3/18-3/19 Off Day Updates

     Gustav Nyquist was re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins Monday, and the Griffins have a game tonight. It's frustrating not to have Nyquist, who is sill leading the AHL in scoring, playing and getting crucial NHL experience; I think we were all disappointed that he was a healthy scratch Saturday. If Babcock isn't going to play him Wednesday though, better to send him back to Grand Rapids so he can play for the Griffins instead of twiddling his thumbs in Detroit. As frustrating as it must be for Nyquist not to get the opportunity to play in Detroit, though most fans agree that he should, and to be called up yet only play 16:42 on Friday (1:22 of that on the power play) and then be a healthy scratch Saturday; he's still being professional in how he responds. In response to being sent back down to the AHL,

"It’s still a league that you can improve and learn the systems a little bit better." 

I give him full marks for maintaining a positive attitude and continuing to learn and improve. Holland said they will reasses things on Thursday and may bring Nyquist back up for the California trip starting Friday.



     Justin Abdelkader could barely walk Saturday morning. Sometime during the second period Friday night against the Edmonton Oilers, Abdelkader's foot got stepped on and sliced almost to the bone. The skate blade cut through the laces, skate tongue, sock and his foot. When he took off his skate during the second intermission he said he could see almost all the way down to the bone. The medical staff numbed his foot, gave him 8-10 stitches, and Abby came out in the third and finished the game. Team masseur Sergei Tchekmarev rigged up a piece of plastic with a hole in it and fit it on to Abby's skate to help keep some of the pressure off his foot. Saturday Abdelkader was a game time decision in Vancouver, but ultimately decided he could play, and ended up with two goals for his effort. Datsyuk banked two goals in off Abby, the first off his injured foot, and the other off his chest.

“I’m just a firing range for Pav,'' Abdelkader said. “I’ll take it."

“I’m just trying to get to the net for him (Pavel) and Mule. Mule’s shooting a lot and I’m just trying to be physical for those guys and hang on to pucks and get pucks to them.”

"Sometimes they're not the prettiest, but I'll take them," Abdelkader said. "I haven't been getting the best of breaks all year, so any time you can get a couple of breaks like that, it was nice. Playing with Pav, you just have to get to net, and he's going to find you or your stick. I'm fortunate to play with him."

“I think that was the first time in my career that I scored two goals and they didn’t touch my stick.”

"He's playing better and better,'' Babcock said of Abdelkader. "He's a big man, and the lockout didn't help him. He's really gotten skating and is playing with two real good players and goes to the net every time. He gets them the puck and goes to the net. Pretty simple plan for him, but it's working and he's playing well and he's physical for us. He's a huge factor out there."

All indications are that Abby will be good to go tomorrow against the Wild. Today Abdelkader visited Wick Elementary school in Romulus to read The Little Engine That Could to the second graders. I don't think they could have picked a better story for him to read right now. :)

What does Datsyuk say about Abdelkader?

“It’s my partners who work hard to make everything that happened,'' Datsyuk said. “Abby, he just go and fight through injury. Looks like he don’t need a stick now anymore to score.”
Datsyuk said he likes playing with Abdelkader because he does the dirty work, likening him to somebody who “pulls the piano'' as opposed to playing it.
“Some people can see how tough (his) work is that he does,'' Datsyuk said. “He gets the puck to me or goes back in front of the net and fights for every puck. Some people only measure him if he scores. But, if you see him total, he does a lot of hard jobs.''

If you didn't see the post-game interview with Pavel Datsyuk from Saturday, you really want to watch it.

With quotes like this, why wouldn't you?

Reporter “Pavel, you hadn’t scored in a while, do you think about that at this age?”

Pavel  with a mischievous grin “Age?” “Say I hear age?”

Reporter “experience”

Pavel “Oh, ok, I think age” “Of course, like, we no play great last few games” “I try to don’t think and play for team” “ask me and it’s going to remind me”

 On the play with Franzen:

“They make the play, they see I’m coming behind a little bit late but I pick up my speed and they waiting and uh just deliver it. Like mailbox”

     Kyle Quincey will be out 4-6 weeks after suffering multiple fractures to his cheek bone after taking a puck to the face in Edmonton Friday night. We still don't know for sure if he's going to require surgery, since the full damage can't be determined yet because his face is still swollen so badly.

     With the injury to Quincey, it looks like Ian White, who replaced Quincey in the lineup Saturday in Vancouver, will return to making regular appearances in the lineup after being a healthy scratch in eight of the last eleven games. It appears Kent Huskins will remain the odd man out and is the only healthy scratch on defense.

  We still don't know whether Todd Bertuzzi (back) or Carlo Colaiacovo (shoulder) will play at all this season, but the news isn't good for either one. Colaiacovo was close to returning a couple weeks ago, but then has a setback and at this point they don't know if he'll be back this season. Bertuzzi is not doing well either. He has issues with a couple of the discs in his back and he's hoping to avoid surgery, but should know in about a week if he'll need it or not. A bulging disk between his L3 and L4 vertebrae pinched a nerve and sent Bert to the hospital for four days back in February and he's been in so much pain since then that he's been "nearly immobile at times for more than a month". Not only is Bertuzzi dealing with excruciating pain, but because he's unable to play, practice or workout, he's also experiencing muscle atrophy and Bill Roose reported that Bert has already lost three centimeters around his right thigh; which has severely reduced his ability to push of while skating, among other things.

“I've been doing the elliptical for a couple of days now and gradually try to get better every day and see if I can get to the point where I can get back on the ice and start skating,'' Bertuzzi said.

 At this point I don't expect to get Bert back this season at all, and I'm quickly losing hope that Bert will be able to finish out his career on his own terms.

     We got more disappointing new about Helm yesterday.  He was on the ice for practice and was expected to play tomorrow when the Red Wings host the Minnesota Wild, but he left the ice after about 10 minutes and it was announced that he had another setback. He had a slightly torn disk in his back and he's only played 7:23 this season the game January 25th against the Wild. Babcock heaped more praise on the injured Helm...

“We're in crunch time; guys who are playing and playing well aren't losing their jobs to people that are coming back unless the guy coming back has earned the right to play over time,'' Babcock said. “Helmer, we'd welcome back at any time. Let's not kid ourselves. He's a good player. Now, does it get to a point where he can't help us? Not the Helmer I know. The Helmer I know can help us at any time.'

"He flat-out can just dominate in the bottom six,"

We're waiting on more news about Helm, and good news would certainly be welcome.

     Patrick Eaves left practice early today after he took a puck to the jaw... again. Fortunately his jaw wasn't fractured and is just sore. He is day to day and if he can't play tomorrow we'll have to call someone up from Grand Rapids because we don't have any extra healthy forwards. That's depressing.

     Zetterberg also left the ice early during practice today, creating panic, mass hysteria and a sudden urge to smash things- or maybe that was just my reaction. Fifteen minutes later however, it was reported that Zetterberg was "springing down the concourse" so he seemed to be just fine. I think this was a new technique to try to make us fans forget all the depressing injury news by creating relief and elation that Zetterberg was not in fact injured; momentarily taking focus away from all the disappointing injury news. However, Ansar Khan said that Datsyuk left the ice early as well because of the flu, but both Datsyuk and Zetterberg are expected to play tomorrow.

     Samuelsson, who is recovering from a broken finger, tried stick handling for the first time in practice Tuesday. He had been skating on his own after practices, but this was the first time he's tried anything with his stick.

“It was strictly skating, no stick handling, today was the first time stick handling... If I set a date (to return) it’ll be missed probably anyway. I’m taking one day at a time, but it feels better though, but I’m not quite there yet. Maybe a week...It’s a bad finger, top hand and the index finger...To have a splint or something, I’ve tried that, but it’s the stick on your one hand as well so you want to have it (OK). It’s not the best finger.”

Practice lines today were:

Justin Abdelkader-Pavel Datsyuk-Johan Franzen

Valtteri Filppula-Henrik Zetterberg-Damien Brunner

Danny Cleary-Joakim Andersson-Patrick Eaves

Drew Miller-Cory Emmerton-Jordin Tootoo



Niklas Kronwall-Jonathan Ericsson

Brian Lashoff-Brendan Smith

Jakub Kindl-Ian White

Kent Huskins

Jimmy Howard (starting Wednesday)

Jonas Gustavsson

Nyquist up, Tatar down, Flip back, and injury updates.

 It started with a tweet.

The Red Wings have recalled Gustav Nyquist from Grand Rapids and reassigned Tomas Tatar to the Griffins, GM Ken Holland said.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) March 12, 2013

  The reaction in Wings nation seemed to range from "Yeah Goose! Poor Tatar!" to "This is bull shit I want them Both now, what the hell is Babcock/Holland doing?!" It's true, you can never please everyone, and I'm darn glad the Wings organization doesn't try. What a heap of doodoo we'd be in if they listened to us fans. 

Filppula is coming off IR (either playing tomorrow or Saturday) so we do need to send someone down in order to bring Goose up.

In regards to sending Tatar down to Grand Rapids, Babcock said:

I think Filppula’s back in so suddenly there’s no power-play time for Tatar. We’ll give Gus an opportunity. I thought (Tatar) played good. I thought he played good and he did good things. If suddenly you’re not on the power play, where’s (Tatar) getting his touches? We don’t perceive him as ahead of Fil.

In practice today, Babcock had the following lines:

24-40-51
93-13-14
8-63-11
17/20-25-22

With Flip coming back it appears that Babcock is going back to looking for offense from the 2nd line (instead of using it as a shut down/defensive line).

     There was a Holland quote today where he said that he hadn’t wanted to bring Nyquist up unless he was going to get play in the top 6, and with so many of our top 6 injured, and Babcock using the 2nd line as a defensive/shutdown line, Nyquist wasn’t going to be playing in the top 6, so he stayed in Grand Rapids. Tatar can play the bottom 6, more grinder/physical style if he needs to, Nyquist isn’t as effective at that roll.
These lineup changes make both the 2nd line and Andersson’s lines better when you look at the whole picture. It sucks that Tatar was sent back down, but in return we get Flip back, Nyquist up and on Datsyuk’s wing and Abby and cleary back where they belong. It’s just logistics and what can be done to serve the greatest good for the team as a whole. Dare I say I like the looks of those lines?

     I think Goose will probably stay in the top 6 while he’s up here (I hope). Abby and Cleary were on the 2nd line because we only had 4 top 6 players healthy. Knowing that we couldn’t put together 2 true top 2 lines with only 4 top 6 players, Babcock chose to use the 2nd line not as a true “2nd line” in it’s function, that’s why Abby and Cleary were put with Datsyuk. He knew our “2nd” line wasn’t going to be able to be successfully offensive against the other team’s 2nd lines, so he use it as a defensive shut down line. With Flip coming back, and Nyquist coming up, we now have an actual 2nd line again, that can be a scoring line. Since that is now its purpose again, I doubt Babcock would compromise it by putting Abby or Cleary back up, even if Goose starts off slowly.

     Also, Holland not wanting to call Goose up unless he was going to be on the top lines tells me that he’s discussed this with Babcock, and if the plan wasn’t to keep Goose in the top 6, then Holland probably wouldn’t have called him up in the first place.


Also on the players returning from IR front Khan said

Filppula looks like he’ll be back Wed. Helm at least a week away. Bertuzzi and Colaiacovo not coming back anytime soon.

I asked Khan about new on Samuelsson and he said

@slapshotg0al @wingsfan5 Samuelsson not on Western Canada trip. They hope he returns during West Coast trip (March 22-28) or shortly after.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) March 12, 2013

The only news of Todd Bertuzzi I could find was a quote from Holland that said

“We were optimistic a few weeks ago, but then [Bertuzzi]s back wasn’t feeling so good,” Holland said. “On Friday there was optimism again. We’re going to give it another week to 10 days and then decide where he’s at.”

And word from Chuck Pleiness that Bertuzzi is able to do workouts right now, which is progress.

Colaiacovo is a bit mysterious because last I heard it was a shoulder injury, and a I think it was last week we heard he was "almost ready to go" and then suddenly no news at all. I have no idea what's going on with him. 

Helm is closer to a couple weeks away, but he’s making progress and that’s encouraging.
Dana Wakiji tweeted that Helm said he’s aiming at returning around March 20 and tweeted some quotes from Helm.
Helm said:

There are still a few things I want to overcome, strengthening it, I really don’t want to feel any pain after skates. I did take a big step after last week. I started skating Monday, little twirls around the rink, nothing really too hard. Thursday, Friday I pushed a little harder. Today was the first day I’ve been on with the team in five or six weeks. I felt that I could push myself pretty hard out there. I was getting a little tired there since I’ve been out so long. A couple weeks ago we kind of said (March) 20 against Minny, not positive how close we were going to be to that. I want to be as healthy as I can before I get back out there and not a thought in my mind about it. We’ve come so far to have a little setback here. We’re definitely taking it slow and smart and making sure we do this right. Conditioning still I’m pretty far away, strengthening I’m still pretty far away, probably a good wk or a wk and a bit away. I don’t think my legs will take as long, but timing will. It’ll take a while for me to get back to where I want to be at.

We're finally starting to get some good news on the injury front, we have 2 top 2 lines again, I'm going to remain realistically optimistic.

Deep breathe, 
Let's Go Red Wings!
 

Q & A with Petr Mrazek

The Griffins hosted a question and answer session with Petr Mrazek on Reddit.

Below are the questions and answers in an easy to read format, so you don't have to dig through the original post (unless you want to). It's apparent from his answers that Mrazek has a great sense of humor.

Enjoy!



Can you describe the general difference in average skill between each league? How much faster is each league than the level before it? Do you have any problems adjusting to the speed between leagues?

 NHL is harder in front of the net. AHL faster because they're younger guys who want to show up. ECHL isn't much different because you have to stop the puck everywhere.
No problems.

Who is the Griffins:
Biggest practical joker
Best roommate
Most serious
Who would you rather not face in a shootout: Nyquist, Tatar, or Jurco?

Triston Grant
Almquist
Jeff Hoggan
All three I would take. At the same time.

I'd love to hear your experience about when drafted by the wings (before called, when on stage, after) did you have any idea they were interested in you?

No idea.

I thought you played very well against St. Louis. What was the intimidating aspect of playing in your first NHL game?

You're excited. When I first stepped on the ice for the warmup I thought I could be nervous, but I wasn't.

Do you have any strange pre-game rituals? Apparently many goalies do.

I don't have anything special. Nap and just go and play.

You are Czech, is there a noticeable difference between Czech and North American hockey rituals/dressing room atmosphere/intensity etc..?

In dressing rooms it's the same atmosphere. There's more fans here. The rink is smaller so the hockey is faster.

Do the goaltending coaches work with your game, or do they try to get you to play a certain way?

We work before the game and at practice, we keep my style, just work on getting better at it.

Hockey goalies have a reputation for being somewhat weird. Do you think you fit the stereotype, and if so why?

Players think goalies are weird, but we think players are weirder.

Do you trust your eyes with Dr. Ramani?

Sure, like every player.

If you were a forward, what type of player would you want to be?

Center.

Why #34? If there is a reason

No, they gave me the number. I would love to have number three.

Your favorite post game meal? Besides a puck

Besides a puck, pasta with alfredo sauce and chicken.

Who do you think is the best goalie of all time?

Patrick Roy, Brodeur, Hasek

Before the red wings picked you were you a fan of any NHL team?

Detroit and Vancouver.

Favourite hockey moment/memory?

First NHL game.

Who had the hardest shot that you've every faced?

Ryan Suter.

How funny is Pavel Datsyuk in person? Thanks for doing this!

He’s a really good guy and funny too.

Have you worked with Chris Osgood at all? If so how was the overall experience?

We work with him often in Grand Rapids. Good guy.

Who is your favorite goalie in the NHL?

I like Fleury

What's currently on your ipod?

Hip hop or dance

What's your favorite thing about being a goalie?

I liked hockey when I was young and when Czech won Olympics in 98 I wanted to be in net.

Hey Petr! Could you give the story behind the paintjob on your lid? Congratulations on all your success thus far!

Our trainer Brad Thompson came up with that idea. I think it's cool because my name is Petr and our team is the Griffins. Get it?

Do you have any hobbies that you're passionate about?

Soccer and golf

What was your favourite thing to do in Ottawa other than hockey? This could be a tough question... lol.

Hanging out with the boys or Czech friends.

What's the biggest transition between international ice and North American ice? Which do you prefer?

North American ice. Faster and closer.

I have been to a few Griffins games this year and I'm always disappointed with the crowd size. Do players notice when the crowd is "light"? Is it disheartening?

I like when it's crowded. It's quiet when it's not. Better hockey.

Thanks for your time with the 67's. When you were in Ottawa what was your favourite restaurant ? What are your preferred pregame and post game snacks/meals.

My favorite restaurant was Johnny Farinas. Italian food you can't go wrong with.

Who has the best shot on the Red Wings?

Franzen

Have you ever eaten a puck?

No I didn't, but if you want to do it, put it in the oven. Maybe some salt and pepper.

Who are you beside in the Griffins dressing room and Red Wings dressing room?

I'm next to Billins and Howard in Detroit.

If you weren't drafted by the red wings what other team would you have liked to draft you?

Probably Vancouver, LA, or San Jose.

Petr Mrazek AHL All Star Game Highlights

     It's all about Petr Mrazek today. In addition to being called up by the Red Wings yesterday, today he was named the AHL player of the week. 

     The AHL All Star game was last week and Gustav Nyquist, Chad Billins and Petr Mrazek got to participate. Mrazek was impressive and stopped all 6 shooters in the breakaway challenge, denied 9 out of 10 rapid fire shots, including all 5 from Derek Meech, and stopped 2 out of 3 shots in the pass and score event. Below are some video highlights

Mrazek stopped all 6 shooters in the Breakaway Challenge. I particularly love the save on Miller because Mrazek wasn't fooled for a second.

Mrazek stopped 9/10 shots in the Rapid Fire Competition. The announcers said (and it looked like) 2 went in, but the official results from the AHL said only 1 went in.

Mrazek stopped 2/3 in the Pass and Score Event

Petr Mrazek- Fast track to the NHL?

My excitement over Red Wings goalie prospect and current Grand Rapids Griffins Petr Mrazek is no secret.When we heard Sunday night that Mrazek (and Tatar) had been called up I got tweets and text messages from people expressing excitement for me and feeling sure that I was freaking out with excitement. I'm proud that when people think Mrazek, they think of me. I'm really excited for Mrazek, but I also feel sorry for McCollum.

     The best I can see for McCollum is for him to be a mediocre backup for a team that's not the Wings. I hate to say that because I like the kid and his only NHL experience was such a dumpster fire, fuster cluck that I won't even bring it up in detail. McCollum has ok skills but he's not great by any stretch of the imagination, but his weakest point is his mental game. For a first round pick I'm a bit disappointed, and I doubtful that his career will be with the Red Wings organization much longer. I don't think the Wings sending him back down is the last straw for him, although it's clear the organization has lost some faith in him and isn't comfortable starting him.  Bringing Mrazek up is a great opportunity to the Wings to play him in a game and sort of gauge what they have. Mrazek played 3 years in the OHL for the Ottawa 67's and started this season off in Toledo for Walleye (ECHL) he played a grand total of 3 games there (2-1) before being called up to Grand Rapids because both McCollum and Pearce left much to be desired. Mrazek has played 25 of the Griffins 44 games and has a 2.24 GAA, .916 SV% and 1 shutout (That I was in attendance for on Saturday!) .

Mrazek warming up right in front of me. I call this "Mrazeking". He also looks darn good in the Wings Red and White.

 
     I think the Red Wings are taking a serious look at what they have in Mrazek, not only because of how good he is, but because Jimmy is the only healthy NHL goaltender we currently have, and also because we only signed Gustavsson to a two year contract and Jimmy is a UFA at the end of this season and there are going to have to be some serious decision made in the goaltending department. I never thought I'd see Mrazek even get a sniff at the NHL for at least a couple years, so his being called up caught me completely by surprise. That surprise quickly turned to excitement, glee and an indescribable urge to run around the room screaming and fist pumping.  Of course there's no guarantee that Mrazek will get to play, but it sounds like Gustavsson is more than a few games removed from being ready to play, and Jimmy needs a rest. If Gustavsson isn't ready to play by this weekend, we will see Mrazek start a game, probably Sunday against the Kings.

     Should I be concerned about throwing Mrazek into an NHL game so soon? What if he gets the McCollum treatment for his first game and yet another goalie is ruined? Just hold on to your panic panties I say. Mrazek's mental game is rock solid, that's a big part of what makes him the complete package. Even if Mrazek has been in McCollum's skates and gotten hung out to dry and absolutely shellacked , he wouldn't have let it get to him like McCollum did. I'm not worried about treating Mrazek like he's fragile, because he most certainly isn't. He's incredibly talented, skilled, and works his butt off, he's also rock solid mentally and that's essential for a goalie. Mrazek has been on the fast track to the NHL and he deserves to be. OHL -->ECHL-->AHL-->NHL in only a few months? That would be an accelerated pace for any goalie or team, but it must be unheard of in the Red Wings organization. I know he hasn't started a game yet, and if Gustavsson heals and is ready to play by this weekend, I may cry bitter bitter tears of disappointment.

If you want a little Mrazek porn to get you in the mood, may I refer you to some Goalie Porn I posted earlier.  

To Panic, Or Not To Panic, That Gives Me Indigestion.

When I Say I'm Not Panicking, I don't Mean I'm Not Worried.

     The first five games of the season have been... rough... and that's an understatement. I barely recognize the Red Wings team I've seen on the ice so far, but didn't I know to expect this? I'm worried, frustrated, scared and uncertain. I don't know what to expect and it's even affecting my sleep. The other night I had a dream that I was arguing with Babcock about line combinations and he looked me square in the eyes and said "Ok, you make the lineup then" and walked away. I stood there on the ice, players practicing behind me, and agonized over who to put where, who to put them with and how the hell I was going to get it all figured out before game time. I kept penciling in players, erasing, mumbling, moving names, figuring out who to sit, and worrying about all the players injured. It was one of those dreams where you really just need to wake up and start over again because you're so frustrated and agrivated that you're not getting any rest anyway. Luckily for me Daren Helm skated over and helped me put the lines together, what a nice young man he is. This is what Hockey does to me, it completely takes over my life and there is no escaping it- as if I wanted to even if I could. 

     There were numerous big changes going into this "season" that we knew the Wings were going to have to deal with and adjust to, and I don't think any of us were delusional enough to think we wouldn't be in for a bumpy ride.

Let's take a look at some of the changes and uncertainties going into this season shall we.

• Lidstrom retired
• Stuart went to San Jose because of family reasons
• Homer retired
• Hudler followed his nose to more money and Canadian hookers in Calgary
• We signed Colaiacovo
• We signed Samuelsson
• We signed TooToo
• Red Wings assistant coach Blashill became Griffins head coach Blashill
• Tom Renney became Red Wings assistant coach Renney
• Grand Rapids Griffin Brendan Smith became Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith
• Grand Rapids Griffin Gustav Nyquist finally became Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist (Hahaha, Just kidding)
• Damien Brunner was projected to be a top 6 signing, but was still an unknown factor
• We signed Jonas Gustavsson

Add to that list:

• Quincey was still an unknown factor 
• Patrick Eaves was still suffering from a concussion and we didn't know if he'd play this season at all

     We knew the that this Red Wings team was going to be very different from last season, and I tried to temper my expectations so I wasn't soul crushingly disappointed should the worst happen. We as Red Wings fans are used to having high expectations and those expectations being met. We're used to such a high standard of excellence that what many other teams see as "good" "ok" or "acceptable" are merely average to us and gosh darn it that's not good enough! I'm not trying to poo poo on the other teams, and I'm not trying to make Red Wings fans sound like arrogant jerks. Understanding that our standard have been so high for so long that our expectations are higher than most others' is an important factor in how we process these changes.There are a lot of things we could be negative about so far, but there are also positive things, and I'd rather focus on the positive things because.. why not? I watch Hockey because I enjoy it, I love it and I need it. Hockey is my crack, I'm hopelessly addicted, and I don't ever want to quit. I'm a Hockey junky. I watch the Red Wings for enjoyment, pleasure and excitement so I want to maximize my absorption of the aforementioned as much as possible. I'd rather cheer on a player for what they did right than tear them down for what they did wrong, I don't ignore their mistakes or put on happy glasses and pretend it's all rainbows and unicorn farts; but why should I spend my time and energy getting angry pissed off at something I have absolutely no control over? I'm an optimistic realist and realistically, we have quite a few things to be optimistic about so far.

    
     Remember the first game? Of course you do, how could any of us forget that dumpster fire.
We couldn't score a sing goal, I could have gotten a breakaway behind our defense, Jimmy Howard was rustier than my old Radial Flyer wagon, Datsyuk looked like he had been replaced with... well, someone un-Datsyukian, we couldn't score on our power play (but the Blues could), we couldn't kill off penalties, couldn't get shots on goal, the injury list was already too long, our forwards looked like they forgot how to play Hockey, the defense was more porous than cheesecloth and I wanted to sit in the corner and cry.

Don't lose hope Red Wings nation! There is improvement.


     Our defense is looking more solid, confident and competent. In the first game, our defensemen looked a bit like they just met each other for the first time and there was a lot of confusion and poor execution all around. With each game their communication has gotten better, they're working better together as a team and it looks like they're maybe shaking off the physical and mental uncertainty and settling in a little. I mention mental uncertainty because there's no way you can convince me that losing Lidstrom didn't affect every single player in that room. His on ice perfection and his calming, confidence boosting presence can't be replaced nor duplicated, and Hockey is a very mental game. We currently have two rookies on defense and while Smith has had a little experience already in the NHL, he's still very much a rookie and Lashoff has been impressive in his NHL debut. The fact that neither of these rookies have been the worst defenseman on the ice in any game so far is a credit to both of them. Lashoff's look very solid and though he's made a few rookie mistakes, right now I'd take him over Kindl.

     I think Datsyuk is fighting an injury right now, that's not good news, but the fact we can expect him to be more Datsyukian once he's healed is something to look forward to. Pav hasn't been playing like himself and while he's usually taking faceoffs, we've seen Zetterberg taking them instead of him. The last time we saw that was when his wrist was injured last year. I suspect that if we weren't already being ravaged by the injury troll, Datsyuk might sit out a game or two, but because he know how much we need him and many other players are "more" injured,  he's instead playing as best he can right now.

     With so many roster changes and a new assistant coach, the Wings really missed having a full training camp and preseason games to work on team chemistry, new plays, styles and techniques and for Renney to have a chance to really prepare the players for his power-play ideas. Which leads me to

     Our power-play can't be this bad for much longer. We have the capacity for so much better (heck, it can't get much worse), and it's the players who have to make it better. Last year our power-play sucked, it was painful to watch and we all wanted to decline it every..single...time. Blashill took a lot of hear from fans for "ruining our PP". He was the new guy brought in during the off season, it was his first stint in the NHL and he was in charge of the power-play. Last summer Blashill took the head coach position in Grand Rapids and Tom Renney come over from Edmonton to replace him. It's hard to make a definitive judgement only 5 games in, but if the PP still sucks this badly after a coaching change, the common factor we're left with is the players. This is where the aforementioned lack of training camp and preseason games really hurts. That's would have been the time to experiment with, implement and give the players and coaches a chance to work these kinks out and make adjustments, and they didn't have that opportunity.


     Playing 3 games in 4 nights isn't an easy way to start the season, especially for those players who haven't played since April 20, 2012. Sure most of the guys were working out and practicing, but that can't substitute for game action and all the sore groins and muscle pulls are proof of that. The Wings have looked tired, slow and are taking stupid "I'm tired, slow and desperate" penalties they shouldn't be taking. I think they've looked a little better each game and I expect that trend to continue until they're back up to speed.

     I'm nervous and worried, but I'm also hopefull. I'm not sure what to expect tonight, but I'll be in front of my TV cheering on my team and hoping for progress... lots of progress. Some people may get as frustrated with my optimism as I get with their pessimism, and hey, we all cope in different ways.

Hopefully the Red Wings give us all something to cheer about tonight.

Let's Go Red Wings!!!

Dollar Hotdog Power Hour: Episode 6

Wait, what is this wizardry? We actually have real, current, honest to goodness, Red Wings Hockey to talk about? Huzzah!

I'm a little behind the 8 ball getting this out, but I've had the flu and consequently am behind on a lot of things right now. Guess what though? WE HAVE HOCKEY! Wooo! We answer some tough questions, pay tribute to the Demolition Man, discuss what we're looking forward to this season, some Captain Zetterberg discussion and oh so much more.

As always, you can check out Kevin and Mike's blogs for some great Hockey reading.

Hope you enjoy the podcast, and as always, feeback is appreciated.

I think I need some time to figure out how I feel.

     Something just happened, something I expected to happen, but didn’t know when it would… I just experienced my first giddy excitement about NHL Hockey in what seems like an eternity. All day yesterday, as my Twitter feed exploded with Hockey reporters, players, fans and bloggers expressing their relief, joy, excitement and anticipation, I couldn’t feel anything. I woke up to news that the NHL and PA had reached a tentative agreement, training camps would be starting in the next few days, and we could expect to be watching glorious Red Wings Hockey as soon as a short week away. It was as if the lockout clouds parted, the glory of NHL Hockey shone down and the Hockey fans began to sing the Hallelujah chorus. If you listened to the most recent episode of the Dollar Hot Dog Power Hour, you may remember that I said I expected to have Hockey soon but that I was conflicted about it.

      Before I go on any further, I have a confession to make. I’m an addict, a Hockey addict. I like, love, and need Hockey. I need Hockey like Hudler needs Vodka and Hookers, like Datsyuk needs to dangle, like every Howard needs a Stuart (oh god Stuart's gone, noooo.... I miss you already Brad) like Babcock needs to death stare and like Red Wings fans need to never, ever, ever EVER use a whistle for Jordin Tootoo… Ever… I was anticipating feeling conflictingly excited  when news of a CBA agreement broke, I expected to have a wave of relief, excitement and bittersweet joy wash over me; but I was instead met with nothing. The fact that I felt nothing made me kind of sad and angry. I think part of my delayed feelings are because I'm still suspicious. We've been toyed with enough through this whole fluster cuck and the full blown addict in me probably won't be awakened until I'm glued to my TV soaking in the glory of watching my beloved Red Wings in action. I suspect that on that day I will look and sound like a crazy person, my elation from having Hockey will be at war with my anger and hurt about the whole stupid lockout. 

It may sound something like this: 

"Oh man I've missed you guys, Woo Hockey! 

"You *&%#$^ NHL robbed me of 3 1/2 months of this, you rat bastards!"

"Oh Datsyuk you beautiful dangle machine you!"

"I should have been watching this since October"

"Oh god I've missed this, it's wonderful and magical and orgasmic"

"But it's only a half season because the NHL and PA couldn't get their shit together and act like adults and now we have a mess of a season and the Cup will be tainted for whoever wins it and it just doesn't feel right"

"I love you!"

"I hate you!"

Alternate between screams of joy and cursing in anguish and rage.

I fully expect that anyone who were to spy on me while I'm watching may think I've lost my mind and might call the funny farm... It's going to be an emotionally tumultuous time and I"m trying to prepare myself as much as I can now, but also know full well that it'll still Kronwall me and I'll probably be a mess.

As today progresses though and I start to allow myself to anticipate seeing the Wings play again, and as Josh tweets me pictures of Bertuzzi jumping over the boards, and I see quotes from players like Abdelkader saying things like (It Feels Great!) I've found myself getting a little more excited. By the time I'm done writing this post, for better or for worse, I'll probably be just about giddy with anticipation.

@slapshotg0al Bert the first one on the ice.... twitter.com/BradGalli/stat…
— Josh Howard (@JHowardDesign) January 7, 2013

     I sort of feel like it's somehow a dirty thing to be excited already because it appears that I'm not angry, pissed and feeling used and abused as a result of the stupid, unnecessary lockout. It feels like I should keep myself from getting too excited on moral grounds. I've already said numerous time though that I can't stay away. Given the opportunity to watch my Wings, I'll be right there watching and cheering. After some serious consideration, I've decided that I'm going to allow and even encourage myself to let the anger go. Will me being angry affect the NHl at all? Not really. I'm not going to be spending any money on NHL stuff or supporting them financially in any way, but the only person my anger would really affect is me. I don't want it to taint my enjoyment of the game and team I love. I want to watch my Wings with unadulterated joy, excitement and elation. I won't know for sure how this will play out until it's really real and I'm watching the Wings. Until then I plan to proceed with cautious optimism.

In the meantime, I've started thinking about the things I'm excited about with Hockey most likely coming back (I won't say it's back definitively until NHL teams actually play a game).

What am I excited about? In no particular order:

Seeing what Jonas Gustavsson will become in Detroit. 
When we first signed him I was a little surprised, but then I got excited. It you look at his stats alone, you may be confused as to why I'd be excited about his signing.

	GP	W	L	OT	SO	GA	SV%	GAA
‘09-‘10	42	16	15	9	1	112	.902	2.87
‘10-‘11	23	6	13	2	0	62	.890	3.29
’11-‘12	42	17	17	4	4	112	.902	2.92

   He has an average .898 Sv% and 3.03 GAA, but given that he put up these numbers and performed as well as he did while playing in Toronto; while having the his coaches try to completely remold his style and kill the very things that made his appeal to them in the first place... *deep breathe* Monster has a lot of talent and skill, and put into the Detroit system and given top notch goalie coaches (Bedard and Osgood) who will work with him to use his natural style and talent and mold him to play the Red Wings style and I wait with eager anticipation to see what he he can grow to become.



Zetterberg and Brunner making sweet Hockey love.
     Trying to find positives from the lockout is worse than pulling teeth. It's not only difficult, but the angry biter part of me doesn't want to. However, the chemistry and success that Zetterberg and Brunner have had while playing together in Switzerland gives me funny tingly feelings inside. When we signed Brunner, Babcock made a comment about him already being a top 6 player. I don't know if this was in sincerity, or to cause people to think, or maybe up the competition level for current roster players. Regarldess of the intent behind his comments, he may have been right. Granted there's a big difference between European and NHL Hockey, and there will be adjustments and things he still needs to learn and perfect and bla bla bla. Damien Brunner has been playing with, learning from and developing beautiful chemistry with Henrik Zetterberg. Is there any way that can be a bad thing? I'm looking forward to seeing how Brunner plays in the NHL style and what he and Z can do together on the ice.

Datsyuk
     I don't think this needs any explanation at all. Datsyuk embodies the purity of Hockey, the love of the game, the skill and magic that feels so good it makes wearing pants uncomfortable. I can't wait to watch Datsyuk in the Winged Wheel again.

Kronwallings
     I know we haven't seen many recently, but I still get that excited anticipation when he lines someone up for a hit. I miss that anticipation and excitement.. So... much...

Nyquist and Smith
     I'm not as much excited about Smith being full time in the NHL as I am apprehensive and uncertain. I think the kid has a lot of talent and potential and we certainly need help on D. I'm hoping that his rookie mistakes will be limited, he'll have a better attitude and work his ass off to earn his spot and stay there. Nyquist? Nyquist I'm excited about. We have a sort of log jam in the forward department, but I still hold out hope that the Goose will be loose and it will be glorious and beautiful and I can't wait.

Patrick Eaves recovering and playing Hockey again.
     I'm always on the lookout for news of Eaves progress and anticipated recovery, but it seems like every time I get news, it goes like this: Eaves is doing better but still suffering from dizziness, headaches and other post concussion symptoms and is not ready to play. On November 26, 2011 Eaves was hit in the head by a Roman Josi (a Predators player, yeah you thought I'd forogten it was a Preds player didn't you?) shot. It's been an nightmare for poor Eaves even since. I was hoping for some good news, but today am hearing that he's still having issues and isn't ready to play yet. This makes me extremely sad and I wish there was something I could do to help. I haven't given up on him and I'll keep hoping for good news, and when Eaves finally does return, you can bet your sweet Datsyuk Dangles I'll be celebrating.

Hockey discussions!
     I don't like to leave things on a sad note, so I've left this happy topic for last (but certainly not least). I look forward to getting to talk Hockey on Twitter and WiiM, I look forward to the crazy fun we have in game threads, I look forward to agonizing who I'll pick for my player of the game predictions, I look forward all the Hockey talk, discussions, arguments, and trolling that will take place. I've greatly missed the comradery, game threads, morning skates, CSSI, game recaps and so much more. I look forward to logging in to my Winging it in Motown account and seeing posts with new Red Wings news, and reading the comments and laughing, getting angry and maybe throwing things occasionally.

   
 What about you? How do you feel now that Hockey is being dangled in front of us?