Wild 3, Red Wings 2
The first game of the pre-season ended in a loss for the Detroit Red Wings with the Minnesota Wild beating them, 3-2.
Minnesota played most of its top players since it’s roster is pretty much set, but the Red Wings only fronted three players from last year’s team (Franzen, Lebda, Cleary). Joey MacDonald started the game in net and played through the second period. He made 11 saves in that timespan. Stefan Liv made seven saves in the third period, but allowed the game winner.
Johan Franzen and Boyd Devereaux both scored for the Red Wings. Minnesota’s Marian Gaborik scored twice, including the game winner, and Pavol Demitra scored on the power play. Detroit went 1/9 on the power play.
Mike Babcock’s reaction to the game:
“A bunch of kids is all we brought. We brought three guys off the team, the rest are guys on trial. I thought our guys played hard. We were nervous at the start, which is normal. You guys had quite a few players, so when you look at it that way, I thought we did well. I thought our kids played well. Lebda (Brett) played real well in the back end. We only had four guys, Hudler (Jiri), Cleary (Dan), Kolanos (Krys), and Franzen (Johan), from our team, and they just tried to keep everything under control out there. Once we got settled down we were fine.â€
Internship
Hey everyone! I have just become a Game Night Intern for the Plymouth Whalers (OHL), which is a team by my house but only 20 minutes away from Ann Arbor. I’m saying this because I don’t know if it will impact the amount of time I have to post. Games are really only on the weekends so it shouldn’t really effect my posting, but if I have some big exams and games to work out, you may see a decrease once in awhile.
Otherwise, training camp seems to be going well but I’ve been noticing that a lot of the News and Free Press articles are incredibly similar, which is a tad odd to me. Anyways, I’ll be going to the Wings pre-season game on Friday and I’m looking forward to introducing some of my girl friends to the sport of hockey. 
Behind the Blog: Army of Ohio
This is the second BtB after a long summer hiatus so I’m pleased to introduce you to Michael Turner, the blogger of Army of Ohio. He’s one of the few solid outlets for all Columbus Blue Jackets fans and I’ll try to not hold it against him that he’s transfering to OSU (Go Blue!).
Q.1 – According to your archives, you started Army of Ohio in May 2006. Why did you start a hockey blog?
I actually started blogging a little before that around mid-February, just as the Winter Olympics were about to start up. Back then I started blogging on the FoxSports Blog community, and was under the name The Aspiring Intern’s Impressions.
But I left about three months later because the whole site was just a total wreck. They really didn’t have their act together there, and there was just so little focus on hockey blogs, except for Spector’s blog. Last I checked you still couldn’t link out to non-FoxSports Blogs, either … so you had to rely on what you had in the community, which left a lot to be desired, and left you out of the blogosphere-at-large loop.
So I started Army of the Ohio! I’d wanted to focus more specifically on hockey and not feel like I was just being ignored by a community totally obsessed with the other sports. I love to write, and I want to use this as a stepping stool in to being more involved in sports, since I’m majoring in Sports & Leisure when I transfer to Ohio State University in January.
Q.2 – Due to the Columbus Blue Jackets being a newer team and not having the success as other franchises, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of coverage for the team. Would you agree with that statement? What areas do you believe need improvement to garner more attention and fans for the team?
I think that with a team that is only now starting to climb the top of the mountain, so to speak, you can only ask for so much. Even though the Blue Jackets have no professional sports team competition in Columbus (unless you want to count the MLS Crew or the AFL Destroyers), the OSU Buckeyes are always going to be the kings around here, in large part because they actually win regularly and have such high expectations attached to them.
But things are moving in the right direction! There’s a good few positive signs both locally and nationally that the Blue Jackets are starting to get recognition. For example, 5-6 of Columbus’ games weren’t aired by any television networks last season, and I believe they only had one stint on OLN. This season, though, all but one game is going to get television coverage, with three on NBC and three on Versus (the rest on FSN Ohio).
There’s still a ways to go, though. But I think you get what you give when it comes to coverage. If the Jackets can secure a playoff berth this year, it’ll put them on a faster track towards coverage on all levels.
Q.3 – What made you become an Blue Jackets fan?
If I say it’s because I love the color blue, will you laugh?
Haha, but really … a key part of it was that I was moving to Columbus last year in the first place. After the lock-out, and after being stranded in the middle of nowhere, Missouri (a failed stint at college at Mizzou), I just felt really disattached from hockey. I’d been a Devils’ fan for my whole life up until I went to Missouri for a few years, and I just sort of drifted away from the sport.
But then I came to Columbus, and it was like I was hit with this total drive to dive right back into hockey! And for some reason, I just found myself being drawn to the Blue Jackets. I didn’t really care that they didn’t have a storied history, Stanley Cups, or even a single playoff berth in their short history. Maybe it was because they were the proverbial doormats of the NHL at the time? Something about the team, though, excited me. It was different, having followed a winning and notable team in New Jersey for so long. But different in a fresh start of way.
So many of the Blue Jackets are just great guys, from what I’ve seen. I can’t get enough of the guys like Jason Chimera and Duvie Westcott when they’re being spoken with on FSN Ohio, and I’ve been very interested in Pascal Leclaire ever since he first got called up from Syracuse last season. Then you got energy guys like Jody Shelley, and the prerequisite stars like Rick Nash, and hopefully Sergei Fedorov can get back up to par this coming season. And don’t forget great stories such as Bryan Berard and his fight against an eye injury to become a respectable defensemen, and Adam Foote all but winning the team over as a Captain when he scored that OT goal early in the season that snapped Nashville’s winning streak.
Q.4 – What do you hope to achieve with your blog over the next few years?
Hell, I’ll be happy if I just make it to year one!
In all honesty, though, I’d like to continue making this blog better and better, in terms of the quality of the entries, the quality of the blog itself, and also draw more Blue Jackets fans to it as a way to keep up with the team from a fan’s perspective. I know there are plenty of Blue Jackets fans out there in pockets around the ‘net, such as message boards or LiveJournal communities. I’d like to do my best to be someone who can give to fellow fans of the team from a more personal perspective.
And like I mentioned in another answer, I also want to use this as a way for me to get my foot in the door as someone who is actually making the news in sports, and not just following it from the outside looking in. I hope to use this blog as a way to sharpen my skills as someone who covers hockey, and use this along with my future major to do something in the sport I love.
I mean … I don’t think I’ll be the next Theo Epstein, but you never know, right?
Q.5 – Who is your favorite hockey player (either current or retired player)? Why?
Claude Lemieux.
… yeah, just kidding.
Actually, one of my favorite hockey players that comes to mind is John Madden of the Devils. I remember that he was only a rookie with the Devils when they won their second of three Stanley Cups in a decade, and I always remember how excited I got when the Devils were on the Penalty Kill with him on the ice.
Yes, the Penalty Kill. If I recall, one of the big draws about him to me was that he had a pretty notable record for having the most shorthanded goals in a season back in college (it may’ve either been in the NCAA itself or just his team). I loved watching and waiting to see if he would break out of nowhere and go streaking down the rink on a breakaway with his speed. He actually reminds me of Jason Chimera a little bit, except more polished. They both have that blinding speed, but Madden does have the upper hand on puck control and knowing exactly when to use that speed.
Q.6 – What are your thoughts on the recent Anson Carter signing?
I want to say that I like it, but at the same time I also want to say I’m saddened that things with Nikolai Zherdev are at such a bad point that this signing had to happen in the first place. I have my reservations about Carter, but when put into perspective, one of the key positives is that Carter, who is a veteran, is a more polished player who has had more time in the NHL. Zherdev, meanwhile, still leaves a lot of questions when it comes to his play. Will he ever be able to realize that he needs to put more effort into playing defense when needed? And how about issues concerning selfishness with the puck?
Carter, meanwhile, is a more rounded player who can actually help on D when needed, and isn’t known for hogging the puck. He knows how to play well with others, and seems excited to be coming to Columbus (but then again, this was probably a last ditch deal since it was so close to training camp). If he can do with Nash, Fedorov, Modin or the others what he did with the Sedin Twins in Vancouver, he’ll fit in just fine.
And who knows. Maybe an early Christmas miracle will happen and Zherdev will sign with the Jackets before the season starts. Then we’ll have more top six forwards than we know what to do with, for once!
Q.7 – Which team do you think made the most improvements during the offseason whether it’s staff, signings, trades, etc?
I don’t know if I can really narrow it down to just one team. Some of the signings and trades that really stuck out to me were not just with a single team.
I liked what the Penguins have been doing over the offseason, finally aquiring Evgeni Malkin, and then getting back Mark Recchi, as well as drafting Jordan Staal with the 2nd pick of the 2006 Draft. I don’t know if they’re ready to get into the playoffs just yet, but they’re moving in the right direction. But then again they have nowhere to go but up, huh?
And then there was Anaheim’s trade for Chris Pronger. You can’t say enough about just how intimidating it is going to be for any team that has to deal with Pronger and Neidermeyer either one after the other, or at the same time. And with both Guigere and Bryzgalov behind them guarding the pipes, I’d be tempted to say their defense is about as rock solid as it can possibly get leading in to this coming season.
Q.8 – If you had to pick the worst signing or trade of the summer, which one would it be and why?
No one would blame me if I said the 15-year bombshell of a deal that the Islanders gave Rick DiPietro, right? There’s just no way I can even wrap my brain around what Charles Wang has done.
If that isn’t reason enough to consider it the worst signing this summer, all you need to do is hop on over to TSN and see the interview between Rod Smith and Garth Snow. Both me and Eric at Off Wing made almost the same commentary at how he looked as Smith asked him those questions. You know when your own General Manager looks like he wants to break down and cry, that it was just an awful, horrible deal.
I don’t like the Islanders, but even they don’t deserve this sort of fate. No hockey team does.
Q.9 – If you were in charge of marketing / advertising for the NHL, what would you showcase in print, radio, and TV ads?
Print) The recent sign of people in the NHL – both at the league level and team level – looking towards bloggers for coverage and getting in touch with the fans is the best thing I can think of when it comes to print marketing and advertising of the sport. The NHL needs to play to their strengths, and while it might be a little over the top for me to say this, I think that bloggers that cover hockey are much more well-spoken, active, and even knowledgeable when it comes to this sport, compared to the other pro sports in North America. If the NHL can use this to their advantage, they can aim for a younger, more tech. saavy audience.
TV ads) I would drop a hydrogren bomb on whoever made those impersonal, totally generic “MyNHL†commercials, first and foremost. You remember that YouTube video you put up a while ago on your blog showing a commercial with Shanahan and Fedorov, and the comedic feel to it? That is what I would bring back.
But there’s also a need for more serious and dramatic emphasis on the sport, too. The media department needs to find some sort of guy like the guy who does all those NFL Films and NFL commercial-based voice overs. A voice that you’ll recognize, and that’ll send shivers down your spine when they talk about the sport, even if you don’t even like it!
Q.10 - Is there any hockey blog or website that you look to for inspiration?
The very first blog that I ever started reading that was about hockey, which is Off Wing Opinion. When I was still using AOL, I saw his blog was at the bottom of AOL’s Top 10 Sport’s Blog list (probably just the typical “token hockey guy†choice), and I started reading it sometime around the start of last season, or a couple months in. Eric amazes me at how he’s been at this for quite some time, and the fact that he seems to be in contact with his local team, the Capitals. I got to say I’m pretty envious that he’s able to be that involved, especially now as he and several other bloggers (and even some people in the NHL) work on things such as the possibility of media credentials for bloggers.
Any additional comments?
I think this BtB is already long enough. So … good night, Internet!
Hasek is still healthy
Only a couple days into camp and goaltender Dominik Hasek has yet to injure his groin - woohoo!
“That will be one of my questions every day: ‘How are you feeling?’ ” general manager Ken Holland said with a laugh Friday.
He has apparently lost nine pounds, which he hopes will help him stay healthy all season long. Osgood is expected to play around 30 games so that Hasek’s groin is not pushed too much over the 82 game season.
Robert Picarello at Fox Sports agrees with what I and the other Wings bloggers have been saying: if Hasek stays healthy, we’re good, but if he gets injured we’ll be screwed.
Hasek is brittle and signing him is a gamble that can blow up at any moment. Optimistically, if he is healthy, then the Wings should be fine. Even if he were to get injured early, the Wings would be in decent shape with the experienced Osgood taking over and Howard moving up as a backup.
The real problem for the Wings can come if Hasek goes down late in the season, say after the trade deadline when it will be impossible for Holland to make a move for help. That’s the essence of the gamble when it comes to Hasek these days. “The Dominator” can become “The Terminator” for his own team at a moment’s notice.
He predicts that the Wings will finish second in the Central Division and fourth overall in the Western Conference.
Whalers’ Velluci keeps busy
An article in the Observer and Eccentric highlights the many responsibilities of the Plymouth Whalers’ president, GM and head coach Mike Velluci. He sure keeps busy and usually works from 9am - 12/1am managing his many duties.
“I love what I do because I’m working on something different every day I come to work,” he said. “No two days are alike. One minute I could be working on our power play. A half-hour later I could be calling season-ticket holders or working on a plan to raise more advertising revenue. An hour later, I could be working on a trade with another GM. It’s something different all the time.
The Whalers regular season starts away in Sarnia on September 22nd. There first home game is the following night against Erie.
Hail to the Victors
What a glorious day. What a glorious game. What a glorious victory.
I have not enjoyed a football game this much in who knows how long. HAIL TO THE VICTORS!
So if you haven’t heard by now, the Michigan Wolverines stunned No. 2 Notre Dame with a 47-21 victory. Hehe. Yes, I found the game entertaining, amusing, and funny. I mocked Brady Quinn. I laughed with delight when LaMarr Woodley took the ball after Quinn fumbled 54 yards for a touchdown. I sang Hail to the Victors. It was a glorious evening of college football. I just wish that I could’ve watched this game at Michigan Stadium.
So aside from defeating Notre Dame, why was this such a wonderful victory?
- The fact that we owned them and they were ranked 9 spots ahead of us. I think it’s safe to say that their ranking will slide and the Wolverines will climb. Sometimes it pays off to be the underdogs…
- Heisman Trophy candidate QB Brady Quinn had a sucky day: 3 interceptions, 1 fumble, and got sacked like 7 times. Yikes.
- U of M beat Notre Dame in their stadium. It’s just icing on the cake people.
- The Wolverines retained the title as the winningest college football team (percentage wise). It was up for grabs in today’s game.
- Watching the team stand around cheering as the U of M marching band played Hail to the Victors, priceless.
- QB Chad Henne & Mike Hart *finally* beat Notre Dame. Go Blue!
- Mario Manningham caught three passes for three touchdowns. Excellent.
Deadspin always posts funny quotes on game day, here are some U of M / Notre Dame quotes…
NBC is obviously not very happy that Michigan is dominating this game. They just ran an ad for Michigan State. - JWaldman11
I had a standardized college research test to go to today. It would have paid me $50. As a Michigan fan, I decided to skip it. Best choice I’ve made all week. - Gord Thug
I’ve played this season more than five times on NCAA ‘07 and Mario Manningham has never ever played this well. Am I drunk again? - Cohron, Lexington, KY
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss had this to say in the press conference following the game: “It’s only right to give just due for the team that just kicked your butt…they whooped us pretty good.”
Update: After yesterday’s game, Notre Dame’s ranking fell ten spots to No. 12 while Michigan climbed to No. 6. Go Blue!
Blogs, Credentials, and the Media
Many bloggers have talked about blogging and credentials lately so I do realize that this post is a little behind the times, but I didn’t want to write anything until I had some time to think it out. Where did this discussion start? Off Wing Opinion. Eric had generated a list of guidelines for issuing credentials to bloggers.
In a later post at Off Wing, Eric referred to a Caps Nut post and agreed that not every blogger will want to attend press conferences, interview after games, etc.
But what is happening is that the traditional media outlets that cover the sport are cutting back on their coverage, and we all know that nature abhors a vacuum. Caps Nut doesn’t think many folks would take advantage of this, and at first, he might be right. But over the long run, the league won’t have much choice but to work with the folks who are interested in doing something more than just watching from the stands.
For some, it might mean applying for media credentials and becoming a regular presence in the press box and the locker room. For others, it might just mean being able to call the PR office and getting their phone calls returned. Others might just want access to the game day notes that the league produces (a complaint that I’ve already heard), or be alerted to an interesting conference call that the league might be holding.
Why shouldn’t there be room for all those choices? Why shouldn’t a number of options exist for folks to choose from? And why shouldn’t some folks look at it all, and want to leave their options open to change their minds later on?
IwoCPO at Abel to Yzerman then made a post on this topic at Kukla’s Korner. He comments that bloggers might not be able to write as freely if they had press credentials with the team’s PR watching their back.
Are you blogging hockey? Why? Have you held back in the past with your criticisms of your team? If not, why? If you’re granted access, will you be hesitant to write with the emotion your readers have come to enjoy?
That question, the last one, is huge. Singer touched on it. How will teams react when the bloggers they’ve approved of turn the tables and blast them for raising the price of playoff tickets..again. If I’m sitting in the press box of JLA and live-blogging a Wings game…how will the organ-I-zation respond when I hit “publish†on a post pointing out Jason Williams has as much business on the point as I do in the Senate?
George at Snapshots left a comment to IwoCPO’s post that I thought was a good addition to the discussion.
So sportswriters just do what they’re paid to do–they go to practices, morning skates, and games, and yeah, they’ve got a personal interest in doing a good job, but whether the team they follow wins or loses isn’t supposed to be as important as “good stories.†But I’d imagine it’s easy to get discouraged and mail it in.
If I were to work hard enough to worm my way into the locker room, I wouldn’t care if Nick Lidstrom told me, “The breaks didn’t go our way†for the ten thousandth time and then walked away. I’d damn well have an opinion as to whether he was telling the truth, and I’d express that.
Besides, anybody who’s sat in front of the press box knows that the opposing journalists don’t always keep quiet when their team scores, and the ones who cheer usually write better stories.
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My Thoughts:
I like to think of myself as half journalist and half blogger. I talked sports for my high school paper for four years and got some of the biggest sports names to ever be interviewed for The Day Times. In my last two years as sports editor and then Assistant Editor-in-Chief, I spent at least 10 hours a week on newspaper. During layout, I was in the computer lab for 25+ hours that week. I like to interview people. I like asking questions and getting to know the athlete / individual. I like to watch press conferences after sporting events to critique the reporters’ questions. One of the best moments in my life was when I interviewed Kris Draper in November 2003. I may not ask the most unique questions and I’m sure he heard them all before, but there’s something different about being there and talking to the source.
I remember attending a private practice on the same day I interviewed Draper. My friend took photographs during the practice and I sat there next to the members of the media. They all sat talking (most of the time not even about hockey), looking bored. I probably sat there with my eyes lit up taking in every little detail - which players wore what color jerseys (which was how they denoted lines) and what type of drills they did.
I know when I interviewed Denise Ilitch (daughter or Mike & Marian Ilitch and alternate governor at the time) at her house, she said that I did better than most journalists who have interviewed her in the past because I had done more research and asked some questions she had never been asked before. I’m not saying this to brag, but to say that I think bloggers with press credentials could make a positive contribution to covering the team.
Personally, I would love nothing more than to obtain press credentials for the Detroit Red Wings games. I also know that with my heavy class load and activities that I wouldn’t be able to attend a lot of games. And while it would be great to be able to personally interview players and members of the staff, I can totally understand why teams would not want to do so.
Ideally, I’d love to be able to get my hands on transcripts from press conferences, stat sheets, etc. When I attended High School Journalist Day in March 2003 at the Joe, I was given a red folder with a press pass, a thick stack of stats, all the articles that had been printed/published that morning in regards to the Wings, and background information on all the people participating in the mock press conference. It would be wonderful in bloggers could just get access to the detailed stats, transcripts, or even the opportunity to listen in to a phone conference, etc. I feel like that would be the most appropriate compromise and it would be great to have those type of resources at our disposal.
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A couple other links…
- Tom Benjamin’s NHL Weblog
- The Ice Block
ACL Surgery Video
I have another wonderful ACL surgery video link to pass onto the rest of you. Danny Way is an skateboard star and had to go to Europe for a synthetic ACL surgery, which instead of using your own tissues or someone’s who has passed away, the new ACL is synthetic. You can watch a quick clip of the highlights of his operation here.
Now, I’ve seen over 10 ACL reconstruction operations and none of which were this bloody so if blood bothers you, don’t watch it. But if you like blood / drilling and more, check the clip out.
Did I miss something?
I was clicking through the photos that the Detroit News had up of the Wings packing up for training camp and under a Nick Lidstrom photograph, there was this description: “Detroit Red Wings new captain Nicklas Lidstrom gets his clubs under the bus before boarding for the trip to Traverse City.”
Are they just assuming? Basing this off of that Free Press article? Did I miss the announcement?
Update: Apparently veteran defenseman Chris Chelios is wondering the same thing. According to wingsfan75 at Lets Go Wings forums, Chelios was doing a radio interview when he said something like this:
He was discussing the loss of Yzerman and Shanny and what that will mean to the team. He briefly said something about the captain Nick Lidstrom having a big role to fill. The guy interviewing him immediately says something like “…so is Nick going to be the official new captain?” Chelly says “Didn’t they already announce it or something… it’s just speculation anyway… maybe I just put my foot in my mouth…”
George at Snapshots posted a few snippets from the Windsor Star article that is for subscribers only. He comments that Lidstrom goes from saying “would” to “will” in a very short timespan.
“It would be a huge honour to be the captain,” said Lidstrom Wednesday as the Wings reported for training camp at Joe Louis Arena.
“Steve has been there all my career and he did a great job. It’s not just the fans, but we as players were spoiled having him as captain.”
…
“My role will change a bit as I’ll have more communication with the coaching staff,” Lidstrom said. “I’ll be more of a link between the players and the coaches. There’ll be more responsibility being a captain. You have to be more responsible for the team and have a lot more discussions with the coaching staff.”
Season Tickets
As Brian at On the Wings mentioned earlier, the Wings may be going through the season ticket waiting list pretty quickly. I think I put my name on the list 3 years ago or so and today I received “the letter.” Actually, it went to my house and my Mom read the letter out loud to me. Anyways, I am supposed to call as soon as possible because it’s first come, first serve in regards to availability / location of the seats.
I will be spending this weekend trying to convince my parents to buy into this “investment.” I’d probably sell half the tickets or so online since I’m in school and just can’t afford them. I was just so excited to be offered them - woohoo! Wish me luck in convincing the parents this weekend.
Update: Sadly, I will be unable to purchase season tickets for this upcoming season. My parents own a computer company and this year has been rougher than normal and they can’t afford to pay for them or help pay and they were really bummed that they couldn’t help me out. My Dad and I love going to Wings games throughout the year so he was really sorry. I have enough money to pay for them, but it would leave me with no extra money since I can’t touch my funds that I put in a CD. So, I was added to the “prospect list” which means they’ll call me next August and ask if I want tickets. At which point, I will say yes because I will have saved up money this year and hopefully my knee will allow me to work this next summer. So sadly, I will probably only go to 3-5 games this year and maybe by some miracle I can get playoff tickets…go Wings!