Wolverines vs. Buckeyes Challenge for Life
I have a huge favor to ask every one of my readers who live in either Michigan or Ohio. But first, a little background: I received a tissue transplant for my knee on May 3rd, 2006. I am expecting to have another one in one to three years. As a result of my passion for organ/tissue donation, I helped start the University of Michigan Students for Organ Donation chapter.
UMSOD and the OSU SOD are currently battling it out to see who can register the most individuals by the time the big UM-OSU football game comes around on November 18th. How can you help UM beat OSU? Simply register to become an organ/tissue donor!
To register in Michigan, please visit the Wolverines vs. Buckeyes Challenge for Life website. It takes two seconds to fill out the form online and it will put you in the statewide database. It’s better than signing the back of your license because they (1) don’t always check your wallet and (2) you may not have your wallet on you if something were to happen.
Even if you already are an organ/tissue donor, please visit the website and register again. The competition is not who can register the most new donors, but just to see how many registrants we can tally from now until the big football game. Unfortunately, our website just got up and we’re almost a month behind OSU. As of right now, they have registered over 1300 people. UM has slightly over 100. So please register!
If you live in Ohio, you can register at the Buckeyes for Life website. Even if you are a UM fan living in Ohio, you need to register with your state’s database. Please register even if you are an OSU fan!
One organ donor can save 8 lives while a tissue donor can help improve the quality of life for 50 individuals including people like me. Thanks!
Travis Roy in Eleven Seconds
A couple of years ago, I read the book Eleven Seconds by Travis Roy. It’s an excellent book about a boy who grew up wanting to play D-I college hockey and eventually make it into the NHL. But that all changed when he broke his neck only eleven seconds into his first shift in his first college game at Boston University. Paul at Kukla’s Korner just posted a link to an article about Roy’s progress eleven years after the accident.
“As I look at my life sitting here in this wheelchair today - I feel very fortunate,” Roy said. “I can’t do physical things, but I can still laugh, still cry, still love people and they me, and still set goals.”
Roy has established the Travis Roy Foundation and written an inspirational book “Eleven Seconds, a Story of Tragedy, Courage and Triumph.”
Roy said having a positive attitude, core values, and respect for others are the keys to success. “Sometimes challenges chase us,” he said. “But I believe we all have an inner spirit that is capable of doing things we never imagined.”
For more information on the Travis Roy Foundation, you can visit their website here. And if you have yet to read his book Eleven Seconds, go get a copy from the library or you could buy a copy online at Amazon
Wings 4, Panthers 2
BtJ reader Dave (aka Hoser) attended last night’s pre-season game against the Panthers at the Joe. Since I was unable to watch, Dave will be filling the rest of you in on the game. Here’s what he wrote…
I have to say, it was the most boring Wings game I’ve ever been to (YES, I know it’s preseason, and like UM against Vandy/CMU, they could be holding the play book very close to their vests, but…). Somewhere in the middle of the 3rd, I turned to my cousin Chuck and said, “You know how it used to be so fun to watch the Wings, cause we played different than everybody else? “Even when we weren’t scoring, the display of puckhandling/passing was intensely entertaining. . . . . “We look just like everybody else now. “This sucks.” This is horrible, boring hockey. And that business of “making us tougher to play against”? Well that must mean spotting the opposition a couple quickies and letting them take liberties with pretty much everybody all night. Lots of slashing, cross checking (back and face), running the goalie, etc - and nobody took enough offense to draw any blood. Dump & chase, dump and get chased, dump and ring it so far around the boards it comes out the other side on the tape of Ollie Jokkinen for a breakaway at the other end. A flurry of people smashing headlong into Panthers - and accomplishing nothing of note. Frankly, it was a disturbing game dispite the fact they finally got their collective feces together and won.
I must say, there were some bright spots, they were: Franzen, Liv, Kolanos & Quincey - in no particular order. Franzen looks improved over last year, and ready to be a solid 3rd liner. Kolanos looks big, works hard and is “hard to play against”, seemed to have a nose for the puck and being in the right place at the rigt time. Though he didn’t get one in the net, he had a couple of golden opportunities - but he had trouble controlling his stick with all the crashing and banging going on in the crease. He played in front of the net, played physical along the boards, roared in and took a crushing blow from Ruslan Salei on the sideboards to get the puck in deep, had a couple of very nice hold ins at the blue on the PP after St. Nick dropped the puck - - it’s only one game, but he looked good. Quincey has some size, played positionally very smart, beautifully defended a Jokkinen breakaway - and overall looked like he belonged more so than say, Lilja, though he was not an imposing physical force.
The Dominator did pre-game stretches, played the first two periods, stretched some more mid game - and we heard no tell-tale sounds of tearing tissue paper - though I think the whole Joe held its collective breath everytime he stretched… when, in the course of human history, has any significant group of people ever been so deeply concerned about one mans’ man muscle??? When? Liv played the 3rd, and looked very solid. he got lots of PK action as the refs worked to even up the Panther’s parade to the box from the 2nd. He looks a little like he’s fighting the puck off as opposed to letting the game come to him, but he had some spectacular saves.
I have no idea who Kolanos is, or Quincey. Curious as to who they are and their chances of making the team.
Derereaux played last night, and frankly looked like all the other young guys we didn’t already know. I like the guy as person, but I hope that he doesn’t make the team. He clearly doesn’t have much/any upside. I’d rather see if Kopecky can develop or have Bootland back for what he brings.
Speaking of Kopecky, where was Kopecky? The one guy I wanted see…
Filppula played, accomplished nothing.
No Hudler either.
Z-berg had the night off.
Overall, the most disappointing Wings game I’ve ever been to. I yearn for the hayday of Wings/Avs NHL dominance. The most entertaining hockey I’ve seen since Gretzky’s Oilers dominated the NHL. I don’t think we’ll see the likes of any of those 3 any time soon. Thanks a lot Little Gary…
Here’s a recap of the game via the Associated Press. Anyone else missing IwoCPO at A2Y and his game recaps?
Yzerman to become team Vice President
Steve Yzerman has been named team Vice President for the Detroit Red Wings. He will work closely with Senior Vice President Jim Devellano, GM Ken Holland and Assistant GM Jim Nill on pretty much anything and everything. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they already reached their decision regarding Yzerman’s role with the team, but I am. Yzerman did get a pretty nice job right away, Gordie Howe wasn’t so lucky.
“It has been apparent for the last decade that Steve would play his entire career with the Red Wings,” said Ilitch. “After retiring as the longest serving captain in NHL history and the on-ice leader of our franchise for 23 years, it is only fitting that he join our management team in a meaningful position. I’m confident Steve will bring the same passion and dedication he displayed on the ice to our management team and help us make the Detroit Red Wings the best we can be.”
Thanks to George at Snapshots for the link.
No BtB tomorrow
Unfortunately, there will be no Behind the Blog feature tomorrow (Monday). I’ve been pretty busy and I have an organic chemistry and a physiology exam in one week so updates will be less until then. They will pick up in time for the Wings first game against Vancouver on October 5th.
Whalers 7, Otters 6
I just got back from my first night as the Plymouth Whalers’ game night intern. I’m so happy I did it and I actually had a great time selling programs and running the fan assistance/kid’s club booths!
The Whalers defeated the Erie Otters, 7-6, in a shootout after a scoreless OT.
Wings 5, Lightning 4
I took three of my girl friends to their first professional hockey game ever. It was quite an experience. All of them said they would go again and it didn’t hurt that the Wings (1) won in OT with seven seconds left and (2) there was a fight in the first period. I did spend a lot of time explaining rules, etc. about the game so I didn’t get to really watch as much hockey as I would normally during a game.
For example, I didn’t learn until this morning that defenseman Danny Markov was injured. I did wonder why he was supposedly in the lineup and I didn’t really see him play much, but I didn’t realize that he strained his MCL. I only saw a Tampa Bay player get injured during the play in the third.
I can’t believe we already have an injured defenseman. I mean, our two “big signings” of the offseason were getting Markov and signing center Greg Johnson. Well, it’s not looking good for Johnson to return soon and with a MCL strain, Markov will likely miss at least a couple weeks but at least not have surgery.
Since the team only had five defenseman during the rest of the game, head coach Mike Babcock was pleased with their performances.
“That’s all I know,” coach Mike Babcock said. “We played five defensemen all night. It’s tough in some ways, especially playing against the type of players we played tonight.”
“A lot better game,” said Babcock, who wasn’t pleased with Thursday’s loss to Colorado. “They (the Lightning) brought a pretty good team. Our guys played real hard tonight.”
Goaltender Dominik Hasek played the first two periods making 8 of 10 saves. Stefan Liv played during the third period and into OT.
“I felt pretty good, like I usually do in the first exhibition game,” Hasek said. “For me it was the same building, same uniform, however, after spending the last few years in different cities, it was exciting for me.”
Wings Goals Scored By…
- Mikael Samuelsson
- Pavel Datsyuk (shorthanded)
- Henrik Zetterberg (power play)
- Jakub Kindl
- Jason Williams (OT)
Lightning Goals Scored By…
- Vincent Lecavalier (even strength, shorthanded, and PP)
- Eric Perrin
I did find it amusing that on the scoresheet, it says the attendance at last night game was 20,066. Yeah right. There were a lot of empty seats, especially in the lower bowl…
Wings’ Week in Review (#1)
I am starting a new feature called the Wings’ Week in Review. Every weekend, I will make a post basically summarizing what happened with the Wings over that past week. I’ll do my best to link to blogs, websites, and newspaper articles. If I miss a story, article, etc. please let me know either via email or leave a comment below!
The review will go from the most recent stories to the articles/posts from last Friday.
Friday, September 22nd:
- Greg Johnson has now missed one week of camp as a result of his abnormal EKG. If Johnson can’t play, it would open a spot on the roster to a player like Darryl Bootland who will have to pass waivers if he gets sent back down to Grand Rapids.
This past Wednesday he went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to see a heart specialist. The Wings have his results, but neither they nor Johnson’s camp are revealing Johnson’s fate.
“I hate to be evasive, but I really can’t comment on it at all,†Johnson’s agent, Tom Laidlaw, said Friday afternoon. “There are lots of things that still have to be cleared up.â€
- Brett Lebda may not have to play for a spot on the team, but he is fighting for extra playing minutes. Lebda has really impressed the coaching staff during this pre-season.
“I still look coming into this camp as if I have to earn my spot,” Lebda said. “I’m here to earn my playing time, just like everyone else. I don’t put myself on this team at all. I feel like I have to earn my spot and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
“That comes (from) playing with these guys for almost a season, and coming into the room and knowing everyone and feeling comfortable,” Lebda said. “On the ice, too, there’s a feeling of confidence and (I’m) willing to try and make a play that I wasn’t willing to do last preseason.
“I have more expectations for myself this season, and in turn, more confidence.”
- Ansar Khan at MLive.com reports that the Wings will have three goaltenders on their 23 man roster to start the season.
The Wings like Joey MacDonald and don’t want to lose him for nothing. He can’t return to Grand Rapids without clearing waivers and would likely be claimed. The Wings have room on their roster and money under the salary cap to keep MacDonald around for a while. He’s a good insurance policy in case Dominik Hasek or Chris Osgood is injured early in the season. And if all three goalies remain healthy, the Wings can take their time looking for a decent return (a prospect or a mid-round draft pick, perhaps) for MacDonald.
Thursday, September 21st:
- Mike Babcock said that the team will announce the Wings new captain on the home opener, October 5th against the Vancouver Canucks.
- The Colorado Avalanche beat the Wings, 3-2, in a game that ended in a shootout. Nick Lidstrom and Jiri Hudler scored for the Wings. Chris Osgood made 22 saves on 23 shots in the first two periods. Joey MacDonald played in the third period, OT, and the shootout.
- Tapeleg at Jerseys and Hockey Love was all too happy to report the score of the game, especially after writing this post on why the Avs are better than the Wings. I did feel that some of his reasons were a little skewed, but I guess I am biased.
- It sounds like if it were up to Robert Lang, he would remain a Red Wing according to an article in the Traverse City Record Eagle.
You’ll have to ask Kenny (Holland),” Lang said. “He’s the one with the power.
“I like Detroit. It’s been good to me, and I like the whole organization.”
- Krys Kolanos sat out of Wednesday’s scrimmage because of a groin injury. But the team is pretty much all healthy aside from some aches and then Kolanos & Howard’s groin injuries.
Wednesday, September 20th:
- According to The Detroit News, the Wings feel confident in their backup goaltender Chris Osgood who feels confident in his groin. Osgood injured his groin at the start of the 2005-2006 season and lost out on a chance to be a starter. He then re-injured the groin in the playoffs which was why he couldn’t play when Manny Legace wasn’t looking too hot against the Oilers.
- The Wings are hoping Johan Franzen (aka The Mule) can pick up his game this season and become a 15 goal scorer (he had 12 last season) as well as become more physical and drive to the net more often.
“They tell me, ‘They’re not going to be able to move you, so go in there and take the puck to the net, they can’t stop you’,” Franzen said. “So I want to take the puck to the net more often.”
“We thought that last year, in the end, that we still could have been more physical up front,” Babcock said. “The more physical guys we have and the more we use them, the better off we are.”
Tuesday, September 19th:
- The Wings lost their first exhibition game, 3-2, against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild fronted most of their team expected to play in the regular season, which wasn’t the case for the Wings roster in that game.
- Head coach Mike Babcock has really been praising Robert Lang this pre-season and expects great things from him this season. He was even seen wearing an “A” during the exhibition game against Colorado on September 21st.
Monday, September 18th:
- Jimmy Howard is currently nursing a groin injury.
“It’s a little disappointing,†Howard said, adding he hoped to be back on the ice in a few days.
Howard was asked if he’d gone to master groin expert Hasek for any advice.
“No,†he said, laughing. “I’m sure he has plenty for me, but I just listened to (the trainers).â€
- Both Detroit papers wrote articles about the need for Jiri Hudler to improve his defense in order to make the team.
Sunday, September 17th:
- Nothing much really reported today, sorry!
Saturday, September 16th:
- Center Greg Johnson fails his physical. He had an abnormal EKG and with the Jiri Fischer incident, the Wings are taking every precaution.
“He didn’t pass his physical, and we’re having further tests,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said.
“We’re being cautious. We don’t think it’s anything serious. But I don’t think he’ll be on the ice this weekend.”
- Speaking of Fischer, he is still trying to find a specialist who will (1) determine exactly what caused the incident to happen and (2) allow him to return to hockey.
“He continues to see doctors. He continues to hold out hope that his career is not over. He’s obviously not here; he doesn’t feel at this stage of the game that he can play. (But) he hasn’t given up hope of playing.”
Friday, September 15th:
- The Detroit News compares new Wings defenseman Danny Markov to former Wing Vladimir Konstantinov (aka Vladdy).
- Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News wrote in his blog that Johnson failed his physical (articles didn’t come out until the next morning). He also added that Jiri Hudler was having some immigration problems and was still stuck in the Czech Republic.
Whalers start regular season tonight
Since I am now an intern with the Plymouth Whalers, I will probably talking about their games / articles more than I usually would since I’ll be at all but two home games working. Anyways, the Whalers regular season starts tonight against Sarnia.
The Whalers host their first home game Saturday night at 7:05 against the Erie Otters. For anyone interested in going, you can buy tickets over the phone here. Last year, I would go to games and sit in the corner, second row, for $10 a seat which is pretty affordable. So if you’ve never checked out an OHL game, I’d highly suggest it. As usual, there is a post-game party in Ginopolis (the restaurant in the arena) after pretty much every Saturday game.
Both the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press have articles up about the Whalers upcoming season.
- Steve Ward has been named captain with Jared Boll, Evan Brophey, and Andrew Fournier as alternate captains. All of these players except for Fournier will make appearances at Saturday’s post-game party.
- A few of the players have returned from NHL camps from their respective teams that have drafted them and they all said it was a great learning experience. James Boll attended the Columbus Blue Jackets’ camp and just returned:
“I was in Columbus’ camp for 2 1/2 weeks,” said Boll, who had 19 goals and 41 points for the Whalers last season. “It was awesome. It was a great experience. I have until June to sign with them so I have another year here.
“It’s great to be back. I love this organization, and we have some older guys on this team who are good leaders. We won’t accept anything less than the championship.”
- Dan Collins also recently got back from the Florida Panthers’ camp. Last season, he missed almost three months after having back surgery so I bet he’s happy to be healthy and playing.
“I feel great now,” Collins said before a practice this week. “I don’t have any problems at all with my back. Really, my back feels better and stronger now than before the injury.
“It was difficult to sit out all those games. We were in the hunt for the West Division title, and all I could do was watch. It was really tough to miss the final game of the season when we beat Saginaw in overtime to win the division.”
- The Hockey News predicts that the Saginaw Spirit team will win the OHL title while they thought the Whalers would finish 11th overall. Head coach Mike Velluci doesn’t mind being the underdog.
“I know Saginaw’s the team to beat, and they’ll be disappointed if they don’t win,” Vellucci said, “but we’ve won (the division) six out of the last eight years. We expect it every year.”
What a coincidence…
As I mentioned in my last post, the Wings articles between the Free Press and News have been quite similar. I’m not talking about the particularly newsworthy articles (ex. Johnson fails physical, captain to be named at home opener, etc.), but just articles featuring a player and their progress. You would think you would try to be somewhat different…see for yourself:
September 22nd:
Detroit News - “Hudler shows a knack for net”
Detroit Free Press - “Hudlers shows worth in Wings’ loss”
September 19th:
Detroit News - “Kronwall is ready to play”
Detroit Free Press - “Kronwall has skill, needs luck”
September 18th:
Detroit News - “Defense to decide Hudler’s future”
Detroit Free Press - “Wings’ Hudlers must improve his defense”
September 16th:
Detroit News - “Markov drawing comparisons to Konstantinov”
And while I can’t seem to find the URL, the Free Press did an article comparing Markov to Konstantinov on September 15th.