96warrior

From Kuklas Korner: Darren McCarty is coming to Detroit quicker than expected but not to play. McCarty is bothered by a rib cartilage injury suffered last weekend while playing with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. He will be examined by Wings trainers Friday and will not be on the ice. General manager Ken Holland said trainers will determine whether McCarty is able to play with the Griffins Saturday in Cleveland. McCarty was held out of Thursday’s Griffins game in Milwaukee. “We’re going to see if he’s able to play,” Holland said. “Right now, he’s not able to play. It’s nothing more than day to day.”

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...3/1053/SPORTS05 Updates on Lidstrom, Chelios and Cleary A quick update from the morning skate here at Joe Louis Arena, where tonight the Red Wings play the St. Louis Blues: Nicklas Lidstrom is all but sure to play Sunday, and Dan Cleary is now expected to play by the end of March. Lidstrom, who suffered a sprained right knee Feb. 18 at Colorado, skated again today and reported improvement. “I’m hoping for Sunday,’” he said. “I’m feeling a little bit sluggish because I’ve only skated for two days, and I just want to get a few more practices under my belt.” Chris Chelios, who suffered a chipped right fibula Feb. 22 at Calgary, also skated, but isn’t improving. “Actually, not at all, to be honest with you,” Chelios said. “The key is, it’s not worse than it was. I skated hard today and we’ll see how it feels later today and tomorrow, but I’m being optimistic here that it’s on its way to getting better. I’m not close.” Cleary, who suffered a broken jaw Feb. 9, is pretty much on schedule; he’d been expected to be ready to go the last three games of the season, which fall in April, but Mike Babcock said today that Cleary will play “near the end of the month.” As for tonight, Jonathan Ericsson is in, and Derek Meech is a healthy scratch, Babcock said.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ The Red Wings are practicing late today, getting on the ice at 3:30 p.m. There are plenty of defensemen again (nine). The biggest news is that Nicklas Lidstrom practicing for the first time since suffering a strained MCL in Nashville. Chris Chelios is practicing as well as is Brian Rafalski who had planned on returning to the lineup tomorrow. In case Rafalski isn't ready, Jonathan Ericsson is still with the team. Also, Dan Cleary (broken jaw) is practicing again with football-mask style protection in front of his jaw. Cleary started practicing with the team last Saturday.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Thursday's practice On the ice for Thursday's practice at Joe Louis Arena (an unusual 3 p.m.) are Chris Chelios, Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski. So is newcomer Brad Stuart, meaning five defensemen (no Nicklas Lidstrom) are at practice. Stuart led the Red Wings' stretching exercises (one player does each practice) to hoots and hollers from his new teammates.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Thursday's practice On the ice for Thursday's practice at Joe Louis Arena (an unusual 3 p.m.) are Chris Chelios, Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski. So is newcomer Brad Stuart, meaning five defensemen (no Nicklas Lidstrom) are at practice. Stuart led the Red Wings' stretching exercises (one player does each practice) to hoots and hollers from his new teammates.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/ Draper back in; Kronwall, Hasek to return Friday Posted by George James Malik February 26, 2008 15:24PM It appears that Kris Draper will remain in the Red Wings' lineup tonight: February 26, Detroit Free Press: Quick update here from Rexall Place, where the Red Wings just finished their morning skate in preparation for tonight's game against the Oilers: Kris Draper said his groin felt much better, and he expects to be in the lineup tonight. ... Draper said his groin tightened up Monday "about halfway through the skate and I just came off as a precautionary measure. Today I skated and I felt pretty good, so I want to go." Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) will be back Friday, and Dominik Hasek will back up tonight. Jimmy Howard said he will be flying to Hamilton, Ontario, this afternoon to rejoin the Grand Rapids Griffins. February 26, Detroit News: Draper has some tightness in his groin, but took part in the morning skate Tuesday. If Draper doesn't play, Mark Hartigan will take his place in the lineup. "I think so," Draper said when asked if he would play. "It kind of tightened up (Monday), but today I went for a skate and it felt pretty good." Niklas Kronwall (clavicle) will return to the lineup Friday against San Jose, according to coach Mike Babcock. Brian Rafalski (groin) and Chris Chelios (fibula) are both out. Babcock said Rafalski will be re-examined back in Detroit. Dominik Hasek will backup Chris Osgood Tuesday night and expects to play Friday. Jimmy Howard was to be returned to Grand Rapids later Tuesday. "re-examined" is a bad word where groin injuries are concerned...

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/02/dr...n_injury_h.html Draper out with groin injury, Howard demoted Posted by gmalik February 26, 2008 12:41PM As reported by MLive.com's own Ansar Khan, the Detroit Red Wings will be without Kris Draper tonight against the Edmonton Oilers: February 26, DetroitRedWings.com: Update from Edmonton - Kris Draper will not play tonight due to a sore groin. Meanwhile, Dominik Hasek should be activated from IR later today, and then Jimmy Howard will be assigned to Grand Rapids.

Injury updates: Hasek progressing; Kronwall/Chelios/Rafalski out until Friday at earliest; Lidstrom making progress Posted by George James Malik February 25, 2008 18:16PM Here's a short injury update regarding several banged-up Red Wings from the Detroit News's Ted Kulfan: February 25, Detroit News: Also from Tuesday's morning skate: Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) completed the entire practice and could back up Chris Osgood Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Niklas Kronwall (clavicle), Chris Chelios (fibula) and Brian Rafalski (groin) won't play against the Oilers. Nicklas Lidstrom (sprained right knee) could begin skating later this week, said Holland, and the Wings expect Lidstrom to play in about 10-14 days.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/02/in..._stay_posi.html Injured Wings try to stay positive ahead of match-up against banged-up Oilers Posted by George James Malik February 26, 2008 07:19AM The Red Wings face off against the red-hot Sam Gagner and the Edmonton Oilers with a line-up that's still less than healthy. The Detroit News's Ted Kulfan goes down the injury list with some updates: February 26, Detroit News: Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) practiced and could be ready to back up Chris Osgood tonight against the Oilers. Hasek was hoping to start Friday against San Jose, or Sunday when the Wings visit Buffalo, where Hasek starred earlier in his career. [Red Wings coach Mike] Babcock said [Niklas] Kronwall (clavicle), [brian] Rafalski (groin) and [Chris] Chelios (fibula) will not be available against the Oilers. Babcock and Holland said [Nicklas] Lidstrom (sprained right knee) is progressing well. Holland said Lidstrom could be ready to skate by the end of this week and could be ready to play within two weeks. The Free Press's Helene St. James offers a similar update: February 26, Detroit Free Press: Lidstrom might skate by week's end, though he remains 10-14 days away from playing. Babcock, addressing rumors Lidstrom has a concussion, said, "Have you ever seen a boxer get dazed? That's what happened. He got dazed. No concussion. Zero." Rafalski said his groin feels better and he remains day to day. Chris Chelios (fibula) did not skate and won't be ready before the weekend at the earliest. Dominik Hasek (hip flexor) said he had a good practice, "I didn't have any problems with my injury," he said, "and definitely I will be ready for Friday." There was a moment of worry at practice when Jiri Hudler was hit on his shield by a puck fired by Ericsson and deflected off Kronwall and Mark Hartigan before ramming Hudler. Hudler dropped to the ice but had no worse than a nasty bruise on his left cheekbone.

From MLIVE: Next in line appears to be Garrett Stafford, a 28-year-old five-year AHL veteran in his first season with the Griffins. Stafford is tied with Jonathan Ericsson for the team scoring lead among defensemen with 25 points (including seven goals) in 47 games. If he's recalled, he'd be the second Wings defenseman making his NHL debut in as many games. Top prospect Jakub Kindl is struggling in his first pro season, with three goals and 10 assists and a minus-24 rating

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...n_ice_kron.html Hasek back in gear, on ice; Kronwall to return on Tuesday by Ansar Khan Friday February 22, 2008, 2:49 PM Update from the morning skate in Calgary: Goaltender Dominik Hasek was back on the ice for the first time since the Feb. 9 game in Toronto. Hasek, who has an inflamed hip flexor, tested his movements on the ice and took some shots toward the end of the session. He said he felt good and hopes to start practicing with the team shortly. But he wouldn't speculate on when he might return. Coach Mike Babcock said defenseman Niklas Kronwall (sprained clavicle) will return to action in Tuesday's game in Edmonton, but Brian Rafalski (strained groin) won't play on this three-game western Canada trip. General manager Ken Holland said he will offer Darren McCarty a contract prior to Tuesday. He hasn't been able to connect with McCarty's agent, Pat Morris, who also represented Mickey Renaud, the Windsor Spitfires player who collapsed and died at his home on Monday.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...ife_back_i.html McCarty wanted his life back in order by The Grand Rapids Press Friday February 22, 2008, 3:30 PM T.J. Hamilton/The Grand Rapids PressDarren McCarty says he's still awaiting official word from the Detroit Red Wings on a contract. Grand Rapids Griffins right wing Darren McCarty joined Bill Simonson on "The Huge Show" on Thursday to talk about McCarty's attempt to return to the NHL, likely with the Detroit Red Wings. "In the beginning, it was just about getting back on the ice," McCarty said. "As I was progressing and feeling better and things started coming back to me, I definitely thought there was a legit chance (a comeback to the NHL) would be possible. "I needed to get my life in order to be the person that I want to be and the father that I want to be." Red Wings coach Mike Babock told Simonson on Wednesday that he plans to sign McCarty. "To hear them talk about that is obviously something I look forward to," McCarty said.

The schedule I posted does say the NHL Network. Is the NHL Network in the US different then the NHL Network in Canada? I also confirmed on my on-screen t.v. guide at home that the NHL Network (in the US) is showing the TSN trade deadline show.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl_network/Schedule.asp...mp;Channel=NHLN NHL NETWORK BROADCAST SCHEDULE Pacific - Mountain - Central - Eastern - Atlantic - Newfoundland * Printable schedule for the week Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Time Show 12:00 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 12:30 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 1:00 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 1:30 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 2:00 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 2:30 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 3:00 AM Vintage Games: Vancouver vs NY Islanders from May 8, 1982 5:00 AM Hockey Academy 5:30 AM Top 10 Power Forwards of the 1990's 6:00 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 6:30 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 7:00 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 7:30 AM NHL On The Fly: Final 8:00 AM NHL on TSN: TradeCentre '08 6:00 PM Top 10 Memorable Trades 6:30 PM NHL Cool Shots: Extended Play - Wayne Gretzky 7:00 PM Frozen In Time: Wayne Gretzky Trade 7:30 PM Frozen In Time: Wayne Gretzky's Last Game 8:00 PM Frozen In Time: Patrick Roy Trade 8:30 PM Frozen In Time: Trades of the 90's 9:00 PM NHL On The Fly

I checked my on-screen t.v. guide at home last night and it shows the TSN trade deadline show for the entire day.

Yes. I verfied that the NHL Network is having the TSN trade deadline show on from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m next Tuesday.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ One thing to keep in mind about Darren McCarty possibly being offered a contract by the Red Wings ... that doesn't mean that he'll be playing for the Red Wings. Evan McGrath is under contract with the Red Wings. So is Jakub Kindl. And Darren Helm. If McCarty gets a contract, and he'll need one to continue playing for Grand Rapids past his pro tryout stay, he will still need to be recalled by the Red Wings before he returns to the NHL. That's no small step.

From MLIVE: Lidstrom sustains knee injury, but Wings don't believe it's serious by Ansar Khan Monday February 18, 2008, 8:28 PM Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom sustained a right knee injury early in Monday's game and will not return, the club said. Wings spokesman John Hahn said it doesn't appear to be too serious but he's being held out as a precaution. Hahn said Lidstrom never blacked out and actually wanted to return to the game. Lidstrom needed some assistance to get off the ice and was taken to the training room after a hard hit from Colorado's Ian Laperriere at 6:10 of the first period. It happened during a Detroit power play as Laperriere hammered Lidstrom against the boards, catching him in the chin or throat area with his forearm. Lidstrom tried to get up but was wobbling before trainer Piet Van Zant came onto the ice to help him off. Lidstrom's right leg appeared to get bent in an awkward position. Later in the period, Aaron Downey instigated a fight with Laperriere and basically pounded him into the ground. Lidstrom, a five-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman, is one of the most durable players in league history, having played in 1,430 out of a possible 1,452 games, including the playoffs, since entered the NHL in 1991. And most of the games he missed were instances where the team rested him late in the season.

Hopefully some good news: http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Rafalski out A strained groin will keep defenseman Brian Rafalski out of the lineup Friday against Columbus. Detroit has called up Kyle Quincey to replace Rafalski in the lineup, according to Chuck Pleiness of The Macomb Daily who was at today's practice. Also, defenseman Niklas Kronwall (strained shoulder) said that he's hoping for a return to the lineup on Sunday in Dallas.

http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/win...FTOKEN=62252451 No Rafalski vs. Columbus There will be no Brian Rafalski in tomorrow's line up vs. Columbus. Rafalski has a sore groin and Babcock said the team doesn't want to take the chance of aggravating it. Babcock said the Wings will promote D Kyle Quincey from Grand Rapids. So Quincey, Meech and Lebda on the back end tomorrow night. The average age has dropped considerably in recent days. Also, no Hasek at practice today, and it doesn't seem likely he'll make the weekend trip to Dallas/Colorado.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Matt Ellis will be back in the Red Wings' lineup tonight in Nashville. Here's a look at probable line combinations ... Detroit Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom Franzen-Filppula-Samuelsson Hudler-Draper-Kopecky Drake-Ellis-Maltby Lidstrom-Rafalski Lebda-Lilja Meech-Chelios Osgood (starts) Howard Downey (healthy scratch) Nashville Dumont-Arnott-Radulov Bonk-Legwand-Peverley Gelinas-Nichol-Fiddler Hordichuk-Smithson-Ortmeyer Hamhuis-deVries Zanon-Weber Suter-Zidlicky Mason Ellis

This is in response to the prior posting if the league had said anything. It isn't the league but it is a quote from Stephen Walkom, Director of Officiating: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...musa/index.html o NBC, the network that carries the NHL in the United States that you don't need a Sherpa to find, is Peacock proud of its new flex scheduling. That's a fabulous way to spin that it has dropped regional games -- that were siphoning off the bottom line -- in favor of a single national game. The question, forgetting any motives for NBC's munificence, is: if the network can have the best game, can the NHL have "flex" referees. Chris Rooney and Dan O'Halloran were entrusted with the Ducks - Red Wings game in Detroit on Sunday, a match that the network homed in on after immediately bailing on Penguins - Flyers as soon as Sidney Crosby sprained his ankle. Good call. NBC got everything it wanted: a stirring 3-2 Ducks win in a game redolent of the playoffs in front of a full house, finally, at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit, which had been laying in the weeds during the week, dropping games to lowly Los Angeles and losing in overtime in Toronto in obvious anticipation of the Anaheim match, came hard at the Ducks. Pugnacious Anaheim pushed back as always (even though Ducks fighter George Parros must be more judicious in picking his time to scrap because fights can kill momentum as much as they can spark it.) Unfortunately, Rooney and O'Halloran didn't seem up to the challenge. O'Halloran waved off Nick Lidstrom's apparent tying goal with 41 seconds left because teammate Tomas Holmstrom supposedly interfered with Ducks goalie J-S Giguère. Now, Holmstrom was born with a GPS in his cerebellum. He almost never puts his skates in the blue paint of the crease. Nor did he do it this time. According to replays, he didn't jostle the goalie, either. O'Halloran blew the whistle and made one of those "incidental contact" decisions, the single most vexing option in the rulebook. (Note to NHL: If there is truly goalie interference, call the two-minute minor and disallow the goal. If it isn't, then let them play. The "incidental contact" rule is absurd.) In a league that is contemplating all kinds of out-of-the-box changes to increase goal scoring, a ref took away what appeared to be a perfectly legitimate goal -- two, in fact, counting the one that would have been scored in overtime or awarded for the penalty shootout. There were less egregious examples of misjudgment -- Anaheim's Chris Kunitz escaped punishment for punching Mikael Samuelsson -- but NBC analysts Ed Olczyk and Pierre McGuire, neither of whom are known as ref bashers, were tough on the striped shirts. In a post-game email to On the Fly, Stephen Walkom, director of officiating, wrote that both O'Halloran and Rooney "have worked well" this season and that the call on Lidstrom's disallowed goal "made in real time demonstrated real focus and was truly an exceptional call."Everyone should have a boss as loyal as Walkom. Anyway, while Rooney and O'Halloran might be top tier officials this season, the NHL should settle for nothing less than its top two referees for the game of the week. That, of course, doesn't preclude an officiating misstep -- or "an exceptional call" if you believe the NHL gospel -- but it gives NBC and the league their best chance of the refs not becoming part of the national story.

I have not read the entire thread so I apologize if this has been posted: From MLIVE:Cleary has fractured jaw by Ansar Khan Saturday February 09, 2008, 3:04 PM Quick update after the game: Wings coach Mike Babcock said Dan Cleary suffered a non-displaced fracture of his jaw when he was hit by a shot in front of the net with 5:03 to play in the first period. Babcock also cautioned that that is somewhat unofficial, since he was looked at by Leafs doctors, not Detroit's. No word on how long he'll be out.

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ McCarty on TV For those of you with Comcast ... Comcast Local's monthly Grand Rapids Griffins game will be televised this Saturday (7:30 p.m. vs. Lake Erie Monsters). McCarty should be playing for the Griffins.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...ggle/index.html The 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks spent part of their day off on Feb. 6 at the White House being honored by President George W. Bush. It was only their win over the New York Islanders the previous night that prevented this obvious photo op cutline: One lame duck meets a whole flock of them. U.S. law prevents Bush from maintaining his title beyond next January. It's a little tougher to define what's getting in the way of the Ducks keeping theirs. But one win removed from an ugly six-game losing streak, it's clear that the champs look a lot better on paper than they do on the ice. Despite season-long struggles with chemistry, expectations have remained so high in Anaheim that plenty of folks were ready to plan the parade route when foot-dragging heroes Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne finally came riding in to save the their stumbling compadres. But championships are defended with results, not reputation. After blanking the punchless and skidding Islanders, these Ducks woke up in the morning with just 63 points, good for fifth place in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, that would be enough for entry into the postseason tournament. But the season doesn't end today. If they continue to struggle to find an offensive mix that clicks, especially on the road, these Ducks won't have to worry about hanging on their title. They'll have to worry about missing the playoffs entirely. The Ducks' 3-0 win over the Isles was easily the best performance in two weeks by a team that looked inspired by the return of prodigal son Selanne. It also gave them a four-point lead on the ninth-place Predators. But just eight points separate the Ducks from the 12th-place Blues. That may seem like a comfortable pad, but consider this: St. Louis has five games in hand on Anaheim. And five of the six teams sitting between the two have three games in hand. The other, Columbus, has two. Of course, games in hand are like lottery tickets. They're worthless until they're cashed in. But the opportunity for so many teams to catch or blow by the idle Ducks simply by taking care of business illustrates how precarious their situation is. It took 96 points for Calgary to secure the eighth seed last season. Thanks to the vanillafying effect of parity, the magic number might be as low as 92 now. At the moment, the Ducks are waddling along at a 91-point clip. Injuries have been an issue. The loss of Sami Pahlsson, the heart of their shutdown unit, for nearly half the season has hurt. But every team has to fight through something like that. The real problems have been systemic. Hunger, for one. Last year's team played like starving dogs, tracking down the puck as if it were a hunk of meat. Intensity and relentless physicality made the Ducks the league's most frightening date on the schedule. This year? They're still big and strong, but they're not as ferocious on the forecheck. That's led to fewer scoring chances, a fact borne out by their standing as the meekest offense of any team holding a playoff spot in either conference. The absence of Selanne and the traded Andy McDonald has diminished the effectiveness of alternate captain Chris Kunitz and left Anaheim without reliable secondary scoring. Francois Beauchemin, overworked and overextended, is a shadow of the player he was last season. And the lack of a right-handed triggerman has meant the power play, so critical to Anaheim's success last season, has floundered when the first unit is off the ice. One thing Ducks fans can count on is that GM Brian Burke, arguably the best in the business, won't hesitate to alter the mix further before the Feb. 26 trade deadline. The question is: can he find the right body? Burke has certainly struggled like the rest of his club this year. His major off-season signings, Todd Bertuzzi and Mathieu Schneider, haven't met expectations. Both have experienced bursts of success, but neither has consistently filled the hole they were acquired to address. In-season moves to add size (Brian Sutherby) and scoring (Brandon Bochenski) have had little effect. Burke's one blockbuster deal -- a cap-related move forced by the midseason return of Niedermayer -- has been an unmitigated bust. Doug Weight, picked up from the Blues in exchange for MacDonald, snapped a nine-game pointless streak in the win over the Islanders. He hasn't found chemistry with any of the wingers he's been slotted between. While getting his shots, he's not generating chances for himself or his linemates. He'll be given a chance to click with Selanne, but you can imagine how much more effective the Finnish Flash would be skating alongside his long-time center, McDonald. It's unfair to expect instant results from a man who has been playing tennis for the past four months, but that's exactly what the Ducks and their moribund offense need from Selanne. His speed on the rush and the forecheck add a dimension that's been lacking this season and give the second line a different flavor than the Ryan Getzlaf-led first unit. As the league's top man-advantage marksman last season, Selanne adds a much-needed right-hand shot to the struggling power play. Selanne helps not just on the ice, but in the room, where he was referred to as "a little bit of sunshine" by Burke. That element may be more critical than you'd think. Because now there are no more excuses. No more waiting. Everyone knows the pieces are in place. And that may be enough to finally give the guys in that room the confidence in themselves that they need to finally start playing up to their paper. They'll have to find themselves quickly. Unless these Ducks get their tail feathers in gear, the offseason's going to come awfully early this year.