Red Wings Addict

The Wings new enforcer?

Anyone still caught up in Kesler euphoria from the 2010 Olympics?

Somehow this kind of reaction and emotion are what would make it a good series.

Seeing the bottom six getting scored on reminds me of the San Jose series.

s***... 3-1 VAN. Come on guys let's go!

Cool.

Probably. But Sweden depends on him for the older world tournaments now. I'm not exactly sure but I think he's getting some consideration for the World Championships this summer.

I think our FSN crew might be enjoying a little too much Miller Lite for a broadcasting scenario.

Wings' Filppula takes leap forward playing wing with Zetterberg It's usually a good thing when a young hockey player joining an excellent NHL team has a lot of respect for his teammates. Sometimes, however, the player can have a little too much of the commodity young people are often accused of lacking, and it's entirely possible this may have been the case with young Finnish forward Valterri Filppula when he joined the star-studded Detroit Red Wings. With Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk already the established superstar centres on this perennial contender, to say nothing of the likes of Johan Franzen and seven-time Norris trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom on the back end, it was easy enough just to slide onto the team in a third-line, defensive role and watch them carry the team wherever it could go. But coach Mike Babcock knew Filppula had more to give and he's been trying to mine that out of him for quite a while, using the usual mantra for great skaters who don't have to venture into the really difficult areas of the ice to earn a living. But if they can force themselves to go inside on a rush or through traffic in front of the net, considerable rewards can be reaped. Whether Filppula is able to do this all year or not remains to be seen, but he's certainly on pace to have his best NHL season, and Todd Bertuzzi is convinced it's because of his position change. "He's a winger," says Bertuzzi. "It's that simple. In our system there is so much defensive responsibility for the centre and when you've been the third-line guy behind those two you have to be thinking defensively first and that's been his mindset. Now he's on the wing, he's got fewer defensive responsibilities... in our zone just having to watch the one D and he's developed great chemistry with Zetterberg. He's got the speed and skill, he can shoot and playing in his old role definitely took away from his offence. What we're seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg if you ask me. I think he's gonna take off." Filppula isn't so sure mentally about the switch, although he's wildly enthusiastic about playing with Zetterberg. Then again, who wouldn't be? "Playing with Hank is easy because he's easy to find on the ice and moves the puck so well you just give it to him and he'll find you," says the 27-year-old Finn who looks to be a shoo-in to crack the 20-goal mark, which is something he's had on his mind. "I still think a little bit like a centre in my mind but here you play where they want you and when you're playing with Hank and Huds (Jiri Hudler) it's pretty good." Babcock has been on Filppula to get to the net more, in part because he knows his great stars are going to show up in the playoffs but it's the performance of others in the top six that is going to put them over the top. You can't win unless you have most guys firing at or somewhere near their best, something the Canucks discovered last spring. "I've always been on him to go to the inside," says Babcock whenever he's asked, and Filppula seems to be listening. "It's something I've really tried to be conscious of and work on, particularly playing with Hank and Huds, because both of them shoot a lot and there's a lot of second-chance opportunities from rebounds. Getting some goals like that is nice and I definitely like to score." Filppula is the first to admit there's something cultural at play here, admitting there's some truth to the stereotype that Russians and Canadians like to score, Swedes and Finns prefer to pass. "I think there's definitely something there but I like to score and 20 has always been something I've wanted to reach and now that I'm older, more experienced and had a chance to get stronger training over a few summers, that's definitely something I'd like to passed." Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Wings+Filppula+takes+leap+forward+playing+wing+with+Zetterberg/5889428/story.html#ixzz1hCA8AyV8

Probably. At the same time, we all know how tight that playoff race is. Teams have absolutely zero breathing room. Wings have to worry about today and do what they have to do to win games.

It's unbelieveable to me how much this kid loves to be a part of the Wings organization. I guess that since he lists Steve Yzerman as one of his top favorite players (along with Pavel Bure and Marty St. Louis) that we can thank Stevie for sewing those early seeds of Tatar's passion for the Wings.

Yup. Along with Mattias Backman and Marek Tvrdon. Nedomlel should be there as well but it seems as if any player who decides to play in NA gets punished for a year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWFjeK0_45I

They're going to keep playing him. I don't really see a healthy scratch coming. The only thing that can put him in situation where he can only watch is a... well, I'm afraid to say the word but it rhymes with misery. And you can't hope for such a thing because with the Wings those really happen in clusters.

They are surely quite reserved when directly in front of the media. At the same time, when the boys are together as a group and the cameras fade into the background then I'm sure we'll see some high quality entertainment. The Wings do have some personalities that have somewhat of a flair for the dramatic like the old ones you listed. Kronwall in real life is quite hilarious imo; Cleary is a funny guy to watch get picked on by others and embarrass himself; and Filppula likes to joke around a lot. Also, remember when Helm went to the Halloween party as Todd Bertuzzi and got a bunch of fake tatooes? I'm sure that would have been gold for not just Wings fans but hockey fans in general. A lot of funny stuff goes on that a 24/7 special would show and surprise a lot of people on here. They can't hide everything, haha. And I agree that other team's personalities can be quite entertaining and much different than the Wings. At the same time, I'm quite thankful the Wings don't have to deal with personalities like Avery and Torts. Sometimes it's entertaining to watch other people deal with certain types of drama but you wouldn't necessarily prefer that for your own team. While it can be fun to watch other gregarious personalities, because the 24/7 special will be on the Wings, I'll pretty much watch any kind of documentary on them with genuine interest and undivided attention. I don't know if you remember those intermission specials on Babs and Pav for Hockey Night in Canada. They weren't stereotypically laugh out loud kind of entertaining but they were still quite awesome.

What is up with Drew Miller's hair? How did it get so gray?

Actually Scotty does speak french quite fluently. He just doesn't have an accent like Balki from Perfect Strangers.

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock likes the potential for his team to be more physical this season -- and he's not referring to just racking up hits. Being physical also is about being strong on the puck, grinding it, cycling it and wearing down opponents by making them chase you all night long. "The more physical we can be, the better opportunity I believe this team has," Babcock said. "I think we can skill our way around the rink, but if we work and we're gritty and we're determined, we're a much better team." Babcock bemoaned a lack of physicality in losses to St. Louis and Colorado earlier this season. He had no such complaints after Thursday's 4-3 loss at Nashville. Even though the Red Wings squandered a lead in the last five minutes, they dominated territorially, and Babcock liked the way his players responded to the Predators' physical ways. "It's not how big you are, it's how big you play," Babcock said. "Some guys that weigh 180 play 210, and you got guys that are 220 that play 150. So you got to decide who you want to be and how hard on the puck you want to be." Forward Justin Abdelkader said they can be skilled and gritty. "I think we have a group that can not only skate, but can be physical, play with grit," Abdelkader said. "That's important, especially as you get through the second half of the year and the playoffs. You see a team like Boston, they won (the Stanley Cup) with grit and determination. They were physical." The Red Wings are not as big and abrasive as the Bruins, but they don't need to be to have success. "When people say physical, I mean being hard to play against," Abdelkader said. "There's a lot of things that factor into being physical, not just hitting." When you possess the puck as much as the Red Wings, you're not going to be hitting as much. "If you're looking at a physical team, we wouldn't be at the top of the list," forward Danny Cleary said. "But if the game calls for it or if it's what we need to do, we seem to be able to do that." The Red Wings will take a nine-game home winning streak into tonight's game against the Los Angeles Kings, who fired coach Terry Murray earlier this week, replacing him with John Stevens, after a disappointing start. http://www.mlive.com...ed_wings_1.html

"Yeah. f***, you know-Whatever f***. I'm Dany f***in' Heatley and I'm sittin' here, I'm the f***in' all-star and I deliver in the f***in' playoffs better than anybody. You don't know what the f*** you're talking about. I mean, f***, you a f***in' all-star?-I didn't f***in' think so. Shut the f*** up with your non-all-star opinion there talking but me ditched by the f***in' Sharks that's totally not how it f***in' happened. I'm the all-star - I f***in' made the trade demand you little *****." I don't know if I particularly like the Wild enough to hope they win when they don't play the Wings. Although I can't wait for Granlund to make the move to NA. It'd be cool to see Koivu and Granlund lead the Wild top six.

Maybe like Sauron some players need the one ring in order to take physical form.

Does he already have plans for his retirement? Like will he continue to play in SM-Liiga?

Filppula getting the message Babcock has talked constantly over the past few years about Valtteri Filppula’s need to play on the inside and shoot the puck more. The message finally has gotten through. "I’ve talked a lot to Fil over the years, and some of those conversations, he probably wasn’t very pleased with," Babcock said. "But you kept expecting him to grow and become a dominant player, and he’s been a dominant player for us. "With Pav (Datsyuk), Z (Henrik Zetterberg), Mule (Johan Franzen) and him, that’s been our top four, for sure. It gives us good balance." Filppula had 10 goals and 15 assists in 29 games heading into Saturday’s game. He is on pace to surpass his career highs of 19 goals and 40 points. "He’s such an elite skater," Babcock said. "He plays center or the wing and really helps us. He’s always been good defensively, but you’ve got to score. "Your big people are the people that consistently have to score. The other people are going to chip in, they’re just not going to do it consistently. Fil’s given us another scorer." http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2011/12/red_wings_equate_recent_succes.html

Yes. My impression is that the media favors them to come out of the West. They've been there before and their forwards are really clicking. The West has no breathing room whatsoever but the Hawks are a team that for which you can make a good case that they can win it all. If they somehow find a way to acquire a top 4 dman to solidify their back end then that could make them the clear cut favorites. Just like if the Wings somehow acquire a top six forward.

0 pts in his last 3 games. Bust. Naw but it's a little strange since he's been doing some good things out there but hasn't gotten rewarded with points. Thems the breaks I guess.

I think it's great how they say a good physical game isn't just about running around looking for hits.