Wings lose third straight game, 5-1
Well, that sucked.
Detroit lost their third straight game tonight, 5-1, when they faced the Atlanta Thrashers at home.
It’s midnight and I have class at 8am so I will update this post hopefully later Wednesday afternoon. Feel free to leave any comments about the game. And no, the world is not over and I am not freaking out that we have lost three straight. However, I am frustrated by our crappy play.
Update: I got busier than expected this evening so I only had time to post a recap over at Winging It In Motown.
BTJ Contest Winners
The BTJ Contest has ended and Random.org generated the randomly selected winners, which didn’t seem really random (#1, 4, 7, 9, 22, and 24).
Drumroll please…
#1 = Laura won the 2002 Stanley Cup Tomas Holmstrom bobblehead. Her favorite current player is Henrik Zetterberg.
#7 = Jordan won the 2007-2008 Red Wings team calendar. His favorite player is currently Chris Osgood.
#9 = Steve won the autographed Kirk Maltby photograph. His favorite player is currently Chris Chelios.
#22 = Brennan won the autographed Kris Draper photograph. His favorite current player is Pavel Datsyuk.
#24 = Joe, a longtime BTJ reader, won the 15% off merchandise coupon. His favorite player is currently Chris Osgood.
#4 = David won the 2 Red Wings tickets & 15% off coupon. His favorite current player is Kris Draper.
I’d like to thank everyone who entered the contest. I sent emails out to all the winners and when I have a free moment, I will be contacting everyone who didn’t win as well.
Final BTJ Contest Reminder
One final reminder that the BTJ Contest ends in a little over four hours today at noon (EST). So if you want a chance to win tickets to a Red Wings game, calendar, or autographed photographs, be sure to email me with your name, email address, and favorite Red Wings player before noon!
Senators beat Wings, 3-2
In the big game on Saturday evening against the Ottawa Senators, the Wings fell short losing 2-3. While I thought it was an enjoyable game despite the fact the Wings lost, I was disappointed in the team’s play. Yes, the Sens played great and deserved the win, but we didn’t really see the Detroit team we normally do until the third period.
I don’t think I can say it any better than Matt at On the Wings:
Some folks, such as Sherry at Scarlett Ice, and Jes Golbez at AOL Fanhouse, are writing that the game lived up to the hype. I have to disagree and it’s not because the Wings lost. Had they played at a level on par with that the Senators played and still lost, I would, of course, be disappointed, but I’d be right there with the people saying it was as good a game as advertised. But they didn’t play at the same level as the Senators, not for much of the game, anyway.
Whereas Ottawa came out of the gates in all three periods flying, the Wings were flat when they needed life the most. They were able to make it a game in the third period, but they couldn’t keep up in the end. Usually it is Detroit that has the opposition standing around, watching them play. Last night, for too much of the game, the Wings were the observers.
I was pleased to see Dominik Hasek play well in front of the Ottawa crowd as they were hoping to see him struggle in front of his former team’s home crowd.
It’s not the end of the world that the Wings have lost two straight to Minnesota and Ottawa. It is frustrating to see the special teams, particularly the power play, struggle over the last few games. I wanted to see Detroit play its best against Ottawa and I just don’t believe we saw that on Saturday night.
Wings-Sens preview up at AOL FanHouse
A few Wings and Sens bloggers chipped in their thoughts about tonight’s game by answering some questions thrown to us by Greg Wyshynski at AOL FanHouse. Due to some space restraints/editing, not all of our answers to each question made the post so here are my answers that weren’t posted in their entirety:
Why, in your admittedly partisan opinion, is your team so damn good this year?
When you’re talking about the Red Wings, it’s hard to point to one single player or move by the organization that has made the team this good. Goaltending. Defense. Offense. Coaching. It’s all good. From the Crazy Czech (Dominik Hasek) to the newly re-signed Chris Osgood, the Wings have been alternating goaltenders every other game because both players have been performing so well. Detroit leads the league in goals against, 2.04, due in part to the great goaltending and the solid defense, which also allows the fewest shots per game in the league (23.3).
Our defensive duo of captain Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski have the most offensive points of any defensive pair. They are highly effective with their power play time because Lidstrom shots lefthanded while Rafalski shoots righthanded so their passing and shooting can be done even quicker increasing their success rate. Including defensemen Lidstrom, Rafalski, and Niklas Kronwall, the team has 10 players with at least 20 offensive points. That’s pretty impressive. Studs like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk lead the team in points, but play great on both ends of the ice.
If I had to pick one thing, I guess I’d say that it’s finally Mike Babcock’s team this season. Gone are the players who didn’t quite buy into his system. He’s no Scotty Bowman, but the way he does some things certainly reminds Wings fans of how Scotty coached. The team may be the oldest and smallest team in the league, but their hard work, puck possession style play, and smart level of play is what makes this time so good. It also didn’t hurt that most of the team got to taste the Western Conference Finals (and finally showed that they could play a physical game) and are now hungry to go all the way.
In what is the closest comparison to a Patriots/Cowboys game for the NHL, why do you believe Red Wings/Senators hasn’t been pimped at Ovechkin/Crosby levels by the League?
I must say I am surprised that this game hasn’t been played up since it features such strong teams from goaltending to the offense to the defense. I think it would have been a great opportunity for the league especially with how big of a draw Detroit can be here in the US. I believe it simply falls back on the fact that neither team has that huge star. Certainly the Sens have big names in Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Ray Emery. And the Wings are no slackers with the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, and Dominik Hasek. However, the focus of these two teams are their puck possession style and team effort. Because there is no one huge star or dynamite personality, I think it may be slightly harder for the league to market the game, but they certainly should have taken that challenge head on.
If Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood, Ray Emery and Martin Gerber were all entered into a WWE-style battle royal, what would be the order of elimination over the top rope and who would be the last man standing in the ring?
Martin Gerber would be the first one out. Despite being the Crazy Czech, Dominik Hasek would be the next to go as he’d probably just aim for his opponent’s feet like when he made Minnesota’s Gaborik fly or when he wanted to fight Patrick Roy, but simply fell instead. Chris Osgood has experience in goalie fighting after defeating a bigger Patrick Roy back in the late 1990s. Ray Emery would be the last man standing because he certainly has experience fighting goaltenders and other positions including a teammate in a practice this week.
Guest Post: A look from Sens Army Blog
Peter and Ben, the brains behind Sens Army Blog, agreed to share a little bit about their team, the Ottawa Senators, as a sort of preview for tomorrow’s game between Detroit and Ottawa. I also sent Peter and Ben a guest post about the Wings so be sure to visit Sens Army Blog here to see what I wrote. Here’s what they had to say about their Sens…
It all comes down to this: The matchup hockey pundits have been looking forward to since the first couple of weeks of the season, the Ottawa Senators versus the Detroit Red Wings.
It is unfortunate that these teams only meet once a season—if that—and hopefully one of the wild card games under the new scheduling structure is a meeting of the beasts of the east against the best of the west. Anyway, onto this game’s preview, from the forwards on back:
FORWARD
On forward, the Sens are goliaths. So are the Red Wings. The Sens are goliather, though; with Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza the league’s fifth-, sixth-, and tenth-highest scoring players in the league, the CASH line (as we like to call it; Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, Heatley) is the most powerful in the league.
After those three the stats fall off pretty steeply, but support players like Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette can still be counted on for some clutch performances. Heavyweight Brian McGrattan probably won’t be dressed since you guys are lame fighter-haters, but he is one of the best in the league and could explode Henrik Zetterberg’s ugly mug with one punch.
DEFENCE
I will concede that Nik Lidstrom is good.
You know who else is good, though? Anton “The A-Train” Volchenkov. Possibly the toughest player in the league, Volchenkov often blocks as many shots as the goaler, and he can throw punishing hits like nobody’s business. When his power is combined with that of stalwart Chris “Big Rig” Phillips, fuggedabout any offence.
Our offence often benefits from the prowess of Joe Corvo, Wade Redden, and Andrej Meszaros on the goal-scoring side of the puck, although they can be a bit of a defensive liability at times. When that happens, Volchie, Phillips, or wily veteran Luke “The One-Punch Machine Gun” Richardson should be back to cover.
GOALIE
Whether you’re facing Martin “Darth” Gerber – Ottawa’s #1 goaltender for the majority of this season - or “Sugar” Ray Emery, the goaltender whose fists do not discriminate between positions or teams, the Red Wings may have a hard time. Sure, each goalie has their weaknesses, but either one has the ability to steal a game when they’re playing well. Who are you facing? It’s one of Head Coach John Paddock’s incredibly genius tactics to tell neither his enemies nor his allies who will be playing.
No matter how you look at it, the Sens will win. If you have any doubt, look at Jason Spezza’s sick two-goal game last time, in which he made Domink Hasek and his ticking-time-bomb of a groin look more like the dominated than the dominator (see it here). Oh yeah, and 1998 called: they want their goaltenders back.
BTJ Contest Reminder
If you didn’t catch this announcement about the BTJ contest that I made on New Year’s Day, you still have 5 days to enter! For those who have already entered, the date for the Wings game has been decided and I added one more prize.
BTJ is hosting a contest to celebrate the new design by giving away prizes to randomly selected BTJ visitors. Here’s the information once again:
How to enter…
Send an email or drop one my way via the Contact form on the Contact page. All I ask is that you give your name, email address, and the name of your favorite Red Wings player.
The deadline?
January 15th at noon (EST).
The prizes?
1) 2002 Stanley Cup Tomas Holmstrom bobblehead
2) 2007-2008 Detroit Red Wings Team Calendar
3) 8×10 autographed Kirk Maltby photograph
4) 8×10 autographed Kris Draper photograph (in Team Canada uniform)
5) 15% merchandise coupon good at Joe Louis and Hockeytown Authentics (can’t use it on autographed memorabilia however)
6) 2 tickets to the Detroit Red Wings game vs. LA Kings on Thursday, Feb. 7th (section 211a, row 9, one aisle seat) AND a 15% merchandise coupon
**Note** If you know you cannot make the game because of a previous commitment or you simply don’t live close enough to make it to Detroit, please let me know in the email so I can be sure that the tickets go to someone who can use them!
How will the winners be selected?
Each email entry will be assigned a number in the order they come in. Then, I will randomly generate five winning numbers via this website and the corresponding entries will win the prizes listed above.
Osgood signs three year extension
According to a source cited by TSN, goaltender Chris Osgood has re-signed with the Red Wings for three more years. It is believed to be a contract worth $1.5 million per season. After the fantastic season he has had thus far, it is well deserved.
DRW to make announcement
Update at bottom of post - 10:55am
At 11:45 this morning, the Detroit Red Wings will make a player personnel announcement according to a press release Bruce MacLeod posted on Red Wings Corner.
RED WINGS TO MAKE PLAYER PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENT
The Detroit Red Wings will make a player personnel announcement today (Jan. 9) at 11:45 am via www.DetroitRedWings.com
The Red Wings practice today at Joe Louis Arena beginning at Noon. Interview availability will follow practice in the Detroit dressing room.
Now I am being 100% honest as I have no clue what this announcement could be, but if I had to take a gander I’d guess it would have something to do with Darren McCarty. According to Bob Duff, he attended last night’s game and earlier in the week talked to management. And I can’t see the team making an announcement over someone being sent down or called up to Grand Rapids plus I don’t foresee us signing any other free agent that might warrant this kind of an announcement.
Bruce reports that he doesn’t know what this is about although it sounds significant and for all he knows, “this could just be something to hype the web site.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Update: I guess I was wrong. According to Ansar Khan, who cites an anonymous source, the Red Wings have re-signed Chris Osgood. Khan speculates it will be a three year deal.
A look at former Wing Jeff Sharples
My name is Joe Pelletier. Some of you will know me for my websites, Greatest Hockey Legends.com, 1972 Summit Series.com and Hockey Book Reviews.com. Others will recognize my name from store book shelves, where I’ve written The World Cup of Hockey and The Legends of Team Canada.
Christy Hammond asked me to write a guest piece for her website. We’ve been mutual admirers of each other’s work in the past, and I was eager to jump at the opportunity to write for her website, Behind The Jersey.
Christy’s idea was for me to quickly summarize the Detroit hockey legends I have profiled over at Greatest Hockey Legends.com. That would have been easy and beneficial for me, but I wanted to create something original and unique for Ms. Hammond. She creates some of the best hockey content on the web, and I figure as her guest writer I should carry on that originality.
So today I want to profile a Detroit Red Wing of the past, but no legend by any stretch. In fact, I bet most of you have long forgotten about the one Detroit Red Wing player I followed more than any in the late 1980s.
While most hockey fans were in awe of Steve Yzerman back then, I was in awe of Jeff Sharples. Sharples, you see, shares the same home town as I. Beautiful Terrace, British Columbia, famous for it’s world class sport fishing.
Sharples was already a legend in the city of 15,000 people. Being a junior hockey star, he was popular at the local hockey school, and lent his name to local causes. Somewhere in my storage closet I have his poster supporting local libraries.
In these parts, Sharples name is as synonymous with the 1983 Terrace midget reps as it with any NHL team. The 1983 team capture the national midget championship - then called the Air Canada Cup, now known as the telus cup. That team featured Sharples on defense, Wade Flaherty in net and Dale Kushner up front, all who went on to play in the NHL.
I was just starting grade 7 when Sharples broke into the league and impressed as a rookie defenseman in 1987-88. He made the jump directly from junior to the Detroit Red Wings who had drafted him 29th overall in 1985.