2010-2011 Player Profiles: Brian Rafalski...

Hey, kids, guess what? Hockey's almost here. That means it's time for me to get back into this whole blogging thing that I've neglected during the off-season. Since I lack the creativity to come up with a new gimmick, I decided to continue the Player Profiles series I did last year leading up to the season. I'll be taking a look at a different player (almost) every day between now and when hockey starts. By my count, there are 7 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Brian Rafalski

2009-2010 Regular Season: 78 GP, 8-34-42, +/- 23, 26 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 12 GP, 3-8-11, +/- 4, 2 PIM

Season Highlight: Olympic Rafalski.

Season Lowlight: The turnover leading to the game-winning goal in Game 5 vs. San Jose.

Rafalski's high point of the season was pretty obviously during the Olympics. When he put on that Team USA jersey, he seemed to flourish and played the best hockey I've seen out of him. I think we'd all like to see a return to his Olympic form this season.

He's slated to start the season on the second pairing with Brad Stuart, and I'm excited about the idea. When I first read about it, I thought it was stupid, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. I know I've said it before, but the theory is that he's “the guy” on the second pairing and he'll step up the way he did when he was “the guy” on the Team USA blueline. The fact that he's already taken maintenance days and had his knee drained are somewhat concerning, but we're used to Rafalski dealing with old man injuries.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Show some of those flashes of brilliance we got to enjoy when he was America's hero.

2010-2011 Player Profiles: Johan Franzen...

Hey, kids, guess what? Hockey's almost here. That means it's time for me to get back into this whole blogging thing that I've neglected during the off-season. Since I lack the creativity to come up with a new gimmick, I decided to continue the Player Profiles series I did last year leading up to the season. I'll be taking a look at a different player (almost) every day between now and when hockey starts. By my count, there are 19 days until the Wings open the regular season. Get excited. Today's subject:

Johan Franzen

2009-2010 Regular Season: 27 GP, 10-11-21, +/- 1, 22 PIM

2010 Playoffs: 12 GP, 6-12-18, +/- 8, 16 PIM

Season Highlight: Game Four against the Sharks. This was the most obvious choice I've made for any of these profiles.

Season Lowlight: Missing most of the season after tearing his ACL.

Last season was supposed to be Franzen's big year after he signed that life-long contract. Instead, he tore his ACL in an early-season game against Chicago. Of course, he still managed to finish the game and score a goal, thus making the news of his injury even more shocking when it was announced the next day. Franzen's absence left the Wings with a huge hole in their roster and missing him was a major part of their offensive struggles.

He did, however, surprise everyone by returning to the Wings' lineup prior to the Olympics and even taking Tomas Holmstrom's place on Sweden's Olympic squad. After missing that much time, it seemed like he didn't fully round into form until the playoffs. There's no doubt, though, that getting him back on the roster played a huge role in helping the Wings power their way up the standings and into the playoffs down the stretch.

This season should be a much different story for the Mule. He has the ability to take over games when he wants to (case in point: the above-mentioned Game Four) and when he's on his game, it can be a sight to see. I have a feeling we're going to see good things from Franzen this season.

What he needs to do to make me smile: Be the Mule we all know and love.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Part One...

The Good

• Let’s start with the obvious. Herm 2 Hockeytown was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. The extent to which the Red Wings community reaches amazes me. Not only did we bring Herm here to watch a game, but we also raised over $5,000 for Children’s Hospital. Hanging out at Hockeytown, singing Happy Birthday to Jimmy Howard, the tin foil hats, post-gaming at the Town Pump, and visiting Greektown in the middle of the night were just some of the highlights of the night. When I first started blogging, I swore I’d never meet anyone off of the internet. Boy am I glad I broke that promise. There are some truly great people out there in Red Wings Nation.
• One of the best legacies of H2H was the creation of the #redwingscommune a little while later. None of that would have happened without the real life connections we made that weekend. We had Commune gatherings all over the Metro area during the playoffs, and I really think we helped each other survive. We ended up with a whole array of lingo like donut goalies, Drunk Lebda, and Homerbait and there’s nobody I would rather have been with at the end of Game Five.
• At one of our Commune gatherings, we came up with an idea to have a Tin Foil Flashmob at the Joe. Originally, we wanted to rally people to wrap the building with tin foil, but decided that that idea was impractical. Somehow, it evolved into a plan to recruit dancers while passing out tin foil hats outside of the Joe. It was an absolutely absurd idea, but we had a blast. It was crazy and miles away from anything I ever imagined myself doing, but I loved being a part of it.
• Jimmy Howard was a revelation this season. I don’t think many people expected him to perform the way he did. I figured he was a temporary solution until one of the younger goalies was ready for the NHL. He looked awful during the beginning of the season. He managed to turn things around, though, and took over the starter’s job. He was nothing short of brilliant on several occasions. Here’s hoping he can keep it up next season.
• The Olympics were phenomenal. I could’ve done with a different ending, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glued to my TV for the majority of the tournament.
• The fact that Andreas Lilja was able to come back after almost a year on IR was great. I really thought his career was over and that Mickey Redmond was crazy when he started talking about Lils being close to coming back during one of the broadcasts. He provided a much-needed steady influence on the third pairing.
• Game Seven in the first round and Game Four in the second round were amazingly fun. Watching Game Seven at Kukla’s with the commune was a blast, and the Mule’s rampage in Game Four was one for the ages. They were definitely the highlights of the playoffs.
• Brendan Shanahan joining Twitter was one of the best events of the season. That guy makes my life. I expected him to just twitter boring things, but he’s been nothing short of entertaining.
• The Versus announcers once again created another fun new word for us. I’m a big fan of “danglelicious” and feel like a bit of a failure because I don’t use it more often. I’m going to work on that over the summer.
• Another Versus highlight was the addition of Darren McCarty as an intermission commentator. He looked pretty nervous at first, but seems to have settled into the job. It’s nice to have someone on there to make their intermission reports tolerable. If you didn’t already love him, the time they called him a homer and he said that he had four reasons to be a homer surely melted your heart.
• Watching Jimmy Howard go after Sidney Crosby was one of the highlights of the regular season. It even inspired Henrik Zetterberg to deliver one of my favorite quotes of the year: “I saw Jimmy coming in with his glove and Crosby wasn’t there anymore.” Perfect.
• The post-Olympic run that the Wings went on was a blast. We’d been waiting all season for the real Wings to show up, and this stretch catapulted them into the 5th playoff seed. It was the only real display of Red Wing hockey that we got to see all season.
• The NHL’s History Will Be Made commercials were fabulous. Some of the ones toward the end were a little ridiculous, but the initial concept was brilliant. The Datsyuk/Zetterberg one was my personal favorite, though I might be slightly biased in that regard. Other than the fact that it featured my two favorite current players, I liked the fact that it required a little bit of hockey knowledge to understand the “What if” question.
  
• The speechless commercial that debuted during the Finals was pretty awesome, too.
• Johan Franzen didn’t quite live up to his mouthguard-snatching from last season, but I was a big fan of his diving pantomime during a game against Chicago.
  

On a personal note:

• Getting to know you crazy sunshines online and in real life made this season one of the most memorable ever, despite the frustration it induced. It truly was fantastic.
• Meeting Steve Yzerman in November was obviously one of my personal highlights. I still can’t really believe that actually happened.
• My friend getting her foot stuck in one of the seats at the Joe was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. She’s still a little bit bitter about the lack of help that she received from me and the fact that I wrote about it and mentioned the incident on TOV.
• I also managed to make it to more games this season than ever before. This included not one, but two playoff games. Sitting down by the glass with Sara and TPL Mom against San Jose was incredible.
• At one of those games, I got the opportunity to go out on the ice to participate in the turkey bowling game during intermission. I was an incredible failure at it, but my team still managed to win. We got free tickets to another game and got to keep our turkeys. This resulted in my little brother wandering around the Joe carrying a frozen turkey for the next two periods. The pictures we have are priceless.

Red Wings vs. Flames GP...

1. Jimmy Howard has struggled a little since the Olympic break. The layoff seems to have left him a little rusty. Can he hold up in this key game against Calgary?
2. Datsyuk and Bertuzzi both missed practice today. Both are supposed to be ready to go on Tuesday, but if I’ve learned one thing from this season, it’s that the worst-case scenario almost always happens. Will their nagging issues affect their play significantly? It would be a shame to see Datsyuk’s post-Olympic tear suffer because of a flu bug.
3. Over the last little while, the Wings’ powerplay has slowly started to become respectable. Will their special teams keep up the good work, or will one of them start to falter? In the recent past, either the PK or the powerplay seems to be strong, but not both at the same time.
4. From what I read today, Jonathan Ericsson is going to be returning to the lineup tomorrow. How is he going to respond to his benching? Getting sat in favor of Brett Lebda has to be demoralizing for anybody, but especially a guy like Ericsson with his Adonis-like qualities.

It’s looking more and more like it’s going to be a three-horse race for the 7th and 8th seeds in the West. Five points separate the 5/6 teams from 7th place, and there are 4 points between Calgary in 9th and St. Louis in 10th. There’s a pack of teams from 10th to 13th that could definitely challenge if they put together a strong run (Anaheim *cough* Anaheim), and catching up to LA, Colorado, and even Vancouver and Phoenix isn’t out of the question for the Wings if they get going, but I’d put my money on the boys fighting with Nashville and Calgary for those last precious playoff seeds. Losing to Calgary tomorrow isn’t an option for the Wings, but you already knew that. I just hope that they do too.

Red Wings vs. Avalanche GP...

Yesterday, midway through the USA-Canada game, I realized that the Wings were back in action tonight. I’d actually completely forgotten that, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed the Olympics. After spending the last two weeks planted in front of my TV for most of the day watching every second of Olympic coverage, I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with my life. I’d be 100% okay if they decided to have the Olympics every day. In order to fill the void left by the sudden lack of curling, ski jumping, aerials, and biathlon, I guess I’ll have to get back in the swing of blogging.

Before I return to the Wings, though, I have to say that the game yesterday was incredible. The two teams could not have made a better argument for NHL participation in the Olympics if they had brought flow charts and bar graphs. I was absolutely ecstatic when we tied the game in the final minute. Not even I, the ultimate homer, thought that Team USA would medal in these Olympics, so taking Canada to overtime in the gold medal game was incredible. Honestly, the thing that I’m most upset about is the fact that it had to be Crosby who scored the OT winner. He did next to nothing all tournament, but that’s not going to stop him from having statues erected in his honor all over Canada. I would’ve been more than okay if it had been Iginla, who I’ve always respected, or Nash who I have no issues with despite his status as a consistent Wing-destroyer. On the other hand, the shot of Yzerman and co. jumping up in the air after the goal made me feel a lot better. I’m glad Stevie isn’t going to have his Canadian citizenship revoked now.

1. Are the Wings going to come out of the Olympic break as dazed and confused as I am? Or can they continue playing like they did against Ottawa before the break? (That happened this century, right? It’s been a while.)
2. How will the Wings’ Olympians fare after their short break? Only Rafalski played yesterday so the rest of the team should be in pretty good shape. Honestly, Sweden and Russia getting knocked out early might’ve been the best thing to happen to the Wings in a long time.
3. Lilja’s slated to make his long-awaited return to NHL action tonight. It should be interesting, to say the least. How is that going to work out for him and the team? It sure would be a shame to have put Maltby out of action for the rest of the season to make room for the old, turnover-machine version of Lilja.
4. Can Rafalski bring his stellar Olympic play back to the Wings? If he plays like that down the stretch, things are going to be looking happier around here.

Michigan Beats Canada...

I was going to write a recap of the USA-Canada game today, but I never quite got around to it. You'll just have to make do with this:

That game was everything that hockey should be. I had at least 127 moments when my heart stopped. If that doesn't sell people on hockey, nothing will. I recorded NBC while the game was on, and they even cut in to show the last 40 seconds or so after the empty net goal. They then stayed with hockey to show the post-game show, which annoyed me for reasons I don't quite understand. It probably had something to do with the fact that the post-game coverage was pointless and could never do that game justice.

Americans like to make fun of Michigan because we don't have any jobs, and Detroit has long been a punch line for the rest of the country. Those of you who think it's cute to make jokes about crime rates and unemployment should think again next time you want to mock us. There's no way the USA wins that game without Brian Rafalski, Ryan Miller, and Ryan Kesler. (Dear Rafalski, I had better see a ton of that kind of play for the Wings down the stretch. We know you can do it; there are no excuses.)

Kesler's empty netter is easily one of my top three empty net goals ever. I was 99% sure Canada was going to tie up the game during that long stretch they had when we couldn't clear the zone to save our lives, and then things turned around when he put Team USA up by two.

Brad Watson made the call that gave Canada the powerplay on which they narrowed the USA's lead to one goal in the third period. I'm just saying...

That was the most fun I've had watching a hockey game in a long time. The world would be a much better place if every game was like that one.

Red Wings 4, Senators 1: Post Game Snipes...

• It felt like it had been three years since the Wings won a game. They needed these two points. Of course, all of the teams they needed to lose tonight won, so there was no improvement in the standings.
• The little pre-game ceremony for the Olympians was very nice. (And for a change, the Wings didn’t totally disintegrate after a ceremony.) We learned that Homer’s son skates exactly like his dad and Bertuzzi’s son has the same haircut. I liked the fact that they recognized the guys from Ottawa too.
• I hope I wasn’t the only one who was thrilled beyond belief when Maltby scored the Wings’ first goal.
• Homer left the game after re-aggravating his injury. It’s looking less likely that he’s going to be playing for Team Sweden and more likely that Franzen’s going to be taking his place.
• It was nice to see the powerplay working for a change.
• After the Sens’ first goal, the Wings started to sit back, and I was afraid that we were going to get to watch the same tired script play out for the zillionth time this season. Luckily, the Wings were able to get it together and hang onto their lead.
  

GP Answers:
1. This is the last game before the Olympic break, and losing it really isn’t an option. Can the Wings pull off a win so we can have slightly less stress over the next two weeks?
Indeed they did. I know I’m going to sleep a little better during the break. The Wings’ position didn’t really change, but a game like that should allow everyone to sleep just a little more easily.

2. If Maltby decides to have his shoulder operated on, there’s a very real possibility that tonight could be his last game in a Wings uniform. It would put him out of the lineup until the end of the regular season, and at this point, there’s no guarantee that there will be more games beyond that. Can he make this game memorable?
How about scoring that first goal? If this really was his last game in a Wings uniform, I’m glad that it was one that he and the rest of the team can be proud of. Regardless of what happens, he’s a guy who I’ve always liked, dating back to his days on the Grind Line. It also speaks to the way the Wings’ organization treats its players.

3. Meech as a forward? How’s that going to work out for the Wings?
He didn’t play much, but managed to pick up an assist in his 4:29 of ice time. This is one of the reasons that I think he’s more valuable than Lebda is. Not only does he make less money, but he can also fill in up front in an emergency.

4. What percentage of this game are the Wings going to show up to play? It’s anybody’s guess.
This was definitely one of the Wings’ most consistent efforts of the season. There was a stretch in the second period when they looked like they were going to sit back and let Ottawa take the play to them, but they recovered quickly. Overall, I was pleased.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Pavel Datsyuk
He was the best player on the ice again. That shot he took from between his legs was incredible. So was one of his rushes that he nearly buried. He’s really been cranking things up lately after a sleepy start to the season. Let’s hope he comes out of the Olympics with the same kind of fire.

An Extra Stick Tap for Kirk Maltby
Just because.

Todd Bertuzzi gets the Golden Facepalm
He named his son Tag. And let him have a faux-hawk/mullet. I’m not okay with that.

What I Learned:
The Wings continue to outclass every organization in professional sports. Maybe things like the pre-game ceremony and the Maltby situation don’t mean much, but they make me smile. We’re pretty lucky here in Hockeytown.

Red Wings vs. Senators GP...

1. This is the last game before the Olympic break, and losing it really isn’t an option. Can the Wings pull off a win so we can have slightly less stress over the next two weeks?
2. If Maltby decides to have his shoulder operated on, there’s a very real possibility that tonight could be his last game in a Wings uniform. It would put him out of the lineup until the end of the regular season, and at this point, there’s no guarantee that there will be more games beyond that. Can he make this game memorable?
3. Meech as a forward? How’s that going to work out for the Wings?
4. What percentage of this game are the Wings going to show up to play? It’s anybody’s guess. Ottawa's been hot lately, so maybe the Wings will actually look alive.

I have no idea what I’m going to be doing here during the Olympics. I haven’t had time to think that far ahead. Of course, I’d be in a lot better mood if we had some Olympic coverage on American TV currently. I wish the games were still on CBC. That was one of the biggest perks of being a Metro-Detroiter. I’ve officially decided that NBC’s only redeeming quality is The Office.

Red Wings vs. Sharks GP...

1. Franzen looked good on Tuesday night. Can he keep that up in his second game back, or it his conditioning going to be a problem after all of the time that he missed?
2. What percentage of the game will the Wings decide to play tonight? The fact that this needs to be asked on a regular basis is disgusting.
3. If the Wings win, they’ll move two points ahead of Anaheim and could potentially tie Calgary. If they lose, they’ll slip down to 10th place. Double digits is not a place you want to be this time of the year. Can they pull off a big win?
4. Homer’s been announced as a game-time decision. It sounds like he’s only going to be playing as a test for the Olympics. I’m not sure I like that, even though I’d be glad to have him back in the lineup. Will he go tonight? Will he be able to do anything worthwile?
5. Are they walking Kronwall’s new knee brace to Detroit? I would’ve volunteered to go pick it up and deliver it myself if I knew it would take this long. It leads me to believe that it’s more than just a case of wanting a new brace. Still though, that man needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap at all times.

Side notes:
What do you guys think of the GPs? They’re getting pretty tedious to write, but I’m not sure what I’d replace them with at this point. I’m thinking of eliminating the questions that usually end up being pointless and just putting some notes related to the game. Any suggestions?

I’m also going to be missing most of the game tonight. I have a dinner meeting that got rescheduled for tonight, and even though it’s at a place with TVs, I’m going to be doing most of the talking so slacking off isn’t an option. You can direct any complaints to Disney…even though it’s only tangentially their fault. Thank goodness for my DVR, which gets severely overworked on Thursday nights.

2009-2010 Player Profiles: Dan Cleary...

OK, it’s that time of year. Hockey’s so close that you can almost taste it. By my count, there are 22 days remaining before the Wings kick off their season in Sweden (which is still entirely too many, but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel). In order to pass the time, I’ll be posting a player profile every day until then (in alphabetical order, because I’m one of those people). I want to make it very clear that these are not predictions, because I do not, under any circumstance, make predictions. They’re simply my thoughts on each player’s performances last season, and my hopes and expectations for them this time around. Today’s subject:

Dan Cleary

2008-2009 Regular Season: 74 GP, 14-26-40, +/- 0, 46 PIM
2009 Playoffs: 23 GP, 9-6-15, +/- 17, 12 PIM

Season Highlight: Scoring the series-clinching goal in Game 7 against Anaheim.
Season Lowlight: I'm not a guy, but I would imagine that this was not a pleasant moment in Cleary's life.

Last season was all about the playoffs for Dan Cleary. Everyone’s favorite Newfoundlander really turned things up, especially in the later rounds. He managed to score 9 goals in only 23 games, as compared to 14 goals in 74 regular season games. However, the really mind blowing stat is his team high +17. To put it in perspective, at that pace, he would’ve ended up +60 over the course of the regular season. Throughout the playoffs, he was a huge factor, and despite playing through a significant groin injury during the Finals, there were times when he seemed like one of the few Wings putting forth any effort toward the end. In fact, his all around play was so impressive that he earned himself an invitation to Canada’s Olympic camp.

This season, I fully expect him to top the 40 point mark he set during the regular season last year. He’s going to pick up some of the ice time vacated by the off-season departures, and this should help his numbers. He’s been able to be successful on every line Babcock’s put him on, and this will be beneficial since the Wings’ forward lines don’t appear to be very well-defined at this point. I’m also looking for him to improve his +/- this season, as I’m choosing to assume that his less-than-impressive 0 last season was a result of the general defensive malaise that the Wings suffered through last season.

It also wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see him play himself onto Canada’s Olympic roster. There’s no doubt that that would stir a huge amount of controversy north of the border, but I really believe that you need guys like him on the roster in order to succeed. From his comments, he seems to be taking the right approach to the whole situation, in that he says he doesn’t feel any pressure to make the team. Some of the fringe players at the camp might spend the beginning of the season trying just a little too hard to play their way onto the team, but I don’t see Cleary doing that. If he ends up getting to play in Vancouver, I’ll be thrilled for him. If not, then he’ll get two weeks of rest, which is all the better for the Wings.

What he needs to do to make me happy: Provide energy on a nightly basis and chip in with a timely goal every now and then.

Datsyuk on Cozy Chelios, His NHL Career, the Olympics, and Detroit's Economy...

I came across this Russian interview with Pavel Datsyuk somehow, but I honestly can't remember where I found the link. I even flipped through Google Reader again to try to figure it out, but then I realized that my time could be spent doing much more valuable things. (Update 9/9/09 9:06 PM: Thanks to commenter rednuck, for pointing out that I got the link from the Hockeytown Blog.) Anyway, the automatic translation is a little bit shaky, but there's some interesting stuff in there. Highlights:

-Sooner or later career in the NHL is over, go back to Russia? Moreover, the track has already trampled - in this year's Fedorov, Zubov, Kozlov, before - Radulov, Yashin, Jagr. It was playing back home?

-In Russia, I'll be back, but the game... It is hard to guess, career - something unpredictable. We plan, but something does not work. While there is interesting, the strongest league there, where I evolve, so I'm happy to play in the NHL. But I still did not finish the thought. I would like to finish his career in Russia, but how it happened, do not know. For me it would be fine as long as possible to play "Detroit", thank heartily, and then travel to Kazan, a year there and then - in Ekaterinburg. Make a circle forward and finish in the reverse direction. But as happens - will decide "on top".

I have no idea what the last sentence is supposed to mean, but I'm glad that he intends to stay in "Detroit" as long as possible.

-So maybe if you are currently out of Russia received an advantageous offer, it is worth it to consider?

-Well, do something it can and will do, but I would prefer to play where the best league, and more opportunities, where you can progress.

You tell 'em, Pav.

-Paul, you've already 31. How much time in the big hockey still move your own?

-This is actually a complex question. I would like, for example, as Chelios - he's 47, but he still plays. This year, it is true, not signed, but looking at him, you understand that there is no limit to perfection. This man truly legendary, cozy, with its interesting history. On the other hand, want to try their hand at more than anything. Play up to 40 years, to realize all their dreams and possibilities. Then a little more time to play in Russia, to pay tribute to Russia's fans. 40 - the same kind abroad, after which everything must change.

Cozy? Chris Chelios? I don't even know. I'm going to write that off as one of the delights of Google translator. I'll gladly take Datsyuk until he's 40, though. And beyond if he wants to stay.

-Meanwhile, the leadership of the NHL has plans to ban professionals to participate in the Olympics. How do you think, whether such plans realized? And in fact: whether impede Games hockey players and team owners. For the first season after becoming saturated, and the latter lose money for two weeks of downtime league.

-Can still. I think that the Olympics really interfere: and for us, and for the masters team is tough. But probably all be happy to go to the Games. I think that is the most important and serious tournament for hockey players. But it's hard, takes a lot of health and nerves. In Canada, of course, did not abolish, but in Russia, in the sense - in Sochi, I do not know how they will do it. I'd love to go, the desire to eat, but everything will depend on my professional capacity and demand. We have young people coming.

He has an interesting take on the Olympics. By "masters team," I'm assuming he means the NHL clubs, but I could be wrong. I'm also assuming that "desire to eat" is some kind of idiom that got lost in translation. My final assumption is that my commentary is utterly pointless, but I'll probably keep typing anyway.

-But this one time we Favorites Olympics? We have two consecutive wins at the world championships, this was not long ago. And Canadians do well in the finals twice been beaten once - on their ice. However, without your participation ...

-That's it, that without my participation and won. But I, of course, closely followed the Championships, very happy for our guys and for the fans who helped. Favorites - it says loudly. Favorites much, but the tournament is very short. Here, everything will be solved in a finite interval.

Was the first line of this a Pavel Datsyuk quip? We'll never know, but I'll give Dangle Dangle the benefit of the doubt.

There's also a lengthy exchange about the economy in general, and its effects on hockey attendance in Detroit in particular. A couple of exchanges:

-And in hockey how?

-Previously, it was impossible to get to the match, and now even points are free, somewhere you can even buy season tickets. But we are fans, they love hockey and go to games, thanks to them for that, it is nice to play for them.

Seeing The Joe partially empty hasn't been fun, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't love the cheap ticket deals they've been running in order to get bodies into seats.

-What general impact on the U.S. crisis? The surface like nothing has changed: airplanes and airports are overcrowded as usual, in cafes and shops, the customer enough. But you then live there permanently and the situation inside know better.

-I have already said that the fans are going to fewer matches. Even now, a lot of houses put up for sale. Just call in the street and see a number with so many houses to sell ads. Every day, these houses are, nobody buys. The same can be said about the office - much to rent or even sell. People become less cars less. This is probably due to the fact that people are leaving from Detroit where they can find work. From relatives and friends began to hear a lot about the complexities of the work. Even in the cafes and restaurants occupancy is not the same. Previously had to make reservations, and now more or less calmly, we can hope for is something that just come and be a free table.

I'm probably going to be one of those people leaving Detroit to find work in the next year or so, and that depresses me more than I ever thought it would back in high school. I don't care how many times Detroit's used as a punchline, there's nothing like taking a walk through downtown Ann Arbor yesterday and seeing a dozen Wings T-shirts. On Labor Day. Nowhere else in the US can hold a candle to Hockeytown.

Wings Blogger Roundtable Day 1: Olympics...

In order to help overcome our extreme off-season-induced boredom, Christy Hammond organized eleven of us Wings bloggers to discuss different topics in a Roundtable of epic proportions. She started us off today with some questions about the Olympics over at Winging it in Motown, and the series will be continuing on different blogs over the course of the next week and a half. Since there are eleven of us, it’s a bit lengthy, but definitely worth the time. Tomorrow’s edition will be hosted by George Malik over at Snapshots, so be sure to check it out. I’ll be hosting Friday’s post.

A Little Taste of Hockey...

I just watched the end of Canada’s Red/White scrimmage. It didn’t mean much, but it was glorious to see some live hockey. The scrimmage ended in a 2-2 tie. Even if it was a grainy little video on my laptop. Honestly, I think my favorite part was listening to the sounds of the game without the broadcasters talking. You could hear the crowd noise, the skate blades cutting into the ice, and the crack of every tape-to-tape pass. It was like music to my ears. Can the off-season be over yet? I’m totally ready for training camp to start.

After the game, every forward took a shot in the shootout. Dan Cleary scored on his attempt. I screencapped it, but it didn’t come out spectacularly well. Cleary's Red Team ended up winning the shootout 6-2, for what it's worth.





In other news, Sidney Crosby was in the handshake line. I even managed to not make any wisecracks about it. That’s him in the middle in white, if you care. You can’t make out Cleary, but he’s the guy in red, second from the right.


For a more detailed description of the scrimmage, check out ESPN's NHL blog, which has a period by period description of the fun.

The NHL Schedule and Video Madness...

So the NHL released next season’s schedule yesterday. This is always an exciting day for me because now I can plan my life for the next 10 months or so. My friends and family now know the 82 times between October and April during which they should not attempt to contact me. This is very important for them because over the years, they’ve learned to check the score of the Wings game before asking me for something. If things are going well, then they’ll hop on the phone asking for favors galore. If things aren’t looking so hot, they know to put off their requests until such time as I’m likely to be cheerful.

I’m really looking forward to the games in Sweden. If I had money instead of school, I’d totally be there. Unfortunately, that’s not how my life has worked out to this point. So instead, I’ll be chilling on the couch, celebrating the fact that the football game is away that weekend, and diving right back into my obsessive fandom.

I’m not going to go over the schedule. Enough people have done that already, and I don’t have much to add. Someone commented on Snapshots that the March schedule is brutal. I’d have to agree with that. I don’t think it’s going to be any different for any other teams though. The NHL schedulers have been lauded for not increasing the number of back-to-back games this year to account for the Olympic break. Instead there are just more one-day breaks between games. This is good for me as a fan, maybe not so good for the players. Remember last year when there was that five or six day-long gap in the Wings’ schedule for no apparent reason? That was miserable. None of that this year.

Other things of note: the Wings play Pittsbugh twice. I half expected the NHL to schedule them to play against the Pens in their home opener just so Gary Bettman could get the satisfaction of forcing them to watch the banner raise. Thankfully, the Hockey Gods aren’t quite cruel enough to allow that. They also play Alex Ovechkin and the Caps twice, which is nice since he’s only played at the Joe once before (Thanks for that, NHL and your misguided attempt to force teams into rivalries.). Other than that, it’s nice to see the New Year’s Eve game return. Not that the Winter Classic wasn’t worth it last year, but it was a little bit sad to miss that tradition last year.

Now that the schedule’s out, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Summer’s never been my favorite season. Some kids reveled in their summers, thrilled to be off of school and enjoying the weather. I spent my summers dreaming of ice and free agents and October. I realize that this isn’t entirely normal, but it is what it is. I can totally sympathize with this article, written by Paul Kukla of Kukla’s Korner fame for NHL.com. It’s pretty much the story of my life.

Snapshots pointed me to this video of Darren McCarty at the hockey camp at the Joe. Because, clearly, as a Wings fan, you needed another reason to love the guy.

I also stumbled across this on YouTube. It’s not necessarily Red Wings-related, but it made my friend and I laugh hysterically. There’s apparently a whole series of them on YouTube using the same clip. The Michael Jackson one’s pretty good too. In other amazing hockey-related video news, head over to Japers' Rink and check out these two videos. It’ll be worth your while. I promise.

I’m not even going to touch the Jiri Hudler saga. That one’s just going to have to play itself out. I can’t shake the feeling that the Wings are getting completely hosed with the whole deal, but I’m not one of those people who thinks that it’s intentional on the NHL’s part. I think they’ve been looking for a chance to make this an issue for a while, and the Wings were just lucky enough to be the ones to get caught in the cross-fire. I really don’t see Hudler suiting up for the Wings next season. I just think it would be nice to be able to get something back for developing him as an asset. You’re not supposed to lose valuable RFAs for nothing. Unless you fail to mail their qualifying offers in time. Oh no, what kind of postal nightmare have I brought upon myself for daring to mock them again? I’m going to leave you with that while I go cower in a corner and await the terrible consequences of that last comment.

Old News, But Worth Mentioning...

Due to my preoccupation with the “Free Agent Frenzy” last week, I failed to mention that our very own Dan Cleary is headed to the Canadian Olympic camp. While I won’t be rooting for him to win gold, I do hope that he makes the team and has a good tournament personally. I feel the same way about the Wings’ other surefire Olympians. As much as I like them as players, my loyalty to good old Team USA supersedes Red Wing ties during the Olympics. Seriously though, I have a growing soft spot for Cleary, or Clear Bear as I like to call him for some inexplicable reason. He’s the kind of blue-collar guy Detroit fans have a long and storied history of falling for. People were criticizing Steve Yzerman (I know, I didn’t think that was allowed either. Frankly I’m surprised that those who dared disparage The Captain weren’t immediately smote by the Hockey Gods.) for inviting Cleary instead of some higher-scoring guys, but every team needs guys like him. Apparently Stevie Y’s critics never watched Miracle.

It’s also worth noting that Ozzie wasn’t invited to the camp. I didn’t really figure he’d make the team, but I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him on the invite list. While I’m sure it’d be nice for him to get to play for Team Canada at the Olympics next year, him staying home isn’t the worst thing in the world. He’s going to be starting a lot more games this season what with Jimmy Howard backing him up, so a little extra rest might pay dividends down the road. It would’ve been really nice to see him get that kind of recognition nationally, though. Oh well, there are younger guys out there, and while I don’t have a vested interest in the fate of Canada’s team, Steve Yzerman has never given me reason to doubt him before. If nothing else, Ozzie can file this away in that mental bank of snubs and disrespect that he seems to thrive off of in pressure situations. And as a Wings fan, nothing brings a smile to my face better than the though of a riled-up Chris Osgood dead set on proving his critics wrong.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure everyone else on the Wings roster is going to be in Vancouver for the Olympics. A lot of people seem to be saying that that’s a bad thing for their Stanley Cup chances, but clearly those people don’t remember 2002. Granted, there weren’t quite as many Wings in that tournament (based on my assumptions for this year) but these guys are pros and they’ll do what they need to do to get ready for the playoffs. I hope.

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.