Meh, Whatever

Alright I'm still grumpy today. Still pissed. Still irritated. But I was slightly less so after I read Drew's post over at NOHS. Read it. And then read it again. It's a little reassuring. Shows a little history of various teams fighting back from a 2-0 deficit. It does succeed in pushing down the vomit.

Last night I was hoping Mike Babcock would throw a chair on the ice and then smash it over Watson's head ala the WWE. In some ways, I half expected McLellan to join. (He could not have been happy about what took place for his team either, albeit to a lesser degree.) I then hoped every player would line up for their post game pressers and say, yes we still need to fix a number of things to win, but the officiating had a direct impact on the results of that game. Follow that with Mike Babcock scratching his nose with his middle finger and calling out Nabokov for being a giant infected limp dick that flops over to the side with the slightest touch or wrong look. (And as a sidenote: Jimmy, Wings fans don't want you to learn ANYTHING from this goalie. Technique, choke habits, and certainly not the tendency to dive. There's no place for that shit when you wear the Winged Wheel. Stepping off soap box...)

But of course they didn't. And in the light of the morning, after emotions have some what subsided, I am so thankful this team chose to act in a professional and classy manor. Sure they would have been justified in their complaints. And sure the unprofessional behavior would have fit in very nicely with both the Sharks lack of self respect and the refs lack of professional integrity, but it would have done more harm than good.

McCosky's article this morning points out a very valid, albeit disappointing fact. McLellan has out played/ out coached Babcock in one very important area, gamesmanship. And honestly, we should all tip our hats. When I first read Babcock's quote about Western Canada and their distaste for diving, I thought perhaps he was merely venting. But after 5 seconds, it was clear it was both a dig at the refs, the league, and a hope that it would prevent such behavior from happening in the future. Todd came back and instead praised the refs and essentially fained astonishment that anyone would question their integrity and knowledge. Golf claps and finger snaps Todd. Your manipulation and political maneuvering would be appreciated at any major corporation. Soon to be college grads with a business major, take note and buy an industrial size bottle of Listerine. This type of ass kissing is appreciated and often helpful in your success. Yes they don't teach this shit in college. But Todd understands it and it's two games to none for the Sharks.

Now the Officiating was a serious issue and so were the dives, but that doesn't remove all fault from the Wings.

1. Faceoffs. Seriously, since when did it become such a challenge to win a fucking faceoff? Clearly I have been far too spoiled in the past because it was never something I thought of. But 38%, even on the road, is an appalling number.

2. Puck possession. And this can go hand in hand with our allusive friend Faceoff Wins. The Wings need to begin playing their game, holding onto the puck, and perhaps the refs will have less opportunities to call penalties. Crazy idea.

3. Johan Franzen. I thought for sure after receiving 9 stitches he'd be fired up for this game. But the only thing fiery about Franzen was his beard.

4. Niklas Kronwall. What the fuck is going on with him. I noticed him twice. Once for an open ice hit on Babcock's Western Canadian poker partner, and again when he took a penalty leading to a five on three. Aside from that, I have chosen to block out his giveaways and defensive brain farts. Watching Kronwall play this year has made me dread Lidstrom's retirement even more. And I didn't think that was possible....

5. Patrick Eaves and special teams. If the game is going to be called the way it was, both teams sure as hell better work on their special teams. And for the Wings, I hope Eaves can get back into the line up soon. They could use him on the PK....and Williams is essentially worthless 5 on 5 for that matter.

6. Henrik Zetterberg. I understand he has been playing well defensively, but the team needs him to both contribute offensively and improve on faceoffs.

Essentially they need to find a way to compensate for both the Sharks play and for the way the game will be called. They need to be cautious about every hit, every move of their stick, but still find a way to win.

It's a quick turn around with Game 3 starting on Tuesday and I hope the Wings come prepared, refocused, and determined to turn this series around. Both Game 3 and Game 4 are must wins. Losing either is not an option at this point.