More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

6 months ago: Detroit Reds Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom, left, of Sweden, talks with team general manager Ken Holland after taking a team photo Monday, June 15, 2009 in Detroit. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup on Friday night. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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A Sports Illustrated PR staffer gave me a heads up that SI.com just released its Best of 2000s lists and the Red Wings made it into a few categories as you can see below.

• The Detroit Red Wings are the sixth-ranked franchise in all of sports this decade (by comparison, the Pistons come in at No. 19). The teams that finished ahead of them (in order) are the LA Lakers, New England Patriots, UConn women's basketball, San Antonio Spurs, and the NY Yankees.
  
• Wings' GM Ken Holland sits second on the list of the top ten best GM/executives (the Pistons' Joe Dumars sits at No. 9). Only Scott Pioli of the New England Patriots finished above Holland.
  
• SI.com also ranked captain Nicklas Lidstrom at No. 19 in the top 20 male athletes of the decade category.

This is what SI.com had to say about Lidstrom:

The NHL's most accomplished player, his excellence as a passer, power-play quarterback and defender (he averaged less than 40 penalty minutes per season while logging major ice time against top lines) precedes and survives the 2004-05 lockout that led to rules promoting offense. Lidstrom's six Norris Trophies (three pre-lockout; three after) place him behind only iconic Hall of Famers Doug Harvey (seven) and Bobby Orr (eight). His silverware haul this decade also includes two Stanley Cups -- the last, in 2008, made him the first European captain of an NHL champion -- and an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006.

What do you think of their selections? Did they leave the Wings out of a category that they should have been in? You can view all the categories here at SI.com.

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

29 days ago: Detroit Red Wings left wing Drew Miller (20) scores a goal against Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35), of Finland, in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. Also defending for the Predators is Kevin Klein, center. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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After escaping Montreal with a narrow 3-2 shootout victory on Saturday, the Wings headed to Nashville with the hopes of earning their first win streak on the road. Unfortunately, it was not to be as the Wings dropped the game in a 3-1 loss to the Predators.

Chris Osgood got the start in goal, making allowing three goals on 25 shots while the Wings got off 31 shots in their losing effort.

The Wings' penalty kill woes continued, allowing two goals on four penalty kills. Jason Arnott got Nashville on the board first with a power-play tally at the 10:24 mark in the opening period.

The Predators grabbed a two-goal lead just 1:21 into the middle frame with another power-play marker, but this time from Martin Erat. He scored Nashville's insurance goal with 2:20 remaining in the contest.

Once again, the Wings stumbled out of the gate before firing on all cylinders in the third period just a little too late. Detroit's lone tally came at the 6:38 point in the second stanza when former Spartan Drew Miller registered his first goal as a Wing. According to MLive.com, "it was his first goal in 20 games this season, his first in 27 games dating to last season when he played for Anaheim."

The Wings now have lost the last three of four games. Detroit returns to play on Wednesday against Atlanta at Joe Louis Arena at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

by Carlos Osorio - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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The Detroit Red Wings continue their road trip in Nashville as they take on the Predators tonight at 7 p.m. EDT on Versus. The Wings hope to extend their winning streak to two on the road, while the Preds would like to make it six straight wins.

With top-four defenseman Niklas Kronwall out for at least four weeks due to a hit that GM Ken Holland called dirty, the Wings will mix and match their defensive pairings tonight. Derek Meech will enter the lineup tonight thanks to the void left by the Kronwall injury.

Chris Osgood will start in goal tonight with Jimmy Howard slated to start on Wednesday.

You will also want to keep an eye out for Darren McCarty, who will be a guest studio analyst for Versus tonight. Will he be a homer like Kris Draper is wishing for? Will he offer some great insight into how the Wings operate?

More photos » by Tom Pidgeon - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE - In this June 7, 1997, file photo, Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman skates off with the Stanley Cup in Detroit after the Red Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games. Yzerman is to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, Nov. 9, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Tom Pidgeon, File)

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Tonight in Toronto, former Red Wings' captain Steve Yzerman will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside two of his 2001-02 teammates Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull. The ceremony will be broadcast live on TSN and NHL Network (Canada and U.S.) at 7 p.m. EDT.

As a blogger, I can't provide anything unique about The Captain that you have never heard. Between the articles published after he won the Cup, retired, and around his jersey retirement ceremony, reporters and bloggers have covered seemingly every angle of his illustrious career. I know I've personally written thousands of words about No. 19 over the last four years as we remember his career and what he has done. He's already been inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, received the Lester Patrick award, and had his jersey retired at Joe Louis Arena.

I wanted to point you to three great pieces that have come out in the past week about Yzerman. First, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com wrote an absolutely fantastic piece about The Captain and it certainly was my favorite article that I've read this month. Greg Kuppa at The Detroit News takes a look at his childhood and hockey growing up, which we don't usually hear about in the media. Finally, Helene St. James has an exclusive interview with Yzerman that was published in the Detroit Free Press.

The best way I feel that I can honor his induction tonight is by posting an excerpt of a post I wrote at the start of the 2007 playoffs that was well-received by my readers (then at Behind the Jersey).

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by Paul Sancya - AP

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The Detroit Red Wings finally wrap up their five-game, 11-day road trip tonight in Calgary against the Flames.

The biggest development for the Wings this week was the loss of forward Valtteri Filppula, who broke his wrist on Thursday evening in a game against Edmonton. He will be out 6-8 weeks.

"Obviously, I feel terrible," said Filppula, who recently was moved up to the second line. "But there's nothing I can do about it now."

The injury occurred on a hard, clean check by Gilbert Brule.

"It's a big blow, obviously," Babcock said. "We're going to have to buckle down as a team. It doesn't matter who's not here. It's about who is here. We are going to miss Fil. You don't replace good players like that. But we have to find a way to win games."

In other news, Ville Leino has been scratched from the lineup today which I find surprising since they lost Filppula to injury, but head coach Mike Babcock has made it clear he has not been pleased with Leino's play so far this season.

"Ville’s not working on any line. That’s clear. He’s having a day to watch,'' Babcock said. "He hasn’t played hard enough, so he’s going to watch the game and the other guys are going to play.’’

Chris Osgood will get the start in net tonight and here's what he told The Detroit News about it:

"I feel good," he said. "I have to play better than I did in Vancouver, but it was only (seven) minutes. I would have hoped to stay in but I didn't get that opportunity. I have to let that go and move on."

The Calgary Herald spoke with Todd Bertuzzi, who played for the Flames last year, about his return to the Wings this season.

You can catch tonight's game on CBC and FSDetroit Plus when the puck drops at 10 p.m. EDT. Don't know which channel FSDetroit Plus is on? Visit this page at FoxSports.com for that info. Go Wings!

More photos » by Jimmy Jeong - AP

about 1 month ago: Detroit Red Wings center Darren Helm (43) celebrates his goal with right wing Patrick Eaves (17) in a game against the Edmonton Oilers during second-period NHL hockey action in Edmonton, Alberta, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Jimmy Jeong)

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The Edmonton Oilers snapped a three-game losing streak, partially due to the H1N1 infestation of their team, with a 6-5 shootout win in Edmonton on Thursday evening. The Detroit Red Wings found a way to earn a point on the road, storming back from a 4-0 and later 5-2 deficit at the end of the second period with three markers in the third frame to send the game into overtime. Only one player scored in the shootout for either team, Patrick O'Sullivan, which handed the 'W' and the two points to Edmonton.

The Wings got some bad news when Valtteri Filppula fell awkwardly after a hit along the boards at some point in the second. Coach Mike Babcock told FSDetroit after the game that he broke his wrist and will unfortunately be out 6-8 weeks.

We're just going to skip the first-period recap as the Wings allowed three tallies on 12 shots. Heading into the second period, Ales Hemsky scored his second goal of the evening just 58 seconds into the period when he beat netminder Jimmy Howard five-hole on a breakaway.

The Wings would finally get on the board at the 6:15 mark into the middle frame with forward Darren Helm scoring his first regular-season goal ever on a blast from the top of the right faceoff circle. Coach Mike Babcock had him as a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game against Vancouver, hoping that it would spark his play. Helmer told FSDetroit during the second intermission that while Babcock's decision was frustrating, "I thought it was good for me."

Less than three minutes later, the Oilers responded in a mad scramble in front of the net on a power play. Forward Shawn Horcoff ultimately got the puck past Howard for his third point of the night (he posted two assists earlier in the game).

Forward Henrik Zetterberg brought the Wings within three 12:50 into the second stanza after throwing the puck at the cage, which surprisingly went in from the weird angle he was at below the left faceoff circle. Teammates Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk registered assists on the play.

Detroit kept the pressure on Edmonton in the second, hitting the post twice in a short span of time. Edmonton took a narrow lead over the Wings in the shot and scoring chances categories (23-22 and 10-9 respectively) as the two squads heading to their respective locker rooms. 

The Wings made it a game in the first half of the third period, scoring twice in a span of 1:12. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson earned his third goal of the season at the 6:32 mark. Kris Draper backhanded a pass to drop the puck back to Ericsson, who was stationed atop the left faceoff circle, for a quick release that beat Khabibulin.

Just a short time later, Datsyuk deked an Oiler to find room to slide a pass to to Todd Bertuzzi, who popped it in from just above the inside hash of the left faceoff circle, to make it a one-goal difference.

Patrick Eaves evened the game up at 5-5 on his first goal of the year. He got a shot off through an Oiler's legs to beat Khabibulin gloveside. Helmer and Ericsson notched the assists. He spoke with FSDetroit after the game:

"We would have liked to get off to a better start...We just came together as a group and everyone did their job, pulled their weight...I'm just trying to make the best out of the time I got."

It was mainly Detroit in the third as they outshot Edmonton 20-6 in the period, but the game went into overtime with a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. Despite numerous solid chances for both teams, the teams went scoreless in extra time resulting in a shootout.

Howard stays with his man, stuffing the first Oiler of the shootout. Jason Williams went first for the Wings, but Khabibulin got his pad on the shot. Hemsky tries to deke a couple times, but sent the shot wide of the net. Datsyuk goes next and opts for head-on shot instead of trying to deke, but no luck. O'Sullivan hits the back bar on his shot and gives Edmonton the lead in the shootout. Zetterberg cannot find a way to beat the Oilers' goalie, giving the 'W' to Edmonton.

Coach Babcock spoke with FSDetroit following the game:

"It was a heck of a comeback. It was good character and good grit...Obviously we weren't ready to go and it cost us a point...Filppula broke his wrist and will be out 6-8 weeks. It'll give someone an opportunity."

Christy's Red Wing of the Game: Darren Helm

Darren Helm

#43 / Center / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Jan 21, 1987

We saw an offensive effort from some unusual suspects today. Eaves, Ericsson, and Helm recorded a goal and an assist. Helmer and Eaves earned their first goal of the regular season this year in the game. Datsyuk posted two helpers.

The Wings finish up their five-game road trip in Calgary on Saturday night at 10 p.m. EDT.

by Paul Sancya - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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The Detroit Red Wings look to end their three-game losing skid tonight in Vancouver as they face off against the Canucks and former teammate Mikael Samuelsson. Sammy currently leads his new team in goals (5) and is second in points (10).

Head coach Mike Babcock broke up the line featuring Williams and the two Finns during Monday's practice, but he has not ruled out keeping the previous game lineup for today's contest. According to MLive.com, here were the lines the team was practicing with on Monday.

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom
Cleary-Filppula-Bertuzzi (Eaves working in)
Leino-Draper-Williams
May-Helm-Maltby (Abdelkader working in)

The defense remained the same:
Lidstrom-Kronwall
Stuart-Rafalski
Ericsson-Lebda (Meech working in)

Osgood (starting)
Howard

The Detroit News reported this afternoon that Darren Helm will be a healthy scratch. Babcock says that it's not like Helmer has been playing bad, but he did miss most of training camp and the entire preseason. He hopes that scratching him will be just the motivation Helm needs to bounce back to his old self.

The game will start at 10 p.m. EDT and will be shown on FSDetroit. Go Wings!

Shockingly, the Wings have only won three of nine games so far this season. A win tonight will give Detroit its first road game of the season, which is something that is definitely needed. The Wings currently sit one point above Nashville, who is at the bottom of the Central Division standings.

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

2 months ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov (30), of Russia, gets beat for a goal by Detroit Red Wings' Brett Lebda (22) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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A questionable call caused the Wings to head into overtime after leading the Coyotes for most of the game. A soft goal in OT gave Phoenix the two points, while handing Detroit a loss to start their road trip and one point in the standings.

By the end of the first period, the game was even at one goal apiece. In his first game back from injury, star forward Pavel Datsyuk assisted on the equalizer with 20 seconds remaining in the period. Tomas Holmstrom was credited with the goal, a tip-in. Matthew Lombardi posted the power-play goal for the Coyotes in the first frame.

Defenseman Brett Lebda scored 7:45 into the second period, which was set up on a slick pass by Datsyuk. Henrik Zetterberg also earned his second helper of the evening.

Phoenix was held off the scoreboard in the third until the 17:20 mark when it appeared that goalie Chris Osgood had made the stop with the puck under his pads. The referee seemingly should have blown the whistle, but hadn't when a Coyote pushed Ozzie further back, causing the puck to ultimately go over the goal line. Petr Prucha was given the goal.

Mike Babcock had this to say to FSDetroit after the game:

"I thought we were in the control of the game...I thought they pushed Ozzie into the net, but it doesn't matter what I think obviously...The bottom line is that's what they decided, but I thought there was some bumping...If you give away points, it's going to come back and haunt you."

Wings' fans will probably agree that the game should not have gone into overtime, but it did and Adrian Aucion scored the game-winning marker 1:40 into overtime.

All in all, the Coyotes outshot Detroit 33-27 for the win.

"It's tough to lose this way. I thought we played a good game...[Pavel] looked good and he skated well...It was two funky plays that led to the last two goals."

-- Henrik Zetterberg said on FSDetroit after the game

The Wings have four more games remaining on this road trip so hopefully they can put this behind him and get a few wings out of this trip. Detroit's next game is this Saturday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.

by Carlos Osorio - AP

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The Red Wings kick off their five-game, 11-day road trip tonight in Phoenix against the Coyotes, who are off to a surprisingly hot 5-2-0 start. On the other hand, Detroit is having a rough go initially with a 3-3-1 record. A win tonight would extend the Coyotes to a four-game winning streak, while a win would snap a one-game losing skid for Detroit.

Star forward Pavel Datsyuk hopes to play tonight, but the decision has yet to be made definitively.

The Wings have struggled with maintaining a lead this season, allowing 3+ goals in a single period four times already this year. Not only will the offense have to play big against the stingy Phoenix defense, but the Wings' defense needs to be on guard as they hope to get off to a good start on this tough western road trip.

The puck is slated to drop at 10 p.m. EDT and will be televised on FSDetroit. Go Wings!

More photos » by Dean Duprey - AP

2 months ago: Buffalo Sabres' Thomas Vanek (26) of Austria, scores on Detroit Red Wings' Chris Osgood during the second period of the NHL hockey game Buffalo, N.Y., Tuesday Oct. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/ Dean Duprey)

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After winning two games at home, the Detroit Red Wings dropped a 6-2 loss in Buffalo against the Sabres as the mistakes piled up. Netminder Chris Osgood was pulled during the middle frame after allowing five markers on 22 shots. Jimmy Howard was inserted into goal and stopped all but one shot with about 27 minutes of ice time. Buffalo outshot Detroit 37-25 in the loss.

According to the Detroit Free Press:

After the teams traded power-play goals in the first period, the Sabres scored four times on seven shots in a span of 6:43 to chase Chris Osgood, who allowed five goals on 22 shots. The four goals matched the number Buffalo had scored in its first three games this season.

Forwards Valtteri Filppula and Tomas Holmstrom scored Detroit's only two goals in the game. Filppula scored at the 4:30 remaining in the opening period to tie the game at one goal apiece. He tipped in a pass from defenseman Niklas Kronwall that came thanks to Detroit's power-play opportunity. Homer made it a four-goal difference with a tally about halfway through the final stanza.

Once again, the Wings struggled in the second period allowing four goals. Thomas Vanek recorded two of those markers, but left with an upper body injury after his second goal. ESPN.com reports that he will be out for weeks with the injury. When you include Detroit's three road games -- two of which were in Sweden -- the Wings have allowed 10 combined goals in the second period alone.

Forwards Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby were tabbed as healthy scratches to make room for the fourth line, which consisted of Brad May, Darren Helm, and Patrick Eaves.

What are your thoughts on the game? Chime in by responding to the poll and/or leaving your thoughts in the comment section.