Kronwall fractures sacrum
Not only is it bad enough that a top four defenseman, Niklas Kronwall, is out for 6-8 weeks with a broken sacrum, but captain Nicklas Lidstrom won’t play tomorrow due to a lower back strain. If this injury is at all serious, we’re screwed. Lidstrom never gets injured, why now?
The sacrum is the large, triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the upper and back part of the pelvic cavity. Kronwall injured his right hip on a check from Dallas’ Joel Lundqvist in the first shift of Friday’s game.
Kronwall won’t need surgery but is likely done for the season unless the Wings reach the Stanley Cup finals.
Yes, I’m a bit upset. After retiring Yzerman’s jersey, I got a signed Kronwall jersey and even though he makes stupid decisions, I like his more physical play and the fact that he had ACL surgery. He’s the player I root for the most and it kills me when he gets injured time after time. And who breaks their sacrum playing hockey? Well, he technically has a non-displaced fracture of his sacrum, but same thing.
“It’s a tough break for Niklas and our team,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “Dealing with adversity is part of the NHL playoffs. We still feel we have good depth on defense.”
From Holland’s quote, it doesn’t sound like Lidstrom’s injury is serious, but they are taking the appropriate precautions necessary with the playoffs around the corner. Lidstrom is supposed to return on Tuesday against Columbus.
“Given what’s occurred over the last 24 hours, we’re not going to take any chances,” Holland said.
IwoCPO at Abel to Yzerman voices his concerns, and I have to agree, about Andreas Lilja and the ice time he will get with Kronwall out:
Tremendous loss for more reasons than just the absence of Kronwall. Andres Lilja is now guaranteed significant playoff minutes. And, as we know, that means significant emotional duress for you and your families.
Niklas Kronwall is a talented kid, someone an organ-I-zation would look to as a leader and catalyst for future success. But that’s impossible to do because, his fault or not, he just can’t stay healthy.
Jason Williams and Lilja were the two Wings in the playoffs last year that I thought made some costly errors for us. Willy was sent packing to Chicago and Lilja has been given limited ice time until recently. With Kronwall out, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Lilja much to my dismay.
Kyle Quincey has been called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins due to both Lidstrom and Kronwall’s injuries.
NHLPA’s feature on Lidstrom
This week, the NHLPA posted a feature story on Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom and his first season as captain of the team.
“It’s been really enjoyable being the captain, especially after such a great player in Steve Yzerman,” said the four-time Norris Trophy winner as hockey’s top blueliner. “It hasn’t been that tough of a transition for me. I was an assistant captain for seven or eight years, and I’ve been watching Stevie up close for the past fifteen years. So I think it’s been somewhat of an easy transition for me.”
Kronwall injures hip in Wings’ loss
Source: John T. Greilick / The Detroit News
Defenseman Niklas Kronwall injured his right hip 24 seconds into Friday’s game against Dallas when Stars’ Joel Lundqvist checked him. He had to be helped off the ice and was then taken to Detroit Medical Center.
The Red Wings said Kronwall would not return after he was taken to Detroit Medical Center for further tests.
Kronwall was hit from the side and into the end boards by Lundqvist as he stopped behind Detroit’s net as he tried retrieve the puck.
Kronwall, who was holding his right leg off the ice as he was helped off the ice, has already had a broken leg and major knee surgery during his three-season NHL career.
Helene St. James at the Detroit Free Press describes the moment of injury a bit more:
Kronwall was hurt when Joel Lundqvist hit him into the boards. No penalty was called on the play. Kronwall had to be picked up off the ice, and was crouched over as he was helped to the bench, grimacing in pain.
Update: Kronwall had to stay at the hospital overnight for testing, which definitely does not sound good. As of Saturday morning, they don’t know the injury officially.
“At this time we still don’t have the results back,” coach Mike Babcock said. “I guess we’ve got some preliminary (results), but they’re doing more tests so we really don’t have much of a statement; we’ll have that tomorrow. But obviously, he was not feeling very good.”
Wings 3, Dallas 4 (SO)
I only watched the first ten minutes of the game, but apparently the Stars overcame a three goal deficit with 10 minutes to go in the third to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless OT, the game went into a shootout where only one of the six players (Sergei Zubov) scored. The game ended with a Dallas victory, 4-3.
I was excited to see Todd Bertuzzi score his first goal in the Winged Wheel on a deflected pass 7:04 into the first. Kirk Maltby opened up the second period with a goal. With only 5:28 left in the second, Kris Draper scored a breakaway goal.
Bertuzzi’s goal was his third point in two nights. Draper scored a goal and notched an assist tonight and he was named the #1 star of the game.
Dominik Hasek was in net for the Wings and stopped all but three of the 24 shots. I’m not sure what happened, but Hasek let three goals in with 9:49 left in the third. It seems surprising to me because I believe he had stopped two breakaway opportunities by the Stars and looked to be playing well.
Detroit had outshot Dallas, 34-24, and had won 58% of the faceoffs. Both teams had five penalties apiece, but Dallas was the only one able to convert on a power play opportunity.
Wings on SportsCenter
I watch ESPN’s SportsCenter when I get a chance, but I don’t watch it everyday or anything like that. So I was shocked when they talked about the Wings-Predators game for 5 whole minutes of the hour show. Hockey does not get talked about much and they’ll do game recaps, but those are like a minute in length. I was very impressed and pleased.
Wings 2, Predators 1
After a four game losing streak, the Wings have defeated the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators in the last four days. Both games, the Wings actually showed up and played a good game. Hopefully, we’ll see this attitude continue as the Wings face the Stars at home tomorrow night.
Few notes from the game…
- The Wings won, 2-1, in the pretty loud Nashville arena.
- Todd Bertuzzi notched two assists tonight, his first as a Red Wings player.
- I thought that there was a bad interference call, in my opinion, with 2:35 left in game. Johan Franzen accidentally tripped over Vokoun but it was after the puck had cleared the zone and he was trying to skate back towards the Wings end.
- With the Wings penalty, the Predators pulled Vokoun with just over 2 minutes left in the game to make it 6-on-4. They were able to successfully kill that penalty.
- Chris Osgood is 3-0-1 against Nashville this season. The Wings won the season series, 6-1-1.
- Pavel Datsyuk scored the game winning goal. It was his fifth goal in the last six games. He also notched an assist, his 11th against the Predators this season. If he keeps this up in the playoffs (which I hope he will), he’s going to get a much higher salary than at the start of this season.
- The Wings are now tied with the Predators in terms of points with a game in hand. Nashville is still #1 as they have two more wins than the Wings and thus would win the tie breaker.
- Detroit has only five games left with the last four coming against Chicago and Columbus. Now one would think that this would mean easy points for the Wings at the end of the season, but they’ve had a tendency to play down to their opponents lately. Hopefully, they won’t slack off and will stay focused to maintain the right mindset into the playoffs.
Join the Red Wave
This year’s playoff slogan for the Detroit Red Wings is Join the Red Wave!” During tonight’s game, they actually had a commercial for playoff tickets with Kris Draper saying stuff like “Red is for passion. Red is for rage. Red is for ____.” It’s the first Red Wings commercial made by the DRW that I have actually liked (although I did like the two Hockeytown Authentics commercials).
According to the screen during the Wings game, playoff tickets will go on sale on April 3rd at 10pm.
Wings do well in player poll
The Hockey News conducted a poll of 283 NHL players representing all 30 teams. To read all the questions and answers, you can visit their website. In this post, I’m just going to highlight some of the ones Detroit placed highly in.
How do you feel about the NHL schedule format?
1) There should be more games against the other conference (248) 89%
2) Like it the way it is (25) 9%
3) There should be fewer games against the other conference (6) 2%
Interesting. A majority of fans, owners, and players don’t like the current schedule. So why do we still have it in place?
What is an appropriate penalty for fighting?
1) 5 minutes (273) 97%
2) 10 minutes (5) 2%
3) 20 minutes (3) 1%
4) Game misconduct (0)
I agree.
If you could play for any NHL team (other than your own), which would you choose?
1) Toronto Maple Leafs (34) 14.4%
2) New York Rangers (29) 12.3%
3) Detroit Red Wings (19) 8%
4) Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks (18) 7.6%
5) Dallas Stars (15) 6.3%
6) Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens (14) 5.9%
7) Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning (10) 4.2%
Phoenix Coyotes (9) 3.8%
9) Calgary Flames (8) 3.4%
10) Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers (5) 2.1%
11) Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins (4) 1.7%
12) Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks (3) 1.2%
13) Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres (2) 0.85%
14) Carolina Hurricane and Edmonton Oilers (1) 0.42%
It seems to make sense. Many players are from the Toronto area and would have a desire to play near home and for such a popular Canadian team. The Rangers and Red Wings are the two biggest US markets with a rich history.
What is the toughest building to play in on the road?
1) Detroit Red Wings (41) 16.4%
2) Calgary Flames (37) 14.8%
3) Montreal Canadiens (25) 10%
4) San Jose Sharks (21) 8.4%
5) Philadelphia Flyers (14) 5.6%
6) Toronto Maple Leafs (13) 5.2%
7) Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils (12) 4.8%
9) Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators (7) 2.8%
10) Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers (6) 2.4%
11) Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins (5) 2%
12) Tampa Bay Lightning (4) 1.6%
13) Vancouver Canucks (3) 1.2%
14) Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals (2) 0.8%
15) Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings (1) 0.4%
I’m a bit surprised on this one. The Joe is pretty quiet and I don’t think it would be as intimidating as a louder building. However, the Wings are a strong team at home so that obviously has to be factored into their answer.
Who is the most respected player in the NHL?
1) Joe Sakic (166) 63%
2) Nicklas Lidstrom (30) 11.4%
3) Brendan Shanahan (19) 7.2%
4) Martin Brodeur and Chris Chelios (7) 2.6%
5) Rod Brind’Amour, Jarome Iginla and Scott Niedermayer (6) 2.2%
6) Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr (3) 1.1%
7) Teemu Selanne and Mats Sundin (2) 0.76%
It’s interesting that two current Red Wings (Lidstrom and Chelios) are near the top and former Wing Brendan Shanahn takes third place. THN also asked players who the most hated player is and the most overrated player. No Red Wings player made the top 7 in either list.
Which NHL arena has the best ice?
1) Edmonton (152) 58.4%
2) Calgary (22) 8.5%
3) Montreal (21) 8.1%
4) Detroit (13) 5%
5) Minnesota and Toronto (9) 3.5%
6) Carolina (6) 2.3%
7) Ottawa and Vancouver (5) 1.9%
9) Buffalo and Colorado (3) 1.2%
10) Nashville (2) 0.77%
11) Atlanta, Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia (1) 0.38%
Detroit has the best ice in the US according to the players.
ESPN’s ultimate standings
ESPN just released this year’s ultimate standings that looks at a variety of factors at each team in the four big leagues. ESPN surveyed 80,000 fans to determine teams’ rankings in bang for the buck, fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coach/manager, and title track.
The Buffalo Sabres were the number one team out of 122.
The Detroit Red Wings came in at #18 behind the Detroit Pistons (#5) and Detroit Tigers (#12). The Detroit Lions came in last.
The Wings came in sixth place out of just the NHL teams with the Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Tampa Bay Lightning in front.
Aside from helping others via a community outreach program - Heart of Hockeytown - the Wings support two of their own. To benefit former defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and former team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov—both injured in a car accident a week after Detroit won the 1997 Cup—the team holds an annual golf outing and a wine tasting event for fans. As if that’s not enough proof of how the Wings are equal parts family and team, they hired longtime captain Stevie Y as team VP after he hung ‘em up in July, then hoisted his No. 19 to the rafters in January. In short, the Wings are a class act.
Here is how the Wings ranked in each category (ranking can range from 1-122):
Ownership: #2 (only behind the San Antonio Spurs)
Bang for the Buck: #28
Fan Relations: #5 (I was pretty shocked by this one)
Affordability: #72
Stadium Experience: #77
Players: #15
Coach/Manager: #43
Title Track: #3
James Mirtle looked at the NHL results more closely in his recent blog post.
Best ownership group? The Red Wings’ Mike Ilitch, who placed second overall behind only the San Antonio Spurs’ war hero Peter Holt. Chicago, again, is right near the bottom, second last and ahead of only the Florida Marlins.
Draper starts blogging
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Wings forward Kris Draper is answering questions and blogging about games for NHL Connect. Everyone should be able to read what he wrote, but you have to sign in to ask any questions. In case you can’t read it, here’s what he said:
Hello to all the bloggers stopping by. Hopefully this will be a lot easier than last night’s game against Anaheim, but we pulled out the win (1-0).
Anaheim is one of the best teams in the League and in the west. We had lost some games in shootouts and teams were starting to catch up, and Anaheim was one that was certainly getting close. There was a lot at stake, and we really wanted to beat an elite team like the Ducks. Also we were worried about the level we were playing at, but everyone came out and played real well. Our start was better last night and when it’s 1-0 going into the third period, and especially this time of year, you want to play well.
We know that a lot of teams talk about the size of our team and they try to intimidate us physically, to take out our key players. That’s the way they feel they can beat us. There was a scrum at the end of the second period, and Andreas Lilja fought Travis Moen and held his ground, and Mikael Samuelsson got into it with Scott Niedermayer. Hit for hit we were right there. It was fun to be a part of, and it’s a positive that everyone stuck together and held their own with one of the biggest teams in the League.
This year is good for us to be right in the mix. Last season, the last five or six games there was nothing on the line. We had first place, we had won the Presidents’ Trophy, we were saying the right things and trying to do the right things, but it’s different when you’re battling for first in the division and conference. So there’s a lot more at stake and I think that is more important to us, that each game can be the difference between finishing first or fourth. That’s one thing that’s a lot different this year and we want to make sure we’re playing our best games at playoff time. We have two big games coming up in Nashville on Thursday and then back home against Dallas on Friday.
So that’s my wrap-up on Monday night’s game. Time to answer some questions from the fans…
What do you do in your spare time?
During the season I spend as much time with my kids as possible, going to my daughter’s figure skating or Irish dancing lessons. If my son is playing hockey I like to go and watch him skate. Whenever I get a day off or an afternoon off I spend as much time with family as possible. In the summertime I enjoy golfing, but it’s usually the same thing, if I’m not working out I’m with the wife and kids.
What skates and sticks do you like, and why those choices?
For skates, I’ve always worn Bauer, so I’ve worn Vapor 30s, and now the 40s just came out so I’m wearing those. Bauer makes a great skate. The stick I use is from Warrior. I try to use a light stick that has a stiff blade for face-offs and to have a pretty good flex for shooting the puck. So I prefer lightness with a stiff blade and a whippy shaft.
Do you find that when guys get injured and the lines get switched it takes a few games to get going, and then when the injured player returns you’re back to working on jelling together all over?
The one great thing about playing in Detroit is you always know you have four good lines and linemates. Playing for Scotty (Bowman), you would go out for warm-ups and from the start of the game you wouldn’t even see those guys. I enjoy playing with different players and developing chemistry. It can come into play at any time in the game that you might need to play with different players. There is going to be line juggling and you’re going to play with different players and at different positions, but you play hard no matter who you’re with.
What do you think of the new guys, Todd Bertuzzi and Kyle Calder?
Both have been great. Calds, as soon as we got him, he scored on his first shift, which was great to see. We have gritty players that can compete, and Calder always played us tough, always played really well against us. He’s similar to the way Tomas Holmstrom plays. He takes the puck to the net on the power play, and he’s great in front of the net. In Bertuzzi, we have one of the biggest power forwards in the game. Even though he’s missed most of the season, he’s fitting in and he’s going to continue to get better. We love the trades Ken Holland made. They make us a better team and more prepared for the playoffs.
Thanks everyone. Stop by again, and keep the questions coming.
Sestito signs with CBJ
As a game night intern for the Plymouth Whalers, I’ve been able to watch every single home game but four this season. My favorite player to watch is Tom Sestito because he can score and he can fight. Okay, he may not be the best fighter but he’s not afraid to drop his gloves.
The Columbus Blue Jackets just announced that they have signed Sestito to a three year deal.
Sestito, 19, tallied 42 goals and 22 assists for 64 points with 135 penalty minutes and a +6 plus/minus rating in 60 games with Plymouth during the 2006-07 regular season. He led the club and ranked 13th in the OHL in goals and was tops on the club and eighth in the OHL with 21 power play goals. He also led the Whalers with four shorthanded goals and was sixth on the club in points. He helped lead Plymouth to a 49-14-2-3 record, which was tops in the West Division and second in the league.
Sestito does have some self-control issues as he was suspended for five games for supposedly calling an opposing player a fag (that is not confirmed) and he has made mocking gestures on the ice (something you might see in football, but not hockey). However, he is a good hockey player and he will hopefully outgrow some of his self-control issues.
He will not join CBJ as the Whalers are currently in the middle of the playoffs. They are currently up 2-0 in the first round against Guelph Storm.
Update: Sesisto scored a hat trick in the Whalers’ 7-1 victory over Guelph to increase their series lead to 3-0. The Whalers face the Storm next on Thursday night at 7pm in Guelph with the chance to close out the first round of the playoffs.