A look at the Columbus Blue Jackets
As part of the Central Division bloggers preview project headed by Dave @ Gorilla Crouch, you can find various viewpoints about the Columbus Blue Jackets and how they should do this season from the Columbus bloggers.
Sarah at The Neutral Trap Zone gives us an in depth look at the team including analysis of each player.
So what constitutes a reasonable projection for the 2007-08 Jackets?
I’d start with the baseline of .500. That’s about where they were last season under Ken Hitchcock. It doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect they’ll at least match that, although over the entire season this time. Also, given that Hitch has had half a season plus an offseason now to instill in the guys what they have to do in order to play his game, and given the new emphasis on conditioning, I would expect that’s maybe worth a handful more points. So I see the Jackets finishing in the vicinity of 90 points. Not quite to the playoffs, but in the race beyond November. I would call that my reasonable expectation for the season.
Drew @ End of the Bench took a look at the new additions to the team as well as the “losses.” Like Sarah, Drew believes the Blue Jackets will be a more competitive team this year and hopes for a chance to be fighting for a playoff spot by the time the end of the regular season rolls around.
I want to look forward to games against Detroit and Colorado, and not simply throw up my hands in futility at the opening face-off because we are a scrimmage team to them. I want to play meaningful games in March (hell, even in January would be a change). When Barry Melrose gets his two minutes each week towards the end of the season to talk about the playoff picture, I want the CBJ crest to be on the screen fighting for that 8th spot. I don’t want to be the laughingstock of the NHL. I don’t want journalists and bloggers in other cities to refer to us as patient fans because we have to put up with the same shit year after year.
I want competitiveness.
I would love to see a more competitive Columbus squad because I’m so sick of playing you guys 8x a year and if you’re better, at least those 8 games would be a bit more interesting.
Central Division preview from Blackhawks’ fan
Chris at The Third Man In has posted his preview for the Chicago Blackhawks as part of an effort led by Dave @ Gorilla Crouch to get us bloggers writing about our Central Division teams. The Third Man In is a Chicago Blackhawks website so his season preview will have three sections dedicated to the upcoming season. Currently, you can read the first part which is a thorough look at the current roster including former Detroit Red Wings players Robert Lang and Jason Williams.
The Detroit Red Wings bloggers will be posting our season previews on September 24th so stay tuned!
Vote for the Red Wings logo!
Thanks to a link from Paul @ Kukla’s Korner, I found a website called the NHL Tournament of Logos. The new blog has a goal to help determine the best logo in the NHL.
The Wings first face off against the LA Kings and the Wings are currently leading with 64% of the vote. You can vote through August 30th before the winning team moves onto the next round of the tournament.
This blog also does a great job covering all things NHL logos and jerseys so be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!
Avs’ fan arrested for prostitution
I get home after 7 hours of German to find this amusing article via Deadspin (and yes, I cannot resist the opportunity to make fun of the Avs). It gave me a much needed reason to laugh.
According to the Rocky Mountain News, a 27 year old man named Darren Garcia was arrested for prostitution when he was caught in a police sting. He tried to pass as a female with plenty of makeup and long hair while wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey. He told the police he has AIDS. This was his sixth prostitution incident with the law.
One of the commenters on Deadspin said, “I see Claude Lemieux got some plastic surgery done.” Another one wrote, “Jose Theodore just posted bail.” Another amusing comment went as follows: “Imagine the guy in Denver reading this and saying to himself, ‘Wait, wasn’t the hooker I picked up yesterday wearing an Avs’ jersey?’”
Update: This blog post has been linked by numerous message boards throughout the web including Red Wings Central and ESPN’s board. I visited these threads to find Wings’ fans insulting the Avs’ fans and it brought a smile to my face. Keep it up guys!
The 7 Wonders of the Hockey World
On the Forecheck has opened a discussion for readers to help decide the seven wonders of the hockey world. I don’t have time to list my seven wonders, but I will later this week. Until then, here are some of the ideas namely the ones related to the Detroit Red Wings or the University of Michigan Wolverines (Go Blue!).
Joe Louis Arena: It’s not quite 30 years old, but it feels like it belongs to another time in this age of spacious concourses and luxury boxes.
Yost Ice Arena: Home to the University of Michigan Wolverines (and where I began my adult rec-hockey career almost 20 years ago), it’s a cozy little barn that provides by far the most entertaining action on a campus better known for top football programs.
Greg Wyshynski at AOL FanHouse has chimed in as well.
4. The Winged Wheel. The most iconic logo in professional hockey. (Sorry, Coyotes fans.) Blogger Jamie Fitzpatrick had a nice history of the Detroit Red Wings name and that famous winged wheel. You know, there are a lot of reasons why the NHL’s recent rule about having the home team wear “road colors” stinks, such as the basic notion throughout history, literature and art that the good guys wear white; but not being able to see the Detroit red uniforms come to your town could be the biggest sin.
I don’t know if I’d put the Joe as one of the seven wonders of the hockey world, but the Wings’ logo is one of the most recognizable sports logos in my opinion.
Yellowcard owns Avs fan at concert
As many of you know, I went down to Columbus for the draft this year as a fan. Before the start of the first round on Friday, I attended a free Yellowcard concert right outside the arena. Near the beginning of the concert, the lead singer made it known that bassist, Ryan Mendez, was a Detroit Red Wings fan.
Toward the later half of the concert, a Colorado Avalanche fan made his way through the crowd holding a sign reading “RED WINGS SUCK” with a bunch of photographs glued on. After seeing that sign, the lead singer tells Ryan to look at that sign. Ryan, who hadn’t said a word all concert, steps up to the microphone and says something like this…
Hey “Red Wings Sucks” guy, how did your Avs do in the playoffs? 2nd round? Oh, that’s right. They didn’t even make the playoffs.
The entire crowd that had booed Red Wings fans at the start of the concert goes “Ohhh” much to the dismay of this Avs fan. To say that was entertaining would be an understatement. I liked Yellowcard before this weekend, but man, I like them even more now.
Before the draft weekend, the Columbus Blue Jackets posted an interview with the bassist and here’s the excerpt pertaining to Wings’ fans.
Canada wins gold in WHC
GM Steve Yzerman has added another gold medal to his resume, but this time it came as the GM instead of team player.
Team Canada defeated Finland, 4-2, earlier today to win the gold medal in Moscow where the World Hockey Championship was being held.
The country’s third gold at the event in the past five years only looked in doubt in the final minutes after Petri Kontiola and Antti Miettinen scored late. But the Canadians were able to hold on for the win after Rick Nash scored his second of the game with just over a minute to play.
The win earned St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray his third gold medal in four stints as Canada’s coach in the tournament.
“I’ve had the ability to surround myself with quality people,” Murray told TSN afterwards about his impressive tenure at the world championship.”
You can view a two minute interview that TSN conducted with Steve Yzerman here.
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Steve Yzerman!
The Captain turns 42 today and is over in Moscow as he’s GM for Team Canada in the World Championships.
Guy gets married in hospital
A Detroit Red Wings fan was married in a hospital so that his dad, and lifetime Wings fan, could watch it. His dad was diagnosed with cancer 10 months ago and was unable to leave his bed. Originally, they had planned to say their vows in front of his hospital bed, but the kind nursing staff decided to do a small ceremony in the hospital’s chapel. There was cake, grape juice, gifts, and gift shop flowers in this intimate ceremony.
“I was pretty blown back” by the hospital staff’s efforts, Tim Case said. To honor a mutual hockey affection with his father, the couple wore Detroit Red Wings jerseys.
“My dad’s my best friend,” said Tim Case, who followed his retiring father to the Sunshine State in 1992. For much of the past 10 months, Tim Case has been at his father’s side.
“I quit my job when he was going to start treatment,” he told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens for a story published Friday.
Mind you, these are fans who live in Florida but are in Michigan for medical reasons. Way to go Wings fans. Way to go.
The Facepainter
I usually record Seinfeld episodes and watch them whenever I so feel the desire. It happens that they played “The Facepainter” episode this week, which is about Elaine’s boyfriend, David Puddy, painting his face for a Devils-Rangers playoff game. Talk about perfect timing!
Puddy enters wearing a Devils’ jersey and red and green paint all over his face.
Elaine: What the–
Puddy: So what do you think?
Elaine: What is that?
Puddy: I painted my face.
Elaine (still in disbelief): You painted your face?
Puddy: Yeah.
Elaine: Why?
Puddy: You know, support the team.
Elaine: Well, you can’t walk around like that.
Puddy: Why not?
Elaine: Because it’s insane?
Puddy: Hey, you gotta let them know you’re out there, this is the playoffs.