Wow, I was amazingly happy to see that we didn't spend the first 5 minutes of the 1st Period bent over and chanting "Thank you, Sir! May I have another?" while Edmonton "beat us like a rented mule." (Thanks, Babs.) We came out looking like we realized we were supposed to be playing hockey and managed some decent shots on net. I almost swallowed my tongue when the first to go in looked like it had been redirected off Lilja. I mean, LILJA! I still think it was actually Bambi's goal, which would make the world make sense again. In other first news, Kronner made it 2-0 on a sweet shot from right in front, Mule was robbed twice by Deslaurier, and Miller bagged it in a move so fast I missed it. We ended the period up 3-0 and I smiled, smiled smiled.
The first ten minutes of the 2nd Period stayed pretty decent and Franzen got a sweet goal at 16:31. The problem was that the Wings seemed to think that a four goal lead gave them permission to get lazy. This pissed me off and led to 2 goals late in the period. Apparently they thought with the lead and a solid 30 minutes of play, they could slack. I say NO SLACKING. EVER.
Okay, the 3rd Period needs to NEVER. HAPPEN. AGAIN. I don't know who came out of the Wings locker room after the 2nd intermission, but they didn't look like my Red Wings. At least, not the Red Wings we've been seeing recently. In fact, they ticked me off so much that I burned the hell out of my finger trying to make dinner and watch sloppy hockey at the same time, so I blame them for that, too. Thankfully, Pasha took a shot with just over a minute left and Stuart deflected it in. It went for a review of a high stick, but since neither Watson nor LaRue were reffing, the goal was upheld and we managed to hold Edmonton off for the last 1:05 for the win. Still, when it comes to blowing a 4 goal lead, I say it should NEVER. HAPPEN. AGAIN.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Holy Shit: DET 1 - NSH 0
Since I was not lucky enough to make it to Detroit for the H2H Extravaganza, I woke up this morning without a hangover bad enough to prevent me from recapping this game. However, I did get up and 6 AM and spend the whole day trying to tire out my ridiculous dog, so I am exhausted. Too bad I don't think it will save you from a boring and long-winded recap.
We looked a little slow in the 1st Period, especially during the first seven or eight minutes. A little slow and a lot sloppy. Way too many turnovers and way too many shots getting through to Howard. Thankfully, James started on time (unlike the rest of the team) and kept us in it while we tried to wake up. Other than that, really the only thing worth mentioning is the fact that this game featured the Worst. Reffing. Ever. Seriously. Justin St. Pierre and Brad Watson are morons. I can think of no other reason for those calls; calls that left us with just over a minute of PK time going into the 2nd.
As for the 2nd Period...well, it looked an awful lot like the first. We had a little more energy and some more quality chances, but Rinne seemed determined to stand on his head in the Nashville goal, so nothing came of it. By the end of the period, we stood at 0-0. Which does not make for the most exciting viewing experience of my life.
After those two, it kind of blurred together. The 3rd Period was a clone of the other two, except on worse ice. Actually after the first minute, the ice seemed to deteriorate every damned second. It felt a little surreal to go three periods and an overtime without a single goal BY ANYONE, but as if 65 minutes weren't enough, we had to go not just to a shootout, but to an ELEVEN ROUND SHOOTOUT. I think my heart stopped halfway through round 6. If it had taken one more round, I think Babcock would have had to send Osgood out to take a shot. Everyone else already had. After Datsyuk, Williams, and Zetterberg all got stoned, Bertuzzi potted his shot to much rejoicing. The joy ended when Steve Sullivan got past Howard immediately after. We then got to watch Filppula, Miller, Holmstrom, Eaves (who fell without shooting...looked like he hit a bad patch of ice and lost his feet), AND Draper in futile attempts before Kronwall finally went and saved the day. I have always loved Kronner, but today he became my hero. Especially after Howard stopped the last Nashville attempt by Bouillon.
Really this game came down to a goaltending contest, which made it more intellectual than heart pounding. Pecker Rinne managed to stand on his head all night, but I have to say I've never seen James Howard play better. Tonight I bow before him. He literally ruled the ice, keeping us in it during our slow start and stepping up every single time he needed to. He was awesome and I hearby nominate him for President of Space (TM-BDS), the Calder, the Hart, Man of the Year, the Nobel Prizes in Peace, Literature, Economics, Chemistry and Physics, Catholic sainthood, and to be the Jewish messiah.
Tonight's win puts us on a season-record 5 game winning streak, jumps us up to 6th, and paves the golden road to the playoffs. Let the carnage begin!
LGRW!!!
We looked a little slow in the 1st Period, especially during the first seven or eight minutes. A little slow and a lot sloppy. Way too many turnovers and way too many shots getting through to Howard. Thankfully, James started on time (unlike the rest of the team) and kept us in it while we tried to wake up. Other than that, really the only thing worth mentioning is the fact that this game featured the Worst. Reffing. Ever. Seriously. Justin St. Pierre and Brad Watson are morons. I can think of no other reason for those calls; calls that left us with just over a minute of PK time going into the 2nd.
As for the 2nd Period...well, it looked an awful lot like the first. We had a little more energy and some more quality chances, but Rinne seemed determined to stand on his head in the Nashville goal, so nothing came of it. By the end of the period, we stood at 0-0. Which does not make for the most exciting viewing experience of my life.
After those two, it kind of blurred together. The 3rd Period was a clone of the other two, except on worse ice. Actually after the first minute, the ice seemed to deteriorate every damned second. It felt a little surreal to go three periods and an overtime without a single goal BY ANYONE, but as if 65 minutes weren't enough, we had to go not just to a shootout, but to an ELEVEN ROUND SHOOTOUT. I think my heart stopped halfway through round 6. If it had taken one more round, I think Babcock would have had to send Osgood out to take a shot. Everyone else already had. After Datsyuk, Williams, and Zetterberg all got stoned, Bertuzzi potted his shot to much rejoicing. The joy ended when Steve Sullivan got past Howard immediately after. We then got to watch Filppula, Miller, Holmstrom, Eaves (who fell without shooting...looked like he hit a bad patch of ice and lost his feet), AND Draper in futile attempts before Kronwall finally went and saved the day. I have always loved Kronner, but today he became my hero. Especially after Howard stopped the last Nashville attempt by Bouillon.
Really this game came down to a goaltending contest, which made it more intellectual than heart pounding. Pecker Rinne managed to stand on his head all night, but I have to say I've never seen James Howard play better. Tonight I bow before him. He literally ruled the ice, keeping us in it during our slow start and stepping up every single time he needed to. He was awesome and I hearby nominate him for President of Space (TM-BDS), the Calder, the Hart, Man of the Year, the Nobel Prizes in Peace, Literature, Economics, Chemistry and Physics, Catholic sainthood, and to be the Jewish messiah.
Tonight's win puts us on a season-record 5 game winning streak, jumps us up to 6th, and paves the golden road to the playoffs. Let the carnage begin!
LGRW!!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
What A MIGHTY FINE Day: MIN 2 - DET 6
I'm not going to be able to manage a regular recap tonight. The whole H2H experience just overwhelmed me, and I wasn't even in Detroit. But I still felt like part of the plan, even sitting on my sofa and yelling at my dog that I couldn't let him out until the next commercial break.
I will say that the 1st period was pretty slow, the 2nd was ca-razy, and the 3rd wrapped everything up beautifully. Franzen scored twice, and Holmstrom, Ericsson, Datsyuk, and Miller each scored a goal. I knew it was a special night when someone mentioned on the WIM game thread that Lilja was +3 and Ericsson was +4 on the night. I mean, what more can you say?
All I'll say is that the game was awesome, and a fitting event for Herm's first ever live game. i hope he enjoyed it as much as we all enjoyed getting him this opportunity. And thanks to the Wings for a solid performance on the anniversary of The Beatdown and the anniversary of Jimmy Howard's birth. Despite him letting in a very weak goal in MN's 2nd of the night, he's been a monster for us and I hope he continues to be for a long, long time.
Today is a day when I'm proud to be a Wings fan. I mean, that's true every day, but today is special. Today we brought Herm to Hockeytown and showed the world why anyone who thinks that Red Wings fans are rude, crude, mean, or classless doesn't know Red Wings fans. We've clearly risen above the average hockey fan, and I like the view from here.
I will say that the 1st period was pretty slow, the 2nd was ca-razy, and the 3rd wrapped everything up beautifully. Franzen scored twice, and Holmstrom, Ericsson, Datsyuk, and Miller each scored a goal. I knew it was a special night when someone mentioned on the WIM game thread that Lilja was +3 and Ericsson was +4 on the night. I mean, what more can you say?
All I'll say is that the game was awesome, and a fitting event for Herm's first ever live game. i hope he enjoyed it as much as we all enjoyed getting him this opportunity. And thanks to the Wings for a solid performance on the anniversary of The Beatdown and the anniversary of Jimmy Howard's birth. Despite him letting in a very weak goal in MN's 2nd of the night, he's been a monster for us and I hope he continues to be for a long, long time.
Today is a day when I'm proud to be a Wings fan. I mean, that's true every day, but today is special. Today we brought Herm to Hockeytown and showed the world why anyone who thinks that Red Wings fans are rude, crude, mean, or classless doesn't know Red Wings fans. We've clearly risen above the average hockey fan, and I like the view from here.
What A Day
March 26, 2010. A date that will live in infamy. For any number of reasons. So many, in fact, that it's tough to figure out where to start, but I'll give it a shot...
- St. Darren's Day: On this day in 1997, Darren McCarty went from beloved Grind Line winger to Hockeytown's Hero when he took Claude "Turtle" Lemieux to the ice as retaliation for Lemieux's 1996 hit on teammate and best friend Kris Draper. It wasn't the first fight of the infamous Fight Night at the Joe Brawl in Hockeytown (that distinction goes to scuffles involving Brent Severyn and Jamie Pushor, then Kirk Maltby and Rene Corbet, as well as a scrap between Peter Forsberg and Igor Larianov that opened the door for McCarty's move) but the McCarty-Lemieux incident is the one we all remember. It was the reason, the motivation, and the culmination of a year's worth of suppressed rage on the part of the Wings and dirty play on the part of the Avs.
We'll never forget it, and we'll never forget Mac for doing it. In fact, he's one of the reasons I became a Wings fan, so thanks, Mr. McCarty. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have guarding my back.
- Jimmy Howard's Birthday:
Image by Reuters/Rebecca Cook c/o Yahoo!Sports
I'd like to wish James Tiberius a Very Happy Birthday, with many, many returns. May he live a long, healthy life in our net! (You know, as long as he continues to play like a top goalie and live up to the kind of "putting the team in teammate" spirit the Wings fans have come to expect. But all he needs to do at this point is hold steady, and I think he'll have it all sewn up.)
- Herm 2 Hockeytown: This one stirs up a wellspring of mixed emotions in me, not least among which at the moment is envy. I'm envious of the rest of the 19 (all, what, 150 of them?) who have managed to make it to Detroit to celebrate this momentous occasion. I wish with all my heart that I could be there to join in the debauch--er, I mean, the festivities.
But even stronger than my envy is the sense of pride I feel in having plaid even an infinitessimal role in this amazing phenomenon. I can't think of any other group of fans who would take it upon themselves to bring an isolated individual from a foreign country to Detroit for the simple reason that they all believe no Wings fan should ever have to endure not having seen the team playing live at their home arena. But the 19 didn't stop there. Oh, no. Not only did they indeed get Herm to Hockeytown, they also raised thousands of dollars in charitable contributions and turned a collection of hockey bloggers into a fund-raising machine.
H2H has proven that no matter what others might say about us, no matter what slurs the Wild fans and the Pens fans and the Hawks fans and the whoever fans throw at us, the true fans of the Detroit Red Wings are just amazingly generous and giving and devoted and simply good human beings. And I'm proud to be part of that group. Hey, we might drink and curse and make lewd suggestions and give shit where shit is deserved, but H2H has proved we're good people. In fact, I think it's made us better people.
So I say, raise a glass to Herm 2 Hockeytown, to Herm, to the 19, and to the Detroit Red Wings. Drink heartily in the knowledge that all the fun you're having doesn't just represent a good time, it represents a good bunch of people, a great bunch of fans, and better things for the kids at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. Hell, that's worth at least two glasses.
And on behalf of those of us who can't be in Detroit this weekend, remember that we're with you in spirit, and have another glass for us. We wish we could join you.
And we CAN'T WAIT for next year!!!
Game Recap: STL 2 - DET 4
There was a bit of a boredom factor in the 1st Period. Not because the Wings were bad, but because they had no urgency. They didn't suck as bad as we've seen earlier this season, by any means, but neither did they seem to display any of the hunger I'd expect at this point in this particular season. Plus, the turnover thing was a little crazy, and led to Kariya's goal at 5:39. Brad Stuart even said it in the intermission interview, that they needed to figure out why they weren't playing hard enough and fix it. I'm all about fixing it.
The 2nd Period started with a rush and a chance by St. Louis, but the Wings finally seemed to find their feet and Z potted an ugly one at 0:26. then he and Bert followed up at 4:35 thanks to the first few minutes of sustained pressure of the game, which made things much more interesting that the 1st had been. James made some nice saves (I feel bad calling him Jimmy after he manned up against Pens#87), and during a 4 minute PK, Miller had a nice breakaway attempt that, of course, he was unable to finish. The pace of the whole period felt much faster than the first, but the last 6 or 7 minutes were blistering. It was awesome.
Of course, the highlight of the 3rd Period was Bambi's gorgeous sweep of a bad rebound from right under Conklin's nose at 13:11 in the period. Seriously, right under his nose. Rafi had fired in a shot from outside the blueline that bounced right off Conks, who seemed to waffle over what he wanted to do with it. It dropped to the ice right in front of him and Filppula came sprinting in between two Blues, swept the puck up with his stick and darted to Conks' left to sneak the puck in behind it. It was a thing of beauty. And with just 12 seconds to go in the game, Bambi sealed the deal with an empty netter. Loved it.
Friday night's game against the Wild is next up, and it also happens to be H2H night, as well as the anniversary of the one and only actual Fight Night at the Joe, the Brawl in Hockeytown, the Day of St. Darren (McCarty). Let's win one for all those reasons and more. Let's win it because we need it.
Let's win it because we're the Red Wings.
The 2nd Period started with a rush and a chance by St. Louis, but the Wings finally seemed to find their feet and Z potted an ugly one at 0:26. then he and Bert followed up at 4:35 thanks to the first few minutes of sustained pressure of the game, which made things much more interesting that the 1st had been. James made some nice saves (I feel bad calling him Jimmy after he manned up against Pens#87), and during a 4 minute PK, Miller had a nice breakaway attempt that, of course, he was unable to finish. The pace of the whole period felt much faster than the first, but the last 6 or 7 minutes were blistering. It was awesome.
Of course, the highlight of the 3rd Period was Bambi's gorgeous sweep of a bad rebound from right under Conklin's nose at 13:11 in the period. Seriously, right under his nose. Rafi had fired in a shot from outside the blueline that bounced right off Conks, who seemed to waffle over what he wanted to do with it. It dropped to the ice right in front of him and Filppula came sprinting in between two Blues, swept the puck up with his stick and darted to Conks' left to sneak the puck in behind it. It was a thing of beauty. And with just 12 seconds to go in the game, Bambi sealed the deal with an empty netter. Loved it.
Friday night's game against the Wild is next up, and it also happens to be H2H night, as well as the anniversary of the one and only actual Fight Night at the Joe, the Brawl in Hockeytown, the Day of St. Darren (McCarty). Let's win one for all those reasons and more. Let's win it because we need it.
Let's win it because we're the Red Wings.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
(This Is Not A) Game Recap: PIT 1 - DET 3
And the reason this is not a recap is because this damned game was on Gary Bettman(ass) Vanity Television(tm) and I couldn't sustain a web feed for more than 2 minutes at a time, so I had to wait with bated (not baited) breath for the final score and the highlights before I could comment on the game. Not having seen the game does nothing to harm my credibility as a commentator. After all, I have zero credibility when I have seen the game.
Anyway, all I can say about this one is, "YES!!! SUCK THAT YOU MOTHERF!*#ERS!!!"
Well, I can also say that I heart Henrik Zetterberg; that my vote goes to Jimmy Howard for President of Everything; that Valteri Filppula shall henceforth be called Bambi on this blog because of his doe-eyes in the Hockeytown: No Limits commercial, but that doesn't discount my love of his increasingly awesome play; and that Pens#87 (because from now on I refuse to acknowledge the piece of trash that is Sidney Crosby by name) makes me want to vomit.
All of the highlight reels tonight feature the stunningly mature actions of an uber-frustrated Pens#87 attacking Zetterberg at the sounding of the horn to close the game. Such a model of the behavior a hockey fan wants to see from the captain of one of the poster-franchises of the league. Way to maintain your dignity there, Pens#87. Nice example for the kids. I'd like to give Jimmy Howard a big, wet kiss, though, for stepping into it and dragging Pens#87 away to the boards in defense of his teammate. Not since the first time I watched little Mikey Vernon launch himself at the behemoth Patrick Roy have I cheered so hard for a goalie. Go, Jimmy! I love you, man!
So, in summary... YES!!! GO WINGS!!!
Anyway, all I can say about this one is, "YES!!! SUCK THAT YOU MOTHERF!*#ERS!!!"
Well, I can also say that I heart Henrik Zetterberg; that my vote goes to Jimmy Howard for President of Everything; that Valteri Filppula shall henceforth be called Bambi on this blog because of his doe-eyes in the Hockeytown: No Limits commercial, but that doesn't discount my love of his increasingly awesome play; and that Pens#87 (because from now on I refuse to acknowledge the piece of trash that is Sidney Crosby by name) makes me want to vomit.
All of the highlight reels tonight feature the stunningly mature actions of an uber-frustrated Pens#87 attacking Zetterberg at the sounding of the horn to close the game. Such a model of the behavior a hockey fan wants to see from the captain of one of the poster-franchises of the league. Way to maintain your dignity there, Pens#87. Nice example for the kids. I'd like to give Jimmy Howard a big, wet kiss, though, for stepping into it and dragging Pens#87 away to the boards in defense of his teammate. Not since the first time I watched little Mikey Vernon launch himself at the behemoth Patrick Roy have I cheered so hard for a goalie. Go, Jimmy! I love you, man!
So, in summary... YES!!! GO WINGS!!!
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