Gizmo

I love those rare playoff games that the Wings just dominate and I can relax and enjoy the show. I also gotta say that in Bryzgalov I've never seen a goalie let in 6 goals and still have one heck of a game!

The doors open 90 minutes prior to the start. Amazingly, the crowds for the warm-ups are usually pretty light. You can usually walk right down to the glass about 45 minutes before the start of the game. Warm-ups usually are about 30 minutes prior to the advertised start time. Warm-ups are one of my favorite parts of a visit to JLA. I'm amazed more people don't watch them. I think a Vladdy jersey will be next to impossible to find off the rack. Your best bet would be to order one from a private customizer. I'm pretty sure that NHLPA rules normally make it hard for teams to continue to make jerseys for players not on the current rosters. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Someone in Denver either has no sense of history, or a funny sense of humor... I'm watching the Avs/Sharks game and during one of the breaks I realize that they're playing Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" over the PA in the arena!!!

I think it was pretty funny, but I agree that I'm surprised that arena security doesn't reign them in a bit. "Why?"... For the same reason they do it in arena when you do things like hang on the glass, or pounded on it excessively, or do other "over the top" stuff. I think their "normal" dancing stuff is fine, but they seemed to really turn the wick up last night!

Shoulda had that one!

Wow... the boo-birds are coming out in Mellon!

Nevermind...

Nah, I got a feeling he'll go East... if nothing else, it'll mean fewer games at The Joe!

Hmmmm, lessee... Over the last 10 the Wings are 8-1-1 and the 'Nucks are 4-4-2. Yep, I'd say we're Orca bait!

We went last night to the 8:30 game as we live on the western side of the state. It was a bummer that Miami fell part in the 2nd period as I was root for them after what happened last year in the Final. However, I took along my binoculars as we were in the upper deck (336). After they resurfaced after the 2nd period I looked through the binoculars at light reflecting off of the ice around the goal on our end of the sheet. It looked absolutely terrible as I could see deep ruts and the surface looked incredibly uneven. Was anyone here close to the ice level last evening and got a look at it? I will say I didn't notice the puck bouncing around more than a normal game. Also, I had a friend sitting high up center ice that said that they had a lot of people with lower bleacher tickets that came up to their section to watch the game. They reported that the view from the first 12 rows of the bleachers was almost useless. They weren't too happy about coughing up $$$ to then end up squatting in the $79 section to be able to see the game. The worst was the section behind the benches. The players stood through most of the game and their view was almost totally blocked.

Lids started wearing one last season after getting injured when I puck hit him near the eye after deflecting off a stick shaft. http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/10/lidstrom_talks_visors_with_wxy.html The reason for a lot of the tilted half-shields in the minors is that the players are required to wear them in some leagues, but some that don't like them adhere to the rule by tilting them up so much it's effectively like not having one.

OK, so what do we know at this point about the stadium plans for next year? I keep hearing little blurbs of info about it, but that's it. IIRC, there is no signed lease for JLA for next year at this point, and in the pre-game show it was dropped that this is "The last regular season Wings game in JLA this season... and possibly forever."

I could be wrong about it being due to MLB, but I remember being able to watch the first week of the playoffs and it was hockey heaven. I have Charter.

Too bad the timing is different this year! Last year the first week of MLB preview coincided with the start of the playoffs.

Great series from the Bruins: Part two... Last one... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXcAOF1JYkA

Great... I finally get the stream running and what's the first thing I see... a feature during the intermission on Cindy!!!

I'm guessing that's 2 years from ground breaking to completion. That doesn't include all of the pre-construction work that has to be done. I think we know the "where", but I didn't think that the "what" has been determined in terms of the final design. Then there's the red tape of the "how" that will likey require lots of governmental negotiations and likey a voter referendem. So you'd need all that plus 2-3 years to build the thing.

Here's one that's funny for all the wrong reasons: But here's an awesome one:

The larger problem with the video is that the decade isn't over until the end of this year! New decades start in years that end with a "1" not a "0", because there was no "Year 0". The first decade was 1 to 10 AD, the 2nd was 11 to 20 AD, etc. The current decade runs from 2001 through 2010. And yeah, I know that in pop culture we like to talk about things like "The 80's", but in terms of the calendar just like the "new millennium" didn't actually start until Jan 1, 2001 (the first being from 1 - 1000, and the 2nd being from 1001 - 2000), the 201st Decade doesn't start until Jan 1, 2011.

Yep... Got the shaft. Went from Sec 330 to 336. I guess the "good news" is that we went down 1 row! Whoot!

I got the notice that mine were being shipped UPS, but they haven't arrived. But I'm expecting to join the "I got screwed" club. I had very nice seats center ice in the $40 area. I expect that I'll now be high in the corner. It would have been nice to "grandfather" those of us that coughed up the $$$ when tickets first went on sale and give us a similar view (even if it were on the upper rows of the newly created ticket price section)... but no, we get messed over because they grossly overestimated demand.

You're also not supposed to use the flash at JLA. Up high it's no good as most flashes have an effective range of 20-30 feet, and down low they won't want you distracting the players and/or making them see spots... and unless you're shooting at an angle, your flash will just kick back off the glass into the lens and ruin the photo. As mentioned, as long as your camera's lens is 80mm in focal length or less, then you can bring it in. About half the time, the guys running the metal detectors will in fact check the lens. I had them also check a spare lens I brought in. The best time to get photos is during the pre-game warm-ups. You can get down to the glass and shot from there. The photo holes are the best places, but kids will be clogging those looking for practice pucks and "fist bumps" from players. Get in one of the corners and shoot straight through the glass. IIRC, ISO 1600 @ f4 will get you about 1/400 sec. Not great, but "OK" for hockey photos.

If that's the line they're expecting us to buy, then I think we need a "statute of limitation" on the "intent to blow" rule. If you can't blow the whistle within 5 seconds of when you meant to then the play continues.

One of my rules to live by: "Never assign to conspiracy that which can easily be explained by incompetence."

I'll also confess that I'm very pleasantly surprised by Howard so far. I'm breathing a little easier now, but hopefully the trend will continue.