tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3583685300868411622024-03-21T23:59:35.774-05:00All Things Red Wings...Everything related to the Detroit Red Wings.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-61015299919507230302007-09-02T00:31:00.000-05:002007-09-02T00:39:38.712-05:00Igor Debut's This Season: Scouting Report<a href="http://blog.mlive.com/redwingsinsider/2007/08/070828_grigorenko.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://blog.mlive.com/redwingsinsider/2007/08/070828_grigorenko.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Ansar Kahn posted his scouting report on one of the more curious and highly touted future Red Wings in recent years, Igor Grigorenko. For those who do not know, Grigorenko was one of the Wings highest rated prospects before a near fatal car accident. After rehabbing in Russia and getting back to playing hockey at a competitive level, he is still highly ranked in the Wings system and is set to make his professional debut this year for the Red Wings. We've been hearing a lot about this kid for many years. The curiousity builds and about a month from know, we'll get to see Grigorenko in action. If he turns out to be what I expect, the Wings will have unearthed another diamond amid a plethora of coal. <br /><br /><strong>Scouting Report: Igor Grigorenko</strong><br />by Ansar Khan<br />Tuesday August 28, 2007, 3:50 PM<br /><br />Igor Grigorenko may be anywhere from a top-six NHL forward to a player who won't be on the roster next year.Wings rookie forward Igor Grigorenko will be the most closely watched player in training camp and the preseason. A top prospect before his near-fatal car accident in May 2003, the team needs to find out what it has in Grigorenko. He could be a top-six NHL forward right off the bat, or he could be hopping a plane back to Russia in November.<br /><br />The injuries from his accident (broken left femur and two fractures in his left tibia) have affected his skating ability, which was never a strong part of his game. But because he's a shifty skater who plays close to the net and will be skating on the smaller NHL ice surfaces, speed might not be that big an issue.<br /><br />Grigorenko, 24, was the club's top pick in the 2001 entry draft (62nd overall). He was named the best forward at the 2003 World Junior Hockey Championships. He played on the same line as Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk at the 2003 World Championships. He has been described as a highly skilled player with tremendous hockey sense. He's built like a tank (5-10, 209), likes to drive to the net and shouldn't be deterred by physical play. He has good hands and knows where to go to score goals.<br /><br />Grigorenko will see plenty of action in the preseason and, in all likelihood, early in the regular season. The Wings have the option of sending him to Grand Rapids at the start of the season, but he has a clause in his contract that enables him to return to Russia (where he can make around $1 million, as opposed to about $70,000 in the AHL) after Nov. 1 if he's not on the NHL roster. That probably won't be an issue, however. He should earn a place on the Wings' roster.<br /><br />He's scheduled to arrive in Detroit on Sunday and participate in the Wings' prospects camp in Traverse City from Sept. 6-11, prior to the main camp.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-47802912565330548792007-09-01T11:49:00.000-05:002007-09-01T11:56:07.593-05:00THN: 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings Team Report<a href="http://info.detnews.com/dn/pix/wallpaper/wings/2004/zetterberg1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://info.detnews.com/dn/pix/wallpaper/wings/2004/zetterberg1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Just got the summer edition of The Hockey News in the mail today. It has Zetterberg on the cover, a feature on Chris Chelios, and individual team reports. I can't find a link anywhere to the article on Chelios, and it's too long to type out unfortunately. Other than that article, I'll type out everything else, so forigve me if there are some typo's. <br /><br />But, there are some interesting things in this issue that pertain to our Red Wings. And I think there is plenty to be excited about for the upcoming season. I know there has been a lot of debate about resigning Hasek, and questioning the Drake signing, but overall, I think there are a lot of positives and I think this year could be a very good year for the Wings; especially after reviewing the stats from last season. Despite a disappointing loss in the WCF, it was a pretty damn good year. So, for those who aren't subscribers or won't be picking up a copy, I'll provide ya with everything Red Wing related in this issue.<br /><br />Four Red Wings made the annual THN Top 50 NHL Players list...another indication that this is still a good team. <br /><br /><strong>Top 50 NHL Players:</strong><br /><br /><strong>3. Nick Lidstrom</strong><br />The Clark Kent of the NHL, this consistent veteran quietly controls games, playing superbly at both ends and becoming Superman when the outcome is on the line. With five Norris Trophies in the past six seasons, Lidstom has cemented his place in the Hall of Fame. All that remains to be seen is if he can lead the Red Wings to another Stanley Cup. <br /><br /><strong>25. Henrik Zetterberg</strong><br />The quiet Swede is clearly a solid offensive performer, but the 26-year old must step it up if a Stanley Cup is in the Wings immediate future. <br /><br /><strong>29. Domink Hasek</strong><br />How he does it is irrelevant. The fact is, Hasek, 42, continues to perform at a high level, looking like he'll play forever. <br /><br /><strong>26. Pavel Datsyuk</strong><br />He answered his critics with a fine playoff performance after equaling his single-season high of 87 points.<br />_____________________________________________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>2007-08 Detroit Red Wing Team Report</strong><br /><br /><strong>Cagey Vets Still Rockin'<br />Wings rediscovered playoff formula and that makes them a scary bunch with a lot of talent still in the tank</strong><br />By Ansar Khan<br /><br />In a season of transition, the Detroit Red Wings proved they were still amonth the NHL's elite by racking up 113 points, tying Buffalo for the highest total in the league. More importantly, they rediscovered the keys to success in the playoffs, which had eluded them since their last Stanley Cup title in 2002. <br /><br />If not for injuries to two of their top three defensemen (Matthieu Schneider and Niklas Kronwall) and a couple of bad bounces in Game 5 of the WCF against Anaheim, the Wings believe they would have been facing the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup showdown with a legitimate chance to win it.<br /><br />It was a bitter ending, but it didn't diminish their accomplishment. It might have been the first time in recent memory this team exceeded expectations. They topped the 108-point mark for the seventh straight season and advanced to the playoffs for the 16th straigh year, the longest currnet post-season streak in the four major sports. <br /><br />They didn't feel the need to make many offseason changes. They lost Schneider, but replaced his with another puck-moving defenseman in Brian Rafalski and elected not to bring back a trio of veteran forwards--Todd Bertuzzi, Robert Lang and Kyle Calder--who didn't produce in the playoffs. <br /><br />With 18 players back from last season, this team is still the class of the Central Division. Five time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, the dynamic forward duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and a 42-year-old goalie, Domink Hasek, who's still one of the best in the business, will ensure the Wings of being at or near the top of the Western Conference. And now they know what it takes to win in the playoffs. <br /><br /><strong>STRENGTHS</strong><br />The Wings dominate games territorially with their puck-possesion style, enjoying a large disparity in shots and scoring chances. They also showed the ability to adapt to a more gritty, chip-and-chase game in the playoffs when opponents clogged the neutral zone. They have tremendously skilled players up front (Datsyuk & Zetterberg) and on the blueline (Lidstrom, Rafalksi, Kronwall), enabiling them to play an up-tempo style with quick puck movement. <br /><br /><strong>WEAKNESSES</strong><br />They lacked offensive balance last season, getting the bulk of their production from the top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom while the second line sturggled. They were unable to acquire a goal-scoring forward early in the free agency period but hoped to address the need prior to training camp or during the season. Their top-rated power play of 2005-06was amazingly mediocre last season (21st, 17.1 per cent). Age and toughness always seem to be issues, but they responded well to physical challenges from Calgary and San Jose in the playoffs and, despite having eight players who'll be 35 or older, thier greybeards are some of their best-conditioned athletes. <br /><br /><strong>2007-08 Prediction</strong><br />1st in Western Conference<br /><br /><strong>The Way It Was:</strong> 2006-07 Season Recap Statistics<br /><strong>Record:</strong> 50-19-3<br /><strong>Points:</strong> 113<br /><strong>Conference: </strong>1st<br /><strong>NHL Overall:</strong> 2nd<br /><strong>Offense:</strong> 3.07 GPG (10th)<br /><strong>Defense:</strong> 2.30 GAA (T-2nd)<br /><strong>Power Play:</strong> 17.1% (21st)<br /><strong>Penalty Killing:</strong> 84.6% (T-6th)<br /><strong>Ice Time: </strong>(D) Nick Lidstrom 27:29; (F) Henrik Zetterberg 20:50<br /><strong>1-Goal Games:</strong> 18-5-13<br /><strong>2-Goal Games:</strong> 12-6<br /><strong>3-Goal Games:</strong> 20-8<br /><strong>Longest Winning Streak:</strong> 9 games<br /><strong>Playoff Run:</strong> Lost in WCF to Anaheim<br /><br /><strong>2007-08 Projected Depth Chart</strong><br /><strong>LW/C/RW</strong><br />Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Holmstrom<br />Cleary/Filppular/Samuelsson<br />Franzen/Draper/Hudler<br />Drake/Kopecky/Maltby<br />Grigorenko/Helm/Mursak<br />Riola/Ellis/Ryno<br /><br /><strong>D-Pairings</strong><br />Lidstrom/Rafalski<br />Kronwall/Chelios<br />Lilja/Lebda<br />Quincey/Ference<br />Stafford/Meech<br /><br /><strong>Goalies</strong><br />Hasek<br />Osgood<br />Howard<br /><br /><strong>Games Played Per Time Zone</strong><br />Pacific Time Zone: 8 <br />Mountain Time Zone: 8<br />Central Time Zone: 16<br />Eastern Time Zone: 50<br /><br /><strong>The Shoot Out Report 2006-07</strong><br />Team Record: 2-8<br />Shooters: 10 G, 39 shots, .256 success<br />Top Shooters:<br />1. Datsyuk 5G/10 shots; .500 success<br />2. Cleary 2G/4 shots; .500 success<br />3. Zetterberg 1G/4 shots;.250 success<br />Goalies: 20 saves, 37 shots; .541 save percentage<br /><br /><strong>Offense Report</strong><br />The Wings can expect 30-plus goals from each of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom. They're hoping Dan Cleary's strong playoff performance indicates his offensive resurrection wasn't a fluke. They're counting on a handful of younger players to step up their production. Gifted Valtteri Filppula, hoping to replace Lang as the second-line center, has speed and the ability to control the puck in traffic, but needs to develop a better finishing touch. Small but skilled Jiri Hudler produced 15 goals with limited ice time and can crack the 20-goal mark with more minutes. <br /><br /><strong>Defense Report</strong><br />With Lidstrom showing no signs of slowing down at 37, and Rafalski and Kronwall locked up to five-year deals, the Wings will have a skilled core of puck-moving defensemen for years. Keeping the injury-plagued Kronwall healthy is vital. He must take the next step and begin playing like the star many project him to be. Ageless wonder Chris Chelios excelled in the playoffs and Andreas Lilja, despite a disasterous turnover in Game 5 vs. Anaheim, was stellar. The unit, however, lacks a big, strong, physical presence and is less abrasive without Danny Markov, who remained unsigned. <br /><br /><strong>Goalie Zone</strong><br />Hasek was one of the best bargains in the league. His drive to win hasn't diminished and he avoided the groin injuries that hampered him the previous two seasons. For the first time in five years, the Wings had a goalie they believed in come playoff time. Even though he turns 43 in January, Hasek maintains quickness by keeping his weight down. The key, once again, is staying healthy. He won't be overworked (50-55 games) and won't play on consecutive nights. <br /><br /><strong>Cap Crunch</strong><br />Many key players are locked up long-term and they've done a good job of finding late-summer free agent bargains. Once again, they'll have cap space for a mid-season move and/or a trade deadline acquisition, which will take them right to the cap limit. <br /><br /><strong>Rookies: </strong><br />At least two rookies have a shot at making the team. After a near-fatal car accident in Russia four years ago, left winger Igor Grigorenko will make his long-awaited NHL debut. Derek Meech, their best defenseman in Grand Rapids, must earn a spot on the team because he can't clear waivers. Kyle Quincey acuitted himself well after being thrust into the lineup during the playoffs because of injuries. <br /><br /><strong>Market Watch:</strong><br />The Wings remain immensely popular in a competitive sports market, but the struggling Michigan economy, coupled with high playoff ticket prices, caused an 11-year streak of sellouts at JLA (452 games, regular seaon and playoff) to be snapped in Game 1 of the post-season last year. They hope advancing to the conference final will also bring back some fans who tired of seeing tremendous regular seasons go up in smoke with stunning playoff defeats. <br /><br /><strong>ETC</strong><br />The Wings are a model of continuity. Senior VP Jimmy Devellano, GM Ken Holland, assistant GM Jim NIll, consultant Scotty Bowman and much of the amatuer and pro scouting staffs have worked well together for anywhere from a dozen to 20 years. They share the same philosiphy in drafting, trading and signing players, with an emphasis on skill and puck possesion. <br /><br /><strong>Future Watch-Top 10 NHL Prospects</strong><br />1. Jakub Kindl, D<br />2. Jimmy Howard, G<br />3. Darren Helm, C<br />4. Brendan Smith, D<br />5. Cory Emmerton, C<br />6. Jan Mursak, LW<br />7. Joakim Andersson, C<br />8. Igor Grigorenko, LW<br />9. Kyle Quincey, D<br />10. Derek Meech, D<br /><br /><strong>2007 No. 1 Draft Pick Report</strong><br /><br />Brendan Smith, D 18 years old<br />Selected: 27th Overall<br />2006-07: St. Michaels (Jr. A)<br />Scouting Report:<br />Finishing third in playoff scoring by defensemen with 20 points in 16 games, Smith has proven he has what it takes to be an offensive player. But questions abound about his defensive game, which has been sloppy and lazy at times. Smith scored half of his 36 points while on the powerplay. <br /><br /><strong>Future Watch Team Grade:</strong> C+. Red Wings have picked in the first round just three times since 1998. Rather than bemoan the hardships, the scouting staff just digs deeper for burried gems.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-59809471682270578982007-08-03T13:56:00.001-05:002007-08-03T14:04:15.688-05:00Where Ya Been?My apologies for not updating this more regularly. I have been quite busy the last couple of months. I should be able to update more regularly. <br /><br />With the season almost upon us, it's time to bust it out: GO WINGS! <br /><br />I'm still hoping to get to the Training Camp in Traverse City this year. We'll see though--it's a pretty busy month. I'll be in Wisconsin and Iowa, and hopefully Atlanta. I might also get down to the Joe for the Pre-Season games. I've been to Pre-Season games the last few years in a row and it's a good chance to see the prospects fighting for a roster spot. <br /><br />I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to the Red & White game in Detroit. I went two years ago, and it was a lot of fun. Met Ken Kal, Mickey Redmond, Doug Brown and we got to watch Babcock, Filppula and Hudler speak up close in the VIP room. <br /><br />I expect to be writing more articles on the Red Wings soon. Lately, I've included updates about the team, prosepcts, etc. But, I do plan on writing more features and stories on the players. <br /><br />A lot of things to do before the season starts!!!WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-55756740915301500202007-08-03T13:16:00.001-05:002007-08-03T13:50:22.778-05:00Wings Release Regular Season Schedule<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM16MUV2gyFKePMMZ_Cvx95y0kZN7aEavt5LqoA_-3AhZZ102P5YMa8uSFAqPD2nnFI9JF94TsMuwZbihC1EAhUDtVpMRR10gacuRH3-U7Jw3p8-rtpIDYMJ-8MO6p8lp9w5u7GPJItvt/s1600-h/NewHeader2.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiM16MUV2gyFKePMMZ_Cvx95y0kZN7aEavt5LqoA_-3AhZZ102P5YMa8uSFAqPD2nnFI9JF94TsMuwZbihC1EAhUDtVpMRR10gacuRH3-U7Jw3p8-rtpIDYMJ-8MO6p8lp9w5u7GPJItvt/s200/NewHeader2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094548525390331170" /></a><br />Just as I suspected...another horrible schedule. The 2007-2008 schedule is, once again--since the new CBA--extremely unbalanced and heavy on divisional teams.<br /><br />Here's my brief analysis of the 2007-08 Schedule:<br /><br /><strong>Positives:</strong><br />Not many, but the Wings will face the Stanley Cup Champion Ducks, with former Wings Matthieu Schneider, on opening night. Should be interesting to see Schneids on the blue line with Pronger and, possibly, Neidermeyer. <br /><br />Alexander Ovechkin will make his first visit to Detroit on Dec. 17th. This phenomenal player should have already played in Detroit by now, but I guess beggers can't be chosers in "the new NHL." <br /><br />With 2 games in Detroit aginst the Los Angeles Kings, Wings fans will get to see hometown hero and promising young defenseman Jack Johnson (University of Michigan). The 6-1, 200 lb. Johnson is one of the most promising young defensemen to come out of the draft in years. He holds many records at Michigan. He played 5 games last season (no points, -5, 18PIM).<br /><br /><strong>Negatives:</strong><br />Where are the Original Six matchups? Of course, there aren't any. The Original Six teams, especially Detroit, have been disrespected and almost forgotten by this commissioner. This is nothing new, but in my opinion it reflects how out of touch with the hardcore hockey fan that Gary Bettman really is. So, let's look at the negatives:<br /><br />No Toronto at home--the Wings play them ONCE this season. Unacceptable.<br />No Boston at home--the Wings play them ONCE this season. Unacceptable.<br />No Montreal at home--the Wings play them ONCE this season. Unacceptable. <br />No New York Rangers. <br /><br />Too many games against division teams, specifically Columbus. The division heavy schedule is a joke and a slap in the face to the storied tradition of the Detroit Red Wings. <br /><br />Most of the games are against teams in two or three time zones away. Why? Because the Red Wings continue to play in the Western Conference, even though they are in the Eastern Time Zone. They out-travel every team in the NHL, some by nearly 10 times. Until this changes, until Detroit is put in the Eastern Conference where they belong, this will always be an issue. <br /><br /><strong>October</strong><br /> 3 Wed. ANAHEIM Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br /> 6 Sat. At Chicago United Center 8:30<br /> 8 Mon. EDMONTON Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />10 Wed. CALGARY Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />12 Fri. CHICAGO Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />14 Sun. At Los Angeles Staples Center 8:00<br />15 Mon. At Anaheim Honda Center 10:00<br />18 Thu. At San Jose HP Pavilion 10:30<br />20 Sat. At Phoenix Glendale Arena 9:00<br />24 Wed. VANCOUVER Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />26 Fri. SAN JOSE Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />28 Sun. At Vancouver GM Place 10:00<br />30 Tue. At Edmonton Rexall Place 9:00<br /><br /><strong>November</strong><br /> 1 Thu. At Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome 9:00<br /> 7 Wed. NASHVILLE Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 9 Fri. COLUMBUS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />11 Sun. At Chicago United Center 7:00<br />13 Tue. At St. Louis Savvis Center 7:00<br />17 Sat. CHICAGO Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br />18 Sun. At Columbus Nationwide Arena 5:00<br />21 Wed. ST. LOUIS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />22 Thu. At Nashville Sommet Center 8:00<br />24 Sat. At Columbus Nationwide Arena 7:00<br />27 Tue. CALGARY Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br />29 Thu. TAMPA BAY Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /><br /><strong>December</strong><br /> 1 Sat. PHOENIX Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br /> 4 Tue. At Montreal Bell Centre 7:00<br /> 7 Fri. MINNESOTA Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 9 Sun. CAROLINA Joe Louis Arena 5:00<br />10 Mon. At Nashville Sommet Center 8:00<br />13 Thu. EDMONTON Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />15 Sat. FLORIDA Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br />17 Mon. WASHINGTON Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br />19 Wed. LOS ANGELES Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />20 Thu. At St. Louis Savvis Center 8:30<br />22 Sat. At Minnesota Excel Energy Center 8:00<br />26 Wed. At St. Louis Savvis Center 8:30<br />27 Thu. At Colorado Pepsi Center 9:00<br />29 Sat. At Phoenix Glendale Arena 9:00<br />31 Mon. ST. LOUIS Joe Louis Arena 7:00<br /><br /><strong>January</strong><br /> 2 Wed. DALLAS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 5 Sat. At Dallas American Airlines Center 2:00<br /> 6 Sun. At Chicago United Center 7:00<br /> 8 Tue. COLORADO Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />10 Thu. MINNESOTA Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />12 Sat. At Ottawa Scotiabank Place 7:00<br />15 Tue. ATLANTA Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />17 Thu. VANCOUVER Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />19 Sat. At San Jose HP Pavilion 10:30<br />22 Tue. At Los Angeles Staples Center 10:30<br />23 Wed. At Anaheim Honda Center 10:00<br />30 Wed. PHOENIX Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /><br /><strong>February</strong><br /> 1 Fri. COLORADO Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 2 Sat. At Boston TD Banknorth Garden 7:00<br /> 5 Tue. At Minnesota Excel Energy Center 8:00<br /> 7 Thu. LOS ANGELES Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 9 Sat. At Toronto Air Canada Centre 3:00<br />10 Sun. ANAHEIM Joe Louis Arena 1:00<br />12 Tue. At Nashville Sommet Center 8:00<br />15 Fri. COLUMBUS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />17 Sun. At Dallas American Airlines Center 1:00<br />18 Mon. At Colorado Pepsi Center 8:00<br />22 Fri. At Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome 9:00<br />23 Sat. At Vancouver GM Place 10:00<br />26 Tue. At Edmonton Rexall Place 9:00<br />29 Fri. SAN JOSE Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /><br /><strong>March</strong><br /> 2 Sun. At Buffalo HSBC Arena 3:00<br /> 5 Wed. ST. LOUIS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 9 Sun. NASHVILLE Joe Louis Arena 3:00<br />11 Tue. CHICAGO Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />13 Thu. DALLAS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />15 Sat. NASHVILLE Joe Louis Arena 1:00<br />16 Sun. At Columbus Nationwide Arena 3:00<br />19 Wed. COLUMBUS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />20 Thu. At Nashville Sommet Center 8:00<br />22 Sat. At Columbus Nationwide Arena 7:00<br />25 Tue. At St. Louis Savvis Center 8:30<br />28 Fri. ST. LOUIS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br />30 Sun. NASHVILLE Joe Louis Arena 3:00<br /><br /><strong>April</strong><br /> 2 Wed. At Chicago United Center 8:30<br /> 3 Thu. COLUMBUS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 6 Sun. CHICAGO Joe Louis Arena 3:00WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-89634573817066280292007-08-03T13:09:00.000-05:002007-08-03T13:14:39.519-05:00Wings Release Pre-Season Schedule<strong>2007-08 PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE</strong><br /><br />SEPT DAY OPPONENT SITE TIME (ET) <br /> 18 Tue @ Minnesota Excel Energy Center 8:00<br /> 20 Thu MINNESOTA Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 21 Fri PITTSBURGH Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 22 Sat @ Pittsburgh Mellon Arena 7:30<br /> 24 Mon @ Tampa Bay St. Pete Times Forum 7:30<br /> 25 Tue NY RANGERS Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 27 Thu TAMPA BAY Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /> 28 Fri @ Toronto Air Canada Centre TBA<br /> 29 Sat TORONTO Joe Louis Arena 7:30<br /><br />Hopefully, with the NHL's ridiculous unbalanced scheduling, the fans of the Detroit Red Wings will be able to see Sidney Crosby at least once during the NHL regular season. <br /><br />This is a pretty promising pre-season schedule. Highlights include the Penguings game in Detroit (Sidney Crosby), the Rangers game in Detroit (facing long time Wing Brendan Shanahan, and the home and home against long time rival, and Original Six team--the Toronto Maple Leafs.<br /><br />However, despite those highlights, I suspect that Wings fans will be lucky to see the Maple Leafs in Detroit this season or Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Although, I am holding out some hope.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-70342552179340004092007-06-07T14:29:00.001-05:002007-06-07T14:33:37.481-05:00Hasek To Announce Decision Next Week<a href="http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20070512/Dom_59833.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20070512/Dom_59833.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The Detroit Free Press reports that goaltender Dominik Hasek has informed the Red Wings he will let them know whether he will return to the team within a week.<br /><br />"I talked earlier this week with Dom's agent, and he said he'd let us know by the middle of the next week at the latest," general manager Ken Holland told the newspaper on Wednesday. "Dom keeps his cards close to his vest."<br /><br />Hasek, 42, signed to a one-year contract last summer worth $750,000.<br /><br />He went 38-11-6 with a 2.05 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, and eight shutouts during the regular season, his 15th in the NHL and third with Detroit in two stints.<br /><br />Hasek was 10-8 with a 1.79 GAA, .923 save percentage, and two shutouts in the playoffs.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-59807206586696193462007-06-07T14:00:00.000-05:002007-06-07T14:32:14.965-05:0010 Year Anniversary of Wings 97 Cup!<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FAeuxg5NeoQ" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><br />Wow, has it been 10 years? It feels like just yesterday I was pacing around my living room with my parents watching the Red Wings break their 55 year-old drought to win the Stanley Cup. And to win it at home, at the Joe--absolutely awesome. I admit: I teared up as I saw Vernon throw his gloves in the air and the team celebrate on the ice, as Kool & The Gang's "Celebration" played over and over.<br /><br />After the celebration, I jumped in my car, picked up some friends and drove around the various metro-Detroit cities in full celebration mode.<br /><br />It was the summer before my senior year in high school and for the whole playoffs, I couldn't concentrate on the last couple of weeks of school. Forget summer break, the Red Wings were back and were destined to win it.<br /><br />If you have the Red Wings DVD set, <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6877338&st=Red+Wings&type=product&id=1385027">A Celebration Of Champions</a>, pop that bad boy in tonight and watch the final game against Philly. You'll see a young Holmstrom, putting on his cap in the hallway behind the bench as the final seconds tick down. Mike Vernon...the savior we needed in net, and the Conn Smythe winner standing tall despite his small stature. Stevie Y, Sergei Fedorov, Vladdy...all throwing the cup over there heads. There are so many great memories from that night.<br /><br />Where were you on this night? Who were you with? What are your memories?WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-59888961031009146752007-06-05T14:21:00.000-05:002007-06-05T14:31:13.702-05:00HF Feature On Red Wings European ProspectsHockey's Future posted an excellent feature on the Detroit Red Wings European prospects. This is a nice, in-depth article about the Wings prospects. <br /><br /><strong>Red Wings European prospects season review</strong><br />Written by <a href="mailto:z.manojlovic@hockeysfuture.com">Zoran Manojlovic</a> on 06/04/2007 <a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/backend.php"></a><br />This past season wasn’t an overwhelming success story for the Red Wings European prospects. Several of the highly anticipated prospects didn’t have nearly as good of a season as expected.<br /><br />Mattias Ritola couldn’t crack the lineup of Leksand, Christofer Löfberg had family problems, Anton Axelsson saw only limited ice time with Frölunda, Johan Ryno bounced around several teams in search of ice time and <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/juho_mielonen">Juho Mielonen</a> was once again hit by the injury bug.<br /><br />Looking for some positive notes, last year’s second-rounder, Dick Axelsson proved to be a steady goal scorer in Allsvenskan and future teammate Daniel Larsson established himself as one of the best young goalies in <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/sweden">Sweden</a>. Russian late-rounder <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/gennady_stolyarov">Gennady Stolyarov</a> broke onto the big stage in the Russian Superleague with Dynamo Moscow.<br /><br /><strong>Anton Axelsson, LW</strong><br />Axelsson started the season on fire and was among the leading scorers on his team through the first five or six rounds of the season. But thereafter, he was almost nonexistent on the scoresheet. His ice time was reduced dramatically as he was stuck on the fourth line and even being a healthy scratch a few times. The head coach might have misused Axelsson early on, which derailed his confidence. That is the reason why he chose to switch team in the off-season, as he will be representing Timrå next year.<br /><br />Axelsson is a steady checker who always plays the game with high intensity and a lot of jump. He might not have a high upside as an offensive winger, but if he can add some more strength and become even more physical then he could have a shot at cracking the NHL some day as a third-line checking winger.<br /><br /><strong>Mattias Ritola, C/W</strong><br />Ritola was also having trouble with the coaching staff, as he couldn’t manage to crack the lineup of Leksand. After his ice time had almost disappeared with Leksand, Ritola was loaned out to Arboga in the same league, but he couldn’t find his game there either so it was back to Leksand before he finally was loaned out to his native town of Borlänge. After the season Ritola was put on the plane and sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/ahl">AHL</a> for some testing. The Red Wings brass wanted to see if there was something worth keeping in Ritola, and apparently he showed enough to warrant a three-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings, which will start at the 2008-09 season.<br /><br />His size, skating and skills are impressive while his work ethic and attitude are questionable. He will try to redeem himself next season with Leksand as they try to get back to the Elitserien, before moving over the pond.<br /><br /><strong>Johan Ryno, RW</strong><br />Ryno had the biggest expectations of any Red Wings prospect in Europe this season, including Igor Grigorenko. But he would probably want to forget this season as soon as possible. He started off on the wrong foot, having to recover from a back injury right before the regular season started. That set him back a few months conditioning-wise, and it took him two team changes and more than half the season to get back on track. Once he arrived late in the season with Timrå, the team was suffering several injuries, which gave him a chance to step up, and he sure did. He was producing at nearly a point per game during a short stint. During his time in Timrå, Ryno found his game and was playing with confidence.<br /><br />He will need a full season with that kind of confidence and consistency before he moves over the pond. His size, skating and natural ability with the puck is a rare combination that could make him a star in the NHL one day. He has signed an entry-level contract with the Red Wings and will make his pro debut next season. <br /><br /><strong>Igor Grigorenko, RW</strong><br />Grigorenko had a very solid but unspectacular season in <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/russia">Russia</a>, while playing for his home team Lada Togliatti. He was an assistant captain on a pretty young team, and he finished the season second on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 27 points in 49 regular season games. Those numbers are slightly down from his previous season in which he recorded 13 goals and 34 points in 51 games, but his overall game has improved. He’s more confident with the puck and his skating ability is pretty much the same as it was before his car accident.He was making plays with the puck, getting his nose dirty and contributing offensively. After signing a contract with the Wings just recently, it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to crack the Red Wings lineup for the next season. If all goes as expected, then Grigorenko would be a solid third or fourth line winger who gets about 10-12 minutes of ice time on a semi-regular basis.<br /><br /><strong>Dick Axelsson, LW</strong><br />Axelsson missed a big part of the start of the season because of a transfer disagreement between his former club Huddinge IK and Djurgården. He spent the preseason with Djurgården by turning heads of the coaching staff forcing them to offer him a contract to play in Elitserien, but his former club Huddinge didn’t want to lose him for nothing so Axelsson didn’t play at all for the start of the season. When all was said and done, Axelsson was back with Huddinge for one final year in Allsvenskan. He didn’t take long time to get on the scoresheet as he put up nearly a point-per-game in the (13 goals, 8 assists in 25 games) as well as 113 PIMs. So far Axelsson has been proving his worth as a second-round pick, but he will have to continue his development next year in Elitserien with Djurgården. His size, skating, scoring touch and skill are very encouraging. He has to add some bulk and improve his play away from the puck. He is almost a surefire bet to get a contract next summer with the Red Wings.<br /><br /><strong>Daniel Larsson, G</strong><br />This 21-year-old netminder had an impressive rookie season in Elitserien with Djurgården. A team with a lot of youth all over the roster provided a nice development place for Larsson. He stepped up after a very good season in Allsvenskan the year before, and just seemed to be improving with the challenge.He played in 24 games and posted a 2.53 GAA as well as .911 save percentage. Those numbers are very respectable for a 20-year-old rookie. During short stretches, he even pushed the No.1 goalie, <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/teemu_lassila">Teemu Lassila</a> (a former Nashville pick), to the bench with his strong play. For the upcoming season, Larsson will be the go-to guy on the team and will be looked upon delivering a solid effort night in and night out. That will be a big challenge for the young netminder who is a strong candidate for getting a contract with the Red Wings after next season.<br /><br /><strong>Gennady Stolyarov, RW</strong><br />Stolyarov was a gamble back at the 2004 NHL entry draft, being selected in the eighth round. But this was a conscious move by the Red Wings, who are known for going after talented players who seem to have some kind of a drawback in the latter rounds of the draft. Stolyarov spent the next two seasons playing quietly in the lower Russian leagues, before emerging with Dynamo Moscow during the last season. He played in 37 games scoring 6 goals and 9 points as well as 39 PIMs. His season wasn’t anything earth-shattering, but his game had improved a lot since his draft day. He’s a better skater and more responsible defensively, although he still needs to address that part of his game. He also has to gain a lot of strength as he has been pushed around by the veteran defensemen in the Russian Superleague. With a good season in the Russian Superleague, Red Wings might be forced to offer him a contract. His size and skill are still there, he just has to improve year by year, and he might make it one day to the NHL. <br /><br /><strong>Lost prospects</strong><br />Five prospects who are no longer in the Red Wings system are Stefan Blom (D/F), <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/mikael_johansson">Mikael Johansson</a> (C) and <a class="HFlinkstyle" id="HFlink" href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/andreas_sundin">Andreas Sundin</a> (LW), Christofer Löfberg (C/W) and Juho Mielonen (D).<br /><br />Blom has disappeared from the elite hockey stage, playing with Bålsta in the fourth best league in Sweden. His selection back in the 2003 draft was an unexpected one, as he didn’t offer much more than solid size and respectable skating. His hockey skills and sense are questionable and it seems that he will settle down as a low rank minor leaguer.<br /><br />Johansson on the other hand has been improving consistently since being drafted. He was a very solid soldier for Färjestad this past season, contributing with 7 goals and 16 points in 55 regular season games. He has the skill and hockey sense, but his work ethic and conditioning needs a lot of improvement. Plus, his small stature makes it even harder to be in the fight for an NHL contract.<br /><br />Sundin had a very productive season in the Finnish second tier league, scoring 21 goals and 41 points in 45 games. Next season he will be playing in Sweden with Bofors of Allsvenskan, in hopes that it will propel him back to Elitserien for the 2008-09 season. It will be interesting to see what he can do in Allsvenskan after his one-year stint in the Finnish hockey environment.<br /><br />Löfberg, who is a big guy with very soft hands and a lot of intensity on the ice, had a rough season. He had some personal issues within his family, which might have gotten his attention away from hockey. His lack of scoring and intensity made him drop from the second line to the fourth line and even in the press box. For next season Löfberg has moved down a division and will be playing with Rögle in Allsvenskan. This could prove to be a very smart move as Rögle is a good team for young, talented prospects to develop in. For now he looks like a long shot of making it to the NHL, but his size, skating and skill level are still on demand. His rights have been released by the Red Wings, but with a productive year he might be back on track to North America.<br /><br />Mielonen is a skilled defenseman with solid size and mobility, but injuries just can’t seem to stop coming for him. He has been injured for most part of the last two years. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy and that is the primary reason why he wasn’t given a contract by the Red Wings. But, as with fellow prospect Löfberg, Mielonen could be a guy who in a couple of years from now makes a name for himself in Europe and then moves over the pond, a few years older than the regular NHL rookie.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-5475610736464967372007-06-05T09:29:00.000-05:002007-06-05T12:59:54.956-05:00GM's To Focus On Head Shots At MeetingsFrom TSN.ca:<br /><br /><blockquote><p align="justify"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">OTTAWA (CP) - A minor penalty could be assessed to NHL players who deliver<br />a hit to the head as soon as next season.<br /><br />The league's 30 general managers met for several hours Monday and spent<br />most of the time reviewing tape and talking about the issue, which has picked up<br />steam after several incidents this season.<br /><br />The NHL will have to come up with the specific language of the rule before<br />it passes through the competition committee and is eventually approved by the<br />board of governors.<br /><br />The general feeling after the meeting seemed to be that there would be<br />enough time for all of that to take place over the summer.<br /><br />"I think some level could be in place by next season," said Edmonton Oilers<br />GM Kevin Lowe. "I think that there was enough appetite there, enough concern and<br />debate."<br /><br />Added Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson: "I think there'll be something there."<br /><br />The issue found it's way into the spotlight during this Stanley Cup after<br />Anaheim defenceman </span></em><a class="playerlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player_bio.asp?player_id=681"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Chris Pronger</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> was suspended for Monday's Game 4 for hitting </span></em><a class="playerlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player_bio.asp?player_id=1338"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Dean McAmmond</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> with a forearm to the head.<br /><br />The biggest obstacle to it entering the rule book as an infraction will be<br />outlining exactly what constitutes a hit to the head.<br /><br />"There's going to be an attempt to draft some type of rule or enforcement<br />provision about a hit directly to the head and nothing but the head," said Ducks<br />GM Brian Burke. "My prediction is that it's going to be hard to draft that.<br /><br />"Most of the hits we have to the head are also to some other part of the<br />body so it's going to be hard to do. I think we owe it to our players to try."<br /><br />The issue has become a hot talking point in the league since Ottawa<br />Senators forward </span></em><a class="playerlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player_bio.asp?player_id=1585"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Chris Neil</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> levelled </span></em><a class="playerlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player_bio.asp?player_id=12"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Chris Drury</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> of the Buffalo Sabres with a blindsided hit in February. No penalty was called on the play and Neil wasn't suspended. Drury missed four games with a concussion.<br /><br />Sabres owner Thomas Golisano sent an open letter to NHL commissioner Gary<br />Bettman shortly after the incident saying that he was "deeply concerned" with<br />head shots. The Buffalo organization was feeling better Monday after the issue<br />was discussed at length.<br /><br />"For me, for our organization, it's a step in the right direction," said<br />Sabres GM Darcy Regier. The managers were clear about the fact that they<br />were happy with the amount of contact in the game.<br /><br />As more than one pointed out, big hits often bring as much attention to<br />hockey on sports highlight shows as pretty goals.<br /><br />"There's lots of hitting in the game, everyone wants the hitting to<br />continue," said Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough. "We want to make sure that<br />the hitting is done in a tactical way at the body."<br /><br />The GM's also discussed discussed having bigger nets and instituting<br />four-on-four overtime during the playoffs, but neither issue was met with much<br />interest.<br /><br />Risebrough was one of the general managers interested in bigger nets before<br />the meeting. "It was discussed but I can say there was not a great appetite<br />to deal with it right now," he said. "I would even put myself in - a guy who was<br />supportive - is not as supportive.<br /><br />"I like what we have right now. There's been a lot of changes and sometimes<br />they don't amount to more goals."<br /><br />Some GM's were open to the idea of playing overtime games in the playoffs<br />with four skaters on each team in an effort to avoid games dragging on into the<br />night. However, not enough were interested to recommend a change to the rules.<br /><br />Vancouver and Dallas played into a fourth overtime during the first round<br />of the playoffs before </span></em><a class="playerlink" href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/player_bio.asp?player_id=1917"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Henrik Sedin</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"> scored to give the Canucks a win in the sixth-longest NHL game ever.<br /><br />"I don't mind the fact that we played five-on-five for a long period of<br />time before we finally ended the game," said Canucks GM Dave Nonis. "People<br />talked about that game for a long time and that's not necessarily a bad<br />thing."</span></em></p><p align="justify"></p></blockquote>This is an issue the GM's, the players and the owners definitely need to examine and ultimately fix. I know my stance may not be popular with traditionalists (like myself), but I see a problem here in the NHL and I think it needs to be fixed.<br /><br />I'm all for old-school hockey and big, crunching hits. But it was not too long ago that the league removed hip-checks from the game because too many players were getting hurt. For years, players used hip-checks regularly--but there weren't as many injuries for whatever reason. Who didn't love watching a wicked hip-check delivered on a guy? I loved it. But, throughout the 90's, not every player was executing the move properly--some were accidents, some had some intent to injure--and, as a result, we saw a rise in knee injuries. Million dollar athletes being shelved, some for a season at a time, rehabbing their torn MCL's, ACL's, and every other part of the knee that was damaged.<br /><br />The NHL recognized the rise of a serious issue and dealt with it. The same thing is happening here.<br /><br />Head shots are an issue now. And it must be fixed, now.<br /><br />Elbows to the head, cross checks to the head, headshots--these aren't new to the NHL. But, the injuries occuring from them are becoming more severe. Players are bigger, stronger and the equipment is harder and bigger. Some players are executing head shots accidentally, some are aiming high with intent.<br /><br />Players aren't stupid. They know that--with their size, the speed of the game and the physicality of the sport--hitting someone in the head can have a very disasterous result. The NHL had the same problem with hits from behind. It was becoming an epidemic, and the NHL acted. They implemented "boarding" calls or hits-from-behind penalties. In pee-wee hockey, kids had stop signs sewn on the backs of their jerseys to teach kids to respect your opponent when his back is turned and to ease up, to lay off the hit from behind.<br /><br />Hits to the head are becoming an epidemic, the new version of hitting from behind. There appears to be a lack of respect among players creeping into the game and it's evident when a player throws an elbow to the head of another player, or slams a players face into the glass with his forearms.<br /><br />I'm a big supporter of physical, hard-hitting hockey. But I've seen too many hits to the head this year that have lead to concussions and other injuries--hits that still could have been executed without aiming, purposely or not, for the head.<br /><br />The NHL has penalties for kneeing, for boarding and I hope they create a penalty for a headshot.<br /><br />Let's not kid ourselves--hockey is a fast-paced, physical game. Hits to the head will happen whether you legislate them or not. Players have a split second to make a decision and sometimes they make the wrong one, or sometimes it's purely accidental. But, penalizing hits to the head will help decrease the amount of headshots that are happening (it won't make them completely disappear) and it will force players who are doing it on purpose to think otherwise.<br /><br />From a business standpoint: these are million dollar athletes; they are pieces of property with tremendous value. Owners and GM's don't want to see their investments in doctors offices. They want to see them on the ice, doing what they can to win a championship for the organization. Your investment is no good when they are sidelined with post-concussion syndrome or a broken facial bones.<br /><br />From a personal standpoint: these athletes are human beings. They are somebody's sons. Some are fathers. Playing professional sports is a risk, especially in a fast paced physical game like hockey. But the NHL owe's it to these people to minimize the risks when possible.<br /><br />Players are going to keep getting better, bigger, stronger and faster. Now is the time to adress this problem. I'm not saying to legislate hitting out of the game. Creating a minor penalty, or a double minor penalty for a headshot might be a start in the right direction. Repeat offenders would be subjected to harsher punishment (fines and suspensions that elevate after X amount of offenses). As Risebrough stated, "we want to make sure the hitting is done in a tactical way to the body." Penalizing hits to the head will not eliminate hitting or hard, physical play from the game. Hip-checking is no longer part of the game and the game is still as physical.<br /><br />Headshots are an issue now. They aren't becoming an issue, they ARE the issue. And the NHL needs to come up with a way to regain control of this epidemic, to minimize the chances of this happening as often as it has been.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-24170019498054415122007-06-05T09:08:00.000-05:002007-06-05T09:18:57.441-05:00RWC's Top 20 Red Wing ProspectsWith the signing of Ritola and Ryno, the trade of Shawn Mattais to Florida in the Bertuzzi deal and the fluxuation of various prospects, it was time to update the rankings of the Wings top prospects. Matthew Wuest at RWC has updated their Top 20 prospects list for the Detroit Red Wings:<br /><br />Goaltender <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/howard.html">Jimmy Howard</a> remains No. 1 in RedWingsCentral.com’s end-of-season ranking of Detroit Red Wings prospects. Howard, who grabbed the No. 1 spot from forward <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/grigorenko.html">Igor Grigorenko</a> at mid-season, narrowly edged second-ranked <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/kindl.html">Jakub Kindl</a>, a defenseman with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. Grigorenko, who plays for Lada Togliatti of the Russian Elite League, is third.<br /><br />Howard, 23, is coming off his sophomore year in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He went 21-21-3 and posted six shutouts, a 2.70 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. When is the 2003 second-round pick expected in Detroit? “He’s ready, but his play (in training camp) is going to dictate how ready he is,” Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “He had a good year. There have obviously been a few bumps here and there, but he’s improved. It’s going to be a big training camp for him. “The thing with him is, is he better to be playing 20 to 30 games in the NHL or to be playing 60 in the AHL? Whether it’s the NHL or AHL, he’s got to be playing. There’s no sense in having him on the bench.” Where he plays will be partially determined by <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/players/hasek.html">Dominik Hasek</a>'s retirement decision, which is expected in the near future.<br /><br />Ontario Hockey League wingers <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/mursak.html">Jan Mursak</a> (fourth) and <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/emmerton.html">Cory Emmerton</a> (fifth) round out the top-five ranking. Howard, Grigorenko and defensemen <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/quincey.html">Kyle Quincey</a> (seventh) and <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/meech.html">Derek Meech</a> (11th) are the prospects on the list closest to playing in the NHL, but all four can go to the AHL without having to clear waivers.<br /><br /><strong>Here’s a look at the top 20.</strong><br />1. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/howard.html">Jimmy Howard</a>, G, 6-0, 215, Grand Rapids (AHL), 49 GP, 2.70 GAA, .911 SPCT. Howard is still Detroit’s goalie of the future. He’s still a pup in goalie years, having turned 23 in March. He’s made great strides in two minor-league seasons and the Red Wings are willing to remain patient.<br />2. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/kindl.html">Jakub Kindl</a>, D, 6-3, 202, Kitchener (OHL), 54-11-44-55-142. Kindl finished second to Marc Staal for the OHL’s most outstanding defenseman award. He has great size and a pile of offensive talent, and should step in as a top-four AHL defenseman with Grand Rapids next season.<br />3. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/grigorenko.html">Igor Grigorenko</a>, RW, 5-10, 209, Togliatti (RUS), 49-14-13-27-71. The fiercely competitive winger has terrific skills and smarts. His foot-speed and ability to adjust to the NHL pace are his only question marks, but the Red Wings are hoping he will crack their roster in the fall.<br />4. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/mursak.html">Jan Mursak</a>, LW, 5-11, 173, Saginaw (OHL), 62-27-53-80-50. Mursak’s speed and spunk will push the prospects ranked ahead of him next season, especially if he hits the weight room in the summer. His strong showing in the AHL playoffs was indication of his bright future.<br />5. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/emmerton.html">Cory Emmerton</a>, C, 6-0, 190, Kingston (OHL), 40-29-37-66-22. He’s a complete player who thinks the game brilliantly. He missed a lot of time with a broken ankle this season and needs to get stronger and faster, but should challenge for the OHL scoring title next season.<br />6. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/abdelkader.html">Justin Abdelkader</a>, LW, 6-1, 209, Michigan State (NCAA), 38-15-18-33-91. He’s big, he’s strong and he bangs. To top it off, he’s great skater with untapped offensive potential. He led Michigan State to an NCAA title and could be a third-line staple for Detroit in three years.<br />7. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/quincey.html">Kyle Quincey</a>, D, 6-2, 215, Grand Rapids (AHL), 65-4-18-22-126. There was nothing outstanding about Quincey’s season until injuries hit the Red Wings and he stepped into the NHL for 13 playoff games. He played well and is ready for NHL duty as a sixth or seventh defenseman.<br />8. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/helm.html">Darren Helm</a>, C, 6-0, 182, Medicine Hat (WHL), 59-25-39-64-53. Blazing speed and terrific work ethic define his game. His skills are vastly underrated, too. Helm won a WHL title and a world junior gold medal this season, and will make the jump to the AHL in 2007-08.<br />9. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ericsson.html">Jonathan Ericsson</a>, D, 6-5, 218, Grand Rapids (AHL), 67-5-24-29-102. He’s huge, gritty and has terrific raw skills, but he hit a wall at mid-season in his first year in North America. At 23, he has a lot of development ahead, but he looks like a real find and his upside is undeniable.<br />10. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ryno.html">Johan Ryno</a>, LW, 6-5, 209, Timra (SWE), 39-5-6-11-22. Except for one dynamite 11-game stretch (four goals, five assists), Ryno didn’t do much this season. But that stretch, combined with his size and skill, got him a contract, and the Red Wings hope he rewards them down the road.<br />11. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/meech.html">Derek Meech</a>, D, 5-11, 197, Grand Rapids (AHL), 67-6-23-29-40. He evolved into an AHL all-star and saw time in four NHL games. He might be ready for an NHL job, but the Red Wings’ defensive depth may force Meech back to the AHL for another year of seasoning.<br />12. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/larsson.html">Daniel Larsson</a>, G, 6-0, 170, Djurgardens (SWE), 24 GP, 2.53 GAA, .910 SPCT. The technically-sound stopper had a solid rookie year in the Swedish Elite League and should get even more starts in 2007-08. If he performs well, the Red Wings won’t hesitate to sign him.<br />13. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/axelssond.html">Dick Axelsson</a>, LW, 6-2, 198, Huddinge (SWE-2), 25-13-8-21-113. He might have as much offensive upside as anyone in the system. He had a good year at Sweden’s second level but his true test is next season -- his Swedish Elite League rookie campaign with Djurgarden.<br />14. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/mcgrath.html">Evan McGrath</a>, C, 6-0, 195, Grand Rapids (AHL), 59-6-8-14-41. McGrath’s AHL rookie year was a disappointment. He didn’t earn the trust of his coaches and struggled for ice time. He can bounce back, but needs to work on his conditioning and defensive play.<br />15. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ritola.html">Mattias Ritola</a>, RW, 6-0, 198, Leksands (SWE-2), 23-1-4-5-4. He’s a speedy winger who can dangle and that’s why the Red Wings signed him, even though he’s coming off two sub-par years in Sweden. Now, it’s Ritola’s job to work harder and shake the enigma tag.<br />16. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/axelsson.html">Anton Axelsson</a>, LW, 6-0, 187, Frolunda (SWE), 52-5-7-12-14. Axelsson had a decent year, but didn’t get see ice time on Frolunda’s top two lines. He’s entering a contract year and hopes that a transfer to Timra will help him get the ice time needed to post breakthrough numbers.<br />17. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/pyett.html">Logan Pyett</a>, D, 5-11, 198, Regina (WHL), 71-14-48-62-84. He finished fourth among WHL defensemen in scoring and could follow a similar development path to Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Nathan White. Another strong year will go a long way toward helping him land a contract.<br />18. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/stolyarov.html">Gennady Stolyarov</a>, RW, 6-4, 203, Dynamo Moscow (RUS), 37-6-3-9-39. Stolyarov was mostly forgotten before putting together a decent Russian Elite League rookie year. He’s entering his contract year, and more consistency might get the big, skilled winger signed.<br />19. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/oulahen.html">Ryan Oulahen</a>, C, 6-0, 190, Grand Rapids (AHL), 79-11-16-27-42. The defensive ace took another step forward in his development, showing he can do a little bit of everything in the AHL. Like <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ellis.html">Matt Ellis</a>, don’t be surprised if Oulahen one day lands an NHL call-up.<br />20. <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/kolosov.html">Sergei Kolosov</a>, D, 6-4, 187, Cedar Rapids (USHL), 51-1-10-11-79. There is plenty of intrigue around Kolosov -- he’s a big, mean hitter who flies below the radar. The Red Wings have another year to sign him, and they’ll let him play in Europe or the East Coast Hockey League until then.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-45974907743972608052007-06-05T09:05:00.000-05:002007-06-05T09:08:41.013-05:00Chelios: PA To Meet With MLB, NBA Players' Association LeadersPosted by <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/about.html"></a>George James Malike from Mlive.com<br />June 05, 2007 08:46AM<br /><br />According to Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios, MLBPA director Don Fehr, MLBPA general counsel Michael Weiner, and former NBA PA director Charles Grantham will meet with the players in Toronto this month to discuss the PA's future:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070604.wsptnhlpa4/BNStory/Sports/columnists">June 5, Globe and Mail</a>: The plan is for Fehr, Weiner and Grantham to help the NHLPA plot its future without former executive director Ted Saskin, who was fired with cause last month. Taking part in the meeting will be as many NHLPA player representatives as available, along with any players in the Southern Ontario area who wish to attend.<br /><br />"I met with [Fehr, Weiner and Grantham] and we'd be crazy not to listen to these guys," said Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios, whose dogged questioning of Saskin's hiring and in-office tactics led to his ouster. "Major League Baseball has the best union in sports and they're willing to help us."<br /><br />Chelios said the three union officials, current and past, are willing to lend their expertise to help the NHLPA regain its stature as a unified and viable front. The rationale is that a weak union in one professional sport can undermine a union's bargaining position in another.<br /><br />"If one sport gives something up, others follow, like the National Football League," Chelios said. "[What if NHL officials say] why not do what the NFL did and have no guaranteed contracts? I think there should be interaction within the unions. It's important."<br /><br />The Globe and Mail's Alan Maki says that the PA will have to wait until August to hear the results of Shiela Block's investigation into Ted Saskin's regime as the PA's executive director, and it's then that Chelios may truly feel some vindication for his struggle against Saskin:<br /><br />"I'd say about 85 per cent of the guys don't know what happened with the executive committee and Ted Saskin," Chelios said. "The more who know, the better it is because once they understand they'll feel as strongly as I do. We have to make sure this doesn't happen again."WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-45679036594917640942007-06-03T14:34:00.000-05:002007-06-03T18:33:34.967-05:00Lilja Emerges As Pleasant Playoff Surprise<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_JwijC416OJsdBA3JZiiMUqRB_0v65pTz8syxWIQG0mhIuA0mqAKPe3tgOdzVAda_lj6pXg6iBgWIfGGSWtnnRvdZ9Jz1A1HZICRTfPo0eNMnVMk0vQFHIig8doXgjucbFzatzg_dDBD/s1600-h/lilja_gallery_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071925878548034610" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_JwijC416OJsdBA3JZiiMUqRB_0v65pTz8syxWIQG0mhIuA0mqAKPe3tgOdzVAda_lj6pXg6iBgWIfGGSWtnnRvdZ9Jz1A1HZICRTfPo0eNMnVMk0vQFHIig8doXgjucbFzatzg_dDBD/s200/lilja_gallery_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There were a lot of surprises during the Red Wings exciting run through the Stanley Cup playoffs. The most pleasant surprise, arguably, was the solid performance from veteran defenseman Andreas Lilja—a player many fans, including myself, weren’t expecting much from.<br /><br />After all, this was a season that saw Lilja, 31, only play in 57 games, his lowest total since playing with Los Angeles in 2001-02 (26). He failed to register a goal and only had 5 assists for 5 points. This was the first season Lilja was held goalless since his rookie season in 2000-01 (Lilja only played in 2 games that season).<br /><br />That’s not surprising given that Lilja’s game has never been based on offense, but the Wings organization and fans would liked to have seen some contribution offensively, as limited as it might have been. He was, however, a plus player with a respectable +6 and he kept his penalty minutes under control with 54. Before the season started, Coach Mike Babcock proclaimed Lilja was “the teams most improved player.” But on many nights during the regular season, Lilja was the odd man out—the seventh defenseman.<br /><br /><strong>A ROCKY ROAD TO DETROIT</strong><br />Lilja signed with the Red Wings before the 2005 season from Nashville. Coming to Detroit capped off a wild and scandalous year for the Swedish born defenseman. The lockout year didn’t start well for Lilja. During the lockout year, Lilja—like many NHL players—played overseas. Lilja played for the Swedish club Mora. In February 2005, a 22-year-old woman accused Lilja, along with NHL players Henrik Tallinder and Kristian Huselius, of raping her in her hotel room. Police opened an investigation into the trio on suspicion of sexual exploitation.<br /><br />In March, one month later, after police dropped the charges due to lack of evidence, a special prosecutor re-opened the case. As a result of this new investigation, Lilja, Tallinder and Huselius were suspended from the Swedish national team for one year. In addition, Lilja was released outright by Mora for the rest of the season. All three admitted they had consensual sex with the woman, but they never raped her. In June, after a lengthy investigation, the special prosecutor cleared the trio when the prosecutor’s office could find no evidence that the three players forced the woman to have sex.<br /><br />Before his release from Club Mora, Lilja had three goals and eight assists in 44. He played 11 games for Sweden, scoring three goals.<br /><br /><strong>THE PLAYOFFS</strong><br />Despite seeing sporadic playing time during the regular season, Lilja would be called upon to be the reliable, stay-at-home defenseman that the Wings needed. He would also be called upon to elevate his physical game—to utilize his size on a depleted defensive corp. The loss of two of Detroit's top four defensemen in Nicklas Kronwall and Mathieu Schneider was a major blow. Lilja would indeed be called upon. Simply put, Lilja answered the call.<br /><br />Because of the injuries to Kronwall and Schneider, Lilja went from being a spare playing sporadically; to being one of the Wings top four defenders and playing in all 18 of the Wings playoff games. He averaged nearly 19 minutes (66th among defensemen) per game in the playoffs, a considerable increase from his regular season average of 15:14 (191st among defensemen).<br /><br />In an area that was desperately lacking from the Wings—a strong, physical defensive presence—Lilja really stepped up his game. He led all Red Wings in hits with 55 and was second behind Sammy Pahlsson at the conclusion of the Western Conference Finals.<br /><br />Then there’s that one blemish, that black-eye that will forever live in the minds of Red Wings fans and Lilja himself: “The Giveaway." It is the play that may very well have turned around the series. Lilja attempted to skate up the middle, in front of Hasek, when the puck bounced over his stick blade and right onto the tape of Duck’s forward Teemu Selanne. The rest is history. This was one area where Lilja struggled throughout the playoffs. He had 23 giveaways (third worst on the team).<br /><br />Sure, Lilja made a mistake. A bad bounce, a great move by a talented forward and the game was over. But, to Lilja’s credit, he owned up to it in the locker room and addressed the media openly and honestly. And let’s not forget, in that same game, Lilja scored his first and only goal of the playoffs—and at the time, a very big goal. Had it not been for a fluky deflection off Lidstrom’s stick in the final seconds of regulation, it would have been the game winner.<br /><br />Andreas Lilja was, in my opinion, the biggest positive surprise for the Red Wings this postseason. He made $1 million this past season and is another prime example of a Red Wing player whose on ice play far exceeded the value of his contract. This is what you want from your lower paid players in a salary cap system. Lilja truly gave the Red Wings the biggest bang for their buck. He exceeded everybody’s expectations with his smart, strong, physical play. As each playoff game wore on, you could add another label to Lilja: reliable. Lilja recognized the opportunity before him and he seized it. <br /><br />Once the playoffs started, Lilja became a valuble part of the Wings deep playoff run. Was Andreas Lilja brilliant in these playoffs? No. Are there areas of his game that still need work? Yes. But did anyone, including die hard Red Wings fans and the “experts,” anticipate or expect a journey-man, No. 7 defenseman who played only a litte more than half of the regular season to emerge as one of the Wings more solid players on a lineup with future Hall of Famers? No way.<br /><br />Over the course of 18 intense, grueling playoff games, one player surprised me more than the rest. Perhaps that earlier proclamation from Babcock came to fruition during this Stanley Cup Playoff run: Andreas Lilja really was “the teams most improved player.”<em></em>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-63710272825388911622007-06-02T14:57:00.000-05:002007-06-02T15:40:56.716-05:00THN: Goal Breakdown-Wings Vs. Ducks (WCF)In a segment called Goal Breakdown, THN anaylzed where on the ice the Ducks scored against Detroit and where in the net they put it:<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Through five games of the Western final, the Ducks weren't picky when it came to trying to score on Wings goalie Dominik Hasek. But that changed in Game 6 when Anaheim found a spot it liked, and went with it. The Ducks scored all four goals with shots on the ice: three of which were due to Hasek being out of position and Detroit's defense not getting to rebounds. </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">The Ducks made their presence felt around the net as only one goal, Getzlaf's Game 4 winner, came from beyond the top of the faceoff circles. Only one goal all series, a Rob Niedermeyer deflection off a Pronger blast in Game 6, was tipped in.</span><br /></em><br />I made a diagram, since none was available on the internet:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>(click for a larger view)</strong></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpWu3MzsWktueuE_A6sRJgXn1CwnCY0V9DrDGKDLnkkm6qZOtkeDBTsixBBFOcd41Hdh-PjEYt7quFYfNE-afzd5dzY3RIdgKhPrortiEKI5_IZ4yIqiyIazG4Qfy-GFGvg2u4yER69bA/s1600-h/duckswingsgoalbdown.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071566114907452450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpWu3MzsWktueuE_A6sRJgXn1CwnCY0V9DrDGKDLnkkm6qZOtkeDBTsixBBFOcd41Hdh-PjEYt7quFYfNE-afzd5dzY3RIdgKhPrortiEKI5_IZ4yIqiyIazG4Qfy-GFGvg2u4yER69bA/s200/duckswingsgoalbdown.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Goal Key:</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1. Game 1-Kunitz scores off the rush</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2. Game 2-Rob Niedermeyer one-times quick pass</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">3. Game 2-McDonald knocks in rebound, barely</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">4. Game 2-Moen's shot slides in on top of Hasek</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">5. Game 2-Scott Niedermeyer snipes after pass from brother Rob</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">6. Game 4-Perry blasts it in far side</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">7. Game 4-Jackman 28-foot wrister</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">8. Game 4-Selanne golfs bouncing puck</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">9. Game 4-Getzlaf's long wrister find top shelf</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">10. Game 4-Rob Niedermeyer empty-netter</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">11. Game 5-Scott Niedermeyer's shot deflects of Lidstrom's stick</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">12. Game 5-Selanne OT backhander after Lilja turnover</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">13. Game 6-Rob Niedermeyer deflects Pronger blast</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">14. Game 6-Perry pots rebound</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">15. Game 6-Getzlaf scores in scrum</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">16. Game 6-Pahlsson buries rebound</span><br /><br />Goals 14, 15 and 16 illlustrate my point that I made in the my blog <em><span style="color:#cc0000;">Net Front Domination: One Reason Why The Wings Lost</span></em>. These three goals were scored in a scrum or a rebound that landed next to, or underneath, our goalie. Dom was out of position on the first goal in Game 6, as the article states. But it also states something that was painfully obvious--that the Detroit defense was unable to clear the rebounds, clear the crease or neutralize the Ducks in front.<br /><br />There is another illustration in the magazine that shows where on the ice the Ducks players scored from. 6 goals came from directly in or on the edge of the crease. And as the article states, only one goal came from behind the face off circles. Every goal but one was concentrated in the faceoff circles, between the hash marks or directly in front of Dom.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-155924466485835362007-06-02T13:46:00.000-05:002007-06-02T16:03:37.430-05:00THN: Article on Red Wings Front Office<a href="http://www.detroitredwings.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/JPCJIMDODCJA/DGR_0333.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.detroitredwings.com/uploads/photos/perm/main/JPCJIMDODCJA/DGR_0333.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ken Campbell wrote an interesting piece about the Red Wings front office and management in this week's issue of The Hockey News:</div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><em></em></span></div><br /><div><em><span style="font-size:85%;">It won’t be this summer and it might not happen for another year or two, but the day is definitely coming when the Detroit Red Wings will have to start playing nice and begin to share their embarrassment of riches with the rest of the NHL.<br /><br />Because this is starting to get ridiculous. While there are a good number of teams—such as oh, let’s see, Phoenix and Columbus—that have floundered for years because of bad management, the Red Wings have all the good hockey people to themselves and that has to stop.<br /><br />I mean, come on, Ken Holland, recently ranked as the No. 1 GM in the NHL by The Hockey News, will celebrate his 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> anniversary with the Wings next season. Assistant GM Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nill</span>, who continually takes third-round picks and makes them front-line players, has been with the Wings for 13 years. Senior vice-president Jimmy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Devellano</span>, Holland’s mentor, has been in Detroit 25 years and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Scotty</span> Bowman, who will continue consulting with the Wings until he dies at the age of 107, has been there 14 years.<br /><br />That’s 25 Stanley Cup rings for those of you keeping score at home.<br /><br />So all the Wings needed last summer was for Steve <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Yzerman</span> to walk into Holland’s office to tell him he was retiring and that he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">wouldn</span>’t mind having a copy of the keys to the executive bathroom. Then the guy goes out and wins a World Championship with Team Canada on his first try. Yes, putting together an all-star roster with the deepest talent pool in the world is nothing like running an NHL team, but you have to think <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Yzerman</span> has a little something going here. Canada went 9-0 in the tournament and who knew about Jay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">McClement</span>?<br /><br /><strong>THREE’S A CROWD</strong><br />The Red Wings have three Stanley Cups in the past decade and 16 straight playoff appearances largely because the members of the front office work so well together and are essentially without ego, but realistically how long can three men—Holland, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Nill</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Yzerman</span>—who are capable GM’s continue to work for the same team?<br /><br />The answer lies with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Yzerman</span>, who spent this season learning and absorbing everything he could. What <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Yzerman</span> has to decide after making almost $70 million during his career is whether he wants to put in the heavy lifting it takes to become a GM in the NHL.<br /><br />As involved as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Yzerman</span> was with the Wings this season, he also used this year to spend time traveling and vacationing with his family, and you simply can’t do that as a hockey executive when your itinerary says you have to be in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Binghamton</span> for a Friday night American League game before flying to Medicine Hat for a Sunday afternoon Western League game.<br /><br />If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Yzerman</span> indeed wants to become the Wings version of Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Dumars</span>, he’ll have to spend a couple of years slogging it out like everyone else.<br /><strong></strong></span></em></div><br /><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>ALL-STAR APPLICANTS</strong><br />It was the same question Doug <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Gilmour</span> faced this season when he became a professional development advisor with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It took him only a couple of scouting trips to realize he’s not cut out for management and his future probably lies in coaching. And it will be the same decision former stars such as Brett Hull, Al <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">MacInnis</span>, Joe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Nieuwnedyk</span> and Mark Messier will face as they dream of becoming hockey executives.<br /><br />What these guys have to realize is that, as a GM, you can’t go off to the cottage for a couple of months in the summer. Sure, you might be able to squeeze in a week or two, just as long as you bring along your cell-phone, laptop, and fax machine and a re prepared to leave on a moment’s notice. Oh yeah, and you also will have to do work every single day.<br /><br />And what to do with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Nill</span>? Both the Coyotes and Blue Jackets asked the Wings for permission to speak to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Nill</span> about their GM vacancies, but it was denied by the Wings in both cases.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Nill</span> still has three years remaining on his contract with the Wings and with an annual salary of above $600,000, he makes more than some GM’s in the league. He is treated very well by the organization, including receiving a nice, shiny ring every couple of years.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Nill</span> has never approached the Wings asking to be released and chances are, he knows what a good thing he has going and probably never will. But one of these days, a team will push very, very hard to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Nill</span> and the Wings will have a difficult decision to make.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Yzerman</span>, of course, could leave the Wings, but it’s highly unlikely. In fact, probably the only way <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Yzerman</span> would go somewhere else would be if he were offered a situation similar to Wayne Gretzky’s in Phoenix, where he would have the power to make decisions, be the face of the franchise and part owner.<br /><br />Or will Holland be the one who ultimately leaves Detroit? If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Yzerman</span> decides he wants to devote his life to being a GM, and he wants to do it in Detroit, look for Holland to step aside and take on a new challenge. If Holland were ever to leave the Wings, he would have his pick of jobs and going to the Maple Leafs in a role similar to the on Bryan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Colanagelo</span> has with the NBA’s Raptors would be an enticing proposition.<br /><br />Of course, this is all fodder for another day, but that day is coming. Count on it</span>. </em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><br />In my opinion, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Yzerman</span> is still several years away from becoming a full-time GM--if that's what he even wants to do in the first place--of an NHL team. I think what he did with Canada was excellent, but I think they'll continue grooming him via that route. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><br />I could even see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Yzerman</span> becoming the GM of the Grand Rapids Griffins sometime down the road. He would be able to run an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">AHL</span> team where he could familiarize himself with future Red Wing players. It's the best of both words. If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Yzerman</span> were to ever take of the Griffins GM position, he would be able to experience running a team and would be able to report to the Wings first-hand, intimate knowledge about Red Wing prospects. Whatever happens with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Yzerman</span> and the Red Wings will be very interesting. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><br />Ken Holland, Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Nill</span> and Jimmy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Devellano</span> are without a doubt, the best trio working for an NHL team. Period. Their incorporation of scouting and development in Europe (when many NHL teams weren't looking at Europe at all), the talent they've been able to unearth all over the globe and the fact they've been able to rebuild a professional hockey team while remaining competitive is a real testament to their ability and their tremendous value to the organization. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><blockquote></blockquote><br /><div></div>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-78561109655671145512007-06-01T16:27:00.000-05:002007-06-01T19:16:51.497-05:00Red Wings Sign Prospect Ryno<a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/images/ryno.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/images/ryno.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The Red Wings signed another prospect today: <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ryno.html">Johan Ryno</a>, a right winger from the Swedish Elite league. Ryno signed a three year entry-level contract. The 6'5", 209 lb Ryno was drafted in the 5th round, 137th overall.<br /><br />From <a href="http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com">Red Wings Corner: </a><br /><br /><em><blockquote><p><em>“Mattias and Johan are two highly-skilled young players,” said Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill. “They will attend our training camp this fall as a part of their continuing development towards the goal of playing for<br />the Red Wings in the NHL."</em></p><p><em>Ryno, who turns 21 June 5, played 39 games in the Swedish elite league this season -- his first in that circuit -- tallying five goals and 11 points.</em></p></blockquote></em><a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/johan_ryno">Hockey's Future </a>ranks Johan Ryno <strong>3rd</strong> out of 20 for the Red Wings Top 20 Prospects. They give him a 7.5 rating with a letter grade of C. A 7.5 rating is for players not quite good enough to play on the top line or pairing on a regular basis, but still possessing enough talent to contribute offensively. Think Andrew Cassels or Jason Arnott.<br /><br />A "C" rating is for a player who may reach potential, but could drop 2 ratings. This player has shown some flashes, but may ultimately not have what it takes to reach his potential. The potential rating is multiplied by 80 percent for depth chart purposes to show the uncertainty of a player reaching his potential.<br /><br />Hockey's Future analysis:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p><strong>History:<br /></strong><em>Ryno had a very good season in Division-1 in 2004-05 and was among the<br />leaders on his team in scoring. He more than doubled his goals and points from<br />last season.<br /></em><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Talent Analysis:<br /></strong><em>Ryno has tremendous size for a winger and is a solid skater. He does also<br />have respectable, but not spectacular puck skills. He has good attitude and is a<br />hard worker. Ryno isn´t afriad of using his size to his advantage. He has good<br />scoring touch and is dangerous around the net. He possesses above average hockey sense and uses his linemates well.<br /></p></em></blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com">redwingscentral.com</a> has three stories about Ryno:<br /><br />Aug. 8, 2005: <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2005_08/04_Ryno.html">Ryno 'has all the tools'</a><br />Feb. 5, 2007: <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2007_02/05_ProspectsWatch.html">Ryno turns season around</a><br />March 26, 2007: <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2007_03/26_ProspectsWatch.html">Wings may let Europeans develop at home</a><br /><br />I am really excited at seeing how Ryno performs at training camp. The guy is 6'5", 200 lbs and is still filling out. From everything I've read, Ryno has offensive gifts but needs to work on his skating and aspects of his physical game.<br /><br />This is a kid who will be fun watching develop. He is obviously highly-regarded by Holland and Nill and there will be plenty of time for him to develop all of his tools. This could be a player who could really help the Wings in the future.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-87552330854229950032007-06-01T14:21:00.000-05:002007-06-01T14:38:37.636-05:00Training Camp Tickets On SaleFrom The Traverse City Record-Eagle:<br /><br />TRAVERSE CITY — Tickets for the Detroit Red Wings training camp will go on sale Saturday, June 2nd, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Centre ICE.<br /><blockquote><p align="justify"><em>This will be the 10th year for the Wings in Traverse City. Players will report on Sept. 13 for physicals and a golf outing. On-ice activities begin Sept. 14 and run through Sept. 18.</em></p><p align="justify"><em>The camp will feature as many as 60 players. They'll be divided into three teams. The first three days of camp will consist of intrasquad games and on-ice workouts from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. </em></p><p align="justify"><em>Tickets are $15 each. On Sept. 17, the top players compete in the annual Red & White game at 6 p.m. ($25). The camp ends on Sept. 18 with a unique 4-on-4 intrasquad game at 5 p.m. Tickets for the 4-on-4 game are $10, which includes a hot dog and soda.<br /></p></em></blockquote><br />I've always wanted to go the the training camp in Traverse City. Yet, every year my band has a show that weekend, most of the times out of state. Hopefully, I will be able to attend this year and examine some of our prospects in action.<br /><br />I'd like to see Jimmy Howard, Igor Grigorenko, Cory Emmerton, Jan Mursak, Jonathan Ericsson, Darren Helm and our other prospects. Ericsson almost made the team last year with his strong training camp, so I'm curious to see what he beings to the camp this year.<br /><br />Not to mention, the possibility of seeing Ryan Smyth in the red and white. Or maybe the return of one of the original Russian 5 members, Slava Kozlov. Maybe we'll see rival Scott Hartnell from Nashville wearing the winged-wheel. It will be interesting to see which UFA(s) Holland brings in to bolster our lineup.<br /><br />Either way, my goal is to get to this training camp and to start blogging about it.WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-8956890344900594362007-06-01T14:00:00.000-05:002007-06-01T14:09:58.301-05:00Red Wings Sign Swedish Prospect Ritola<a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/players/m_ritola.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/players/m_ritola.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The Wings have some decisions to make regarding their list of prospects. Today, that list got a little shorter. The Red Wings signed Swedish forward <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ritola.html">Mattias Ritola </a>to a three-year entry-level contract. Ritola was drafted by Detroit 103rd overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Matthew Wuest from <a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com/">redwingscentral.com </a>has a nice summary on Ritola:<br /><em><em><em><em><br /><blockquote><em><em><em><em>The 6-foot, 198-pound right-winger is one of 10 prospects the Red Wings<br />must sign or relinquish the rights to on Friday.</em><br /><br /><em>Ritola, 20, spent most of this season with Leksands at Sweden's second level, recording a goal and four assists in 23 games. He is known for his offensive ability but criticized for his inconsistency. He is expected to come to training camp in the fall but could spend another year developing in Sweden, depending on how things go.</em></em></em></em></blockquote></em></em><br /></em></em><em><em></em></em><a href="http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/mattias_ritola">Hockey's Future</a> ranked Ritola <strong>17th</strong> out of 20 for the Red Wings Top Prospects. They give him a 6.0 and a D on their grading scale. A 6.0 is the grade they give to a player they project to be a third line player, similar to Kris Draper. A "D" letter grade, according to Hockey Future's system, is for a player who has a chance to reach his potential but is unlikely to do so. The potential rating is multiplied by 70 percent for depth chart purposes, indicating that the player’s potential is extremely fluid.<br /><br />Here's Hockey Future's analysis on Ritola:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><strong>Talent Analysis:</strong> <em>Some have questioned Ritola’s attitude, while others have<br />stated the opposite. What is certain is that Ritola is a creative player with<br />soft hands, good hockey sense and good penalty-killing skills. His scoring touch<br />could use some improvement, though</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Future:</strong> <em>Ritola has been a huge disappointment in all kinds of ways. Drafted<br />as highly-skilled player who could be a future top 6 forward, he has been<br />bouncing around in the lower divisions in Sweden.Ritola has to find a steady<br />home where he can develop his game and mature at the same time. That has been a<br />big question for him so far. He doesn’t seem to have the mental strength to<br />learn how to use his talent on the ice. Ritola has natural ability, but somehow<br />that disappears many times on the ice and he seems lost. He could be a potential<br />signing in the offseason, but it remains to be seen if the Red Wings are willing<br />to gamble on him.<br /></em></blockquote><br />Here are Ritola's stats for the last two seasons in Sweden:<br /><br /><strong>Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM<br /></strong>2005-06 Leksands IF SEL 30 0 3 3 10<br />2006-07 Arboga IFK Swe-1 3 1 0 1 2<br />2006-07 Leksands IF Swe-1 23 1 4 5 4</div>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-91815682621383970032007-05-30T23:40:00.000-05:002007-05-31T23:10:06.144-05:00Rollercoaster Year For Chelios<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EGazjBWDn_QJ1FvxLOwaz7RXhKL4yp-h1TL1i5XEOSCLQ2oKfqlRfmAR0r-uZtsoOQoY9w7zMiJWRN2t4yOkTHQF1HU0DGtT8tLRW-dMwGO2E6QXDiQDPVdnF3BgtfCicLOGSfhcWElG/s1600-h/chelios1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070818777713046546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EGazjBWDn_QJ1FvxLOwaz7RXhKL4yp-h1TL1i5XEOSCLQ2oKfqlRfmAR0r-uZtsoOQoY9w7zMiJWRN2t4yOkTHQF1HU0DGtT8tLRW-dMwGO2E6QXDiQDPVdnF3BgtfCicLOGSfhcWElG/s200/chelios1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">"Terrible" Ted Lindsay would be terribly proud of Chris Chelios.<br /><br />His much publicized battle with player's union boss Ted Saskin lead to the discovery of corruption at the highest level; the discovery of a perverted version of the union Ted Lindsay helped organize. Yet, the player's union drama has been only a part of the rollercoaster season for the twenty-two year veteran of the NHL.<br /><br />In many ways, the fact that Chelios, 45, is still playing in the NHL is astounding. But the aging defenseman, in excellent physical shape, was back for another season with Detroit.<br /><br />Detroit resigned Chelios to a one year deal before the offseason with expectations that he would be a solid fifth or sixth defenseman. His ice time would be diminshed, but he was expected to focus on being more of a stay-at-home type defenseman. His presence and experience on the blueline would be valuable for his young partner Brett Lebda.<br /><br />The 2006-07 season started out well for Detroit, but Chelios suffered a groin injury that forced him to miss six games. Once back in the lineup, Chelios proved he could still play at a competitive level. He still could be the nasty defenseman, but he picked his spots and instead focused on playing a positionally sound, stay-at-home game. The former three-time Norris trophy winner was still sharp at making the initial breakout pass and at times could still join the rush offensively (his slapshot shattered the glass in a game this season).<br /><br />As the Red Wings continued to play well on the ice, Chelios' battle with NHLPA boss Ted Saskin<br />continued to heat up. In the early months of the season the war of words continued between the two in the press. In October, Saskin publicly responded to the lawsuit brought forth by Chelios,<br />Edmonton Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson and former player Trent Klatt.<br /><br />"The claims issued in the complaint are the same claims that have been made repeatedly over the last 13 months by this tiny group," said Saskin to the Canadian Press. "These claims, including the offensive allegations of illegal conduct, are completely without merit as has already been demonstrated in many forums on a number of occasions."<br /><br />Despite having the lawsuit thrownout by a federal judge in the United States, Chelios and his group of supporters continued to pursue the matter into Saskin's hiring and continued to apply pressure.<br /><br />By the end of the first month of the regular season, the Red Wings were tied for the division lead with Nashville. The team was playing well and Chelios was making the most of his minutes. In the first season without Yzerman and Shanahan, the Wings were still a competitive team atop the standings. Afterall, this was supposed to be a transition year for the Wings. But with veteran players like Chelios in the fold, this team was able to remain competitive while rebuilding.<br /><br />For Chelios, battles were raging not just on the ice, but off it as well. It couldn't have been easy to deal with the lawsuits, the naysayers, fellow hockey players-even teammates-questioning you, criticizing you behind your back, or maybe even to your face. Teammate Mathieu Schneider is the Players Association Vice President, and despite his concerns about Chelios' lawsuit, he claimed all things related to the lawsuit would stay out of the dressing room.<br /><br />"Pretty much want to keep it out of the dressing room as much as we can," Schneider said. "It's an outside issue. Once the season started, we agreed that it's in everyone's best interest that we focus on our team and what's going on here."<br /><br />While "business" may not have been talked about in the locker room, I'm sure there must have been tension at times. That tension may have existed on the ice when Chelios played opposite of the other players named in the lawsuit (Bill Guerrin and Trevor Linden). For all intents and purposes, Chelios became the face of a very public and heated witch hunt of a man who had yet to be proven guilty for any crime.<br /><br />As 2006 came to a close, the Red Wings posted a 24-9-5 record and were feeling good about what they acomplished so far. Unfortunately, Chelios would suffer a tragedy that would affect him deeply. It would stay with him the rest of the season and through the playoffs.<br /><br />In January, two employees of Chelios' bar, Cheli's Chili, were found brutally stabbed to death inside the restaurant. Chelios knew both employees personally and their deaths struck a heavy blow to the heart of the grizzled hockey player. Chelios, clearly shaken and distraught at a press conference, requested time off "indefinitely" to deal with the incident.<br /><br />Chelios missed two games. One of those games was the Steve Yzerman jersey retirement night, January 2nd. It must have been tough for the seasoned Chelios to miss his friends jersey retirement ceremony--to be a part of a special night, a historical night--especially given the reason he had to miss it in the first place.<br /><br />In March, the Toronto Star reported a story that NHLPA executives were illegally monitoring player emails. The battle between Chelios and the NHLPA, specifically Saskin, re-ignited with this stunning news. The Toronto police launched an investigation. What started out as a battle over the hiring procedures of a union head now became a criminal investigation.<br /><br />The Wings continued to roll, piling on wins and by March 26th, the team was 46-19-11. That night, Chelios finally had something to smile about. USA Hockey honored Chelios for becoming the all-time leader in games played among American players. As the Joe Louis crowd stood and cheered, he was presented with a beautiful lithograph of him in his USA uniform, Red Wings uniform, Blackhawk uniform and Montreal Canadian uniform. Chelios surpassed Phil Housley's mark of 1,495 games.<br /><br />On April 7th, the Red Wings finished the regular season, a top the Central division and second in the NHL with 113 points (50-19-13). For the first time since playing for Montreal in the 1983-84 season, Chelios failed to register a goal in the regular season. But the defenseman finished with 11 points and a +11. He also kept his penalty minutes down to a lowly 34 minutes.<br /><br />As the playoffs started, Chelios was averaging 16 minutes per game. After Schneider and Kronwall went down with season-ending injuries, the 45-year old defenseman's minutes jumped from 16 to an average of 25 minutes per game. Not only that, he was seeing power play time. Clearly, the signing of Chelios during the offseason began to pay dividends. He went from being a sixth defenseman to a top four defenseman during the playoffs. Not only did he have to deal with increased minutes, he was paired with rookie defenseman Kyle Quincey. Chelios did a tremendous job with Quincey. When Quincey would make a rookie mistake, the veteran Chelios was right there to eliminate the threat or to turn the play up ice for the Wings. Again, the Wings had to be grateful they signed Chelios.<br /><br />A day before the Wings opened their series against the Ducks, the NHLPA's executive board voted in favor of terminating Ted Saskin--a step toward vindicating Chelios. ''I doubt it's over,'' Chelios told The Canadian Press. ''We haven't heard from Ted yet. But it was a unanimous vote today, which was nice. We're all on the same page. We're moving forward.'' Since then, evidence has emerged that Saskin indeed accessed player emails among other illegal activities and violated privacy issues.<br /><br />Does Chelios feel vindicated?<br /><br />"I don't want to say vindicated," he said. "All along, I never said it was anything personal. It was just what was best for the union."<br /><br />The Red Wings overcame injuries to two of its top four defensemen and made an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals before being eleminated by the Anaheim Ducks in six games. By any standard, Chelios had an excellent playoff. He lead the team in blocked shots with 33, and ranked third among defensemen in hits behind Lilja and Markov. Just as he was in the regular season, Chelios was a plus-player in the playoffs as well, finishing with a +7. He lead the Red Wings defensemen with that +7 and ranked fourth among all defensemen in the playoffs in the plus/minus category.<br /><br />Chelios took the loss to Anaheim rough. His excellent playoff would be overshadowed by a momentary lapse in judgement that can be chalked up to nothing more than raw emotions. It is a tradition in the NHL to shake hands with the opponents who advance at the end of a series. If anyone respects tradition and the history of the NHL, it's Chris Chelios. But, as game six concluded and the Wings were eliminated, Chelios skated over to the Ducks bench and congratulated the coaching staff. He then went directly to the locker room, avoiding the respected handshake.<br /><br />Chelios recieved criticism from all over the place, including from Red Wings fans. Ducks players, specifically Teemu Selanne, took shots at Chelios: "It shows what kind of guy he is," Selanne said. "It's easy when you have success to be a good guy. But when something happens and it gets tough, a couple of guys from Minnesota did it and now, he does it. I don't really care, you know. Maybe I'd like to say, 'Have a good summer.' "<br /><br />After taking a few days, Chelios came forward with an explanation: "Nobody's bullet-proof," he said. "I'm the biggest believer in tradition, having honor and showing class. To be totally honest -- this is not an apology I couldn't lie -- with all sincerity, trying to keep it together in the last 20 seconds of the game realizing we were going to get knocked out, it was almost a blackout kind of thing going to the room, coming back and shaking hands with the coaches. Whether you're going to get sick and throw up or bawling your eyes out. It's a situation where I've found myself not being able to control my emotions maybe twice in my life. I mean this with all sincerity ... no disrespect to the Ducks, no animosity towards them ... I just couldn't control it. I don't want to get into the details."<br /><br />Perhaps those details stem from the tragedy that took place at his bar. Maybe Chelios was playing this season for the memory of his two employees. Maybe Chelios promised the family members that he would win the Cup for them. It's never been said by Chelios, but I'm sure the emotions he felt at the end of the game were not solely tied to losing a hockey game.<br /><br />"I've always done the right thing and tried to do the right thing," said Chelios. "Set a great example for the Detroit Red Wings and my family. I saw Selanne's quotes and I think he understands I've been through a lot off the ice as well as on the ice...which might have had something to do with it. In the last 20 seconds, a lot went through my head."<br /><br />This incident was the culmination of a rollercoaster year for one of the greatest defenseman to play the game. It also shouldn't distract or taint the wonderful season Chris Chelios had for the Detroit Red Wings in the regular season and the playoffs. His value to the Red Wings and his strong play this season, along with leading the charge against the corrupted NHLPA, didn't go unnoticed. Chelios was named the recipient of the Mark Messier Leader of the Year Award for his outstanding performance as a player, his vast leadership skills and his dedicated humanitarian efforts.<br /><br />"I don't have many regrets about my hockey career, but one might be never having had the opportunity to play with Chris Chelios," Messier said. "I have always admired his commitment and dedication to the game, and I have never heard a negative word spoken about him, which is a true testament to his character. In addition to his ability to lead his teammates both on and off the ice, he is an incredible ambassador for the game of hockey and a wonderful role model - totally committed to his community and giving back to those in need."<br /><br />At the end of the day, Chris Chelios is just a person. Remove the professional athlete label and you still have a human being. The experiences, the tragedy, the triumphs, the vindication and the disappointment that Chelios endured this past season is difficult to deal with no matter what profession you hold in life. In one season, he went through a tremendous range of emotions--a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows.<br /><br />"Terrible" Ted Lindsay would be terribly proud of Chris Chelios and not just for helping to clean up a corrupted players union. The outspoken, old-school Red Wing would be proud of the good player he still is on the ice, for the teammate he is in the locker room, for the honorable person he is in the Detroit community and for the way he handled a difficult, challenging year both professionally and personally. </span></div><br /><div></div><div></div>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-1351417972208896912007-05-30T12:13:00.001-05:002007-06-05T13:01:18.555-05:00Osgood Succeeds In New Role<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6LHT5mbQVHs3xvHox97CA4TJF0sjtsm3ySxrNZ0DrFckKDw2aAv_oyGn4voCC-0O_K6OMtRbHb7x4kWuBYm6wupIeLi7anh643_M48MC2V6Aws6IKWGKHDQdcKSNZnpUBPqNb0ohNjWR/s1600-h/osgood_gallery_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070439246771901538" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6LHT5mbQVHs3xvHox97CA4TJF0sjtsm3ySxrNZ0DrFckKDw2aAv_oyGn4voCC-0O_K6OMtRbHb7x4kWuBYm6wupIeLi7anh643_M48MC2V6Aws6IKWGKHDQdcKSNZnpUBPqNb0ohNjWR/s200/osgood_gallery_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>"The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings."</strong><br />-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Okakura</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Kakuzo</span></span>, author.<br /><br />The art of winning lies in a constant readjustment to your surroundings. After all, being able to adjust to adversity and to new surroundings is what can make a team successful. It can also make an individual player successful for years. Fail to make the necessary adjustments, and you lose.<br /><br />Chris Osgood, the Red Wings backup goaltender, is a perfect example of an athlete who has dealt with some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">adversity</span>--the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">fluky</span></span> injuries and diminished playing time--, has readjusted his game to better himself and the organization and, in the process, is winning.<br /><br />The Red Wings have arguably one of the best backup goalies in the NHL in Osgood. It couldn't have been easy going from a starter--playing 50-65 games a year, averaging over 3,000 minutes of playing time per season--to a backup, playing 20-25 games a year, averaging about 1,500 minutes per season. Everything gets cut in half--your games played and your minutes. Demotion is never easy, no matter what your profession.<br /><br />Yet, Osgood, 34, has found a way to make the transition seem relatively easy. The Red Wings have a tremendous luxury and insurance policy in net by having Osgood as their backup <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">netminder</span></span>. I still hear the complaints and criticism about Osgood from time to time, but I can't help but think he is vastly overlooked in this town as an important part of the Wings present and future.<br /><br /><strong>THE PRESENT</strong><br />Osgood's stats for the last two seasons as a backup in Detroit:<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>2005-06 Detroit 32<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gp</span></span>, 20-6-5, 2so, 2.76 .897%<br />2006-07 Detroit 21<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">gp</span></span>, 11-3-6, 0so, 2.38 .907%<br /></em><br />Those are not bad numbers for a guy who is used to averaging two to three times the amount of games played. You want your backup goalie to be able to step in and give your team a chance to win, no matter how tough the opponent is. Every game during the regular season can help determine if you make the playoffs, you're seeding, your place in the division, your place in the conference, etc. So getting points out of every game is a must. In this past season, when Osgood appeared between the pipes, the Red Wings gained 28 points out of a possible 42, that means in 66% of the games Osgood plays, the Wings got at least one point. Those 28 points were critical to the Wings success this season, not only in their division, but for their seeding in the playoffs.<br /><br />Osgood has demonstrated that he can still be that goalie who is capable of stealing a game and the goalie that still gives his team confidence in his ability. Some teams do not have that luxury. When their backup starts a game, you can see the lack of confidence the team has in their goalie. It's displayed in the way they play the game on the ice. Not so with Detroit. This Red Wing team has confidence in their backup goalie and he showed them why in his games against Nashville.<br /><br />Last season, Detroit engaged in a fierce battle with Nashville for the Central division title. Most of the season, Nashville lead Detroit. Clearly, Nashville was the Wings toughest divisional opponent and one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Osgood played 4 games against the Predators. In those four games, against the Wings only real divisional opponent, Osgood was 3-1 and allowed 10 goals, roughly 2.5 goals per game--enough to win in the "new" NHL. With the Wings win on March 29<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">th</span></span> against the Predators, with Osgood in net, they tied Nashville for the division lead. This was an important game for the Wings and Osgood <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">performed</span> well. To me, that shows tremendous confidence in the backup goalie from the head coach.<br /><br />Osgood showed up big and demonstrated to his teammates, the organization and the fans that he still can play big in big games. Critics will dismiss Osgood's play or call his numbers "inflated" because of playing in games against much weaker teams (i.e. St. Louis, Columbus, Chicago, etc). You cannot fault Osgood for winning games against teams he's supposed to win against. Osgood didn't select the games he played in, but he showed up and gave his teammates a very good chance of winning each one of those games. The four games against Nashville were pressure-filled games and, as it is evident throughout his career, Osgood thrives on and performs well under pressure.<br /><br />In Osgood's last two seasons as a backup, he is 31-9-11 with a very respectable 2.57 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">GAA</span></span>. He brings something to the position that many backup goalies struggle with: consistency.<br /><br />Despite making it look easy, the transition from starter to backup hasn't come without its fair share of adversity. After being signed by Detroit in July of 2006, Osgood missed the beginning of the season with a hand injury that would persist throughout the season and ultimately cause him to miss 15 games. This injury, combined with it being his first year as a backup, clearly affected Osgood's rhythm and timing in '06. In 2007, Osgood was hampered by a bout with the flu (2 games) and a broken finger that caused him to miss 8 games.<br /><br />If Osgood can have a healthy season, he is capable of playing 30-35 games for the Red Wings and given his recent history as a backup, is capable of winning games and piling up points.<br /><br /><strong>THE FUTURE</strong><br />Someone has been watching the Wings <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">goaltending</span></span> tandem of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Hasek</span></span> and Osgood closely. That someone is Jimmy Howard, by all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">accounts</span> the Red Wings future goalie. He is projected to join the Red Wings for the start of 2008-09 season. Osgood is signed through next season at $850,000--a very good value in the cap era.<br /><br />In 1994-95, the Red Wings were a competitive team with a young, promising goalie. But they had yet to win the Stanley Cup. That <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">offseason</span></span>, the Red Wings brought in veteran goalie Mike Vernon from Calgary, a Stanley Cup champion goaltender. He worked with the talented young Osgood both on and off the ice. He became a mentor for the young goalie. Vernon's mentoring had a positive effect on Osgood's game and it had a positive effect in the locker room.<br /><br />Now it's time for Osgood to return the favor and the Wings have an excellent opportunity to make this happen. If the Wings plan on tabbing Jimmy Howard as the starter in 08-09, I think re-signing Osgood would be a smart play. He is a veteran goalie who knows what it takes to win championships and should be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">signable</span></span> for a very reasonable amount of money.<br /><br />Who better to mentor the young promising Howard than the once young and promising Osgood? In Osgood, the Red Wings have a former all-star goalie with 2 Stanley Cups, a Jennings Trophy and over 600 games of NHL experience. Chris Osgood is the second <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">winningest</span></span> goalie in Red Wings history, behind Terry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sawchuck</span></span> with 336 wins. He has a career goals against average of 2.45 and a career save percentage of .907: both very respectable numbers.<br /><br />But there's another attribute that makes Osgood so valuable and it's something that may prove to be most beneficial to the impressionable young Howard--mental toughness. Nobody knows better than Osgood what it's like to play goalie in Detroit. Nobody knows better than Osgood what it takes to survive and to be successful in a town where the target is painted clearly on your chest, night in and night out. The only position with more pressure and scrutiny in this town is the Lions quarterback.<br /><br />Bob <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">MacNamara</span></span>, the Griffins GM, said Howard needs to continue to work on the mental aspect of his game: "The mental side was coming around for him," McNamara said. "He was getting better and better and I think he’s close. He has a little ways to go, but I think he’s close. He recognizes it’s part of his development." The Wings have the perfect player to help Jimmy when he makes the jump, if they chose to resign him.<br /><br />When Osgood replaced Vernon in 1997-98 and lead the Red Wings to their second of back-to-back championships, he endured his fair share of moments that might have crushed other goalies <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">psyche's</span>. The 50-60ft. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">goals</span> he allowed throughout that playoff run would have been enough to make many goalies tuck their tail between their legs and hide. Look at Manny <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Legace</span></span>: he told reporters he wanted to hang himself after the Edmonton series in 2005. Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Cheveldae</span></span> was chased out of town by a chorus of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">boo's</span></span>. Curtis Joseph experienced first hand the pressures of trying to win here in Detroit when he drew the ire of fans for the Wings loss to Anaheim in 2003. Despite making the Western Conference Finals, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Hasek</span></span> is hearing criticism from fans. Simply put: it comes with the territory. The last three goalies to win the Stanley Cup for Detroit are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Hasek</span></span>, Osgood and Vernon. All three had tremendous mental toughness and awareness. They thrived under pressure, relished a challenge and exhibited an ability to rebound and recover <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">mentally</span> after allowing a bad goal. It didn't phase them. It didn't mess up the rest of their game. They didn't fold. Instead, they stood tall, or better yet--they stood on their heads and as a result, won the ultimate prize.<br /><br />And that's what makes Osgood's stock rise here in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Hockeytown</span></span>. Osgood will be a free-agent after next season. I'm sure he feels in his mind he can still be a full-time starter. And for some teams, he probably could. But there is an opportunity here for Osgood to continue his readjustment and to continue making a transition that will help the organization that drafted him. Osgood was instrumental in his role last season and he is a goalie who can still help us next year and in the immediate future.<br /><br />The Red Wings have Jimmy Howard waiting in the wings, fine-tuning his game. There's no doubt that when he's called up, he'll be looking for some guidance, for some veteran leadership. Osgood brings a wealth of experience and is well-liked in the dressing room. He is a teammate that will work with Jimmy, not ignore him. He is a goalie who will challenge Jimmy to be better, because after all, Osgood is a competitor and he still wants to play full time minutes. He is the backup goalie who is backing it up. He is the kind of mentor that Vernon was to him and I believe he will relish the opportunity to help mold and shape the Wings best goalie prospect to come along since, well....Chris Osgood.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Quote taken from Red Wings Central article, "Prospects Watch: Howard May Need More Time" by Matthew <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Wuest</span></span>.</strong></span> </span></span>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-18055850237281245962007-05-26T14:54:00.000-05:002007-05-27T10:47:51.910-05:00Net-Front Domination: One Reason Why The Wings Lost<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dSeKwkCbwkWoqssl7r_L0mJDRD-tojAdG1-r2FZC-XHLWN15n_f3CAof9RPkwe4At6GPCM3IKSTNnAf8hxkbDY0H34ZCoQa6lVALaW0pLjqOxo22dnIsZrc3zZmrd7nU0CSIj8nKX6lQ/s1600-h/ducks7w.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068983476196856914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dSeKwkCbwkWoqssl7r_L0mJDRD-tojAdG1-r2FZC-XHLWN15n_f3CAof9RPkwe4At6GPCM3IKSTNnAf8hxkbDY0H34ZCoQa6lVALaW0pLjqOxo22dnIsZrc3zZmrd7nU0CSIj8nKX6lQ/s200/ducks7w.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="justify"><p>In my opinion, there were a couple of factors that lead to the Ducks defeating the Red Wings. Goaltending really wasn't the issue with our elimination as far as I'm concerned. It's very easy to point to the goalie position when you're team loses. So, I don't blame the criticism as misguided as it may be.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>But I have a different take. Outside of the Wings inability to capitalize on their power player chances (especially the multiple 5 on 3's), I believe there was something else that the Anaheim Ducks did better than Detroit and to me, it's been overlooked and rarely been talked about. I believe this tactic factored in greatly with this series and ultimately helped Anaheim advance:The Ducks did a much better job of punishing opposing players in front of their own net.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Any time a Red Wing player came near that net, or JS Giguere, he paid a price. Beyond the usual punishment Holmstrom paid for parking his rear in the face of Jiggy, our guys got hammered, leveled, thrown to the ice, pushed outside, tied up or taken down--whatever it took. Even after the whistle, they made sure to make a statement: you come near our goalie or our net, you will pay a price.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Credit the Ducks--they were dominant in front of Giguere. Filppula wasn't even in on the scoring play but when he skated next to Giguere awaiting the puck, he was absolutley flatened. Give credit to the Ducks for something else--they didn't take a lot of penalties punishing the Wings. They were smart, but tough, brutally tough down low. I was impressed.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>When Giguere gave up rebounds (which he did often) our guys couldn't get a second shot off, or at least a decent shot because they were paying a hefty phsyical price by trying to create traffic. The Anaheim defense converged immediately and physically moved or tied up the Red Wing players that crashed the net.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Three out of the four goals scored on us in Game 6 highlighted Detroit's ineffectiveness of doing the very same thing the Ducks were doing to them. Hasek made the original save, which is what you ask of your goalie. Rebounds dropped straight down, as opposed to carelessly being kicked out into traffic. The opportunity was there. We simply did not clear the traffic or make the Ducks pay a price for crashing the net.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Granted, we aren't the biggest team, but you don't need to hammer guys necessarily to neutralize them. Some players can do that because of their size and strength.. But, with our slightly smaller, less physical defense out there, we still had opportunites to tie them up, box them out and to use solid body positioning to neutralize the threat out front. We simply failed to do this most of the whole series.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>There is no doubt that we definitely missed Schneider, more specifically, Kronwall in this series. This is one area where they could have helped. That doesn't mean they were the lone answers to the problem. Our defensemen--Lilja, Lebda, Chelios, Markov, Quincey--could have done a better job of neutralizing the Ducks forwards who had ample time and space to dig out pucks and tap them into the net. Perhaps the fatigue was starting to set in and our defensemen were conserving their energy. Missing two of your top four defensemen will bump every defensemen's minutes up and force them to go through more energy. Whatever the reason for it, we failed to neutralize the traffic--physically or with positioning--in front of Hasek.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>In the playoffs, you simply cannot allow a team as talented as the Ducks to feel "comfortable" in front of your crease. I bet you Detroit didn't feel as comfortable when they tried to go after the rebounds and garbage Jiggy left out front. The Red Wings forwards knew they were going to take a beating. The Ducks forwards knew they could put up a tent, fire up a BBQ grill and lounge around the crease without fear of taking a beating at all.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>How comfortable do you think Hasek felt when he made the saves, but had two, three, four guys standing around him digging, prodding, hacking, wacking at the puck? I can gaurantee you that Giguere felt comfortable knowing that, if he makes the intial save and gives up a rebound or can't find the puck, that his defensemen and, even some forwards, were going to protect that net and establish dominence out front. They were sent out there with a mission: punish and neutralize the Red Wing forwards if they crash the crease.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Nick Lidstrom is an amazing defensemen, the best in the league yet again. However, he cannot do it all. Nick is a smart player who plays a positional game over a physical game. He's not going to punish forwards parking in front of Dom. It's not his style. Instead, while we still have a brilliant Hall of Fame defenseman on our team, let's supply him and our goalie with another defenseman who will establish a physical presence out front. This team needs to go after a big, strong, SMART defenseman who will move and clear the traffic in front of our goalie. Give Nick some size and toughness in our own zone. I think it's fair to Lidstrom and our goalie next year to go after a defenseman who will take some of that pressure off our defensive corp; a defenseman who will make our goalie feel comfortable that he has someone who can protect the front of the net without taking a ton of penalties.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>If we don't go and get a defensemen like this, then I expect our coaching staff to work with our current defensemen on improving this aspect of their game. Only one of our defenseman is under 6 feet tall. So, we have some size. It's playing physical or positionally out front that we need to work on. It's clearing the traffic. It's establishing dominance. It's making forwards pay a price. Our guys can do better at this aspect of the game.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Two seasons ago, one of the Wings most promising big, young defenseman-Jiri Fischer--collapsed on the bench and nearly died. Fischer was a big guy, a battler. He was strong and difficult to move off the puck. He made sure that players weren't too comfortable in or around our crease. Fischer was definitely missed this year, and in this series. We have another big defenseman in Grand Rapids--Jonathan Ericsson--who will be a Red Wing in a few seasons. His game is not quite as physical as Fischer's yet. So we do have players waiting in the Wings. Until they make their appearance in the red and white, the Red Wings could use another defensman like Jiri Fischer.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Bottom line:</strong> <p>Bringing in a big, strong, smart defensemen via free agency or trade, who's not afraid to bring a physical presence to the front of our net is important. I think this may be a piece of the puzzle that was missing from this years run. Granted, the loss of Schneider and Kronwall was huge. But, since Fischer went down, I think this is a component the Wings have been missing.</p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p>Next season, I would like the opposing forwards to feel uncomfortable in front of the Detroit net, instead of the goalie standing in it.</p></div>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-358368530086841162.post-2195535399121080522007-05-26T13:13:00.000-05:002007-05-31T16:40:35.120-05:00Hasek: The Wings Best Bet<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6B-v3JDrocl_Klk51r6jtIAxY7QikOM22UkfkBrSbhMr7Vzo8vG4NUKfx2hrxWnomhQwuoUR7nNHWyeeyYiNdm63IP_t_AuV0ImOA_o02-62Fn178Cx5wh2ICkqWpK5ELIPZ0fmZBV_Y/s1600-h/hasek1.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068955752182961202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6B-v3JDrocl_Klk51r6jtIAxY7QikOM22UkfkBrSbhMr7Vzo8vG4NUKfx2hrxWnomhQwuoUR7nNHWyeeyYiNdm63IP_t_AuV0ImOA_o02-62Fn178Cx5wh2ICkqWpK5ELIPZ0fmZBV_Y/s200/hasek1.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="justify">Until you can find me a better goalie available, who's not going to cost us between 4 and 6 miillion dollars per year, Dominik Hasek is a must resign in my opinion. Count me in as one of the many skeptical fans during the 2006-07 offseason. Now, let's assume a couple of scenarios play out this offseason:</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div><br /></div><p align="justify">1. JS Gigeure, who will become a UFA when the Finals are over, will most likely be re-signed by the Ducks. If not, he will command a hefty contract, somewhere between 4.5 to 7 million per season (with the cap going up to $44 million). He is the best young goalie available on the list of UFA goalies, but the Wings chances of landing him are slim to none. </p><p align="justify">2. The argument for Hasek that I will make below is based on the presumption that Hasek returns for one more season. If he retires, then everything below is moot. I believe Dom will return to the Wings for one final push. </p><div align="justify">Below is a list of potential Unrestricted Free Agent goalies: </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">JS Giguerre, Brian Boucher, Joey MacDonald, Ty Conklin, Dominik Hasek, Ed Belfour, Sean Burke, Mathieu Garon, Nicklas Backstrom, David Aebischer, Karl Goehring, Scott Clemmensen, Mike Dunham, Kevin Weekes, Robert Esche, Curtis Joseph, Jocelyn Thiebault, Jean Sebastian Aubin, Danny Sabourin, and Wade Flaherty.</span></em> </div><div align="justify"></div><div><br /></div><div align="justify">Not a very impressive list in my opinion.</div><div><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Since the Red Wings were eliminated, the sports talk radio shows have been flooded with callers perfering that we do not re-sign Hasek; that we should move in another direction. The main argument is his age at the start of next season--43 years old. The number one solution is apparently to bring up the Wings goalie of the future, Jimmy Howard. Other than that it's simply, "get rid of Dom!" </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Here are four reasons why Dominik Hasek is the ideal candidate to sign a ONE year deal for the Detroit Red Wings:</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><ol><li><div align="justify">Dom completely revamped his training and conditioning regiment to include a high intensity stretching program to keep his groin in top shape. It apprantly has worked. He' arguably in the best shape of some of our players and he is a health freak. This shows me he wants to win, he wants to be here, he wants a cup. He's doing his part off the ice to stay competitive. </div></li><li><div align="justify">Babcock has a veteran backup in Osgood. The system they employed this year, to ensure Dom's health for the playoffs worked. They can do this again. Keep an eye on Dom during the regular season, monitor him closely and give Ozzie some playing time.</div></li><li><div align="justify">I don't care if he IS 43 years old, the guy can obviously still play at a high competitive level. JS Giguerre couldn't believe how good Dom was for being that old, he said it in the post game of game 6. He can still stop pucks. His teammates say they've never seen a better and more competitive player at practices. He gives this team a chance to win almost every night. And with a couple of key parts to the puzzle, I think he can be the goalie we need to lead us to the finals and even win us the Cup next year.</div></li><li><div align="justify">Opposing teams have a hard time game planning for Dom. Coach Ron Wilson, after the San Jose series, was asked about game planning for Dom and he echoes what many NHL coaches this season have said: "You can't", Wilson said. "He's so unorthodox. Most goalies in the NHL play a certain way, but Hasek doesn't. You can't be sure what he's going to do." </div></li></ol><div>So, I ask those who do not want Hasek to return: Who do you guys want in net other than Jimmy Howard? I trust our scouting and development teams when they say they truly believe Jimmy isn't ready. “He’s much closer to the NHL (this year opposed to last year) but I hesitate to say he’s ready to go at this stage,” said Bob McNamara, general manager of the Grand Rapids Griffins. “The mental side was coming around for him,” McNamara said. “He was getting better and better and I think he’s close. He has a little ways to go, but I think he’s close. He recognizes it’s part of his development.” This comes from a guy who correctly predicted that Valteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler and Tomas Kopecky were ready to make the jump to the NHL. </div><div><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And how much are you willing to pay for this goalie? Does anyone on that UFA list (assuming the Ducks re-up w/Giguere) compete with Dom in statistics, experience, mental toughness, etc?</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Let's take a look at a goalie who we signed last year for 750 thousand dollars--which in the cap era, hell, any system is mighty impressive:<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong>Regular season stats:</strong></div><ul><li><div align="justify">56 games played (18th)</div></li><li><div align="justify">38-11-6 record</div></li><li><div align="justify">38 wins (7th)</div></li><li><div align="justify">8 shutouts (2nd)</div></li><li><div align="justify">2.05 gaa (2nd-more than 8 GP)</div></li><li><div align="justify">.913 sv% (13th-more than 8 GP)</div></li></ul><div align="justify"><strong>06-07 Playoff stats:</strong></div><ul><li>18 games played</li><li>10-8 10 wins (currently 2nd)</li><li>2 shutouts (3rd)</li><li>1.78 gaa (3rd--more than 1 GP)</li><li>.923 sv% (9th)</li></ul><div></div><div align="justify">The Detroit Red Wings tied for second for lowest team GAA in the league with New Jersey (2.30gaa). Only Minnesota had a better team GAA with a 2.20. Clearly, our starting goalie and our backup goalie are capable of keeping the Detroit Red Wings at the top defensively. Add to the fact that we have some good defensemen here, and might bring in another one via free agency, and I feel pretty good with Hasek and Osgood between the pipes. The guy finished in the top 10 in nearly every category...and he's 42. So what's one more year? </div><div><br />Now, if you want Dom gone, that's cool, I respect your opinion. But again, I ask--who would you want in net, how much are you willing to pay (because Dom came at one heck of a value), and what goalie on that UFA list (if we're not talking trade) would you want to play 55-65 games a year in Detroit? </div><div><br /><strong>Here's my plan:</strong> There's something about Detroit that Dom likes. I really believe he loves it here, the rich tradition of the Detroit Red Wings, the fans, the pressure of winning in this city...it's something he thrives on. Dom likes a challenge. He hates to lose. These are the things that I want from a player. He WANTS to be here. He HATES losing. He has to be the best player in practice. He is competitive in everything he does. He said it again in his postgame interview--he really loves this city and this organization. Detroit was the one team he was willing to come out of retirement for: "I almost fell of my bike," joked Hasek. "I did not expect this phone call. I was totally surprised. But if I was going to come back and play in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings were the one team that I was interested in playing for." </div><div><br />When we had the problems with CuJo, Manny and Dom, and all the drama that went down, Dom returned the rest of his salary to the organization--which totaled above $3 million dollars. Ken Holland stated in interviews that that gesture proved a lot to him and the organization about what kind of guy Dom is. "Ken, I didnt come back for the money," Hasek said. "I know I put you in a bad situation with Manny and Curtis. I came back to try to help this team win. Right now, I can't do that. I don't want to be paid another dime of my salary until I walk into this office and tell you I'm 100% ready to get back on the ice." Holland responded to this conversation he had had with Dom in 03. "How many players do that?" Holland said. "From that, I know that money isn't the motivation for Dom. When he's telling me that it's not about the money, it;s about winning the Stanley Cup, my history tells me to believe it. And when I think about Dom practicing that day in Carolina, being the only player to show up for an optional player practice after that long Game 4 that lasted to the wee hours of the morning, I remember his passion."</div><div><br />I don't care what happened in Ottawa between him and then-back up goalie Ray Emery and that organization. Ottawa is not Detroit. It doesn't come close and the two organizations will never be confused. I don't think Dom holds those two organizations in the same regard either. D Dom realized he was wrong with how he handled the situation, he messed up and gave back his salary to the team. He walked away from that remaining $3 million. Just like it does for Kenny, it also speaks volumes to me. </div><div><br />The players, the captain, the coach and the GM have all stated publicly that they A) believe Dom was the reason we got as far as we did and B) would love to have him back for ONE more year. This week, the Detroit Red Wings nominated Hasek for the Bill Masterson trophy--awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. His teammates nominated him. One Red Wing, who may not even return to the club--Todd Bertuzzi--had this to say about Hasek: "When you’ve got the best goaltender in the world, you want to see him back. … Obviously everyone who’s coming back is pulling for him to come back." </div><div><br />Having two goalies, with a combined 3 stanley cups, a wealth of playoff experience and the mental makeup to withstand the pressure of playing goalie in this town for UNDER three million dollars in the cap era is a tremendously good value. And with the cap going up, if we can resign Dom (after giving him a raise for his play) to a similar deal, we can use this extra cash that is not tied up in goaltending to address other parts of our team (defensemen, forwards). Holland stated this week that he will have between 10 and 13 million dollars to sign a goalie, three defensemen and two forwards. </div><div><br />If Ken Holland can:</div><ol><li>Structure a contract that is similar to last seasons, with a low-moderate base pay and incentives based on playoffs and performance</li><li>Get clearance from our training staff and Dom regarding his overall health and the condition of his groin</li><li>Make sure Dom is continuing with his stretching, strength and conditioning programs during the offseason</li></ol><p>...then I would be fine for bringing him back for ONE more year. If he gets injured, we have a very reliable back up in Chris Osgood, who is also making less than a million dollars (850K) and can play 30-35 games. We can call up Jimmy Howard in an emergency if need be or another goalie. </p><div>Red Wing fans need to rethink their criticism of Hasek, a guy who performed exceptionally during the regular season and had a damn good playoff run for a team that wasn't even supposed to get that far.</div><div><br />In 2008, no matter what happens with Dom, I say thanks for your service in Detroit Mr. Hasek and I move on. I bring up Howard, I resign Osgood (because I think he would be a valuable mentor to Jimmy on and off the ice, he understands the pressure of this town, he's a good teammate and he wouldn't cost much against the cap) and I strengthen the rest of my team, particularily my defense if need be. So, it's clear, I'm not asking Detroit to sign Dom for more than one year.</div><div></div><div></div><div align="justify"><br />If you don't want Dom, fine....who do you want? Who would you sign from the available UFA list? Would you trade for a goalie? How much would you pay our new goalie? How many years do you want to sign this goalie for? These are the questions you must ask yourself. Sure, a lot of people want to see new blood on this team. It's easy to say "blow out all the old guys." But, there are some old guys who can outplay guys half their age--and Dominik Hasek is one of them.</div><div><br />I laid out my plan and who I am comfortable with. I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical but Dom proved me wrong big time. I couldn't believe they signed him last offseason and I was a bit angry for not pursuing Martin Biron or Martin Gerber. Again, he proved me wrong on all acounts. We're not talking long term, we're talking about one season and who gives you the best opportunity to win, right here, right now, with this team, this coach, this system. </div><div><br />He's the guy I feel most comfortable with playing goal in Detroit and the guy our current players feel most comfortable with playing goal in Detroit.</div><div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Quotes taken from the following sources:</em></span><br /><a href="http://www.redwingscentral.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">www.redwingscentral.com</span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Inside Hockeytown (May issue-2007)</span><br /><a href="http://www.mlive.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">www.mlive.com</span></a></div><div><a href="http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> (Bruce Macleod)</span></div>WingsFanMiahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14779299036964062079noreply@blogger.com0