Outsider

Just as I suspected.... The perfect game. Now, THAT was the Red Wings Team we all know and love. Rock Solid, from the goal on out. Beautiful game.

***unjinx*** He's not on LTIR just yet. Holland stated today the Ozzie felt "better" today after receiving treatment. (Commence with the jokes speculating on approved "treatment" for tight groins in 3...2...1...). Kenny stated today that: "It's just a slight groin strain, he played with it against Colorado (Monday)''. "We're going to see how he feels tomorrow.'' "There's no doubt he can go in and play if he had to." I, for one, am hoping it's just a little tweak, and he'll be fine. <smirk> Judging by the content of lots of Wings message boards, I appear to be in the minority.

<badumbum> (where's that rimshot when you need it?)

As an aside..... If Osgood is, indeed, out for a longer term than just a few Games, then let's hope Conklin can break his "jinx". Conklin has played in two "Heritage/Winter Classic" games. Both times he played due to an injury to the starting goaltender. Both times his Team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. Both times his Team went home without the Cup. ***unjinx***

I think it might, GoWings. The problem with the Team play has been that they've been lazy and, and decidedly lacking in consistent work ethic. The loss of their #1 goaltender will force them out of their bad habits, and into a more simplified and responsible game.

As someone stated above, this is a blessing in disguise. This should force the Team to clean up their act, Defensively speaking, and start playing a simplified, smarter Game. Especially with the Sharks in town tomorrow night. I've more hope for this game, with this latest development. They should, (hopefully), be back to being the Wings we all know and love by the time Oz is ready to play again, so all that will remain is for Ozzie to remove HIS head from HIS rear and get back to playing the way HE is capable of playing.

GAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Damn you and your logic, gcom.... We're Wings fans, not Vulcans!

If McCollum shows as much promise as reports indicate, one would hope they'd get the matter looked after PRIOR to watching the slow, steady decline of yet another top goaltending prospect. I'm not stating that I think the Wings should fire Bedard. He's a quality person, and he's an asset to the coaching staff. That said.... Perhaps they need to start "phasing in" a new Goaltending Coach. Jimmy Bedard is what, 51? 52? Maybe keep Bedard on to work the goalies in drills, and with the Team, but bring in a younger guy for more focused, intense goaltender training.

Ooooohhhhh.... See...and I've just made an effort to make "nice" in closing my last post. If I respond to this with how I truly feel....things are gonna get uuuuuugly. But I will say this.... He didn't get them to the Finals the previous year. The Wings made it to the Conference Finals. And that's all I'm going to say about that.....

Fair enough. Me, a "fangirlie".....Now I'm all blushy and aflutter. Shucks. I wouldn't say that Jim Bedard is a "bad" goaltending coach. He's great for drills, and for working the goalie WITH the Team. One-on-One, specialized, intensive goaltending TRAINING? He's not cut out for it. He's a dinosaur. Hockey in general, and Goaltending in particular, has changed dramatically since the last time Bedard was neck deep in pucks, and he hasn't bothered to bring himself up to speed. He's like your old high school, (maybe Jr. High School, depending on your age), typing teacher. Wrong equipment for the era. An IBM electric typewriter, with AutoCorrect, was the BOMB back in it's day. And in a pinch, I suppose it could still be still functional. But, really..... Much, and much of consequence , has changed since last Season. They can't make an outlet pass to save their lives. They can't clear the zone. They're losing every single puck battle, large and small. They're sloppy in their own zone, indifferent in the neutral zone, and arrogant in the offensive zone. They're not blocking shots. They're not sacrificing the body to make the play. They play as though they honestly believe that they can show up, hit the ice, and win the game in the last 10 minutes, without having to put up an effort for the first 50. It wasn't their skill, (which is, admittedly, great), which won them games last Season. It was the fact that they WORKED. They were absolute BEASTS last Season. This Season? Not even in the same vicinity, as far as work ethic goes. They're trying to win on skill alone. That is a recipe for disaster. Chris Osgood must bear at least some of the brunt for it. And he is. Just look around. He's being shredded, from Coast to Coast, in two Nations, for his play this Season. And NO ONE is being more vicious than fans in his own town, supposedly fans of "his" Team, when the truth of the matter is, while he IS partially to blame, he's not alone. Not even close to it. Everyone shares a hand in this. Well then.... Finally, something we can agree on. <smirk> But seriously.... We all, as fans, (regardless of which number adorns the Winged Wheel in our hearts), need to vent occasionally. It's cathartic. And if we all had the same opinions.... What a boring, sterile world we would inhabit. Right?

Really? That's your "best"? Oy....

Last Season Osgood was working under the tutelage of Stan Matwijiw. By all reports, Osgood has been working exclusively with Jim Bedard this Season. Not even YOU, with your fangirlie goggles on, can possibly believe that one. When even the play of the Great Nicklas Lidstrom has been suspect, the loss of a 43 year old goaltender who was past his prime BEFORE last Season even began can hardly be construed as a loss. I'd say the loss of Chris Chelios has been a greater blow to this Team.

Shame you didn't exercise the same discipline prior to hitting the "Add Reply" button....

I'm calling BS. Not defending Avery in the least but.... If Bettman "wouldn't want to have to explain" to his daughter what "sloppy seconds" means, how does he NOT feel a thousand times MORE remorseful having to "explain" to his 12-year-old daughter how, and WHY, her father has nearly single-handedly brought a Major Sports League to the brink of ruin? The man is evil. No other explanation for it. ***Edit*** And I seriously doubt that Bettman manages to be "somewhat honest" on most occasions. He probably hasn't had even a passing acquaintance with "perfectly honest" since childhood.

Jim Carrey won the Vezina once, too. Once. And for the record, Theodore has been so bad in Washington that he's been replaced by Brent Johnson. Osgood is considerbly smaller than Giguere, without even factoring in the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man get up Giggy wears. Matter of fact, Osgood isn't terribly "big" as a person, let alone as a goaltender. His size hasn't been too much of a handicap over the course of his 16 year career. And it didn't exactly cripple him during the Cup run just five months ago, either. We are all "getting old", every day we draw breath on this Earth. Oz was "young" enough to get the job done in sparkling fashion last Season. LOL. I wouldn't bet on that. Maybe the whole Team needs to get their Game back, 'cause while Oz IS struggling, he's far from the only one. He just happens to be the one who has a flashing red light and a foghorn go off every time he makes a mistake. Kinda draws a bit more attention to his mistakes than is drawn to the mistakes of say......Kronner. Or Stuart. Or Lebda. Or even Lidstrom. (Yes...I know.....SACRILEGE!) HUH? WHAT? Okay, no one would ever, ever, mistake me for a fan of Dominik Hasek, but you have GOT to be kidding with THAT comment. Either kidding, deluded, or seriously inebriated. If it's the third, kindly share some of what YOU'RE having, as your comment just made me waste a perfectly good GG& Soda when I spat it all over my keyboard. Motivation. And conditioning. Let's not forget that these guys just spent what I'll wager was 90% of their already shortened off-season drinking, partying and travelling, where they usually spend it killing themselves in training.

With all due respect, to both yourself, and to Mr. Bedard.... Jim Bedard, in his twelve year tenure as goaltending coach for the Detroit Red Wings, has produced precisely how many NHL goaltenders, out of a stable of how many good goaltending prospects? I'm not even talkin' about Top Notch, elite goaltenders. I'm talking about guys who've made it to the NHL in any capacity, at all. Oddly enough.... Ozzie was considered one of the bright up and comers in the League right up until Bedard came on-board. Matter of fact, Chris Osgood placed second in Vezina voting in 1996, the year before Bedard arrived, at the age of 23. Never quite reached that level again. Some fans say he regressed. Ozzie hires a DIFFERENT goaltending coach last Season, and has what many consider to be his best ever Season, playing the best hockey of his career. AND he just happens to lead the Wings to the Cup. Just recently..... Joey MacDonald was considered a solid goaltending prospect. Sucked in Detroit. Ended up being good for nothing more than a practice goalie. Joey Mac is, to my recollection, the only Wings goaltending prospect to even make it to the NHL. And THAT as a back-up who's only seeing ice time because Goalie 2021 is out with yet another long term injury. As soon as Ricky's back, Joey will be lucky to see a game a month. Stefan Liv was a can't miss, sure-fire, fantastic SEL prospect.....arrives in Detroit.....and sucks. Goes home without ever having played an NHL game. Rumor has it that the only useful coaching Bedard provided for Liv was to take away his laptop computer so he'd stop obsessively reading posts by fans slamming his awful play on Griffins message boards . Jimmy Howard was the, (flourish of trumpets), "Goalie of the Future", (dundundun). He was lights out at UMaine. Pretty good in his rookie year in the AHL, too. Unfortunately, he has REGRESSED every year since then, with each year he spends in the Detroit system getting progressively worse. It's now reached the point that he's been passed on the Organizational Depth Chart by not only a European goaltender who's never played the North American game, but by an EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD fresh outta the Draft. There are many more, highly touted, greatly anticipated, long awaited.....Each name blending into the next as one after another they fall by the wayside, despite all of their "potential", all of their "talent"......not one of them good enough to even make it as a regular NHL BACK-UP? Best in the business? I'd say the Allaire Bros. are only the START of the long and distinguished list which places above and beyond Jimmy Bedard. All the success the Wings have had developing Players, at EVERY position.... Every position but ONE, that is. That is one helluvan unfortunate coincidence for the "best (goaltending coach) in the business."

Alright, then....I'll go you one better.... Explain to me how it is that the Team which apparently has no interest in "busting ass" for Oz Wins MORE Games with him in net than they do with the "other goalie", (Babcock's phrase), who, according to you, is playing BETTER? You're reaching. And "damned close to perfect"? What? What games are YOU watching? That turn-over which led to the two on NONE about a MINUTE into the Game tonight..... How "close to perfect" would you rate that play? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being perfect. Kronwall's screen on the first goal by the Coyotes? "Closer" to perfect? How 'bout the sloppy line change which led to the Doan breakaway? "Almost" perfect?

For God's sake. Osgood is struggling, but he'll pull it together. I promise. Geez, all you yahoo's here screaming for him to be taken out behind the woodshed and shot were the same lot who were absolutely certain that, in the event of an injury to Hasek, were the Wings to be "forced" to rely on Osgood last Post Season, they'd surely be DOOOOOOOMED!!! Everyone get a nice, long, exultant look at the perty, sparkly things Mr. I handed out a week or so ago? He'll pull it together. And when he does, there won't be a ONE of you who will acknowledge it. Not a ONE of you. It will be the Defense, or better Team play, or weaker opponents, or some other such non-sense. And every ONE of you will do nothing but whine about how "bad" he was to start the Season, regardless of how well he happens to be playing. Y'all ARE Wings fans, are you not? As if you've NEVER seen Osgood struggle. Never. And as if you've never noticed that Oz tends to follow up a great statistical Season with a mediocre start to the next Season, only to turn it on by mid-Season. Look it up, folks. It's a fact. Again.....Oz will be fine. For all your whining like a little girl with sand in her tootie, reminding everyone how "mediocre" Osgood's always been.... You'd think you'd be MORE concerned about a 6 time Norris Winner who can't seem to get HIS Game back on track, rather than a goaltender who, (according to most), is doing nothing more than being exposed for the "average" 'tender he's always been. It's Ozzie's second full game in the new gear, after having worn it ONLY in practice thus far this Season. His glove work sucks. He'll get under control.... Again....I promise. <sheesh>

As Heroes said, above, Cheli was solid. He kept it very, very simple out there.

Good to see Cheli back out there. Welcome back, ya old geezer....

For those who questioned ( a ) Babcock's confidence in Osgood, and ( b ) Babcock's reasoning in starting Conklin in 3 straight..... Per Bruce MacLeod Coach Mike Babcock said after tonight's game that Chris Osgood will start Monday's game against Colorado at Joe Louis Arena. "We're always trying to get the competitive juices going. Ozzie's a competitor." Looks as though Babs knows who "his guy" is, after all.

Hmmmm..... I wonder if Babcock would've settled for one of those "catch-up games" he poo-pooh'ed in today's edition of the Freep....

It's happened before. It'll happen again. I think it's a bit more than a stretch for you to assume that "everyone" has lost confidence in a goaltender behind whom they won a Cup 5 months ago. In case you hadn't noticed, Conklin has been letting in 3 or more goals a game as well, lately. Questioned by the media? What does that have to do with anything? I haven't read a single comment about the Wing's goaltending "blowing". All I've heard from Babcock and Bedard is how confident they are that Oz will get back to where he should be, because he's too good not to. Babcock's statements about "Win as a Team, Lose as a Team" can hardly be construed as an indictment of the goaltending. No comment.

It does suck, if you happen to be a fan of a particular goalie, as I am. However, the "goalie head games" you refer to have played a part in the Winning of more Cups over the past 11 years than many Teams, (and fans of Teams), have seen in their entire Franchise history. Babs has been coaching Oz for a few years, now. I think he knows what it takes to get the best outta him. Ozzie's a competitive guy. He hates to sit. Hates it. Hopefully he's fired up, and plays his next string of Games with a bit more of a chip on his shoulder. Meanwhile, Go Wings! Go!

<chuckle> Oz has gotta be chompin' at the bit right about now, eh? Babs knows what he's doing.....