GROwl

Frankie Sr has been out injured for a good month or so (I don't remember if it was a knee or ankle, but it was a pretty weird hit near the boards next to the Griffins penalty box at the Van Andel Arena). Frankie returned to the lineup last night. I thought he had a very good game especially considering how long he had been out. Jimmy was back in net on Friday after his concussion from the game in Syracuse a week and a half or so ago. Tom Galvin, who got a knee sprain from the same play, also returned to the lineup last night. Jamie Tardif is still out with his injury. He wasn't put on the clear day roster, so the speculation is that he could be out for a while yet. Downey was a healthy scratch last night (was dressed for the warm-ups). My guess is that he'll play this afternoon and give D-Mac a rest. Time for all the boys to get healthy, so that they can return to game shape before the play-offs.

Why do you think Ericsson is built like a brick house? Have you seen him? Yes, he tall - 6'5 - but he's thin. He's a good playmaker, has a hard/fast shot, skates fast, and has lots of energy. But a hard hit (like one from Kronwall) would knock him over. Most of the injuries he's had over the past 3 seasons while in GR are usually a result of getting hit. Over the summer, he could use to eat up and hit the weights.

You are all forgetting that Downey also has to clear waivers...and he has several times this year without getting picked up. No bites at all. The difference between him and Meech/Kopecky is that Meech and Kopecky would be most likely be heading to another NHL city rather than GR. At least Downey is still in the organization for a call-up another day.l

Glad GR had a nice showing; I was in Detroit last night for the 8-2 shelling. I stood with my daughter at the glass during warm-ups (just as we usually do in GR before each game). Two big differences: 1.) With the Griffins, there are a heck of a lot of shots that don't come anywhere near the goal during warm-ups - the glass behind and to the sides of the goal gets banged up really bad. It's very noisy to watch and usually causes new visitors to jump even when they paying attention. Between the volume of the music and the sound of the pucks, you really can't carry on a conversation. In Detroit, its relatively quiet. Even when the Wings miss, its usually just slightly to the right or left on the boards themselves. I don't know if any hit the glass portion. 2.) In GR, the guys are having a ball. Downey's usually messing with the fans, his own players, or the other team. The other guys are laughing. Flipping pucks to kids. In Detroit, its all very serious. Downey was in Detroit last night, but you would have thought it was another guy. Not even a smile. It seemed almost as if they lost their love of the game. Has anyone else noticed differences (other than the skill and speed in the actual game)?

Okay, Babcock!

It's Ritola who's scaring me!

Bob Kaser announced that Jimmy was left in Syracuse last night due to a concussion sustained in the game. Jimmy's from the Syracuse area, so his family is watching over him (important for the first 24 hours after a concussion - unfortunately, from personal experience, I know!). The plan is that he will re-join the team tomorrow in Toronto. Tom Galvin sustained a knee injury in the same pile-up. Bob said it is MCL-related; he is expected to be out at least a month. Hope both get well soon!

Bob Kaser interviewed Tom Galvin during the 1st intermission. The doctors in Syracuse Friday night were far more pessimistic than the ones Tom saw here when he returned from the road trip. The doctors in GR think its only a knee sprain and say that he may be back on the ice mid-next week and playing in the games that weekend. No word on Jimmy other than that the Muskegon goal tender (Ceci) that was the backup after Jimmy's injury was returned to Muskegon and the second Muskegon goalie (Clayton Pool) is Larsson's backup for tonight's game.

Welcome to GR. Make sure you come to the game early if you are interested in receiving the Justin Abdelkader bobble head! First 2500 fans will receive the giveaway, and its likely to be a sellout or close to it. Sometimes you have to go into the front entrance to get the promotion - sometimes any of the entrances. Watch the Griffins website closer to the game. If you're looking for a good place to eat before the game, head to GP Sports in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Its a nice sports bar with many screens and very reasonably priced food. Easy walk through the overhead walkways to the game if its cold or rainy. Another good alternative is The BOB. Its a refurbished old building diagonally across the street from the arena that has a handful of trendier restaurants and bars inside.

I've seen 15-18 Griffins home games so far this season. We usually go to 20-25 total. Larsson is very promising. He started off strong, hit a bit of a rough patch lately - but that could be at least partially attributable to all of the callups/injuries. Since December, the D has been hit by the injury bug - Jon Ericsson's been out many games, Garrett Stafford sat out for a good part of December/January and now Tom Galvin (GR only) is out for at least a month. From what I've seen so far, Larsson has more long term potential than Jimmy in my opinion. Jon Ericsson is having a fair season. He's only played in 40 out of the 62 or so games so far this year due to injury - and he's played through his injuries in several of the 40. Therefore, my "fair" rating doesn't really tell all of the story. If/when he gets back to the form he's been in the past two years, there should be no problem for him stepping into a top 6 D position next Fall in Detroit, given the opportunity.

Since the boys were out of town this weekend, I'm not sure who's paired up with whom. But the 6 D yesterday were Ericsson, Stafford, Kindl, Pyett, Peterson and Kolosov. On Saturday, Pyett sat out and Josza played.

Wow - I watched most of the game via the AHL Live Preview. It really makes you appreciate how easy and inexpensive it is to get tickets and drive Downtown to the home games. The AHL Live Preview was free and, therefore, I can't complain. But its not something I would routinely pay for. I found that if I enlarged it to cover the full screen view, it was kind of blurry. It was very clear if I kept it 3 x 5 inches - but then I had the nitwits on the right part of the screen texting stupid comments all game long. It was equivalent to sitting next to or behind people who are far more interested in chatting all during the game rather than watching the action on the ice. You want to tap them on the shoulder and suggest they go have a drink at the bar behind the arena to catch up on their socializing...but I guess you can't do that online! Then my son kicked me off the computer in the 3rd period so that he could do his homework. The concept of having his math textbook online is great, but it kind of ties him to the office rather than the dining room table. Hard to argue that hockey takes precedence over school work, but I was tempted. So I ended up listening to the rest of the game on WOOD Radio afterall.

Jon started playing this weekend again in the Griffins' 3-in-3 (@ Syracuse on Friday, @ Cleveland on Saturday, and @ Toronto this afternoon). What a welcome back! He's estimated at 85% healthy...but with all the other Griffins' injuries right now, he's playing. Friday: zero points, was 0 +/-, and two penalty minutes; Saturday: zero points, was +2, and two penalty minutes; Sunday (after 1st period): zero points, 0 +/-, and zero penalty minutes so far.

Keep Maltby (unless he's assigned to GR an assistant coach). Many have commented on Leino's skating. What do you bet that he attends some Powerskating "classes" this summer? Didn't Jiri Hudler do that last summer or the one before to improve his skating?

Just curious, who would you send down to GR from Detroit? Maybe we could give Kenny a call? Just for discussion purposes, I'd love to see Leino, Helm, Filppula and Kopecky back. I'm not being too greedy...I'm not asking for Datsyuk or Zetterberg! I'd also welcome back Hudler, Lebda and Meech any day of the week. Maybe Hossa will need some conditioning.

The Mule ones were so much better! But given the subject (Crosby v. Franzen), that's what I'd expect.

I'm thinking about you, Aussie Wing, as I'm multi-tasking tonight: doing my in-law's income taxes... listening to the game...and enjoying a glass of Australian port...

Probably, but can't hurt to try! At least its a game with a decent start time for you in the UK (about 9 pm?). Could be like a normal evening game here (midnight or 1 am for you).

At least you posted it! I knew they are out of town this weekend, but I hadn't even had a chance to look where.

So... I got behind in reading my latest The Hockey News. However, I finally finished it last night. In it, the writers at THN made a bunch of predictions about the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Two of the guesses involved Griffins. One was Ville Leino being traded for a 2nd/3rd defense pairing for Detroit. The other was a trade involving Cory Emmerton and a draft pick for a goalie if I remember right (I passed the magazine on to a friend, so I cannot verify). The more I think about Leino, it kind of makes sense. He's still only signed for just this year. He's not happy being in the AHL, yet I can't see Detroit penning a one-way deal for next season. In the NHL games he's played in, he's shown that he can score. He's still cheap, so he could be attractive for a team who won't make the playoffs and is looking to unload a little salary. Valid trade bait? Yes, in my opinion. Though I don't like GR's playoff outlook without him. While he certainly hasn't carried the team all year, I like the Griffins better with him than without him. I don't see Emmerton as serious trade bait. He's still too young/unproven. And what about Jimmy? Detroit is notoriously hard on goalies and Jimmy has been inconsistent for almost 4 years. He's played some great hockey and he's played through some weaker periods. Especially with Osgood signed for a few more years, how willing is Detroit going to take a chance on Jimmy as a backup next year? I guess I see him more of a potential summer transaction than a trade deadline one. If any of these three (or any other Griffins you think could be trade bait) go, what are your thoughts on GR's playoff run?

1.) I want your job if it allows you to multi-task in such a way! 2.) Ericsson is allegedly practicing on the ice this week

Are you sure - where are the fans? Looking at the uniforms, it had to be Saturday's game (unless it was prior to their recent long road trip). There were 9800+ in attendance Saturday (with most of the empty seats in the nasty sections of the upper bowl).

Has this guy ever seen them play? I confess that I've not seen the Juniors or the ones who are currently in Europe (with the exception of Ryno), so I won't dispute where they are in the list. But the Griffins...I've seen them game after game since they first started their careers in GR...their rankings defy logic. I agree Larsson has more potential than Howard. But Kindl? Granted, he's been playing professionally in North America a year less than Ericsson (and is a few years younger), but I cannot ever seeing him surpass Ericsson. Certainly not in Detroit where +/- is key (as it should be for defensemen). Mursak being the highest ranking forward? He just scored his second goal of the year in Sunday's game. When is this great offensive skill going to kick in? Maybe its in his 6 assists that he's contributed this year. If these two are Detroit's finest prospects in their respective positions, I see a Stanley Cup draught in the future!

The ones of Aaron Gagnon and Sergei Kolosov are great! I love catching the action shots. Looks like they were all taken during the warm-up. If you want to add some hilarious ones, train your camera on Downey. That guy cracks me up. He loves to interact with the fans (especially kids) and the opposing team during pre-game. At Saturday's game, a young lady was holding a baby facing the glass. She had a sign just below the baby that indicated it was the child's first hockey game. Downey skated right up to them and kissed the glass about two inches from the baby's face. He then skated away with that goofy look on his face. What a character!

Stafford would definitely be a lose:lose situation. He has played pretty solidly the last two years for the Griffins and the Detroit organization would get no benefit since he's a Dallas prospect. At least if Ville or Cory were traded, (in theory) we'd see the benefit with a stronger Red Wing team.