Heroes of Hockeytown

Janik will probably need to be sent down in order to stay roster space/cap compliant, at least for the duration of the regular season.

The least used is (or is at least tied with) 84. A big deal was made out of Guillaume Latendresse taking that number because it was the last number that had never been worn in the NHL.

Those ever-humble, aww shucks Canadians versus those loud-mouthed scallywag Americans, eh? Nice stereotypes, pal. If you're mad about that post-game locker room cheer, you need to get a grip. It was just something they chant after they win -- which, regardless of the circumstances, they obviously did -- not some profound declaration on the state of international hockey between the United States and Canada. They'd have done it if they'd beaten anyone; heck, I bet even those good ol' Canadian boys might have let themselves enjoy it for a second if they'd gotten the win.

He's okay, and has produced in the past but both Nik and J-Willy are clearly his superior in that. Do you really want to stay up til 2-3AM on a weekday to watch the end of a regular season game? Ties were a fine way to settle games that were taking too long.

And, along with Nik, get Meech and Stuart off the second PP.

Total suffocation at the end. That was a clinic on closing a game. Well done, boys.

This is a clinic right now. The Wings are in complete lockdown.

Brett Lebda is about to drop some fool.

WHAT A PLAY HELM!!

Helm, you're the best.

Eh, with respect to Flip but just existing is not a very notable play. He did his job good enough and drove to the net, but Nick hopping up into the play is what made the mismatch, and then the idiot Dman laying out and Cleary's stickhandling did the rest. Also gosh durnit Flip!

I like the way that period went. More periods should go that way. Now don't blow it, dudes!

Maybe it's finally coming together. Attaboy Dano.

Bout time they got a goal like that.

Stuie got away with one there.

Ahhh so close.

I wish Bert just had a little more ability to corral and control the puck. He loses it so easily. Oh well, that was a much better shift than they had been having. EDIT: Just then, a penalty!

Great individual play!

The Sharks own the puck right now. The Wings can't even get it across the red line.

Will this team ever be able to finish?

Those rebounds again.

C'mon Abby, put it in the net.

Not to say that the PP has been doing well, because it hasn't, but in fairness to it there have been a couple goals in the last couple games that have been scored just after it expired -- Cleary's last night, Homer's a few nights ago. They just need to score a few seconds earlier so the record-keepers can give them credit.

I'm no expert, but I feel like this story is kind of skewed. In relative terms, perhaps there is some less interest in hockey -- as he says there are more entertainment options now from then -- but in absolute terms there are far more people alive today than there were two decades ago; the population of Canada has grown 20% in the last 20 years and will certainly not be stopping anytime soon. As long as more people in raw numbers fill the arena and buy the merchandise there's no trouble on that front.

Not that I'm particulalry fond of those scenarios, but it is nice to see the team in full-on desperation mode, blocking shots and collapsing around their net, doing anything they can to keep the puck out.