Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Twenty-three...

Caption Mondays: Crater won the final Caption of the season.

"Helm, you've gotta slow down out there, you've warped your helmet."

Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill closed out the season with another victory.

This week's question: Which Red Wing is the oldest NHLer to record his first 100-point season? How old was he accomplished this?

The Answer: Gordie Howe was 41 when he tallied his 100th point on 3-30-1969. He finished the season with 103.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Twenty...

Caption Mondays: Sara Neuie took back the Caption Mondays title this week.

Hobo: Ugh, this whole hockey thing is hard work, no wonder my hair is always sweaty.
Rig: I wish Eaves wouldn't stand so close to me, he's distracting the girls from my prettiness.
Raffy: Pfffffb *pretends he has awesome hair like Rig and Hobo*

Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill also continued his trivia dominance.

This week's question: Which Red Wing has recorded the most career All Star Game points?

The Answer: Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe tallied 19 points in his 23 All Star Game appearances.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Sixteen...

Caption Mondays: Crater had my favorite this week.

“Happy 400th win Ozzie!" *Kiss*

Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill takes home this week's non-existent prize.

This week's question: Who was the first Wing to record 100 points in a season? What year did he do it?

The Answer: Gordie Howe tallied his 100th point of the season on March 30, 1969. He finished with 103 points in 76 games that year.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Thirteen...

Caption Mondays: Someone with the unusual name “Anonymous” (Is that French?) won this week.

Osgood: Did you drug my Pepsi?
Bert: Don't worry, it will keep you focused.

Trivia Tuesdays: TimFill got the answer this week.

This week's question: Which player has the most all-star game penalty minutes in Wings history?

The Answer: Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe racked up 25 penalty minutes in 23 all-star appearances.

Weekly Wrap-Up Volume Nine...

Here's your belated weekly wrap-up. I hope everyone's holidays were fantastic.

Caption Mondays: Sara Neuie wins this week by making sense of the chaos going on on the Wings' bench during the stoppage in play.

Homer: For sure! I totally catch Nick belting out Dancing Queen when I was, eh, at his house last night! He was, eh, dancings too.
Stuart: For real? Dude, that's worse than when Kronner stopped by while I was watching Finding Nemo... What? It's a good movie!
Ericsson: You really think it will work?
McCrimmon: I'm telling you, just be yourself and the other kids out there will love you. And bringing in homemade Swedish meatballs never hurt anybody...
Rafalski: This score concerns me. Not as much as the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan, but still pretty troubling. *sigh* I wonder what my wife made for dinner?

Trivia Tuesdays: Clark's on a roll. He won this week again.

This week's question: What was the last season in which a Red Wing led the NHL in scoring? Who was it?

The Answer: Gordie Howe led the league in points in the 1962-63 season. He had 38 goals and 48 assists in 70 games.

Red Wings vs. Avalanche GP...

Red Wings: 2-0-0

Avalanche: 1-1-0

Hat Trick (now containing a goal, an observation, and a question):
1. I want to see the powerplay make me smile.
2. There's a good possibility that the combination of the Avs and Versus is going to make me stabby tonight.
3. The first game was headlined by the top line, and the second game by the second line. Who's going to lead the way tonight?

I've Got My Eye on You:

Pavel Datsyuk

1-1-2, +/- 2, 5 PIM

Pav stole the show on Friday night with his Gordie Howe hat trick for the ages. He's one of the few players who can guarantee you at least one “how did he DO that?!” moment per game. It's always fun to see what he has in store night after night.

Scott Hannan

0-0-0, +/- -3, 0 PIM

Hannan (ironically pictured in a Sharks uniform face-washing Peter Forsberg above) is a shut down defenseman who spent several seasons in San Jose before heading over to Colorado three seasons ago. He was apparently an all-star once, which I'm assuming is a little-known fact since I had no idea about it.

Adventures of A Red Wings Packrat: Jersey Foul Edition...

I just so happen to be the proud-ish owner of a Red Wings jersey foul. I say “proud-ish” because after all these years, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. I’ve had it for at least eight years (it was an integral part of my ’02 Cup celebration), but I’m not exactly sure when it came into my possession. I have no idea where my mom found it. It’s a baseball-style jersey that says “Red Wings” on the front and has Shanny’s name on the back. It’s officially licensed stuff, so I’m not 100% sure it qualifies as a foul. Either way, it’s awesomely bad.

Back in ’02, I was but a high school sophomore. The Wings were kind enough to win the Cup the night before the last day of school/final exams. The next day, I wore the jersey foul since wearing a real hockey jersey to school in June would’ve been a poor life decision. One of my best friends happened to show up in an Yzerman semi-jersey that day, too. Somehow, in our excitement, we ended up nicknaming each other after the players on our backs. I became Shanny and she became Stevie. This was ironic because my favorite player was Stevie and hers was Shanny.

That day was also the end of the year pool party for a school club. At the party, we assigned Wings player names to all of our friends. An extremely studious friend became Igor Larionov. A talkative one became Brett Hull. Someone else became Sergei Fedorov because we felt like he had to be represented at the party and nobody else fit. I think there was also a Luc Robitaille. Nobody else there had the slightest idea what we were talking about. I’m fairly certain that most of them wouldn’t have known the Wings had won the Cup if we hadn’t shouted it at them multiple times. That didn’t stop us from finding a silver-ish bucket and making them pose for celebration shots like the team did on the ice. We also discovered that the people who were hosting the party owned an autographed Gordie Howe stick which they let us take pictures with, but that’s not really the point. In more on-topic news, a red and white jersey foul paired with a turquoise beach wrap with killer whales on it makes a fantastic outfit.

Those same jerseys were worn down to the city a few days afterward when my dad took us to the celebration parade. It was the first we’d been able to attend. It was sweltering. Once again, the Shanny jersey foul saved me with its short sleeves and breathable fabric. I’m fairly certain it was almost seven years before the jersey foul made it out of my closet again to see the light of day.

Last spring, when the Wings were in the Finals, that same friend from high school and I decided to watch one of the road games down at Hockeytown Café. I’d worn most of my Wings shirts already, so I decided to throw on the Shanny foul for nostalgia’s sake. Imagine my surprise when my friend showed up at my front door wearing the very same Steve Yzerman semi-jersey she’d worn for our fake celebration all those years earlier. It was an awesome moment in our friendship. Of course, the Wings went on to lose the game, further cementing my refusal to watch another Finals game at Hockeytown ever again. (I was also there for the 3OT disaster in ’08.)

When I decided to stop being lazy and write something, I chose this jersey foul because I’ll be wearing it when Liz and I go to the Wings Alumni Softball Game tomorrow. She’ll also be rocking a jersey foul. I figure mine won’t be terribly out of place there since it’s a Wings softball game.

What the Joe Means to Me...

A couple of months ago, I had to write an essay about a location that I considered "sacred" for a geography class. In this context, sacred doesn't necessarily mean religious (although in many cases it can). It refers to a place that has great value and meaning attached to it by an individual or group. Naturally, I chose to write about the Joe. It might be a little wordy and boring, but it was written for a class and I didn't feel like cutting or editing it just to post it here. It's not particularly interesting, but I felt like a slacker after going a whole week without posting anything. I also needed an excuse to point out the new banner that Sara made for me. I've been wanting a new banner for a while, and even have one drawn out in my head, but I haven't had time to make it yet. I think I'll stick with this one for a while.

I have many places in my life that I consider to be sacred. These places include my home, places on campus, National Parks that instilled me with a sense of peace, places that bring back fond memories, and even amusement parks. However, the place that I have always revered more than anywhere else is Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The home of my beloved Detroit Red Wings, it has always had an aura of magic surrounding it in my mind. Dating back to my childhood, “The Joe,” as Red Wings fans call it, has been a place that I have dreamed about and idolized.

Joe Louis Arena was completed in 1979 and is owned by the City of Detroit. It is most likely in its final years as home to the Red Wings, and its fate is a controversial topic among local residents. The Arena is currently one of the oldest buildings still serving as homes to NHL teams. It has long been outdated, and it is clear to visitors that it lacks the amenities of more modern sports arenas. The food services often cannot handle the amount of customers that flock to them during intermissions, and it is a common occurrence for ticket-holders to miss the beginnings of the second or third periods because the bathroom lines that spring up during intermission are too long. Those who are able to afford luxury suites find themselves situated in the rafters with views that make the action on the ice seem like it is a mile away. The Arena is located on Detroit’s riverfront, but was positioned in such a manner that it is extremely difficult to access by vehicle. Visiting the box office is often a navigational adventure. It is wedged in between the Detroit River, Cobo Hall Convention Center (home of our Auto Show), and a freeway. As such, there are no local eateries or bars to cater to pre- and post-game crowds. Finally, the Arena’s iconic entrances feature long, steep flights of narrow stairs that are difficult to climb for even the most sure-footed fans. Combined with the ice and snow that frequently accompany hockey season in Michigan, those stairs are quite a safety hazard.

With all of these flaws and shortcomings, people often wonder why I have such a strong attachment to The Joe. There are few things that I have loved more than the Red Wings in my life, and The Joe has always been a symbol of the team in my mind. When I was growing up, my family could not afford to attend many hockey games. Because they were so few and far between, each visit to The Joe seemed like an adventure. I would look forward to going for weeks in advance. My excitement would build as we drove down to the Riverfront. By the time we reached the top of the spiral ramp to park on the roof of Cobo Hall, I would be ecstatic. The steep stairs at the entrances to the Arena were not a problem for me as I would run to the top and eagerly wait for my family to catch up to me.

Walking through the doors into The Joe feels like stepping into a wonderland. The concourse is always packed with thousands of people wearing red and white jerseys. Cases of memorabilia and photos from the team’s history line the walls and pillars in the concourse. The most magical moment, though, was stepping through the curtains into the heart of the arena. To this day, the first glimpse of the ice surface leaves me in awe. It always seemed so small and far away when I watched games on television, but seeing it in person made it seem larger than life. Gazing up at the rafters is equally impressive; they are draped with dozens of red and white banners commemorating Division, Conference, and Stanley Cup Championships, and retired numbers like Steve Yzerman’s 19 and Gordie Howe’s 9 over the years. No trip to The Joe would be complete without a visit to ice level to watch the team warm up. Watching the game played from that vantage point really gives the viewer a good perspective on the speed of the game. I love to stand against the glass directly behind the goal while the team circles and fires pucks at the net. Seeing the pucks whiz by and smack the glass right in front of my face makes it impossible not to appreciate the skill and strength of the players and goalies.

One of my favorite aspects of visiting The Joe is being able to see plays develop on the whole ice surface. Hockey is a sport that does not always translate well to television. The game is played at such a fast pace that camera operators sometimes have a difficult time keeping up with the players or the puck. Watching the game live at the arena eliminates all of those problems. You are also treated to the unique sounds of a hockey game. The smack of the puck hitting the goalies’ pads, the rattle of the boards after a hard check, and the crisp sound of a tape-to-tape pass all have a sense of beauty to a die hard hockey fan like myself. Being able to experience these things in person is one of my favorite aspects of visiting The Joe. I do not believe that one can truly capture the essence of hockey on television, and the only way to really connect with the game is to experience it live.

The Joe also holds numerous fond memories for me. I can close my eyes and remember sitting in the lower bowl the night that Steve Yzerman, my favorite player of all time, scored his six-hundredth career goal. The entire arena stood and clapped for what seemed like ten minutes when his milestone was announced. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Yzerman in one of the suites at the Arena, and I can remember that moment like it was yesterday. In recent years, I have been able to attend more games with both friends and family. I also got the opportunity to tour the Red Wings’ locker room with my little sister during a summer event recently. We went to a game together this season as well, and I enjoyed sharing the sport that I love so much with her at The Joe.

The Arena also has an atmosphere that is unmatched. I love the camaraderie that exists between total strangers during games. I attended a playoff game last season, and I have never heard a building as loud and enthusiastic as The Joe was that night. The game went to overtime, and the Wings eventually won on an odd-man rush. The fans rose to their feet like a wave as the players sped down the ice toward the opposing goal. It was as if the people in the seats could sense what was about to happen. When the puck finally entered the net, the arena was filled with absolute jubilation. We were jumping up and down, high-fiving everyone in sight, posing for pictures with strangers, and screaming at the top of our lungs. It seemed like everything was right in the world in those moments after the game. I had another similar experience the year before, when I went to The Joe to watch a game in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was a road game, but they sold tickets for a charity fundraiser to watch the game on the scoreboard in the arena. At the end of the game, when the Wings had finally won, confetti fell from the rafters as it would have if the team had been there on the ice. The building was less than half full, but the crowd that was there that night more than made up for it. After we left The Joe, my friend and I found ourselves running through downtown Detroit in the rain, wearing our brand new Stanley Cup Champions t-shirts, and high-fiving strangers, with confetti still falling out of our hair. I will never forget that night as long as I live.

I have never been to another place that has inspired such a range of emotions and fond memories. For as long as I can remember, Joe Louis Arena has been a place that I have held sacred. From the time that I was a child, I would dream about getting to go see a Red Wings game in person. Over time, those rare visits with my parents have given way to more frequent trips with my friends. For all of its flaws and shortcomings, I truly love Joe Louis Arena, and I am enjoying getting to experience its atmosphere more regularly during the twilight of its time as home of the Detroit Red Wings.

Tin Foil Flash Mob...

For those of you who haven’t heard (and seriously, it’s nice of you to venture out from under your rock now and then), we’re organizing a flash mob to dance the hustle to The Hockey Song outside the Joe this evening. I know it’s short notice by now, but I haven’t had internet access all day. We’re gathering at the Gordie Howe entrance at 6:45 and there will be more than enough tin foil hats to go around. For more information and up to the minute updates, follow Sara, Sara, or me on Twitter. Don’t listen to the haters who are utterly lacking a sense of humor. This is all in good fun. People should really learn to laugh at themselves. The world would be a much better place if everybody just lightened up for a minute or two. After the game, we’re going to be heading out with the #redwingscommune to watch the game downtown, so there’s no need to have tickets to the game. Anyway, please do join us. We’re going to look ridiculous otherwise…

Wings 0, Thrashers 2: Post Game Snipes...

• I’m so glad that I only paid $15 to see this game. The Wings looked terrible, the crowd was pathetically quiet for most of the night, and the highlight of my night was watching Ozzie and Draper goof around in the net during warmups.
• Although, I have to admit that getting to go out on the ice as part of the turkey bowling thing was pretty cool…even though I looked like an idiot. If you were one of the people who I’m sure was laughing at me, I just want you to know that I had a strategy. It just failed miserably. But our team still won and I’ve got a pair of free tickets to Monday’s game, so the joke’s on you. Also, I had the pleasure of walking around the Joe while my brother carried a frozen turkey for the next two hours. Amazing photographs obviously ensued.
• We went down right behind the Wings’ net to watch warmups and I’m reasonably certain that Justin Abdelkader was trying to kill me. He personally fired at least half a dozen shots that hit the glass directly in front of my face. My little sister was not amused by the whole firing squad effect. If you’ve never watched warmups from that spot before, you’re missing out. It will give you a whole new appreciation for the work that goalies do.
• The News’ recap of the game began with this paragraph:

  It might be time to call in a priest to bless the sticks, or maybe a witch doctor to remove the curse. Because no matter how hard the Red Wings grind, no matter how many shots and chances they create, the puck will not go into the net for them.

  I’ve got a better idea. The team could just bother showing up to play hockey games from time to time. There's a pretty reasonable chance that that would help.
  
• Todd Bertuzzi is officially a waste of ice time. And bench space. And cap space (although that’s less of an issue at this particular moment).
• Also from the News’ recap was this beauty:

  In the third, Bertuzzi broke up a play and went into the Thrashers' zone on a 2-on-1. Yet, he tripped before he could make a play. There was nobody near him, he simply lost an edge -- can you say snakebit?

  I’m not sure ‘snakebit’ is the right word (or the correct grammar for that matter). “Snakebitten” is something you say about a guy who’s having rough couple of weeks on the scoresheet. When you’re having a rough five years, well, then you have to consider the possibility that you just suck.
• Datsyuk tried that thing he does where he flips the puck over the back of the net. One of these times it’s going to work and I think my brain is going to explode from the sheer awesomeness of it.
• Brett Lebda and Brad Stuart should probably never share ice time again. I don’t know what their deal was, but whenever I noticed them paired together bad things were happening.
• My pictures are up on photobucket.
  

GP Answers:
1. The defense wasn’t the only thing Babs was mixing up. The forward lines got put through the scrambler too. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to help.
2. Howard was fine. He gave them a chance to win and they didn’t take it. To think that going into this season my biggest worry was the goaltending. I’m not saying it’s been stellar, but the guys between the pipes are certainly not the reason the Wings have been losing.
3. Still no answer for this one. Someone needs the team’s ability to score goals on a milk carton or something.
4. Same old, same old on the powerplay. I guess the answer’s ‘yes’ for this one.
5. Please refer to the second passage that I’ve quoted from the News above. Yes, that really did happen. And yes, it did look every bit as pathetic in person as it did on TV.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Jimmy Howard
Because nobody else deserves any.

Todd Bertuzzi gets the Golden Facepalm
Once again, please refer to the passage from the News quoted above. This one is a no-brainer.

What I learned:
That carrying a turkey around Joe Louis Arena can actually be ridiculously fun. Especially if your little brother holds it on his head to mock the people wearing the turkey hats (yeah, people actually bought those).

PS. Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman...

That has a pretty nice ring to it, eh?

The Captain finally took his rightful place in the Hockey Hall of Fame last night. He's been enshrined where all hockey fans will whisper his name in awe like we already do here in Hockeytown. Where parents will hold their kids up to his plaque and reverently tell stories about the feats they saw him accomplish. His status as a legend is fully cemented now, not that we didn't know that already. Stevie really has reached the "finish line" of his playing career, but you and I both know better than to think that his legacy won't continue to influence this team, this town, and our hearts and minds.

He delivered a wonderful speech that was everything we’ve come to expect from him over the years. It was humble and delivered with just a touch of nervousness from being in the uncomfortable spotlight. Instead of reflecting on his accomplishments, Stevie instead showered praise on those who surrounded him. It was a classic Captain moment, and yet another fond memory of Yzerman that I'll be telling my grandkids about someday. I’ve already had my say about how I feel about this even that’s been so long in the making, but there’s been quite the round of tributes popping up around the Wings’ blogosphere, and, I have to say, some of them really knocked it out of the park.

First up is the Chief’s entry over at Abel to Yzerman. Honestly, if you read nothing else this decade, read this post:

There are players who’ve been voted in who probably felt it was owed to them. There are “captains” who stayed too long, wore out their welcome in at least three different cities, loved the attention, begged for it, thrived on it, then missed it so much created ways to keep their name out there....like inventing a “leadership award” and finding a hygiene product to sponsor it. There are others who’s spectacular play earned their admission to the Hall, but their lack of character made you cringe to consider their place among the greats like Howe and Beliveau.

Steve Yzerman? He’s never felt like hockey owed him jack squat. And his character is spotless. He is the icon of our age. A hero in a time when defining one is nearly impossible.

So we’re gonna go ahead and break the glass tonite. We’re gonna smash it open and take him out. We present our Captain to you because he’s always been bigger than just one town. We’ve all known how lucky we’ve been and we’ve been stingy. Frankly, if it was just about us, we’d keep him to ourselves. But, it’s not and we know that. We owe it to Steve Yzerman, against his wishes probably, to let him wear the C for an entire sport, not just the red and white.
…
Four years later the legend was cemented with every shuddering rise from the ice. If you’re a Wing fan you look back at that playoff run and you hear stories of the kind of pain he was in and it brings tears to your eyes because you feel like he did it for you, individually. That’s the effect Yzerman had on Wing fans. You just felt like when he won, he willed it for you. And when the time came for credit and adulation, poof....gone.

But he’s ours no longer. Tonite he becomes hockey’s. And it’s a gift hockey had better be grateful for. Hockey had better stand on its feet tonite and understand that there can be only one. There has never been, and never will be, another Captain like Yzerman. No one has withstood the kind of pain he did, or led as well. Nobody. As Captain Norris said in a comment earlier today, the Hall had better be ready to be humbled.

He’s been ours for nearly three decades, hockey. Tonite we present him to you and the Hall becomes his keeper.

I know. I wish I could write like that too.

This is from On the Wings:

That’s all I can say. There’re more reasons why I love him, but I cannot put them into words. He has a quality. If you are a Wings fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And you cannot put it into words either.

He’s Steve Yzerman, and he’s my captain. He’s The Captain.

Exactly. I’m pretty sure that no words we could come up with would do Stevie justice. It’s just not possible.

Detroit4Lyfe brings us this little quote:

If you're a Red Wings fan, you know how hard it was watching Red Wings games following Yzerman's retirement not seeing #19 glide down the ice. But I came to realize over the past four years that Yzerman's not gone. There is an aura about him that will last eternally. He has forever stamped his legacy on the Detroit Red Wings, permanently in a way that will never fade, that we'll never forget.

It won’t fade because this organization simply won’t let it. And neither will we fans.

Kukla’s article on NHL.com said this:

Yes Steve, you have crossed one finish line, but I am sure there are many of those lines ahead of you. People say the first race they win is the one that is most remembered, and as a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, I must admit, that holds true.

You thrilled us, Steve -- we named children after you, we have hockey shrines built because of you and now we anticipate your next race and assume you will finish first again.

You made our dreams come true, you brought happiness into our lives and provided us with memories we can pass on to younger generations.

It is our time to thank you, Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, for all that you have done for us.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve considered the name Steve for my future firstborn child. Boy or girl. It doesn’t matter.

And two final quotes, this time from A2Y’s Live Blog of the induction ceremony (Of course we live-blogged it. Why wouldn’t we?). So now Steve Yzerman, our Captain, sits amongst the greatest of the greats, forever to be cherished by all:

The Pantheon. That tiny sliver of Hall of Famers whom even the other Hall of Famers stand in awe of. Steve Yzerman, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Nicklas Lidstrom, Terry Sawchuk. Absolute legends. Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Rocket Richard. Players for whom the Hall just doesn’t seem adequate. --monkey

Followed quite poetically with:

The ancient Greeks had no problems whatsoever with the concept - there are gods, demi-gods, and mere mortals.

Demi-gods don’t rise to the level of gods, but they are more than mere mortals and have some of the same qualities of gods, just not as many or in such a large quantity.

Gods and demi-gods alike are in the Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean they are all exactly equivalent. Just that they are alike in being so far above others that they deserve special recognition. --Baroque

There are more excellent posts at Bingo Bango, Nightmare on Helm Street, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, and Winging it in Motown. The Freep also had a couple of good articles, as did the News.

And now for your viewing pleasure:

Required Viewing for Wings Fans...

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, we’re able to relive Red Wings history 24/7, albeit sometimes in grainy, pixilated fashion. So here I’ve collected the ten YouTube videos that I think every Red Wings fan must see. It’s a cultural literacy thing. (Sorry, grad school has officially gotten to me now.) I don’t believe you can really know who you are unless you know where you came from. I realize that this is a pretty pretentious thing to say on a hockey blog, but I’ve never made any claims of subtlety before. Anyway, after watching this collection of videos, you should be fully briefed on how the Wings came to be where they are today.

These are skewed toward the recent era for two reasons: that’s what I’m most familiar with, and that’s what’s readily available on YouTube. There isn’t a whole lot of video out there from before the ‘90s, and even a lot of the stuff I’ve linked to isn’t of the greatest quality.

10. Steve Yzerman’s Goal in Game 7 OT Against St. Louis in ‘96
This goal is what sent the Wings on to play Colorado in that fateful Western Conference Finals series that launched the epic rivalry. Even without that context, this goal speaks for itself. Scoring on a snipe like that in overtime of Game 7? That’s the stuff legends are born of. Plus, Stevie’s celebration is iconic.
9. The Dangle Dangle Interview
While serving his one game quasi-suspension, Pavel Datsyuk stopped in for an interview with Mickey Redmond. The result was hilarious. Having seen this multiple times, we all knew that Pav was a funny guy but this interview is classic. I don’t even know which part I like best. There’re just so many to choose from. At any rate, I think everyone should know where the Dangle Dangle nickname originated. The parts about having a front row seat with drinks and not minding Brett Hull yelling because he didn’t speak English back then are just icing on the cake. And since it accounts for the other half of my blog’s name, here’s The Zetterberg Song.
8. Brendan Shanahan’s Empty Net Goal to Ice the ’02 Championship
This is quite possibly the most excited I’ve ever been about an empty net goal. In theory, it doesn’t sound very thrilling. “Oh, he scored? But there was no goalie? Isn’t that nice.” But this was the goal that put a seal on the dynasty and ensured that the ’02 team’s destiny was fulfilled. Plus, like in the first video, the post-goal celebration is classic. I really can’t remember what I was doing when this goal was scored, but you can be pretty sure that it involved screaming and jumping. And possibly crying. I’ll never know for sure.
7. Zetterberg’s Epic Penalty Kill
It’s been over a year, and I still sometimes can’t believe that the Penguins didn’t score on this powerplay. It was midway through the third period of Game 4 in ’08. The Wings were leading the game and the series 2-1. When that second penalty was called, I was sure that it meant disaster for my boys. And then amazingly, astonishingly, Henrik Zetterberg singlehandedly killed off the entire 5-on-3. OK, he actually had some help from the other players, but that moment when he tied up Crosby just outside the goal crease was…I don’t even know. I have a still shot of that play that pops up on my screensaver every now and then, and it makes me swoon every time. And if that PK magic isn’t enough for you, then make sure you check out Darren Helm’s ’09 version.
6. Steve Yzerman Tribute
Because he is The Captain. And you should know why. There are a plethora of Yzerman tribute videos out there, and I just happened to choose this one. So sit back and enjoy, because you can never watch too many Steve Yzerman highlights.
5. Legends of Hockey: Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman are the two most important players that this franchise has had. We all know plenty about Stevie Y, but how much do you know about Gordie? Probably not enough, so watch and learn. I also feel that it’s necessary to include this ESPN commercial, as well as Gordie’s theme song. I want to learn to play the guitar just so I can sing this around the campfire. Also for your historical viewing pleasure: Legends of Hockey about Ted Lindsay and Terry Sawchuck, and a tribute to Olympia (It’s best to watch this one on mute). Apparently there isn’t a single YouTube video about Alex Delvecchio or Sid Abel.
4. The Statue of Liberty Goal
This was the goal that launched a thousand punch lines. It was a perfect storm of timeliness, irony, history, and hilarity. In short, it was everything that a goal should be. And the fact that it made Patrick Roy look like a fool made it that much sweeter. The goal did indeed count. Seriously though. Remember that series? The Wings were down 3-2 in the Conference Finals playing on the road in Colorado. The game was scoreless near the end of the first period. Stress levels were at an all-time high. And then, out of nowhere, came this moment of glory. And we all know what transpired after...
3. Darren McCarty’s Cup-Clinching Goal in ‘97
If you were a Red Wings fan in the ‘90s, the highlight reel from this game should probably make you cry. After crushing defeats by New Jersey in ’95 and Colorado in ’96, the Wings finally ended the 42-year Cup drought right here in Hockeytown. And the game-winning goal in that decisive victory? Scored by none other than our favorite grind-liner, Darren McCarty, just a few weeks removed from reducing Claude Lemieux to a bloody, cowering turtle at center ice. Clearly, this was a good year for Mac. Even out of this context, this would probably be the most spectacular goal of his career. He looked like a 50-goal scorer on that rush. I remember my dad saying, “No, that wasn’t McCarty. He’s not that good.” To this day, I believe that the Hockey Gods instilled him with some kind of dangling magic a la “Angels in the Outfield” in that one particular moment.
2. March 26th, 1997
This epic battle defined one of the greatest rivalries in sports. Along with the follow-up in '98, Darren McCarty's revenge for Claude Lemieux's hit on Kris Draper during the previous year's playoffs should be required viewing for every Wings fan. These fights were the complete package: they weren’t staged, they were bookended by great hockey, and they involved goalies. As a hockey fan, you couldn’t ask for anything more. Whenever the Wings played the Avs during the late ‘90s and early ‘00s there was the ever-present possibility that the bad blood would escalate into a full-on brawl. Plus, there are few things more fun in hockey than a good old-fashioned goalie fight. And as a Red Wings fan, you should know why the date 3/26/97 will forever be a part of team lore. For comic relief, I’ve also included Dominik Hasek’s attempt to join the legion of Wings goalies to battle Patrick Roy.
1. The ’98 Cup Celebration
If the shot of Steve Yzerman putting the Stanley Cup in Vladdie’s lap doesn’t make you at least a little bit misty-eyed, then you either have no heart or aren’t a Red Wings fan. This, more than anything defines the team in my mind. After they won in ’97, it was hard to imagine anything sweeter than that triumph. But ’98 had an entirely different feel. It was like a made-for-TV movie, except it was real. That playoff run embodied everything that fans love about sports. And what more could you ask from a hockey team?

OK, I lied. There are actually more than ten videos there. But you get the idea. And since I bookmarked all of these, and I don't intend to let that effort go to waste, here are the runners-up:
The top 10 Wings goals of the Modern Era, Samuel L. Jackson as Cheli's coach, the Winter Classic (Best parts at 1:10 and 4:40), Datsyuk dangling Turco, Franzen taking Kane's mouthguard, MAF falling before '08 Finals, Steve Yzerman fighting (also watch for Bob Probert punching the goalie's mask right off his face at the 1:20 mark), and a version of the '97 fight set to music that came highly recommended by my brother.

These are all amusing and entertaining, but not quite significant enough to make it on the list. I know I've left dozens of other great moments off. The comments section is a great place to post links that you think I need to see. I promise I'll enjoy them as much as you do.

Season Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part One...

In order to avoid making this post epically long, I decided to break it up into three separate entries. Like the Unofficial Awards, this is a long-standing tradition in my life, with the title most likely inspired my my father's love of watching reruns of westerns with me as a child.

The good:

Despite the number of hours I spent screaming at my TV and mentally strangling the NHL (yes, it’s possible to strangle an organization) over the course of the last year, the 2008-2009 season turned out to be a pretty good one. It fell one game short of being great, but it’s not like I didn’t enjoy the ride. Here we have the best of the best, or at any rate, the best that I could remember off the top of my head. Please feel free to remind me of any highlights that I might have missed.

--The Winter Classic. Despite Pavel Datsyuk’s wind-aided goal, the Classic was an amazing experience and, quite frankly, one of the few things the NHL got right this year. It was so much fun that part of me felt bad for the fans of other teams who had no rooting interest in the game. You pretty much knew it was going to be epic when Mike Babcock and staff came out wearing fedoras. I think that was the moment when I realized that he was probably the only coach who could replace Scotty Bowman in my heart. The other highlight of the game: Henrik Zetterberg + eye black. I’m just saying… (Why are there not any better pictures of this? Seriously.)
--Possibly my favorite part of the playoffs was Ozzie semi-silencing his critics. He was supposed to be the Wings’ weak link, and he came this close to walking away with a well-deserved Conn Smythe trophy. Honestly, of all the Wings, he’s the one I felt worst for at the end of Game 7. It seemed like no matter how well he played, analysts kept saying he was going to implode and the next game would surely showcase the “real” Chris Osgood. But game in and game out, the man was an absolute wall. I’m of the opinion that the way a player performs when he’s under maximum pressure shows his true character, and this year, Ozzie did nothing but reaffirm my faith in him. Despite losing, the man has nothing to be ashamed of.
--I was also a huge fan of CBC’s Coldplay intro to the Finals. If ever there was a song that you wouldn’t associate with hockey, it’s “The Scientist.” Those Canadians made it work in a spectacular fashion, though. In moments like those, I almost wish that I was Canadian. Last year, when I didn’t have cable, my playoff mantra was TGFC—thank god for Canada!—and CBC was literally the only thing that kept me sane. Despite the fact that they lost their Song, aka the unofficial Canadian anthem, this year, those guys never let me down.
--In other random media notes, I was thrilled to see the reemergence of the Cup lift commercial. This is quite possibly the greatest advertisement ever made. It’s hard to believe that the NHL was responsible for it. That strange and pathetic sound you hear every time it’s played is thousands of grown men simultaneously bursting into tears. At any rate, it’s absolutely mesmerizing. I can’t tear my eyes away from it when it’s on, nor would I want to. When I missed games this year, I would stop fast forwarding through the commercials on my DVR just so I could watch this one. And there’s no greater complement that I can give to a marketing instrument.
--Speaking of mesmerizing, one of the Wings’ season highlights was Datsyuk’s epic shootout goal against Minnesota. Much like the Cup commercial, I don’t think I will ever tire of watching this replayed on youtube. It’s pretty safe to assume that at least 75% of the views for that video were from me. It was a Dangle Dangle Special of the highest order.
--Also on the subject of Datsyuk, few interviews could top his chat with Mickey Redmond while serving his quasi-suspension after the All-Star Game. It should be mandatory that he give interviews like that 365 days a year.
--Another of Mick’s finest moments was the interview he and Ken Daniels did with Gary Bettman in which Mickey “debated” (which is a kind way of saying that he delivered an intellectual ass-kicking) many of the issues nearest and dearest to Wings fans’ hearts with the commish. Because, clearly, I needed another reason to love Mickey Redmond. Not many people involved in the game have had the audacity to publicly stand up to Bettman and *gasp* question his actions, and you have to imagine that it took the commish a week curled up under his security blanket made from Sidney Crosby’s game-worn jerseys to get over the affront. I’m not sure whether I liked the look on Bettman’s face as he squirmed while Mr. Bingo Bango dared challenge him or the awkward look on Ken Daniel’s face as he desperately tried to find a way to rein Mickey in. I still haven’t found a youtube video of this “debate,” and that makes me sad on many levels.
--The fake Henrik Zetterberg ads. These things make my life. As far as I'm concerned, they're sheer brilliance on the part of the guys who created them. Also, this video. It should send chills down your spine if you're a true hockey fan.
--One of the best regular season things the organization did was begin the $15 student tickets around Christmas time. I realize that this was only in response to the lousy economy, and thus it’s a little hard to take joy in it, but it allowed me to attend more games that I had ever been able to before. I hope they continue this next season, because, let’s face it, Wings games are like my version of crack. The more I watch, the more I need to fulfill my craving.

And a few more on a personal level:
--I had the opportunity to meet Ted Lindsay at the Joe this year. I got his autograph, but more importantly, I was able to shake his hand. This was perhaps one of the finest moments in my career as a hockey fan (yeah, I said “career”).
--During another visit to the Joe, my friend and I were running late and arrived after the game had started. The concourse was pretty much deserted as we were running to our seats. As we passed by one of the pillars, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. Sitting right there, 5 feet away at a book-signing table, was none other than Mr. Hockey. I stopped dead in my tracks and blurted out, “Holy shit, that’s Gordie Howe.” He then proceeded to look up at me and laugh. That’s right. Gordie freakin’ Howe looked me in the eye and chuckled at me. I stood there for a moment with what can be best described as a look of bewilderment on my face. Then I did a little half-wave, and ran away to find my seat. You had better believe that I’ll be telling that story to my grandkids some day.
--Going to my first playoff game was another personal highlight. I'll never forget rising to my feet in unison with the entire crowd as the Wings broke in on a 3-on-1 in overtime. While there is literally nothing that can ever be done to make me enjoy playoff OT, this was by far the greatest play I've ever witnessed in person at the Joe.
--Starting this blog has quite possibly saved my life. It’s hard to believe, considering the enormous amount of time that I waste on the internet every day, but for some reason, I was completely unaware that there was a vast hockey blogging community until halfway through this season. Once I saw the brilliance that was out there, it was only a matter of time until I felt compelled to join in and have my say. Putting my thoughts out here has been a wonderfully cathartic alternative to ranting and raving at (yes, “at,” not “to”) my friends and family who care about the Wings significantly less than I do. Mostly it's just good to know that there are other crazies like myself out there. Suffering alone is no fun at all.

Part Two: The Bad
Part Three: The Ugly

More Tuesday Announcements...

It wasn't an oversight that I didn't mention Stevie Y's stellar collection of HoF "classmates" in my last entry. I just felt like Yzerman deserved his own post. After all, as Puck Daddy said

Impact: Good lord, where do you start? How about here: The sight of a pristine red Detroit sweater with "Yzerman 19" on the back is known to bring grown men to tears.

That pretty much says it all, even if it's vaguely echoic of something I wrote in my last post.

Remember way back in 2002 when the Wings won with their who's-who of future Hall of Famers? Well, adding Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille this year puts five members of that team into the HoF, if you count Scotty Bowman. Not bad, eh?

While I never developed a particularly deep affection for Robitaille as a Wings player, he always seemed like a stand-up guy. By the time he made it to Detroit, he was well past his prime, so my expectations were always set unfairly high for him, but unlike Marian Hossa, he chose wisely when seeking to win the Cup. (Please insert your own Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade joke here.)

Brett Hull, on the other hand, never ceased to amuse me with his various antics. Not everybody approved of his outspokenness and candor at times, but I always thought, even before he came to the Wings, that he was exactly the type of personality that the league needed. Plus, I don't think I could ever tire of watching the TV announcers marvel over the bend in his stick as they showed replays of shots in slo-mo. Not to mention that his self-titled "Two Kids and an Old Goat" line was my first introduction to Pavel Datsyuk, the only player to ever surpass Hull in terms of amusing me.

Every year it seems like the HoF inductions are more and more interesting to me on a personal level. When I visited the hall when I was younger, it always seemed somehow abstract and foreign to me (and I'm not even going to discuss how awful that "be a goalie" game was). It was like a shrine to a past generation, full of the names of players of whom I had heard or seen pictures, but I was never quite able to connect with them. Now, as each induction class brings in more players that I have seen first-hand, I feel like there is more meaning for me personally.

It's easy to discuss Gordie Howe and his legacy and impact on the game, but it's an entirely different thing to have watched him play game in and game out over the course of his career. It's not to say that I don't value Mr. Hockey as a player and ambassador of the game, but it's difficult to fully appreciate his greatness from a few grainy highlight reel clips and a biography or two.

On the other hand, seeing guys like The Captain, Hull, Robitaille, and Leech (although to a lesser extent) get named to the Hall feels much more concrete. It allows me to put their accomplishments into context and draw on my own memories. I can reminisce about spectacular plays or championships, and it almost becomes personal to me, as if those are shared memories that I can draw on because they were a part of my life. I have no doubt in my mind that someday in the future, I'm going to be leading my kids around the HoF recounting the defining moments in the careers of guys like Yzerman, Lidstrom, Shanny, and so many others until said children develop a nervous disorder manifested by beginning to convulse at the mere mention of the word, "hockey," or the phrase, "I remember this one time..."

In other news, it's sounding more and more likely that Mike Babcock is going to be Team Canada's coach at the upcoming Olympics. (Speaking of the Olympics, I'm pretty sure the entire Wings roster is going to be suiting up in Vancouver.) This should be fantastically fun to watch. Mostly, I can't wait until the Canada/Sweden game during which, in an ironic twist of fate, Babs is forced to watch Henrik Zetterberg render Sidney Crosby useless (again), but from the opposite viewpoint. Seriously, congrats to Babcock, though. If I was Canadian, he's the guy I'd want behind the bench. Actually, I think he should volunteer to coach Team USA just to prove, once and for all, that he's not anti-American. Someone should run that idea by him. I only want credit if he doesn't laugh in your face.