklas Lidstrom[/b] D, 3rd Round 1989, #53 overall
4. [b]Sergei Fedorov[/b] C, 4th Round...
While the NHL is disintegrating, some of the Red Wings have taken their talents elsewhere to stay fresh, make a living, or just play the game they enjoy. Thanks to [url]www.hockeydb.com[/url], you can see their stats from the different European leagues. Here is a list of the players who are overseas and their stats in case anyone wanted to know how [b]Henrik Zetterberg[/b]...
MintEdition writes...
The first and second tier of real franchise players - Cream
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[b]I am[/b] one who looks from the outside when I follow the NHL circus from the other side of the Atlantic sea. To be more precise I try to watch as much as I can even thou the games start in the middle of the night when you live in Sweden and have a full time job.
One concept that is a bit fascinating are the idea of a team or a franchise having one of their own so ca...
[b]Ilya Bryzgalov, 33 - Philadelphia[/b]
Contract: $51.0m/9yrs
Buyout: $23.0m/14yrs
This contract is the definition of what the power of having a union can do for you. For most people who are fired or let go they are lucky to get severance and even if they do, that severance is almost nothing to kick back on and retire early with. Meet Ilya Bryzgalov.
The epitome o...
andrewhitson writes...
Motown Musings: Wings Roll into Development Camp
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Exciting times ahead in Motown. The Wings were active on FA Day bringing in much needed top six depth while staying away from costly trades or ill-timed signings.
I've seen a lot of fans chime in on line combinations lately, and without a doubt Mr. Babcock has plenty of options to play with. But, for the thrill of the guess, i'll post my idea of an ideal situation on op...
andrewhitson writes...
Motown Musings: Development Camp off to a flying start
Posted Friday | Comments 0
It's day two in Traverse City. That means we've seen Red Wings picks from the past few seasons on the ice together for two days. So what have we learned so far?
1) Little Bertuzzi is a pain to play against: just ask Nick Jenson who got into a scrap with the second round pick during day one. Bertuzzi got the best of him and now Jenson is nursing a shoulder tweak and mis...
andrewhitson writes...
Motown Musings: Five prospects that are worth talking about
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
While we're in Development camp mode, I wanted to dive a little deeper and look at five Wing prospects that have great potential to either play in Detroit or Grand Rapids this season. The future is bright for the Wings and I wouldn't be surprised if the Griffins went for a repeat next year.
With Nyquist, Tatar, Andersson and DeKeyser likely making the jump to full ti...
The Red Wing finished up a solid development camp. We've got some good players coming through Grand Rapids next year. But perhaps the most important thing that I noticed at Development Camp was the progression of goaltender and 3rd round pick Jake Paterson. (Not to be confused with Jake Patterson, who was also at camp on a tryout basis and looked decent)
I'll admit afte...
I'm writing a quick blog about my thoughts on the Wings lineup for the opener against Buffalo. And addressing why I think this is the best lineup to get points.
Franzen/Datsyuk/Zetterberg
Nyquist/Weiss/Alfredsson
Abdelkader/Helm/Tatar
Miller/Andersson/Eaves
Ericsson/Kronwall
Smith/Kindl
DeKeyser/Quincy
Lashoff
Injury call ups: Emmerton, Jurco, Jarnkrok, Sh...
So Mike Babcock is going to coach Team Canada. That's a shocker. Seriously though, lets talk about something that hasn't been known for the past year. It isn't news folks.
How about we mock up some lines for Team Canada, that's always fun.
Here's what I got lining up on Forward:
Towes/Crosby/Stamkos
Perry/Giroux/Getzlaf
Nash/Tavares/Staal
Couture/Bergeron/...
[i]"Thunder only happens when it's raining
Players only love you when they're playing"[/i]
Ah, Fleetwood Mac, sometimes you just get me. Lots of rumours swirling around the internet surrounding the Winged Wheel. Talk of Tootoo going back to the Music City...and really, why not? I'd trade him for a bag of pucks just to get a few more dollars back. Let's be honest, he is...
“I point the finger squarely on (NHL agent) JP Barry, the man who blessed us with the (Dany) Heatley mess.”
Doesn’t it feel like every time the Senators hit center stage in the NHL world Eugene Melnyk is quoted saying something as blasphemous as this?
I mean if it’s not his personal vendetta against Matt Cooke being publicly announced after his top defense m...
Catch the highlights as the Detroit Red Wings as they hosted the Buffalo Sabres on October 2, 2013. Who will come out on top? Find out in today's featured game of the National Hockey League on EA Sports NHL 14 - play-by-play calling by Eric Munter.
[url]http://youtu.be/hA_GWhRIuWQ[/url]
Although you can still count the number of games played for each team on your hands, I thought I'd give my two cents in what I think will happen in the long run. The Stanley Cup Finals will be the San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings in which SJ wins in 6. (To those that might remember a different prediction on a Toronto blog thread, I rethought it.) Why the Sharks? Beca...
Okay, so I'm rather new to this blog thing, but here it goes.
(Fair warning: This article is a rant about people ranting and will be long and boring probably.)
I've been a fan of hockey, and in particular the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks for over 25 years (having grown up in between these two great hockey cities) now. My favorite team falls to the Detr...
December 25
A very Merry Christmas to all you hockey fans out there!
As we have hit the Christmas break of the 2013-14 NHL season, let's take a quick gander at to what we have seen thus far.
In my opinion, the Anaheim Ducks are the best team in the league at the moment. The Ducks have also approached the midseason break with a nine game winning streak as a result...
[b]Game day Preview:
Red Wings @ Flyers 1/28/14 RED WINGS (23-18-11) at FLYERS (25-22-6)[/b]
The Flyers have lost 4 straight, making it the worst losing streak since October. With The Stanley Cup Playoffs about 11 weeks away, and with the standings so closely bunched together in the Eastern Conference, each game seems like it will have serious postseason implications ...
[b]Flyers dominate Red Wings, win 5-0 [/b]
Before the game even started, most would have said it would not have ended well for the Philadelphia Flyers, even with the injures in Detroit. Steve Mason had other ideas and was superb for the Philadelphia Flyers, shutting out the Detroit Red Wings, leading the Flyers to a 5-0 win. Steve Mason made several highlight reel ...
When it comes to deciding the outcome of games, the Detroit Red Wings would rather fight than shoot it out.rnLooking at their numbers during the shootout, who can blame them?rn“I think a lot of guys are getting sick of it,” Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard said. In their latest game, Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Wings failed on all three shootout atte...
A day after both the Penguins and the Red Wings were handed disappointing losses, it was just the Penguins that had that happen to them again. Detroit creamed the Penguins by a score of 5-1 in a game in which tempers flared and the teams were on edge for most of the contest.
For the Penguins, they should have done better than they did against the Bruins Saturday afterno...
Reddevil45 writes...
TB Lightning against Detroit Red Wings: Series Prediction
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
On one team there is a big question mark on who should be their starting goaltender and the other it is a no brainer. The Detroit Red Wings have put playoff rookie Petr Mrazek (.918Sv%, 2.38GAA) in net for game 1 of the season instead of veteran Jimmy Howard (.910Sv%, 2.44GAA). In the Tampa Bay Lightning net it won’t be difficult to decide who to play. Ben Bishop (.916Sv...
Sorry Detroit fans, but this one is quite sad. Since the year 2000, the Detroit Red Wings have made 7 first-round selections. All others were traded off for assets and players, but to have only 7 picks in 15 years, considering the abundance of talent that has emerged since, is the main reason why Detroit isn’t the Dynasty Team they were in the days of Steve Yzerman.
...
Welcome to the GM Mode[code]Today I will be taking a look at the Buffalo Sabres and analyze a series of “hypothetical” moves that the Buffalo Sabres should make.Buffalo Sabres GM; Tim Murray is faced with many decisions since after the NHL Draft of 2015. He may not have had the first overall pick but the second pick (Jack Eichel) is a great starting point for a team t...
In this article, I will outline which teams I believe will ice the top special team's index's this upcoming season. For those who are unsure what a special team index is; It is a number developed by adding both the PK% and the PP% of a specific team. As a reference point, last season the St. Louis Blues had the best index at 106, while the Sabres posted the worst index a...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 61- Columbus Blue Jackets @ Detroit Red Wings
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
(NBCSN)
For the first time this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets battle the Detroit Red Wings, and face them three times in four weeks. For Columbus, this is the second of a back-to-back matchup for them. The Red Wings last played Sunday on NBCSN, and lost to the New York Rangers in overtime (1-0).
Looking at the stats, this is how the Wings are doing. They hold th...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Post-Game No. 61- Comeback Costs Columbus Extra Point
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
What a game on NBC Sports Network last night. Columbus gets the national spotlight, despite being defeated by the Detroit Red Wings by a final score of 2-1 in a shootout. This point means Columbus has earned points in 11 of their last 13 games, whereas Detroit inches closer to the second seed in the Atlantic Division.
Detroit got their lone regulation goal in the secon...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 67- Detroit Red Wings v. Columbus Blue Jackets
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
After playing back to back nights over the weekend, the Blue Jackets are back on the ice to take on Detroit, who is fighting mightily to stay in the playoffs. It feels as if there are three teams fighting for two playoff spots- Detroit; Pittsburgh; and Philadelphia.
These teams last played February 23, 206 on NBCSN. The Wings came back to win in a shootout, 2-1.
Ri...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Post-Game No. 67- What An Upset + Bobrovsky is Returning
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Last night, the Columbus Blue Jackets upset the Detroit Red Wings by a final score of 5-3, further hurting hopes of 25 straight playoff appearances for the Wings.
Detroit got all their goals in the final 30 minutes of the game. Ten minutes into the second period (10:24), Team USA forward Justin Abdelkader scored his 16th goal of the season. Gustav Nquist and Mike Green...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 70- Columbus Blue Jackets v. Detroit Red Wings
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The home stand continues for the Columbus Blue Jackets where they battle Detroit for the third and final time of the season. These teams have met each other three times (including tonight) in the previous four weeks.
The season series is tied at one game a piece. They first played on NBCSN where the Red Wings won in a shootout (2-1). In Columbus, the Jackets beat the W...
Last night, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final score of 3-1.
Detroit got their first goal in the ten minutes from center Luke Glendening (5th of the season); Riley Sheahan and Andreas Anthansiou earned the assist. In the final frame, the Wings got two goals in five minutes. Captain Henrik Zetterberg scored his 13th goal of the season 7:...
After years of fighting for his life, his life has ended before our eyes. For what seems to be the first time that I can remember, the NHL has lost an all time great. Maybe the greatest player to have died has done so at the age of 88.
Gordie Howe's death comes out of the blue to many, but expectant and unsurprisingly to others. He has been in a battle for survival s...
After years of fighting for his life, his life has ended before our eyes. For what seems to be the first time that I can remember, the NHL has lost an all time great. Maybe the greatest player to have died has done so at the age of 88.
Gordie Howe's death comes out of the blue to many, but expectant and unsurprisingly to others. He has been in a battle for survival s...
Though the Detroit Red Wings' interest in Steven Stamkos is now well-known, that's not the only upgrade general manager Ken Holland is looking to make this offseason.
The Red Wings are looking to acquire a defenseman via trade, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, and Holland has already had discussions regarding two of the biggest names available.
...
09/04/2016
Once in a while we will be fortunate enough to witness a goalkeeper such as Matt Murray arrive in the NHL at a very young age and make an incredible impact, circumstances can instantly create hockey heroes.
All players start to hit their stride at different points in their career; a good poolie watches closely to recognize indicators. I have been intere...
Zak MacMillan writes...
Pre-Game No. 52: Columbus Blue Jackets @ Detroit Red Wings
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on the ice tonight to take on the Detroit Red Wings, in their final game in the Joe Louis Arena. The Blue Jackets history with the Red Wings has been short as they were an expansion franchise, but the Jackets do have some history at the Joe. They are 12-24-5 all time in the Joe, and they played each other so much over the years as a resul...
The Columbus Blue Jackets held on to defeat the Detroit Red Wings by the final score of 3-2 in overtime.
The Red Wings opened the scoring in the early portion of the first period by defenseman Nick Jensen. The bottom pairing defenseman scored his second goal of the season. Dylan Larkin and Riley Sheahan had the assists.
Brandon Dubinsky evened the game with his seven...
The Columbus Blue Jackets held on to defeat the Detroit Red Wings by the final score of 3-2 in overtime.
The Red Wings opened the scoring in the early portion of the first period by defenseman Nick Jensen. The bottom pairing defenseman scored his second goal of the season. Dylan Larkin and Riley Sheahan had the assists.
Brandon Dubinsky evened the game with his seven...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 54—Columbus Blue Jackets v. Detroit Red Wings
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on home ice tonight to take on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings have suffered a tragic loss over the past 24 hours with the death of their owner, Mike Ilitch, at the age of 87. The long-time owner brought the Red Wings to the promise land, being at helm of four Stanley Cup victories, and helping management develop players the righ...
Zak MacMillan writes...
CBJ Game No. 54—Columbus Blue Jackets v. Detroit Red Wings
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Columbus Blue Jackets are back on home ice tonight to take on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings have suffered a tragic loss over the past 24 hours with the death of their owner, Mike Ilitch, at the age of 87. The long-time owner brought the Red Wings to the promise land, being at helm of four Stanley Cup victories, and helping management develop players the righ...
The Columbus Blue Jackets held on to defeat the Detroit Red Wings by the final score of 2-1 in regulation.
Boone Jenner opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season. Brandon Dubinsky got the lone assist.
Thomas Vanek evened the score at 1-1 with his team’s only goal in the matchup. The power play goal was his 14th goal of the season. Henrik Zetterberg and Da...
The Columbus Blue Jackets held on to defeat the Detroit Red Wings by the final score of 2-1 in regulation.
Boone Jenner opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season. Brandon Dubinsky got the lone assist.
Thomas Vanek evened the score at 1-1 with his team’s only goal in the matchup. The power play goal was his 14th goal of the season. Henrik Zetterberg and Da...
It was old, but it was loved. It was beat-up, but we cherished every moment. It was ugly, but my God was it beautiful. The Joe Louis Arena embodied the true spirit of the hard-working, self-reviving city that it represented. It wasn’t just the home of the Red Wings, nor did it just reside in Detroit. The Joe Louis Arena was Detroit. When it opened in 1979, it was nothing...
It has been a rough stretch in Motown. It is reminiscent of “Casey at the Bat”, a favorite childhood story. Casey could never strike out. He gets cocky and then boom, “There is no joy in Mudville, mighty Casey has struck out”. In relevant terms to Wings fans, “There is no joy in Motown, the (once) mighty Red Wings have struck out”. For the first time in decades...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit Red Wings - Jan Levine is absolutely correct
Posted Friday | Comments 0
If you tuned into the buzz cast today https://youtu.be/W6ovFCy8REs there was some speculation regarding Jake Gardiner, and where he’ll end up. Buffalo, Montreal, even Pittsburgh seem like realistic landing places. And then, Detroit was mentioned. I cringed. Not because he wouldn’t make us better, Gardiner is a significant upgrade to our D. No, because as this ship slow...
After Steve Yzerman’s first draft as Detroit’s General Manager, you started to hear a theme. All of this year’s picks had “high compete levels”. Starting with Moritz Seider at 6th overall, Yzerman and company put their signatures on this team’s future.
This feels oddly Babcockian in nature, as that is still the drum he beats in Toronto. On a Maple Leafs te...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Eklund did me a solid, plus Detroit’s potential free agents
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
If you listened to the hockeybuzz podcast https://youtu.be/A7YJm5TQ2hU today (8/13) you may have heard something bizarre at around the 45 minute mark. Ek did me the world’s biggest solid and actually read part of my blog! I was shocked and delighted. My poor wife of almost 20 years (this Thursday the 15th) must have thought I’d received an award for my latest iTunes ...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit will, literally, be half the team it is now
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
At this point in the summer, before prospects tournaments and training camps, I find myself pouring over Cap Friendly. Just for fun. Nerdy, time consuming fun. As this year stands, Detroit is at 47 contracts and 4 mil under the cap. Factor in Zetterburgh and Franzen on LTIR and it’s more like 14 mil. Enough contract space and cap space to sign a college free agent or tak...
The obvious answer is, of course. Trades can always happen, especially at the deadline when I expect the Wings to be out of contention. More pressing, however, is can Steve Yzerman make a significant move that will raise up the entire organization? This is one of those trades that will cost you. Someone is going to head out that could potentially become a difference maker...
In my last blog [/url]https://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=18273&user_id=260089 I looked at possible trades based on strong performances. While I’m not eager to see it ever happen, Athanasiou could be the strongest piece Steve Yzerman could part with to bring in a young defenseman who could help the team moving forward. I have a feeling this will be a career y...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Revisiting the Red Wings trade possibility via Mike Augello
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
A really good buzz cast this morning with Kevin Allen in tow. At 54:46, a question came in from a viewer named Lance regarding a potential Athanasiou trade for Ristolainen. Mike Augello commented on rumors of a Mantha for Ristolainen rumor that never came to fruition. The hypothetical cost for Zach Werenski would be Dylan Larkin, and that won’t happen. rnrnRistolainen is...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Quick Hit - Is Nielsen a possible fit in Edmonton?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
On the buzzcast today (8/21) Ek broke news that Derek Brassard may be going to Edmonton. Later, a different rumor came out that puts Brassard on Long Island. I’m hoping for the latter, and here’s why.
I still don’t understand a couple of moves made by Steve Yzerman. Forget about Moritz Seider, that kid may end up being really good. For me, Valterri Filppula doesn�...
Jeremy Laura writes...
If Eklund is right, Ristolainen could be on the way...
Posted Friday | Comments 0
Along with everyone else my eyebrows raised at Ek’s Friday rumor https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Rumor-WingsSabres-Talking-Major-Trade-e4-Update-5-players-involved/1/101066rnrnIn part, because I’ve been wondering about a scenario that would bring Ristolainen to Detroit. I believe with Kaski on the way, the signing of Filppula and some culture changes that the Sw...
Before the doors closed on Joe Louis Arena, there was still a feeling the Detroit really was “Hockeytown”. Those of us still believing in what Mike and Marian Illitch had built and looking with hope toward a team that could rise up again. But, they didn’t. The move to Little Caesars Arena was exciting, but confusing. At first, people were staying in the restaurants ...
There has been a back and forth debate on the retirement of #91. The sad part is, it isn’t merit based. It’s the burn after a bad breakup. Ken Holland help a boom box high over his head in the rain and played, “baby come back” but it turned out that all Fedorov heard was “Anthony’s song: I’m movin’ out”. Bitterness and pain. Enter Don Henley’s “Get ov...
Injuries. Every single year someone’s career gets a little derailed by getting hurt at either a prospect tournament, training camp, or in the preseason. It feels like that, anyway.
The prospects tournament in Traverse City is incredible. https://www.centreice.org/page/show/467296-nhl-prospect-tournament Take a look at that schedule. In 5 days (one day off in the mid...
Last week George Malik posted an entry regarding Magnus Paajarvi. http://themalikreport.com/2019/08/30/three-things-on-prospect-tournament-rosters-magnus-paajarvi-and-kraft-hockeyville-done-well/ Gunnar Svensson, Magnus’s father and Henrik Zetterburgh’s former agent, tweeted that an invitation of some kind had been extended. Paajarvi is big, can chip in 1o goals or so...
Detroit has 14 RFAs after this season. https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/redwings
6 of 7 listed on the main roster are arbitration eligible. That helps. Three of the RFAs listed as “in the system” (Hirose, Kuffner, Kaski) are interesting cases. Hirose made an immediate impact last year. Kuffner didn’t really get going but he may have a good year as well. Oliwer Ka...
Kudos to George Malik for getting these out http://themalikreport.com/2019/09/05/some-quick-thoughts-regarding-the-red-wings-prospect-tournament-roster/
Although I’ve let it be known that I think there is too much for these prospects in terms of tourney/camp/preseason, I am excited about the actual tournament. Looking at the lineup I see Zadina, Hirose, Veleno, and Ku...
In a show of courtesy and generosity, all the games in Traverse City are being streamed this year. Click on this link: https://www.foxsports.com/southwest/story/watch-dallas-stars-compete-in-traverse-city-prospect-tournament-sept-6-10-live-streams-090519
8 teams including :Detroit, Toronto, Dallas, Minnesota, St. Louis, New York, Columbus and Chicago.
Obviously I�...
The first two games were a miniature version of what I expect from the season. Chicago dominated the Wings in the first period, Wings tied it, lose in overtime. Against St. Louis the guys were clicking better and won 7-3. Flashes of hope, talent on display, and moments you want to turn it off.
For the guys I wanted to see, three have really been easy to watch. First, J...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Obligatory “I told you so” Detroit Red Wings blog
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
So far, the prospect’s tournament has been a breath of fresh air, for the most part. Detroit went 2-0-1 in 3 games, scoring 17 goals. A healthy dose for sure. There is, however, and “I told you so” moment for me here. Injuries. Alec Regula was taken out of last night’s game in the first period with a concussion.
There was no penalty on the play, it looked like ...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit wins the prospects tourney for the 2nd time
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
This was a surprise, for sure. I like the kids we have, and like what’s coming down the pipe. Joe Veleno surprised me, and I was expecting him to be really good. In 4 games he had 7 goals and 1 assist. One goal was an empty net in game 3, but in the other three games he had 2 goals. Good grief that’s consistent. And, it’s impressive. This kid wants a job right now wi...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit Red Wings announce “teams” for training camp
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
https://mobile.twitter.com/DetroitRedWings/status/1172156625362272256
Worth checking out. When going to camp each year (until 3 years ago when I got injured) it was always interesting to see the teams posted. It helps to have the list because the rinks (there are 2 there) will post a schedule of which team is practicing or scrimmaging, etc. Usually there was one team yo...
The Red and White game yesterday was fun (ish) to watch. Guys working hard to get jobs. Noticeably absent were Dylan Larkin and Mike Green. Andreas Athanasiou left about halfway through and didn’t return. Coach Blashill is calling it “tweaks” and “precautionary measures”. It leaves a bad feeling in the stomach all around.
So far, we’ve seen injuries to Alec...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit’s lineup for tonight (9/17) versus Chicago
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Detroit Red Wings posted their projected lines on their website. They are as follows:
Hirose-Rasmussen-Svechnikov
Elson-Pearson-Puempel
Terry-Turgeon-FordrnGlendening-DeLaRose-Ehn
Nemeth-Hronek
Cholowski-Bowey
Hicketts-Mcllrath
What to watch for (personally) - injuries. Svechnikov needs a reclamation year. Rasmussen as well. Pearson has a decent shot. Look for h...
The Detroit Red Wings had back to back preseason games against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday 9/17 and Wednesday 9/18. In reality, the Grand Rapids Griffins had back to back games against the Rockford Ice Hogs. In pre season play, especially early on, guys are fighting to be the last ones sent down or released from tryouts. One guy who is desperate to reverse course on ...
The weekend tilt versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (aka wilkes-barre penguins) gave Wings fans a taste of what will be the highlight of this upcoming season. The line of Larkin/Mantha/Bertuzzi seems to be well bonded and symbiotic. On a night of a 3-2 win, Mantha had 1 goal, Bertuzzi had one goal, and Larkin had 2 assists. (Madison Bowey had a phenomenal night with 1 goal and...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit Redwings head into final stretch of preseason
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
3 games in 3 nights. Insanity. First against the St Louis Blues for the Kraft Hockeyville game and then a home and home against Toronto. For all intents and purposes, I’m fairly certain management has seen what they need to in terms of who stays and who goes, save for Moritz Seider. He is very impressive, but may well head down to Grand Rapids due to the numbers, and it ...
I did some preseason predictions and have Mantha coming in at around 30 goals. Watching his preseason performance has been eye opening. He’s scored 4 goals in 3 games. Twice, he just fired a laser of a shot that flat out beat the goalie. His snapshot and slap shot are both way faster than I remember. Against St Louis he scored a beautiful breakaway goal. He’s battling,...
In my post last week https://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=260089&post_id=18302 I wrote that I hoped the wings would go 1-1-1 in the final 3 games of preseason. They did. And, while I should feel relieved, that number was based on guessing the cycle that the team seems to go through.
In short, one strong promising win is followed by a miracle effort by a goa...
Looking at the first week of action, I was trying to guess success/failure rate of the Wings early goings. Opening night against Nashville I have penned in as a loss. In Nashville, Rinne can shut you down. Duchene and RyJo up the middle can cause plenty of issues. Forsberg can be amazing, etc. Dallas could be a very similar issue. Ben Bishop does well against Detroit and t...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Detroit Redwings may have Larkin ready for Nashville
Posted Friday | Comments 0
A giant sigh of relief came when MLive published comments saying Larkin was “a definite possibility” for Saturday’s tilt against Nashville. https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2019/10/red-wings-dylan-larkin-a-definite-possibility-for-saturdays-opener.html
That is the frail state of the season. A season I, and others, expect to be rough could be disastrous if we lose an...
So, all the nay saying aside, I am excited to watch our top line tonight. Athanasiou is still not a definite so I’m counting him as “out” for tonight.
Mlive penned a piece about the top line here: https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2019/10/red-wings-counting-on-top-line-to-be-one-of-leagues-elite.html
When that line is clicking, they are an absolute joy to watch. ...
Jeremy Laura writes...
I was wrong, Detroit beats Nashville in season opener.
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Of 5 goals scored for the Wings, the top line figured in on 4 of them. Bertuzzi with 2 goals and 2 assists. Mantha with 1 goal and 2 assists, Larkin with 1 goal and 1 assist, and Glendening with 1 goal and 1 assist. Jimmy Howard made 42 saves on 45 shots. That’s the key.
I know this team can score, and boy they did tonight. However, scoring 5 goals on 28 shots is not...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Naming Detroit’s three headed monster - LAR-MAN-ZZI
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
In a quick post in October, I mentioned Detroit having a three headed monster as the top line - Larkin/Mantha/Bertuzzi. In the season opener it certainly seemed to be true. Each goal (apart from the empty net for Bertuzzi’s second) had a bit of a “wow” factor.
Tic tac goal for Bertuzzi with a quick shot. Mantha weaves inexplicably through Nashville’s defense an...
It’s been a weird start to the season. Mantha has 5 goals in 2 games, and 2 assists. Those numbers are, um, healthy. And unexpected.
I’m sure I underestimated big mo. https://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=260089&post_id=18303 The biggest surprise to me still is his ability to weave to the net. Again, on Sunday night 10/6 Mantha weaves through the defense and ...
Jeremy Laura writes...
What are Blashill and Yzerman doing with Madison Bowey?
Posted Monday | Comments 0
In the home opener at Little Caesars Arena, Trevor Daley went down in the first period with an injury. I expect a fairly regular carousel of blue line ailments this year, in keeping with what the team dealt with last year. My assumption was that Madison Bowey will get his chance to play, as he’s currently a healthy scratch. And then Yzerman made a trade.
We sent Davi...
Alex Biega will get an early opportunity for some NHL action. The Wings traded for him today (10/7) and have already called him up. The blue line is down 2 with Daly and Ericsson both out. Oliwer Kaski was also brought up. This still leaves me wondering what is going on with Bowey, but part of the call up is probably to have an extra Dman available. Of interest, both of th...
According to MLive.com, Athanasiou will make his anxiously awaited debut tonight against Anaheim. https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2019/10/red-wings-welcome-back-andreas-athanasious-speed-scoring-to-lineup.html Centering a line with Glendening and Hirose.
I’ve had some misgivings about Glendening’s promotion, but his effort and impact are always evident. Especially ...
Jeremy Laura writes...
Madison Bowey gets an opportunity against Anaheim
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Along with the excitement of Athanasiou coming back into the fold, Madison Bowey will also get the nod tonight (10/8). https://www.nhl.com/news/c-309880588
I have wondered why Bowey has been on the sidelines. To be frank, I like his skating and his game. He is exactly the kind of defenseman you want to see develop. Right shot, big body, can move the puck. Trevor Daly’...
Filip Hronek scored unexpectedly at the end of the second period. The wings took a 1 goal lead into the third period. Anaheim quickly scored to tie it up. Anthony Mantha seemed to have regained the lead, but the goal was challenged successfully for an offside. Then, Detroit fell apart. Anaheim scores 2 more in 37 seconds. It was evident that the Red Wings didn’t have the...