Shutemdown

Not only am I very excited to see Datsyuk and Hossa on a line together, I'm actually really excited to see Franzen playing on a line with Zetterberg. I think that it will help Franzen to continue scoring like he was (maybe not exactly to the same extent), but having him on a line like that will only increase his productivity. The only other real question / concern I've had all along is... what happened to Darren Helm? I know he was brought up come playoff time last year, and I know that he wasn't a solid, gaurunteed spot on the roster, but does anyone else think that the kid REALLY earned a spot last year? Of our whole team, Helm was one of the main players I would get excited about when they touched the puck. That kid was a GREAT fit on our team. I know he'll flourish whether he's in GR or playing in the line-up, I just wish we were able to give him a spot right out the gate. Not only did he bring some much-needed speed, tempo, and drive to the team, but I feel he deserves it. He worked his ass off during the playoffs and really helped in our run to glory. Of all the players on our team, he was one of maybe 5 players on our team that never seemed to slow up or give up, and was playing HARD hockey from the second he touched the ice to the second he was leaving it. He really gave 110%. I can only hope this kid continues to get playing time... he's awesome.

In a way, I kind of agree that Chelios is causing problems on the roster. We all agree that he's invaluable in regards to the knowledge he can pass to our younger kids, from just years of experience, but on a ROSTER, like SIGNING UP TO PLAY, he's taking a spot that could otherwise be used by a young up-and-comer. If you want him to mentor the kids, put him in a suit and call him the defensive coach, who cares? Bottom line, at this point with the huge log-jam on defense and the salary cap, it's ridiculous to sign some guy just because he's too stubborn to hang 'em up. When he's 60 and still wants to play, will we continue feeding him contracts?

Off-topic? What?

It's very cool and also very unfortunate that Zetterberg and Datsyuk will be split up. In one regard, spreading our talents out between 2 or 3 lines is genius, as it forces the opposing team to try and match-up. The more combos and talent spread out, the harder it is for the opposing team to match it, counter it, or even defend against them all. That being said, I will admit that it's hard to see Pav and Hank split up. Yeah, we all kind of got used to seeing them randomly seperated in certain games, or in a couple of games in last year's post-season, but no one can deny their incredible chemistry with eachother. It's like no matter where they were on the ice, they had full knowledge of where the other was, and where he was going to be. That kind of chemistry cannot be taught, but rather it comes from years of playing on the same line. I still think that Flip-Franzen-Hossa would be a GREAT second line. Also, I kind of thought that Samuelson should be on the 4th line. I think Drapes-Cleary-Hudler would make a great 3rd line as is, and also they've all become used to playing on the same line, and again... with that comes an invaluable chemistry. I'm not saying the lines don't look great how they were said, but there are small changes / tweaks that I would make to preserve the chemistry of the team, and individual lines combos.

I would love to see Ville Leino get some playing time this year!

Here's a full article talking about the Prospects Tournament, taken directly from Redwingscentral.com: The Detroit Red Wings have invited nine free agents to try out at their annual prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., beginning Sept. 13. With the Red Wings dangerously close to the 50-contract limit, competition for jobs will be tight. The Red Wings have not signed a free-agent prospect out of training camp since taking on forward Nathan Robinson in 2003. The following is a review of the preliminary invitees (listed alphabetically with position, age, height, weight, statistics, and 2007-08 team). Jordan Foreman, F, 21, 5-09, 165, 65-28-34-62-155, Niagara (OHL). The 5-foot-9 center isn't big, but he won the 2005 Memorial Cup with the London Knights and became a fan favorite with his big hits and willingness to drop the gloves. Francis Pare, F, 21, 5-10, 185, 69-54-48-102-54, Chicoutimi (QMJHL). Pare racked up 54 goals and 102 points last year and was named MVP of the QMJHL. He has already signed a contract with Grand Rapids for 2008-09. Brent Raedeke, F, 18, 6-00, 190, 72-15-16-31-62, Edmonton (WHL). Raedeke went undrafted in 2008 despite being rated as the 106th North American skater by Central Scouting. He plays a good two-way game but is inconsistent. Bryce Swan, F, 20, 6-03, 198, 67-25-24-49-109, Halifax (QMJHL). The former second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks has battled inconsistency during his junior career. He has a strong net presence, but skating needs work. Cody Thornton, F, 22, 5-10, 165, 27-18-24-42-26, Saint Mary's University (CIS). Thornton, a former OHL standout, went the university route and was named to Canada's all-rookie team last season. He is a small, skilled forward. Cameron Cepek, D, 20, 6-2, 181, 58-7-18-25-119, Edmonton (WHL). Cepek uses his body and stays at home. He was a Montreal Canadiens' seventh-round pick in 2006 but wasn't able to land a contract with the Habs. Travis Ehrhardt, D, 19, 6-0, 180, 54-7-22-29-53, Portland (WHL). Ehrhardt is a puck-moving defenseman, but offense has been hard to come by. He posted career-best numbers last season (29 points) after a mid-season trade to Portland. Brian Lashoff, D, 18, 6-2, 185, 50-5-15-20-44, Barrie (OHL). Barrie Colts assistant coach Drake Berehowsky once called Lashoff "the complete package." He is mobile with a big shot and the younger brother of Boston Bruins first-rounder Matt. Joey Ryan, D, 20, 6-1, 204, 26-0-9-9-35, Gatineau (QMJHL). Ryan is a physical defenseman who likes to hit. The former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings has battled injuries and sometimes makes poor decisions with the puck.

Probably wouldn't happen in a million years. Being the man that's already kind of been slated as "the next captain / RW for life", I doubt the organization would ever let him go. It's scary to say, but if Hank demanded more money, I can see them even denying Franzen to keep Zett around. Luckily, between our amazing management and Hank's dedication to the team, we don't have to worry about that. They'll come to a compromise somewhere soon and it will all get worked out. Like someone said earlier, he's making some decent cash on the side with Easton. Assuming he signs for around 6.5M, that's like getting an extra $2M just from that single endorsement, on top of other deals he's undoubtedly getting offered. I can imagine money isn't the biggest thing on his mind right now. At least not enough to leave his new home.

Thought this was kind of cool... Did anyone else know that Hank's fiancee, Emma, was the winner of a show in Sweden, the equivelant of America's 'Survivor'? That might explain how they met. Lucky bastard... Also, notice in the last picture, Zetterberg's rockin' a Detroit baseball cap in Sweden! Represent!!

http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ08_27.shtml Full article is here: Two of the most valuable personnel with the Detroit Red Wings shared the Stanley Cup early in August in Stockholm, Sweden. If there was any justice, the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable contribution to the playoffs would have been presented to Hakan Andersson, the Director of European Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings. Since joining the franchise in 1989, he has contributed to securing a sensational team based on European draft picks: Nicklas Lidstrom with pick number 53 in 1989, Tomas Holmstrom with the 257th selection in 1994, Pavel Datsyuk in 1998 with the 171st pick, Henrik Zetterberg with the 210th choice in the 1999 draft, Niklas Kronwall with the 29th pick in 2000, Jiri Hudler with selection number 58 and Valtteri Filppula with pick number 95 in 2002 and Johan Franzen, 2004's 97th selection. His track record is nothing short of sensational. At 9AM on Saturday, August 2, Andersson was handed the Stanley Cup. Beaming, he took the trophy to visit a company that manufactures coffee makers, which just so happens to employ his wife. Gustav Nyquist, Detroit's fourth round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, was one of about 100 people that attended a party to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory. Hakan hopes to have caught lightning in a bottle once again, as he has high hopes for the small Swedish centre who played 2007-08 with Malmo. Henrik Zetterberg displays his plan to keep the Stanley Cup in Sweden. Andersson's day was shared with another MVP, this time, the actual Conn Smythe winner for 2008. Henrik Zetterberg had an extraordinary playoff, tying Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby in playoff points with 27 and tying teammate Johan Franzen with a playoff-best 13 goals. Zetterberg proved that, although he is a proficient scorer and an outstanding defensive forward, by combining excellence at both ends of the ice, he is not only well deserving of the playoff honour, but deserves recognition as one of the finest players in the game today. Zetterberg collected the Stanley Cup at 4:30 that afternoon in Sundvall, due north of the Swedish capital. Henrik recently got engaged, and his fiancée, Emma, was the winner of a Swedish version of 'Survivor.' They live in a fabulous house overlooking the sea that, at one time, served as a retirement home. In spite of the drizzle, Henrik's party guests, numbering about a hundred, gathered in large tents set up in the backyard of his home. Along with wonderful food, revellers drank and sang traditional Swedish folk songs, with Henrik joining right in on each one. The dancing and fun continued until 5:00AM. Once again, the Stanley Cup is used as a baptismal font, this time for Zetterberg's nephew. On Sunday, August 3, surviving on but a few hours sleep, Henrik prepared the Stanley Cup for what is becoming a Swedish custom. Henrik's sister Ulrica and her husband Jans have a two-and-a-half year old son, Viktor, and on this morning, Henrik's nephew was baptized using the Stanley Cup as a baptismal font. Fifteen family members and friends gathered on Henrik's deck to watch the special ceremony. At noon, Zetterberg was at his boyhood rink in Njurunda, the guest of honour at a civic reception that brought 3,000 fans together to salute the Red Wings star. Civic dignitaries delivered speeches, and then Henrik signed autographs and posed for photos in his old, familiar rink. Observing a touch of nostalgia, the Stanley Cup visited Zetterberg's childhood home, where at one time, hockey wasn't the only sport in his world. "I was almost as good at soccer as I was in hockey," admitted Henrik, pointing past a hedge to a sporting area where he once would have spent most of his days. There sat a tennis court and a soccer field. "They used to make a rink for the neighbourhood kids there, too," he added. Zetterberg celebrates with over 3,000 fans at his boyhood rink in Njurunda. The nostalgic sojourn ventured to nearby Timra, where Henrik played from 1997-98 to 2001-02, and again during the locked-out season (2004-05). His number 20 has been honoured by the Red Eagles, who he captained in 2001-02. Again, a thunderous ovation awaited Zetterberg when he arrived. Taking the Stanley Cup out onto the ice, 4,000 cheering fans had their ovation reign down on the 'local boy made good.' Jonathan Hedstrom, who spent 2005-06 with Anaheim, plays for the Timra Red Eagles these days, and Henrik got his prank on, putting the Stanley Cup in his pal's stall and taking a picture so that the next time Hedstrom's at the rink, he'll see what he missed. Later that evening, Henrik and Emma returned to their home with the Stanley Cup. After having a nice dinner, they spent some time admiring hockey's greatest gift, and then tired, packed it up and packed it in. * * * A trip to Finland is on the itinerary next for the Stanley Cup Journal, and on Friday, we'll tell you how scout Ari Vuori and centre Valtteri Filppula celebrated with Stanley.

Ever since we signed Howard, people have been saying to put him in net and let him play. Unfortunately, he really hasn't had THAT MUCH NHL experience yet, at least enough to deem him NHL ready. For this reason, I still think he'll be in GR this year. The more I hear about him, though, the more it seems like people are starting to doubt whether or not he'll ACTUALLY be the DRW goalie of the future. I understand that he'll need a chance to show he can compete, but doesn't it seem by now that we'd be hearing alot of good things about him? Whenever Babs or Holland is asked about Howard, they respond with a "we'll see" type answer, not a "Oh, yeah, he's ready to play. He's really going to make an impact, etc." I think I got more excited after I heard that we had signed Daniel Larsson, after reading about the awards he's recently earned himself. Also, McCollum seems like a really strong draft pick, and almost seems like he'll be VERY good once he puts on a little bit more size and gets a little bit more experience. I honestly DON'T see Howard being a long-term solution to our goalie situation, but hell... Ozzie is still kickin' ass, so I guess this would all just be speculation, anyways. We'll just have to wait and see. As with most other posts discussing individual players on the team, I'll end this by simply saying: I trust in Kenny Holland and Mike Babcock to make the right decisions and to play the player that deserves a spot.

Taken from the Detroit Free Press, August 26th: USA Today: Red Wings are obvious No. 1, but don't count your chickens ... I have no scoop about Mats Sundin’s intentions. In fact, at this point, I’m perfectly content to allow him to live on an island and study the works of Socrates if that’s what he prefers to playing hockey. As an antidote to Sundin rumor fatigue, I offer my pre-labor special power rankings, fully acknowledging that they will undoubtedly change dramatically once Sundin decides whether he loves this game or not. 1. Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings are the New York Yankees of the NHL. You can hate them if you want, but they have more talent than any other team by far. The only caution is that there was another pro sports team in Detroit that was supposed to march to the title this summer and that didn’t go as planned. 2. Montreal Canadiens: This team may score 280-plus goals this season. Mike Komisarek is one of the more underrated players in the league. I didn’t like Bob Gainey’s decision to turn over the goaltending to Carey Price last spring, but I think he will be ready this season. 3. Pittsburgh Penguins: I’m not sure I believe Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko can make up for the loss of Hossa and Ryan Malone. But I do believe that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin can be among the scoring leaders even if they had a trained chimpanzee on their wing. The Penguins will be in the Stanley Cup mix as long as Crosby is captain. 4. San Jose Sharks: It’s almost as if everyone has forgotten that San Jose had more regular-season wins than any NHL team except the Red Wings. Dan Boyle’s arrival will improve the transition and new coach Todd McLellan will freshen the outlook. 5. Dallas Stars: With Sean Avery now joining Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott, this team will have the annoyance factor of fingernails across a chalkboard. They have enough offense now and their goaltending and defense is better than you think. 6. Anaheim Ducks: You have every right to worry about whether this team has enough offense, particularly if Teemu Selanne doesn’t come back. But as long as they boast Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger anchoring the defense, they will be in contention. 7. New Jersey Devils: Marty Brodeur is still king of the goaltenders and the defense is dependable, and that means their goals-against total will again be in the 210 range at the end of the season. They will be in the hunt. 8. Washington Capitals: As I’ve mentioned before, this is the NHL’s most intriguing team. I usually don’t believe it’s advisable to sign players to contracts over five years, but I think the Capitals' move of signing Ovechkin to 13 years was shrewd. He eventually will be to the Washington Capitals what Gordie Howe was to the Red Wings. 9. Calgary Flames: Mike Keenan, Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf are painful to play against. Keenan is also painful to play for. The Flames need more goals, but their defense and goalkeeping are enough to carry them. 10. New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist is No. 2 behind Brodeur among Eastern goalies. Regardless of how the offseason moves work, he keeps the Rangers in the hunt. 11. Ottawa Senators: I don’t like their goaltending, but I still like their offense. Who’s betting that Martin Gerber doesn’t finish the season as the team’s No. 1 goalie? 12. Tampa Bay Lightning: Owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie moved around their pieces this summer like they were running a pea and shell game. It’s difficult to know exactly where they are at right now, but they have a lineup that fascinates me. I honestly don’t know if they will be first or last in their division, but my hunch is they could improve as dramatically as the Flyers did this past season. 13. Buffalo Sabres: Tomas Vanek scored 36 scored at 23 and somehow fans view him as a disappointment because the Sabres are paying him a bundle. Daniel Briere and Chris Drury left and Jason Pominville and Derek Roy stepped up. They look like a playoff team to me. 14. Philadelphia Flyers: Paul Holmgren is a rising managerial star. He runs wide open in his race to make this team a contender. He seems to manage with intensity, looking at every possible scenario. He manages the way he played. 15. Carolina Hurricanes: The ‘Canes were 10 games over .500 last year and were banged up all season with injuries. If Cam Ward is sharp, this will be Hurricane season. 16. Chicago Blackhawks: This is my guilty pleasure selection. Sure they aren't there yet, but I like the direction Dale Tallon has them headed.

So I guess it's fair to assume that MOST of the people on these boards are looking at San Jose and Dallas as the top 2 competitors in this year's season. That being said, there seems to be a shared disregard of the Eastern Conference, and, although they all seem to be of a lesser caliber, there are some teams in the east that might make a splash this year... The Habs, of course, have improved their roster in the last couple of seasons, and adding Alex Tanguay, Marc Denis, and George Laraque early in the summer has solidified their roster. If they picked up Sundin (who the hell knows, anymore?), they'd be a team worth keeping an eye on. The Rangers are a team that I've been noticing more and more lately. They already had Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, both proven forwards with years of experience, and in signing Marcus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev, have added even more firepower to their team. Couple that with Wade Redden and Marc Staal anchoring the defense, and Henrik Lundgvist in goal, they'll be a team worth watching. The Caps are improving more and more every year. Ever since finishing nearly dead last a couple of seasons ago, they've added a new coach and turned the team around. Their roster, on paper, is awesome... Nicklas Backstrom, Sergei Federov, Viktor Kozlov, Michael Nylander, Donald Brashear, and of course, Jesus on skates (Ovechkin). Jose Theodore will provide more solid goaltending if he can play like he did last year. (Even though he was invisible in the playoffs). All of this being said, I'm in no way saying ANY of these teams could necessarily compete, especially with the Red Wings, but they're teams that deserve honorable mentions and a quick glance every now and again. All three teams are on the upswing. Wings will still repeat in '09, though. No need arguing that!

Eh, they can have him... If we had drafted Edler, then we probably wouldn't have Franzen right now.

Wait, seriously? I thought we instantly won the '09 cup already when we signed Hossa? Like a package-deal type thing? I knew Marian Hossa and the Stanley Cup seemed too good to be true for $7.45M... Does that mean we'll actually have to try to repeat?

Alright, so... It's the offseason and I just feel like talking about hockey. Let's say there was a minute left in a game, the Wings were up by one goal, trying to maintain the lead. Who would you rather have on the ice if you could only have one or the other? Why?

Don't forget about Sean Avery! I know people disregard him as a clown or a no-talent fashion diva, but he'll add some production to their team, while ever-increasing their "instigation" factor... With Ott, Avery, and Ribiero (I think there might even be one more), they're going to be the most annoying team to play. However, looking at it from the Stars' side, I can believe they're fine with that...

Based on their increasing success in the league, and like you said-- some key moves in the last couple years, Chicago will become a contender within a couple years. Even more exciting, like you said, there's a possible rivalry there, seeing as Chicago has showed up to play the Wings in the last couple seasons. If they're able to get in stride, this will prove to be a very interesting match-up in upcoming years.

Haha... there we go. Now it looks accurate!

Meh... The only teams that I'll actually be looking out for are Chicago, Dallas, and Montreal. Pittsburgh is s***ty. Edmenton isn't going to be amazing. Tampa Bay looks to have a good team this year. Philly and Washington will be solid.

If there's any dead-weight on the Red Wings bench, it would be Cheli. Not only is he contending for a spot on D while we have a huge log-jam, he's now going to be taking a spot of someone else who could be getting NHL ice-time , whilst playing with diminished skills. Honestly, I might catch some heat for it, but in this case, I think the Wings were too loyal in regards to Chelios. This isn't the only problem, but it's now causing the team to trade away someone else in order to fit space on D. Lilja OR Lebda shouldn't be the one to go. I don't understand alot of you saying that Lilja had a limited role on this team. I think he's WORTH the salary he's getting, and I believe he should remain on the team and remain in the line-up. If we're going to get into actual stats and performance, ability and overall play, I wouldn't say the problem lies in Lilja, or that he should be traded. Lilja and Lebda made a strong defensive pairing that should be kept together. for about 2mil, the Wings have their 3rd defensive pairing locked up, and a minimal hit to the salary cap. Chelios is dead weight. Put him in a suit.

I would take less money to play here solely to play beneath Mike Babcock and Kenny Holland, arguably two of the best men to ever do their jobs. On top of that, look at the team assembled and ready to play. I'd take way less money just to play on any team with Pav and Hank and Lids. And on top of that, knowing that this team will be in place for awhile and will grant numerous solid chances at winning a cup... where do I sign?

Just found this article on the Detroit Free Press: http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ08_25.shtml Apparently Andreas Lilja is a huge history buff? I had no idea... Franzen gets the cup on Friday!!

Alright, I've been bored lately... I'm really excited to see how Hossa impacts the team. He's a huge bump for the team. Plain and simple: Who do you think should play on his line? If you were the coach, who would you put on the second (or first) line with him?

I will admit that collecting hockey cards when I was younger is what ACTUALLY got me into hockey. I started playing everyday with my neighbors, which then became playing on teams and so on... I still have all of my old hockey cards somewhere in my parents house... I know I have probably 10 full binders of just Red Wings sets. The minute I figured out what hockey was, I got into it. Finding out that our home-team was f'in sweet just made it that much easier to fall in love with the Red Wings forever.