NYI...

Going to try to do a running game recap today, since I have nothing better to do...

The New York Islanders took 13.5 minutes to register a shot on goal. The bad news is that out of the 4 shots they took in the first period, 2 of them went in. John Tavares (who can feel free to knock it off at any time) scored both of them, and the first ended witht he Islanders up by one. Johan Franzen scored the first goal of the game, in what looked like a runaway for the Red Wings, but apparently the Islanders have Jimmy Howards number. Well, at least John Tavares (who I hope has a freak accident in the locker room with a cigarette lighter and accidentally burns all his sticks) does. So the first period ends with the Isles scoring on 50% of their shots, and the Wings scoring on roughly 8%. I don't think I like these numbers...AND the Red Wings had two opportunities on the power play.

Second Period: I'm getting verrrrry sleeeeepy...Again, a power play opportunity squandered, Tomas Holmstrom has taken 4 shots on net, and the Wings closest opportunity was from 20 feet. Jimmy DID stop a point-blank attampt by Jon Sim, so maybe he's getting his confidence back and getting into a rythym. He still isn't facing all that may shots (5 so far, with 5:13 remaining), but at least 50% of them are finding their way across the goal line. Well, that is until the Isles potted another goal with 4:47 remaining, this time it was Jesse Joensuu. Since I am following the game online now, I did not see the play, so I don't know if Jimmah could have done much about it...however, I can tell that Dwayne Roloson is not having too much trouble. Just as the second period was about to end, Valtteri Filppula knocks a Nick Lidstrom rebound past Roloson to put the Wings within one, and more importantly, give the Wings the momentum shift going into the third. Roloson has the entire intermission to let that last second goal worm its way into his psyche and start gnawing on his confidence. The Second period ends with the Wings down by one. Sound familiar? It should, because if history is any indicator, the Wings have the Isles right where they want em.

Third period begins, and the Red Wings are dominating the Isles, but they have let yet another power play slip past without a goal, and they have now doubled up on the Isles in shots. Unfortunately, the "W" is not awarded for having more shots than the other guys, so ideally, the Wings need to get a few more biscuits in the basket. As I wrote that, Tomas Tatar SCORES to put the game back on an even keel....wait...Who the "H - E - double hockey sticks" is Tomas Tatar? Wait, this just in from MLive.com: "Tatar has been called up from AHL Grand Rapids to make his NHL debut against the Islanders". Well there you have it. Called up just to score goals! What an interesting concept...First NHL goal, so congratulate him if you see him at Cheli's. Its all knotted up and grinding towards overtime, and the occasional shots that New York throws at Jimmy Howard are giving me fits, but he is doing OK, keeping the Wings in it. I can't help but think if Chris Osgood would be a little more solid right now since win #400 is behind him and he can relax and have fun. No matter, he's on the bench and Babs isn't going to pull Jimmah with 2 minutes to go. So down the stretch they come, and the Wings are peppering Roloson with shots and at this point, if someone scores, it will very likely be the game winner. Last minute to play, and Ruslan Salei tosses one into the middle to be batted away by Roloson. The Wings are really putting the screws to the Isles, but Roloson is strong with 30 sec to go. Looks like its going to OT...

OT: With one point in the bag, the Wings and Isles take to the ice for 5 min of sudden death. Two minutes in, the Wings get a power play, which is immediately negated by Zetterberg, which puts the game into a minute or so of 3 on 3, the rarest of hockey moments. Of course, nothing happens during the 3 on 3, and as soon as the Islanders go on the power play, they score to end the game. Of course.

Well, that will probably be the last time for a live game recap....

Old Guys

The Red Wings' old guys are really turning the trick these days. Chris Osgood cemented his place in Red Wings (and NHL) history a few days ago (more on that later), Nicklas Lidstrom is scoring more points than some forwards, and Kris Draper is experiencing a bit of a resurgence. It's refreshing, especially the Kris Draper thing, because he is one of this authors favorite players ever. People were starting to doubt him, and while he isn't having a career season, he IS contributing, and that has to count for something.

Watching the last game gave me fits. Jiri Hudler (who seems to have found his shot) had already scored, and this is how the first period ended. I can deal with that. But then, in the space of just over a minute not quite halfway through the second period, I was motivated to just turn it off and go to bed. Suddenly it was 3-1, and the Wings looked a little off stride. Jimmy Howard was no doubt wondering who but that bigger net behind him when he wasn't looking, and I thought I saw him looking towards the bench, wondering when Mike Babcock was going to wave him off and send in Chris Osgood. Who, by the way, should play a LOT better now that he has the "400" monkey off his back. In any case, there needed to be a spark, or at least a realignment of sorts. It came in the form of a 36 foot slapshot from Nicklas Lidstrom, which perked up the defense, and a goal from Patrick Eaves to close out the second, and reduce this game to a 20 minute free for all. What the Dallas Stars didn't know is that control of the game would now be in the hands of the Red Wings.

In the third, Brad Stuart decided to try his hand at the long slapshot, since he had seen Lidstrom do it. It worked, and the Wings are up by one. Then Kris Draper, not to be outdone, slapped in another. After that it was the Patrick Eaves Show and the Wings win by 4 goals.

Mike Babcock, on Eaves:

"He can shoot the puck and he likes to shoot it. Like anybody who starts scoring, he shoots the puck all the time. Guys that don't score, they never shoot the puck. They just keep passing and wonder why they don't score. I'm glad he's got it figured out."

So basically, if you don't take any shots, you will never score. Right. Thanks Mike. Now you just need to tell some of the guys, like Brian Rafalski (0G, 24A). Yeah yeah, we all know that an assist is just as good for the team, but think about how many games the Wings win if Rafalski and Hudler REALLY start producing...

On Osgood: He now has more wins than a lot of goalies in the Hall of Fame already, and the same number of Stanley Cups as Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur, and might (just might) catch Terry Sawchuk. Doubtful though. In any case, his HOF credentials are only stained by the fact that everyone sees only the soft goals and missteps, and not the fantastic performances he has turned in over time. Take Win #400 for example: 49 shots and 46 saves in a game where the rest of the Red Wings were outplayed badly. Ozzie kept them in the game, despite an (arguably) soft goal. He has done this many times, but all anyone remembers is that he let goal in from center ice. So what? The Red Wings actually WON that game you know...

399.5???

I really hate these games...you all know, the one where the Wings are up, the crowd is TOTALLY into the game, and then, they blow it. Actually, the superstitious people among you can blame it ALL on the TV voice who just had to say that the Wings are 8-0-1 in games where they are tied after one period. Why do we need to know this? Totally worthless stat, and in this case, sent the Wings chances into the toilet.

So the game: Datsyuk scores first on the power play on a sweet backhand shot. Then about 10 min later, Eaves scores on a big fat rebound to make it 2-0. Did you ever notice how the other teams goals always look like they got lucky? Well, about 90 seconds after Eaves scores, Brad Richards dumps it in the general direction of the net, on a shot that wouldn't even have landed in the trapezoid, and somehow it ends up in the net. After a few seconds of disbelief, I watched it several times in super slo mo and saw that it deflected off Brad Stuart's skate. Super. Alright, whatever, its just one goal, right? Wrong. I barely had a chance to stop sulking about the Brad Stuart thing when all of a sudden, everyone seemed to run away from Trevor Daley like he dropped a deuce in his shorts, and gave him rougly the entire area inside the blue line to shoot. It goes in, even though Osgood should have seen it all the way. Back to the replay, and it was revealed that the puck went in off the shaft of Brendan Morrow's stick.

In the second, I had to wait 19 minutes and change for the lone goal, but it was sort of spruced up when Steve Ott and Abdelkader decided to drop the gloves and make out for 30 seconds. I mean, I've seen Abdelkader drop the gloves before, but has anyone seen him throw a punch? Just sayin... Finally, Franzen pots one to make it 3-2 Wings, and it was the result of a lot of hard work. Franzen deserved that goal, and the last 3 minutes or so of the second period was downright fantastic. Kris Draper looked young again. Sort of.

Third period starts, and the play was mediocre. There was an overlong (I thought) conversation about Osgood's Hall of Fame chances. This can be summed up in one word. YES. God's sake the guy has a handful of Stanley Cups, almost 400 wins, and steady play. AND he beat the shit out of Patrick Roy that one time. It's a no brainer. He should be in. About halfway through the third, you can tell the crowd is loving this game when Helm almost gets a short handed goal. Again. Seems like he is always doing that, doesn't it? I hope we keep the kid he is so fast that by the time the opposition mentally registers the fact that he is coming, he's already gone by. Which is what happened here, he just didn't score. If he had... (well, never mind that, we could go on about that all day.) Then, then.... OK, for the record, it wounds me deeply that I have to disparage a professional hockey player from my hometown (Wyandotte, MI), but I think that Brian Rafalski was a bit distracted by the crowd chanting for Osgood, because he just...GAVE it to Jamie Benn. I mean, it didn't even look like he even meant to pass it to anyone else. Before I could even completely formulate the inevitable thought that "this isn't going to turn out well", it didn't. Brendan Morrow was already camped in front of Osgood, having a coke and a hot dog, when he received the pass from Benn that netted they tying goal. The crowd deflates. So does Osgood. The chants go: "OZZIE OZZIE OZ-awwww". Yeah. Really.

I didn't even want to watch the overtime, but I did, and wouldn't you know it, the Stars get a power play. Then a 3 on 1. Then a goal. Great. At least we get a point.

Finally...and a new record!

If Nick Lidstrom has a to-do list, by now it is probably pretty damn short. Does he have it posted on the fridge, right next to the "Honey-do" list? Let's see...

Win Stanley Cup...check

Win World Championship...check

Win Olympic Gold Medal...check

Never finish a season in the "minus"...check

Win Norris Trophy...check

Win Conn Smythe Trophy...check

50 point season...check

60 point season...check

70 point season...check

80 point season...check

Average one point per game...check

Get a Hat Trick...hmmmmm...

(Get it? "check"? Oh, never mind...losers...)

Until last night, the great Nicklas Lidstrom had not scored a Hat Trick, even during the season where he amassed 80 points. That's pretty close to the top of the list. For all he has done, over 20 years, still no Hat Trick. Until last night. Thats the great thing about the Wings. When the offense can't seem to put the biscuit in the basket, the defense will. Out of 5 goals last night, two defensemen accounted for 4 of them. Now Nick can check off another item, and that is the one that reads, "Become oldest defenseman in history to record his first Hat Trick".

Wings win, 5-2, and are hopefully back to their winning ways.

Below .500??

OK yeah, below .500 for December as of right now. The Wings are playing the Blues right now, so maybe we can draw even. Even so, for this spoiled rotten Wings fan, losing this often sucks donkey.

Since I haven't dropped a blog on you for a few games, I will go over them. Quickly. Because I really, REALLY hate to talk about the Wings when they are not doing so well. Luckily I have other things to distract me, such as wor, and the Nutcracker.

Yes, the Nutcracker. Its a ballet. Uncultured fools, all of you. In any case, my daughter is in a few parts, and she is kicking ass. Seeing her do so well keeps my mind off the Red Wings when they are doing their best impression of 1986.

ANYWAYS: Here you go. The Wings went to Anaheim and shut out the Ducks, 4-0. Player of the game was Howard, obviously, he got the shutout. Then the Wings packed up and took the short walk across the highway to LA to lose in OT to the Kings. Player of the Game? Anze Kopitar. Yes, I KNOW he plays for the other team, but he scored the game winner, so he deserves it. Besides, I can throw a dart at a team picture of the Wings and tell you how bad they sucked, no matter who it hits. Even the towel boys were slow. Moving on, the Wings lose back to back games (for a total of three in a row), to the (stupid) Sharks and the Predators. Then Montreal came to town for an Original Six matchup, and the Wings managed to score 4 and win one. After that, they travelled to New Jersey, and I see Chris Osgood in net. I groan inwardly, because I think old Ozzie is one of the best goalies of all time, but maybe he's in his last season....yeah I said ALL TIME. I see you shaking your heads, you non-believers. Go look at the top ten winningest goalies of all time...guess who is ahead of names like Dominik Hasek, John Vanbiesbrouck, and Mike Vernon? Terry Sawchuk's number hangs from the rafters, and Osgood will probably end up with more wins, but do you think his number will be up there? Hell no. Anyway, Ozzie got win number 399 while beating the THE winnigest goatender of all time, Martin Brodeur. The man gets no respect, even after 4 Stanley Cups. Next on the list is Grant Fuhr, only a mere 8 wins away. He won't catch Marty but he will retire with numbers that are solidly in the top ten of all time.

I'll fill you in on the St Louis game after it ends. Yeah, I know I forgot a game, but it isnt worth talking about, since I could hear the sucking all the way over here in the Seattle area. It was that bad. So bad, in fact, that I think Mickey Redmond actually started drinking during the first period. Right now its the end of the Second, and the Wings have a 3-1 lead....

Streakin...

You know, I should really quit reading the Triple Deke blog before writing my own. Its hard to write when you are still pissing yourself over some totally random comment that he threw in there for this express purpose. In any case, the Wings are on a hot streak, winning three in a row, and beating up on the Columbus BlowJays twice. That Nash kid is pretty good, but one person doesn't make a team. The BlowJays might go into the playoffs, but they are not making it out of the first round unless Jesus Christ Himself intervenes and the Edmonton Oilers (7-12-4) make the post season.

No matter how you slice it, the Wings are on fire. All the talking heads on TV will tell you that they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. So what? Why not just roll back all the way to the beginning of the season? They are 16-4-2. Yeah, take that. They are firmly on top of the West, and they would be on top of the whole NHL if the Eastern Conference didn't have The Devils, Islanders, Sabres, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Panthers to beat up on. (Yeah, I didn't link these teams because nobody likes them, sue me).

If you browse the Red Wings statistics pages, you will note that Ruslan Salei leads the team in PIM. The Red Wings web managers, in an effort to make it look like this was some error, have posted his picture in his Avalanche sweater. He's dead to them, apparently. In the "good" stats, Cleary still leads the team in goals, Lidstrom and Datsyuk are tied for most assists, and Datsyuk is on top in total points. Speaking of assists, if you missed that one from Datsyuk to Zetterberg in the game against the (stupid) Sharks, you need to go watch the highlights.

Now. About this Modano thing. According to the Detroit Free Press, Modano may not return AT ALL this season. A skate blade cut a tendon in his wrist. Remember those old fashioned brown leather gloves that went roughly up to your shoulder like a cow insemination glove? Maybe the rest of the players should take a lesson and go back to the high cuff gloves, rather than these sporty little Isotoner-looking things they are wearing now...so out for the season. Great. There goes at least 30 points. On the upside, the Wings actually have someone to replace him with. The other upside is that the Wings, with the return of Kris Draper in a few days, will have exactly ONE person on the DL (knock on wood).

Anaheim is next, but not till Friday. Plenty of time to soak up some rays on the Pacific Coast, then the dreaded "three games in four days" plan, one of which is San Jose at the Joe a day after back to back west coast games. Not looking forward to that one...

Anyway, you all get a lot of late night/early morning ramblings this week...

Calgary Wi-- oh, wait...

When the third period started, the Wings were down. Again. This time it was TWO goals. The Flames looked like they were going to get a win and even up their record. They were even playing semi-respectable hockey. Well, at least Iginla was...

Turns out that the Wings had the flames right where they wanted them. Pavel Datsyuk opens the scoring in the third, but Alex Tanguay got the two-goal lead back shortly thereafter.

Didn't somebody once say that the two-goal lead was the worst lead to have in hockey? Well Henrik Zetterberg must have been listening, because he decided that he had had quite enough of the Calgary Flames, thank you very much. Two goals later, including one with a little over 4 ticks left on the clock, it was all tied up and OT was in the near future. Coach Mike sez: "I thought Pav made an unbelievable play," Babcock said. "I think he got the puck with about 11 seconds left and he got inside the one guy and made a good backhand pass and obviously Z buried it." Oh sure, obviously...

Calgary's future lasted a little over a minute and a half, and then Captain Lidstrom buried his third of the season, putting the biscuit in the basket and sealing the deal for the Red Wings. And by "buried", I mean he decided to play with the goalie a bit and go forehand to backhand to put it in the net, passing up a wide open one-timer. But you gotta give the guy some credit. I mean, what goalie expects a defenseman to pull a move like that? Well, they don't call him the Perfect human for nothing.

More...

So, 16 games into the season. So I took a break. Big deal.

Anyways, kids, quick show of hands: How many of you predicted that Dan Cleary would have more goals than Pavel Datsyuk? Anyone? How about leading the team in goals? No? Or how about a Three Stars that did not include someone named Zetterberg or Lidstrom?

The Red Wings found themselves in some unfamiliar territory: Losing in every category including the scoreboard, going into the third period. Everyone in my house was sitting on the edge of the couch cushions, hoping the wings would pull it out.

I stifled a yawn....

....and at roughly the 12 minute mark, the Wings score! The fam cheers! Then four minutes later they were all looking for something else to do, and there was still roughly 4 minutes left in the game. That's because Cleary, Zetterberg, Stuart, and Holmstrom all scored in that time, leaving the Blues scratching their sweaty heads wondering what went wrong for them. I mean, they were still leading in every category at the end...except the scoreboard. Sorry St. Louis, they don't award the "W" for any of those other numbers.

Mike Modano is on pace for a realtively mediocre season, but then again, he is only getting about 12-13 min of ice time (by my count) per game. Is that because he's old? In stark contrast, Nick Lidstrom has 17 points. Yeah. SEVENTEEN. 16 games in, and the Wings have six players in the double digits already.

Anyone care to venture a guess as to who leads the team in plus/minus? Nobody? How about Todd Bertuzzi? Yeah that's right, close your damn mouths, you look like retards...

OK, OK so I didn't see that one coming, but who did? Fact is, WHO CARES where the production is coming from, as long as they keep it up? So if all these guys keep going, and they guys that "normally" put up big numbers start putting them up, then I see another trip deep into the playoffs once again this year. Yeah, probably to early to call, but whatever. Last year at this time, three quarters of the team was Grand Rapid Griffins, and we still had a pretty good playoff run.

So let Cleary and Bertuzzi produce all they want. When everyone else hits their stride, it's going to be awesome to watch.

Firsts....

Goodbye, Lady Byng....

So anyways, today was a day of firsts. First game of the new season, and the Wings did well. The Ducks didn't look so hot, and the game quickly degenerated into a game of keep-away led by the Wings, and a bunch of head hunting by the Ducks. But no matter. What matters is that the Wings also proved that the third line can score. Yeah, who knew? In another first, Mike Modano scored his first goal as a Red Wing on his first shot. So the Wings get their first win of the season.

One might think that Pavel Datsyuk got his first fighting major during this game, but he didn't. Well he DID get a fighting major, but it isn't his first. He fought Niedermayer when he played for the Ducks. Maybe Pavel just doesn't like Ducks.

Then Chicago raised thier first banner in who cares how long, and the Wings came along and ruined it for them. That whole salary cap thing is going to bite them in the ass, but a loss to the Red Wings is hardly the harbinger of doom. So far, EVERYBODY has lost to the Wings this season...

Preseason

Two games into the preseason. The Grand Rapids Griffins are doing OK, and they managed to beat up a relatively toothless Chicago Blackhawks team. (Get it? Toothless? Because they're hockey players...? Never mind...)

Anyway, it was a preseason game. No huge deal. The Wings (Griffins) won.

More importantly, Johan Franzen is only out for three games, and he will be ready to go for the regular season opener. I'll lay even odds that Mike Babcock holds him back longer than that. According to reports, he and most all of the other marquee players for the Wings will be sitting, and the Griffins will be playing in Chicago again on Saturday.

My musings now turn to what the final roster will look like. The defensive pairings are pretty much set (at least in my mind) but who knows what Mike Babcock is thinking? So... what do you all think of this?

Datsyuk/Holmstrom/Zetterberg
Bertuzzi/Filppula/Franzen
Hudler/Modano/Cleary
Abdelkader/Draper/Helm

Lidstrom/Rafalski
Salei/Stuart
Ericsson/Kronwall

And then all the backup cast, such as Meech, Maltby, Miller, Downey, Eaves, and the more names I type the more I think that the above is going to change within 30 or 40 seconds of you reading this. The other things you should think of is all of the possibilities for the power play units...other GMs and coaches would be drooling over the Wings third line, let alone the top two. Yeah, I said "top two" but I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The Red Wings third line could easily be the first line on just about any other team in the league. Other teams have a couple stars on their team (think Crosby/Malkin, Sedin/Sedin, Ovechkin/Backstrom, etc) but the Wings have a headliner (or TWO) on EACH LINE. Household names, not just in the greater Detroit area, but worldwide. Don't even get me started on the defense...

Looking forward to this season....I'm getting chills.

#90

So yeah....I was on vacation. We broke down twice. Both times in South Dakota. Once for a vacuum pump (I fixed it), and the other time for a new transmission (I didn't fix it). But anyways....

Mike Modano is concentrating on two numbers this year. 20, and 30. 20 goals, 30 assists. Some quick math and that means he will account for 50 points if all goes according to plan. Some more, slighlty more complicated math, and we can add that to Zetterberg's 70 and Datsyuk's 70, right? so further add that to the rest of the team and we should come to the conclusion that the Red Wings should post somwhere near 275 goals this season. Plug that into last years numbers, and that would put us right behind the Caps for second in the league in Goals For. If we squint a little and use our imaginations, we can add to the mix that the Red Wings of last year played a large chunk of the season with most of the Grand Rapids Griffins roster, and that probably put a dent in their goal production. So if they have a healthy year, and the stars play well, that 275 could easily be north of 300....right?

Maybe wishful thinking. The Wings are due for a healthy season. I say this as both Draper and Franzen are already languishing with injuries. Hopefully, that is not a sign of what is to come. I am looking for Bertuzzi to have another 40+ point season, and Franzen, Hudler, Filppula and of course Dats and Hank should be well over that.

Heres to a good season...

WTF is wrong with Gary Bettman anyway?

So, Gary Bettman has announced that the teams for the 2011 Winter Classic will be...the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.

Whaaaaaaaaaat??

Last time I counted, there were 30 teams in the NHL. Why is Bettman choosing two teams who have already played? Its only the 4th Winter Classic. We have already seen the Penguins and the Capitals play outside. And its going to be held in Pittsburgh. Really.

Do we need any more evidence that Gary Bettman has a bias towards the Penguins? Or, more specifically, to Sidney (Cindy) Crosby? Unless you had your head in a TV and radio-less hole last season, the commissioner's love for the Penguins is fairly obvious. Barely second to that is his foisting of Alex Ovechkin on American fans. If you watched NBC at all for hockey last season, what did you see? A shitload of Ovechkin and Crosby, and pretty much nothing from West of the Mississippi River, because we all know that there are no hockey fans there, right?

Come on Gary, get a grip. Every fan saw what you did last year to avoid another Red Wings/Penguins Final (or at least a Red Wings Final), and you certainly clammed up when the Penguins got eliminated. What? You missed that too? Well far be it from me to believe in a conspiracy. There are several other people who have that covered, like these people. Of course, the only thing that could possibly have diverted attention from the dismal officiating of the Cup Finals is the "almost as bad" officiating of the World Cup. But, since nobody actually watched the World Cup, it went unnoticed.

There is also evidence that 99% of hockey fans across North America are of the opinion that Gary Bettman couldn't properly set up a game of checkers, let alone run the NHL. He preaches about parity, then promotes a grand total of TWO players to the entire fan base. Any takers on when he is going to declare a "league realignment" and somehow wrangle Pittsburgh into the Western Conference, JUST so that he has a shot at fabricating a Penguins/Capitals Final?

Whatever...the NHL needs to get a person that actually has some interest in the game.

Kirk Maltby

So...the Red Wings are not just going to let Kirk Maltby go, are they? I mean, the guy has some hockey left in him, right? OK, so he's not the player he used to be. So what? He won 4 Stanley Cups with the Wings, and that has to count for something, right?

Kenny Holland says that "they are talking". The simple truth is, good ol' Malts may be looking at a two way contract, with much of his time spent with the Griffins. Maybe he will hang up the skates for good. Maybe he will go on a forward killing spree and end up with a spot anyway. You don't have to pay dead guys, after all.

Where will he go? Certainly the Wings won't trade him. Sadly, at this point he isn't really worth that much on the market. That isn't to say he is a bad player or he has lost his edge. Sure, he's not the annoying, get under your sweater and piss you off player he was a few years back, but he is as much an integral part of the Wings as anyone else. OK, so he hasn't posted more than 37 points with the Wings ever, but this is not where he gets you. He gets you when you are trying to make a play and he freight trains your ass into the boards, or he bothers you so much that you just can't take any more and you, in full view of the officials, slash/punch/interfere with him and take a stupid penalty, thus putting the Wings on the power play. Look at the line he played on for so long, the Grind Line, with Draper and McCarty/Kocur. What opposing team wanted to step on the ice when those irritating bastards were out there? It was almost a guarantee that somebody on the opposing line was going to get hurt, take a penalty, or make a dumb mistake.

Kirk Maltby isn't yet 40, and last year seemed to be a pretty good year until he got hurt. He may have even posted more than 40 points. We will never know now. If he takes the two way contract, he won't have a chance to play 82 games. His only hope at this point is to get to camp, and beat out one of the other forwards for a spot. If he gets waived, he will be in a big pot with other more promising forwards, all 60-something of them who are looking for work. That's not to say that all 60-something are better than him, but his chances are better with the Wings.

Kirk, take the deal. Go play one last year like you used to, and put up some numbers in addition to pissing off the other team. Throw everything to the wind and skate your ass off like it's your last season, because it most likely is your last season. Then hang em up and go into player development. You need to stay with the Wings, just not neccessarily as a player.

Whn Kirk Maltby finally does hang up the #18 Winged Wheel sweater for the last time, it will not be raised to the rafters, but it will be the end of a major chapter in Red Wings history nonetheless...

25....

Last I checked, an NHL team only has 23 slots...so now that we have 24 (or 25, depending on the Abdelkader deal) who gets cut? And by cut I mean sent to GR...IF they clear waivers. At least, I THINK thay have to clear waivers...I am pretty confused, and probably shouldn't be blogging since I don't know what the hell I am talking about.

But seriously.... who gets sent down? Who gets a two way contract? Do we even care? I mean, whoever gets sent to GR will be playing for the Wings within the first month, because Bertuzzi/Franzen/Draper will break/pull something and need a replacement. Draper may need a replacement hip soon, but that's not what we are talking about. Either way, the Wings have depth. More than any other team, and even if a few guys pull up lame, we have the players to cover it. Also, if Modano and Hudler can post some numbers, and Datsyuk and Zetterberg post their normal numbers, I just cannot see how we don't go very deep into the playoffs, if not hoist Number 12. In which case I will have to rename my blog.

Which nobody, barring family and friends, reads anyways....

Modano to sign? But...

OK so this is all I could come up with at this hour, but if Mike Modano signs with the Wings, what number will he wear? Because, I mean, #9 is absolutely out of the question. We all know that, and it bears no further discussion. so that leaves him with some number that included the number 9, right? So yeah...#19? No way. It's in the rafters for reasons that pale (however slightly) only to #9. #99? Well I'm pretty sure the NHL retired that number across the league, right? In fact its the only number retired across the NHL. So thats out. The numbers 29, 39, 40, 59, 69, 79, and 89 are just boring. Well, 69 isn't, but this is a family blog for chrissakes.

What about flipping it over? #6? Nope, that number is retired by the Wings. Didn't know that? Yep, it belonged to Larry Aurie, who quarterbacked the Wings to thier first Stanley Cups in 1936 and 37. #16? Again...belongs to someone else. So you see where I am going with this?

Mike strikes me as being a single digit type of guy, so that leaves him 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 to choose from. If he signs, I guess we will see how this number dilemma will pan out.

On a side note, it is absolutely pathertic that I actually posted this.

Off-Season

God, it's like Groundhog Day around here. Work, eat, sleep, and watch something besides hockey. This sucks.

So what about this Mike Modano thing, eh? Like we need another 40 year old on the team. The Wings have youngsters on the team, why not sign them? Is KH waiting for Modano to make up his mind before signing Helm and Abdelkader? I hope not. To do so would be a disservice to the kids. But....it looks like that is exactly what is happening here. What is Modano going to contribute? Last season in Dallas, he racked up a whopping 30 points in 59 games. Whooo... frickin....hoooo....

HOWEVER, according to Mike Babcock through ESPN:

"This is a no-brainer for Mike Modano -- the highest scoring American player of all time to come back to your hometown, play in Hockeytown," Babcock said, according to the Website. "It's not about the cash, it's about the legacy and the fit. He'll fit and he'll be excited to play. I look forward to him signing. I think that's inevitable. I think that's what is going to happen."

He's right, actually. There are a LOT of "pros" to this idea, now that I think of it. Modano is from Michigan, and playing in front of the hometown fans is something he has always wanted to do. I mean, his parents live there, and playing in front of Mom is just different when it's Mom's home. Old friends also have a way of inspiring somebody too. He is in excellent physical condition, too. Probably no Chris Chelios, but he's not exactly a fat slob either. I also have several of his rookie cards, which I might have a shot at getting autographed now. That's a "pro" right?

SO....Third line? Centering Cleary and Helm? So first line is Datsyuk/Zetterburg/Holmstrom, second line is Filppula/Franzen/Hudler. Roll that around a bit...the Red Wings with a THIRD LINE that would be a first line almost anywhere else...Hell, Most teams would be happy to have those third liners on the same team, let alone the same line. Getting Hudler back was a gift. Getting Modano, well, that remains to be seen. Even so, I would still be drooling over those two top lines, no matter how you shook them. And don't forget we still have Bertuzzi (*snicker*).

But I think I am starting to like this Modano idea...

Decisions...

The Spring Recital is a big show. I mean, the Nutcracker is THE show, but the Spring Recital is for the dancers, not the audience. This is what they prepare for all year. There are no auditions, because you are already in if you are in a class. You audition for the Nutcracker. Not all of your friends make it in, and sometimes, you don't make it in. Its a high pressure environment, one which my daughter, Skyylynn (ballerina, above) has overcome for the last 5 years, auditioning for and receiving a part in dancing's "Big Show" each of the 5 years. The fear of watching your friends perform while you watch is very real, and so far, she has only been on the stage looking at the crowd, and not the other way around. The Nutcracker is as close as dancing gets to hockey, because the show must go on. Parents and instructors coach their kids, and you hear stuff like:

"OK, if you feel a little pain, don't show it until you are off stage..."

"Unless you are obviously injured, try to work through it..."

"Don't you dare miss a cue unless you are unconscious..."

And so on. Hell, I'm guilty of all of that, having coached Skyy to ignore the crowd, the lights, and above all, personal discomfort. There are 8 shows, sometimes two a day, and after all, pain is secondary.

The show MUST go on. Period.

Until now. Three days prior to the big Spring Recital, Skyy fractured her patella (kneecap). Half jokingly, I say to her, "It's just fractured, right? You still going to do your recital?" and started walking away. After all, I was just trying to cheer her up. Surely she knows the difference between the Spring Recital and the Nutcracker. There's no way she could...

"Yeah, I could do it."

I froze. OK, so yeah, I had said all these things, but now I was being called out. My baby was telling me that she could do it. A tap, jazz, and ballet routine on a fractured patella. I turned, cleared my throat, and took a breath, preparing to deliver a resounding "NO", but my breath caught in my throat, and a bunch of memories ran in streaming video through my head like a filmstrip in super fast forward:

My father's stories of playing injured on the soccer field.

Me and my brothers in high school rowing with a myriad of injuries, with my father's OK.

My son being carried off the soccer field, only to return in the second half, with my OK.

Steve Yzerman playing the entire Stanley Cup run on one leg.

So how could I really tell her no? All of our heroes played injured, right? Was this not her chance to play injured, and stick it out and be the hero? Had she not already seen her Dad and brother do this very same thing? Well....no. She hadn't. Not really. I finally spoke, and what came out was not "no" but "let me call your Papa". So I called my dad, 40 year veteran of Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. He would know. Midway through the conversation, I realized that i should have just said "no" because that's exactly what he was going to say, and I knew it. Skyylynn represents fully 33.34% of his grandchildren, and he sure as hell wasn't going to jeopardize a lifetime of dancing for one Spring Recital.

I explained all of this to Skyy, who looked at me levelly and in a matter-of-fact voice told me that she knew that she wasn't going to be able to do it. Great, I thought. She understands! In our family, playing hurt is a given. We have all done it, from hockey to soccer to softball and on and on. Me, the wife, the step kids...now my kids. Still...I would always wonder if she could have, right? No. The end of our conversation was her telling me what I really knew all along:

She said: "This is just Spring Recital dad, its not like its the Nutcracker or anything."

More 2am ramblings

This year, it seems, is the Year for Goaltender shopping. Seems like there are TONS of goalies to go around. Do the Wings REALLY need another one? Barring a catastrophic Jimmy Howard sophomore slump, which Chris Osgood might very well be able to cover, they really don't. We have promising netminders playing for the Griffins, right?

The Red Wings have agreed to sign Valteri Filppula's older brother, Ilari. They aren't twins, but maybe they might have a Sedin-like affect on the Red Wings. They are brothers for chrissakes, they know each other better than anyone else, and have that almost-telepathy that siblings share. Makes a blind, no-look, between the legs pass in traffic a little more likely, doesn't it? Jim Nill says that he will have to earn his position on the team, but doesn't everyone? OK, Nick Lidstrom is pretty safe, but everyone else has to earn it.

Todd Bertuzzi got a raise. Whatever. Part of me could care less, but a little voice tells me to trust Kenny Holland's judgement. Has he ever steered us wrong?

Speaking of GM's, can you imagine Kenny Holland GM-ing another team? We must all understand that GM Holland and AGM Jim Nill are in the crosshairs of EVERY team in the NHL. The other teams try to lure them away with contracts of untold proportions. Luckily, the Wings have signed them to another five years ahead of time, so they are actually guaranteed to be here for another six years, since this coming year was already covered by their previous contracts. Speaking of contracts, it looks like Abdelkader, Eaves, Helm, Meech and Miller are staying, and getting a slight raise into the $800K range. Which means that pretty much takes up the rest of the cap for the Wings.

Who do we get for an enforcer? Bertuzzi? Yeah right. After the Steve Moore thing, he is under the NHL's microscope for life. If he even hints at committing an intent-to-injure penalty, he is probably gone. Again. So Holland has, what, maybe league minimum to spend on a real enforcer? Take a guy from the AHL? Is there even an enforcer on the Griffins?

In any case, if the Wings stay healthy, they will be better at the start of the 2010-11 season with the addition of Hudler and a healthy Filppula and Cleary than they were at the start of the 2009-10 season. Get Johan Franzen going and a good season from Jimmy Howard, and the Wings are going to at least be in the playoffs again.

Wait, what?

OK, so in my last post, I was talking about Wings taking pay cuts to stay with the team they love, and the family they have come to be a member of. Apparently, Todd Bertuzzi didn't get the memo. Kenny Holland gave him a contract for two years last week, and Bert has yet to sign it, or even make a public comment. Is it because there was a pay cut involved? Maybe a raise, but not enough? What the hell is he holding out for? He didn't really impress last season, racking up 80 penalty minutes, none of which were major penalties. Although all things considered, he did a little more good than bad. Does anyone else think that Bert is a little gun shy about fighting after being re-instated in the league?

In my opinion, Bert can take it or leave it. There are many other UFAs out there that will gladly take his spot.

Everyone's Taking Pay Cuts, but...

Nick Lidstrom re-signs with the Red Wings and takes a pay cut. Tomas Holmstrom may just follow that example, if he hasn't already. Todd Bertuzzi, Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Patrick Eaves, and Drew Miller are probably not getting raises, so now the Wings have plenty of room under the cap, whatever it goes up to this year.

What does that leave us with? $5 million or so? The Wings are certainly not going to leave a cap surplus if they can sign someone, so who's going to get it? Brendan Smith is already signed. Is one of the guys I already listed going to get a raise? Is Drew Miller even going to be here, or is he going to Buffalo? What the hell does Kenny Holland have up his sleeve this year? Granted, if all those people sign, the Wings will have like $1.3 million left, more if the cap goes up. It probably wont drop, and if Miller departs, that will give the Wings another, what, $.8mil? $1mil? How about I get the rumor mill started right now? This is what happens when you start thinking about shit at 2:30 in the morning. Ready?

Patrick Marleau? He's 31, still young by Red Wings standards, right? Only problem is, he comes with a $6.3mil cap hit. So...probably not unless the Wings do some serious housecleaning, which isn't in the cards. Still...maybe the Wings can get Pavol Demetra and his $4mil cap number. HA! Right...but you were thinking about it, weren't you? No? Oh, OK.

Now for the serious talk. The Wings need another "ready to play" goalitender after Larsson left, right? So scroll down to the bottom of the UFA goalie list and...

*GASP*

Is that Michael Leighton's name? Who knew he was a free agent? Nobody is even talking about it, since he is still playing in the finals. Really? This is what passes for "serious talk" around here? Sure. The Wings still have Osgood, so why the hell would they need another goalie until 2011? Buuuuuuut.....his cap hit would be really, really small, and he is playing out of his head. Heh, maybe we could even get Ville Leino back.....wait, what? Did I say that out loud?

OK, two more names for you to chew on: Anybody thinking about the almost-certain exodus of Ruslan Fedotenko from the Penguins? Could be a deal at a $1.8mil cap hit, right? Maybe he will follow the current trend and take a pay cut to play in Detroit. Because everyone wants to play in Detroit, don't they? Hell, its only like 7 hrs away, and he's going to a new arena regardless, so wouldn't now be a good time for a move? Just sayin...

An even better deal, with a $1.6mil cap number, could be Joe Pavelski. (Although I don't know how his cap hit is so low, doesn't he pull down like $4mil with the (stupid) Sharks?) But still, the guy is like 26 years old so he is pretty young yet, no older than Jimmy Howard. Why not? He's pretty good, hopefully not a flash in the pan. And it would be really cool to take him away from the (stupid) Sharks and win a Cup with him. That would be hilarious, especially since the Wings would probably have to go through the (stupid) Sharks to get there. As if the curse of Arcturus Irbe won't be enough to keep the (stupid) Sharks from winning a Cup.

Yet another thing to think about is that there is NO...FUCKING...WAY the Chicago Blackhawks are getting in under the cap next year. Thankfully, Marian Hossa is locked up because I would rather get a large, full color tattoo of Patrick Roy's face on my taint than pick up Hossa again.

So yeah, this IS the best I can come up with right now, it is after all 3:00am...so all of you can start throwin stones and pokin holes in my theories. At least I am thinking outside the boards. What the hell are the rest of you doing at this hour besides geeking out on your computer or PS3 playing Modern Warfare online while scarfing a whole box of Twinkies?

Thought so...

A Substandard Game Review

So there I am, watching the Stanley Cup Finals...Excuse me, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. In stark contrast to the first game goal-a-thon, Game 2 was a little tighter. I think I may have taken a nap, too, judging from the drool marks on my mustard-stained t-shirt. At least, I hope that's drool...

Anyways, I noticed that Chris Pronger is just about as annoying as that guy that just ate an onion-and -garlic sadwich with sauerkraut and HAS to sit next to you on the empty bus and strike up a conversation. Whats with the trash talk? And the puck stealing? Who actually cares if he steals the puck? It's not like he can't afford to pay for it. The Flyers are down 2-0, and they are still talking shit. Even with Vile (yeah, I mis-spelled that on purpose) Leino, as well as he is playing, they are still losing. Even so, Red Wings fans are wanting to smear Leino with brown gravy and throw him into a pit filled with starving wolverines. Which sucks, because the Flyers are my cousin's favorite team. Not that that has anything to do with it.

Back to the game. 37 minutes into the game, I decide that nothing will happen and I go to take a leak. While I am standing in front of the john, I hear the Chicago fans cheering. What the fuck? I leave for two seconds and ... I hear more cheering, louder. Must be a fight, I think as I stand there, wondering when the stream will end. I mean, I can't just STOP, and it won't be much longer. When I am finally done, I go out to find that the Hawks have scored TWO goals. Thinking I miht see something, I watch the rest of the game with no bathroom breaks.

And nothing happens.

Philly scores one goal. I saw that one, and I think that my cousin is now considering coming to my house to lock my bathroom during games. Which will be quite a trick, since he lives in New Jersey, and i live in Washington.

State.

3100 miles away.

Thats a long way to go to prevent a guy from taking a leak for 2.5 hrs.

Another Year...

So, Nick Lidstrom is coming back. And, he took a pay cut. Classy. So he's back for one more year, and he gave us a little cap space, which means that both Tomas Holmstrom and Todd Bertuzzi should be back. The few of you who voted in last months poll said that Bertuzzi would be out. So now it looks like he will be back too. Jiri Hudler signed for two years, which allows Mike Babcock to put Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg on a line together, and put Hudler on his own line. How do you think that will shape up? See this months poll.

Who else are we going to get? What ideas are rolling around in Kenny Hollands head? I am sure he has some good ones and I would sure like to take a gander at his clipboard...

He'll be back.

27 years.

Steve Yzerman was a Red Wing for 27 YEARS. That's longer than a lot of you have been alive. I use the word "was" with a heavy heart. Although we all knew it could happen, hell, it was likely to happen, but we were all in denial. Hopefully he brings the Lightning back to life. On the flip side, I now have an Eastern Conference team to root for.

Yay.

I think Stevie will be back. He just need to get some time being a GM, and when Kenny Holland finally ends his long and storied career, Stevie will be ready to step in. Then, we can go back to giving the guy 10 minute standing ovations at the Joe. In the meantime, hopefully he doesn't do SO well that we get a Red Wings/Lightning Stanley Cup Final. How would we all feel if we had to trounce the team that our hero, our savior, our CAPTAIN for God's sake now manages? It would be like punching your best friend in the grill for no specific reason. Like taking your dog out back and...and...well lets just say it would be an "Old Yeller" moment, to be sure.

Hurry back Steve, we miss you already.

Sportsmanship

Somebody told me once that we can learn from our kids. Well, your kids can teach other kids too. Today, my son Joey (the catcher making the play in the pic) set the example, and did something that you rarely see. Almost never. Except maybe in golf, where players have been known to lose a huge paycheck because they reported themselves for a rules infraction. Like Brian Davis did when he gave up a shot at a $1 million dollar payday. Rather than lose their integrity and honor, they chose to lose the match. Joey's team, the Coupeville Braves, did not lose today, in fact they trounced the Oak Harbor Red Sox 15-2. At some point during the game (I wasn't there, I had to work), Joey hit a slow roller, fair ball, to first base. The Red Sox first baseman charged the ball, and got there about the same time as Joey. There was no play at first, because the Red Sox pitcher failed to come off the mound and cover first base. So the first baseman made a desperate attempt to tag Joey. He reached as far as he could to get him, Joey stepped on the base, and the umpire yells, "SAFE!!!"

Just one problem

Joey was out. The first baseman had barely touched his back, out of sight of the umpire. Joey could not see the hurt look on the face of the infielder, as he was busy over running first base. The Red Sox coach looked disappointed, but said nothing. The first baseman, probably an 8 or 9 year old kid, coached NEVER to argue a call, looked exasperated, but said nothing. Even the opposing teams fans had looks that said, "At this point, who cares?" It was 11-1, and if the Red Sox didn't muster a heroic 11-run, bat-through-the-order-twice last couple of innings, the game was over anyway. They had, after all, only scored one run to this point.

Somebody finally challenged the umpires call.

Instead of walking back to first, Joey went to the umpire and told the umpire he was wrong. "He got me", he said. "I was out". The umpire stared at Joey a second, probably attempting to think of something to say. Seeing the conversation, and probably thinking that Joey was saying all the wrong things to the ump, the Braves coach calls time, and jogs out to first to investigate. What he finds is not an argument, at least not the type he was expecting. So the umpire call over the home plate umpire, who maintained that he didn't see the play, and could not call it. To his credit, the Red Sox coach did not get involved other than to step out of the dugout to listen. I am sure he was as amazed as I was to hear the story. After a brief conversation, the umpire asked Joey if he was sure. Joey said yes, he was. There were no tears, no drama. Joey had not gotten a hit all game, but apparently, he had no interest in staining his own honor for a single, in a game that was (pretty much) in the bag. He did this in front of his friends, his peers, and the entire other team. The umpire ended up calling him out, and he casually jogged back to the dugout. You might expect the reception he got from his teammates. If you said high-fives and pats on the back, you would be right. No jeers. No dirty looks. Then they went out and played the last two innings, scoring four more runs and allowing only one. You could say that they were not the least bit affected by what Joey did. Why should they be? They are solidly in first place, with an 11-1 record, and a 10 game winning streak to start the season. I don't know if he got a standing "O" on the way back to the dugout, but he probably should have. You might find one kid in this league of 6-12 year olds who would have had the sack to step up to the umpire and with 6 little words, set the example for everyone in attendance.

His name is Joey, and he plays for the Coupeville Braves. He may not have given up a million bucks, or even the win, but he certainly moved up a few notches in the respect department.

I may have to buy him a bigger cup...

Summer, Summer...

Summer is coming. I can tell, not by the way the weather is warming up, but by the way my twin 9-year olds look at me when I tell them they (still) have to do their homework, and yes, they do have to go to bed while its still light outside. I am also sure that they are giving me the finger behind my back. Soon they will like me again, when summer vacation hits and everybody gets some time off. Except the grown-ups.

Kenny Holland is in for a challenging summer. Whatever he does, hopefully it will be better than the deal we made for Ville Leino. Now, before all of you start throwing fresh road kill at me for bashing the legendary Mr. Holland, bear in mind that we got seriously screwed on that deal. Pending of course, the draft pick we get in the fifth round. Other than that, we traded Leino (11G, 9A, 16PIM in 68 games) for Ole-Kristian Tollefson (4G, 8A, 296PIM in 163 games). To be fair, Lieno wasn't doing much to impress Mike Babcock (though Danny Briere is now singing Leino's praises), and we needed some beef on the blue line. But Kenny went against his usual "wait and see" strategy, which has been proven over and over to be a pretty good idea. Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren knew that Leino was going to be gone one way or another, and Kenny was forced to take "something" rather than "nothing". Meaning that if Leino was placed on waivers, he would have been snapped up right away, and the Wings would have nothing in return. What we got, however, was almost as bad. Tollefson averages two trips to the box per game. With that kind of rep, how do you think he would have been treated by the refs in this years playoffs? So yeah, we got jobbed by Philly's GM, who is no slouch himself. Remember that when Paul Holmgren took over as Philly's GM, the Flyers sucked donkey. Now they are in the Conference Finals.

Kenny also has to look for another goalie to fill in for the departure of Daniel Larsson for Sweden. I say good riddance. Besides, if he stops whining long enough to make a few saves for HV-71, we can still get him back since the Wings still own him for three more years. His reason for leaving? Too long on the farm team. Boo-frickety-hoo...I mean, this is the Red Wings. Everyone knows that you will be on the farm team for a while. Jimmy Howard was there four years. So quit crying and play. Rumor has it that Chris Osgood is going to retire next year, at the end of his current contract, so why not just stick it out? I think the underlying reason is that he didn't want to be a backup to Jimmah, but that's just me.

As an aside, the Magical Mr. Holland's contract has been extended, so he will continue to work his magic for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, he is giving Stevie Y some pointers, so that he will stay in the Red Wings camp. Talk about Stevie going to Tampa Bay has died down a bit, and Ron Hextall's name is being bandied about. Maybe Stevie or Tampa Bay (or both) have lost interest? If Stevie must go, then I would rather see him go north to Toronto. The Maple Leafs don't have a Stanley Cup team picture in color, for chrissakes, so would it really be so bad to see him help some other team out? Especially the storied Leafs?

Nah, fuck 'em...

Yeah, I know. Like we need another one.

Do we really need another Red Wings blog? The answer is yes. Of course we do. Besides, I am the only Red Wings Blogger from the Pacific Northwest. Let me start by asking how in blazes did I manage to pull down a name like "11 and Counting" on my FIRST TRY??? Come on people! is a prime example of just why we need another blog. It's obvious that not everyone is thinking outside the boards. Sure, sure, some of you "glass half empty" folks are going to tell me that I will eventually have to change the name, and I know this. However, I wasn't going to jinx the team by naming this "Waiting for 12", or maybe "On the Road to 25" or something equally superstitious.

So...just keep in mind that this blog will be my OPINION, and any facts or quotes will be given due credit. If you see anything to the contrary, let me know and I will fix it.

Anyway, I will say that i am pretty excited about the return of Jiri Hudler, apprehensive about the goaltending situation (what else is new?), and will probably die of a massive anuerysm is Nicklas Lidstrom retires.

'Nuff said for now. I will start soon, after the reailty that number 12 is not going to be this year, and once I get all my shit in one sock. Just gotta find a sock...