SB Nation User Blog: Christy

Steve Yzerman to be enshrined in HHOF tonight

Christy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:29:54 -0000

3 days 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).

Excerpt of BTJ Post:

It’s 12:35am on Wednesday evening and I should be sleeping since I have an incredibly busy day tomorrow. But, the constant throbbing in my knee won’t let me sleep. So this post is definitely not a normal post for me by any stretch and is really me rambling about my knee, Yzerman, pain, and the playoffs so feel free to skip this one if you so desire.

People look at me like I’m crazy when they learn how much I’m into hockey. You want to know why? Because when I’m watching hockey, I’m free. I picture myself out there. I get all excited when the players start fighting and I celebrate after every goal. I can’t escape my life of chronic pain, but I can escape the pain for those couple hours. It’s that time that makes me feel like I’m free again. That pain doesn’t confine my life. That I can do anything. I get caught up in the beauty of the movement. Of the connection between teammates. Of the joy following a goal. Of the passion these players have for their sport. Of one player fighting for a teammate. Of the magic of a breakaway goal. Of scoring a shorthanded goal to win the game. Of watching these incredible athletes sacrifice their bodies for the sake of the team.

Steve Yzerman is my favorite player of all time. Why? It’s not because he’s a great leader. Or at one point a scoring machine who turned into a complete two way player. It’s because he has a high pain threshold and incredible perseverence. He went out and played. Hockey was also his escape. Sure, it made the pain worse. But I bet while he was playing, he felt whole again (I bet you during a stoppage in play, it hurt all over again). Winning was Yzerman’s ultimate pain killer and in 2002, he led the team in points during the playoffs and to a Stanley Cup victory despite a knee so bad he had to have an operation to realign his knee that offseason. Something that is usually only done for elderly patients to help them walk again. Something that no professional athlete has ever returned from (aside from Yzerman).

An article by John Niyo of The Detroit News was printed Wednesday morning discussing pain in the playoffs. My favorite excerpt obviously included Yzerman and that magical playoff run:

For the last two decades in Detroit, that meant following the example set by Steve Yzerman. And given The Captain’s high pain threshold, laughs Piet Van Zant, the Wings trainer, "It’s almost unfair to compare anybody to him."

Everyone remembers Yzerman in 2002, essentially playing on one leg throughout the playoffs, using his stick almost as a crutch at times.

"That was one of the greatest sporting accomplishments that I’ve ever witnessed," Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "To watch him limp into the rink the morning of a game, talking to doctors to see what he went through to play, the pain he endured every other night for two months — it was incredible."

And yet, it’s closer to the rule than the exception in hockey.

"That’s one of the things the fans admire about hockey players, their ability and their desire to play through the pain," said Van Zant, who is in his 14th season with the organization. "That’s one of the things that I think sets hockey players apart — that willingness to sacrifice themselves.

I have an autographed 16×20 photograph of Yzerman sitting on the the bench during a game at home above my bed. I have a 5×7 photo of Yzerman slowly getting up on his bad knee during a game at my dorm. These photos remind me of how he overcame pain to succeed and that I need to have the same mindset when all I can think of is the intense throbbing or stabbing pain in my knee. I don’t know Yzerman. I’ve never met the guy. I can’t tell you what he’s like in the locker room or how he treats his family. I can tell you that he has dealt with a significant amount of pain and the way he responded to it inspires me on a daily basis.

And sometimes, it hurts to be a fan. Sometimes it doesn’t help you escape life. During the playoffs, it becomes your life. A loss for your team? It hurts. When you see your team lose in the first round consistently, it stings. And yes, I get bitter towards the team that kicked us out of the postseason. But I’m still feeling something other than the pain in my knee. Hockey distracts me from the one thing that drives me mad.

Tomorrow, the playoffs begin for the Detroit Red Wings. And as much as these playoffs torture my very being, they also make me feel more alive and excited than any other time of the year. Tomorrow, the Wings quest for the Cup begins. Tomorrow, the city of Detroit will fill with a sea of fans wearing the red and white. Tomorrow, we will start a magical playoff run or continue the haunting early playoff exits. Either way, I’m going to be there every step of the way and I hope you’ll join me by commenting on the playoff action here on BTJ. Good night and go Wings!

End of the Excerpt

So if you are still reading this, what was your favorite memory of Yzerman? What aspect of his career or personality stood out to you? What do you remember about The Captain? Please share in the comments!

Game Thread: Wings at Flames

Christy — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:45:20 -0000

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!

Wings lose 6-5 in shootout to Oilers

Christy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:14:10 -0000

More photos » by Jimmy Jeong - AP

13 days 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

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Darren Helm	5	0	1	1	-1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.0

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.

Poll

Which Red Wing did you think played the best in tonight's game?

[Game Thread] Wings @ Canucks

Christy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:50:29 -0000

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.

Poll

Will the Wings finally win their first road game of the season tonight?

Yep, they'll get it done.

22 votes

No, the losing skid will continue.

10 votes

32 votes | Poll has closed

Coyotes drop Wings 3-2 in OT

Christy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:43:47 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

20 days 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.

Poll

Should the goal by Phoenix late in the third have counted?

If I was Babcock, I'd be pissed it counted.

120 votes

Yeah, I think it should have been a goal.

35 votes

155 votes | Poll has closed

[Game Thread] Wings @ Coyotes

Christy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:43:44 -0000

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!

Wings struggle in 6-2 loss to Sabres

Christy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:37:40 -0000

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.

Poll

Is this game and the team's play representative of the season the Wings will have or just a minor blip in the schedule?

No worries. It's just a blip.

57 votes

It may be just one game, but I have concerns.

212 votes

The sky is falling. This loss was just a start of things to come.

46 votes

315 votes | Poll has closed

Wings drop season opener 4-3

Christy — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:05:14 -0000

More photos » by NIKLAS LARSSON - AP

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The Detroit Red Wings dropped their season opener in Stockholm, Sweden, in a 4-3 loss against the St. Louis Blues. Despite the Blues taking the first lead of the game, it was the Red Wings who dominated the first period of action outshooting St. Louis 16-7. After a high-scoring 40 minutes, the offense cooled down considerably. And what I really mean by considerably is that no one actually scored in the final stanza of play.

Jay McClement opened the scoring for St. Louis with a tally 7:54 into the first period. Detroit would end the first period up 2-1 thanks to markers from Jonathan Ericsson and Kirk Maltby. The Big E tipped the puck in with assists given to Maltby and Kris Draper. Maltby scored his first goal of the season while the team was shorthanded less than four minutes later.

Forward Ville Leino padded the Wings' lead in the waning seconds of Detroit's power play, but the Wings struggled for most of the second period. Paul Kariya would bring the Blues to within one to spark an offensive surge from St. Louis as they scored two more times in the middle frame with goals from Brandon Crombeen and another one from Kariya.

Unfortunately Ericsson left the ice near the end of the second period and would not return due to an ankle injury. His status is unknown for tomorrow's contest. The final period went without a goal with shots remaining at 8-8.

The Wings play one more game in Sweden tomorrow afternoon (3 p.m.), once again taking on the Blues, before returning back to Detroit.

What were people's thoughts about the game?

[Game Thread] Wings vs. St. Louis (Sweden)

Christy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:42:08 -0000

The Detroit Red Wings open their 2009-10 regular season in Sweden this afternoon as part of the 2009 Compuware Premiere series against St. Louis. The puck is slated to drop at 3 p.m. EDT (9 p.m. in Sweden) and will be televised by Versus.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard had to fill in for Chris Osgood on Wednesday in their last preseason game due to Ozzie feeling under the weather. Assuming he is feeling better, Osgood will start in goal later today.

The one question with regards to today's lineup is whether Kirk Maltby or Patrick Eaves will earn a spot on the fourth line. Head coach Mike Babcock said that decision wouldn't come until Friday.

Feel free to leave your comments on the game or the upcoming season in the comment section below. We'd love to hear from you!

[Game Thread] Wings @ Farjestads BK

Christy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:16:57 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

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The Red Wings finish up their preseason competition this afternoon with their game against Farjestads BK at 1 p.m. EDT. The game will be the first of three contests this week in Sweden. The next two will be on Friday and Saturday against St. Louis in Stockholm. While you won't be able to catch today's game on TV, you can watch the game by checking out NHL.com as they will be streaming the game live online.

Henrik Zetterberg missed all eight exhibition games due to a groin injury, but expects to play today in Sweden. MLive.com has the anticipated lineup:

Forwards (13)
Johan Franzen-Pavel Datsyuk-Tomas Holmstrom
Todd Bertuzzi-Henrik Zetterberg-Dan Cleary
Ville Leino-Valtteri Filppula-Jason Williams
Kris Draper-Justin Abdelkader-Patrick Eaves-Kirk Maltby

Defensemen (7)
Nicklas Lidstrom-Brian Rafalski
Niklas Kronwall-Brad Stuart
Jonathan Ericsson-Brett Lebda
Derek Meech

Goalies (2)
Chris Osgood
Jimmy Howard

Andreas Lilja and Darren Helm went to Sweden with the team, but will not play due to their respective injuries. Daniel Larsson also came on the trip as the team's emergency goaltender (third on the depth chart).