This is probably way too much analysis of the standings for one day I know - but it's an off day, what else is there to do???

I know it's not likely given their overall record, but the Blues and Wings both have 6 games left. If somehow, the Blues can manage to lose 4 games in regulation (or 3 in regulation and 2 more in SOs) - then 1st place for the Wings is not out of the equation. Could the Blues actually manage to blow it?, could they manage to lose 4 out of their last 6? Well, it's not likely, but it is possible - especially given their opponents. The other side of the equation is the Wings. Can they manage to win 5 or 6 out of their last 6? Well, we know that can happen - it also isn't likely, given the Wings road record, but they're getting healthy again, the key game is next week against the Blues in St. Louis.

If the Blues get only 4 more points the rest of the way (with only 1 Regulation win) - and the Wings win 5 more, then both teams would then finish with 107 points - assuming no SO wins the rest of the way, the Wings would have 44 ROW (Regulation or Overtime Wins). The Blues would also have 44 ROW - so then we have to go to games against the other team - Wings would have 8 pts (4 wins) against the Blues, the Blues would only have 4 or 5 pts (2 wins) against the Wings - so the Wings win. Again, the key is a Wings win in St. Louis next week - the Wings have to win.

The schedules are comparable - both teams are playing Columbus once, and the rest of the games are against playoff contenders/playoff bound teams - said another way, teams in desperation mode - win or potentially stay home for the playoffs.

The Blues have:

Nashville, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Phoenix, Dallas

The Wings have:

Columbus, Nashville, Florida, St. Louis, New Jersey, Chicago

Your thoughts?

Uh oh - can't say I saw this coming, but Sid the Kid is out again, with concussion symptoms - wow. I hope for the sake of the League and hockey in general that he gets better and plays a long time. But at the same time, my mind goes immediately to Eric Lindros and his early retirement due to way too many close conversations with Scott Stevens shoulders.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=ApHGY.fXJjv..kS2LFloMfl7vLYF?slug=ap-penguins-crosby

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Sidney-Crosby-and-the-100-percent-headache?urn=nhl-wp19620

Like him, love him or hate him - Sid is good for the game. I hope it turns around, but my mind says different right now.

Kendal

I know we're all about the hockey here at WIIM, but we all lost a great visionary and a great leader yesterday.

Just think for a few minutes about how differently you view things involved with technology today and where we might (or might not) be without.....the Mac, Windows (Apple had it way before Microsoft did), the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, Podcasts and lots of other innovations that escape my mind right now.

I grabbed this off another site earlier today and thought it was so elegant and yet so perfect for how he viewed life.  We will likely not see another Steve Jobs in our lifetime, he will be missed.

STEVE JOBS 1955-2011

Steve Jobs was the Thomas Edison of our time. Just as the light bulb changed the way we looked at things so did the innovations that Steve imagined and produced. He was of the world's greatest marketers. We will miss him.

In his own words he expresses his philosophy of death elegantly:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

I'll admit that I wasn't watching the preseason games all that closely, so I'm looking for input and opinion here as much as anything.

The last game against Pittsburgh, I noticed that our new Swedish dude-Fabian Brunnstrom headed right to Homer's office on one of the PPs he skated on.  So, we all know that Dan Cleary has picked up some of the Holmstrom puck-tipping / net-front-presence guy responsibility, but seeing Brunnstrom go there made me think that maybe he's now being groomed for the 2nd PP unit responsibility.  Homer and his ass are great (well, not like in "that" way), but he's getting up there in age, so if Cleary is being looked at as the new 1st unit guy, maybe Brunnstrom has potential to be the 2nd unit guy.  I think he's big enough - even though the rap on him is that he plays smaller than his size.  Your thoughts?

2nd question- we all pretty much agree that the Wings gave up way too many goals last season, and the PK wasn't anywhere near what it needed to be.  So, what if anything did we see and/or learn about the new assistants and how they want to see the defense and PK units play?  As I said above, I wasn't watching that closely on the games to really decipher or look for the differences between last year and now and as such, what the new assistants are bringing to the table in terms of a new system.

The answer to this for now could very well be - there was a basic system in place but it's preseason so it was really hard to tell what the hell we were doing because the lineup was crazy with evaluating players and getting the prospects some playing time.  I'm fine with that - I'm really just wondering if any of you saw differences in how the D side or PK units were playing, and what the new assistant coaches brought with them.

Your thoughts??

If you're like me (huge Wings fan), then you're wondering - "where can i watch my Red Wings on TV during the pre-season?"  

BTW, the condition we suffer from is aka - "Red Wings hockey is a drug. Even pre-season Red Wings hockey is better than no hockey at all, cuz I'm really, really Jones'n right about now for anything Red Wings!"

Well, here is the answer to your Wings TV Jones:

Obviously, just like the regular season, if you're outside Detroit, then the NHL-Network or Versus broadcast can be seen in your area, but you probably won't get to see the Fox Sports Detroit broadcast - but then again, you still might because it's pre-season and not really part of the NHL Center-Ice package.

FYI, I grabbed the info from the Red Wings.com site

Happy watching!

I figured we may as well start this now, and either give the Editors some new ideas or (as a result of what we all hate) make them stay away from drawing some of the parallels during the season...

For those of you too young to know, and who's parents never made you sit down with them and watch West Side Story when it was on TV....it's a Leonard Bernstein musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in NYC with two rival gangs (that's a bit of a stretch really), so I'll call them two rival groups of young houligans in the 50s/60s.  Of course, there is a love interest between the second in command guy from the Jets and the sister of the top dude from the Sharks.  The movie (I'm not sure about the Broadway show since I wasn't privileged enough to have ever seen it on Broadway) starred Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Richard Beymer and numerous others that even I don't recognize the names of.

Unlike Joe Thornton who is still trying to per-fect his diving - the movie won 10 Oscars.

So after the jump - who are the equivalents on today's Sharks and Jets to those in the movie?

Continue reading this post »

I'm sure I knew some of these pieces previously, but I hadn't really put them all together until today when I read this Yahoo - Wyshinski piece about the Brendan Shanahan RFA signing by the St. Louis Blues - 20 years ago today.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-Brendan-Shanahan-Scott-Stevens-switch-20-ye?urn=nhl-wp9643&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

If you look back at Shanny's career, this means that he was "acquired" (not traded in this initial case) in the following ways:

Shanahan for Scott Stevens - New Jersey and St. Louis

Shanahan for Chris Pronger - St. Louis and Hartford

Shanahan for Paul Coffey - Hartford and Detroit (ok, maybe this one really is offense for offense)

Amazing to think about it, Shanny was acquired for 3 pre-emminent/stalwart Defenseman throughout his career.  Of course, the trade near and dear to us Red Wings fans is the swap during 1997 for Coffey, which many people believe was the final piece to the Red Wings Stanley Cup puzzle.

He hasn't signed with the Kings and today ESPN speculates that the Wings might be a team interested in signing Drew Doughty.  Of course, that would mean that Ken Holland would have to do what he doesn't like to do - sign someone else's Restricted Free Agent.....and if the signing just so happens to go through, then the Kings would get compensation from the Red Wings in exchange for Doughty.  Highly doubtful that it could happen, and if you ask me, I think ESPN is just making up a story to have something to post to their own "Insiders" - but that's only IMHO.

Here's the link - and it's all over Twitter this afternoon too:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nhl/story?id=6790837&_slug_=detroit-red-wings-sign-los-angeles-kings-drew-doughty-nhl&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnhl%2fstory%3fid%3d6790837%26_slug_%3ddetroit-red-wings-sign-los-angeles-kings-drew-doughty-nhl 

Kendal

First off, I'm not a hockey player, so I can't admit to having any of these biases going on - (I do have somewhat similar ideas on my golf clubs mind you, but that's another post for another time). Now, I can and do skate - and not badly either, but hockey - nope, not yet, but the thought has crossed my mind a number of times about doing something crazy like joining a Mens Drop In league just for fun and exercise - more to come on that in the future.

I found this article interesting and somewhat fascinating about how and why the author (Yahoo - Justin Bourne) chooses and tapes his sticks the way he does.

So - for those of you that do play hockey - it's the NHL offseason, so indulge us - what do you prefer and why....sticks, tape, wax, curves, and the like.

Kendal

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Bourne-Blog-How-do-you-doll-up-your-hockey-twig;_ylt=AqnRbDgDkCvL5crLB5ZqSmJ7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp9162 

Hate on me if you will (and I know there is some of that out there), but after reading a few stories today on the backup goalie situation for the Red Wings, I've got to admit it to myself (and everyone else too apparently) that I'm simply not ready for Chris Osgood to retire.

He's too good of a teammate, too good of a role model / support mechanism for Jimmy, too good of a guy to the organization, and too good of a goalie (ok, here it is - WHEN HE'S HEALTHY) to see him go.

If he's healthy, he can give the Wings 15-20 wins - as one of the papers put it today - he's the perfect backup: 400 wins, great relationship with Jimmy, great in the locker room, isn't confused about his role, loves the organization, etc.

So that's it.  It's just my opinion, and now it's out there - I'm not ready to see him go, I'm not ready for that press conference, I'm not ready to not see his baby face on the bench for most of the season charting shots, I'm not ready to not see him come in and relieve Jimmy when some other cheap shot artist (Cory Perry) slew foots or spears him, I'm not ready to not see him take over the reigns in the playoffs if Jimmy falters like Dom did in 2008.

Say whatever you want about Osgood - but the dude has earned my respect over the years.  I NEVER saw myself writing this 5-7 years ago, I'm not the biggest Ozzie supporter out there, but I will say this.  The guy is a big moment goalie.  You need a save, at a critical point in a game, in a game you have to have....my $$ is on Ozzie to make the save.  The man won two Stanley Cups as a Starter, and was a Shared-Starter all year in 1997 - Scotty flipped a coin and it came up Vernon - the Wings don't win the Cup in 2008 with Hasek, they won it with Ozzie.  Big moment goalie - nuff said.

Based on the article I read today (I think it was the Detroit News), if Ozzie can convice Kenny that he's not going to be an invalid / injury case like he was last year, our backup goalie will once again be Mr. Future HHOF goalie - Chris Osgood.

Post up your stance, I'm big enough to write this, so I guess I'm big enough to take whatever anyone else wants to toss my way.

Ok, so let's face it, if Mike (I used to be Bozo the Clown) Commodore really does take #64 for the Wings and becomes the updated Commodore 64 - what will the "lines" be????

Just a few that pop into my mind....feel free to add your own!

Reboot - when he needs his skates sharpened OR completely misplays a puck in our Defensive zone

Blue screen of death - when he Kronwall's someone into the boards OR has one of those "Lilja to Selanne" style turnovers right next to our net

Floppy disk - ok, a flop...do I really have to be descriptive (though I don't remember MC doing any flopping)?

Hardware issue - needs a new stick, faceshield or needs a helmet repair

Software issue - any bad play that invoives a brain-cramp

I/O problem - when he fans on a pass or a shot

Screen saver - when he clears the front of the net for James "Tiberius" Howard

Startup problem - umm, doesn't play well in his first couple of shifts in any period

Boot issue - Skate problem OR fans on a pass / shot / hit

Forgot to Save - played well one period and bad the next

16 bit operating system - I know there's one here, I'm just not coming up with it now

Continue reading this post »

Some items on the wire just make your day....like when you click on the computer and see that the once bang-in-the-corners forward for the Wings, Tomas Kopecky, has been traded to the equivalent of (at least) Hockey Purgatory....possibly Hockey Hell - the Florida Panthers.

He joins the other former Blackhawk, Brian Campbell, who was traded there over the weekend.

Chicago gets a 7th round pick for Kopecky.....wow, the dude actually did have value!, yeah, the 200th (or so) pick in the draft.  Snicker, snicker, snicker...

Here's the link to the story:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Ao1DSy_I82JK7JolP708U5F7vLYF?slug=ap-blackhawks-kopecky 

Has anyone heard anything at all about the new assistants that Babcock/Holland are looking for?

It would seem to me that those are almost as important as the UFA players we might get (maybe not quite as important, but close).  Look at what happened when we lost McClellan - no Cup since.....coincidence?, partially yes, but wholely - probably not.

So - other than the "what about Hitchcock" that someone posted here (and JJ, among others heartily endorsed) - has anyone heard anything - or does anyone have any opinions as to who the Wings should bring in to get some major TV time on the new Fox Sports Detroit hit TV series...."Behind the Bench with Babs"

Thoughts, comments, ideas????

Here's a Puck Daddy link to the schedule for the Stanley Cup Finals

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Summer-of-puck-2011-Stanley-Cup-Finals-could-ru;_ylt=Ao33SLd5PEEZg40SXc2bzI57vLYF?urn=nhl-wp5758

Note that for some unknown reason - there are no back-to-back games over a weekend, or during the week for that matter either.

Wednesday, June 1
Stanley Cup finals Game 1: Boston or Tampa Bay at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Saturday, June 4
Stanley Cup finals Game 2: Boston or Tampa Bay at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Monday, June 6
Stanley Cup finals Game 3: Vancouver at Boston or Tampa Bay, 8 p.m. ET (Versus)

Wednesday, June 8
Stanley Cup finals Game 4: Vancouver at Boston or Tampa Bay, 8 p.m. ET (Versus)

Friday, June 10
Stanley Cup finals Game 5 (if necessary): Boston or Tampa Bay at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Monday, June 13
Stanley Cup finals Game 6 (if necessary): Vancouver at Boston or Tampa Bay, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Wednesday, June 15
Stanley Cup finals Game 7 (if necessary): Boston or Tampa Bay at Vancouver, 8 p.m. ET (NBC)

Is this more evidence that Mr. Bett(en)man doesn't really the Red Wings?  Is it making sure that Versus has a couple of games?

Who knows, but I'm pretty sure that it's not due to NBCs stellar primetime lineup and the NHL messing up all their great ratings....

I know this is just a repost of what is available on Yahoo - but I thought it was awesome and thought everyone here might like a look...the house is in Livonia, on Farmington Rd

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Detroit-fans-transform-home-into-playoff-shrine-;_ylt=At5p9zXVYlUtQHtxZC3LH_Z7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp4725

Just like Christmas - only it's Red Wings hockey, and Playoff season.

I'm not quite sure what reaction I'd get if I did this to my house here in KS, however, I'm 100% sure there would be more than a few people who would drive by and say "what it that?", or "is that a hockey team?", and there would be a couple people who would say "ok, what sport do the Red Wings play?"

Yes, there are just a few people here that still don't know the difference between a clothes line and a blue line (with the most humble apologies to Al Michaels).

Definite stick tap for the house!

Sorry for this, but stick a fork in the Wings, I believe that we're done.  I'm all for the 4 games in a row comeback, and I'll be watching on Friday the same as the rest of us - right now, I'm from Missouri (not Detroit) in that you're going to have to show me.

Just a few thoughts this morning...

1. Jimmy has got to be better - I know, I know - .952 save percentage in the first two games - um, Niemi was better.  The two goals in OT - he's got to have those, I don't care if they got tipped by our sticks.  Ozzie in 2008 would have had at least 1 of them, probably both, and it would still be a series, or we'd be up 2-1.  Jimmy is 1-7 against the Sharks in the playoffs - he's got to find a way.....so far, the last two seasons, this ain't it.

2. Sustained pressure that results in something.  Wings had it at times last night, but what did they get out of it? - any penalties?, any goals? - that 2 shift possession late in the 3rd last night - sure we looked dangerous, but we got Nothing.  You can bet that if that's the Wings on the other end of it, the puck would have been in our net - see Game 1 OT after the penalty kill if you don't believe me.

3. Mule plays disappearing act.  He might have a bum ankle, but geez dude - in the high slot all by yourself and you try a backdoor pass to a guy who's covered??  - Shoot the puck big fella!  100% of the shots that aren't taken don't go in the net.  Look at the other side of the equation - Setoguchi had 1 goal in 8 games going into last night - Hello?, Hat Trick!, don't talk to me about slumping or lack of confidence - Shoot the Puck!

4. I love Darren Helm, but these are the playoffs.  The Playoffs.  You've got to have your head (as Mickey says) "on a swivel", Boyle can't be that open!  He can't be, not if you stop puck watching and hold up your defensive responsibilities.  Jimmy had literally no chance - shit - Boyle could have pitched a tent, started a fire and cooked up some well done steaks in the time that he had on that 3rd goal.  Ok, sit back, play careful all you want - but that means you have to cover people.  And don't talk to me about a lucky pass either, that's where you're supposed to send the puck when you're looking for a goal to tie the game - right out in front of the net, so that one of your guys can find it and shoot it.

5. Rafalski and Ericcson.  God I just cringe when that pair is out there.  E has to stand up and drive Thornton into the boards on the game winning play - something other than get half-walked around and watch the pass go to Setoguchi.  I know Big Joe has reach like no other human, but man - he can't have free entry into the zone and freedom to make a pass like that (right on the tape!), hassle him, drive him, do something, but he can't be allowed to make that pass.  Raffi - great first pass out of the zone, but not when he's hurried.  Great on the PP, but he's lost a step or two and isn't the player he was a few years ago.  Can't take that penalty after we score - just can't do it.  That was the killer to me last night - Wings work hard and go up 2-1 after finally scoring 2 goals in the same game, Raffi takes the penalty and boom - it's tied up again.  Can't take that penalty - find another way.

That's it, rant over - sorry if I offended anyone, frustrated but realistic this morning.

Kendal

I updated the other post as well - but thought I would start a new post too.

Here's an interesting tidbit from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal on the ESPN bid to the NHL and just how far NBC had to go to compete with it.

Though the two (Gary Bettman and Comcast's Brian Roberts) are friends, Bettman had a tough message to deliver: Days earlier, ESPN told the league that it would make an aggressive bid on the NHL's media package. Bettman told Roberts that ESPN's planned bid of $160 million to $170 million per year would test NBC's and Versus' right-to-match clause, which several media executives described as the tightest such clause they had ever seen. The clause gave NBC the right to match any deal the NHL signed with another network.

But it would be hard for NBC to match ESPN's planned offer. ESPN told the NHL that it would televise every Stanley Cup playoff game nationally. ESPN said that it would stream the games to authenticated broadband and mobile users. And ESPN guaranteed an international component as part of its planned offer. ESPN's deal would include a regular-season Game of the Week, but it was not making the broadcast network ABC available. The details were new for Roberts, who did not want to lose the NHL. In early discussions with the league, the NBC Sports Group had resisted the idea of televising every Stanley Cup playoff game nationally. And Comcast could not match ESPN's streaming plans or international offerings.

Here's the link to the Yahoo story:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/What-ESPN-was-offering-the-NHL-before-NBC-megade;_ylt=Aq2UrbnL0pBr2I6UrDzxAdp7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp3666 

Interesting - it certainly sounds like the NHL comes out pretty well on this deal....exposure, $$, and some pretty nice deals all around.  Now if NBC can manage something along the lines of the streaming that ESPN was offering, and if Versus continues to do even halfway decently, the NHL will be just fine thanks.

Like so many of us were worried.

Ugh - check out the link....

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/NBC-Versus-win-NHL-TV-rights-in-war-vs-ESPN-s;_ylt=ArD87e_8l9AwgAYHelyG.3N7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp2944 

10 more years of NBC / Versus. 

10 more years of Doc, Edzo, 'lil Baldy McGuire, Milbury, Jonesy, JR, Engblom....and hopefully a bit more of Ken Daniels.

I was so rooting for ESPN to pick hockey back up, but alas, it was not to be.  Sounds like NBC/VS had a matching clause, much like a restricted Free Agent, they could match any competing offer to the NHL.  So Turner, Fox and ESPN all tried but either dropped out or simply didn't win this one.

Emrick has got to retire - or he risks becoming Harry Carey.  Other than Edzo and McGuire - I don't hate the rest of them, but geez....getting past those two is tough sometimes.

I thought this might be an interesting look after a nice Game 1 win.  This was posted on the Five For Howling site, and I figured, what the heck, let's all get the chance to comment here on WIIM.

The title was 19 reasons the Yotes will win the Series - referring not to Stevie Y's #, but rather Shane Doan's #.

1.  This number is also the number of healthy knees Henrik Zetterberg has.

True, but with Hudler and Franzen helping Pav - I'm not sure we'll need him against the Yotes.

2.  The Coyotes were 2-0-2 against the Wings during the regular season.

Umm, these are the playoffs - the regular season just doesn't matter

3.  Keith Yandle's ability to pinch in effectively.

Yeah, well maybe someone should pinch Yandle today, he might have had some bad dreams about Pav, Johan and the inept Phoenix PP.

4.  Ilya Bryzgalov is better than Jimmy Howard, Joey MacDonald, or the ghost of Chris Osgood.

Not last night folks... 

5.  Nicklas Lidstrom is finally showing signs of aging.

Ok, so he took a penalty last night....and????

The rest after the jump

Continue reading this post »

I'm not sure I want to go there just yet - but it's an interesting look at each of the Wings players' seasons by quarter.  He didn't post an overall grade for anyone, just a quarter-by-quarter look at each of the players and their letter grade for that quarter.

To no ones surprise, Hudler got a D for the 1st quarter....F anyone?

http://dailytribune.com/articles/2011/04/11/sports/doc4da319110f4d2575941015.txt?viewmode=default 

Thoughts?

Kendal

Found this on NHL.com - obviously, we're not sure which announcing teams we'll get from the Versus guys, but after yesterday, here's hoping there's no Doc Emrick (Foisted, Knifed, Spiked, DDDRRRIIIIIIVVVVVEEE!!) and Edzo (Happy Humans, The Long Change in the 2nd period, etc.) - other that the first Saturday / Game 2 broadcast.

Can we campaign for no Pierre McGuire sightings?

SERIES G		#3 vs. #6	Network
Wednesday, April 13		at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	CBC (HD), VERSUS
Saturday, April 16		at Detroit, 1:00 p.m.	NBC (HD), CBC (HD)
Monday, April 18		at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.	CBC (HD), VERSUS
Wednesday, April 20		at Phoenix, 10:30 p.m.	CBC (HD), VERSUS
*Friday, April 22		at Detroit, 7:00 p.m.	CBC (HD), VERSUS
*Sunday, April 24		at Phoenix, TBD	CBC (HD)
*Wednesday, April 27		at Detroit, TBD	CBC (HD)

Much as I really don't like Ed Olycyk as an announcer - I will admit that I'm beginning to side with him on the hit the man, don't play the puck thing.  Separate the man from the puck, ok, but with no attempt to play the puck and questionable hit - I'm inclined to agree with the suspension and would like to see it handed out more often.  Open ice hits are very dramatic and can change the tenor and complexion of a game, but the desire has to be to get the puck, not just to partially decapitate the dude who has his head down or is (in this case) reaching to control it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/With-4-game-ban-NHL-makes-Raffi-Torres-its-play;_ylt=AlJeomOfRrYKhowWmDIHP2N7vLYF?urn=nhl-wp2001 

Here's a quick poll:

TJ Oshie is not making the trip to Detroit tomorrow....seems the boy either "overslept", had a nasty headache/hangover, or just flat out blew off practice the other day...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AmoPHXg9aduPpQBIIldzwu57vLYF?slug=ap-blues-oshie 
 

So, the Blues are sitting him down for two games, the first being tonight against Minnesota and the 2nd tomorrow against our boys.  Wings are gonna get the 2 points anyway, but the Blues always play hard, and now there will be one less of their regular rotation on the bench.

Any predictions on games today & tomorrow??

Today:

Florida / BYU
Wisconsin / Butler

San Diego State / Connecticut

Duke / Arizona

Tomorrow:

Kansas / Richmond

North Carollina / Marquette

Ohio State / Kentucky

Florida State / VA Commonwealth

My picks (not that anyone cares but since it's my post....) - no real surprises, I might be on the wrong side of both BYU and Wisconsin (why do I keep thinking Butler is going to lose???), and Marquette could take out UNC, and I would love to see OSU lose (primarily because I'm from Michigan!!).

Florida....Cheese (Wisconsin)....Steve Fisher (SDSU)....Duke

Kansas....UNC....OSU....FSU

So, if wins without a shootout matter when two teams are tied on points - how are we supposed to tell who's really ahead?  So far - I haven't seen the stat listed anywhere in anyone's Standings.  For example, the Yahoo Sports NHL Standings are shown below - in both the Conference and Divisional setups - and nowhere are the WWOS listed.

So, as you'll see, Dallas, Anaheim & Calgary are tied with 85 points - so if the season ended today - Anaheim has 40 wins, Dallas has 38 and Calgary has 37 - but isn't the stat that matters the WWOS? - so where is it? (or do I have it wrong and I'm just confused about how it's supposed to work??....which could easily be the case).

Thoughts / Comments / etc.???

Kendal

Continue reading this post »

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Matt-Cooke-after-suspension-I-realize-that-I-n?urn=nhl-wp807 

Call me cynical if you'd like, but I'll believe it when I see it.  I have a sense that what he means is he needs to change his technique, not his style.....he has to get better in not getting caught.

The sad part is - he's got some skill.  He works hard - he's an excellent penalty killer.

But he's by far the dirtiest player in the league.

Kendal

Though I'll never admit to being a bandwagon or fair-weather fan - I'm a die-hard like most of the rest of us here - but I will admit that after that puke-up loss to the Desert Dogs and three straight losses, the Wings became "persona-non-grata" and I just couldn't handle being a Red Wings fan for a couple of days.

So I disconnected from Wings-nation for a couple of days, and it's with slight trepidation that I jump back into the fray here.

Now, I'll also admit that I HAVE TO get back into it this week because of the realities of the week - H2H2 (which I'm excited for even though I'm not attending) and the Wings / Blues game in St. Louis this week (which I am attending with my wife and son).  I have to get ready for the game, St. Louis is bad, the Wings will be tired, but they have to find a way to grind out a win against Conks and the Blues.  And my thoughts will be with all of you in Detroit on Friday night for H2H2 against the Oil.

Other thoughts - the San Jose game REALLY bothered me.  The Sharks always look big, strong and fast - they remind me of the McCarty, Lapointe, Shanahan, Kocur, Matlby Red Wings teams from the late 90s that won the Cups with Power Forwards (yes, I know it's an NBA term, but so what....that's what they were).  Even when the Wings carried the play in the game, I had no positive feelings that we were going to come out on top that night - it was the same feeling I had watching the same teams in the playoffs last year.  I know the Sharks history, but wow, they look scary for the playoffs.

L.A. is going to be tough this week, they're fighting for their playoff lives in the 8th spot right now and having three other teams breathing down their neck.  So that should be a good test.  We need to beat both Edmonton and St. Louis to finish the week - not because of H2H2 on Friday and my attendance on Saturday - but because we're the Detroit Red Wings and good teams find a way to beat bad teams no matter what.

Back into the fray I am, for better or worse (but please don't do that to me again Wings - that road trip wasn't fun at all!)

Kendal

Being the night after H2H2 is a tough spot to be sure (maybe a little bit like being a little sister of the poor), but I'm in KC and we're headed over to St. Lou to watch our beloved Wings chew up / spit out the Blues in the city that Musial built (and Albert currently resides in...).

Any other WIIM or other Wings fans out there going??  Pre or Post Game libations maybe (and yes, we do this most every year, so I know a couple of spots, close to Scottrade).  Shoot me a Reply and we'll figure something out.

Feel free to forward / repost in other Wings sites as well - I'm pretty sure there are some KC folks over in A2Y (and probably others too).

Let's Go Red Wings!

Kendal

Casey - front page?

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/8/25/1650979/donald-fehr-nhlpa-executive-director 

I'm all for fairness in how the revenue $$ are divied up - i.e., the split between the owners and the players, and I absolutely belive that the players should get a fair share, but I DO NOT want to see hockey become MLB, where the biggest spenders get themselves a playoff team due to their payroll.  The MLB "revenue sharing / salary cap" is a complete joke, the NHL has a good thing going right now - parity wise, and I want to see it continue.

I'm completely open on this topic, I really don't know what the NHLPA (or Don Fehr) has planned, but please, let's not let the NHL become the next MLB.  I love baseball, but I'm not much of a fan any longer because I FUC*** HATE what MLB baseball has become.

Smitty