I don't really want to talk about it

Seriously. Again. I decided not to panic after the loss to the Islanders, I thought, no big deal, end of the season, Wings actually started to play in the third, poor puck luck...blahblahblah. But to do it again...against a team that had played less than 24 hrs before. Really, are you kidding me??

I am sure near and far people will be calling for Chris Osgood's head. But really, I don't blame Ozzie for last nights loss. One goal, sure he could have stopped, but I can deal with a bad goal or two a game. The Wings have never really put their money or faith into goaltending and with the offensive talent they have on the team, this should be nothing to overcome.

I blame the rest of the team for this loss...with maybe the exception of Lidstrom, Franzen, Datsyuk. It's as though no one has come to play. Whether it's the first period or the third they seem incapable of putting together a solid 60 minute effort. They are underestimating their opponents and assuming they don't have to play hard to win. That's where their thinking is flawed. True, if Detroit is playing their typical puck possession game, and they are on, as an elite team of the NHL they should be able to win these games. But when they decide to just rely on their talent and forgo the hard work which must accompany it, they we have games like Friday and Sunday. Where far inferior teams are able to beat them.

It's easy to simply point the finger at Osgood and blame him for all of the teams problems. How about we look at the defense. The last two games they have either been completely screening Osgood or failing to remember their defensive responsibilities and allowing their opponents shots on open goals completely undefended. Or how about the fact that Stuart has decided he is no longer the reliable stay at home defensemen he has been his entire career, and will pinch in at any opportunity he has, leading to odd man rushes and/or Kronwall back on his own...which is scary enough this season. Not to mention I would be immensely happy never seeing Chelios play for the Wings again....

Or if you're fine with the defense, lets take a look at the Wings offensive production. All season they have been able to overcome spotty goaltending and poor defensive play by their ability to find the back of the net....not recently. Which to me may be the most disturbing portion. According to Ansar Khan, they have only converted on the powerplay 3 of their last 33 chances. REALLY??? In the new NHL it is vital they take advantage of these opportunities. Lets see, I would also like to know what the hell is going on with Hossa?? He has been essentially rendered useless recently. (interestingly, Mule and Hossa seem to go through their slumps at different times) My final rant on the forwards, Detroit's game plan is to shoot, shoot, shoot, with as much traffic in the front of the net as possible. Well they have been shooting from the outside, but no one has been up front to capitalize. It's as though everyone has taken a page from the Samulesson's guide to dumb ass shots and are excited just to get it on net right on the goalies chest...yes thanks guys, great target practice.

Alright I'm done with my rant. I thought I would wait until Monday to post thinking I would be less annoyed and in a better mood...but apparently that wasn't the case. Wing's don't play until Thursday...good thing they are getting a nice long break after all of their hard work this weekend.

At least MSU didn't disappoint, and they're headed to the Final Four. Nice to watch a game this weekend where people played with passion....

Mother #$%@* Goalpost...I hate you

sometimes. And last night was one of those nights. Yes Joey MacDonald played well in his 2-0 victory against the Wings, but I also don't think Detroit could have missed more open nets or hit more goalposts.

Can't say I'm surprised about the loss...but I will use one of the most dreaded words in the English language and say I'm disappointed. It was pretty boring and slow paced during the first two periods. It seemed as though the Wings felt inconvenienced to be there. But really this was exactly the kind of game the Wings typically lose. They are becoming far too predictable.

Oh well, se la vie, this one of all games is not something I would worry about. Especially after seeing the effort they brought out in the third period. If it wasn't for a few big saves from MacDonald and the fricken goal posts they would have been fine. I wanted to make a picture of Joey showing a little love, a little hug to the goal post, but I am not talented enough so the haunting empty net will have to do.

At least Michigan State won!! Go Spartans!

Adios, au revoir, Auf Wiedersehen...don't come back

Just thought I would share a great write up from On Frozen Blog regarding the pariah that is Don Koharski. I'm sure you have heard that he is retiring. You can be certain that Gary Bitchman and his evil minions will chose to celebrate the legendary and honorable career of Koharski.

Myself and many fans alike will disagree, but you can read about that much more thoroughly in On Frozen Blog.

While growing up our family could instantly tell if Koharski was officiating a Wings game from my Dad's very obvious disgust and general demeanour. In fact, I hold Koharski personally responsible for my learning at the age of 5 to yell and bitch at the TV like a 45 year old man. (I am sure my mom would love to send a fruit basket as a thank you for that lovely habit) He was the bane of my dad and grandpa's existence every time he was on the ice during a Detroit game, and I am sure they were not alone in this sentiment.

So farewell, we bid you adieu. I can assure you he will be missed as much as a lovely patch of inflamed back acne....yeah I know that was gross...

Wings, Islanders....

Alright not much to say here. The Wings play the Islanders tonight. And yes, the Islanders are in last place. So for Red Wings fans, this game will surely be as nerve racking as if we were playing San Jose or Boston. No that wasn't sarcasm. Here's hoping they come to play and don't expect it to be an easy win.

Ozzie starts tonight. The lines were a bit random at practice yesterday with Hudler centering the third line. Apparently this was just to allow him some time with Samuelsson....but with Babcock and the cluster of line changes that have taken place this season, who really knows what to expect.

Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom

Franzen-Filppula-Hossa

Maltby-Hudler-Samuelsson

Kopecky-Draper-Cleary

Lidstrom-Rafalski

Kronwall-Stuart

Ericsson-Lebda

For more notes on the game head to On the Wings or Able to Yzerman. Really I am just hoping they do not take this team lightly...we have seen how well that turns out this season....

Random picture but I really like it.....what do you think he is telling him? Here are my thoughts:

That's a good boy

It's ok, please don't cry

Alright, alright you can come this time if you promise not to wet yourself again

No Hillarie Duff is not going to be in the stands any more...let it go.

Alright I'm done with that...

Last night I once again forced myself to passionately cheer for another team. That's right I feel dirty. Ahhh yes, I watched the Predators/Sharks game loudly and forcefully cheering, gulp, Nashville on. But it's ok, it's ok, I feel like I can cleanse myself when I watch the Wings game tonight....right? I think it works like that.

Anyway, Nashville came from behind and won 3-2. So now San Jose and Detroit are tied with 107 points a piece and are even with games (until after tonight of course)

There are a few things which make me incandescently happy. One of those is any time Jeremy Roenick and the Sharks lose (Another of course is seeing Colorado at the bottom of the Western Conference standings , but that should go without saying...)

That's right I am not a huge 'JR' fan. Maybe it's because I have always been a Wings fan and their players always seem humble and appreciative. Maybe it's because I don't fully understand America's obsession with celebrity. Whatever it is, all I can say is my one experience with him was at a party in Phoenix where he personally decided to bring pictures of himself to sign for fellow party goers. I should really clarify, this was not a fan meet and greet, nor did it have anything to do with hockey, this was just a get together. This is Phoenix for Christ's sake and most people think an icing is some new smoothie from Jamba Juice. But at least he came prepared with his own pictures!

Alright, alright I'm going to step off my soap box, for now, and sit back and enjoy the feeling that San Jose will walk away with only one point from their last two games...ahhhhh

Ohhhhhh Corey Perry is SCARY

Yeah he's pretty bad ass right?? How amazing would it be if Datsyuk just stood up, looked at him, shook his head, and said "dude what the fuck?"

With those threats he could fit in at any elementary school playground from Michigan to Phoenix.

After he's going to "give it to them" (and I am not sure what they are going to get, a Stanley Cup, a Selke, a championship caliber team...blahblahblah) maybe he can taunt some of the NHLs other players with these beauties...

"You smell"

The ever popular insult with the female set "You're fat"

Anything that begins with "your mama" (Please tell me no one actually misses that tv show...)

For the three year old in us "I'm going to get you"

"You're ugly"

"You better watch it"

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Did you take a stupid pill"

Alright now that I have reverted back to middle school...thanks Corey Perry...everyone is scared....no really I promise...

Shit... Chicago

I have made it a personal rule to never root for Chicago, Colorado, or Pittsburgh. My hate for these teams is strong and I genuinely enjoy to see their asses handed to them on a regular basis. Well last night I broke my personal rule....never a good sign.

Oh yes last night I went against all things holy and I watched the Chicago/San Jose game, hoping and praying that the Blackhawks would prevail. Yes I threw my casual indifference to the wind.

And you know how Kane, Toews, and company paid me back...they toyed with me. Yep it was as if they placed a double fish fillet sandwich from McDonald's in front of Kristie Alley and told her she couldn't eat it....bastards.

They were up all game, I could taste their victory, I could see our loss to Calgary becoming less relevant, and then....they blew a two goal lead in the last 3 minutes. Yep, the damn Sharks tied it up.

Serves me right...that's what I get for going against one of my staunch rules. Chicago was...well Chicago last night they choked on their own inadequacies. I suppose at least they won in the shoot out allowing San Jose to walk away with only one point....I guess I have to root for Nashville next?

Thanks Chicago...ass holes

This Day in History....

Beautiful isn't it. Some people like sunsets, some like rainbows, I enjoy turtles....

That's right....today, March 26th, is a day which still brings chills and goose bumps to all the Wings faithful. Some say it was a turning point for the Wings. The Chief has a nice write up about the effects of that day as well as some words regarding the incredible and wonderful fall of the Colorado Avalanche.

I had just turned 12 years old when this game took place and I still remember it vividly. On a bad day you can always head on over to youtube and the image of Darren McCarty, hitting, kneeing, and jumping on Claude will certainly bring a smile to your face! If that doesn't maybe the shot of Shanahan leaping through the air to take out St. Patrick will do it for you! (by the way he told Shanny he was never the same after that....)

Whenever I introduce new people to hockey or the history of the Wings, this is one event which always is showcased. My college roommate was a dancer (no not like that, ballet), figure skater, all around docile sports hating person....in order for us to successfully live together and avoid any hair pulling, hands in warm water, or oil in the facewash incidents, I needed to be sure she would enjoy watching every Wings game, understand when I became moody due to their inconsistencies, and have an overall love and respect for the Wings...well this battle royale proved to be the one thing to solidify our relationship....sit back and enjoy...



And really, the icing on the cake....the bitch slap to the face...the pole up the ass....the bamboo under the finger nails....the straw that broke the camels back....whatever cliche you enjoy, occurred when McCarty scored the game winner..yep suck on that.

Wings 3 Oilers 2, that was close

Ok, not a terrible game overall by the Wings, but not something that made me stand up and scream "SUCK IT, that's how you play!" No instead, I was forced to simply mutter well done, way to go, in a very nice lady like voice.

Unfortunately I was once again slightly distracted during the game....but was still able to watch it...My friend, a non hockey, non sports fan, came over while the game was on so we could begin to plan and determine exactly what we need for our rather intense beer bong tournament this Saturday. That’s right, we take this shit VERY seriously. It’s Big Ten vs Pac Ten and as a Spartan alumnus I plan to bring my A game…well anyway, despite her love for all drinking games and general debauchery, she is surprisingly not a hockey fan..go figure.

Her only observation during the game aside from her overall confusion at the Dr. Rahmani commercial and Datsyuk in general, was that Zetterberg looks like Jared Leto. This realization was something she chose to focus on (unfortunately) for the rest of the game while I thoroughly scared her with my non stop yelling, bitching, and cheering at the tv.

Ok it's Wednesday, I'm tired, and now I'm rambling...onto the game! Apparently Coach Homer was correct and he did play last night. Although once again he was not on his usual line and was essentially rendered useless. Maybe it would have been better if they had in fact put him in goal??? Lebda sat for Chelios...don't even get me started...I don't get it and I don't like it. However I refuse to once again go into my tirade of playing Lebda and Ericsson together.

While ConkBlock did have some nice saves he certainly was not his usually solid self. Was he worried about which schizophrenic Wings defense he was going to get? Was his confidence shot from his last game? Or did Ozzie slip a laxative in his Gatorade causing Conklin to worry more about the inevitable skid marks then his overall positioning??...we can't be sure but at least he pulled off a win.

The first period was in a way reminiscent of Calgary. Enough said...I'm done with that debacle

The second period I dare say the Wings dominated. YadaYadaYada they had 17 shots to the Oilers 4 and overall controlled the puck and the tempo of the game. But without any really fire under their ass (no no no it doesn't have to sting when you pee) or maybe I should say any real motivation they weren't able to tie the game.

The third period....oh THERE are the WINGS! They came out looking for the win. And they of course got it. Mule played great...I guess currently we are witnessing 2008 playoffs Mule as opposed to Mule aka the first Tomas Kopecky. I also thought that Ericsson played well which leads me to.........oh yes hold on to your hats, loved ones, and favorite bodily parts for this...

I think it has become a requirement of all males within a 123.2 mile radius of the metro Detroit area (don’t ask how I got the number it is far to scientific and involved to explain) to have a serious man crush on the powerhouse that is Jonny Ericsson. That’s why when he almost scored in the second period I braced myself for a nuclear meltdown….could the world handle the excitement and unadulterated joy which was sure to ensue???…well unfortunately he did not score in that period but he seemed on all night so I was certainly on edge waiting for something to happen....

And then he did it…not only did he score his first NHL goal of the season, but he also tied up the long and drawn out game. At that moment I was prepared for 3 events to simultaneously take place due to the one and only Jonathan Ericsson single handily pushing the Earth off its axis...

1. Armageddon, obviously
2. everyone in America to finally decide that both American Idol and Dancing With the Stars are leading to the fall of our children and our IQs
3. the secret of what allows peeps to last for 33.45 years on the shelf was revealed.

These three events by themselves, let alone together, are sure to have grave consequences. Oh trust me it happened and you won’t notice the affects until years later…we felt the giant fart bubble earthquake of excitement all the way here in Phoenix…


Overall, the Wings won, but only by one goal....with the playoffs just around the corner I was hoping for a more decisive win and a much stronger and better put together team... But I will save my pessimism until later.....

Coach Homer?????

Ok, so we all know that Homer's grip of the English language (and I hear the Swedish Language as well) is some what skeptical. Clearly he is not as challenging as say Datsyuk, but none the less he left Ansar Khan thoroughly confused as to whether he would be playing tonight... I'm not sure if he was trying to be get us all hysterical with the possibility of his eminent return by screwing with us, whether he was actually confused, or if we should now be calling him Coach Homer? Either way, he makes you laugh...

'"I'm in,'' Holmstrom said. "I felt good. If they hold me back, I don't know, but I would like to play.'''

hmmmmm ok so in or out?

"Asked if coach Mike Babcock told him he was going to play, Holmstrom said, "I'm telling him I'm playing.'''

Snap. Well I am sure we have all heard that Homer gets grumpy when he has not played in awhile...and a pissed off Holmstrom is a GREAT thing for the Wings.

Apparently Mule's other nickname is Grumpy due to his overall pleasant demeanor when he gets into one of his scoreless funks....(yeah how I know that...don't ask, it's pathetic) Maybe they should save that name for Homer if Babs tells him he's sitting tonight.

Well my sister is absolutely convinced that Homer is playing tonight. This has left me with a mental image of Larry Murphy absolutely wetting himself as he tries to describe the scene of Holmstrom hoisting himself over the glass behind the Edmonton goal....very godzillaesque..

But if Homer insists that he must play and Babcock isn't ready to play him up front, maybe they could just use him as the goalie. His positioning would be sick...who knows the possibilities are endless with Coach Homer...

In other news from Ansar, apparently Chelios is playing...did he decide that as well or did Babcock? Either way it will be interesting to see who sits for him....

Wings, Oilers

Wings are in Edmonton tonight for a back to back game with you guessed it....a desperate team. I feel as though this should read blah blah blah Osgood blah blah blah defensive issues blah blah blah Red Wings need to come to play. Alright? Got that? Take any of the last game day posts, subtract the players names and insert here! Perfect! That's about as much of a set up as I am prepared to do today.

Few other tidbits:

Dwayne Roloson is an ass hole



According to Puck Daddy their are some very lame Oilers fans out there. Yep that's right he is rockin a McLovin jersey. The only way to punish the defacement of a classic teen comedy is with a punishment from another such movie. Anyone wearing a McLovin jersey will be forced to wrestle one another in a blow up pool of lube.....

That's about it....oh wait.....one last thought....

Wings got Hossa this summer Edmonton...SUCK IT.

Please not again...

Yep. That's what it felt like watching last nights game. You have no idea how it came to this point but you do know it really fricken hurts. (On a side note, my favorite part would be the people in the background who you know will start giggling uncontrollably under their breath while muttering dude that sucks, now out of the road...)

It was pretty difficult to watch the game and it made me realize what other fans go through when their teams play the Wings. The Flames had control of the puck for most of the first and second period. It really looked as though Detroit was simply reacting to everything that they were doing.....they were simply off their game.

After the first 2 Calgary goals I had a difficult time watching because 1. I didn't really want to go to sleep in a pissed off mood and thought maybe if I ignored it or pretended it wasn't happening the Wings would come back, and 2. My 5 pound Maltipoo puppy decided that her new favorite activity was to dig up and eat carpet from various places around the house. Keep in mind it was a Maltipoo that recently attacked the ex French President in the throat while he was sleeping....so when she gives me the stank eye, I take it seriously.....

Alright I digress, so despite chasing my tiny dog who I know call 'diablo' around and responding to my sisters insanely fast text messages, I was still able to look up and catch most of the game. All three Ozzie goals were incredibly soft. You know that corner he was coming around, well apparently he decided to flip a bitch and go back the other way....My constant defense of him to other hockey fans around the office has now turned me into some what of a Side Bob circus show freak...thanks.

Ozzie gave this beauty of a quote to Ansar Khan:

"I don't think about it at all. I just move on and play the next game," Osgood said. "If this happens a day before the playoffs, it doesn't matter to me. It matters what happens in the first game (of the playoffs)."

While I'm glad that he is hoping to ONCE AGAIN shake it off, it might be nice to see him get pissed off and do something about it.

But the poor performance cannot just be placed on Osgood...the entire team apparently was still celebrating their win in Atlanta, and forgot they had another game to play. My sister had a startling moment of poignancy and clarity when she text we to say "tonight hasn't been a team effort...it's just a small string of individual performances." Wow spot on...but then she followed it up with "OMG did you see the guy behind the Wings net, he looks exactly like Danny DeVito...but I'm not being mean, just saying...." Well I chose to ignore the second txt and focus on the first and determined that her time at Grand Valley has certainly paid off...no not the educational opportunities, but all the Griffins games she gets to watch....

Either way she was right, they did not come out to play together, they lost the puck so much in the neutral zone in the first and second, and despite Ozzie often being in great position, he still let in unnecessary goals.

A few final thoughts, the refs were atrocious. Maybe no one else wants to say it, so I will. Apparently Mike Keenan's little girl whining paid off, and Calgary only had one minor and TWO early whistles which cost the Wings two goals....pathetic. Apparently Gary Bitchman heard about the blow to the balls the Wings were specifically working on for him by trying to sign Hossa, and he decided payback was necessary...I don't know.

On a positive note, Larry Murphy seemed much more lucid. I don't know if he stopped the medication, found the right dose of medication, or discovered that happy medium between slightly buzzed and shit faced drunk...but whatever it was, I hope he keeps it up!

Alright, no more, in my best Osgood impersonation, I am just going to shake this off. My dad txt me at the end of the game and said "that was ugly, good night." No dad, ugly is Rosanne Barr in a leopard print leotard, that was pitiful....

Operation Bitch Slap Gary

Since I recently had this discussion with my readers, (Hi dad and Pin!) I thought I would post this new article from the FreePress updating us on the Hossa negotiations. Or as I like to call it "Operation bitch slap Gary"

"I could be somewhere else, you know, but I came here because I like everything and I want to be a part of it," Hossa said. "And that's why I want to still be a Red Wing and stay here."

Wow, that quote rings in my ears like angels singing, puppies barking, and babies laughing!

Is this a direct result of something that Babcock and Holland are slipping into the water? Or are they all just hypnotized by Datsyuk's broken English? Either way, I hope he continues to drink the Koolaide.

Over at Lets Go Wings, Lovin Jiri Fisher summarized Gary Bitchmens response best if the Wings do in fact sign Hossa...

"Teams are not allowed to have Hossa for more than 2 seasons until every team has had a fair chance to have him on their team. Penalty: Entire team suspended 82 games plus 25 years in prison."

While a lenient punishment....I could not have said it better myself!

It's Monday....

Happy Monday! Long weekend without any Wings games so I am certainly glad they are playing tonight and tomorrow. At least yesterday I was able to watch the Griffins game on the NHL Network, while I was trying to shake the rest of my weekend off. (Apparently when you're 24 you are not able to do the same things you were when you were 21...) Nice to see the Griffins come back in the third scoring 2 goals within a minute in and a half to win 3-2!

Tonight the Wings of course play Calgary! Hopefully they can redeem themselves after Calgary's come from behind overtime victory on March 13th. Since that disappointment the Wings have won 4 in a row and have really tightened things up. (If you choose to ignore the third period against the Thrashers)

As always, "the skid mark on the underpants of society," (name that movie) will be sure to bring their physical game. But as long as the Wings actually capitalize on the stupid penalties the Flames will certainly take, they should be fine.

Tonight Ozzie gets his 5th start, and according to Matt at On the Wings ConkBlock will start tomorrow. Crossing my fingers Osgood will continue to turn the corner and the last third period of defensive Russian Roulette was a fluke. Looking for a strong strong game today which will put the Wings 2 points out of clinching the Central Division. Has this not been the LONGEST March!!

Since Homer will more than likely not play, the lines should stay the same as they were in Atlanta.

Franzen-Datsyuk-Samuelsson
Cleary-Zetterberg-Hossa
Hudler-Filppula-Kopecky
Meech-Draper-Maltby

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Lebda-Ericsson

I have really been enjoying watching Lebda and Ericsson play together. They were both a plus one in Altanta and made some key plays. I think they complement each other well, and while Lebda's game has been improving all season, he is getting better and better being paired with Ericsson.

I have heard that Ericsson is apparently pretty big, and his long reach and physical style meshes well with Lebda's speed and good puck movement.

And since it's Monday and we all need a laugh, please sit back, and enjoy, the grace, elegance, and overall manly toughness that is Dion Phaneuf...



Despite seeing that what, 500 times, I still enjoy it. Especially after what he did to our little Happy Hudler...Nobody puts baby in the corner...

Wings 6 Thrashers 3

Ok first things first, this was an away game right?? Looking into the crowd I wasn't sure, that was until I saw they were sitting on blue seats and not the classic red seats at the Joe. There were so many Wings fans in the crowd they might as well have been at home. Whenever Ozzie made a nice save (and there were a quite few) the crowd would bring out the Ozzie chant. At this point Osgood must be soooo sick of fans hating then loving him that he may want to give us all the middle finger. I know I would....

Anyway, before I get into anything else I think it is important to point out that Samulesson got into fight. Yes you read that correctly. Although to be honest I am using the word 'fight' loosely. Basically he held on tight, forgot to drop his gloves and took a few punches. But at least he stood up for himself...

The real highlight of the fight is the fan in the white polo in the background. What does he think he's frickin Mike Tyson or something....what the hell, sit your drunk hillbilly beer gut down....



Anyway, Sammy gave the Wings their 11th fighting major of the year. You will remember that Hossa was responsible for number 9...

Lets see, the pee your pants moment of the night came in the first period when the Thrashers were on the powerplay. The score was 0-0. Kovalchuk let one of his infamous slap shots go. The kind of shot that gives small children and Chris Osgood perpetual night sweats. Well fortunately for the Wings the shot hit the cross bar. I remember reading in the incredibly fact filled publication "The Onion" that Ozzie had a strange sexual relationship with the Stanley Cup. So I don't know how he's going to thank that cross bar. Whether he'll kiss it, lick it, hump it, or all 3, he needs to properly show some love.

Despite this moment Osgood played pretty well. He came out and cut down the angles and absolutely made Peverely his bitch, over and over again. There were times that Ozzie did give A LOT of rebounds, but luckily the defense was actually in position to help out. Overall a good effort.

The three goals weren't terrible goals, I would say it really should have been 6-2.

Other noteworthy moments:

Franzen got his 30th of the season and looked good all night also recording two assists.

Hudler scored on a breakaway. He handled a nice pass from Lebda and shot right through the 5 hole. It was his first goal in 13 games, 21st of the season, and 50th career NHL goal. Congrats to little Happy.

Aside from that Zetterberg had a GREAT game, 4 assists and of course he played well in all zones.

Thought is was worth pointing out that Lebda played really well. He was in great position to stop a one on one from really becoming anything and was in pretty good position all night.

Next game of course is Monday. Go Wings!

Game Day Update!

And some good news! Over at MLive...isn't it always...Ansar Khan is reporting that Filppula WILL play...yep he's back, and although the Mule was out sick with some hoof and mouth (yeah no one really seems to say), he should be able to play tonight as well.
Below are the projected lines:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Samuelsson
Cleary-Zetterberg-Hossa
Hudler-Filppula-Kopecky
Meech-Draper-Maltby

And of course Osgood is starting. Wow, first time in awhile I can say that with some conviction!

Viola!

Wings, Tharashes

The Wings play the Thrashers tonight. And although the Thrashers have as much of a chance of making the playoffs as Sidney Crosby does of growing decent facial hair, the Wings still should not take them lightly. This Tuesday they recently handed Ovechkin and company their manhood on a silver platter and caused the Great Eight to hold off on his 50th goal celebration. At the 2:47 mark of the below video, Lehtonen has quite a save. Amazing acrobatics, or just a lucky bastard....either way, I hope the Wings come ready to play.

As always for a professional pregame update (something that doesn't really take place here), head on over to On the Wings, where Matt, once again provides some intelligent insight.

Still sounds like Filppula will not be playing tonight. Although in his absence the lines may or may not be a cluster fuck, I would rather he was 100% and didn't aggravate his injury against the Thrashers. Speaking of which, I was never sure what the hell a Thrasher was, but of course the guys at The Triple Deke solve that mystery faster than Jessica Lange and McGyver combined. Thanks guys!

Some slightly positive news on the Lilja front....apparently he will be traveling to Canada to hopefully, practice with the team. Thats an improvement from the past reports.

A littel hug on this Friday Morning...


Anyway, Great night in sports, Red Wings game and the Spartans play. Enjoy!

Update: I mentioned that the Thrashers held Ovechkin scoreless in their match up on Tuesday. Well apparently he was able to capitalize last night against the Lightening, and lets just say he had a goal celebration which apparently has twisted some whitie tighties in a bunch.

I am sure Don Cherry will be foaming at the mouth and changing his Depends all at the same time as a direct result of his excitement to rip Ovechkin a new one over this celebration.

Still crossing my fingers

Over at Snapshots there is a nice write up about the difficulties Kenny is facing signing Mule and Hossa, or really even just one. Now, I try not to be too much of an optimist, because then I become sad and disappointed. Well after Holland waved his magical wand and sprinkled a little pixie dust to sign Zetterberg, I thought for sure we would be celebrating the signing of Hossa right about......... now! Cocktails and cigars for everyone!

But after this article, reality has set in and it may not be a possibility. Obviously Wings fans trust Holland 100%, he has an incredible track record....so clearly whatever happens will be best for the team. But I still can't help but feel as though my incredibly early optimism has shoved me head first into a urine soaked ball pit at Chucky Cheeses.

And just when I felt as though I was able to pick myself up, I received a text asking if I saw on Snapshots that Filppula will more than likely not play tomorrow and Homer is out for at least another week....Damn....now I feel as though I've moved from the cest pool ball pit to the creepy yellow tubes frequently defecated in by small and large children alike, where year old pizza goes to die...Bring on the 8 defensemen.

Lilja...

According to George over at Snapshots, Lilja is still experiencing severe headaches from his concussion caused by his fight with Shea Weber on 2/28.

Pretty scary considering all of the recent studies of NFL Football players and the long lasting effects of concussions.

Not sure if anyone has looked at the fight again, but you can tell that he is pretty out of it during the whole thing.

Here's to a speedy recovery, and all the best!

TMI

Well, since I'm on my Shanny kick for the day, I thought I would share another clip. It's from the ESPN show "Teammates." Now I never watched this show, but if all of the episodes were this funny and informative, I'm not sure why they took it off the air??

Anyway, the clip pretty much speaks for itself. I do love that McCarty literally puts Shanahan ALL out there. You can see the look on his face....but at least he is confident in himself...

A little pot of gold

Last nights perpetual Irish jig which played each time the Wings scored (despite the fact that the goal scorers were Russian and Swedish) not only encouraged me to bust a move, it also made me remember Shanny, and how he was one of my favorite players growing up.

So during this long and drawn out Wingless news day, I decided to head over to youtube where I found the below clip; which is at least mildly entertaining. Who knew his interests and skills were so diverse. Maybe when he is done playing hockey he can still fill his acting needs by joining the cast of one of Lifetime's cinematic masterpieces. What cliche role could he fill??? Endless possibilities.

The streak continues

That was certainly a hockey game. The kind of game that causes you to pop anxiety pills and drink copious amounts of alcohol at the same time. Between stressing every time the Wings were in the Flyers zone and couldn’t convert, to wondering when Versus was going to cut to Marty Brodeur , to learning my dad, while stressed, is capable of repeatedly texting me his thoughts on the game, it was a lot to take in.

So overall, a nice solid game from the Wings. The first two periods I was seriously concerned it would turn into the type of game where the Wings dominated, but due to a few lapses in judgment they would lose. Luckily Pavel freakaleak Datsyuk had other thoughts!

Low point of the game, Hartnell the perpetual douchnozzle , scored the first goal. Yep, it was all sorts of nastiness. The kind that doesn’t usually come up until the morning after one too many drinks. To make it worse he got an assist on the second goal. At this point I was concerned Hartnell was going to bend the Wings over himself and make them his jailhouse bitches. But then I settled myself down and remembered who the hell I was talking about.

Both Philly goals were the result of Detroit getting stuck deep in the offensive zone. They had some transitional breakdowns and the Flyers had a few cross ice passes the Wings couldn’t stop. The second goal Kronwall lost the puck behind Philly’s net and Stuart was on his own. I was going to say it was a bit of a soft goal for Ozzie, but then I remembered that he had stopped a breakaway earlier in the game and decided not to go there. Kronwall should not have gotten himself into that position.

At this point I was so nervous that I had some weird desire to bite my nails or scratch my arms like some strung out meth addict. This made the fact that each time the Wings stopped the Flyers in their zone, the hockey geniuses that are the Versus announcers, decided their catch phrase of the night would be “Detroit survived another.” What’s with all the impending doom? Knock it off.

Luckily Datsyuk took it upon himself to calm the nerves of many anxious Wings faithful. (Yes anxious and faithful sound weird in the same sentence, but how else would you describe it?) With three minutes left in the second, Dats had a beautiful wrist shot to make the score 2-1. Slight sigh of relief and I change the channel to the Gilmore Girls because I can’t listen to the Versus broadcasters salivate over Roy anymore ... Back in time to see Marty break the record.

Ahhh third period, after ending the second with a stiff momentum swing. Once again Datsyuk brought the puck in, avoided a check and sent a sick pass over to Franzen who absolutely buried the one timer. I was tempted at this point to scream Datsyuk 2- Philly 2, but I had to give Mule credit, he made the one timer count while being in great position. But really, if Datsyuk is on the ice, for the most part you are always in great position. I also liked Hossa-Dats-Mule on the same line.

Game winning goal was of course from Zetterberg. Really showed his commitment to all zones. After his nice hit in the Wings Zone (For some reason I felt the need to scream “Kick his ass Sea Bass” ) Philly turned the puck over and Zetterberg hauled ass down the ice collected the pass and got a nice wrist shot past Biron. Assist goes to Big Rig who was calm and patient with the puck. I think it’s time to sign up for Babcock’s Jonny Ericsson fan club.

Ridunkulous moment of the night ALMOST came during the third period when the donkey dick that is Hartnell decided to go after Datsyuk….yeah classy move Dbag. But the moment that takes it happened when I switched over to the Phoenix/San Jose game and during the first intermission they were interviewing the Coyote mascot. Yep, that’s right, they spent a good 5 minutes having a conversation with a stuffed Coyote, which obviously was not going to respond. But there were some pretty sweet fist pumps and knuckle taps just to show the kids they were down with that. Anyway, end of second and Phoenix leads 3-1.

Overall, good hockey night.

Yep, Kopecky-Datsyuk-Franzen

Wow a lot of posts today, but I just saw what the possible lines could be tonight. And I can't say that I am very excited about the first line.

Kopecky-Datsyuk-Franzen
Hossa-Zetterberg-Cleary
Hudler-Draper-Samuelsson
Meech-Maltby rotating in

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Stuart-Kronwall
Lebda-Ericsson
Chelios rotating in

Yep you read it correctly Kopecky-Datsyuk-Franzen. This could be interesting....so lets see, first we have Kopecky who will be wondering what the hell he is doing on the first line while simultaneously trying to stay up on his skates and 'strategically' use his big body in front of the net. As far as Franzen is concerned, well that depends on which Mule we get. 2008 playoffs Mule could make this work. But if he is having one of his nights where he invisibly skates around the ice with his thumb up his ass we could be in trouble. That or him and Kopecky will be standing side by side in front of the Flyers net waiting for the puck...

And then there is poor Datsyuk. You know he will be skating around the rink like a mad man trying to make something happen. And then he will glance over at the bench and see his bff Hank, sitting, waiting to go out with his line mates, and wonder who pissed in Babcock's cereal this morning causing him to not only split up the dynamic duo, but also put him on this cluster fuck of a line. But since he is Pavel freaking Datsyuk, he'll just sigh or mutter some incomprehendable swear words and score..

Here's to hoping I'm wrong and this line kicks some serious ass.

No, No, No

Hmmmm well according to On the Wings, Homer is injured again and will not play tonight. He has listed himself as day to day. Apparently he hit a rut in the ice and twisted his knee. Personally I think Gary Bettmen offered the refs a paid vacation to Tahiti, and a chance to rub Sidney Crosby's wavy locks, if they could accidentally take care of the "Holmstrom Problem." Either way the Wings will be down two forwards.

So guess what that means! All 8 defensemen will dress. Oh goody! My eyes were still a little blurry from trying to follow Helm around the ice while he was up here. Now that Chelios will be playing they can take a much needed break and focus on him trying to keep up with the youngsters.

Before you say anything, yep Meech will be playing forward, and now hold your breath....Lebda was practicing at center. Not sure if he will actually play there during the game. I get Mikey's point here, Lebda already jumps into the play, he's fast, nice shot, (at least this is what I am telling myself so I don't revert into a crying 3 year old underneath my desk, apparently corporate American looks down on this...) but if they do have him play forward.....who will play with Chelios? Yep threw up in my mouth a bit...who is going to be able to haul ass back to make up for 'speed lightening's' moves?

As everyone, their mother, their grandmother, and my best friend who hates sports has already pointed out, (yep I'm slow this morning) the Flyers have not won at the Joe since Nov. 4, 1988. Hopefully despite their sure to be interesting line combinations, and the absence of Homer's ass, the Wings will come to play and ensure that Wing Nut generations to come can say the Flyers have not won at the Joe since Nov. 4, 1988....nice ring to it....

Speaking of dumb moves....

So tonight Marty Brodeur has the chance to beat Patrick Roy's all time wins record. And due to my all encompassing hate for the turd that is Patrick Roy, I wish Marty all the best! And leave you with one of my favorite Patrick moments....classic....

Boredom=Magic!

So while I was bored yesterday I spent some time searching around youtube and I found the below clip very entertaining. Now when my sister and I were growing up we both played sports (encouragement from our dad) and were dancers (encouragement from mom). Well my little sister tended to excel in dance and myself in sports (although neither one of us were successful tom boys). But I wanted her to play sports like me so I was on a mission to 'toughen' her up. This involved me taking her outside, instructing her to stand against our brick garage wall, and allow me to kick soccer balls at her, so she would no longer be afraid....(yes I know I know neither a good idea in theory or execution).

Well when my mom found us she was not too thrilled. So in my infinite wisdom and anger I threw the soccer ball against the garage in protest of my punishment, and as it sailed back at me and smacked me in the face resulting in a bloody nose and tears, I was reminded of the below clip. Yep, I enjoy watching people make asses of themselves....

(Note: we were very young and no one but myself was injured. Sorry Pin.)

Happy St. Patty's Day

Well as everyone who follows the Wings knows yesterday was a pretty slow day, which equals a LONG day at work. At least I was able to watch the Thrashers spank the Capitals. Pretty entertaining to watch "The Great 8" become exponentially pissed that he could not get his 50th goal. Lehtonen had a pretty sick save on Semin. I think once he is done playing hockey he can head on over to Vegas and join one of the 150 Circ de Soleil shows, because his diving cartwheel to stop the puck was quite magical.

Yeah so as you can see from my uber exciting evening I am glad the Wings will be playing tonight. Ahhh green beer and the Wings, what a night! Too bad this will be the second night in a row that I get to listen to dump (yep that's a typo but I'm not changing it because I think it works) and dumber on Versus. Last year I was not fortunate enough to have Versus. So not only did I miss the enlightening conversation and oh so witty banter of Keith and Brian, but I also missed "DJs Dream Hunt" and "Alberta's Mule Deer." I know, I know, my life is now complete.

As I posted yesterday, Braydon Coburn had a wonderful excuse as to why it was ok to smack Nik Antropov in the head, anyway the league thought so. Damn, my excuses never worked like that! He must have magical mind control powers or just a very dreamy smile that the league could not resist. You know like tween girls can't resist "Twilight." Either way, he will be playing tonight.

Below are the lines:

Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Franzen
Hossa-Zetterberg-Cleary
Hudler-Kopecky-Samuelsson
Maltby-Draper-Meech

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Stuart-Kronwall
Lebda-Ericsson

Osgood Starting

Yep as you expected not much has changed, except for the fact that Filppula is still out with back spasms or strained leg muscles, not sure maybe both, I have read a couple different things.

Well for now I will leave you with one of my favorite scenes from "Dumb and Dumber." Not sure how I could pick just one.



Oh ok one more!

Classic Excuses

Hmmmm... Well looks like the NHL big wigs will need to take some action on the Braydon Coburn hit on Nik Antropov. I would be pretty surprised if they didn't.



What I really enjoy from this whole episode is his excuse. He said he should not be suspended because he hit him with "a glove-stick combination."

That's like telling your parents that they caught you in a compromising position, because you fell down that way...mmmhmmm....

One more time!

For a nice read about Osgood and his resilience, check out the write up at Out of Bounds.

Here's hoping Ozzie can do it again!

And yes I now have that incredibly annoying song stuck in my head..."One more time!"

Number 2!

Ahhh yes! From what I've heard, that was much better! Unfortunately I was not able to see the game yesterday. I was out at a BBQ enjoying the beautiful Phoenix weather. (crazy but not everyone has Center Ice out here) Don't be too jealous though, soon it will be 115 out and everyone will be holed up in their houses sitting next to an air conditioning vent.

From what I have read, and may watch tonight on my Tivo, it was an all-around great effort. Too bad the first goal was called off. Apparently Homer's ass struck again! Over at On the Wings, Matt posted Franzen's beautiful goal.

Ozzie recorded his second shut of the year and 49th overall. From some clips it looked like he played very well positionally and cut down many of their better opportunities. This has earned him his third straight start against the Flyers tomorrow.

Have to say that overall I am glad Rick Nash and Steve Mason did not make the Wings their bitch again....

Not having watched the game, and trying not to get too excited, I did like the quote from Ken Hitchcock below:

"I don't care who plays Detroit," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "If (the Red Wings) decide they're going to play that way, nobody's going to beat them. Nobody's going to beat them in a (playoff) series if they're going to play that way. Teams are going to be lucky to win games against them. They played a deliberate game. They played with work ahead of skill, and when you have their skill level, it's pretty devastating if you're the opposition."

Despite that ringing endorsement, the Blue Jackets, Mason, and Nash still scare me as a potential first round opponent. Hopefully the Wings and specifically Ozzie can use this game as a confidence booster and end the season strong. Once Ozzie has his confidence back, and is playing at his potential, the rest of the team will feel more comfortable as well.

All you lucky Michiganders!

What a great weekend of Hockey you've had! The Wings play on Saturday and Sunday. And the Griffiins play on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Just thought I would complain about how jealous I am. My little sis would send me pictures from her great seats at the Griffins game just to let me know what I was missing.....

Yeah thanks, I guess I could have gone and watched the Coyotes and Predators play last night :(

Thanks for the pic pin! Love the shot of the persons head in front of you! You are the next Jo Bin Simone!

That was better!

Much much better....then the last two Saturdays! The Blues came out fighting for a playoff spot and the Wings certainly responded. I still felt at times there were defensive breakdowns and the first goal could be considered a bit weak, but all in all a nice effort and result. I just hope they can build on it with a decisive win this evening.

Ozzie looked confident and relaxed in net for one of the first times all season...he really seemed to collected himself after each goal was scored. Earlier this season it was as though each he still carried each goal with him....

I thought Lebda and Ericsson had a good game today. And Mule was jumping into the play both forechecking and backchecking hard. Too bad he hit the post on his breakaway.

Unfortunately Filppula left the game with back spams and is day to day. Too bad since he has been playing so well. Meech should take his spot in the lineup.

Obviously Datsyuk had a great game. I think these were his first two goals in 9 or 10 games. And the energy Hossa brought was contagious....definitely one of our best players tonight. The ladies over at Hockeytown Static posted a lovely picture of Hossa dancing through a field to commemorate their excitement. Great picture and wonderful sentiment!

Well since I am sooo late writing this, not much more to add that you have not already heard. Matt over at On the Wings posted a great post game review...check it out.

Aside from that Rafalski seems tired. He's been playing lidstromesque minutes all season and I hope that Babs will be able to find a game some time (maybe when lilja gets back) to give him a break.

Team Toughness

My favorite part is the knee slide at the end with the mullet flapping in the wind....classic...

hmmmm......

I hate the blues...

Which made this moment even better....





Wings play the Blues Saturday at 2pm.

Hossa's back yay!! Can't even begin to put my excitement into words, it's like Christmas morning and the last day of school all rolled into one!

Below are the lines according to George over at Snapshots:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Cleary-Zetterberg-Hossa
Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson
Kopecky-Draper-Maltby

Apparently the defensive pairings were shuffled (I'm shocked, what about you?)

Ozzie to start

Glad to see the Homer/Kopecky/Samuelsson nonsense is done. Not that I necessarily like Franzen and Holmstrom on the same line....but oh well....

Couple interesting quotes after practice...

"They've been very embarrassing, humbling,'' Kris Draper said. Alright well lets pick it up and move on....3rd times a charm???

"I'm playing hockey,'' Franzen said. "It wouldn't be very smart to fight if you've never fought before. If you're (up against) a guy who fights on a regular basis, he'd probably break my skull because I've never fought.''

Couldn't agree with Mule more. I still cringe whenever I think about that fight he had with Matt Walker... A bit frightening whenever our skill players start 'mixing it up.' Although Datsyuk is like the fricken tazmanian devil, he's always jumping into the mix.

Glutten for punishment....I like it????

Ok. So as I said, I recently became a part of this whole facebook thing. It is absolutely nuts. I feel like I am back in high school (which I hated by the way...) But at least it got me thinking about the Red Wings.

And then eureka! It hit me like a Samuelsson slap shot! The Wings have become the popular, hot, cool high school guy. You know the one I am talking about....everyone likes him, he's perfect, dreamy and always says the right things. In fact you have had a crush on him since you were in elementary school. You would always be there for whatever he needed....it was pathetic but you were young and how could you say no to those baby blues? Too bad he didn't think much of you....that was until you finally hit your stride and were looking hot..then he wanted to talk...

So in your second hour math class he would saunter over....almost as if he was floating it was so effortless. Your stomach was in your throat, your face bright red....oh wow he really is going to talk to me. He slides into the desk next to you and gives you some stupid line like "I've been noticing you" but you eat it up....you've always loved him! So you shake your head yes, of course I will go out on a date with you!

Friday comes and its perfect you have a wonderful time! You sing show tunes through the rest of the weekend your excitement is so high! You cannot wait for Monday to come. Your lookin hot when you see him across the hall way....and then all of a sudden....

BAM! In walks the high school slut...right up to him and he is totally making out with her. You are mortified! You gather your bffs and have a bit of a cry....he's done you won't let him do this to you again! OVER!

That is until 6th hour, when he comes over with his puppy dog eyes and his promise that he will be better....and you melt, pathetically, into the floor....how can you say no, he seems so sincere...alright lets try this again....

Yes I will continue to let the Wings treat me like the popular guy....what can I say...




Notice where the ball is...that's what the game felt like last night...

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Unfortunately I was not able to see the entire game. I basically saw the first and third periods. And that was more then enough. The first period was great to watch. You could hear and feel the crowd at the Joe...they were into it! The energy was the same thing you get in a smoke filled casino in the middle of the day when the 70 and older crowd is toting their oxygen tanks and cartons of marborls from slot machine to slot machine. I mean these people are intense they rub and talk to their machines and you sure as hell don't interrupt them. Just stick a catheter in and let them go....ok gross, but you get the point people were excited! It was definitely a scrappy period. Apparently the flames took exception every single time the Wings were in front of their net. After each whistle there was at least some sort of scuffle, cross checking, or face washing. My personal favorite was when a Flames player (didn't catch his name..) asked Zetterberg if he wanted to go, Z shook his head no. Datsyuk of course got into the middle of a few things and Mule took a nice punch to the head. What the hell that seems to happen a lot... Needless to say this resulted in a LARGE number of penalty minutes for the Flames (yeah too lazy to look it up right now...) the 4 Calgary players in the penalty box looked awfully cozy together! The Wings had a record 28 shots in the first period.

Cleary also left after a brutal hit from behind by one celine DION. (Oh yeah cleaver, I know) This resulted in a 5 minute major and of course Keenan had to bitch about that. At the end of the first the Wings were ahead 2-1 (soft power play goal for the Flames)

Missed the second period as I was out on a VERY important Taco Bell run. Judge if you will but when you are craving the ooey goodness of a nacho bell grande a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. But my little sister was sure to keep me up to date on all the details. Lidstrom and FILPPULA scored apparently. Oh yeah Fil is on quite a hot streak....at least some one is! So not much to say here 4-2 Wings at the end of the second.

And then we meet Dr. Jekyll in the third. (thats the bad one right?) Apparently they forgot they still had to play 20 minutes...I don't really know how else to explain it...but their play was very reminiscent of the last two Saturdays. Anyway, this resulted in 3 goals in under 4 minutes or something ridunkulous like that. At least Cleary was able to tie it up so the Wings left with a point after they lost in the shoot out. Zetterberg and Happy missed but Dats had a pretty goal.

Is something wrong with Zetterberg? Is there maybe an injury we don't know about....I know stupid speculation but the last 4 or 5 games it just seems like he keeps losing the puck off his stick. Very uncharacteristic. He even did so in the shootout tonight. I know he scored in the first but he has not been up to his usual greatness. Even when he is playing with his fellow Eurotwin...thats saying something.

Tonight once again demonstrated that the Wings issues do not merely stem from goal tending. It's as though they completely lack focus defensively. I understand and appreciate the puck possession game. Obviously this style of play won the cup for them, but sometimes you have to dump the puck along the boards out of your own end. There have been too many soft give aways in the neutral zone and their own end and it has been the downfall. That and their inability to put a full 60 minute game together.

Wow well that was absolutely too intense and serious for me. I am now going to step away....no point in speculating as I have no freaking idea what to expect from the Wings. I am off to entertain myself on facebook.......yep just joined, finally caved, and I think I get the obsession.

So I will leave you with my favorite part of the game. Zetterbergs hit on Phaneuf. Enough said...