Dabura

To whom much is given, much is expected.

A word or two about skill and puck-possession and all that jazz as it pertains to our beloved DRW: - You need a Nick Lidstrom. I mean, he doesn't actually have to be a Nick Lidstrom. He could be, oh, I dunno, Jay Bouwmeester (ha! As if he'd ever be available!) What I'm saying is, if you don't have a good puck-moving defenseman, forget it. You can't kill with skill. You can't possesst with zest. "BUT WHAT'S THAT HAVE TO DO WITH OUR DRW?" you ask? No idea. I just thought it sounded smart. - The problem with being Ultra-Skilled Puck-Possessor Ninja like we've had been since Fedorov et al.? Here are the things at which you, a USPP Ninja, excel: - Skill - Possessing the puck - Skating (sort of) - Looking pretty - "Crazy moves and s***" - PP/Enforcing ...And here are the things you suck at: - Everything else I've said this a bajillion times before, : we are were good with the puck, when we had it. And that's pretty much it. When was the last time we had a really big, physical team? When was the last time we had a really fast team? When was the last time we had the best goalie in the league, no questions asked? Skill. With the puck. When we had the puck. And the other team didn't have the puck. Because we had the puck. (Ninja.) That's what we've been up to since the mid-90s. That's the secret to our success. Actually, those three championship rosters (excluding '02, because, c'mon) - that was It. That was the Top of the Red Wings Pops. Because it was more than skill. With the puck. When we had the puck. And the other team didn't have the puck. Because we had the puck. We had balls. And teeth. And muscle. (And eyes - and a nose! And ears!!! OH MY GOD - IT'S A FACE!!!!!!!!) We could switch things up if we had to. We could hurt you in multiple ways. We had Larry. Effing. Murphy. BEFORE THE HOT DOGS. But, for the most part, it's been underpants skill --> [ . . . ] --> Profit. And now we can't do it no more. And this is problematic.

This is one of the main reasons why we presently suck. It's an identity crisis. It's limbo. It's stuck-in-the-middle-with-you. It's bulls***. Are we a kill-with-skill puck-posession team? I hope not, because we don't have the personnel. Are we a crash-and-bang and grind-it-out kind of team? I hope not, because our top six is soft as silk (and, really, our bottom six ain't so hot either). Which is to say: we don't have the personnel. We are amazing at playing the perimeter in the o-zone. Watch us pass, and pass some more, and hey, how about some more pa--WHOA! A SHOT FROM THE POINT! BY - wait for it - KRONWALL! BET THEY DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COM--EMERICK: "...and [insert name of some no-name goalie who is making us look stupid] makes the easy save and holds on for the whistle." [shot of ttly frusterated Filppula. Because, holy. effing. ess. What do we have to do to score against this guy?!?!?!] Of course, this is sort of classic Red Wings. We did this kind of stuff even when we were great. Remember when Babcock's Ducks swept us in the first round? Soft perimeter play, and timely defensive lapses. (Note: I'm not necessarily saying that Wings team was great.) Remember last season? Soft perimeter play, and timely defensive lapses. (You'd think we'd learn. Or something.) Thing is, though, we used to have a s***-ton of skill, talent, moxy, mojo, all that good stuff that can win you a game seven even if you only show up for the last eight minutes of it. A few times we even assembled a - gasp - really, really solid, balanced team. And we wreaked havoc. And Cups were won. And we all rejoiced. But back to the present. I'm so glad Holland has sat on his hands for the past however-many-seasons, and that he seems perfectly content to keep doing so until the end of time. (Because, derp, This Is The Cap Era.) And, each season, people will find a way to ttly justificate it. (Because, derp, This Is The Cap Era.) This Season: "Holland would be a DAMN FOOL to make a move of any kind whatsoever at this point in time!" Last Season: "Holland would be a DAMN FOOL to make a move of any kind whatsoever at this point in time!" The Season Before That: "Holland would be a DAMN FOOL to make a move of any kind whatsoever at this point in time!" The Season Before That : "Holland would be a DAMN FOOL to make a move of any kind whatsoever at this point in time!" To whom much is given, much is expected. Mothereffers. I want the Detroit F****** Red Wings back. Where'd they go? I dunno. But I miss them. And I want them back. (Cue the generic "You're just spoiled! You want a Cup every season - but that's not reality!!!!111oneone" response.) [/TEH ANGERZ]

So...a Sunday matinee...and there's a big-official-thing dealy right before it? I smell disaster.

Every Opportunity is an Opportunity to talk about Opportunity. (Opportunity.)

Welcome to the club. There's a mini-bar in the corner over there.

Oh snap.

True. And I definitely acknowledge that Nick's injury and Helm's absence cost us dearly. I guess I wish someone - or maybe the team as a whole - had stepped up to compensate.

Reading the recaps and such, all I keep thinking is "Poor Parenteau." Guy deserves to be playing for a better club, IMHO. Could be absolutely lethal with the right linemates. *joyous

Again, poor choice of words on my part. Think of it this way: Would he be as dangerous as a Wing? Maybe. But, well, right off the bat - we know a puck-possession team is going to "take" much more than it "gives" (re: hits, creating space, wearing down the opposition, etc.) That's just how it works. And then, like I said, practically everyone in our top six is a smallish, softish, Euro playmaker. (Not that I have any problem with Euros, it just means things can and do get samey.) Selanne would have to endure more physical wear and tear, he'd have to make space for himself much of the time, and so on and so forth.

Poor choice of words on my part. Selanne has always been one of my favorite players. He is a beast. But playing on the Ducks helps a lot, for obvious reasons.

We won? How was DeKeyser?

I learned something today!

Crazy!

We'll need to get bigger, stronger, nastier, more durable. Helm's scaring me a bit. Bert's body is failing him. Sammy is officially more injury-prone than Colaiacovo. Franzen is Franzen. I like our bottom six, actually. And our D seem to be handling themselves pretty well, all things considered. I guess if I'm worried about any component, it's the top six. We really do need a legitimate power-forward.

I was just about to say. Sometimes I wonder if our lack of a bona fide blood-boiling rival hurts us. This is one of the many reasons why I'm so pumped for realignment. Imagine if we *hit it off* with the Bruins, Leafs, Habs.

Wait, is this a real thing now???

There was one shift, it was recent, against the Avs. I think. If memory serves, we were bumbling around in our own zone. General stupidity and laziness and a touch of sheer incompetence. But then, Glory Be to God, Nyquist got ahold of the puck and, all of three seconds later, he was tearing into the o-zone like some kind of human missile thing. I don't remember what happened after that, but I'll tell you what, I'm generally very cynical, pessimistic about this team, and so it takes a lot for me to go, "Wow." And I went "Wow." It made me realize how slow of foot - and teeth-gnashingly namby pamby - we generally are. It was refreshing. It was pretty awesome.

I bet he works for the Wings. Re: puck-posession, two things: - You need a fair amount of skill to really make it work. And by "fair amount" I mean "a ton." And, as stacked as we are in the skill department, I kinda wonder if our days of possession majesty are kinda sorta coming to an end. At the very least, you need a ridculously high-end puck-moving defenseman. Of which we have none. (Thanks, Nick.) (Jerk.) - Generally, the more you possess the puck, the lower your nightly hits total. Which is why I kinda sorta sometimes forgive our boys for being softies. But - and I guess this is kinda sorta the point I'm getting at - I've gotta think we're not possessing the puck as much as, well, say, last season. Which means we should be hitting more. In conclusion, fire Holland.

Saying Nyquist isn't really NHL-ready is silly. I think the big problem is...well I'll show you (since I love doing this so much): Brunner Datsyuk Filppula Franzen Nyquist Zetterberg All of our high-end players are subtle variations on the same damn player. Practically our entire top six corps - I mean the guys who really do deserve to be in the pool (and I do count Nyquist among them) - is softish, smallish, Euro playmakers. I think of Selanne. Is he really that good (and indeed, maye he is)...or does he benefit a whole lot from having a pack of bulldogs around him, creating space for him, wearing down the opposition for him? I feel Nyquist would do well in a similar situation. So, what I'm saying is: NHL-ready, and potentially lethal...just not in Motown. Maybe. We'll see. (Or we won't.)

Bobrovski is this year's white-hot Cinderalla gorilla. I can see him singlehandedly thrashing us in four games, in the first round. And that makes me a sad panda. Blue Jackets push the Bruins to seven games in the SCF. Calling it right now. (Only half-joking.)

Not trying to be a jerk, but...are we honestly expecting Bert back this season? Last I heard, he was yelling at his legs for being too slow.

I tend to agree. But, like zombo said, Holland would just blame it on injuries. And we lost in the first round. In five games. To the Predators. Big picture. We're trending downwards.

Detroit Red Masochists.

"We weren't nearly good enough. Something something something," said Kronwall.