Nightfall

He had a terrific game on Friday night. I was there as well. He was on the 2nd power play unit, and really competed well. He doesn't have the speed of the youngsters thats for sure, but he certainly made some good plays and passes to them. He still has the hockey sense. The 3 goals he scored were all of mixed variety. One was a 2 on 1 where he rifled a shot top shelf over the goalies shoulder. The second happened when he brought the puck from behind the net out in front and jammed it in. The third was a slapshot that hit top corner from the left faceoff circle. He could have had 2-3 other assists in the game if the Griffins would have capitalized. He has passes out in front, passes to spring odd man rushes, and really used his body to protect the puck in the offensive and defensive zone. At the same time though, he did make a few mistakes. He misplayed a puck and ran into his own defenseman that resulted in a 3 on 1 breakaway but the goalie was equal to the task. The end result was, he is human, and he played very well. I still think he is a long shot for the Wings, but he competed on Friday night and I hope he competes tonight cause I have tickets to this game as well. BTW, the line was long to buy tickets at the door last night. With 15 minutes left before gametime, the line was still long and there were only 250 seats left. If you are going tonight, get there early.

True story Rob. I have been to a few Griffins games this season, and so far I am not impressed with the Griffins. Not because they are losing, but because of the fact they just seem to not be playing with a lot of passion. Jimmy Howard looks very sharp out there. While from my vew he has given up a couple bad goals, for the most part he is keeping a lot of shots out of the net. The defense is leaving him out to dry. I think Roberto Luongo had better D with his time in Florida. As a goalie myself, its difficult to see Jimmy get put in the position he is in now. I know I would have had enough of it if I was put in that situation.

Nice save by the Bulin wall on Hudler's deflection.

I have all the championship videos, but the best bargain I got was getting the Detroit Red Wings DVD set that had the best 5 games of all time along with all the championship DVDs with them. The ones I had from 97 and 98 were on VHS and I was wanting a DVD of those. This package gave me that. At $45, its worth every penny. http://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Red-Wings-Ce...9156&sr=8-1

I have had games blacked out on my NHL Center Ice package, but only if they are shown on Fox Sports or Versus or NBC for that matter. In over 5 seasons of having the Center Ice package, I have been able to watch every game if not on Center Ice, on another channel. If you live in the Detroit area and your FSN Detroit is blacking games out, you need to call directv and let them know. That goes off of geographical location. I don't have the sports package, but my center ice package picks up every game except some national broadcast games like Versus or NBC, and some red wings games. Those can be seen on FSN Detroit for me.

Wikipedia entry on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_myelogenous_leukemia In one analysis of several clinical studies, three different risk groups were identified based on a prognostic scoring system that includes several variables: age, spleen size, blast count, platelet count, eosinophil count and basophil count. In the lowest risk group, the median survival time was 98 months. In the middle group, the median was 65 months, and in the highest risk group, the median was about 42 months. Of all patients analyzed, the longest survival time was 117 months. 98 months was the median? The longest is 117 months? Thats horrible. I am going to have to do a little more research on this disease because those figures can't be right.

Wow, thats a shocker. I certainly hope he wins his fight against cancer.

As a hockey player, I hate to see people that are forced to retire because of injury. I can't imagine not playing the game as it is the best game on the planet. If I couldn't play anymore, it would be a void that would be very very hard to fill. As for that video, my wife was in the living room with me when that happened. I was watching it on my center ice package. When he missed that empty netter, my wife looked over at me and said, "I think hockey fans are going to remember him for that situation than anything else in his career." She didn't know that he didn't have a outstanding hockey career to begin with but thats very true. If that happened to Steve Yzerman, it would be on a gag reel somewhere gathering dust.

Thats a different tune than he sung when he came into camp. He wanted a roster spot or he was going back to Russia. Personally, I think the AHL is a good start for him to learn North American style hockey because it is vastly different than the experience he would get in Russia. That makes his transition easier. Personally, I would be pleased a punch of Igor stayed here and played in GR. He will be a first line player there and he could easily work on the language barrier when he is not playing.

Is there still room? I had to put a lock on my wallet for a few other things, but I am about to unlock it.

It is times like these that I am happy that I have directv.

I got a chance to shake hands with Rafalski during the autograph session at Van Andel and ask him if he was ok. He was walking around fine after the game and said he was feeling good. He just left the ice as a precaution. I think it is just a DTD thing.

I have NHL Center Ice on Directv and there are no preseason games. Talk about depressing.

Here is the cure for everyone who misses pro hockey right now. Ready? PLAY HOCKEY! I play about 3-4 times a week and that really helps you cope with no hockey on TV right now.

I started playing rollerhockey back in 1998 and have been playing ice hockey as well since 2000. So, I have almost 9 years under my belt in the sport. I never had interest in the sport until I went to college and then I wanted to play it but I didn't know how to skate. It wasn't until I graduated in 1997 when I could afford to play. Took me a while to save up for the equipment. What position did I choose? Goaltender. I am double jointed in my knees and have a great butterfly. I thought I could excel at the position. My first year was the hardest. I couldn't skate, so I had that to contend with. At the same time, I was playing rollerhockey to start so I couldn't slide. After I learned to skate, it was a lot easier. I had success playing rollerhockey, and started playing ice hockey where I found that to be a lot easier. The ice times though were harder for me since I had to be up at 6am and the games were 10pm or 11:15pm in the fall, winter, and spring. I need at least 6-7 hours of sleep to be productive, so if I don't get home and into bed until midnight or 1am you do the math. Today I still play both. I play ice hockey 2 times a week and roller 2 times a week. I play year round and even sub in when I can. My wife is very supportive of me and I appreciate that a lot cause I love the sport. Since I didn't get started until I was 26, I feel like I am running against the clock in terms of how good I will be. Now I am 35 and while my body is holding up well with all the exercise, there is part of me that wonders how long I will be able to keep up this pace. Eventually, I might have to take more days off a week than 2-3. In my short 9 year career, I have captured 18 hockey season championships and I hope I have a few more left in me before I hit 40. I have been very fortunate to play on some good teams, and also to have more than a few bounces go my way at times. Its been a great time playing! I blog almost all of my experiences and I have had some great photos taken of my games that I have posted online. I look back at these and just reminisce at times. To me, the memories I have made are important. Almost every memory I have of hockey is positive. The friendships, winning, and that great save I made in the regular season or playoffs. A couple bad memories linger around like the shot that went in off my back from behind the net that proved to be the game winner in the finals last season. I just can't forget those, but those memories remind me to stick tight against the post so its more of a learning experience. Some people asked why I started playing in the first place. It was a simple decision actually. I loved hockey, but I didn't want to be that fan that ******* at the team, player, referee, penalty, goaltender, or a play that is run without knowing the game from the inside. You all know what kind of fans these people are. When you play the game, you have a whole new level of expectations. You can see plays develop right in front of your eyes and there are times I can tell if a goal is going to be scored or not. Playing the sport just helps you appreciate it even more when you are a spectator. My hockey and life journal My photo gallery To the OP, I hope you get into the game. Its a blast to play and you will have a great time doing it.

The new NHL is less about loyalty and more about the all mighty dollar. However, there are new factors in play that help teams retain their players for less money. The NHL is a market where there are great employees all looking for a job position. If you find yourself in a good job, where it is a great environment, then you probably won't go anywhere unless they can't afford to pay you what you think you are worth. Then, on top of that, you have 29 other companies calling looking for your services. Look at what NHL teams are doing to attract players to their organizations. Toronto made a video last year to ship to unrestricted free agents talking about the culture in Toronto, benefits, and so on. I believe Detroit was considering doing the same thing. Point is that these teams should be trying to sell their job to these unrestricted free agents they are trying to bring in. Every team has had their share of loyal players. Look at Rob Neidermayer who has been with the Ducks for years. Yzerman and Draper from the Wings. Iginla from the Flames. There are a lot of journeymen out there that are less about the place they play and more about the money. Then you have the chance to win a championship. Some of the players who are serious about that don't look at clubs like Florida and Chicago. They want to go to teams like the Red Wings, Ducks, Devils, etc. The ones that can hopefully bring them closer to winning a title. In conclusion, some players are all about loyalty. Some are all about money. Some are about a chance to win. You aren't going to find a team of all loyal player who will play together for years. Just won't happen.

Spam sucks!

I agree. I have no problems signing him to a salary in the 3m range. Give him a shot in my mind.

I wish the best for Jiri thats for sure. I know there are some people that are wondering why he is trying to hard to get back into the NHL. It really comes down to one thing, and thats for the love of the game. I am sure the paycheck doesn't hurt either, but you can tell he love the game of hockey and he is good at it. The NHL will probably never take a chance on him, and the Red Wings will support him, but they don't want his heart problems looming over them like a cloud. Personally, if I was in his situation, and I got opinions from doctors to start playing again I would. Even if it was rec league hockey. The Red Wings organization will take good care of him, that is for sure, but it still doesn't mean he doesn't have the fire to compete still in his system. Imagine having that fire to compete and play, but unable to at that level that you were playing at before. Thats gotta hurt. I have always supported Jiri and always will. Even if he tries to return to the NHL. Mainly because I consider myself to be a competitor and I would know how it felt if I was unable to play hockey. Its the greatest sport thats for sure.

I am a hockey fan, but I would be a fool to say I look at all teams the same. I hate the Devils, but really thats the only team I hate with a passion. Last season, I enjoyed the playoffs up through the end of the SCF. I really didn't root for one team or another. I just wanted to see a good game. I would have been happy with either team winning it all. This year, I am split between both teams. I know Chris Kunitz from the ducks personally. I did many stories on him as well as photos from his days back at Ferris State. So part if me likes the ducks a lot. Then, on the other side, Ottawa has dealt with a lot of hard times and a Canadian team should with the Stanley Cup eventually. I wouldn't mind seeing them win either. I am just going to enjoy the games. its a long summer without hockey. Might as well enjoy them when you can.

Ok, a little background here.... I have been a Red Wings fan since 1995. I really became a huge hockey fan back in 2000. Any kind of hockey on TV I would watch and I would attend any kind of hockey game in person that I could. I really got into the sport when I started playing goalie back in 2000 in ice and roller hockey. In my 7 years of playing hockey, I have come to appreciate the sport even more than I have in years past. In my time following the Wings, I have felt a lot of excitement and heart break. Their 3 cup wins rank at my all time high of favorite moments. Their playoff exits to the Devils in 95 really depressed me to say the least. In short, I was quite emotional in the past. It seems like since I have started playing hockey I have grown to understand the sport as well as enjoy it more. Last night, the wings played terrible through the first couple periods. You could just tell the ducks wanted it more by the way they were passing, shooting, driving the net, and hustling. The wings looked stuck in 3rd gear through most of the game. They made a good comeback at the end, but it just wasn't enough. That game last night reminded me of countless other games that I have played in personally where my team has underachieved and we couldn't pull out a win. The bad bounces like the wings had in game 5 and the fluke giveaway that comes back to bite you have reminded me of games that I have played in. I am going to enjoy the finals, but not as much as if the Wings were playing. With only 7 (at most) games left in the NHL season before the long offseason, I am going to take my time and enjoy the games when they are on. Hockey is a very unforgiving sport. You can do everything right and still lose games. I have come to understand that. It doesn't mean I like it though, but I understand it. With a lot of people crying and upset this morning, I really didn't shed a tear for the Wings last night. You can call me obtuse or uncaring, but its just how I feel right now. It got me to thinking how many other people feel this same way or close to it? Or am I in the vast minority?

Chelios is a competitor. In order to be good at any sport, you have to want to compete and in turn, win. As a hockey player who takes playing the game seriously most of the time, I can tell you that if you don't win your last game of the playoffs, you have an empty feeling. Its a sad feeling thats hard to describe unless you too are a competitor. My wife has a very hard time understanding it. I remember last season in one of my ice hockey leagues when we got beat in the finals by a 4-2 score. After we got into the locker room, I was reflecting on that long ass 18 game season. From September - April we played hockey and I got to the last game and just couldn't get it done. I admit, I was bitter as heck. Sure, a few days later I felt a little better but at that point in time, I probably was thinking the same thing as Chelios was thinking. So I understand where he is coming from. He plays hockey to win games. Imagine how he would be if he played rec league. QFT

I think the next series is going to be a good one. I am not going to root for one team or the other. As a hockey fan, I am going to enjoy this series. Heck, after the finals are over, I have to go all summer without hockey. Thats a long offseason for me. I am glad I play hockey tomorrow night.

Strong effort at the end, but hockey is a very unforgiving sport. The Wings shot themselves in the foot and played lazy those first two periods. Shameful.

You have to hand it to the Wings, they are giving it their all. I just wish they did that all damn game.