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Showing posts with label Dominik Hasek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dominik Hasek. Show all posts
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Twenty-two...
Caption Mondays: Jeffy Neuie won for the second week in a row.
Ref: That's it! No more hockey until you clean this ice up!
Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill managed to continue his impressive trivia run.
This week's question: Who was the most recent Red Wings goalie to lead the league in regular season goals against average?
The Answer: Chris Osgood led the league with a 2.09 GAA in the 2007-08 season. That year, he and Dominik Hasek combined to win the Jennings Trophy. Prior to Ozzie, the last Wings goalie to lead the league in GAA was Terry Sawchuck. Pretty good company, eh?
Ref: That's it! No more hockey until you clean this ice up!
Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill managed to continue his impressive trivia run.
This week's question: Who was the most recent Red Wings goalie to lead the league in regular season goals against average?
The Answer: Chris Osgood led the league with a 2.09 GAA in the 2007-08 season. That year, he and Dominik Hasek combined to win the Jennings Trophy. Prior to Ozzie, the last Wings goalie to lead the league in GAA was Terry Sawchuck. Pretty good company, eh?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Great Debate: '97 vs. '02...
According to Japers’ Rink, a book called Hockey’s Greatest Teams has listed the ’97 Wings as one of the top 15 hockey teams of all time. The 1949-50 Wings also make the list, thanks to the legendary Production Line. Anyway, I thought it was interesting that ’97 was chosen over the ’02 squad. I would argue that the ’02 team had more pure talent than the ’97 team did, and there were significantly more future Hall of Famers in ’02. In fact, I honestly can’t remember a roster that looked better on paper being iced in my lifetime, even taking into consideration the fact that Pavel Datsyuk hadn’t yet developed into the star that we all know and love today. It’s been said that the ’02 team should easily end up having eleven members in the Hall of Fame down the road, and I don’t count nearly that many from ’97. Igor Larionov, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Scotty Bowman are already in the Hall/about to be inducted, and you can bet on Brendan Shanahan, Nick Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Chris Chelios, Dominik Hasek, and Datsyuk joining them in their due time.
I would argue that the ’97 Cup probably meant more to the city than the one in ’02 did, just because it ended the 42-year drought, but talent wise, 2002 has to win out. From the first day of the pre-season that year, the expectation was that the Wings were going to win the Stanley Cup. Anything short of that would have been deemed an absolute failure. They were just that much better than anyone else. Their roster that year wouldn't have looked out of place in a fantasy hockey league.
Anyway, take a look at the rosters listed over at Japers’ Rink and see what you think. The ’08 roster is included over there as well, but I still think ’02 wins. I like that '08 was post-lockout/salary cap just to silence those critics who accused the Wings of buying the Cup, but that also means that the talent level was lower. Don't get me wrong, the team was still better than anyone else in the league, but we're just never going to see a team like '02 again under the salary cap.
I would argue that the ’97 Cup probably meant more to the city than the one in ’02 did, just because it ended the 42-year drought, but talent wise, 2002 has to win out. From the first day of the pre-season that year, the expectation was that the Wings were going to win the Stanley Cup. Anything short of that would have been deemed an absolute failure. They were just that much better than anyone else. Their roster that year wouldn't have looked out of place in a fantasy hockey league.
Anyway, take a look at the rosters listed over at Japers’ Rink and see what you think. The ’08 roster is included over there as well, but I still think ’02 wins. I like that '08 was post-lockout/salary cap just to silence those critics who accused the Wings of buying the Cup, but that also means that the talent level was lower. Don't get me wrong, the team was still better than anyone else in the league, but we're just never going to see a team like '02 again under the salary cap.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wings Blogger Roundtable Day 5: Let's Talk Goalies...
Thanks for joining us here for Day 5 of the epic Wings Blogger Roundtable. We’ve already discussed the Olympics, the Williams and Bertuzzi signings, potential fatigue, and influential players. Today, the greatest collection of hockey minds ever assembled will take on a topic of perennial controversy: Goalies.
First, how do you feel about a Chris Osgood/Jimmy Howard tandem carrying the Wings down the stretch? What do you expect of Ozzie this season? On top of that, do you think Howard will finally live up to his potential or is this the end of the road for him in the Wings organization? Looking beyond this season, who do you see taking the reins from Ozzie when he's gone? Despite the fact that he still looks like he needs parental supervision to get into an R-rated movie, he is getting up there in years. In addition to Howard, the Wings have Daniel Larsson, Jordan Pearce, and Thomas McCollum developing in the minors. Which, if any, of them do you think will be the Wings' "goalie of the future?" Or does the answer lie outside of the organization?
I'm far from being knowledgeable about Jimmy Howard's potential, so I can only go on what little of him I've seen, and of course, my usually-wrong gut feelings. And my gut tells me that this is the end of the road for him.
I'm mildly concerned about the goalie tandem because of the question mark that is Howard and the fact that I fear Ozzie's wheels are going to come off in the near future. He followed up a spectacular 2008 Cup run with a maddening regular season, and then turned it on again once the playoffs started. Is the inconsistency a sign of age, or something else?
If I had to guess which goalie will be the future of the Wings, I'd go with McCollum.
I discuss how I think Ozzie will play this season in Bingo Bango’s segment. I won’t repeat the whole thing, only say that Ozzie has cleared up his issues and is going to have a big season. Last year, during the regular season, in my weaker times, I called for Ozzie’s blood. I think I even said that he faltered because we put the saddle on him. I now believe that part of the problem was the uncertainty of who the main guy would be with Conklin in town. I think Howard is going to be the Manny Legace of this generation of Red Wings. I think he’ll do just fine as a backup, but I just have this feeling that we’re not going to be able to put the saddle on him once Ozzie calls it quits. Of course, I’ll be wishing and hoping that he does well…he has done a good job of holding down the Grand Rapids starting job while we go out and get fresh meat like McCollum and Larsson. I watched Larsson play in Grand Rapids last year and he really impresses me. Plus he has that whole Swedish thing going for him (complete with the two ‘S’ last name). I’m more than willing to give McCollum a shot if he rebounds from a bad WJC last year, he’s still really young, and Jordan Pearce could be one of those Tim Thomas-like sleeper pick-ups who turns into world class. I saw him play against MSU and he looked solid. I, for one, am sick of constantly looking outside the organ-i-zation for the next Red Wings goalie, it’s time for us to finally grow our own starter in-house, and with the crop we have right now, I think we may do just that.
I don’t have the same confidence level with the Osgood/Howard tandem as I did with Osgood/Conklin and Osgood/Hasek, but that’s because we had a pair of veteran goalies. Howard has yet to prove himself in Detroit, which would make any fan wary. That being said, GM Ken Holland has never let me down so I’m going to trust him in this one-year experiment. To be honest, I don’t foresee Howard staying with the Wings for more than 2-3 years because I believe Daniel Larsson and Tomas McCollum are more talented goaltenders that just need a little more time to develop. I think Howard can be a solid Band-Aid fix, but I don’t see him taking the reins when Ozzie is gone. That mantle will go to either Larsson or McCollum. I haven’t watched enough of either of those goaltenders to best predict which one will be our netminder of the future, but I’d probably go with McCollum as the long-term solution If I had to guess.
I have absolutely no concerns about Osgood this season. I think he made some mistakes last season and didn't have his focus completely, but he loves this team and he desperately wants to be THE guy here. He's not going to lose focus again. That said, you really don't want to ride him any harder than 55-60 games because he is just getting up there in years and history has shown that it's usually not a great idea to lean that much on an older goalie. I've been a Howard supporter for years, groaning and whining about the likes of Hasek and why it wasn't a good idea to sign Conklin (though it turned out to be), but honestly, now that he's on the team, I'm nervous. I think his NHL play has shown that he can play in this league, and I think playing for Detroit will really help him out. But I'm thinking less and less that he's the long-term solution in this organization.
I think Larsson and McCollum both have something special and I flip flop back and forth between who I think is the answer long-term. Larsson looks unbeatable and sometimes unchallenged in the AHL, I don't think anyone could have predicted how smooth his transition to North America was. McCollum has the most raw talent of anyone in the organization and all the tools of an elite NHL goaltender. But I've seen him have bad days, he needs seasoning and confidence. As of this moment, I think McCollum is probably going to end up being this team's answer. I think Larsson has the ability to be a reliable 1B goaltender, while Howard might be more of a backup. For certain though, this is a very nice dilemma to have and not one that Detroit's faced since I've followed them.
Damn. I just overcame the horrible night terrors caused by the sound of a Kronwall shot hitting the cross bar, the posts, even the remote possibility of a shot hitting the small remaining portions of Crosby’s dignity. And now just reading the name Howard brings a similar nauseating fear. I understand and support the Holland concept of allowing players to become “over ripe,” but I don't think that was the reason for Howard spending so much time in the AHL. Had Howard not been out of minor league options I think we may have had another season of Conkblock. At this point I am not yet convinced that Howard is an NHL level goalie. He has flashes of brilliance (alright maybe brilliance is a bit of an overstatement) but mid season he seems to run out of steam and struggle. He is simply inconsistent. Either way Ozzie is not going to be able to have a “finals hangover” this year. It doesn't seem like Howard will be able to pull the team through points of the season like the Conk did. With that being said, a goalie for the Wings (minus last year’s playoffs) does not need to steal games. He needs to stop the damn puck every once in awhile and mentally stay focused while the forwards are delightfully torturing the other team with Red Wing style puck possession. If our defense comes back this season in 2007-2008 form, well Howard may make it through.
I’ll be up front right from the jump: there can’t be too many fans that have been as hard on Chris Osgood as I have. His 08-09 regular season was HORRID, and I would have had no problem with his being waived during the winter months and going with Conklin.
That said, he really was the only reason the Wings made it as far as they did in the post-season. I’m a big enough man to admit that I didn’t see that coming – and was pleasantly surprised. I do think we’ll see a resurgence in goal from Ozzie (but really, how could it be worse?) during the season, but Jimmy Howard is a huge question mark for me.
He’s clearly not banging down the NHL’s door – which, after four years in Grand Rapids, he should be – so I don’t have a great feeling about his automatic inclusion on the roster. By what I’ve seen watching him with the Griffins (and in limited time with the Wings), I simply don’t believe he’s the heir apparent to the Red Wings net. It almost feels like the Wings are giving Howard this chance because A) they have to, thanks to the waiver options expiring, and B) they don't want to admit that he's not the guy they thought he was when they drafted him. Those aren't exactly confidence-building reasons for a fandom that borders on insanity when it comes to goaltenders anyway. I forsee him being - fair or not - public enemy #1 should the season not unfold the way we expect it to (read: 82-0).
I think the goalie of the future is Thomas McCollum. Yeah, he imploded in the World Juniors, but he’s a strong-headed kid and I don’t think that will affect him in the long run. At least I hope not. All signs point to Larsson being the real deal, too, and that’s certainly encouraging. I have to imagine that in a handful of years, one of those guys become the first bona fide Red Wings-drafted and developed star netminder in quite some time.
My money’s on McCollum.
Hello Kris and good morning. I look back to December or January of last year and I knew for a fact that Chris Osgood was done. There was no doubt in my mind. I would have bet both my pets that he had nothing left to offer the team, the state of Michigan, or me. As certain as I was then that he had nothing left but a bucket full of suck? That's how confident I am now that he's going to have the year of his career this upcoming season. I'm betting that Osgood is considering all he did to prepare for last year...and he's doing the exact opposite now. I'm betting he's embarrassed and is doing everything possible to reverse that.
In fact, say this: Jennings trophy and Vezina finalist. Leader in GAA and wins.
Jimmy Howard? Not so much. Never much, actually. Nothing he's done in the brief Detroit stints or the much longer tenure in Grand Rapids has given me any indication that he's going to ever be Detroit's number 1 guy. As for McCollum, Pearce or Larsson? No idea until we see more of them at this level. My gut tells me we're going to see another established goalie in here after Osgood. The Detroit Red Wings have no problem putting a good (rather than great) goalie in net. They do, however, resist the idea of an unproven, good (rather than great) goalie.
My only concerns about Chris Osgood's mental or physical state involve his ever-more-troublesome groin. He's started to stuffer from groin injuries on a semi-regular basis since adopting a more butterfly-based style, and as he seems to vacillate between playing a strict butterfly style (which tends to back him into the "blue paint" and his much more comfortable and aggressive hybrid stance, and it's as if shifting from comfort zone to discomfort zone makes him feel that it's more necessary to drop into the butterfly on every shot instead of performing the occasional kick save while playing that refined "balanced on the balls of his feet/toes" style which, with a few subtle tweaks in terms of conserving motion and momentum, has always served him well.
In terms of concentrating on playing better hockey on a regular-season-by-regular-season basis, I'm taking Osgood at his word when he said that his worst regular-season funk served as a late career-turning learning experience, and that he'll be able to just let himself play instead of channeling his inner Manny Legace. In that sense, playing alongside, "I only worry about stopping the next shot" Hasek helped Osgood tremendously, and I think that he missed Dom's calming influence last season. Serving as Jimmy Howard's mentor is going to help his mental outlook tremendously as he's got to "set an example" again instead of engaging in more egalitarian crease-sharing, which he did with both Legace and Conklin.
Regarding Osgood's age, when I've talked to Jim Nill and read Ken Holland's comments about Osgood, their party line is simple: they believe that goaltenders truly become better players as they age, and while they might require a little lighter workload as the miles pile up on the odometer, Holland especially sees playing goal at the NHL level as a career-spanning learning curve, with goaltenders hitting their prime around 30 and really continuing to improve for the balances of their careers. Osgood can easily play into his early 40's if he wants to, and the Wings will probably let him do just that if it's what he desires.
I will admit, however, that those who suggest that I drink the Red Wings' "Kool-Aid" (it's actually half lemonade and half iced tea, go figure) are mistaken for once when asking for my opinion of Jimmy Howard. The Wings have spent five years and enough hours of Jim Bedard's time that the Wings' goaltending coach could have learned how to fly an airplane (think 2,000-3,000 hours, minimum) trying to transform Howard from a slightly chunky flopper to a lean, mean, refined puck-stopping machine, and I'm just not convinced by his relatively inconsistent form in the AHL and his not-so-great performances in his few appearances in Detroit.
When Howard's on, he may be 6 feet flat and 205 pounds in terms of physical dimensions, but an aggressive, out-of-the-crease Howard employs a wide, sit-on-your-pads Roberto Luongo butterfly and wields his glove, blocker, and stick with both cat-like quickness and elegant simplicity. When Howard backs into the blue paint, he starts looking like Felix Potvin--a goaltender whose too-wide stance opens up a barn door of a five-hole, who's weak on wraparounds, and holds his hands so tightly in front of him that he might as well be waiting for an "applause" sign, with that aggressive stick wobbling heel-off and at a 45-degree angle, simply steering pucks into the blocker side corner instead of into a polyurethane foam-injected core's worth of stopping power.
I have yet to figure out which goaltender he really is, or whether he's somewhere in between, and I think that it's entirely possible that, should Howard not be up to the task of playing in 30 games and winning around 20 of them, the Wings would look for a veteran back-up at the trade deadline and give Larsson/McCollum/Pearce a game or three to strut their stuff.
Long-term, if Howard is the post-Osgood "answer," he'll end up mentoring one of the Wings' "big three" goaltending prospects, and as I've seen them all play and spoken to them, I do believe that, should Howard not pass his acid tests, one of Daniel Larsson, Thomas McCollum, or Jordan Pearce, in descending order, will prove very capable of stopping pucks at the NHL level.
Larsson's Howard's opposite--he's an unbelievably slight goaltender, a hair under six feet tall and 170 lbs. with his gear on, and prone to dehydration at that, but he knows how to make himself "look big" like nobody's business. He doesn't waste an ounce of motion and has the kinds of fundamental understanding of his position that makes what he does look easy. Moreover, he's just an unassuming fellow whose competitive drive is masked by a ridiculously easygoing, slightly quiet demeanor.
As for the red flags regarding his consistency and durability last season, coming over from a league where 50-some games are spread over seven months to playing 80 games over the same period of time, with many back-to-backs and back-to-back-to-back games where you're busing from Peoria to Milwaukee and back to Grand Rapids to play a weekend's worth of games in under 36 hours tends to breed inconsistency like mosquitoes in a swimming pool. He suffered from physical and mental fatigue while making what he deemed an admittedly difficult transition from a 100-foot-wide rink to an 85-foot wide rink with neither dead zones nor any spot where players refuse to shoot, especially to start the forecheck, and he still managed to play very capable hockey and made the AHL's PlanetUSA All-Star Team. He'll find more consistency this year as he continues to adjust to the AHL grind.
McCollum's much more raw than Larsson, whose experience in the Swedish Eliteserien cannot be underestimated (the guy won the Honken Trophy as the best goaltender in the league, for goodness' sake), but McCollum is everything that Howard and Larsson could wish to be in that he is simply BIG, and his big body knows how to get in front of pucks. I've never met a more massive-looking 6'2" human being, with near perfect proportions in a big trunk and long arms and legs, and while his style still has some low-post and can't-squeeze-all-the-parts-shut holes, he combines a strictly disciplined hybrid style with the willingness to throw the rulebook out when he's on his back or side, throwing out various body parts with surprising quickness as he does a suitable big man's Dominik Hasek impersonation. He's level-headed as all get out, too, the sort of goaltender whose empty-headed, easygoing zen betrays the fact that he's extremely intelligent and utterly personable. He's the kind of player who, when you ask him whether he needs a minute or whether you can come back when he's done undressing, says, "No, this is fine" and gabs at you for five minutes while he's soaking in leg pads. Excellent goalie in the making and a very, very nice young man. If he doesn't end up playing NHL hockey, he'll do a bang-up job as a probation officer (he spent his post-high school time in Guelph and Brampton taking college classes in criminology).
Jordan Pearce is somebody who theoretically has mixed priorities. He could have headed into medical school on full-ride scholarships because he pulled a 3.8 GPA while playing hockey at Notre Dame, but he's following his NHL dream instead--for now, anyway. His physical dimensions and playing style most closely resemble Howard's, which means that he was absolutely dominant at the NCAA level, but might have some issues adapting to the faster and more aggressive pace of AHL or ECHL play (and, at present, it seems that Pearce is the one destined to don a Toledo Walleye jersey). He's really an "X factor" who could find pro hockey less rewarding than medicine after a year or three of play in the minor leagues, or he could place himself on the fast track to an NHL paycheck. It's a bit hard to get a read on NCAA players, even if they're extremely dominant at that level--some players find the transition to playing twice as many games against bigger, stronger and more aggressive opponents easy, and others struggle with the grind. He's going to be interesting to watch to say the least, and but he does have "all the tools," both in terms of his on-ice abilities and his gigantic brain.
Long story short, I think that Osgood's going to be fine, I'm not sure about Howard, however, and I do believe that the Wings may end up acquiring a veteran back-up at the trade deadline, but Osgood's probably going to play until he's 40, and, in the interim, out of Howard, Larsson, McCollum, and Pearce, there's got to be at least one very capable NHL goaltender in the bunch.
The goaltending situation is without a doubt the biggest unknown heading into this season. Everybody knows that Ozzie can perform in the playoffs. He’s been lights out two years in a row come playoff time, but last season he struggled mightily during the regular season. If Ozzie is forced to take another “10 day rest”, I’m not sure how confident I am that Howard can pick up the mantle and keep the Wings on the winning path. The Wings need Osgood to step it up this year, both in his ability to stop pucks and in his ability to mentor the younger kids and be a veteran, leader-like presence in the locker room.
As far as the future goes, I’m in the Thomas McCollum camp. The kid was a first round pick, the front office is high on him and his stat line is pretty darn good. I think he is still a couple of years away from being ready, which lines up pretty well to the timeframe I put Chris Osgood on. I get the impression we will see Larsson up there with him at some point, but I don’t necessarily think the same holds true for Howard and Pearce in the long run. In Howard’s case, his tenure here depends on how well he plays this season. With all the time that has been spent on developing him, he needs to put in a good showing with the big club this year, or he may very well find himself on his way out. As for Pearce: I like the guy, but I don’t see him as a GREAT prospect, a la Larsson and McCollum. Look, the kid was a solid player at Notre Dame and it’s good to see him getting a shot at the big time, but I just don’t think his talent is strong enough to hold off a charge from Larsson, McCollum or any other prospect we may see down the road.
I'm feeling pretty good about it. I know Osgood will be better this year, as he'll be over whatever mental crap messed him up last season and he'll still have something to prove. We saw from the playoffs what the guy looks like when he has something to prove. I expect him to be on top of his game for most, if not all, of the season. I think last year was much more of an anomaly than the start of a trend. My wife, a big Osgood fan, predicts he'll be a heck of a lot better than last year, but not as good as 2008 (which was a career year).
It's Howard I'm a bit more concerned about, though that concern is lessened when I remind myself of how he finished this past season. After years of underwhelming and agonizingly slow devopement (to us impatient Wings fans, anyway), Jimmy really stepped it up down the stretch. The competiton Larsson provided was huge in that, but so was the extra attention the Wings gave him in the form of Jim Bedard this season. I think the combination of having a real competitor for the starting spot in GR and the obvious ramping up of the Wings' efforts with him went a long way in pointing out to him that he needed to improve or he'd be out. All that said, he remains unproven and the though of a possible Osgood injury will probably result in many sleepless nights this season (likely following a Howard loss). My wife says if he's going to make the NHL, it's going to be this year, because he looked the best he's ever looked at the end of the season and in the playoffs last year. Not starter material yet, though. She says he traditionally doesn't do well in high-pressure situations, though this past playoffs, he was better in that regard. The question, though, is if he can take that new-found stability and apply it in an NHL situation.
On the Larsson, Pearce and McCollum question, my guess is McCollum would be the guy. Larsson was strong in most ways last year, but it remains to be seen how much staying power he has. He may have just been a flash in the pan. Pearce is swinging for the fences on an NHL career and may be more likely to fall flat and return to medical school than he is to make it. My wife saw a little of him last year and said he looked good, but he'll really have to be incredible to overcome the McCollum hype. I think McCollum has better long-term potential to be The Guy in Detroit, but that's some years down the road. In the meantime, Howard may just become strong enough to keep McCollum from the job. If I had to pick now, though, I agree with my wife: Howard seems more likely to end up on a lesser team, with McCollum being the guy backstopping the Wings.
Like everyone else, I’m a little bit nervous about the Osgood/Howard tandem. I’ve always been an Ozzie supporter, and I fully expect him to rebound from his less than stellar regular season last year, so I don’t really have many worries on that front. However, the thought of him going down with an injury and leaving goaltending duties to Jimmy Howard doesn’t exactly leave me with visions of rainbows and sunshine. I know the Wings like to leave prospects in the minors longer to allow them to mature, but it seems like Howard has been in Grand Rapids forever. And there has to be some reason for that. I feel like he’s been forecasted as the Wings’ goalie of the future for as long as I can remember. I haven’t seen him play many games, but he hasn’t looked particularly good (or confident for that matter) in the few appearances he’s made in the NHL. The sense that his promotion from the Griffins was due to the fact that there were no other options isn’t exactly encouraging either. I get the feeling that Howard-as- backup will be a one- or two-year adventure until one of the guys developing in the minors is ready to step up and fill the role.
I’m actually excited at the prospect (pun!) of not having to look outside of the organization for the “goalie of the future.” As far as I can remember, Ozzie’s the last goalie drafted by the Wings to have any measure of success, and it would be nice to be able to have a guy who’s been developed by the organization take over a couple of years down the road when he’s done instead of trying to sign an expensive, veteran goalie with those precious capped dollars. I’m going to defer to George in terms of analyzing which prospect looks strongest, but I have to imagine that out of those three, at least one is going to develop into an NHL-caliber goalie. And that’s going to be a very good thing for the Wings down the road.
Be sure to tune in for tomorrow's edition at Nightmare on Helm Street.
First, how do you feel about a Chris Osgood/Jimmy Howard tandem carrying the Wings down the stretch? What do you expect of Ozzie this season? On top of that, do you think Howard will finally live up to his potential or is this the end of the road for him in the Wings organization? Looking beyond this season, who do you see taking the reins from Ozzie when he's gone? Despite the fact that he still looks like he needs parental supervision to get into an R-rated movie, he is getting up there in years. In addition to Howard, the Wings have Daniel Larsson, Jordan Pearce, and Thomas McCollum developing in the minors. Which, if any, of them do you think will be the Wings' "goalie of the future?" Or does the answer lie outside of the organization?
Tyler at The Triple Deke:
I'm far from being knowledgeable about Jimmy Howard's potential, so I can only go on what little of him I've seen, and of course, my usually-wrong gut feelings. And my gut tells me that this is the end of the road for him.
I'm mildly concerned about the goalie tandem because of the question mark that is Howard and the fact that I fear Ozzie's wheels are going to come off in the near future. He followed up a spectacular 2008 Cup run with a maddening regular season, and then turned it on again once the playoffs started. Is the inconsistency a sign of age, or something else?
If I had to guess which goalie will be the future of the Wings, I'd go with McCollum.
Drew at Nightmare on Helm Street:
I discuss how I think Ozzie will play this season in Bingo Bango’s segment. I won’t repeat the whole thing, only say that Ozzie has cleared up his issues and is going to have a big season. Last year, during the regular season, in my weaker times, I called for Ozzie’s blood. I think I even said that he faltered because we put the saddle on him. I now believe that part of the problem was the uncertainty of who the main guy would be with Conklin in town. I think Howard is going to be the Manny Legace of this generation of Red Wings. I think he’ll do just fine as a backup, but I just have this feeling that we’re not going to be able to put the saddle on him once Ozzie calls it quits. Of course, I’ll be wishing and hoping that he does well…he has done a good job of holding down the Grand Rapids starting job while we go out and get fresh meat like McCollum and Larsson. I watched Larsson play in Grand Rapids last year and he really impresses me. Plus he has that whole Swedish thing going for him (complete with the two ‘S’ last name). I’m more than willing to give McCollum a shot if he rebounds from a bad WJC last year, he’s still really young, and Jordan Pearce could be one of those Tim Thomas-like sleeper pick-ups who turns into world class. I saw him play against MSU and he looked solid. I, for one, am sick of constantly looking outside the organ-i-zation for the next Red Wings goalie, it’s time for us to finally grow our own starter in-house, and with the crop we have right now, I think we may do just that.
Christy at Winging it in Motown:
I don’t have the same confidence level with the Osgood/Howard tandem as I did with Osgood/Conklin and Osgood/Hasek, but that’s because we had a pair of veteran goalies. Howard has yet to prove himself in Detroit, which would make any fan wary. That being said, GM Ken Holland has never let me down so I’m going to trust him in this one-year experiment. To be honest, I don’t foresee Howard staying with the Wings for more than 2-3 years because I believe Daniel Larsson and Tomas McCollum are more talented goaltenders that just need a little more time to develop. I think Howard can be a solid Band-Aid fix, but I don’t see him taking the reins when Ozzie is gone. That mantle will go to either Larsson or McCollum. I haven’t watched enough of either of those goaltenders to best predict which one will be our netminder of the future, but I’d probably go with McCollum as the long-term solution If I had to guess.
Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare:
I have absolutely no concerns about Osgood this season. I think he made some mistakes last season and didn't have his focus completely, but he loves this team and he desperately wants to be THE guy here. He's not going to lose focus again. That said, you really don't want to ride him any harder than 55-60 games because he is just getting up there in years and history has shown that it's usually not a great idea to lean that much on an older goalie. I've been a Howard supporter for years, groaning and whining about the likes of Hasek and why it wasn't a good idea to sign Conklin (though it turned out to be), but honestly, now that he's on the team, I'm nervous. I think his NHL play has shown that he can play in this league, and I think playing for Detroit will really help him out. But I'm thinking less and less that he's the long-term solution in this organization.
I think Larsson and McCollum both have something special and I flip flop back and forth between who I think is the answer long-term. Larsson looks unbeatable and sometimes unchallenged in the AHL, I don't think anyone could have predicted how smooth his transition to North America was. McCollum has the most raw talent of anyone in the organization and all the tools of an elite NHL goaltender. But I've seen him have bad days, he needs seasoning and confidence. As of this moment, I think McCollum is probably going to end up being this team's answer. I think Larsson has the ability to be a reliable 1B goaltender, while Howard might be more of a backup. For certain though, this is a very nice dilemma to have and not one that Detroit's faced since I've followed them.
Jessica at Bingo Bango:
Damn. I just overcame the horrible night terrors caused by the sound of a Kronwall shot hitting the cross bar, the posts, even the remote possibility of a shot hitting the small remaining portions of Crosby’s dignity. And now just reading the name Howard brings a similar nauseating fear. I understand and support the Holland concept of allowing players to become “over ripe,” but I don't think that was the reason for Howard spending so much time in the AHL. Had Howard not been out of minor league options I think we may have had another season of Conkblock. At this point I am not yet convinced that Howard is an NHL level goalie. He has flashes of brilliance (alright maybe brilliance is a bit of an overstatement) but mid season he seems to run out of steam and struggle. He is simply inconsistent. Either way Ozzie is not going to be able to have a “finals hangover” this year. It doesn't seem like Howard will be able to pull the team through points of the season like the Conk did. With that being said, a goalie for the Wings (minus last year’s playoffs) does not need to steal games. He needs to stop the damn puck every once in awhile and mentally stay focused while the forwards are delightfully torturing the other team with Red Wing style puck possession. If our defense comes back this season in 2007-2008 form, well Howard may make it through.
Michael at The Production Line:
I’ll be up front right from the jump: there can’t be too many fans that have been as hard on Chris Osgood as I have. His 08-09 regular season was HORRID, and I would have had no problem with his being waived during the winter months and going with Conklin.
That said, he really was the only reason the Wings made it as far as they did in the post-season. I’m a big enough man to admit that I didn’t see that coming – and was pleasantly surprised. I do think we’ll see a resurgence in goal from Ozzie (but really, how could it be worse?) during the season, but Jimmy Howard is a huge question mark for me.
He’s clearly not banging down the NHL’s door – which, after four years in Grand Rapids, he should be – so I don’t have a great feeling about his automatic inclusion on the roster. By what I’ve seen watching him with the Griffins (and in limited time with the Wings), I simply don’t believe he’s the heir apparent to the Red Wings net. It almost feels like the Wings are giving Howard this chance because A) they have to, thanks to the waiver options expiring, and B) they don't want to admit that he's not the guy they thought he was when they drafted him. Those aren't exactly confidence-building reasons for a fandom that borders on insanity when it comes to goaltenders anyway. I forsee him being - fair or not - public enemy #1 should the season not unfold the way we expect it to (read: 82-0).
I think the goalie of the future is Thomas McCollum. Yeah, he imploded in the World Juniors, but he’s a strong-headed kid and I don’t think that will affect him in the long run. At least I hope not. All signs point to Larsson being the real deal, too, and that’s certainly encouraging. I have to imagine that in a handful of years, one of those guys become the first bona fide Red Wings-drafted and developed star netminder in quite some time.
My money’s on McCollum.
Bill at Abel to Yzerman:
Hello Kris and good morning. I look back to December or January of last year and I knew for a fact that Chris Osgood was done. There was no doubt in my mind. I would have bet both my pets that he had nothing left to offer the team, the state of Michigan, or me. As certain as I was then that he had nothing left but a bucket full of suck? That's how confident I am now that he's going to have the year of his career this upcoming season. I'm betting that Osgood is considering all he did to prepare for last year...and he's doing the exact opposite now. I'm betting he's embarrassed and is doing everything possible to reverse that.
In fact, say this: Jennings trophy and Vezina finalist. Leader in GAA and wins.
Jimmy Howard? Not so much. Never much, actually. Nothing he's done in the brief Detroit stints or the much longer tenure in Grand Rapids has given me any indication that he's going to ever be Detroit's number 1 guy. As for McCollum, Pearce or Larsson? No idea until we see more of them at this level. My gut tells me we're going to see another established goalie in here after Osgood. The Detroit Red Wings have no problem putting a good (rather than great) goalie in net. They do, however, resist the idea of an unproven, good (rather than great) goalie.
George at Snapshots:
My only concerns about Chris Osgood's mental or physical state involve his ever-more-troublesome groin. He's started to stuffer from groin injuries on a semi-regular basis since adopting a more butterfly-based style, and as he seems to vacillate between playing a strict butterfly style (which tends to back him into the "blue paint" and his much more comfortable and aggressive hybrid stance, and it's as if shifting from comfort zone to discomfort zone makes him feel that it's more necessary to drop into the butterfly on every shot instead of performing the occasional kick save while playing that refined "balanced on the balls of his feet/toes" style which, with a few subtle tweaks in terms of conserving motion and momentum, has always served him well.
In terms of concentrating on playing better hockey on a regular-season-by-regular-season basis, I'm taking Osgood at his word when he said that his worst regular-season funk served as a late career-turning learning experience, and that he'll be able to just let himself play instead of channeling his inner Manny Legace. In that sense, playing alongside, "I only worry about stopping the next shot" Hasek helped Osgood tremendously, and I think that he missed Dom's calming influence last season. Serving as Jimmy Howard's mentor is going to help his mental outlook tremendously as he's got to "set an example" again instead of engaging in more egalitarian crease-sharing, which he did with both Legace and Conklin.
Regarding Osgood's age, when I've talked to Jim Nill and read Ken Holland's comments about Osgood, their party line is simple: they believe that goaltenders truly become better players as they age, and while they might require a little lighter workload as the miles pile up on the odometer, Holland especially sees playing goal at the NHL level as a career-spanning learning curve, with goaltenders hitting their prime around 30 and really continuing to improve for the balances of their careers. Osgood can easily play into his early 40's if he wants to, and the Wings will probably let him do just that if it's what he desires.
I will admit, however, that those who suggest that I drink the Red Wings' "Kool-Aid" (it's actually half lemonade and half iced tea, go figure) are mistaken for once when asking for my opinion of Jimmy Howard. The Wings have spent five years and enough hours of Jim Bedard's time that the Wings' goaltending coach could have learned how to fly an airplane (think 2,000-3,000 hours, minimum) trying to transform Howard from a slightly chunky flopper to a lean, mean, refined puck-stopping machine, and I'm just not convinced by his relatively inconsistent form in the AHL and his not-so-great performances in his few appearances in Detroit.
When Howard's on, he may be 6 feet flat and 205 pounds in terms of physical dimensions, but an aggressive, out-of-the-crease Howard employs a wide, sit-on-your-pads Roberto Luongo butterfly and wields his glove, blocker, and stick with both cat-like quickness and elegant simplicity. When Howard backs into the blue paint, he starts looking like Felix Potvin--a goaltender whose too-wide stance opens up a barn door of a five-hole, who's weak on wraparounds, and holds his hands so tightly in front of him that he might as well be waiting for an "applause" sign, with that aggressive stick wobbling heel-off and at a 45-degree angle, simply steering pucks into the blocker side corner instead of into a polyurethane foam-injected core's worth of stopping power.
I have yet to figure out which goaltender he really is, or whether he's somewhere in between, and I think that it's entirely possible that, should Howard not be up to the task of playing in 30 games and winning around 20 of them, the Wings would look for a veteran back-up at the trade deadline and give Larsson/McCollum/Pearce a game or three to strut their stuff.
Long-term, if Howard is the post-Osgood "answer," he'll end up mentoring one of the Wings' "big three" goaltending prospects, and as I've seen them all play and spoken to them, I do believe that, should Howard not pass his acid tests, one of Daniel Larsson, Thomas McCollum, or Jordan Pearce, in descending order, will prove very capable of stopping pucks at the NHL level.
Larsson's Howard's opposite--he's an unbelievably slight goaltender, a hair under six feet tall and 170 lbs. with his gear on, and prone to dehydration at that, but he knows how to make himself "look big" like nobody's business. He doesn't waste an ounce of motion and has the kinds of fundamental understanding of his position that makes what he does look easy. Moreover, he's just an unassuming fellow whose competitive drive is masked by a ridiculously easygoing, slightly quiet demeanor.
As for the red flags regarding his consistency and durability last season, coming over from a league where 50-some games are spread over seven months to playing 80 games over the same period of time, with many back-to-backs and back-to-back-to-back games where you're busing from Peoria to Milwaukee and back to Grand Rapids to play a weekend's worth of games in under 36 hours tends to breed inconsistency like mosquitoes in a swimming pool. He suffered from physical and mental fatigue while making what he deemed an admittedly difficult transition from a 100-foot-wide rink to an 85-foot wide rink with neither dead zones nor any spot where players refuse to shoot, especially to start the forecheck, and he still managed to play very capable hockey and made the AHL's PlanetUSA All-Star Team. He'll find more consistency this year as he continues to adjust to the AHL grind.
McCollum's much more raw than Larsson, whose experience in the Swedish Eliteserien cannot be underestimated (the guy won the Honken Trophy as the best goaltender in the league, for goodness' sake), but McCollum is everything that Howard and Larsson could wish to be in that he is simply BIG, and his big body knows how to get in front of pucks. I've never met a more massive-looking 6'2" human being, with near perfect proportions in a big trunk and long arms and legs, and while his style still has some low-post and can't-squeeze-all-the-parts-shut holes, he combines a strictly disciplined hybrid style with the willingness to throw the rulebook out when he's on his back or side, throwing out various body parts with surprising quickness as he does a suitable big man's Dominik Hasek impersonation. He's level-headed as all get out, too, the sort of goaltender whose empty-headed, easygoing zen betrays the fact that he's extremely intelligent and utterly personable. He's the kind of player who, when you ask him whether he needs a minute or whether you can come back when he's done undressing, says, "No, this is fine" and gabs at you for five minutes while he's soaking in leg pads. Excellent goalie in the making and a very, very nice young man. If he doesn't end up playing NHL hockey, he'll do a bang-up job as a probation officer (he spent his post-high school time in Guelph and Brampton taking college classes in criminology).
Jordan Pearce is somebody who theoretically has mixed priorities. He could have headed into medical school on full-ride scholarships because he pulled a 3.8 GPA while playing hockey at Notre Dame, but he's following his NHL dream instead--for now, anyway. His physical dimensions and playing style most closely resemble Howard's, which means that he was absolutely dominant at the NCAA level, but might have some issues adapting to the faster and more aggressive pace of AHL or ECHL play (and, at present, it seems that Pearce is the one destined to don a Toledo Walleye jersey). He's really an "X factor" who could find pro hockey less rewarding than medicine after a year or three of play in the minor leagues, or he could place himself on the fast track to an NHL paycheck. It's a bit hard to get a read on NCAA players, even if they're extremely dominant at that level--some players find the transition to playing twice as many games against bigger, stronger and more aggressive opponents easy, and others struggle with the grind. He's going to be interesting to watch to say the least, and but he does have "all the tools," both in terms of his on-ice abilities and his gigantic brain.
Long story short, I think that Osgood's going to be fine, I'm not sure about Howard, however, and I do believe that the Wings may end up acquiring a veteran back-up at the trade deadline, but Osgood's probably going to play until he's 40, and, in the interim, out of Howard, Larsson, McCollum, and Pearce, there's got to be at least one very capable NHL goaltender in the bunch.
Chris at Motown Wings:
The goaltending situation is without a doubt the biggest unknown heading into this season. Everybody knows that Ozzie can perform in the playoffs. He’s been lights out two years in a row come playoff time, but last season he struggled mightily during the regular season. If Ozzie is forced to take another “10 day rest”, I’m not sure how confident I am that Howard can pick up the mantle and keep the Wings on the winning path. The Wings need Osgood to step it up this year, both in his ability to stop pucks and in his ability to mentor the younger kids and be a veteran, leader-like presence in the locker room.
As far as the future goes, I’m in the Thomas McCollum camp. The kid was a first round pick, the front office is high on him and his stat line is pretty darn good. I think he is still a couple of years away from being ready, which lines up pretty well to the timeframe I put Chris Osgood on. I get the impression we will see Larsson up there with him at some point, but I don’t necessarily think the same holds true for Howard and Pearce in the long run. In Howard’s case, his tenure here depends on how well he plays this season. With all the time that has been spent on developing him, he needs to put in a good showing with the big club this year, or he may very well find himself on his way out. As for Pearce: I like the guy, but I don’t see him as a GREAT prospect, a la Larsson and McCollum. Look, the kid was a solid player at Notre Dame and it’s good to see him getting a shot at the big time, but I just don’t think his talent is strong enough to hold off a charge from Larsson, McCollum or any other prospect we may see down the road.
Matt at On the Wings:
I'm feeling pretty good about it. I know Osgood will be better this year, as he'll be over whatever mental crap messed him up last season and he'll still have something to prove. We saw from the playoffs what the guy looks like when he has something to prove. I expect him to be on top of his game for most, if not all, of the season. I think last year was much more of an anomaly than the start of a trend. My wife, a big Osgood fan, predicts he'll be a heck of a lot better than last year, but not as good as 2008 (which was a career year).
It's Howard I'm a bit more concerned about, though that concern is lessened when I remind myself of how he finished this past season. After years of underwhelming and agonizingly slow devopement (to us impatient Wings fans, anyway), Jimmy really stepped it up down the stretch. The competiton Larsson provided was huge in that, but so was the extra attention the Wings gave him in the form of Jim Bedard this season. I think the combination of having a real competitor for the starting spot in GR and the obvious ramping up of the Wings' efforts with him went a long way in pointing out to him that he needed to improve or he'd be out. All that said, he remains unproven and the though of a possible Osgood injury will probably result in many sleepless nights this season (likely following a Howard loss). My wife says if he's going to make the NHL, it's going to be this year, because he looked the best he's ever looked at the end of the season and in the playoffs last year. Not starter material yet, though. She says he traditionally doesn't do well in high-pressure situations, though this past playoffs, he was better in that regard. The question, though, is if he can take that new-found stability and apply it in an NHL situation.
On the Larsson, Pearce and McCollum question, my guess is McCollum would be the guy. Larsson was strong in most ways last year, but it remains to be seen how much staying power he has. He may have just been a flash in the pan. Pearce is swinging for the fences on an NHL career and may be more likely to fall flat and return to medical school than he is to make it. My wife saw a little of him last year and said he looked good, but he'll really have to be incredible to overcome the McCollum hype. I think McCollum has better long-term potential to be The Guy in Detroit, but that's some years down the road. In the meantime, Howard may just become strong enough to keep McCollum from the job. If I had to pick now, though, I agree with my wife: Howard seems more likely to end up on a lesser team, with McCollum being the guy backstopping the Wings.
And finally, yours truly:
Like everyone else, I’m a little bit nervous about the Osgood/Howard tandem. I’ve always been an Ozzie supporter, and I fully expect him to rebound from his less than stellar regular season last year, so I don’t really have many worries on that front. However, the thought of him going down with an injury and leaving goaltending duties to Jimmy Howard doesn’t exactly leave me with visions of rainbows and sunshine. I know the Wings like to leave prospects in the minors longer to allow them to mature, but it seems like Howard has been in Grand Rapids forever. And there has to be some reason for that. I feel like he’s been forecasted as the Wings’ goalie of the future for as long as I can remember. I haven’t seen him play many games, but he hasn’t looked particularly good (or confident for that matter) in the few appearances he’s made in the NHL. The sense that his promotion from the Griffins was due to the fact that there were no other options isn’t exactly encouraging either. I get the feeling that Howard-as- backup will be a one- or two-year adventure until one of the guys developing in the minors is ready to step up and fill the role.
I’m actually excited at the prospect (pun!) of not having to look outside of the organization for the “goalie of the future.” As far as I can remember, Ozzie’s the last goalie drafted by the Wings to have any measure of success, and it would be nice to be able to have a guy who’s been developed by the organization take over a couple of years down the road when he’s done instead of trying to sign an expensive, veteran goalie with those precious capped dollars. I’m going to defer to George in terms of analyzing which prospect looks strongest, but I have to imagine that out of those three, at least one is going to develop into an NHL-caliber goalie. And that’s going to be a very good thing for the Wings down the road.
Be sure to tune in for tomorrow's edition at Nightmare on Helm Street.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Hockey is My Boyfriend...
Ever had a relationship irreparably damaged by your addiction to the Red Wings? Or, like my brother, do you suffer from a man-crush on Johan Franzen that is so consuming that it prevents you from having a real relationship? Maybe you had a girlfriend/boyfriend dump you because they couldn’t stand to hear you complain that the trap was ruining the sport for one more second. Or maybe they were too embarrassed to go out in public with you because you would impulsively scream things like, “HASEK! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET BACK IN YOUR NET,” or “BAAAAACCCCKKKKCHECCCCKKKKKKK!” It also could have been the incessant hockey references that popped up during your conversations, like that time you tried to lighten the mood during a heated argument by saying, “wow, this is no place for a nervous person,” or when you told him/her that you weren’t blocking the TV, you were just “fronting.” You know it’s happened. It could have been that time he or she sprained their knee and you told them to “man up” and take it like a hockey player because it was nothing compared to what Steve Yzerman played through. Or maybe they just didn’t like sleeping on Red Wings sheets with your Henrik Zetterberg poster staring down at them, like some kind of bearded menace.
If you're like me, your friends have had a running joke for several years saying that the only real relationship you'll ever have is with the Red Wings. According to some, hockey has gotten me through more cold winter nights than any man every could. This says nothing good about the state of my life.
In any case, Wrap Around Curl wants to know about it. Send a message to wraparoundcurl@gmail.com if you want to take part in her survey. This type of research is a vital contribution to the hockey community. Your participation could change lives.
If you're like me, your friends have had a running joke for several years saying that the only real relationship you'll ever have is with the Red Wings. According to some, hockey has gotten me through more cold winter nights than any man every could. This says nothing good about the state of my life.
In any case, Wrap Around Curl wants to know about it. Send a message to wraparoundcurl@gmail.com if you want to take part in her survey. This type of research is a vital contribution to the hockey community. Your participation could change lives.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday June 12th, 2009...
The last 48 hours have been pretty rough. I'm not ashamed to admit that. But it's nothing compared to what tomorrow's going to be like. Got a barf bag? Better take it to work with you. Co-workers, customers, clients beware. This is not the day to mess with a Wings fan.
Road rage? Check. Irrational outbursts? Check. Random fits of sobbing? Check. Inability to control basic bodily functions? Check. Nothing is out of line tomorrow. People who don't understand may judge you. It doesn't matter. One way or another, barring a cruel, cruel torment by the Hockey Gods, it will all be over in less than 24 hours.
At this point, I really have nothing left to say. And that's the way it should be. It doesn't make a bit of difference what I want or what I do. This game's going to be decided out on the ice based on which team wants it more. It's already been demonstrated that both teams are capable of winning when they show up and play their game. All we can do is hope that the Wings are the ones who bring it at 8pm. Not 8:30 or 8:45. They need to be firing on all cylinders right from the opening faceoff. There simply is no other option. There's no tomorrow. Nothing to save their energy for. It's do or die or ten million other sports cliches and it's in their hands now.
I know a lot of people hate the Wings. On some level, I even understand it. It's for the same reasons that everyone seems to hate the Yankees. But everyone outside of Pittsburgh should be rooting for the Wings to win. Why, you ask? Because if the Wings fail, every single hockey fan is going to have to endure at least 3 seasons of being inundated with commercials showing Sidney Crosby hoisting the Cup. Remember how much you hated that stupid commercial with the Pens fan and the penalty box TV? It would be 1000 times worse. Every single time you sat down to watch a hockey game. There's no way you could escape it. It's been fairly well demonstrated that if the Wings win, you won't be forced to relive their victory five thousand times over the course of the next few years. It's something to think about, even if it makes me gag a little bit.
Over the last couple of days, I've been having periodic moments of terror in which I envision the Penguins winning. There are many reasons for this. Chief among them is the fact that weird things happen in Game 7s. The thought of the Stanley Cup being decided by a point shot that deflects off of three skates and someone's pants or one bad call or a turnover or a broken stick scares the living daylights out of me. It's part of what makes hockey such a compelling sport to watch, but it's no fun at all if you have a vested interest in one of the teams involved. And I haven't even mentioned Malkin yet. I don't care that he hasn't been putting up points the last couple of games. Every time the man touches the puck, I start to cry. There's also the Wings inexplicable failures on both sides of the special teams equation. I'd go more in depth on that aspect, but there's really nothing left to say, and I'm pretty sure you'd have to be as loony as Dominik Hasek to make sense of it anyway.
And then, occasionally, I have moments in which I envision a Wings victory and all of the glorious fun that would accompany it. I push those images out of my mind as quickly than Darren Helm chasing down a loose puck, lest I somehow offend the Hockey Gods with my presumptuousness. There are many reasons to feel confident, but let's face it, I've woken up with a bad feeling and sense of paranoia every single game day since April (Man, that seems like a long time ago.). The Joe's been good to the Wings during this postseason. Also, it helps that the game's not being played on Tuesday. (They've had 5 Tuesday night games that conflicted with my softball team's games, and they're 1-4, with the only victory coming on the day I didn't play because I was at the Joe.) Then there is Chris Osgood. And Henrik Zetterberg. And Nicklas Lidstrom. And Pavel Datsyuk. So there's reason to believe. I just refuse to allow myself to get my hopes up, because that inevitably leads to crushing despair.
Other random thoughts:
-I refuse to read the Freep tomorrow on account of being terrified of what Drew Sharp might have to say.
-Now that most people think the Pens have the edge, maybe the Wings will play well. They seem to do their best when everyone counts them out. (See Games 1, 2, and 5.)
-Mike Babcock continues to be a press conference all-star.
-There are a couple of good interviews here. Although the part in the Babcock one where the interviewer points out that the Wings have lost 3 out of the last 4 games almost made me vomit. So be prepared for that.
-It will be a miracle if I survive tomorrow.
And finally, since it seemed to work before Game 5, a cut and paste from my pre-game post:
Hockey Gods, if you're listening, just about anything is up for grabs. My car, my Scotty Bowman bobblehead, my soul, my rally rag/security blanket from last year. My Steve Yzerman jersey stays with me, but you're free to claim dibs on my firstborn child, if you're interested.
Heck, now that it's Game 7, I'll throw in the jersey plus Nick Lidstrom's used beer bottle. That's everything I have to give. It's actually kind of sad to consider the fact that most of my prized possessions are related to the Wings. I feel like this would be less weird if I were male, but it is what it is, and I can't help who I am.
Nothing pre-game tomorrow, unless something major comes up. I'll see you on the flip side. One way or another, I'll probably be crying. Joy or despair? Only the Hockey Gods know for sure.
Road rage? Check. Irrational outbursts? Check. Random fits of sobbing? Check. Inability to control basic bodily functions? Check. Nothing is out of line tomorrow. People who don't understand may judge you. It doesn't matter. One way or another, barring a cruel, cruel torment by the Hockey Gods, it will all be over in less than 24 hours.
At this point, I really have nothing left to say. And that's the way it should be. It doesn't make a bit of difference what I want or what I do. This game's going to be decided out on the ice based on which team wants it more. It's already been demonstrated that both teams are capable of winning when they show up and play their game. All we can do is hope that the Wings are the ones who bring it at 8pm. Not 8:30 or 8:45. They need to be firing on all cylinders right from the opening faceoff. There simply is no other option. There's no tomorrow. Nothing to save their energy for. It's do or die or ten million other sports cliches and it's in their hands now.
I know a lot of people hate the Wings. On some level, I even understand it. It's for the same reasons that everyone seems to hate the Yankees. But everyone outside of Pittsburgh should be rooting for the Wings to win. Why, you ask? Because if the Wings fail, every single hockey fan is going to have to endure at least 3 seasons of being inundated with commercials showing Sidney Crosby hoisting the Cup. Remember how much you hated that stupid commercial with the Pens fan and the penalty box TV? It would be 1000 times worse. Every single time you sat down to watch a hockey game. There's no way you could escape it. It's been fairly well demonstrated that if the Wings win, you won't be forced to relive their victory five thousand times over the course of the next few years. It's something to think about, even if it makes me gag a little bit.
Over the last couple of days, I've been having periodic moments of terror in which I envision the Penguins winning. There are many reasons for this. Chief among them is the fact that weird things happen in Game 7s. The thought of the Stanley Cup being decided by a point shot that deflects off of three skates and someone's pants or one bad call or a turnover or a broken stick scares the living daylights out of me. It's part of what makes hockey such a compelling sport to watch, but it's no fun at all if you have a vested interest in one of the teams involved. And I haven't even mentioned Malkin yet. I don't care that he hasn't been putting up points the last couple of games. Every time the man touches the puck, I start to cry. There's also the Wings inexplicable failures on both sides of the special teams equation. I'd go more in depth on that aspect, but there's really nothing left to say, and I'm pretty sure you'd have to be as loony as Dominik Hasek to make sense of it anyway.
And then, occasionally, I have moments in which I envision a Wings victory and all of the glorious fun that would accompany it. I push those images out of my mind as quickly than Darren Helm chasing down a loose puck, lest I somehow offend the Hockey Gods with my presumptuousness. There are many reasons to feel confident, but let's face it, I've woken up with a bad feeling and sense of paranoia every single game day since April (Man, that seems like a long time ago.). The Joe's been good to the Wings during this postseason. Also, it helps that the game's not being played on Tuesday. (They've had 5 Tuesday night games that conflicted with my softball team's games, and they're 1-4, with the only victory coming on the day I didn't play because I was at the Joe.) Then there is Chris Osgood. And Henrik Zetterberg. And Nicklas Lidstrom. And Pavel Datsyuk. So there's reason to believe. I just refuse to allow myself to get my hopes up, because that inevitably leads to crushing despair.
Other random thoughts:
-I refuse to read the Freep tomorrow on account of being terrified of what Drew Sharp might have to say.
-Now that most people think the Pens have the edge, maybe the Wings will play well. They seem to do their best when everyone counts them out. (See Games 1, 2, and 5.)
-Mike Babcock continues to be a press conference all-star.
-There are a couple of good interviews here. Although the part in the Babcock one where the interviewer points out that the Wings have lost 3 out of the last 4 games almost made me vomit. So be prepared for that.
-It will be a miracle if I survive tomorrow.
And finally, since it seemed to work before Game 5, a cut and paste from my pre-game post:
Hockey Gods, if you're listening, just about anything is up for grabs. My car, my Scotty Bowman bobblehead, my soul, my rally rag/security blanket from last year. My Steve Yzerman jersey stays with me, but you're free to claim dibs on my firstborn child, if you're interested.
Heck, now that it's Game 7, I'll throw in the jersey plus Nick Lidstrom's used beer bottle. That's everything I have to give. It's actually kind of sad to consider the fact that most of my prized possessions are related to the Wings. I feel like this would be less weird if I were male, but it is what it is, and I can't help who I am.
Nothing pre-game tomorrow, unless something major comes up. I'll see you on the flip side. One way or another, I'll probably be crying. Joy or despair? Only the Hockey Gods know for sure.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We'll Know Soon Enough...
There isn't really much to say today. Everything meaningful's been covered by the players and other bloggers. I really have very little of consequence to add.
If you read nothing else today, read this. The Chief sums it up better than I ever could. And if the part about Dominik Hasek doesn't make you laugh, then you either have no sense of humor or you're a good-for-nothing bandwagon fan. Either way, please leave.
It sounds as though everyone on the Wings is good to go tonight. As important as it was to get Datsyuk back for Game 5, it means so much more heading into a road game. Even though he and Z are playing on the same line, his presence has a trickle down effect that makes every line combo better top to bottom. This is especially important with the Pens getting the last change. On a side note, I don't think I've ever heard so much about the importance of getting the last line change as I have in this series. Ditto on the JLA boards. Can we please find something else to talk about? Or just sit in pleasant silence and let the players do the talking?
The key to the game, other than the standard platitude about getting off to a good start is going to be special teams, special teams, special teams. Why? All you need to do is look at Games 4 and 5. If you can't figure it out, please join those who didn't laugh at the Chief's bit on Hasek and leave. One of the big moments in Game 5, although it flew under the radar what with the Wings' offensive show and Pittsburgh's penalty "troubles," was that first PK when Kronwall (once again) got whistled for an early penalty (seriously, he's turning into this year's Jiri Hudler). Naturally, I was terrified, sure that it spelled doom for my boys, but they put together a wonderful kill and kept the Pens off the board. Not long after that, Cleary put the Wings ahead for good. Those are the little things that win championships. The things that have been sadly missing for much of the season this year. If we're lucky, the boys will show up for Game 6 with the determination and drive that they need to win.
This is major gut-check time for Marian Hossa. He needs to come out and play like a man possessed. I can guarantee you that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life second-guessing his decision to come to Detroit. Two assists in Game 5 were nice, but I want more. I want the boos to rain down on him as he holds his hands up in celebration. I want his name called over their PA system multiple times, again to a chorus of boos. But most of all, I want him holding a shiny silver trophy over his head at the end of the night as a deafening round of boos rain down again. And if he plays like he did in last year's finals, his chances are going to be a hole lot better.
My anxiety level is increasing exponentially as game time gets closer and closer. I'm heading down to Hockeytown to watch the game tonight, and all day I've been replaying memories of filing out of the City Theater in the middle of the night after Game 5 last year. It's silly, because I've been there a handful of times since, but it was a traumatic incident in my life and it's going to stay with me for a while.
Speaking of Game 5 last year, rumor has it that Petr Sykora might be suiting up for the Pens tonight. While we all still shudder at the mention of Maxime Talbot's name or the number 34.7, it's often overlooked that Sykora was the one who scored the OT goal. And not only that, but he called his shot to Pierre McGuire. This still makes me nauseous. I'm not saying that he's in for a repeat performance, but dragging myself through those memories is not something I need to be doing at this particular moment.
The bottom line is that if the Wings want it, it's theirs to take. If they show up and play their game to the best of their ability, there's not a team in the world who can stop them. On the other hand, if they play like they did in Games 3 and 4 (and, really, stretches of 1 and 2), then it's going to be ugly.
PS. Dear Hockey Gods,
I've already promised you my first-born child, so now I'm offering up the second-born. Screw it, take 'em all. I just want Stanley.
If you read nothing else today, read this. The Chief sums it up better than I ever could. And if the part about Dominik Hasek doesn't make you laugh, then you either have no sense of humor or you're a good-for-nothing bandwagon fan. Either way, please leave.
It sounds as though everyone on the Wings is good to go tonight. As important as it was to get Datsyuk back for Game 5, it means so much more heading into a road game. Even though he and Z are playing on the same line, his presence has a trickle down effect that makes every line combo better top to bottom. This is especially important with the Pens getting the last change. On a side note, I don't think I've ever heard so much about the importance of getting the last line change as I have in this series. Ditto on the JLA boards. Can we please find something else to talk about? Or just sit in pleasant silence and let the players do the talking?
The key to the game, other than the standard platitude about getting off to a good start is going to be special teams, special teams, special teams. Why? All you need to do is look at Games 4 and 5. If you can't figure it out, please join those who didn't laugh at the Chief's bit on Hasek and leave. One of the big moments in Game 5, although it flew under the radar what with the Wings' offensive show and Pittsburgh's penalty "troubles," was that first PK when Kronwall (once again) got whistled for an early penalty (seriously, he's turning into this year's Jiri Hudler). Naturally, I was terrified, sure that it spelled doom for my boys, but they put together a wonderful kill and kept the Pens off the board. Not long after that, Cleary put the Wings ahead for good. Those are the little things that win championships. The things that have been sadly missing for much of the season this year. If we're lucky, the boys will show up for Game 6 with the determination and drive that they need to win.
This is major gut-check time for Marian Hossa. He needs to come out and play like a man possessed. I can guarantee you that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life second-guessing his decision to come to Detroit. Two assists in Game 5 were nice, but I want more. I want the boos to rain down on him as he holds his hands up in celebration. I want his name called over their PA system multiple times, again to a chorus of boos. But most of all, I want him holding a shiny silver trophy over his head at the end of the night as a deafening round of boos rain down again. And if he plays like he did in last year's finals, his chances are going to be a hole lot better.
My anxiety level is increasing exponentially as game time gets closer and closer. I'm heading down to Hockeytown to watch the game tonight, and all day I've been replaying memories of filing out of the City Theater in the middle of the night after Game 5 last year. It's silly, because I've been there a handful of times since, but it was a traumatic incident in my life and it's going to stay with me for a while.
Speaking of Game 5 last year, rumor has it that Petr Sykora might be suiting up for the Pens tonight. While we all still shudder at the mention of Maxime Talbot's name or the number 34.7, it's often overlooked that Sykora was the one who scored the OT goal. And not only that, but he called his shot to Pierre McGuire. This still makes me nauseous. I'm not saying that he's in for a repeat performance, but dragging myself through those memories is not something I need to be doing at this particular moment.
The bottom line is that if the Wings want it, it's theirs to take. If they show up and play their game to the best of their ability, there's not a team in the world who can stop them. On the other hand, if they play like they did in Games 3 and 4 (and, really, stretches of 1 and 2), then it's going to be ugly.
PS. Dear Hockey Gods,
I've already promised you my first-born child, so now I'm offering up the second-born. Screw it, take 'em all. I just want Stanley.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
In Which I Show Some Love, and Some Hate...
In lieu of reporting any actual news, I've decided to put a little more of myself out there.
For starters, my hockey fandom began one day during the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. I was 9. My dad had been closely following the Wings playoff run, but for some reason that probably made sense to my little mind, I had refused to join him in watching the games. You might chalk that up to me being a girl, but I always sat and watched Tigers games, and I'm told that I even enjoyed the Lions at one (very sad) point in my life. Finally, my dad sat me down on the couch and told me that I HAD to watch one whole game with him. After that, if I didn't like it, I never had to watch another game in my life. On the other hand, if I did like it, I'd probably be thanking him for a long time. I made the deal with him, and over the course of those 60 minutes, I fell in love. I didn't know a thing about what I was watching, but it amazed me. And from that day on, I was hooked. The Wings went on to lose that series, but it didn't matter to me. It was the beginning of the single greatest defining obsession in my life. There are moments (like when I have fits because real-life commitments prevent me from watching games) when I'm sure my dad regrets that fateful day, but most of the time I think he's secretly glad that he raised a daughter who he can intelligently talk sports with and not some prissy little princess.
Anyway, back to the present. My current player obsession centers around Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. (While I'm on the subject, I'm beyond thrilled to see them reunited. I had only been yelling that suggestion at my TV for three games before it finally happened.) They have exactly the kind of puck movement that first dazzled me in the days of the Russian Five. Coincidentally, they also account for the name of my blog. "Snipe Snipe" would be Zetterberg (If you don't know where this came from, you're probably not a die-hard enough fan to be reading hockey blogs.), and Datsyuk is Mr. Dangle Dangle himself. I actually wanted to put the Dangle before the Snipe because, theoretically, dangling would precede sniping (and also because Datsyuk makes me laugh nearly every time he speaks), but the cadence of "Dangle Dangle, Snipe Snipe" reminded me too much of the "Veggie Veggie, Fruit Fruit" song from that old Disney World show. It's also important to note that in moments of weakness I may refer to Zetterberg as "Hockey Boyfriend." I mean this in the least Puck-Bunnyish way possible, of course. I've always said that one of the benefits of being a female sports fan is getting to admire the men, especially when they're sweaty and wearing eye-black (Oh Winter Classic, how I miss you.).
I also have a great affection for Drapes and Maltby, dating back to their Grind Line days. Granted, neither one of them had a particularly good year, but I'm a loyal sort, and I can't forget the great joy that they brought me as a child.
My next player of note is Chris Osgood. I have always been an Ozzie supporter, even when he got run out of town by Dominik Hasek. That man takes a lot of crap, and most of it is undeserved. All year long, I found myself defending him, despite his god-awful stats. If the Wings had decided to actually play defense for any significant portion of the season, he'd have been riding high all year. All you have to do is look at the man's numbers over his career, especially in the playoffs. All the guy does is win hockey games. I don't want to hear about being buoyed by having a talented team in front of him. That only adds to the pressure. And one thing's certain: when the pressure is on, so is Chris Osgood. 'Nuff said.
I also have to mention Jiri Hudler. This man never ceases to amuse me. Every time I see him on screen, it makes me laugh. I'm not even entirely sure why. You know how there are certain people who you just want to hug? Well, he's one of them. I mean this, of course, in an entirely non-sexual way. He just always looks like he's having fun, and...I'm not really sure how to describe it. I feel the same way about Curtis Granderson. Plus, he's like 5'2 in skates, but he'll still mix it up with anyone. That may actually be an advantage against a guy like Chris Pronger.You.Goon, because he might be able to fly below elbow range.
It's also fairly obvious that I have a deep-seated hatred for Chris Pronger.You.Goon (helpfully abbreviated PYG. Please pronounce this like "pig." I think it's fitting.) Since I have a great fondness for delicious irony, one of my favorite hockey moments of all time was when PYG tried to run Stevie Y in the playoffs a few years back and ended up busting his own ACL. You could, quite literally, taste the irony in the air.
Since I'm on the subject of players that I dislike, I feel like I should mention my semi-irrational hatred of Sidney Crosby, or, as I like to call him, Gary Bettman's Little Buddy. I know it's fairly cliche for non-Pittsburg fans to hate Crosby, but I felt that way before it was cool. Ever since his name first came on my radar during the lockout year (AKA the worst year of my life), I was annoyed by him. The fact that he was treated like the second coming of Wayne Gretzky before even playing an NHL game really pissed me off. I grew up watching Wings late-round draft picks who came into their own based only on hard work and skill be ignored by the NHL marketing machine, and here was this kid I'd never seen before sucking up all of the media attention. I don't like people who get things handed to them on a platter. Much to my consternation, he turned out to be a pretty good player. Not the best, mind you, but pretty darn good, nonetheless. What I really hate is having his stupid Napoleon Dynamite face shoved down my throat by the NHL media. It quite literally makes me gag. And what's worse is that it's no good for the game. The real hockey fans see through the marketing and nothing gets us all more riled up bringing up the Little Buddy's name in a crowded sports bar. If the NHL would just acknowledge the existence of star players not named Crosby or Ovechkin (like say, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kane, Toews, Getzlaf, Nash, just to name a few), they would have a much less divisive marketing campaign. Instead, I'm forced to watch that stupid commercial where the Penguins fan has his TV in a penalty box that apparently has all three Pens highlights from the Finals playing on a continuous loop. Watching that commercial, the casual fan probably wouldn't realize that it was, in fact, the Wings who were drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup last year.
Another thing that still has me riled up is that God-awful call from the end of Game 3. You know which one I'm talking about. I know I should've moved on by know, but when something like that is still gnawing at my soul a week later, I have to vent about it somewhere. The thing that really made me angry the next day was that the NHL blindly stood by this Watson guy. These are the moments that make me hope that the Hockey Gods smite Gary Bettman with a lightning bolt from on high. A couple of days ago, the NBA (which has always been known for its classiness) openly admitted that a blown call in the final seconds of a game caused a team to lose. The exact details are fuzzy because I really couldn't care less about basketball, but it really struck me in light of the epic officiating failure on the Goal That Wasn't. The NBA at least had the guts to come out and say that their ref screwed up. I also seem to recall an NFL official apologizing after blowing a call back in the fall. I'm not one of those fans who thinks there's a massive conspiracy out to get the Wings, but let's face it, that was a major screw-up that impacted the outcome of an important playoff game.
For starters, my hockey fandom began one day during the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals. I was 9. My dad had been closely following the Wings playoff run, but for some reason that probably made sense to my little mind, I had refused to join him in watching the games. You might chalk that up to me being a girl, but I always sat and watched Tigers games, and I'm told that I even enjoyed the Lions at one (very sad) point in my life. Finally, my dad sat me down on the couch and told me that I HAD to watch one whole game with him. After that, if I didn't like it, I never had to watch another game in my life. On the other hand, if I did like it, I'd probably be thanking him for a long time. I made the deal with him, and over the course of those 60 minutes, I fell in love. I didn't know a thing about what I was watching, but it amazed me. And from that day on, I was hooked. The Wings went on to lose that series, but it didn't matter to me. It was the beginning of the single greatest defining obsession in my life. There are moments (like when I have fits because real-life commitments prevent me from watching games) when I'm sure my dad regrets that fateful day, but most of the time I think he's secretly glad that he raised a daughter who he can intelligently talk sports with and not some prissy little princess.
Anyway, back to the present. My current player obsession centers around Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. (While I'm on the subject, I'm beyond thrilled to see them reunited. I had only been yelling that suggestion at my TV for three games before it finally happened.) They have exactly the kind of puck movement that first dazzled me in the days of the Russian Five. Coincidentally, they also account for the name of my blog. "Snipe Snipe" would be Zetterberg (If you don't know where this came from, you're probably not a die-hard enough fan to be reading hockey blogs.), and Datsyuk is Mr. Dangle Dangle himself. I actually wanted to put the Dangle before the Snipe because, theoretically, dangling would precede sniping (and also because Datsyuk makes me laugh nearly every time he speaks), but the cadence of "Dangle Dangle, Snipe Snipe" reminded me too much of the "Veggie Veggie, Fruit Fruit" song from that old Disney World show. It's also important to note that in moments of weakness I may refer to Zetterberg as "Hockey Boyfriend." I mean this in the least Puck-Bunnyish way possible, of course. I've always said that one of the benefits of being a female sports fan is getting to admire the men, especially when they're sweaty and wearing eye-black (Oh Winter Classic, how I miss you.).
I also have a great affection for Drapes and Maltby, dating back to their Grind Line days. Granted, neither one of them had a particularly good year, but I'm a loyal sort, and I can't forget the great joy that they brought me as a child.
My next player of note is Chris Osgood. I have always been an Ozzie supporter, even when he got run out of town by Dominik Hasek. That man takes a lot of crap, and most of it is undeserved. All year long, I found myself defending him, despite his god-awful stats. If the Wings had decided to actually play defense for any significant portion of the season, he'd have been riding high all year. All you have to do is look at the man's numbers over his career, especially in the playoffs. All the guy does is win hockey games. I don't want to hear about being buoyed by having a talented team in front of him. That only adds to the pressure. And one thing's certain: when the pressure is on, so is Chris Osgood. 'Nuff said.
I also have to mention Jiri Hudler. This man never ceases to amuse me. Every time I see him on screen, it makes me laugh. I'm not even entirely sure why. You know how there are certain people who you just want to hug? Well, he's one of them. I mean this, of course, in an entirely non-sexual way. He just always looks like he's having fun, and...I'm not really sure how to describe it. I feel the same way about Curtis Granderson. Plus, he's like 5'2 in skates, but he'll still mix it up with anyone. That may actually be an advantage against a guy like Chris Pronger.You.Goon, because he might be able to fly below elbow range.
It's also fairly obvious that I have a deep-seated hatred for Chris Pronger.You.Goon (helpfully abbreviated PYG. Please pronounce this like "pig." I think it's fitting.) Since I have a great fondness for delicious irony, one of my favorite hockey moments of all time was when PYG tried to run Stevie Y in the playoffs a few years back and ended up busting his own ACL. You could, quite literally, taste the irony in the air.
Since I'm on the subject of players that I dislike, I feel like I should mention my semi-irrational hatred of Sidney Crosby, or, as I like to call him, Gary Bettman's Little Buddy. I know it's fairly cliche for non-Pittsburg fans to hate Crosby, but I felt that way before it was cool. Ever since his name first came on my radar during the lockout year (AKA the worst year of my life), I was annoyed by him. The fact that he was treated like the second coming of Wayne Gretzky before even playing an NHL game really pissed me off. I grew up watching Wings late-round draft picks who came into their own based only on hard work and skill be ignored by the NHL marketing machine, and here was this kid I'd never seen before sucking up all of the media attention. I don't like people who get things handed to them on a platter. Much to my consternation, he turned out to be a pretty good player. Not the best, mind you, but pretty darn good, nonetheless. What I really hate is having his stupid Napoleon Dynamite face shoved down my throat by the NHL media. It quite literally makes me gag. And what's worse is that it's no good for the game. The real hockey fans see through the marketing and nothing gets us all more riled up bringing up the Little Buddy's name in a crowded sports bar. If the NHL would just acknowledge the existence of star players not named Crosby or Ovechkin (like say, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kane, Toews, Getzlaf, Nash, just to name a few), they would have a much less divisive marketing campaign. Instead, I'm forced to watch that stupid commercial where the Penguins fan has his TV in a penalty box that apparently has all three Pens highlights from the Finals playing on a continuous loop. Watching that commercial, the casual fan probably wouldn't realize that it was, in fact, the Wings who were drinking from Lord Stanley's Cup last year.
Another thing that still has me riled up is that God-awful call from the end of Game 3. You know which one I'm talking about. I know I should've moved on by know, but when something like that is still gnawing at my soul a week later, I have to vent about it somewhere. The thing that really made me angry the next day was that the NHL blindly stood by this Watson guy. These are the moments that make me hope that the Hockey Gods smite Gary Bettman with a lightning bolt from on high. A couple of days ago, the NBA (which has always been known for its classiness) openly admitted that a blown call in the final seconds of a game caused a team to lose. The exact details are fuzzy because I really couldn't care less about basketball, but it really struck me in light of the epic officiating failure on the Goal That Wasn't. The NBA at least had the guts to come out and say that their ref screwed up. I also seem to recall an NFL official apologizing after blowing a call back in the fall. I'm not one of those fans who thinks there's a massive conspiracy out to get the Wings, but let's face it, that was a major screw-up that impacted the outcome of an important playoff game.
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