With apologies to the Simpsons, I've decided to do a little preview of the NHL Awards coming up tomorrow night. We'll be doing this in conjunction with The Disabled List, so check it out over there as well. I'll be honest - I probably won't watch the awards show. One, I'm not a big fan of Jay Mohr. I've just never found him to be that funny, and we all remember that old "hockey sucks" comment from a few years ago. Two, I don't like the Goo Goo Dolls. Never have and never will. Maybe I will put some money down on who I think will win; I can guarantee I would care then.
Hart Trophy:
The Finalists:
Sidney Crosby: 51 goals, 58 assists, 109 points, +25
Alexander Ovechkin: 50 goals, 59 assists, 109 points, +45
Henrik Sedin: 29 goals, 83 assists, 112 points, +35
Who Will Win: Sedin
Who Should Win: Sedin
For me, this is about some new blood in this race. Let's face facts: this award is probably going to be between Crosby, Ovechkin, and someone else for a while, much like the Hart used to come down to Gretzky and Lemieux. I want Sedin to win. I'm sick of Crosby and Ovechkin. But, looking at this logically, I can't pick Oveckin because he was suspended twice, and when he was out he hurt his team. So he's out. Basically it comes down to Crosby vs. Sedin, and ask yourself this: who was more valuable to their team? Crosby is surrounded by a ton of talent, and while he is the alpha dog on the team, he's still got guys like Malkin, Guerin, Staal, and Gonchar around him. In Vancouver, it's Henrik and Daniel, then.....Alex Burrows? If you took Crosby off the Pens this year, they still would have been decent. The Canucks without Sedin would have been mediocre at best. I judge this award for what it is: the most valuable player to their team. Sedin wins.
Vezina Trophy:
The Finalists:
Martin Brodeur: 45-25-6, 2.24 GAA, .916 SV%
Ilya Bryzgalov: 42-20-6, 2.29 GAA, .920 SV%
Ryan Miller: 41-18-8, 2.22 GAA, .929 SV%
Who Will Win: Miller
Who Should Win: Miller
This was a close pick for me. I was torn between Miller and Bryzgalov. If you look at their numbers, they are pretty similar, However, closer inspection reveals that Miller's numbers are better, as he finished 2nd in the NHL in both GAA and SV%. Breezy looked good, but let's face it: his entire team over-achieved this year, and he was the biggest one. Miller was the sole reason why the Sabres got to 100 points and won the Northeast, and while this technically won't count for him, his performance in the Olympics will be in the minds of the GMs when they are picking this award. I personally believe that Miller made Tyler Myers look better (see below for details), and he's my choice for the Vezina.
Norris Trophy
The Finalists:
Drew Doughty: 16 goals, 43 assists, 59 points, +20
Mike Green: 19 goals, 57 assists, 76 points, +39
Duncan Keith: 14 goals, 55 assists, 69 points, +21
Who Will Win: Keith
Who Should Win: Keith
There's no question in my mind that Duncan Keith was probably the best defenseman over the course of the entire season. He does everything: he plays against the other team's top players every night, he is one of the best shutdown defensemen in the game, and he can score. Doughty really came on towards the end of the season, but what sets Keith apart from both of these guys is his all around play. Green being included is a travesty to me. I get that he can score; there's no question he's probably the best offensive defenseman in the NHL right now. But does he even bother to check his own end at all? I think Green has a better chance at winning the Selke than he does the Norris. Where was Lidstrom?
Calder Memorial Trophy
The Finalists:
Jimmy Howard: 37-15-10, 2.26 GAA, .924 SV%
Matt Duchene: 24 goals, 31 assists, 55 points, +1
Tyler Myers: 11 goals, 37 assists, 48 points, +13
Who Will Win: Myers
Who Should Win: Howard
There's no question this is a two-horse race between Myers and Howard. Duchene had a very good year, but it was not extraordinary in comparison to past ROYs, and Myers and Howard were both extremely good, not just kind of good. Now, from what I have seen, many people believe that Myers will win because he excelled at a position that is hard at a young age. But, couldn't the same be said of Howard? His numbers as a rookie were better than Mason's were last year when he won, minus the number of shutouts. He was THE reason why the Wings not only made the playoffs, but finished as high as they did. His age will work against him, although to me, a rookie is a rookie. Myers will probably win because he's a 19 year old defenseman who led his team in ice time, played in all situations, and was very good. But, he also happened to have a Vezina-winning goalie playing behind him to bail him out of a lot of rookie mistakes that he undoubtedly made. If Howard goofed up, it usually cost his team a goal.
Lady Byng Trophy
The Finalists:
Pavel Datsyuk: 27 goals, 43 assists, 70 points, +17
Brad Richards: 24 goals, 67 assists, 91 points, -12
Martin St Louis: 29 goals, 65 assists, 94 points, -8
Who Will Win: St Louis
Who Should Win: Datsyuk?
I'll be honest: I don't care about this award. I do not watch hockey to see how "gentlemanly" everyone is out there. I don't want to see guys skating around with their pinkies in the air apologizing for touching someone on the other team. I want to see hitting, trash talking, and fighting. I like seeing guys muck for pucks in the corners, throwing an elbow to get away from a defender, and getting slashed and cross checked to gain 1" of space in front of the net. That being said, I think the award goes to St. Louis because he put up 94 points while not taking a lot of penalties, and since he played on the Lightning, that's a pretty big accomplishment, because if I played for the Lightning, I'd probably take penalties too. I picked Datsyuk because he's a Red Wing, but if I do end up watching, this will probably be my bathroom break.
Frank J Selke Trophy
The Finalists:
Pavel Datsyuk: 27 goals, 43 assists, 70 points, +17
Ryan Kesler: 25 goals, 50 assists, 75 points, +1
Jordan Staal: 21 goals, 28 assists, 49 points, +19
Who Will Win: Kesler
Who Should Win: Datsyuk
This award is very misunderstood. It's not for the best two-way forward: it's for the best defensive forward. A guy does not have to be good offensively to get this; hence the inclusion of Staal. But in my mind, if I'm protecting a lead with a minute to go, the forward I want out there is Datsyuk. Kesler is very good at what he does. But I believe that +/-, while somewhat overrated as a stat, is an indicator of your defensive prowess. Keep in mind that Kesler was on a very good offensive team, and he was only +1, whereas Datsyuk was on an ok scoring team, scored 5 less points than Kesler, and finished +17. With my Red Wing bias shining like a beacon on a foggy night, Datsyuk is my pick.
Jack Adams Award
The Finalists:
Joe Sacco: 43-30-9
Dave Tippett: 50-25-7
Barry Trotz: 47-29-6
Who Will Win: Tippett
Who Should Win: Tippett
This is the easiest award to pick. I would be surprised if this were not a unanimous selection. The Coyotes' issues this season were well documented: the bankruptcy of the previous owners caused the NHL to step in and "own" the team for this season, preventing them from moving. Gretzky resigned as coach just before training camp. Their team had been gutted and was full of kids and cast-offs. Enter Tippett, who turned around the rag-tag group of players and made them a very tough team to play against. The Coyotes have been one of the perennial sad-sack franchises in hockey for a while, but they catapulted up to the 4th best record in the NHL this season, including 50 wins. This one's a no-brainer.
Bill Masterton Award
The Finalists:
Kurtis Foster: 8 goals, 34 assists, 42 points, -5
Jose Theodore: 30-7-7, 2.81 GAA, .911 SV%
Jed Ortmeyer: 8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points
Who Will Win: Theodore/Foster
Who Should Win: Theodore
This award is for perseverence and dedication to hockey, and a case could be made for all 3 guys. Ortmeyer has had to endure a pulmonary embolism and blood clots, and there was talk he may never play again after surgery a couple of years ago. Foster had to overcome a shattered leg that cost him his entire season last year. Foster also has had to deal with the unspeakable tragedy of losing his infant daughter 5 days after she was born. However, as brutal as something like that is to deal with, it happened after the season. For Theodore, he had to spend the entire season coping with the same tragedy, as his young son died a couple of months after being born in the summer. As a father, I can't imagine doing your job under those circumstances, particularly a job that is played at such a high level of physicality, where a lapse in concentration can lead to serious injury. That he was able to play this season is one thing, but he played very well when in the lineup, and for that, he's my winner.
Ted Lindsay Award
The Finalists:
Sidney Crosby: 51 goals, 58 assists, 109 points, +25
Alexander Ovechkin: 50 goals, 59 assists, 109 points, +45
Henrik Sedin: 29 goals, 83 assists, 112 points, +35
Who Will Win: Sedin
Who Should Win: Sedin
This is basically the Hart Trophy, but voted on by the NHLPA, not by the GMs or writers. However, it's rare that the Lindsay (formerly the Pearson) winner didn't win the Hart in the same year. I think the players are going to do what they always do, and pick Sedin as the most outstanding player in the NHL this season.
Well, that's about it. I want to say that I think Sedin was a good choice for the Art Ross, and I have no real problems about Stamkos and Crosby splitting the Rocket Richard Trophy. I am just waiting for the day they create the Bobby Orr Trophy so that Mike Green can finally win something that isn't "Worst Defenseman to be Nominated for the Norris".
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHL. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Ken Holland is onto something....
So, Ken Holland has said that he wants to do something about the shootout. As reported first by the Free Press and then echoed and expanded upon by Puck Daddy, Holland is going to suggest that the overtime format currently in place be tweaked so that more games are decided by the teams, rather than by a skills-competition involving less than a third of a teams' roster. His suggestions are to expand OT to 8 or 10 minutes, and maybe get a little three-on-three action going (or as I call it, the "late-'70s-porn-option").
I like this idea. I think Holland is really on to something. I say that not just as a Red Wing fan, because it has been well-documented how terrible Jimmy Howard was in shootouts last year. Did you get the feeling that I did? That the other team was just biding their time until 5 minutes was over so they could get a free shot at Jimmah? I always cringed whenever the game went beyond OT, mostly due to Jimmy, but also because I witnessed this. However, as a hockey fan, it really bugs me that teams get in the playoffs because 3 of their players were better at breakaways than 3 players on the other team *cough* Flyers *cough*. However, people are afraid that prolonged OT will make the games too long, or that 3-on-3 is just a gimmick that should never be touched in a hockey game (but these same people say an OT is ok - ah, the hypocrisy of people). That got me thinking; what else could the NHL do to decide games besides the SO? Here's a couple of suggestions:
I like this idea. I think Holland is really on to something. I say that not just as a Red Wing fan, because it has been well-documented how terrible Jimmy Howard was in shootouts last year. Did you get the feeling that I did? That the other team was just biding their time until 5 minutes was over so they could get a free shot at Jimmah? I always cringed whenever the game went beyond OT, mostly due to Jimmy, but also because I witnessed this. However, as a hockey fan, it really bugs me that teams get in the playoffs because 3 of their players were better at breakaways than 3 players on the other team *cough* Flyers *cough*. However, people are afraid that prolonged OT will make the games too long, or that 3-on-3 is just a gimmick that should never be touched in a hockey game (but these same people say an OT is ok - ah, the hypocrisy of people). That got me thinking; what else could the NHL do to decide games besides the SO? Here's a couple of suggestions:
- Instead of regular OT, every player throws their stick on the ice at center. The ref will then throw a random stick to each side of the ice and voila! New teams. Imagine facing a line of Pavel Datsyuk and Sidney Crosby with Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Gonchar on defense?
- In a move that makes Kyle Wellwood the hottest commodity in the NHL, it is announced that instead of a shootout, a hot dog-eating contest will decide the winner.
- Rumour has it that Brian Burke is going to suggest that the NHL institute a WWE-style Royal Rumble so that he can finally get his money's worth out of Mike Komisarek.
- The games are already being broadcast on Versus, so I am thinking anything involving either bullriding or cycling - or both.
- 2 words: beer pong.
- We could.....never mind. Chris Pronger just stole the game puck muttering something about "his precious" under his breath.
So those are my ideas. Do you have any? Let me know.
Oh, wait....nevermind. Gary Bettman just held a press conference to announce that shooutouts are staying. Apparently Sidney Crosby called him up to say that since he isso good at shootouts (career 41% shooter), he wants them to say. Gary was heard to say "whatever Sidney wants, Sidney gets". In fact, look for the "Sid Exception" - anyone who's initials are SC gets to shoot more than once in a game. In completely, absolutely un-related news, the Penguins have traded for Sean Collins for a player to be named later.
Good luck Kenny. You're going to need it.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Let's Go Philly?
So the Blackhawks are in the Finals. Lord save us. I can not think of another result that wasn’t Red Wing-related that pissed me off so much. Watching that game yesterday, I had the sense that the Hawks were going to inevitably tie the game up and win, much in the same way I knew the Sharks were going to win Game 5 against the Wings. As soon as the empty netter was scored, I turned the game off; there was no way I wanted to see the Hawks celebrate getting closer to winning the Stanley Cup.
First, a note to the Sharks: seriously? That was the team that beat the Wings 4 out of 5 times? I can’t believe that. Now, I can’t say with any certainty that the Wings would have beaten the Hawks 4 out of 7 times. But I do know one thing: they would have won a FUCKING GAME! Talk about rolling over and dying. At no point in any game during this series did I get the sense that the Sharks belonged here. They were awful in every aspect. And to every journalist who wrote about Jumbo Joe shedding his “choker” label, I better see some retractions, because he was absolutely invisible in this series.
Back to the Hawks. I can’t say I’m surprised they are in the Finals. They are a great team full of young superstars that is getting exceptional goaltending at the right time. They have eliminated the #1 and #3 seeds in the West, and will be huge favourites to win the Cup.
And I fucking hate them.
I can’t stand the Blackhawks. There are two obvious reasons for that. The first is that they are a major rival of the Red Wings. The second is that they are the home team. If you’ve ever lived in another team’s city, especially a rival, you know what I am talking about. You already hate the team, but because of where you live, you are forced to get coverage of them beyond the national media. It sucks. But, beyond those reasons, there are a couple of other factors that feed my hate of the Hawks.
The first is Patrick Kane. JJ from Kansas said that Kane was the Crosby of the Western Conference, and I tend to agree with that statement. As we discussed, the problem is that Kane gets a pass for his shit while Crosby is vilified if he farts on the ice. But, therein lies the difference between Kane and Crosby: all of Crosby’s antics (the diving, whining, cross-checking, speedbagging the opponent’s balls) are on the ice, while Kane is best remembered for beating up a Buffalo cab driver because of a dispute over 20 cents. I will take a player who is a douche but is a douche on the ice over a player that is an idiot off the ice: the former speaks to the guy as a player, while the latter speaks to him as a person. It’s a shame that all of the real jerks in the NHL (Crosby, Corey Perry, Chris Pronger) have all won Cups, and it looks like Kane is going to get one too: I hope they don’t present the Cup in the Hawks defensive zone, because Kane will not know where that is.
The second reason is the fact that, for as much as the Hawks talk about hating the Wings, they are the Wings. They play the same style, are coached the same way, get the same type of players; they even hired Scotty Bowman away from us. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery: I say that they are still the Little Brother that can’t match what Big Brother has done on their own, so they try and copy everything we do so that they can try and be half as successful as us. But, there’s a big difference between what the Wings have done and what the Blackhawks have done: the Wings never had to suck balls for 10 years and rack up high draft picks to stay competitive. We have seen the Wings stay at or near the top of the NHL for the last 20 years, while the Blackhawks have been garbage for a while up until the last 2-3 years. Consider this: since the lockout, the Wings have been to the Finals twice; the Blackhawks have been to the PLAYOFFS twice in that same time frame. Oh, and the Wings split the season series this year with the Hawks even though they were injured and supposed to be in a “rebuilding” year. I love reminding Hawks fans about that.
Hawks fans. Good Lord, are there Hawks fans now. There are people who are now sporting their Hawk hats and growing playoff beards and talking about how Toews and Kane are awesome and they can’t wait for Niemi to be here and win 5 Cups with them. Are you fucking kidding me? I went to the grocery store the other day and saw 6 people wearing Hawks shit. I can guarantee that of those 6 people, 5 of them couldn’t name one player on the Hawks 5 years ago. Further, in this grocery store, 5 years ago I could probably have found 1 or 2 things with the Hawks logo on it: now there’s shit everywhere. This city has hopped on the bandwagon, and done so very quickly. But, God forbid you say that the fans are there because the Hawks are good: to hear them talk, it was all Bill Wirtz’ fault. He was a terrible owner, and he certainly got in the way of the Hawks being good; I think when they did succeed, it was in spite of him, not because of him. But, the reason the fans came back was not because he died; it’s because they had players like Toews and Kane and Keith that were good, and the team got better. If the team had continued to suck, the fans would still not be going to the games. A couple of stories from my own experience to illustrate this: about 4 years ago, my father-in-law called me on a Thursday and asked if I wanted to go to the Hawks game. I asked him who was playing, and he said they were playing the Wings. Naturally, I said yes, and we were able to get tickets ON THE DAY OF THE GAME that were in the 300 level at centre ice. The building was about ¾ full for the Wings, which never happened. Now, they sell out every game and the fans think this shows how supportive they are. The second story concerns a co-worker of mine. 3 years ago after the Hawks got Toews and Kane, they played the Wings very early in the season (it may have been the first game, I can’t remember). That was the game where Kane scored the SO winner against Hasek. The next day at work, a co-worker came up to me and said “saw the Hawks beat the Wings last night” and proceeded to talk shit. Being the kind of guy I am, I brought up the fact that the Wings were probably tired of beating the Hawks, seeing as how they had done it 15 of the last 16 times. It was then that he said “I don’t like hockey. I was just busting your balls because the Wings lost and I know you are a Wings fan”. Fast forward 3 years; this same co-worker was at the game yesterday texting pictures from the game and talking about how awesome the Hawks are and how excited he is the Hawks are going to the Finals. I have secretly renamed this guy “Exhibit A” because of how he personifies the way this city has gotten behind the Hawks.
If anyone local reads this blog and is upset at what I wrote, I don’t really care. I can’t stand the Hawks, because of one final thing: their identity is not based on their love of the Hawks, but of their hatred of the Wings. They are like White Sox fans (another team and fanbase I can’t stand); Sox fans spend more time hating the Cubs than liking the Sox. I can’t understand that mentality, as I have always been a “cheer for your team” kind of guy. You see on blogs like Second City Hockey that they won’t talk about the Wings by name: they call the Wings “Scum”. Really? You hate the team that much that you have to call them some sort of derogatory nickname like that? You know why Hawks’ fans act like this? Jealousy. Don’t let any of them tell you different; if the shoe were on the other foot, Hawks fans would be all over us telling us how we wish our team could be as good as the Hawks have been for the last 15 years.
There are a few saving graces for me; things that make me smile and keep me sane. I love knowing that even if the Hawks do win the Cup, the team will have to be blown up in the off-season because of all the dumb-fuck contracts given out to idiots like Hossa*, Campbell and Huet. I hope Hawks fans enjoyed seeing Byfugly and Sharp, because it’s almost a guarantee they are gone; so is their goalie. Quenneville still has never beaten the Red Wings in a playoff series, and I know that deep down, Hawks fans are pissed that they didn’t get a chance to play the Wings this year in the playoffs. They know that we can still point out that they have not beaten us to win the Cup, and until they do, they are still our bitch. Hell, even when they won the division this year, they didn’t beat us in the season series. As of this writing, it looks like it’s going to be a Philly-Chicago Finals, so I am going to do what any self-respecting Red Wing fan will do – get updates from Twitter and hope that somehow, someway, no one wins the Cup this year.
* Speaking of Hossa, what a colossal waste of money that guy has been for the Hawks. He missed half of the year with a shoulder injury, then didn’t do much this season, and has a whole 2 goals in the playoffs. My father-in-law said that he is a two-way player; two-way players still score goals once in a while. I think I may make a graph charting that as Hossa’s contribution has decreased, his teams have done more. What really chaps my ass is that, despite his disappearing act, he is in the Finals for a third consecutive year. Un-fucking-believeable. I wonder what he’ll do if he loses; I’m thinking suicide watch.
First, a note to the Sharks: seriously? That was the team that beat the Wings 4 out of 5 times? I can’t believe that. Now, I can’t say with any certainty that the Wings would have beaten the Hawks 4 out of 7 times. But I do know one thing: they would have won a FUCKING GAME! Talk about rolling over and dying. At no point in any game during this series did I get the sense that the Sharks belonged here. They were awful in every aspect. And to every journalist who wrote about Jumbo Joe shedding his “choker” label, I better see some retractions, because he was absolutely invisible in this series.
Back to the Hawks. I can’t say I’m surprised they are in the Finals. They are a great team full of young superstars that is getting exceptional goaltending at the right time. They have eliminated the #1 and #3 seeds in the West, and will be huge favourites to win the Cup.
And I fucking hate them.
I can’t stand the Blackhawks. There are two obvious reasons for that. The first is that they are a major rival of the Red Wings. The second is that they are the home team. If you’ve ever lived in another team’s city, especially a rival, you know what I am talking about. You already hate the team, but because of where you live, you are forced to get coverage of them beyond the national media. It sucks. But, beyond those reasons, there are a couple of other factors that feed my hate of the Hawks.
The first is Patrick Kane. JJ from Kansas said that Kane was the Crosby of the Western Conference, and I tend to agree with that statement. As we discussed, the problem is that Kane gets a pass for his shit while Crosby is vilified if he farts on the ice. But, therein lies the difference between Kane and Crosby: all of Crosby’s antics (the diving, whining, cross-checking, speedbagging the opponent’s balls) are on the ice, while Kane is best remembered for beating up a Buffalo cab driver because of a dispute over 20 cents. I will take a player who is a douche but is a douche on the ice over a player that is an idiot off the ice: the former speaks to the guy as a player, while the latter speaks to him as a person. It’s a shame that all of the real jerks in the NHL (Crosby, Corey Perry, Chris Pronger) have all won Cups, and it looks like Kane is going to get one too: I hope they don’t present the Cup in the Hawks defensive zone, because Kane will not know where that is.
The second reason is the fact that, for as much as the Hawks talk about hating the Wings, they are the Wings. They play the same style, are coached the same way, get the same type of players; they even hired Scotty Bowman away from us. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery: I say that they are still the Little Brother that can’t match what Big Brother has done on their own, so they try and copy everything we do so that they can try and be half as successful as us. But, there’s a big difference between what the Wings have done and what the Blackhawks have done: the Wings never had to suck balls for 10 years and rack up high draft picks to stay competitive. We have seen the Wings stay at or near the top of the NHL for the last 20 years, while the Blackhawks have been garbage for a while up until the last 2-3 years. Consider this: since the lockout, the Wings have been to the Finals twice; the Blackhawks have been to the PLAYOFFS twice in that same time frame. Oh, and the Wings split the season series this year with the Hawks even though they were injured and supposed to be in a “rebuilding” year. I love reminding Hawks fans about that.
Hawks fans. Good Lord, are there Hawks fans now. There are people who are now sporting their Hawk hats and growing playoff beards and talking about how Toews and Kane are awesome and they can’t wait for Niemi to be here and win 5 Cups with them. Are you fucking kidding me? I went to the grocery store the other day and saw 6 people wearing Hawks shit. I can guarantee that of those 6 people, 5 of them couldn’t name one player on the Hawks 5 years ago. Further, in this grocery store, 5 years ago I could probably have found 1 or 2 things with the Hawks logo on it: now there’s shit everywhere. This city has hopped on the bandwagon, and done so very quickly. But, God forbid you say that the fans are there because the Hawks are good: to hear them talk, it was all Bill Wirtz’ fault. He was a terrible owner, and he certainly got in the way of the Hawks being good; I think when they did succeed, it was in spite of him, not because of him. But, the reason the fans came back was not because he died; it’s because they had players like Toews and Kane and Keith that were good, and the team got better. If the team had continued to suck, the fans would still not be going to the games. A couple of stories from my own experience to illustrate this: about 4 years ago, my father-in-law called me on a Thursday and asked if I wanted to go to the Hawks game. I asked him who was playing, and he said they were playing the Wings. Naturally, I said yes, and we were able to get tickets ON THE DAY OF THE GAME that were in the 300 level at centre ice. The building was about ¾ full for the Wings, which never happened. Now, they sell out every game and the fans think this shows how supportive they are. The second story concerns a co-worker of mine. 3 years ago after the Hawks got Toews and Kane, they played the Wings very early in the season (it may have been the first game, I can’t remember). That was the game where Kane scored the SO winner against Hasek. The next day at work, a co-worker came up to me and said “saw the Hawks beat the Wings last night” and proceeded to talk shit. Being the kind of guy I am, I brought up the fact that the Wings were probably tired of beating the Hawks, seeing as how they had done it 15 of the last 16 times. It was then that he said “I don’t like hockey. I was just busting your balls because the Wings lost and I know you are a Wings fan”. Fast forward 3 years; this same co-worker was at the game yesterday texting pictures from the game and talking about how awesome the Hawks are and how excited he is the Hawks are going to the Finals. I have secretly renamed this guy “Exhibit A” because of how he personifies the way this city has gotten behind the Hawks.
If anyone local reads this blog and is upset at what I wrote, I don’t really care. I can’t stand the Hawks, because of one final thing: their identity is not based on their love of the Hawks, but of their hatred of the Wings. They are like White Sox fans (another team and fanbase I can’t stand); Sox fans spend more time hating the Cubs than liking the Sox. I can’t understand that mentality, as I have always been a “cheer for your team” kind of guy. You see on blogs like Second City Hockey that they won’t talk about the Wings by name: they call the Wings “Scum”. Really? You hate the team that much that you have to call them some sort of derogatory nickname like that? You know why Hawks’ fans act like this? Jealousy. Don’t let any of them tell you different; if the shoe were on the other foot, Hawks fans would be all over us telling us how we wish our team could be as good as the Hawks have been for the last 15 years.
There are a few saving graces for me; things that make me smile and keep me sane. I love knowing that even if the Hawks do win the Cup, the team will have to be blown up in the off-season because of all the dumb-fuck contracts given out to idiots like Hossa*, Campbell and Huet. I hope Hawks fans enjoyed seeing Byfugly and Sharp, because it’s almost a guarantee they are gone; so is their goalie. Quenneville still has never beaten the Red Wings in a playoff series, and I know that deep down, Hawks fans are pissed that they didn’t get a chance to play the Wings this year in the playoffs. They know that we can still point out that they have not beaten us to win the Cup, and until they do, they are still our bitch. Hell, even when they won the division this year, they didn’t beat us in the season series. As of this writing, it looks like it’s going to be a Philly-Chicago Finals, so I am going to do what any self-respecting Red Wing fan will do – get updates from Twitter and hope that somehow, someway, no one wins the Cup this year.
* Speaking of Hossa, what a colossal waste of money that guy has been for the Hawks. He missed half of the year with a shoulder injury, then didn’t do much this season, and has a whole 2 goals in the playoffs. My father-in-law said that he is a two-way player; two-way players still score goals once in a while. I think I may make a graph charting that as Hossa’s contribution has decreased, his teams have done more. What really chaps my ass is that, despite his disappearing act, he is in the Finals for a third consecutive year. Un-fucking-believeable. I wonder what he’ll do if he loses; I’m thinking suicide watch.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Untitled
I am leaving this "untitled" because I am not sure what to say. The shock of the Wings losing the series has mostly worn off, leaving me to analyze the series itself and my thoughts about it. Actually, the word "shock" is not the right one. I was not shocked the Wings lost. For most of the series, the Wings were a step behind the Sharks, and never caught up.
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong. The Wings lost too many battles for loose pucks, and good God were they awful at faceoffs. A puck possession team has to be actually have the puck, and the Wings were forced to chase the Sharks, unlike in years past when it was the other team chasing the Wings. It's not a good feeling being on the other side, watching Wings' opponent control the play and never give up the puck. I hope that when training camp opens in September, every single centerman on the Wings practises faceoffs for at least 2 hours a day.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the referees. Let me start by saying that I do not believe the refs had anything to do with the Sharks winning this series; they won (mostly) fair and square. But I have been watching hockey for a very long time, and I truly believe that was the worst officiated series I have ever seen. I say that as both a fan of the Red Wings and a fan of hockey. If I were a Sharks fan, I would probably say the same thing. Two of the most brutal calls were against the Sharks; the penalty shot in Game 3 and the goaltender interference call on Heatley in Game 2. I hope that in the coming years, when tapes are shown of how not to officiate a playoff series, every game in this series is shown.
Again, I want to repeat: the Sharks were the better team in this series, and the refs did not affect the outcome of the series. There were calls missed, including yet another one in Game 5 with Murray's head-shot to Franzen. The Sharks scored immediately after that play after the Wings fucked up yet another faceoff. I heard someone argue that the faceoff never should have been in the Wings' zone if not for the missed call; but, be honest with yourself. Do you really believe the Wings were going to win that game? Whether the Sharks scored on that faceoff or another one, I had the sense that a Sharks win was inevitable. Even in the dying seconds, when the Wings had a power play and were trying to tie it, I could not shake the sense that even if they made it to OT, the Wings were going to lose. The Sharks were the better team for the first 30 minutes of the game, and the last 20.
This series was not lost due to the penalty discrepancy of Game 2, or the 3-goals-in-90-seconds of Game 1, or even with Rafalski's brain fart in Game 5. This series was lost when the Wings could not hold a 2-goal lead in the third period of Game 3. At some point this summer, I am going to go back and look at how many games the Wings lost when they had at least a 2-goal lead at some point in the game; I am dreading the results of that research. Unfortunately, this was a team that could not clamp down on their opponent, and it cost them both during the regular season and in the playoffs.
I will probably do a season "recap" in the next few days. I am working on something that sums up how I feel about the season as a whole, not just the series just passed. All I can say about this series is that, as much as it pains me to say it, the better team won. I wish I could say I want the Sharks to do well going forward, but I just can't. In fact, as it stands today, the final 4 would be the Penguins, Bruins, Sharks and Blackhawks. Ugh. I think I am going to unplug my satellite and just read the post-game reports. On second thought, maybe I will cheer for the Sharks; they seem to be the lesser of all evils.
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong. The Wings lost too many battles for loose pucks, and good God were they awful at faceoffs. A puck possession team has to be actually have the puck, and the Wings were forced to chase the Sharks, unlike in years past when it was the other team chasing the Wings. It's not a good feeling being on the other side, watching Wings' opponent control the play and never give up the puck. I hope that when training camp opens in September, every single centerman on the Wings practises faceoffs for at least 2 hours a day.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the referees. Let me start by saying that I do not believe the refs had anything to do with the Sharks winning this series; they won (mostly) fair and square. But I have been watching hockey for a very long time, and I truly believe that was the worst officiated series I have ever seen. I say that as both a fan of the Red Wings and a fan of hockey. If I were a Sharks fan, I would probably say the same thing. Two of the most brutal calls were against the Sharks; the penalty shot in Game 3 and the goaltender interference call on Heatley in Game 2. I hope that in the coming years, when tapes are shown of how not to officiate a playoff series, every game in this series is shown.
Again, I want to repeat: the Sharks were the better team in this series, and the refs did not affect the outcome of the series. There were calls missed, including yet another one in Game 5 with Murray's head-shot to Franzen. The Sharks scored immediately after that play after the Wings fucked up yet another faceoff. I heard someone argue that the faceoff never should have been in the Wings' zone if not for the missed call; but, be honest with yourself. Do you really believe the Wings were going to win that game? Whether the Sharks scored on that faceoff or another one, I had the sense that a Sharks win was inevitable. Even in the dying seconds, when the Wings had a power play and were trying to tie it, I could not shake the sense that even if they made it to OT, the Wings were going to lose. The Sharks were the better team for the first 30 minutes of the game, and the last 20.
This series was not lost due to the penalty discrepancy of Game 2, or the 3-goals-in-90-seconds of Game 1, or even with Rafalski's brain fart in Game 5. This series was lost when the Wings could not hold a 2-goal lead in the third period of Game 3. At some point this summer, I am going to go back and look at how many games the Wings lost when they had at least a 2-goal lead at some point in the game; I am dreading the results of that research. Unfortunately, this was a team that could not clamp down on their opponent, and it cost them both during the regular season and in the playoffs.
I will probably do a season "recap" in the next few days. I am working on something that sums up how I feel about the season as a whole, not just the series just passed. All I can say about this series is that, as much as it pains me to say it, the better team won. I wish I could say I want the Sharks to do well going forward, but I just can't. In fact, as it stands today, the final 4 would be the Penguins, Bruins, Sharks and Blackhawks. Ugh. I think I am going to unplug my satellite and just read the post-game reports. On second thought, maybe I will cheer for the Sharks; they seem to be the lesser of all evils.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Is This It? - Part 2
Due to family stuff, I didn't get to see the game. I will say that it is probably a little inapporpriate to be at a funeral home and yell out "Yes, eat shit motherfuckers!" That is what I did when I (discreetly) was told by my wife what the score was after the first period. Needless to say, I was given a very stern look by many people there. The only part of the game I saw was the second intermission on TSN. I wasn't paying too much attention, but James Duthie made an interesting comment. He said "if Detroit wins Game 5, they win the series." Bold prediction, and I hope he's better at predicting things than Maggie the Monkey.
So, how do you write up a preview of the game when you haven't seen the last one? I don't know, but this seems to be working so far. I have read a lot of the blogs (because the news reports of the game don't tell me what I want to know), and from what I've seen, the pairing of Franzen and Bertuzzi apparently lit a fire under both their asses. That reminds me of Game 4 last year against the Ducks when Babs put Hossa and Mule together and they torched the Ducks. That game carried over to Game 5 which the Wings won big. Here's hoping history repeats itself.
I guess Franzen decided to actually put the puck in the net, eh? 6 points isn't too shabby for one night of work. Let's hope he didn't blow his wad too early and go cold again tonight. Bertuzzi also appeared to have a good game.
I've always been wary of how a team like the Sharks will react after a blowout loss like Thursday night. We saw what happened last year against the Penguins (fuckers). I think I'd rather the Wings had won a hard fought 2-1 OT game. That lets the Sharks know that the Wings are fighting back against the Sharks. I don't know exactly what happened, but from my own experience playing, it was always easier to bounce back after being blown out because you think "we sucked today, but that won't happen tomorrow." Here's hoping that the Wings get another early lead and keep their foot on the gas.
This series should be 2-2, or even 3-1 for the Wings. Should this series end tonight, I will be extremely disappointed, not just because the season is over for the Wings, but because this was a series that feels extremely winnable. I have not been very impressed with the Sharks so far, and that's not just because I am a very sore loser. I think that if they can steal a win tonight, the collars around the Sharks are going to get very tight. The thing to remember is that the Wings no longer have to come back from being down 3-0 - it's now 3-1, and we just witnessed the Canadiens come back against the President's Trophy winners. Anything is possible. Whatever the Wings did in Game 4, they just need to do it again. Shouldn't be that difficult, really. Right?
No movie quotes again today. I can't think of anything that wound sound tired and cliched. The Wings know what this game means. Win and the epic comeback is half complete. Lose and the season is over. I think tonight is where Jimmy Howard shows why he should be ROY. He steals a game the Wings have no business winning, and the Wings stay alive.
So, how do you write up a preview of the game when you haven't seen the last one? I don't know, but this seems to be working so far. I have read a lot of the blogs (because the news reports of the game don't tell me what I want to know), and from what I've seen, the pairing of Franzen and Bertuzzi apparently lit a fire under both their asses. That reminds me of Game 4 last year against the Ducks when Babs put Hossa and Mule together and they torched the Ducks. That game carried over to Game 5 which the Wings won big. Here's hoping history repeats itself.
I guess Franzen decided to actually put the puck in the net, eh? 6 points isn't too shabby for one night of work. Let's hope he didn't blow his wad too early and go cold again tonight. Bertuzzi also appeared to have a good game.
I've always been wary of how a team like the Sharks will react after a blowout loss like Thursday night. We saw what happened last year against the Penguins (fuckers). I think I'd rather the Wings had won a hard fought 2-1 OT game. That lets the Sharks know that the Wings are fighting back against the Sharks. I don't know exactly what happened, but from my own experience playing, it was always easier to bounce back after being blown out because you think "we sucked today, but that won't happen tomorrow." Here's hoping that the Wings get another early lead and keep their foot on the gas.
This series should be 2-2, or even 3-1 for the Wings. Should this series end tonight, I will be extremely disappointed, not just because the season is over for the Wings, but because this was a series that feels extremely winnable. I have not been very impressed with the Sharks so far, and that's not just because I am a very sore loser. I think that if they can steal a win tonight, the collars around the Sharks are going to get very tight. The thing to remember is that the Wings no longer have to come back from being down 3-0 - it's now 3-1, and we just witnessed the Canadiens come back against the President's Trophy winners. Anything is possible. Whatever the Wings did in Game 4, they just need to do it again. Shouldn't be that difficult, really. Right?
No movie quotes again today. I can't think of anything that wound sound tired and cliched. The Wings know what this game means. Win and the epic comeback is half complete. Lose and the season is over. I think tonight is where Jimmy Howard shows why he should be ROY. He steals a game the Wings have no business winning, and the Wings stay alive.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Is This It?
I am in the car headed up to Toronto for a funeral, so this will have to be quick.No fancy quotes or in depth analysis.
I feel like the Wings are on the verge of something special. Tonight is going to be a good night.I really believe that the game 7 Wings are going to show up.Maybe I am inspired because I am just outside Ann Arbor as I write this (beautiful city). Or maybe its because I have had the equivalent of a pot of coffee and its only 10:45 am. Either way, I feel good.
I will miss most of the game due to family stuff, so there will not be a big recap tomorrow. I won't get into what the Wings need to do to win tonight. All they need to do tonight is play the way they can, an remember that they are the fucking Red Wings. They will not be swept, not by the Sharks. They still have the ability to choke. I will not give up hope until the game is over and the Wings are out.
Tonight the comeback starts. I will give the Joe a salute as we cross the bridge. No limits.
LGRW!
I feel like the Wings are on the verge of something special. Tonight is going to be a good night.I really believe that the game 7 Wings are going to show up.Maybe I am inspired because I am just outside Ann Arbor as I write this (beautiful city). Or maybe its because I have had the equivalent of a pot of coffee and its only 10:45 am. Either way, I feel good.
I will miss most of the game due to family stuff, so there will not be a big recap tomorrow. I won't get into what the Wings need to do to win tonight. All they need to do tonight is play the way they can, an remember that they are the fucking Red Wings. They will not be swept, not by the Sharks. They still have the ability to choke. I will not give up hope until the game is over and the Wings are out.
Tonight the comeback starts. I will give the Joe a salute as we cross the bridge. No limits.
LGRW!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Fitting End to a Shit Day
Well, that was brutal. It's hard for me to write about this, because I am still numb.
A note before I recap the game, because this is the reason I just don't give a shit: my grandmother passed away today. She had a quick but determined fight with cancer, but unfortunately the disease won out. Just like the house, cancer always wins. All of the cliches are true: stuff like this puts life into perspective. Don't get me wrong: I'm still uber-mad the Wings pissed that game away. But I just don't really care. The Wings could get swept on Thursday, and I won't care as much then. My grandmother was a wonderful woman and was really like a third parent to me. I was very close to her, and it's going to take some time to get over the fact she's not with us anymore. The only saving grace is that she is no longer in pain, as it got pretty bad towards the end.
On to the game. How is that the 3 things we all said were important for the Wings to win (faceoffs, contain Pavelski, better on the PK) were accomplished, and they still LOST THE FUCKING GAME!!! I just don't get this team this year. They play an inspired first period, even if they did get a huge break when they got the penalty shot. But why the fuck did Hank take it? He is godawful in shootouts. Put Bertuzzi out there. At least he scores every once in a whie on those things. Babcock really screwed the pooch out there.
I was feeling great until that goal with 1.8 seconds left - 1.8 seconds away from a 2-goal lead and a dominating first period. To quote Andy from Fight Night at the Joe said on Twitter, "Unacceptable".
The second period was blah, but to be honest, I missed most of it because I was talking to family. From what I saw on Twitter, it sounded like the Sharks were starting to take over the game. But, I felt good going into the third with a 2-goal lead.
The third period. Our nemesis. How many leads have we seen the Wings piss away this year? Too many to count, if you ask me. About 5 minutes into the third period I turned to my wife and said "they're not skating". Sure enough, Thornton picks up a goal after the Wings turn into a bunch of blind idiots trying to get the puck. After that, the Hank line picked it up, This was clearly their best game of the series, but it was too little, too late.
The tying goal. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Jimmy, I am proud of you for what you have done this year. You almost single-handedly kept this team close to a playoff position when we had the injuries. You were unbelievable down the stretch after the Olympics. In fact, you were having a pretty good series. But, you pulled a Legace - you let in a cheap goal when your team needed a save. I think you're going to have a good career here in Detroit, but if you ever give up a goal like that again, don't think I won't turn on you like a rabid dog.
We're going to take a break from the recap to discuss what we all love - the refs. They did not cost the Wings tonight. The penalty on Homer at the end of the game was a brutal call, but overall they did not influence or impact this game. I know there was a discrepancy in calls (again), but the Wings put themselves in position to take penalties too many times tonight. Here's a thought: move your fucking feet and keep skating. Or, win a faceoff and control the puck. If you have the puck, then you don't need to hook or trip anyone. It's fairly simple.
So the Wings broke their OT cherry tonight, and damn if it wasn't pretty. The millisecond after I saw Thornton and Marleau on the 2-on-1, I knew it was over. There was no chance, and it was a nice pass. I'll be honest: Thornton is looking pretty good out there. I still don't like him, and still think he's overrated, but he is starting to shed that "choker" label.
So that's just about it. Down 3-0, and nothing the Red Wings did tonight gave me any confidence they can come back and win 4 straight. This series has exposed a lot of flaws on the Wings, and it's very disheartening to see them go out like this. Tyler over at Triple Deke echoed my thoughts in saying that this is not about the Red Wings "not wanting it". I'm disappointed by the outcome, but I know that each and every one of the players in that room are even more devastated by the loss tonight. They want to win just as much, if not more, than we want them to. You can question their decision-making or their execution, but don't question their heart or desire to win. As much as it pains me to say this, maybe they just aren't that good. At least not good enough to win the Cup. The loss tonight is squarely on the Red Wings - they had a 2 goal lead, once again, and frittered it away with a laid-back game plan and poor play.
RIP Grandma Jean. We will always love you and miss you. I know you are in a better place.
A note before I recap the game, because this is the reason I just don't give a shit: my grandmother passed away today. She had a quick but determined fight with cancer, but unfortunately the disease won out. Just like the house, cancer always wins. All of the cliches are true: stuff like this puts life into perspective. Don't get me wrong: I'm still uber-mad the Wings pissed that game away. But I just don't really care. The Wings could get swept on Thursday, and I won't care as much then. My grandmother was a wonderful woman and was really like a third parent to me. I was very close to her, and it's going to take some time to get over the fact she's not with us anymore. The only saving grace is that she is no longer in pain, as it got pretty bad towards the end.
On to the game. How is that the 3 things we all said were important for the Wings to win (faceoffs, contain Pavelski, better on the PK) were accomplished, and they still LOST THE FUCKING GAME!!! I just don't get this team this year. They play an inspired first period, even if they did get a huge break when they got the penalty shot. But why the fuck did Hank take it? He is godawful in shootouts. Put Bertuzzi out there. At least he scores every once in a whie on those things. Babcock really screwed the pooch out there.
I was feeling great until that goal with 1.8 seconds left - 1.8 seconds away from a 2-goal lead and a dominating first period. To quote Andy from Fight Night at the Joe said on Twitter, "Unacceptable".
The second period was blah, but to be honest, I missed most of it because I was talking to family. From what I saw on Twitter, it sounded like the Sharks were starting to take over the game. But, I felt good going into the third with a 2-goal lead.
The third period. Our nemesis. How many leads have we seen the Wings piss away this year? Too many to count, if you ask me. About 5 minutes into the third period I turned to my wife and said "they're not skating". Sure enough, Thornton picks up a goal after the Wings turn into a bunch of blind idiots trying to get the puck. After that, the Hank line picked it up, This was clearly their best game of the series, but it was too little, too late.
The tying goal. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Jimmy, I am proud of you for what you have done this year. You almost single-handedly kept this team close to a playoff position when we had the injuries. You were unbelievable down the stretch after the Olympics. In fact, you were having a pretty good series. But, you pulled a Legace - you let in a cheap goal when your team needed a save. I think you're going to have a good career here in Detroit, but if you ever give up a goal like that again, don't think I won't turn on you like a rabid dog.
We're going to take a break from the recap to discuss what we all love - the refs. They did not cost the Wings tonight. The penalty on Homer at the end of the game was a brutal call, but overall they did not influence or impact this game. I know there was a discrepancy in calls (again), but the Wings put themselves in position to take penalties too many times tonight. Here's a thought: move your fucking feet and keep skating. Or, win a faceoff and control the puck. If you have the puck, then you don't need to hook or trip anyone. It's fairly simple.
So the Wings broke their OT cherry tonight, and damn if it wasn't pretty. The millisecond after I saw Thornton and Marleau on the 2-on-1, I knew it was over. There was no chance, and it was a nice pass. I'll be honest: Thornton is looking pretty good out there. I still don't like him, and still think he's overrated, but he is starting to shed that "choker" label.
So that's just about it. Down 3-0, and nothing the Red Wings did tonight gave me any confidence they can come back and win 4 straight. This series has exposed a lot of flaws on the Wings, and it's very disheartening to see them go out like this. Tyler over at Triple Deke echoed my thoughts in saying that this is not about the Red Wings "not wanting it". I'm disappointed by the outcome, but I know that each and every one of the players in that room are even more devastated by the loss tonight. They want to win just as much, if not more, than we want them to. You can question their decision-making or their execution, but don't question their heart or desire to win. As much as it pains me to say this, maybe they just aren't that good. At least not good enough to win the Cup. The loss tonight is squarely on the Red Wings - they had a 2 goal lead, once again, and frittered it away with a laid-back game plan and poor play.
RIP Grandma Jean. We will always love you and miss you. I know you are in a better place.
WCSF - Game 3 - May the Force Be With You
Ok, so I'm a pretty big Star Wars geek. Not the "dress-up-in-a-stormtrooper-costume-to-see-the-movie-at-the-theatre" kind of geek - I don't have enough money to buy a costume. But like most Star Wars fans, I can recite pretty much all of the original movies, and some of the next set (which were not as good, but don't get me started on that). I've got some action figures lying around the house, and I am not completely ashamed to admit I own a few t-shirts that may or may not have Darth Vader on them. Under normal circumstances, I would watch at least one of the movies today, but there's a hockey game on tonight that is a little important. So, we're going to look forward to that. So, in honour of Star Wars Day (May the Fourth, get it?), we'll do our game preview with a Star Wars theme.
"Never tell me the odds" - Empire Strikes Back, 1980 - The Red Wings are down 2-0, and without doing any actual research, I would bet all $300 I have that the team that is up has won the series about 70-80% of the time. Bad news, right? Well, there are reasons why the Wings should feel confident they can come back. First, how many times did the Wings win the first 2 games of a series, only to see the other team win their home games and tie it up? Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 series where that happened: 2004 against the Predators and Flames, 2007 against the Flames, 2008 against the Predators, and 2009 against the Penguins (fuckers). Of those 5 series, the Wings lost 2 of them. So it's not impossible to come back. Plus, we all remember the Finals last year. I still have nightmares about it. Basically, until the Sharks win 4 games, I will not consider this series to be over.
"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you" - A New Hope (1977) - With all apologies to Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg is the cog of the Wings' wheel (pun intended). He was awesome against the Coyotes, but against the Sharks he has been a little invisible. It's not that he has played poorly; it's just that he's not doing what we really need him to do, which is score goals and play smothering defense against the other team's top forward. He can't do it alone; Bertuzzi and Filppula have to be better as well. But if the Wings are going to win this series, Hank has to be our Luke Skywalker. This starts in the faceoff circle, where he's been dominated by anyone on the Sharks that has gone against him.
Darth Vader - Not a quote, but it's clear that Joe Pavelski is the Darth Vader to the Red Wings' rebel alliance. In fact, if you pay attention, I'm pretty sure he just scored again. He has been the reason that the Sharks are up in this series. He's got 4 goals out of the 8 the Sharks have scored, and his line has scored 6 of the 8 goals (Greg Louganis (Setoguchi) and Clowe have the other 2). So the message should be simple - stop that line and the Wings win. The Thornton-Heatley-Mitchell line has not been scary - both of their goals came on a busted stick leading to a 3 on 1, and a matchup after an icing on the Wings' 4th line.
Wedge - Remember Wedge? He's one of the rebel X-wing pilots. He's the only guy besides the main characters that is in all 3 of the early movies. He's there, but you don't really notice him as the movie is going on. When the trilogy is over, someone mentions that Wedge was in all 3 movies and you say "huh, I hadn't really noticed that. I guess I will pay attention to that next time." This is Johan Franzen. He's had a point in every game. That's impressive. But have you really noticed him out there? Outside of Game 1 of this series, he's been fairly mediocre. It's time for the Mule to stop being a supporting player and become a main character in this series.
Jabba The Hut - Jabba was an interesting character. He was some sort of mobster, controlling Tatooine, although he never moved. The only thing Jabba was actually good for was getting Princess Leia in to the gold bikini. I guess some would say he was an imposing figure, but as the movie develops, you got the sense he was really just a minor plot point to advance the story that Luke was now a superstar. I mean, for a guy that huge, all 100 lbs of Leia could choke him to death? Really? Anyway, this is how I feel about Evgeni Nabokov. Some people consider him an elite goalie - but does he scare any of you? He let in a softie in Game 2, and I don't think he's been the difference in this series at all. He's made a few nice saves, but I credit the Sharks' defense more for keeping the Wings to the outside and preventing second and third chances. If they get that, they will score a ton.
Babcock needs to pull some Jedi-mind shit on the players today. He needs to convince them that they are the better team, and that they will win tonight. I can just see it:
Team: This Sharks team is pretty good. It's going to be tough to beat them.
Babcock: These aren't the Sharks you're playing.
Team: These aren't the Sharks we're playing.
Babcock: You're playing the Coyotes.
Team: We're playing the Coyotes.
Babcock: It's Game 7 - lose and you're done.
Team: It's Game 7 - lose and we're done.
Babcock: Kick some ass!
Team: Kick some ass!
My prediction for tonight? I can not see the Wings falling behind 3-0 in this series. I think the officiating is going to be very even, because this series is under the microscope. I don't think there will be any make-up calls for Tuesday, nor do I want any. The Wings come out and play like their season is on the line, which it essentially is. I really believe that tonight is the night that Franzen and Zetterberg step up and take this series over. Thornton will continue his streak of being one of the most over-rated players in the NHL, and Pavelski will not have the opportunities that he's had in the first 2 games. The Wings win big, 5-2, and set the stage for a pivotal Game 4 on Thursday.
LGRW - May The Force Be With You!
"Never tell me the odds" - Empire Strikes Back, 1980 - The Red Wings are down 2-0, and without doing any actual research, I would bet all $300 I have that the team that is up has won the series about 70-80% of the time. Bad news, right? Well, there are reasons why the Wings should feel confident they can come back. First, how many times did the Wings win the first 2 games of a series, only to see the other team win their home games and tie it up? Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 series where that happened: 2004 against the Predators and Flames, 2007 against the Flames, 2008 against the Predators, and 2009 against the Penguins (fuckers). Of those 5 series, the Wings lost 2 of them. So it's not impossible to come back. Plus, we all remember the Finals last year. I still have nightmares about it. Basically, until the Sharks win 4 games, I will not consider this series to be over.
"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you" - A New Hope (1977) - With all apologies to Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg is the cog of the Wings' wheel (pun intended). He was awesome against the Coyotes, but against the Sharks he has been a little invisible. It's not that he has played poorly; it's just that he's not doing what we really need him to do, which is score goals and play smothering defense against the other team's top forward. He can't do it alone; Bertuzzi and Filppula have to be better as well. But if the Wings are going to win this series, Hank has to be our Luke Skywalker. This starts in the faceoff circle, where he's been dominated by anyone on the Sharks that has gone against him.
Darth Vader - Not a quote, but it's clear that Joe Pavelski is the Darth Vader to the Red Wings' rebel alliance. In fact, if you pay attention, I'm pretty sure he just scored again. He has been the reason that the Sharks are up in this series. He's got 4 goals out of the 8 the Sharks have scored, and his line has scored 6 of the 8 goals (Greg Louganis (Setoguchi) and Clowe have the other 2). So the message should be simple - stop that line and the Wings win. The Thornton-Heatley-Mitchell line has not been scary - both of their goals came on a busted stick leading to a 3 on 1, and a matchup after an icing on the Wings' 4th line.
Wedge - Remember Wedge? He's one of the rebel X-wing pilots. He's the only guy besides the main characters that is in all 3 of the early movies. He's there, but you don't really notice him as the movie is going on. When the trilogy is over, someone mentions that Wedge was in all 3 movies and you say "huh, I hadn't really noticed that. I guess I will pay attention to that next time." This is Johan Franzen. He's had a point in every game. That's impressive. But have you really noticed him out there? Outside of Game 1 of this series, he's been fairly mediocre. It's time for the Mule to stop being a supporting player and become a main character in this series.
Jabba The Hut - Jabba was an interesting character. He was some sort of mobster, controlling Tatooine, although he never moved. The only thing Jabba was actually good for was getting Princess Leia in to the gold bikini. I guess some would say he was an imposing figure, but as the movie develops, you got the sense he was really just a minor plot point to advance the story that Luke was now a superstar. I mean, for a guy that huge, all 100 lbs of Leia could choke him to death? Really? Anyway, this is how I feel about Evgeni Nabokov. Some people consider him an elite goalie - but does he scare any of you? He let in a softie in Game 2, and I don't think he's been the difference in this series at all. He's made a few nice saves, but I credit the Sharks' defense more for keeping the Wings to the outside and preventing second and third chances. If they get that, they will score a ton.
Babcock needs to pull some Jedi-mind shit on the players today. He needs to convince them that they are the better team, and that they will win tonight. I can just see it:
Team: This Sharks team is pretty good. It's going to be tough to beat them.
Babcock: These aren't the Sharks you're playing.
Team: These aren't the Sharks we're playing.
Babcock: You're playing the Coyotes.
Team: We're playing the Coyotes.
Babcock: It's Game 7 - lose and you're done.
Team: It's Game 7 - lose and we're done.
Babcock: Kick some ass!
Team: Kick some ass!
My prediction for tonight? I can not see the Wings falling behind 3-0 in this series. I think the officiating is going to be very even, because this series is under the microscope. I don't think there will be any make-up calls for Tuesday, nor do I want any. The Wings come out and play like their season is on the line, which it essentially is. I really believe that tonight is the night that Franzen and Zetterberg step up and take this series over. Thornton will continue his streak of being one of the most over-rated players in the NHL, and Pavelski will not have the opportunities that he's had in the first 2 games. The Wings win big, 5-2, and set the stage for a pivotal Game 4 on Thursday.
LGRW - May The Force Be With You!
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