96warrior

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ No Samuelsson at Wings' morning skate Mikael Samuelsson wasn't on the ice this morning. Kris Draper was practicing as though he was going to play. Here are the lines they worked out of ... Franzen-Zetterberg-Hudler Holmstrom-Filppula-Hossa Draper-Helm-Cleary Leino-Abdelkader-Maltby Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Ericsson-Lebda Osgood Conklin Hudler is back up on Zetterberg's line. Perhaps they're anticipating not nearly as much Crosby time for that line and thus a defensive droppoff from Cleary to Hudler is palatable. The fourth and second lines remain intact. The new third line with Draper and Cleary on the wings is a pretty good checking unit if they're out for much time against Malkin or Crosby.

MIKE BABCOCK: Draper can’t play. Abbie is going to go in his spot. Be good for him. Play his natural position. Datsyuk is going to be the same thing as it was the day before. We’ll see. I noticed his stuff was hanging up. They’re hoping they can get him in his boot and get him going.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/ Justin Abdelkader skates on scoring line for Red Wings by Ansar Khan Saturday May 16, 2009, 1:43 PM Update from Saturday's practice: With Tomas Holmstrom struggling (no points in the Anaheim series), coach Mike Babcock used Justin Abdelkader on one of the top lines, with Pavel Datsyuk and Marian Hossa. Here's the lines they skated with: Franzen-Zetterberg-Cleary Abdelkader-Datsyuk-Hossa (Leino) Hudler-Filppula-Samuelsson Draper-Helm-Holmstrom (Maltby) Lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Ericsson-Lebda Meech-Chelios-Lilja (scratches) Osgood Conklin Howard

Wheeler's closed a few years ago.

NEW YORK, April 15, 2009 –Tax Day has a bright side for hockey fans. Starting today, April 15, and through the second round of the playoffs, subscribers to the NHL Center Ice out-of-market package will receive replays of same day games. In this new enhancement which is free to customers, the NHL Center Ice package will re-air each current day’s game beginning approximately one hour after the live game ends so that fans can see games they might have missed. Each game will replay in its entirety and will repeat continuously overnight and the next day, on the same channel, until the following day’s live games begin. The “Replay Game†feature means that there will be approximately 4-5 replays for single, scheduled games. Live games scheduled back-to-back will be replayed in that same order, so that there will be approximately 2-3 replays before game-time the following day. No games will be bumped from the package to accommodate replay games. Blackout and other restrictions apply.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/04/da...go_for_red.html Dan Cleary's touch-and-go for Red Wings' opener vs. Blue Jackets Posted by George James Malik April 15, 2009 07:46AM Categories: Griffins The Macomb Daily's Bruce MacLeod reports that Red Wings forward Dan Cleary suffered an injury which may keep him out of Thursday's series-opener vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets during Tuesday's practice: April 14, RedWingsCorner: Dan Cleary, who left today's practice after a friendly-fire check by Niklas Kronwall, might be well enough to play in Thursday's Game 1 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, according to general manager Ken Holland. Teams don't divulge injury information especially during the post-season. But Holland said that Cleary is "day-to-day". Cleary could skate in Wednesday's practice. His status for Game 1 will be determined after Thursday's morning skate. "It's a minor, minor injury," said Holland. "There's a chance he could be in Thursday." The Detroit Free Press's George Sipple reports that the Wings recalled Ville Leino from the Grand Rapids Griffins for "precautionary reasons" on Tuesday.

Red Wings recall Darren Helm from Grand Rapids, he'll play in Game 1 against Columbus by Ansar Khan Monday April 13, 2009, 3:09 PM The Red Wings have recalled center Darren Helm from Grand Rapids and he will be in the lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs Thursday against Columbus, general manager Ken Holland said. Helm played well for the Wings in the playoffs last year, providing speed, grit and energy. He had two goals, two assists and a plus-2 rating in 18 games. He spent most of the season in Grand Rapids due to a lack of salary cap space. Helm played 16 games for the Wings this season (one assist, minus-7 rating). He had 13 goals and 24 assists and a minus-10 rating in 55 games for the Griffins. No word yet on who Helm will replace in the lineup. Holland said Helm, for now, is the only player being recalled. Ville Leino undoubtedly would be the next player recalled. Holland said forwards Marian Hossa (groin) and Kris Draper (upper-body injury) are expected to practice Tuesday and play in Game 1. He had no update on defenseman Andreas Lilja, out since Feb. 28 with concussion-like symptoms. http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...elm_f.html#more

From MLIVE: Red Wings encourage fans to show off their playoff beards Posted by George James Malik March 31, 2009 15:58PM From the Red Wings' public relations department... March 31, Detroit Red Wings: THE BEARD IS BACK! Playoff Beards Return As Red Wings Look To Defend Stanley Cup Title Detroit, MI...The Detroit Red Wings and their fans will celebrate a long-standing and unique hockey tradition by welcoming back their playoff beards as the Wings begin their defense of their 11th Stanley Cup Championship. "The players and fans are ready to throw away their razors," said Red Wings Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Steve Violetta. "It's our 18th straight trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs...Here we grow again!" The Stanley Cup Playoff beard traces its origins to the early 1980's when the New York Islanders began the tradition on their way to winning the Stanley Cup four years in a row. Since then, the playoff beard has become an annual tradition for both players and fans. Detroit will be skating to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions since the Wings recorded back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. Wings fans can join in "The Beard is Back" theme by going to DetroitRedWings.com to vote for the Red Wing with the best playoff beard, and by submitting photos of their own playoff beards to see how far they can grow through the playoffs. Time to give the non-goatee parts one last shave before the playoffs begin...

April 15

“I don’t care who plays Detroit, if (the Red Wings) decide they’re going to play that way, nobody’s going to beat them. Nobody’s going to beat them in a (playoff) series if they’re going to play that way. Teams are going to be lucky to win games against them. “They played a deliberate game. They played with work ahead of skill, and when you have their skill level, it’s pretty devastating if you’re the opposition.” -Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock after losing to the Wings 4-0 yesterday.

I hope so. I'll be at this game.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/ Update from Wednesday's practice: Marian Hossa said his neck is still a little stiff, so he won't play Thursday against Calgary. He is hoping to return for Saturday's game in St. Louis, which ironically is where he was injured on March 3.

Anaheim/Atlanta Trade Blog: KK Hockey By Paul 03/04/09 at 03:13 PM ET | Comments (0) via Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, We’re told Atlanta has dealt Erik Christenson to Anaheim in exchange for prospect Eric O’Dell—the Ducks’ second pick, 39th overall, last year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3946240 Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings The Red Wings have never been shy about adding pieces come trade deadline time. Over the past decade or so, Chris Chelios, Bill Ranford, Larry Murphy, Jamie Macoun, Wendel Clark, Mathieu Schneider, Todd Bertuzzi and Brad Stuart have all made their way to Joe Louis Arena for late-season runs. The Wings haven't won the Cup every year they've made a deal, but GM Ken Holland said if you just judge deadline deals on whether a team wins a championship, then every year there are 29 teams who go bust at the deadline. "If you don't win the Cup people think you made bad moves," he told ESPN.com this week. Instead, Holland points to his team's recent moves as an illustration of how winning a Cup is a process and how deadline deals are a part of it. In the two seasons prior to the lockout, Detroit was knocked off in the first round (2003 by Anaheim) and second round (2004 by Calgary). In 2006, despite winning the Presidents' Trophy, the Wings were upset by eighth-seeded Edmonton. The next season, Holland raised eyebrows by acquiring Bertuzzi, who had played just seven games during the 2006-07 season because he had a bad back, for prospect Shawn Matthias and a second-round pick. It was a move that many would consider one of Holland's rare missteps since taking over as GM in June 1997. Holland views it differently. He recalled Bertuzzi's playing well in a physical first-round series against Calgary, a series Detroit won in six games. In the 2007 playoffs, Robert Lang, acquired at the 2004 trade deadline, and Schneider, another deadline acquisition from before the lockout, helped the Red Wings come back to defeat favored San Jose in the second round and push Anaheim to six games in a series that was painfully close. "I think it worked out beautifully," Holland said. "We needed some playoff success to keep people believing in the program." Bertuzzi, Lang and Schneider moved on, but Holland points to that playoff year as being crucial to the team's 2008 championship run. "We didn't win the Cup with Schneider and Lang, but we did a lot of winning," Holland said. "When we were challenged in '08, we were ready for the challenge. If we lose in the first round in '07, I don't know that we win the Cup in '08." Holland equates the trade period to a student's preparing for exams. Be prepared. Like many GMs, Holland will work the phones and assemble a list of players that might be available given a team's performance as it heads toward the trade deadline. Then, it's a question of whether Holland and his staff believe the assets they have to offer, generally picks and young players in the minors, represent good value for the piece they're looking to add. Sometimes, it's not Plan A that makes the difference, but an alternative plan. Last year, Holland and Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi chatted at length about veteran defenseman Rob Blake. Holland was interested in Blake given his Stanley Cup experience, but the defenseman wasn't interested in waiving his no-trade clause (he remained with the Kings before signing with San Jose as a free agent in the offseason). So, early in the afternoon of deadline day, Holland and Lombardi swapped calls and turned their attention to another Kings defenseman, Brad Stuart. Lombardi wanted second- and third-round picks. Like a home buyer, Holland came up with some comparables for other defensemen of Stuart's age and productivity, and the two teams agreed on second- and fourth-round picks for the big defenseman who went on to play a key role during the finals against Pittsburgh. Stuart later signed a multiyear deal with the Wings. "It's got to work for both teams," Holland said of the process. "There's no one way to do deals. There's no cookie-cutter way to make a deal." --Scott Burnside

Avery a Ranger.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/03/li..._to_grapes.html The Windsor Star's Dave Waddell spoke to Lidstrom directly about Cherry's comments, and he responded in the "Canadian way," as Cherry would say. In other words, he did so classily: March 2, Windsor Star: "I thought we'd proved all that last season by winning the Stanley Cup," said Lidstrom when asked what the Wings had left to prove to critics who go beyond Cherry. "There's 29 other teams that didn't win it that wanted to win it. Just look at our record." Nick even managed to crack a joke about his plans for any future meetings with "Grapes": "I think I've said 'hi' to him when I've seen him here," Lidstrom said. "Maybe (I'll) check him (the next time I see him). He's a character. He brings a lot of entertainment when he speaks. Sometimes he's right and sometimes he's wrong. I think just seeing him in his suits brings laughter from people."

Renney Fired Blog: KK Hockey By Paul 02/23/09 at 12:05 PM ET | Comments (0) NHL Live announces Renney firing! Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers | KK Hockey

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/02/pu..._the_table.html The Detroit Free Press's Helene St. James reports that the Red Wings' brass had their pre-trade deadline powwow this past weekend in Naples (you know, the sunny Florida locale where all the hockey mucky-mucks meet). Holland remained in information-sharing mode in his conversation with St. James, stating that he and Johan Franzen's agent, Marc Levine, have made good progress...But Holland has one more big meeting to make before he can pursue negotiations with Marian Hossa's camp in earnest: February 17, Detroit Free Press: "I think we're in the ballpark, but we don't have a deal done," Holland said Monday. "They know I want to talk to Ritch Winter regarding Marian Hossa. Franzen's camp hasn't moved the extra mile, and neither have I. I haven't gotten quite as far along with Hossa, and I do want to explore that and then sit down with our owner and make a decision on what to do. I think we have a chance to keep both players, but that does mean other players have to move."

I work downtown. I believe this way would be the easiest way to get to Cobo roof. Do know that the Lodge exit off of 94 is a left exit.

Franzen not playing tonight: Franzen In A Cast via Ansar Khan of Mlive, Update from Tuesday’s morning skate in Nashville: Wings forward Johan Franzen will miss at least the next three games because of bruised tendons in his right hand. Coach Mike Babcock said Franzen might be ready to play Sunday against Colorado. A hand specialist put Franzen in a cast. He was injured early in Saturday’s game against Edmonton when he was hit by a shot. Ty Conklin will start in goal tonight against the Predators and there are no lineup changes.

Ville Leino scratched tonight for Red Wings by Ansar Khan Wednesday February 04, 2009, 11:19 AM Update from Wednesday's morning skate: Ville Leino is the odd-man out tonight for the Wings, as Darren Helm, recalled from Grand Rapids Tuesday, will be inserted into the lineup against Phoenix. "He's been so good, a goal and an assist, a plus-2,so I scratched him today,'' coach Mike Babcock said. "That didn't really make any sense, but he'll be back in the next game (Saturday vs. Edmonton). "He's been really good, (has) good puck skills, good determination on the puck. As he gets used to the league, he'll get quicker, but he's an NHL player, he's going to be a point-producer.'' Babcock said Helm will be "warming up'' on a line with Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson.

From the Free Press: Tomas Holmstrom hasn’t played since Thursday, when a groin injury flared up beyond what Holmstrom could endure. Holmstrom didn’t sound very optimistic speaking about his injury today. He had an MRI exam but said it’s being sent to a specialist in Philadelphia. Local doctors, Holmstrom said, “couldn’t find anything, but they couldn’t find it last time, either, when I was sore. So we’re sending it to a specialist. So we’ll see tomorrow.” Holmstrom said the problems began a week ago. “Something happened in the Columbus game, and I was really sore the next day, and then I pulled it (in the) last 10 minutes in the Dallas game, too,” he said. “Since then, it’s been really sore. There is something there for sure. I tried to skate yesterday, and it was just getting sorer and sorer the longer I skated.” Asked whether it was similar to what he had late last season (after which he ended up having surgery for a sports hernia), Holmstrom said, “Yeah, it’s in the same area, but on the other side. We don’t know yet what it is. I’m really concerned. It’s getting closer and closer, and I don’t know what to do. Playoffs is not that far away, either, so we have to figure something out, what to do. It feels awfully close like last time, same kind of pain when I’m skating.” Holmstrom played through pain in last spring's playoffs but said, “I don’t want to do that again. That was no fun. I took injections, and you can’t start taking injections now -- it’s February. You can’t take injections the rest of the season.” I asked coach Mike Babcock for his thoughts, and he sounded far more optimistic about Holmstrom. “Tommy sat down in my office at the start of the year and thought he wasn’t going to be able to play this year because his knee was so bad, and then he played in Game 1,” Babcock said. “So he’ll be back, and he’ll be playing.”

Lang Undergoes Successful Surgery Blog: KK Hockey By Paul 02/02/09 at 03:56 PM ET | Comments (0) MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens announced Monday that forward Robert Lang underwent successful surgery to repair a severed Achilles tendon on his left leg. The 38-year old forward is presently recovering from surgery and will be out indefinitely. Lang suffered the injury during the third period of Sunday afternoon’s game against the Boston Bruins, at the Bell Centre. He was transferred to the Montreal General Hospital where surgery was performed on Sunday night.

Homer out with a groin strain: MLIVE Red Wings recall Justin Abdelkader from GR, as Tomas Holmstrom out with groin strain by Ansar Khan Friday January 30, 2009, 1:49 PM Update from Friday's practice: The Wings recalled forward Justin Abdelkader from Grand Rapids. He'll make his season debut Saturday afternoon in Washington. They sent forward Aaron Downey back down to the Griffins. Henrik Zetterberg (back spasms) and Tomas Holmstrom (sore groin) didn't practice and won't play Saturday. Jiri Hudler also didn't practice due to a sore left foot, caused by blocking a shot on Thursday. Coach Mike Babcock said Hudler will be a game-time decision. If he can't play, Derek Meech will fill his spot up front.

Hope they are available to play tonight.