There's Trouble Bruin...

I didn't want to be Bruins fan. I still DON'T really want to be a Bruins fan. However, the fact of the matter is that it is really, really hard to be an obsessive Red Wings fan in Connecticut. I do not have the time to devote to searching the television night after night hoping to find a western conference game when the eastern conference is playing out before my eyes.

Don't get me wrong - the Red Wings still are and always will be my number one team. But I am being realistic - I am not going to get to watch every game. I am not going to get to GO to many games. And they only come to my seaboard once or twice a year.

But reading scores and blogs and Freep.com from afar doesn't totally satisfy my need for almost constant hockey during hockey season. I'll still do it, but I need to fill that hole in my soul that requires game-watching and screaming at the television and making witty signs out of players' names.

So I've weighed my options. There's really only two teams close enough to physically GO to games (since the Hartford Whalers now only exist in the form of the Carolina Hurricanes). My only options were the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins.

At least they're both Original Six, right?

On the surface, the Rangers probably would have been the better choice. Most of the time they are the better team. However, the defection of Shanny and the fact that it is much easier to get to Boston than to New York City led me to the Bruins.

The Bruins have not had a lot going for them in recent years...make that recent decades. But coming from Detroit, I have had a ton of practice rooting for losers (hello, Tigers and LIONS). Plus, the Bruins fans have foam claws - and foam bear heads - which are kind of cool.

In addition, the Bruins have a kind of cool lineup at the moment. Besides Tim Fat-Ass Thomas, they have former Red Wing Aaron Ward playing defense (according to some, Aaron Ward popularized the use of the term 'wham!' in reference to sports) and big, bad Milan Lucic, the "Hit Man."


Last night, I joined Amanda - a major Lucic fan - at her house to watch the Bruins slaughter the Canadiens 6-1. (Can I just say that I am thrilled to find a girl besides Mini Wiseman that likes to yell at hockey players with me?) We have purchased tickets to two games and are planning on purchasing at least one more.

I do feel a little like I am cheating on the Wings, but I am justifying it with the fact that I did not pick another Western Conference team to root for (THAT would just be wrong). And it is very unlikely that the Bruins and Wings will meet in the Stanley Cup finals, although stranger things have happened. And even if that did happen, I would obviously be in the Wings' corner.

But for now, over here on the east coast, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy what I've got. Although if I ever say anything along the lines of "That was a wicked cool goal" - or just use the term "wicked cool" in general - somebody please slap some sense back into me.

Heads-up - It's Hockey Season

Hockey season is officially underway, and the defending Stanley Cup champions the Detroit Red Wings already have a loss under their belt to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Awesome.

On the bright side, I get to see my beloved Wings take on Brendan Shannahan (former Wing) and the New York Rangers on October 18. While one game per season is hardly a fair option (when I lived in Michigan I would get to between 8-10 a season) I guess it is better than nothing. And this year I get to see them on their own turf, my beloved Joe Louis Arena.

Last year I had complaints during hockey season from some of my non-interested blog readers. I'll try to label any hockey posts clearly so you'll be able to skip them should you desire, but you should probably expect about one a week.

Just giving you the heads up.

Welcome home, Lord Stanley

Go Wings! This was an awesome game. Great goals by Rafalski, Filpulla, and Fleury...that's right, Marc-Andre Fleury, the stellar Pittsburgh goalie whose praises I sang in my last post. How did Fleury contribute to the Red Wings goal scoring, you ask? Well, the answer is quite simple...with his ass. That's right - Fleury scored a butt goal for the opposing team. Zetterberg was credited with it, but we all know who actually scored it.

Don't worry, Fleury (ha, that rhymes) - I still like you. But butt goals are funny.

And now, my readers, you can relax - no more hockey posts till August at the earliest. Thanks for hanging in there. Stay classy, Detroit.

Fleury? More like a Blizzard

OK, so I am more than a little miffed that I gave the Red Wings approximately five hours of my time last night/this morning only to watch them lose in triple overtime. Now, I know that the Wings have some room for error, but COME ON. They could have won the freakin' cup last night, but instead they played the equivalent of two games and are taking it back to Pittsburgh - not exactly what I would call a GOOD idea.

However, this game was the type of game I expected to see from this series all along. The skating was INSANE - these guys didn't just pull it out in the last five minutes of the third; they skated like maniacs from the get go. I don't know how they lasted six periods at that pace.

The big surprise to me as this series has gone along is the way we (the Wings) have all but shut down Pittsburgh's normally outstanding offense. We're talking about Crosby and Malkin here - our Zetterberg and Datsyuk (and Franzen) are great, but these kids have been crazy good - "kids" being the operative word - Sidney Crosby is only twenty years old, and Evgeni Malkin is only 21 or 22.

Even last night, the outcome of this game didn't come down to flashy goals but to truly outstanding goaltending by Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury has always been good, don't get me wrong - but he took to an entirely new level last night. The Wings outshot the Penguins like a zillion to one (OK, in reality it was something like 54 to 28) and he stopped all but three of those shots - and some of those saves were truly amazing. It's hard to stand out as a goaltender on a team known for flashy scoring (and boasting the player that some would call the next Wayne Gretzky) but Fleury proved that he is not to be overlooked.


Now, obviously the Wings didn't play badly - any team that can hold this team to so few goals in a series and hold them off for almost six periods does not play badly - but Fleury's awesomeness made scoring more than slightly difficult. And let's keep in mind that Malkin didn't exactly bring his "A" game to the Joe last night. If Malkin had been playing like Crosby played, they would have sewn it up in regulation. However, I'd like to give some props to our defense and to Chris Osgood - on two of those four goals, he truly didn't have a chance (including the one that actually came off Jiri Hudler's skate - yeah Hudler, I saw that).

The ironic thing about this series is if the Pens were playing against any other team, I would be rooting for them. But not against my Wings. Plus, I want to see THESE Wings win a cup - a team put together in the era of the salary cap, a team without the famous leadership of Steve Yzerman (not that I don't miss him), a team without the legendary Scotty Bowman behind them on the bench. Not that I didn't love all those elements of the old Wings - but I want the NEW Wings to win a cup.

The median age of the Penguins is something like 27. They have time to win multiple Stanley Cups. And I am hoping that Sidney Crosby - like our Stevie Y. - is the young captain who not only turns around a franchise but stays with that team for the majority (if not his entire) career.

So, while I am disappointed the Wings couldn't close it out last night, I can't deny that this was some good hockey to watch, and Fleury was amazing. But guys, if you could try to win in the Igloo tomorrow night, I would appreciate it - and if you could do it in three periods instead of six, I'd be extra happy.

Weird, Al

Al Sobotka rocks. If you can't swing the octopus on the ice, swing it in the tunnel. Go Wings!

Mom always says "Don't swing octopi in the house!"

OK, I know I said I was going to try and reign in my hockey blogging, but this issue simply can not be ignored.

The NHL recently banned octopus-swinging from Joe Louis Arena.

For the less-enlightened, octopus flinging and swinging is a JLA tradition. After the national anthem, an octopus is thrown onto the ice. Al Sobotka, rink master and Zamboni driver extraordinaire, goes out to pick up the octopus. While some would gripe and groan about this somewhat disgusting duty, Al exits the ice by twirling the octopus over his head, helicopter-style.

Cue the roaring crowd.

Seriously, who is this harming? Who in the NHL administration is so lame that they actually thought up and pushed through this rule? If Al busts out his signature move at tonight's game (Round Two opener against....the Colorado Avalanche!) he will be fined $10,000. That's a lot of money for a Zamboni driver, even if he is the most famous Zamboni driver, like, ever.

Why has Al been banned from swinging his Octopus? According to an email from the NHL to the Freep, "Because matter flies off the octopus and gets on the ice when he does it."

Luckily Detroit hockey fans know an injustice when they see one. I encourage everyone who loves Red Wings hockey - and those who don't, but see how incredibly pointless and ridiculous this rule truly is - to go online and sign Al's petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/octopus8/petition.html

Seriously - if you can't swing your octopus, what CAN you do?

Prepare your Fangers...

Way to blow it, guys.
How Wings-Predators Series Changed in Nine Seconds

Dom, you couldn't have held on for three minutes and fifty-seven seconds? Seriously? And what's with the double goals? Any team that scores on you is like, guaranteed another goal with two minutes. Are we running a two-for-one special here?

NHL Playoff Roundup

Note to Noe: Looks like ESPN.com agrees with your opinion that Evgeni Malkin is completely overshadowed by flashier teammate Sidney Crosby. Check out this little puff piece: Despite His Talent, Pens' Malkin Lurks in Shadows

Now, a little playoff roundup:

Eastern Conference

Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins: Canadiens lead the series 2-1. It was almost 3-0, but Marc Savard's OT slapshot brought the Bruins back. Oh well - we might as well let them have one win, right?

(Note to Bruins: I don't want to hate you. You are an Original Six team. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would get good so that I would have a hockey team within a reasonable distance and games to attend. That being said, I can not root for you in this series. Maybe next year.)

New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils: Rangers lead 2-1. The Devils John Madden has Ranger's defenseman Marc Staal to thank for his overtime goal. The Devils caught a lucky break on this one, but Brodeur has step up his game if they want to stay in the series. I'd also like to say "nice goal" to the Rangers Sean Avery - nice to see you working on your scoring instead of on your locker room commentary!

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators: Penguins lead series 2-0. Way to go Pens (although I am sure Aaron is crying in his beer over his beloved Senators. Note to the Mini-Wiseman - go easy on him!)

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals: Series tied 1-1. Philly gets to take it back home for game three. We'll see how Alex Ovechkin does with a riotous Philly crowd booing his every move (my guess? He'll be fine.)

Western Conference

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Series tied 1-1. A few years ago, this would have been a laughable match-up. At least, we thought it would be...turned out the whole Western Conference was a lot less humorous that year than most of us intended it to be (that was the year that the Wings were taken out in the first round by the Ducks...the year ALL the favorites were taken out in the first round, actually). The old guard of the Avalanche may be back in tact (Forsberg, Sakic, etc) but the old magic doesn't quite seem to be there...but that Jose Theodore sure is cuter than Patrick Roy!

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks: Flames lead series 2-1. The Flames rallied from three unanswered goals in the first period of the last game to pull off a 4-3 win. And hey Ken Holland, check out who's in goal: none other than former Wing Curtis Joseph, who was completely abused by the Detroit administration. Go CuJo, go!

Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks: Stars lead series 2-0. Props to the hometown boys (Westland native Mike Modano and former UM goalie Marty Turco). Keep it up - I don't really want to play the Ducks anymore this season.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators: Wings lead series 2-0. The Wings are off to a great start, but there's a pretty good amount of luck that has gone into these wins. We have to buck up on our actual performance if we want to keep the streak alive. Congrats to Chelios for playing in a record 248th playoff game (take that, Patrick Roy!) and don't let those Preds fans and their stupid "fangers" get to you too much (check out the Freep article Baby-ing Chris Chelios in Nashville).

This is how we do it...

Ahh, the NHL playoffs. The time of year that I take a temporary leave from being a poseur restaurant reviewer to be a fake sports columnist.

Nice job Wings! Props to Zetterberg and Franzen for finishing their chances. Dom, thank you for not totally sucking. Chelios, how about NOT turning the puck over in the future - just a suggestion, OK?

Read about the Wings first-game victory in the Freep article ZLightful! Zetterberg's 2 Goals Give Wings 1-0 Lead

Rocky Mountain High

A little column scrounged up from the Rocky Mountain News outlining the NHL Western Conference: Western Conference Preview by Aaron J. Lopez
Detroit vs. Nashville game one tonight!

We Are the Champions (well, we probably won't be, but a girl can hope, right?)

Now that the NCAA tournament has ended, let's talk about the REAL playoffs: The NHL.

NHL playoff time always makes me nostalgic for a few years back when we could look at a playoff schedule and laugh at match-ups like Anaheim-Detroit or Minnesota-Colorado (Ah, remember when those seemed humorous? Remember when Nashville was a complete joke? How times have changed.) My sister Kristen recently announced her predictions on her MySpace blog.



Mini-Wiseman's predictions (with Mini-Wiseman commentary):

Western Conference

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Nashville - easy as pie, Wings in 5

(2) San Jose vs. (7) Calgary - they need to start living up to the hype, SJ in 5

(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Colorado - all I have to say is Jose Theodore, Avs in 6

(4) Anaheim vs. (5) Dallas - this is the closest match-up, Stars in 7

Eastern Conference

(1) Montreal vs. (8) Boston - this is a joke right? Habs in 4

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Ottawa - regular season stats don’t matter now, Pens in 5

(3)Washington vs. (6) Philly - It may be Sergei’s last time to shine, Caps in 6

(4) New Jersey vs. (5) NY Rangers - NJ hasn’t been good in years, NYR in 5

I agree with Kristen's predictions for the most part - unlike me and my dad and the tumultuous NCAA bracket fill-out, Kris and I tend to agree on our hockey. The only things I may call into question in her predictions:

Anaheim Vs. Dallas in the West: The rest of the Western Conference is definitely going to be put on hold waiting for the outcome of this series. I think it's going the full seven games either way, but I think Anaheim and those stupid Neidermeyer brothers might manage a victory (them and Pronger, provided he can actually stay on the ice, ha ha).

New Jersey Vs. New York Rangers in the East: I agree, NJ hasn't been good in awhile, but they still have Brodeur in goal and he can pull it out - this may be a six-game series. I still prefer the pick of the Rangers for the sake of Brendan Shanahan (we're Shana-fans in Detroit, even though he left us) and Jaromir Jagr (really, I like his name).

As for the rest of the picks - seriously, the Bruins made the playoffs? How did that happen? (Sorry East Coast, but you know they haven't exactly had the best decade or so.) I am very excited to see how the Pens perform in playoffs (and to resume my Malkin vs. Crosby argument with Noe, although I am NOT excited for repeated viewings of Crosby's stupid Gatorade commercial) and I can't wait to see what Sergei will do for the Caps (please, Sergei - just do something, OK?)

As for the Red Wings: well, I wish I were more optimistic. I am going to cautiously stick with Mini-Wiseman's prediction for Round One, although Nashville is a scary team for us. And though it breaks my heart to say it, I think we'll expend so much energy trying to beat Nashville in the first round that if we make it to the second we may be too tired to inflict any damage. That being said - I hope I am wrong.

Wings/Rangers outdoors at Yankee Stadium?! Sweet!

You know what would be AWESOME? This: Could a Wings-Rangers outdoor hockey game be the final event ever at Yankee Stadium?

I would try my damnedest to be there, anyway.

I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you I know you were right believing for so long...

Chris Chelios - my favorite hockey player - is known for running his mouth. A LOT. But when he's not giving lip to referees, the guy makes some good points about the team, the league, and hockey in general. Recently, he said this to radio station WDFN-AM (1130):

On Sergei Fedorov possibly being an asset to the team:

“You know what? Depending on the right price and what you give up, I’d think he’d be a bargain. You say that and last night I watched him score a beautiful goal. He’s got that rocket shot of his and he’s still got that skill, Sergei does. I don’t think the price would be a big ticket, and even if it wasn’t now at the deadline, he’s going to be a free agent next year. He’s definitely one guy you’ve got to consider. He’s a great skill player and with the way the game is now with the power play, he could really actually help and contribute.”

Cheli, I could not agree with you more. Unfortunately, Ken Holland did not seem to agree, telling Wojo on DWFN this on Tuesday:

On if he came close to a deal with secondary scoring, specifically with Sergei Fedorov:

"We had obviously a lot of talks about Sergei. We had 13, 14 people here, all our pro scouts and management and our coaching staff. We had mixed emotions on bringing Sergei back. I talked to Scott Howsen a number of times and in the end, we made a decision, we made a bit of a pitch, obviously nothing significant and he ended up going to Washington. We’re comfortable with it. Were we close to anything? I talked to a couple of teams on some things, got a little close in a couple areas but obviously not close enough to get a deal done."

On if past conflicts between Mike Babcock and Fedorov played into the decision to not bring him in:

"I get Mike’s opinion, but I had about a dozen opinions there. Ultimately, you know, the player that they got they really liked. They wanted to get a real good prospect. If you look at our team, coming out of the work stoppage, we were really suppose to go down. … We’re still building this thing, we’re still growing it. We don’t want to get rid of real top prospects. We did it last year with Sean Matthias. We don’t want to do it every year, so we traded some assets we were comfortable in trading and we’re still trying to build this program into being a playoff team each year."

I guess I don't really care so much about not getting Sergei back. But I think Kenny had a lot more say in not bringing him back than he is letting on.

Ken Holland used to be my management hero. This all changed with the CuJo situation (a series of events that still makes me so mad I can barely bear to blog about them). My issue here really isn't with Sergei - I just expected a more dramatic trade-deadline move in general.

Kenny and I have grown apart. Apparently we are not on the same page anymore.

(Oh yeah, I almost forgot: notice me NOT mentioning our last three losses. Nope. not a word.)

Wings Snap Losing Streak

I will be posting a more lengthy blog later tonight, but I just had to spread the news that THE LOSING STREAK IS OVER. The Red Wings pulled out a 4-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche last night. Props to Ozzie for the shut-out and to Cheli (!), Fills, and Hank for the goals (Zetterberg scored twice). The downside is that Nick Lidstrom was injured, hopefully not too badly. We never like to have Nicky out of the line up for too long and we've been a little short on defensemen lately. However, I hope this decisive win means they will pick up some momentum and skate (ha ha) through the next few games.

More later!