Jersey Wing

I was just amused the homers said no way he did it, but we didn't see the play lol

For what it's worth, the jabber out here in NY is the team is Washington but they need to do some salary cap juggling. Take it with a grain of salt but that's the NY worlds rumor...

My impression of this trade is depth pure and simple. I'd hoped the Devils would have looked at a more offensive minded outlet passing specialist like Jordan Leopold (and there are still one and a half days left to deal) but Havelid does give you depth and can help rest guys for 2 or 3 games before the playoffs start. Give Oduya and Martin and Mottau a few nights off. Havelid isn't particularly big or strong or offensively gifted so I'd say just a solid depth pick up.

Full story (and it's short) on TSN here Dandenault is in the final year of a three year contract that pays him $1.75 million per season I hope he gets traded somewhere nice. He was always a good guy here, gave full effort and never complained whether he was on left wing one night or on defense the next night.

Quick Kari Lehtonen stats 6'4" 200 25 yrs old 12-18-3 3.15 .908 1so

Laperriere is a Drake clone, he plays with utterly no conscience which is what makes other players hyper-aware of his presence. He may take a run at anybody anytime which Maltby, Kopecky or others here now don't. I don't know about Roberts, yeah he has the fire but hardly the skating game the Wings employ. Of the two, if it was for a throwaway draft pick, Laperriere could be a intimidator/depth forward.

Nashville is a GREAT place to go for a game. Done it a couple times and once while my wife and I were on vacation we went to see the Preds play the Sharks. The nightlife around the Sommet Center is awesome after a game. Lots of bars and food. Honky Tonk bars, BB Kings place up the way, and awesome BBQ. If you're staying overnight before you leave I suggest touring the Ryman Auditorium and you MUST eat at Jack's BBBQ, that place is truly Pig Heaven. Word of warning----FANG FINGERS----you'll see what I mean

I think you could toss Boston, Washington, and New Jersey into a hat and pull any one of them out. The only issue New Jersey has is now that he was sent down, Clemmensen told Lou he wanted to be traded since he's more than proven he can be a #1 guy somewhere. Do the Devils trade him for some big depth at the trade deadline thinking they can win with Brodeur and Weekes or hang onto him in case Marty goes down again? The Devils DO need a puck moving defenseman who can help beat some intense forechecking. The last few weeks I've been watching them and when they look bad it's because the other team is sending a couple guys in on the forecheck. The defense corps they have now sometime panic and start icing the puck or giving it away. Parise is great but sems to need somebody helping him get the puck moving with speed. If Parise or Langenbrunner gets hurt for any length of time, that could be an issue. Losing either could relegate them to being a one line team. Maybe that X factor is Niedermayer, I think they could get Leopold from the Avs and do OK and spend less and Lou loves a bargain....

The article didn't specify but that locker room sounds like it's just cancerous right now

Check the 770's in channels and you may find it if you don't already have NHL Center Ice. Free preview this weekend which should mean you can watch this ceremony should you wanna see old time hockey paid tribute to...

You never appreciate Joe Louis Arena enough until you move ten hours away from it.

Speaking of old time hockey, the Orginal Six is in the house at MSG tonight, representing the Red Wings is Red Kelly, representing the Canadiens Dick Duff, from Toronto is Frank Mahovolich, and from the Blackhawks Stan Mikita. A nice touch...

When you have the day off from work, and you get a 2pm hockey game in high def, you watch it. Boy oh boy, the Pens,who you'd expect would come out ROARING after Therrien got fired yesterday looked lost. As Butch Goring pointed out, the firing came at a strange time as Therrien ran practice for the pens yesterday before they left for Long Island. New coach Dan Bylsma had no chance to really address the team before they took the ice for warm ups. After running a light kind of trap all season, now they were expected to go to more of a run and shoot type of game and quite simply, Pittsburgh looked lost. Outlet passes were behind guys skating up ice, passes were well out in front of guys standing around waiting for outlet passes. I figure the Pens need a good 2-3 days of practice to get this new style together. Their defense looked soft again, constantly backing in and backing in against a team you wouldn't exactly need to back in against. I've watched the Islanders a few times this year and they are the worst team in hockey giving the least effort many nights. Today the Islander forwards kept heading right to the net and made a few chances for themselves. Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, and Jeff Tambellini all had strong games. In fact, in OT right near the end Okposo, a forward back caught playing defense one on one with Crosby made a GREAT check taking the Chosen One off the puck. The Isles won the shootout 2-1 with Crosby and Malkin both missing their shots. Joey MacDonald got the win for New York. Sergei Gonchar is now back playing for the Penguins but is still playing a very very tentative game. Normally when you face the Islanders you expect two points, with a new coach behind the bench you'd expect the Pens to come out strong and run the Islanders out of their own building. For whatever reason, it didn't happen. The Pens got a point, they nedeed two. As always, I watch Eastern Conference hockey so you don't have to.

The Ducks announcers were all about the "Red Wings looking to upgrade their goaltending" idea last night as well. Either they are, or people enjoy talking about the Red Wings

Watching the pre-game and the Adam Graves special on MSG Network before the game tonight I think some of it (and this can certainly be debated if community work can be 'added' to your resume) is Graves' ceaseless and tireless work in and around the New York City community to help the less fortunate. He really is a great upstanding hockey citizen out here I see. A lot of the special needs kids he works with were lining the way out to the MSG ice to give him some love along with former players and Rangers staff. I was wondering if his on ice credentials were warranted in retiring his number in just those 10 years but I hate to piss on the decison as #1 it's the Rangers call, and #2 he is such a good guy. Incidentally, #9 will be re-retired in the upcoming weeks as the Rangers also will retire #9 for Andy Bathgate. Harry Howell wil also have such a night this year. A couple notes on the ceremony for those who missed it--You'd think the ONLY Stanley Cup ever handed out in NHL history was in 1994. I've never seen a franchise get more mileage in patting themselves on the back than the Rangers do with 1994. Graves is a big fan of the Sopranos and as a special treat the cast walked out to center ice with some gifts for him. Kind of odd as it had nothing to do with hockey but again, it's the Rangers call as to how it should be done. Lorranie Bracco looked smokin' hawt. It's also ironic Graves got a guitar from his favorite musical artist, New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen, and the gifts from a show that famously took place in New Jersey.

Just thought I'd throw this out for some folks who might wanna remember Adam Graves, his career, and years with with Detroit. The Rangers are retiring his number and hoisting it to the rafters at MSG Tuesday night at MSG. It's strange they'd do it vs. Atlanta as you'd think tey'd wanna do it against say an Original Six foe or the Islanders or Devils but ya know, it's their call. MSG network is playing old Rangers games where Graves played the starring role. Right now they are showing the game Graves scored goals #'s 50 and 51 in 1993-94 vs Edmonton. Joe Kocur just fought Kelly Buchberger. Kirk Maltby is an Oiler More info here

I got to watch Lang just before the all-star break in New Jersey. I had to take a cell phone picture of him during a stoppage in play as my buddy who lives in Sault Ste. Marie and whom I used to go to Wings games with always cracked us up calling Lang 'Count Chocula'. I do hope he reccovers as quickly as possible

Your intrepid East Coast reporter here, a few notes from last night's Devils Pens game from the Prudential Center. *It was Mike "Doc" Emerick night last night. They had a very nice pre-game ceremony as Emerick accepted his Foster Hewitt award. Emerick paid tribute to Ernie Harwell by saying his philospohy was that of Ernie, you're truly blessed if you have a job your can go to every day that you love. He mentioned his start calling games in Port Huron. He kept his acceptance speech quite short too he said out of respect to the players and fans who came for the game. They had several scoreboard tributes from current and former Devils players and coaches. Brodeur got a much bigger cheer as he gave his tribute than Scott Stevens did. *The Penguins look awful. Yes, they had a 3-1 lead they blew but were outshot 43-16 I believe. This even after the Devils played a hard fought OT Game in Boston the night before while the Pens only had a day off after beating the Rangers 6-2 two nights previous. Their defense were beaten to loose pucks all night long. The Pens defense are as slow as glaciers. *Jamie Langenbrunner had the OT winner for the second straight night for the Devils and also had the tying goal with 30 seconds to play. He's en fuego right now and crediting a team therapist Juergen Merz with simply talking with him and giving him postitive mojo. Dave Killer Carlson and his positive thinking records have nothing on the Devils captain. *Shanahan had a goal and an assist. His goal was on the powerplay right down in front of me. A Shanny slapshot that was a BB right past Fleury up high. Had a nice litle chip pass from behind the net to Holik for the Devils first goal. He's certainly paying off for the little the Devils had to invest in him. *Crosby complained long and loud when he was whistled for a rather obvious slash near the end of the second period. I mean long and loud. He did have a goal and an assist on the night. Boy have they become a one line team. It's almost like the rest of the Pens are playing not to lose until the Malkin-Crosby line heads out. Lots of icing calls against the other Penguin lines. Twice in OT Crosby tried to give it a go skating just off the bench but coasting back after just seconds. Not sure if it was his knee as he wasn't favoring it. Combined he may have been out for 15 seconds in OT. *Malkin, oh boy, what a crybaby. Twice in the first period he stopped skating and following the play the other way to give officials the stink eye over perceived injustices against him. I mean the yplay went back up the ice but he coasted while jawing. Then, twice he went down like he'd been shot from the Book Depository, play finally stopped, he crawled back to the bench only to jump right back out for his next shift and once for a powerplay. *Devils defenseman Johnny Odouya is turing into a pretty solid defenseman. One of those invaluable guys who just goes out and does his job each shift without being spectacular. *The ice was god-awful last night, lots of players losing edges, falling down for no reason and the puck was bouncing like a superball. The price you pay for a multi-purpose building. Seton Hall had played a game there the night before. Metallica is there tonight and tomorrow. *The Prudential Center/Devils have this really awful Mo Cheese imitation called "Cameron" who runs all over, doing dances and giving away sweaty t-shirts he peels off one after the other after the other. Personally I wouldn't want one after he'd been dancing and sweating in it The camera on commerical breaks seems like it's always on him doing Mo Cheese type dances. Ick, no. That's all for now. Again, I watch Eastern Conference hockey so you don't have to.

I think it's a swoon for a few reasons. Seemingly they have one a year. It's injuries, it's wear and tear, it's bogus suspensions, and trying to get a cohesive gameplan together. They'll snap out of it.

I'd still have the skills and young stars game (and throw in an old timers game to boot) but the all-star game should be replaced with a game between the USA womens national team vs the Canadian women's national tem, WITH checking

We all said that about Chelios for years too. We saved Pronger's life here one afternoon, he OWES us a discount...

That's a fine idea. I'm also hoping Ericsson is enjoying a fine sophomore or junior season then and maybe could learn a little from Pronger (or whomever). Luckily the cupboard is far from bare when it comes to up and comers or guys who can play alot for a little cap hit....

I'm of the opinion that rather than trying to keep Hossa and Franzen you simply realize one HAS to go. Here's why. When Lidstrom is done playing, for argument's sake let's say in two years, the Wings will not want that kind of money tied up in forwards. They'll need an upgrade on the blueline and it could take a couple players to replace Lidstrom, one a defensive specialist and one a powerplay and outlet passing guru (That's how good Nick has been, it may take two players to 'replace' him). About this time as well Osgood will be nearing the end and the Wings will need an upgrade in net as well (I'm not sold on Howard as of yet). Both Franzen and Hossa have their own unique skills and we could debate all day which one would be more valuable to keep for whatever reason. The Wings have won a cup in the 'Datsyuk/Zetterberg era' without Hossa so there is no need to panic or overpay Hossa should he want the big coin (he's earned no less by his play) and a long term deal like the ones offered this past offseason. Whatever Holland and the front office decide, I'd still be keeping an eye on the defense and netminding situation a couple years out.

I think the Wings braintrust has shown over the salary cap era they understand how it works and have certainly done enough to garner goodwill from us fans to trust they know what they're doing on the Zetterberg contract. I'm thrilled he'll be a lifer.

Try watching this mess with the Blue Jackets announcers on Center Ice... Lebda scores, Wings go up 2-1 and Lebda "evens it up"