That's a Wrap!

Now that's more like it. The Red Wings team that we have been waiting for finally showed up. Amazing, isn't it? When this team really wants it, they are unstoppable.

There was nothing they did wrong last night. They skated with purpose and determination; they hit when they needed to, but were not too aggressive; they won puck battles and races; they were smart and disciplined, both in terms of handling the puck and penalties; and their special teams were un-fucking-believeable.

I won't lie; after the first period, flashes of goalie names like "Giguere", "Roloson", "Irbe" and "Potvin" flashed through my mind. I thought that Bryzgalov was going to steal this game, and I was convinced that the Wings were going to come out flat in the 2nd period, as they have done in many other games. But, they kept at it. The desperation was evident from the puck drop.

A couple of shoutouts:

• Pavel Datsyuk - Pasha, you were amazing tonight. Not just for the goals (although that 2nd one was a thing of beauty). But you made every single Coyotes player within 10 feet of you look like that shit kid you find on every houseleague team.
• Valtteri Filppula - This was your coming out party, and you showed why you are going to be a force on this team. What you and Zetterberg have is special (not "are-they-or-aren't-they special), but the chemistry is there. Besides Zetterberg you were the most consistent Red Wing forward in this series, and if everyone showed up like you did in Game 6, we wouldn't have needed Game 7.
• Henrik Zetterberg - *standing ovation* Another phenomenal performance in a postseason series. Do you ever get tired of being awesome? You led all scorers, and once again showed up in a pivotal game. And I loved seeing you out on that 5-on-3. Reminded me of 2008 all over again.
• Nicklas Lidstrom - You certainly raised a giant middle finger at your critics, eh? 40 is the new 30. I marvel at your greatness. Fuck Ray Bourque. Fuck Scott Stevens. Fuck Larry Robinson. You are the 2nd greatest defenseman to ever play the game (sorry, from what I've been told, no one was better than Bobby Orr). Your leadership was evident as you came out and played your game, not giving a shit what the Coyotes did.
• Jimmy Howard - Jimmah, a nice bounceback game. Obviously when your team pumps 6 past a Vezina candidate, there's not a lot for you to do. You were great in this series, especially for a rookie. A couple of things: first, do not say that the other team was "lucky" when they win. Second, always be ready for anything. I do not want to see another goal like Fiddler on the Roof's last night.

So, now it's on to the Sharks. I will do a preview of the series tomorrow. For today, I am going to wear all Red Wings garb (including my underwear) and revel in the victory.

LGRW!!!

WCF QF Game 7 - Pick your favourite cliche

Well, it's Tuesday morning, I'm awake (and at work), and all I can think of is Game 7. As I type this there are still 12 and a half hours before the game starts. I'm pretty sure I will get nothing done today.

Since it is painfully obvious what is at stake today, I won't spend much time going over that. This is do or die time, backs against the wall, win or you're done, time to dig deep, no excuses, just results, give 110%, etc, etc.

I've been over this game again and again in my mind. There are keys to victory, but what? Then, a line from Gladiator came to mind, and it all made sense. So, without further ado, in movie quote form, here are the 3 keys to a Red Wing victory tonight:

"Win the crowd, and you will win your freedom." (Gladiator, 2000) - Now, I'm not talking about some cheesy Rocky IV moment where all the Coyote fans start chanting "Red Wings, Red Wings" at the end of the game. I don't expect Nicklas Lidstrom to give a speech at the end of the game about how we are all hockey fans together despite our differences. What I mean is that the Jobing.com arena is going to be rocking. Those unoriginal bandwagon fans are going to be wearing their stupid white and screaming their lungs out, and the best way to stop that shit is to score the way Chicagoans vote: early and often. They always talk about surviving the first 10 minutes of the game when you're on the road. In this case, the Wings not only need to survive, they need to score first and get the crowd out of it, just like Phoenix did in Game 6. If the Wings can get an early lead, especially a 2 or 3 goal lead, I think they will be in great shape. Speaking of Rocky:

"See that look in their eyes, Rock? You gotta get that look back, Rock. Eye of the tiger, man" (Rocky III, 1982) - In Game 1 the Red Wings were mercilessly hit at every opportunity by the Coyotes. The next 4 games saw the Red Wings be the aggressor, out-hitting the Dogs in every game. But Game 6 looked an awful lot like Game 1; the Coyotes went back to being very aggressive and fast, a combo that the Wings did not like. It's time to get back to Game 4 and 5 Red Wings. Justin Abdelkader has been great since he's been inserted in the lineup, but it's time for guys like Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart to start playing with some intensity. I want to see someone get Kronwalled. I want Franzen to remember that he's 6'3" and play like it. I want to see blood, sweat and tears, all on the Phoenix bench as they realize they are no match for a determined, hungry, and angry Red Wing team.

"Stupid Isotopes. Hurry up and lose so we can get outta here!" (The Simpsons, 1999) - I am a Simpsons freak. I think they are hilarious, and they can teach you a lot of lessons about life. This quote is to the Red Wings. IF (and that's a big if) you are going to lose, please, please, please do not go to OT. I can not take a Game 7 OT in the first round. My family has a history of heart problems, and while I am relatively healthy, I fear that my heart and sanity would be broken by an OT tonight, especially if it's a loss. So, for the love of all things that are holy and good in this world, just kick the living shit of the Yotes 10-0 so that there is no stress and we can start worrying about matching up with the Sharks. Plus, I'm really trying to control my anger issues during the games, and a loss tonight will not help.

So that's it. There's not a lot to be said. Tonight is going to be insane. Game 7s are awesome, but only if your team is not involved (I'm really looking forward to Capitals-Canadiens tomorrow night). I will be on my spot on the couch with my lucky shirt on rooting like crazy. Let's hope that we have 2 more weeks of late nights and stress ahead of us. Otherwise it's going to be a long summer.

Phoenix 5 Detroit 2 - The "Debacle"

Debacle. That is what my mother called yesterday's game, and she's not even a Red Wing fan. I'm not sure what to call it. I was texting with The Disabled List during the game, and words that we used words like "disgusting", "pathetic", and "fuck" (a lot). So, it's off to Game 7, where they no longer have home ice and momentum.

I won't dwell on the game too much. A couple of things stood out to me thought.

• The defense looked bad. Again. I'm really concerned that this group is just not good enough to take the Wings anywhere. The Coyotes have an aggressive forecheck, and everyone on the Wings' defense (Lidstrom included) seems to be having problems. Plus, there were 3 or 4 times yesterday where a puck was headed into Detroit's zone, and the 2 d-men looked at each other expecting the other one to play it.
• The sense of urgency and intensity is lacking. I get that the Red Wings are "business-like" in their approach. But once again, they did not match the desperation of the Coyotes. The talent is there, but if they don't outwork the Yotes, they will not win. My wife (again, not a Wings fan) said that the difference in intensity between the Wings/Coyotes game and the Kings/Canucks game was much different - the Kings/Canucks were playing balls to the walls. I believe that had the Wings been playing pretty much anyone else in the West, they'd be out by now.
• That game was not lost by the 3 goals in the 2nd period. It was lost in the first after they gave up the shortie and then did not score on the 5-on-3. I told my wife at the time that they were in deep trouble. I hate being right.
• I will not blame this loss on Jimmy Howard. He should have had the first goal (although I still believe Zetterberg altered the trajectory of the shot). But of the next 4 goals, 3 were tipped in (2 on flukes) and 1 was off a beautiful cross-ice pass that no goalie in hockey would have stopped. Maybe if his team in front of him played some defense, he would have been better.

Not a whole lot else to say about that. It's over and time to move on. However, I want to request 1 thing from the NHL: please stop scheduling these fucking afternoon games for the Wings. Please. I will do anything (and I mean anything). I have no idea why they are so bad during the day, but they are. If this series were played at night, it would have been a Wings sweep. Plus, I never want to hear Pierre McGuire again. This man is an idiot. I wish I had been writing down all his thoughts yesterday, because that's a post in itself. But I loved this gem at the beginning of the third period:

"I'm getting a real sense of positive energy from the Coyotes bench. It's like they sense they are in a good position, and that's generating the positive energy." (not sure if that is an exact quote, but it's close).

Really, Pierre? Let me get this straight: a team that is on the road, facing the defending Conference champions, is facing elimination, and is winning 4-1 at the start of the third, and you deduct that they have some positive energy on the bench? What kind of fucking analysis is that? A retarded monkey could have told me that. Pierre, please go back to your day job of blowing Mike Richards and calling anyone who hits a "monster".

One last thing, and this may alienate some people. I watched the entire game yesterday, even after it was painfully obvious it was not the Red Wings' day. As the game was winding down, I saw people leaving the Joe. A lot of people. Now, I understand that they were probably upset at the outcome, but this may have been the last chance these fans had to see the Wings play at home this year. After all the shit they have gone through, with the bad start to the injuries to the frantic finish at the end, this team deserved a standing ovation after the game from the fans. It would have been nice for the players to know that we as fans were 100% behind them despite yesterday's game. How many teams have lost that last game but the fans stay behind, cheering and going crazy as a thank you for the year the team had? I can guarantee that if the Wings win tomorrow, the Coyotes fans that are there will give the Yotes a final send-off as a thank you. If you left early yesterday, shame on you. We as Red Wing fans are labeled as "bandwagon" and "fairweather" fans, and after the display yesterday, it's hard to argue with that. This team is trying as hard as they can, and while they made a lot of mistakes yesterday, and have throughout this series, it's not because they don't care. Let's show this team that, win or lose, we are still behind them.