 
Ndavies
Member
Username: Ndavies
Post Number: 3113
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 10:13 am: |    |
Attendance is down. The Wings no longer sell out every game. There are Season tickets available. There used to be a long waiting list for season tickets. The Joe looked empty on TV last night. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 633
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:29 am: | |
and by long waiting list we don't mean waiting on the phone for 20 minutes. Long waiting list as in wait literally 5 years for season tickets to become available. People used to hold on to these season tickets like gold. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 634
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:36 am: | |
part of the problem with the Wings being empty also stems from the type of game that is played. ever since the rules really started to change in the last 3 years, hockey has started to lose its rawness and excitement. You have far to many ticky tack penalties called these days, hardly any fighting, and a strange absence of emotion during the regular season. I agree with a couple of the changes (no 2 line pass; reinstate the tag up rule), but some of these other rules go to far and a detriment to the game. All the weak interference calls and the extra penalties for fighting really gord my goat. Case in point, there were 15 minutes in penalties in the 20 minute first period last night. An occasional penalty is good, but when you spend 3/4 of the period dealing with power play/penalty kill, it's just ridiculous! Let the guys play and let them fight!
(Message edited by raptor56 on November 18, 2008) |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 635
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:48 am: | |
oh and lastly (in a rant mood this morning apparently). Gary Bettman's Marketing department SUCKS!!!!!!! They hit their stride in the mid 90's with the get Cup Crazy campaign, but have sucked ever since |
Ndavies
Member
Username: Ndavies
Post Number: 3114
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 2:34 pm: | |
I love the new rules. The hockey being played is the best it's been in years. Thank god they got rid of the clutching and grabbing. The whacking of players in front of the net was completely out of control. |
Ericdetfan
Member
Username: Ericdetfan
Post Number: 297
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 6:28 pm: | |
I think it has more to do with the economy than anything. People just cannot afford to buy tickets like they used to. The Wings still have plenty of fans around here. They had something like 1.2 Million show up the victory parade this last summer, no? |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1034
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 8:19 pm: | |
Raptor 56,
I'm with ya on the new rules. Way to many penalties that are not scoring chances. Too many 5 on 3s. You used to have to cut somebody's head off to get a 5 on 3. Bring back old time hockey. As for Bettman's marketing dept. I was doing some work for a new hockey apparel company at a sporting goods trade show in Vegas a few years ago. We had Ted Lindsay signing autographs at our booth. A couple in line told me they were asking the people working the NHL booth where Ted Lindsay was signing at and they didn't know who he was. I didn't believe it so I walked over to the NHL booth and sure enough, probably 20 people working there that did not know who Ted Lindsay was. They knew how many Mighty Ducks key chains were available though. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 675
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 10:10 pm: | |
ok,
many of the penalties like holding, hooking and interference are pretty subjective and often mis-called. Furthermore, players are adapting to this situation and embellishing the plays to get a call. There is no fine line, other than the refs calling it both ways as best they can. That being said......
Without the new style of hockey, you would not be seeing the marvelous magic that players like Datsyuk, Crosby (eh) and Hossa bring to this game. The clutching and hooking was a deterrent to the game and it's flow. Fighting is still a common practice in the NHL. Maccarty has fought in roughly 4 of the last 6 games. It's still there, just not as in your face and sensationalized. Plus we needed to get rid of goons like Simon and others who simply long for blood and injury.
What doesn't make sense to me is how we have seen a drop in the high goal scorers, excepting Ovechkin, over the past 10 years or so. Before, guys like Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, Jagr,(I know I'm missing many others) and several others would put up 70+ goals. We just don't see that lately. We don't have the abundance of 100+ point players in a season. Is it a new league, or is it just an off generation. Perhaps Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin and others are the beginning of the next great generation of hockey players. Before you string me up, understand that those guys do put up the points. Check their stats. They may be penguins, who suck balls (happy?), but they are the leading point scorers of this generation. It's been a while since we have seen this amount of scorers. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9302
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:02 pm: | |
I can't remember who it was, but there was a hockey pundit awhile back that wanted to institute a mandatory playing time for each player. It was his way to make sure that if a team wanted to keep a goon on their bench, that guy would be a liability to their team when he stepped out there on the ice. There wouldn't be any way to just keep a hired gun/ enforcer on a team without having some sort of recourse. I though that was an innovative way to encourage teams to come up with the best skilled teams possible (and that's not to say a solid physical game isn't in some form of skill either). The game is and always has been a game of flux & change. |
Umbound
Member
Username: Umbound
Post Number: 248
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 - 11:29 pm: | |
TK, to answer your question is that back in those days when Gretzky, Lemieux, Messier, and even our own beloved Steve Yzerman had been playing against goalies who are nowhere near in comparison to today's goalies. Yes there were maybe a few to the exception but todays game is so much different that is as much as i can say. We need a goalie here to correct/compliment me. But I think players like Lemieux and Messier and Yzerman were in there primes playing in this new NHL, they would truly flourish. And Wayne Gretzky would still be in a league all on his own over to the previous names i had mentioned. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 637
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 10:42 am: | |
The time of the 60-90 goal scorer was the watered down 80's. The NHL expanded faster than Michael Moore's waistline at Thanksgiving, going from 6 teams in 1967 to 21 teams in 1980. This caused an overall talent drought. you had all these new teams looking for players. As a result, a good portion of them were not uber talented, so when you did get a few rare jewels, they were able to run roughshod over the league and score a ridiculous number of goals.
http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/ hockey/nhlhistory/nhlhistory.h tml
Over the past 10-15 years, expansion has been more tempered, the minor leagues have been used more as a talent incubator (as they should be), and there has been a large influx of european players, resulting in the overall quality of NHL players going up. Plus, now you have a league emphasis on defense rather than offense, so it is getting increasingly more difficult to score an over abundance of goals. You still have your 50 goal scorers just about every season. you just don't have your 70 goal scorers anymore. |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1036
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 - 9:17 pm: | |
Howe, Orr, and Bobby Hull, just to name a few, were hooked, held, clutched and grabbed more than anyone. Yet they still managed to score. Hell, when the Wings played Chicago, they put out Bryan 'Bugsy Watson' to shadow him. He still scored 50 goals. As for more scoring in the eighties, someone in a magazine recently superimposed a goalie from the eighties with one from today. With the larger equipment, especially the trapper, they are easily twice the size. Thats the difference. Remember how John Ogrodnick used to come down the left wing and unleash a slap shot into the corner of the net from just a step over the blue line. That never happens anymore because of the goalie equipment. I still love my hockey, its the best game going. But I liked things the way they were better than now. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9324
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 4:16 am: | |
$9 tickets go on sale today, with a limit of four.
Not a bad deal considering you'll be seeing one of the elite teams (us!) playing at the Joe.
It's been too long since the place was packed in the regular season. Those were some rollicking good times in there. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 677
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Friday, November 21, 2008 - 9:44 am: | |
They keep winning too. Not the best wins. Lots of shots on our goalie, which is the opposite of last years team, but they are racing out in front of our division.
I think the Sharks are the leading contenders for us this year. They are so complete and peaked in depth and talent. They beat the pants off the wings when they met several weeks ago. Outside of them, the wings are clear favorites in the NHL.
Hey Smoggy........ where are those $9 seats located? They have to be in the bleeds i would suspect. Are other "better" seats going to have major price reductions as well? |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9335
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008 - 1:21 am: | |
Just got done watching the Wings dispatch the Flames and have come to a few observations of the Wings so far...
1) Andreas Lilja is playing very admirably. He's not some mobile defenseman but is playing extremely well on the PK and is surprisingly better than he was last year.
2) Ty Conklin is still a little scary in net at times with some of his acrobatics. And this is after a few years with Hasek? The team seems to play well for him and he's done well so far.
3) Val Filppula is really coming into his own and playing both ends of the ice really well.
4) Jiri Hudler still amazes me with his shot and his opportunities that he seems to get for himself. For the wee bit of ice time he gets on the third line, he's contributed pretty well.
5) I've never been a huge fan of Mikael Samuelsson, but has he gotten a quicker jump in his stride this year somehow? Still a great hard shot though and a nice upgrade at the point from Jason Williams.
6) Kirk Maltby doesn't seem to be as mouthy and irritating to the opponents any more. Remember when he'd be jawing and getting under the opponents' skin regularly?
7) Marion Hossa- the guy we hoped Robert Lang could've been for us years ago. A huge body that can play both ends of the ice.
8) So thankful we didn't retain Todd Bertuzzi now. He just looks like a total shadow of the power forward he was in Vancouver.
9) Does anyone remember the trade rumors years ago about Datsyuk for Iginla straight up? I still wonder about that one and while I love Datsyuk's play, it would've brought another dynamic to the Wings in having Iginla here.
10) Does anyone miss Chris Chelios? |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 9393
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 12:14 am: | |
After seeing Marion Hossa's great performance tonight, I don't even want to speculate about next season yet. Kenny Holland is going to have his hands full signing the likes of him, Franzen & Zetterberg amongst others in the off season. I just want to enjoy him skating strong, shooting that bullet towards the opponents' nets and scoring regularly for us. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 687
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, November 29, 2008 - 1:07 pm: | |
Yes Hossa has really earned his paycheck this year and I am very proud to have him as a red wing. Often Detroit prospects and franchise players can go belly up for various reasons, but we are getting every penny and more out of Hossa.
I think Holland may have to let one go, and I would hate to be in his shoes having to make that decision, but remember, Datsyuk is here now. He is probably the most important cog of those four players. And we most likely will retain two of the other three you mentioned. Who will it be, I can not speculate. Don't forget there is a miniscule chance we retain all of them and lose our secondary players for rookies and prospects. Let go of Hudler, Flip, Cleary etc. for people like Helm, Abdelkader and Leino. I haven't crunched the numbers yet, but I'm sure Holland will be all over this.
On another note about last nights game:
Cleary looked hungry for being on a third line and coming off his X-teenth injury.
Samuelson may have snagged a few assists, but his turnovers are becoming a regular thing again. At some point I expect his production to be outdone by his errant play, but those two things have not quite crossed yet.
Zteerberg and Franzen had a good game last night.
Filpulla continues to show himself as an expert at both ends of the ice. His speed and drive towards the net are much needed, but more so is the ability for him to grab the puck in our zone and slow it down until the wings can make a solid breakout. Looking up Smogboy, you just said that and I fully agree.
Hudler is putting up points which is good.
Secondary scoring is making its appearance with Maltby, Draper, Lilja, Sammy and Hudler.
Ozzie continues to move the puck at all the wrong places and all the wrong speeds. He means well, but usually when the play is being pressed by the opponents, Ozzie will throw the puck just out of reach of our D-men, or too hard through our winger who has to fumble for it and gets tied up coincidently by the opponent. I think we lose many breakouts from this situation. Don't get me wrong, ozzie makes great plays in net, and he is a team player with added "locker room" motivation, but I had to say something about the puck control.
Finally,
Although we are winning, and everybody is playing well for the most part, I have noticed that we can't beat the good teams. Montreal, San Jose, Anaheim and Pittsburg have handed us losses/OT losses this season. We can beat the little guys, but the better teams have consistently posed a problem. Tonights game vs. the Bruins should be interesting. The Bruins are hot, not to mention they have the hottest goalie in the league right now. Buckle up! |
D_mcc
Member
Username: D_mcc
Post Number: 1685
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 11:06 am: | |
Just remember...the only thing that can stop the Sharks, is the play-offs...
Don't worry about the Wings... |
20043_stotter
Member
Username: 20043_stotter
Post Number: 703
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 6:41 pm: | |
The wings are a team, the fans can be proud of. A great owner, administration, scouts, etc, from top to bottom. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 700
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, December 08, 2008 - 9:12 am: | |
That is the truth stotter.
How did you like the comeback win vs. the Blackhawks on Saturday. The Hawks are a team not to be taken lightly. That was a very good win without some of our regular help like Holmstrom and Chelios. Their record keeps improving as does a couple of other very strong teams in the league. This seasons playoffs are going to be real nice. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 669
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 7:33 pm: | |
I was at a game a couple weeks ago and listening on tv now. wondering where Bud Lynch has been? some other guy has been doing the on ice announcing, with Bud chiming in occasionally. |
Thnk2mch
Member
Username: Thnk2mch
Post Number: 1320
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 9:31 am: | |
I think Datsyuk might be a god. I don't know how he makes some of the passes he makes, let alone the goals.
And assists without a stick? |
Johnlodge
Member
Username: Johnlodge
Post Number: 9101
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 10:43 am: | |
CONGRATULATIONS to Chris Chelios, the NHL's all-time career win holder as of last night!
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/ index.ssf/2009/01/chris_chelio s_becomes_nhls_win.html |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6635
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 11:28 pm: | |
As the season's unfolded so far, it's still amazing to see Datsyuk get better and better. Supposedly he's a slow started but it sure doesn't look it. Some of his "I'll show you the puck & take it away" moves are amazing. Physically he's starting to throw his weight around a bit and isn't afraid to go into the corners and take a puck away either.
Zetterberg is still playing with some Forsberg-esque determination at times but as the season wears on, I always cringe and worry about his groin or back. I hope he can scale it back at times and be as close to perfect health as he can be for the playoffs five months from now.
Hossa's just come in quietly and fit in perfectly. When Datsyuk, Zetterberg and he are out there on the ice together (seldom), I can't think of a more potent two way line in the NHL. Hossa's snap shots are a thing of beauty. For a wide body he can clog up the middle of that lane pretty well and seems to find that open space in the lanes pretty well for that shot of his.
One of the best surprises for me this year on the team have been Andreas Lilja. I thought he was a big stiff in the defensive zone for the longest time but he's been solid and a great shot blocker in the PK. He's always out there on the short handed situations and even on the 3 on 5's. The other has been the development of Jiri Hudler- for a small guy who doesn't get much ice time, he's been a holy terror around the opposition's net. His point total to ice time has been nothing short of phenomenal. To a lesser degree, Brian Rafalski has been playing a great game at both ends of the ice this year too; we'd always knew Lidstrom is still our best defenseman but Rafalski's been producing points regularly.
Mild disappointments (and how can we be that nit picky seeing as how they're still one of the top teams in the NHL) so far have been Kris Draper. His plus/minus this year really has taken a dive and hasn't chipped in as much with the rare ugly goal as he once did. The other has been Niklas Kronwall; while his open ice hits are still enough to get a cheer out of the crowds his offensive production isn't where I'd thought he'd be by now and he's been caught a few times cheating up a few times. He still has an amazing upside but again, I was hoping he'd really take the big leap into becoming one of the top two defensemen on this team.
They're still an amazing bunch of players with a hardened coach who keeps them on that razor's edge every night. All of the teams in the league use them as a measuring stick every night and they bring their A games. Somehow we're still proving to them that we're still the top dogs and I hope that we can maintain that drive and hunger really deep into the playoffs this year. A lot of teams have improved drastically and have youth & speed on their side, but we've been battle tested and not prone to being rattled easily.
Keep it going is all that we fans want from this team. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 716
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2009 - 11:22 am: | |
Great points Smogboy!
I agree with you on Kronwall. He is producing points along with defense and hitting, but just not at the desired and expected rate.
What else is relieveing is the lapse in wins for the Sharks and Bruins. I think this goes to show that any team can be as good as the Wings for a bit, but in the end, we are going to be the only ones who can do that throughout the duration of the season. Some of these other up and coming teams are just quite not there yet.
Final point - It has been great to see the Wings shutting down the Goals Against as of late. Perhaps we're beginning to see the focus shift to defensive minded hockey over the shoot-out, high scoring games we have seen all season. Goaltending is looking great, which has made a huge contribution to the lowering of GA. 8 GA over the last 5 games gives them a 1.6 GAA for those 5 games. That's pretty good considering the offensive firepower that we give back. Look for a nice streak in the next 5 games finishing with an away game at San Jose which could make for an excellent game.
BTW - Hossa and Z not going to the All-Star game....... speechless. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6649
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2009 - 2:06 pm: | |
For as vaunted as some of the other teams might appear to be on paper or in the stats column, there's still an aura or a steadfast calmness about the Wings. Other teams will always fear the Wings. In the past (pre-salary cap days) we were always called the Yankees of the hockey world because Mike Ilitch spent as freely as Steinbrenner and supposedly bought himself championships- but as of now in the salary capped era, our Wings are still proving themselves to be the elite. Along with that elite status (the multiple Cups never hurt) a little bit of intimidation still must creep up with the other teams' psyches.
Since the Winter Classic, the team has seemed to find its defensive lock down mode again which it seemed to be lacking in the first half of the season. There were games where I thought our goalies were hung out to dry at times. Granted I'm sure both Conklin & Osgood would probably admit to themselves they weren't at their best either, but the strength of this team has always been about a team defense and the responsibility needs not rely solely on the goaltender.
As far as the All Star selections, I have no problem with the likes of Hossa, Zetterberg and a whole host of other deserving Wings sitting back and healing up. The selection process is faulty to begin with- leaving it up to fans to choose online and with texting just opens it up to what almost happened last year where that seventh string defenseman from Vancouver nearly got voted in. I pay no credence to the All Star fan balloting and would not take it as an insult to the star quality and talent of some of our players. Again, the way the balloting is done now is a total farce so no insult should be taken at all.
Personally if the All Star Game went away, I wouldn't miss it at all. I think they need to totally re-vamp it somehow where it's just not a stupid shoot 'em up on the goalies, no defense is played and it's a mockery of the real game of hockey. But please, oh PLEASE do not do what MLB has done and award home advantage to a team based upon an exhibition game; that just opens up far too many loopholes for tampering from the selected coaching staffs. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 719
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2009 - 2:39 pm: | |
Thoughts on the salary cap:
Do you think it undermines the system to have players like Marian Hossa taking a pay cut to bulk up an already meaty Red Wing roster, in order to increase his chances of a Stanley Cup? There's a lot to be said there if you ask me. It directly undermines the intentions of the salary cap by allowing players the ability to stack teams, and what's to stop (although very unlikely) several "stars" from colluding by stocking up one formidible team for one or two seasons. Converesly, the integrity of the Salary Cap relies solely upon the greed of players and their pursuit for every extra dollar they might be able to squeeze out of a team.
Whether or not our team suffered some post-Stanley hangover which afected our defensive minded gameplay, I am not the one to comment. It wasn't there, and now it is appearing so that is a good thing.
I guess I can't disagree with you on the All Star rosters. Last year, many stars turned the opportunity down for various reasons and that's how ozzie slipped into the mix. Didn't Z take it off to rest his back?
Yahoo wrote an article that suggested having fantasy owners become the supplier of voting for the All Stars. Who else follows statistic much closer than them. On a brighter note, it is promising to see such restored faith in the sport from such cities as Anaheim, Pittsburg, Chicago to say the least. Part of the reason you cannot watch hockey on ESPN anymore is because much of the nation has shunned the sport.
What's amazing is the public shunned the sport because of the lockout. Did the other sports not do things similar in degrees of letting the fans down:
-NBA playoff reffing conspiracy
-MLB umpire strike
-Endless amounts of Football stars in jail, suspended, fined, arrested, etc.
-The Lions |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6650
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 1:06 am: | |
Of course having Hossa take less to be with the Wings undermines the salary cap. He caught holy hell for it from some members of the NHLPA for it, but it's Hossa's call to go where he wants to go. Anytime a caliber of player that he is lowers the bar, it makes it that much tougher for journeymen to command more money.
And while the idea of players colluding to come up with a temporary super team sounds interesting, I think it happens on a very discrete scale already. I'm sure players from various teams talk amongst themselves as far as which team is good to play for and which are bad. On top of being skilled, one of the main draws of coming to the Wings team is having an owner that cares and will spare no expense to pamper his team (How many other teams have their own aircraft to shuttle them from one city to another? How many teams have sponsored Father/Son games?) But I think the best recruitment of a player to a team isn't in dollar figures but from their own peers.
To a certain degree hockey is still a niche sport. It could grow by leaps and bounds if the league had a commissioner that knew something of the sport. Gary Bettmann years ago could've and should've signed ANY sort of contract with ESPN. Also he's approached the league the way he did it with the NBA- he's trying to anoint individual stars which IMO is the wrong way to go with this sport; hockey is a true team sport. Also look what happened to basketball when its hero, Michael Jordan retired. Numbers took a tumble. We should be praising and promoting things like team play, the league's rich history, the team's speed, skills, agility and not investing stock on young, sometimes unproven individuals who can flame out any second or leave the game due to retirement or injury. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 723
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 2:43 am: | |
edged out by the stars 2nite huh?
I didn't watch the game unfortunately, but apparently Datsyuk is still red hot.
He is the next Barry Sanders. Face it.
 |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6666
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 8:03 am: | |
Fair comparison of Pavel to Barry. He does some amazing things with that puck. I'm sure playing defense against him must be a scary proposition. Heck, playing offense against him must be daunting as well- knowing that he could swipe the puck away at any moment has got to be a challenge.
I always said when I was watching the likes of Barry Sanders and Steve Yzerman to a lesser degree, I'd best enjoy them now. Players like that are a rare and special breed. Enjoy them now because once they retire from the game, there aren't any more like them coming down the pipe- not for a long long while. I think Pavel Datsyuk is possibly along the lines of being that sort of special player too. One never knows what they are going to do and how they will amaze you as a fan.
Enjoy him now while he's in his prime and dazzling us Detroit fans in the mean time. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 747
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2009 - 12:23 pm: | |
OK I guess I'll blow it.
6 wins in a row! The Wings sure know how to rebound from a losing streak.
Between last night vs. the Wild and the previous game they really looked like the Championship team they were in last years playoff run. So many of the guys are so patient with the puck in the defensive zone. Instead of trying to get a fast break, the wings will slow it up and go for the controlled breakout. This lone concept is what separates the wings with most other teams. It's not just Pavel and Henrik and Nick that accomplish this feat time and time again, but watch Kronwall, Filpula and Hudler to see it also. With player slike Pavel and Z we can ususally control the puck into the offensive zone and find space. Perhaps this is how we get so many pucks to the net. It's all puck control though in the end. Hold on tr to the puck longer than your opponent. We do that.
We sure routed the Wild last night as well. The score (4-2)does not tell the full story of what happened last night, as the wings danced around the wild all night. We scored two goals when the wild failed to clear the zone. Our pressure was incredibly intense all game long. The wild's first goal was a gift to them after being rewarded with a 5-3 for 2:40 seconds. Our penalty box looked like a team photo was taking place.
None the less, we are skating at a very good pace right now and our defensive/goaltending is starting to really take hold. Has it been a slow, intended transformation all year? Maybe. I don't put a thing past Babcock because he is a seriously intelligent coach who understands many different ways to play and win.
And all this is done with a knock-down defensive squad and Homer and Franzen out.
Their starting to get amped up for the Playoffs. So am I. |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1052
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 1:37 pm: | |
Is this Osgood move the right thing to do? I'm not so sure. |
20043_stotter
Member
Username: 20043_stotter
Post Number: 802
Registered: 03-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 1:51 pm: | |
DR. Ozzie is mentally drained. He has the skill, but his problem is btween the ears IMO. |
Thnk2mch
Member
Username: Thnk2mch
Post Number: 1346
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 7:52 pm: | |
In case you didn't notice, Claude Lemieux is out of retirement and playing for the Sharks, and is back in town tonight.
Wish I could see it, I'm out of town 
(not that anything will happen) |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6718
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 11:10 pm: | |
Claude wasn't even a factor in the game. He barely played in it at all (5:38) and was a -1.
There isn't anything to hype about him playing anymore. It was a good solid 60 minute effort on the Wings part and they need to bring this sort of intensity to all of their games if they have any hope of overcoming the Sharks for overall first place in the West. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6720
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 11:27 pm: | |
What worried me more about the game was when Hossa took the shot to the noggin. I guess the Freep reports that Hossa's fine but it's always a concern when one of your top players takes a powder for any stretch of time.
One also has to wonder what kind of magic/ wheeling and dealing Kenny Holland is trying to do with signing Hossa/ Franzen/ Hudler/ Samuelson and other scenarios. I'm also sure that his goalie situation for next year is going to factor into this. Conklin's contract is up after this year, Howard's run out of options in the minors, and Ozzy is the only contracted goalie we have for now. In this day and age of salary capology, he's gonna have his hands full. |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1064
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 11:39 am: | |
I'm glad they got the no goal call right. The way the ref was signaling goal I thought they might not overturn it. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6740
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 10:34 pm: | |
Can we just do a mental scrub down as to the Wings/ Predators game tonight? That was about as hideous as it's gotten for the Wings in a LONG long time.
The only silver lining to be pulled from that disaster was the fact that Lidstrom, Franzen, Filppula and Rafalski were at an even plus/minus for the night... and that's reaching REALLY deep to pull anything good out of this game. |
Croweblack
Member
Username: Croweblack
Post Number: 88
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, March 01, 2009 - 6:58 pm: | |
if I hear one more time from those two idiots (babcock and osgood) that everything is fine with osgood and that his slump is over blah blah. Don't say its over until he performs consistently!!
I know conklin started last night but osgood didn't look too confident either.
lets hope kenny has a card up his sleave for march 4 psssst...
hudler for fernandez |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 765
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 8:50 am: | |
Manny Fernandez???!!!!
You're crazy to take that trade. One, Manny is not playing well this year, and as of late even worse. Secondly, Conklin has been consistent and is ready for the post season. Last, Hudler has been stepping it up during his contract year, and when this regular season is over, he will realize the best year in points he's ever had.
IMO that would not be a wise trade. Unless you're talking about another Fernandez. |
Scs100
Member
Username: Scs100
Post Number: 1463
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 - 9:40 pm: | |
Here's to Hossa getting better quick. He doesn't seem to have any luck at the moment with the neck area. |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6774
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 11:11 am: | |
Post game, Mike Babcock half heartedly joked about how Hossa was going to be on the ice tonight. I sincerely hope he was joking. From all reports though, he'll be fine but what a scary moment for everyone there. Hopefully a few days off and he'll be back to being the big red scoring machine that he was. |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1068
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 11:22 am: | |
Finally a fight in a Wings game, and I missed it. Thanks to Youtube, I just watched it. Janssen is a tough kid, saw him fight lots with the Windsor Spitfires. We're gonna need Downey as the season winds down as teams that are out of the playoffs try to run at us. I'll call it a draw. |
Raptor56
Member
Username: Raptor56
Post Number: 790
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 - 4:39 pm: | |
Looks like no action at the trade deadline today for the Wings. not much of any notable action for anyone in general. |
Leannam1989
Member
Username: Leannam1989
Post Number: 228
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 7:34 pm: | |
Found this posted on a board:
[quote]As far as hockey in Detroit. Where to begin:
First, yes the economy has hurt Detroit. There's no doubt about that. But that's not the reason for empy seats at the Joe.
If the economy was that bad, and people couldn't afford tickets, then why did the Tigers break attendance records last year.
The Spartans and Wolverines never have issues selling out. Neither do the Lions (and when they did it was due to the performance on the field, not ticket prices).
And then you have the Pistons. Yes, they too have had some issues selling out in the past month or so, but not nearly as bad as the Wings and a lot of it has to do with their performance of late as well.
So what is the Wings excuse? They're in the top 3 in the standings. They've had more success than any team since the lockout. They have $9.00 seats available every game.
Why on earth could they be losing fans. Hmmm. Let me think.
Because a city that embraced hockey from the likes of players such as Lindsay, Howe, Yzerman, Probie has become a beacon for soft hockey.
I want to make it crystal clear that I don't have an issue with European stars. Pavel Bure is one of my favorite players of all time and Ovechkin is in my top 3.
But when you have a team with ZERO North American identity the fans start to lose their connection.
I love Zetts, Dats and Lidstrom. Holmstrom plays a North American style too.
But for every Datsyuk we have a Hudler, Filpulla, Kopecky and Samuelsson.
We don't have any team toughness or guys that will stick up for one another.
Remember in the Cup finals last year when Franzen returned from bleeding on the brain only to be punched in the jaw by Gary Roberts? And what happened to Roberts? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
With the 97 or 98 team I guarantee you Lapointe, McCarty, Shanny or Kocur would have had something to say about that.
This is still very much a Blue Collar hockey town. When I'm in the nose bleeds I hear fans complain about the makeup of our team a lot.
Yes we're spoiled. We just won a cup and along comes some Wing fan crying about the makeup of our team. I deserve to be flammed for my blasphemy.
But the last couple of seasons, I've had a major disconnect from this team. I find myself turning the station to watch other teams with guys I can associate better with.
I'm a big fan of Carter, Richards, Toews, Nash, Lucic, Thornton, Lecavailer, Crosby and Getzlaf.
I desperately want a top-6 Canadian or American forward on my roster.
And I can almost guarantee that if you replaced Hudler, Samuelsson, Filpulla and Zetterberg with Lucic, Laparriere, Carcillo and Iginla the Joe wouldn't have an empty seat and TV ratings wouldn't be down 21% (yes that's right 21%. You can't blame the economy on that).
Just my $.02."[/quote]
Agree or Disagree?
Just curious. Thanks. |
Leannam1989
Member
Username: Leannam1989
Post Number: 229
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:11 pm: | |
And I see nothing wrong with having a fighter. We have 2 actually (Janssen, King) and they seem to keep other teams players from cheapshotting our goal scorers. And fights are exciting. I understand the "keeping the helmet on" thing when fighting, but fighting has a place in hockey. Brings a bit more energy to the game and can change momentum, in my opinion.
The Blues have sold 95% capacity this year (ESPN says 88% but that's because Scottrade Capacity is 19,150 for hockey and ESPN has some other number). Why have the Blues been selling tickets? I think for a few reasons:
1) This team has the third best record in the league since the All-Star Game
2) A core group of young players the fans can identify with (minus Erik Johnson for the season).
3) A playoff push after a 3-year + lockout drought.
4) Cheap tickets (though they will go up 10% next year and something like 60% of seats are currently taken by full- or partial-season ticket holders).
5) Good marketing plans by the Blues front office. I've gotten 20 free Blues autographs in two years. Last year Blues players personally delivered season tickets to holders' houses. Not sure if the Wings do this, but Blues players and Andy Murray and JD often go on local radio and talk about the team. And the Blues seem to be down-to-earth guys, not players put up on a pedestal that no one can talk to. I don't know if the Wings are like that.
One difference is that Detroit is Hockeytown, and St. Louis (though hockey is popular) is more of a baseball town.
But I do think physical play has something to do with it. Fans enjoy a fight occasionally. And the young players bring energy to the game. Like it or not, hockey is a rough game. Nothing wrong with two consenting hockey players having a fight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =47bD0jXv6uM
Janssen, Bishop, and Stastny are also St. Louis kids, so I think some people like to see them play.
I'm sure the economy has something to do with Wings attendance going down, but my personal feeling is that fans want to see energy and fighting. Fans want to see crashing into the boards. You don't need Happy Gilmore out there, but let's throw some punches! Come on!
It is frustrating here that I live 3 hours from St. Louis and I rarely can watch weekend games on TV because they're on KPLR (Local St. Louis TV) (most games are on Fox Sports Net). But most the games are supposed to be on Fox Sports Net next year. |
Leannam1989
Member
Username: Leannam1989
Post Number: 230
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:25 pm: | |
"A team has to be competitive to be included in a rivalry. Those rivalries died years ago.
While Chicago has improved this year, neither St. Louis or Chicago has put a decent team on the ice in a very long time. On the list of teams I'd like to see each year, Chicago and St. Louis come in at near the bottom."
The Blues have a good core of young players. The Blues should be very competitive over the next 5-10 years. Earlier this year a fight broke out in the stands of Scottrade when the Wings were here. Doesn't sound to me like the rivalry is dead.
"The next NHL team will join the Western Conference, moving the Wings to the East. It's already on the books"
I don't know. Those are some big rivalries to give up. And the Hawks and Blues will continue to get better.
Why not move Columbus to the East? |
Smogboy
Member
Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 6822
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 8:42 pm: | |
When the Wings hoist the Cup skyward, does anyone really care what nationality they are? TRUE Detroit hockey fans don't care. If you need to see a passport in order to see whether to cheer for a certain player, then you're cheering for the wrong sport. That first article about how they would only cheer for a North American born player sounds so archaic. I hate to disappoint that myopic writer but the NHL is now a global game with players coming from all across the world. The best players in the sport are no longer just confined to this continent. Detroit has succeeded so well for so long because of Hakan Andersson brought back amazing talent from overseas.
The game has evolved. Get your head out of the 1970's already. Skill has replaced fighting. European players are just as tough as any North American players (like Holmstrom doesn't take abuse in front of the net?), can skate and score.
It's just short sighted Don Cherry-esque elitist babble that sounds more akin to Archie Bunker than true hockey commentary. What next? No more curved sticks, goalies with no masks, and other calls to take the game back to a more purile way of yesteryear? The games have evolved- deal with it. |
D_mcc
Member
Username: D_mcc
Post Number: 1739
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 9:33 pm: | |
Do i need to go into WHY Detroit would move to the east before Columbus??? |
Downriviera
Member
Username: Downriviera
Post Number: 1077
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 10:16 pm: | |
The Wings are perfectly set up for the current rules. Its the new rules that I have a problem with. Too many penalties, 5 on 3s, lack of hitting. Holmstrom can stand in front of the net and no one can knock him down, thats not the game I played most of my life. When Mickey Redmond chuckles about a call, I'm right there with him. |
Tkshreve
Member
Username: Tkshreve
Post Number: 778
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Monday, March 23, 2009 - 7:54 pm: | |
Leannam1989-
While I certainly respect your opinions on the idea of rough hockey and fighting keeping the Joe empty; and hockey in general, I will cordially disagree on a few points. You seem like an intelligent person when it comes to the sport of hockey so I'll make them quickly and move on.
1- Chicago probably has a better group of youths developing as of right now than St. Louis, but it is a close one. I have been following Chicago this year and they have had a lot of young guys come out of the woodwork with good point streaks and season long effort.
2- I do not go to a game to see a fight. If one breaks out, then hey, extra credit. I go to see the skill and control the wings display every game. I know there are a lot of people out there like me. The Red Wings have gone through this year with the least 5 min. major penalties of all teams by a long shot. This stat was on FSN the other night. That's called sportsmanship and discipline. It's even more valuable a stat when you hoist the cup under those pretenses. The game has evolved around finesse and skill. That decision is well out of your, my and the players hands. The NHL makes the decision and teams play with the cards they're dealt. Do I think a lot of extra calls are being made from this? Sure in a sense. Are they bad calls? No, not all of them. Some calls I feel are made by refs due to the momentum of the game. And I fully agree that Holmstrom gets the shitty end of the stick every time, all while having a target on his back.
3- Franzen, Lilja, Sammuelson and Stuart have dropped the gloves this year in defense of their teammates. They stick up for each other when it matters. Roberts got away with a cheap shot last year, but ask Johan if he would take another for this years cup. I bet he would.
4- Here's my take on the attendance being low. The blue-collar workers of suburban Detroit have taken an extremely hard hit over the past 10-15 years. With the latest recession, it could have been the tipping point for many long unemployed families. With hockey:
a- The commute can pose a problem.
b- Games are not blacked out.
c- Football, Baseball and Basketball are just more important to ALL Detroiters than Hockey.
d- $9 tickets are not what you think they are.
e- Compare Tiger's tickets to Wings ticket prices. Plus the Tiger's fans had a long awaited return to competitive baseball. The Wings more or less are going to be good for a long time and people realize that.
e- Football games are only once a week, and they support Ford Motors inadvertantly through ticket sales.
f- People just can't afford to take the fam to a game these days when they could get a hot-and-ready and watch the game at home, complete with replays and announcing. Going to a game would cost a family of four around $100+ (that's with some sort of package). It gets much more expensive than that. Game at home: $20 max (all fod and gas).
Just my $.02 ;-) |
New threads cannot be started on this page. The threads above are previous posts made to this thread.