bench bert article today

[AFwinger 21]

HERE (BELOW) IS TODAY'S, E.J. HRADEK ARTICLE ABOUT BENCHING BERT I DIDN'T PROVIDE A LINK CONSIDERING ITS AN ESPN INSIDER'S (PAY SUBSCRIPTION) ARTICLE...WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK, I DON'T AGREE WITH BENCHING HIM....

Message to Wings: Bench Bertuzziposted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry

filed under: NHL, Detroit Red Wings, Todd Bertuzzi

If crease-crashing winger Tomas Holmstrom can return to the Wings' lineup in Game 4 (as expected), coach Mike Babcock will have to take a forward out of the lineup.

Here's a suggestion: Scratch Todd Bertuzzi.

The former Canucks star has quietly been killing his new team with bad penalties, poor decisions and weak puck play.

In Monday night's Game 3 loss in San Jose, for example, Bertuzzi took an unbelievably bad (and obvious) elbowing penalty late in the second period, reaching out to deliver a blow to the head of Sharks forward Ryane Clowe. That penalty helped the Sharks keep the momentum going in their direction.

Later, in the third period, the Wings were down 2-1 with nearly seven minutes left in regulation time. They put together a couple of good shifts and were building some momentum as they pushed for the tying goal. Then, Bertuzzi, driving to the net with the puck, found it necessary to slue-foot San Jose defenseman Kyle McLaren. The refs spotted the obvious foul and sent Big Bert to the box for tripping with just 2:48 on the clock.

That penalty helped the Sharks close out the game. Afterward, in television interviews, goalie Dominik Hasek, captain Nicklas Lidstrom and winger Dan Cleary all talked about how penalties really hurt their team's flow and rhythm.

But Bertuzzi's bad penalties (he took two bad minors in Game 2, too) aren't the only way he's hurting his team. There are some subtleties in his game that are just as destructive to his team's chances of winning.

If you watch his shifts, he doesn't take hard, smart angles to the puck carrier. Instead, he swoops by, making it easy for an opponent to move the puck. In the playoffs, that just doesn't cut it. He's not pressuring the puck. He's not making it hard for those young Sharks defenders.

In the defensive zone, he too often fails to get the puck out of his zone cleanly. When you turn the puck over in your own zone, you put your team in a dangerous position. That often leads to a goal against or a penalty. If you're lucky enough to avoid either of those two fates, you still are scrambling rather than playing a cohesive game.

Bertuzzi's weak two-way game really saps the life out of the Wings' terrific puck-possession game. To back up that statement, I offer the following stat. In these playoffs, without Bertuzzi, the Wings are 2-0. Since he joined the lineup, they're just 3-4.

If Babcock wants to put his most competitive team on the ice for Wednesday's vital Game 4, he should make the bold move of putting Big Bert in the press box.

The Wings are better off without him.

15 comments on "Message to Wings: Bench Bertuzzi"

jsaquella (5/1/2007 at 9:33 AM)

Bertuzzi always has a penchant for taking poorly timed penalties and being somewhat of a liability on defense-any Canucks fan will tell you that. Bertuzzi is not fully in game shape after his back injury and it shows. He'll have an outstanding moment or game, then be awful for three.

goldnugget82 (5/1/2007 at 9:49 AM)

Todd Bertuzzi's size and grit are something the Red Wings will need more of if they plan on winning this series. The longer the series goes, the more it favors the Sharks. Heavy bodies, hitting, and gritty-nastiness are how the playoff games are won against the Sharks. His penalties are hurting the Wings but so are the other players logging time in the box for Detroit. Todd enables the Wings to keep this series close. Sharks in 6.

[Kp-Wings 3]

THE WORLDS GONE MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Bertuzzi seems to be a real hot button issue right now. The chances of him being sat are slim to none though. We can pretty much count on the fact that Hudler, no matter how good he plays, will always be the odd man out.

[OsGOD 3]

This was brought up but no link was really given in the bertuzzi bashing thread...

So just to recap... I said:

Lucky for us ESPN is dumb!

and I still hold to that

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

HERE (BELOW) IS TODAY'S, E.J. HRADEK ARTICLE ABOUT BENCHING BERT I DIDN'T PROVIDE A LINK CONSIDERING ITS AN ESPN INSIDER'S (PAY SUBSCRIPTION) ARTICLE...WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK, I DON'T AGREE WITH BENCHING HIM....

Message to Wings: Bench Bertuzziposted: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry

filed under: NHL, Detroit Red Wings, Todd Bertuzzi

If crease-crashing winger Tomas Holmstrom can return to the Wings' lineup in Game 4 (as expected), coach Mike Babcock will have to take a forward out of the lineup.

Here's a suggestion: Scratch Todd Bertuzzi.

The former Canucks star has quietly been killing his new team with bad penalties, poor decisions and weak puck play.

In Monday night's Game 3 loss in San Jose, for example, Bertuzzi took an unbelievably bad (and obvious) elbowing penalty late in the second period, reaching out to deliver a blow to the head of Sharks forward Ryane Clowe. That penalty helped the Sharks keep the momentum going in their direction.

Later, in the third period, the Wings were down 2-1 with nearly seven minutes left in regulation time. They put together a couple of good shifts and were building some momentum as they pushed for the tying goal. Then, Bertuzzi, driving to the net with the puck, found it necessary to slue-foot San Jose defenseman Kyle McLaren. The refs spotted the obvious foul and sent Big Bert to the box for tripping with just 2:48 on the clock.

That penalty helped the Sharks close out the game. Afterward, in television interviews, goalie Dominik Hasek, captain Nicklas Lidstrom and winger Dan Cleary all talked about how penalties really hurt their team's flow and rhythm.

But Bertuzzi's bad penalties (he took two bad minors in Game 2, too) aren't the only way he's hurting his team. There are some subtleties in his game that are just as destructive to his team's chances of winning.

If you watch his shifts, he doesn't take hard, smart angles to the puck carrier. Instead, he swoops by, making it easy for an opponent to move the puck. In the playoffs, that just doesn't cut it. He's not pressuring the puck. He's not making it hard for those young Sharks defenders.

In the defensive zone, he too often fails to get the puck out of his zone cleanly. When you turn the puck over in your own zone, you put your team in a dangerous position. That often leads to a goal against or a penalty. If you're lucky enough to avoid either of those two fates, you still are scrambling rather than playing a cohesive game.

Bertuzzi's weak two-way game really saps the life out of the Wings' terrific puck-possession game. To back up that statement, I offer the following stat. In these playoffs, without Bertuzzi, the Wings are 2-0. Since he joined the lineup, they're just 3-4.

If Babcock wants to put his most competitive team on the ice for Wednesday's vital Game 4, he should make the bold move of putting Big Bert in the press box.

The Wings are better off without him.

15 comments on "Message to Wings: Bench Bertuzzi"

jsaquella (5/1/2007 at 9:33 AM)

Bertuzzi always has a penchant for taking poorly timed penalties and being somewhat of a liability on defense-any Canucks fan will tell you that. Bertuzzi is not fully in game shape after his back injury and it shows. He'll have an outstanding moment or game, then be awful for three.

goldnugget82 (5/1/2007 at 9:49 AM)

Todd Bertuzzi's size and grit are something the Red Wings will need more of if they plan on winning this series. The longer the series goes, the more it favors the Sharks. Heavy bodies, hitting, and gritty-nastiness are how the playoff games are won against the Sharks. His penalties are hurting the Wings but so are the other players logging time in the box for Detroit. Todd enables the Wings to keep this series close. Sharks in 6.

That is comical. The Wings are 2-0 without him, sure. But look at those two game, the Flames played like an AHL team. Bert may have taken some bad penalties, but the way the game was officiated had a lot to do with that. I'm not arguing his penalties were bad calls, but the refs let much worse go. (Well, that elbow was pretty brutal)

Besides, I think the Wings should sit a guy like Sammy or Franzen before Bert.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Besides, I think the Wings should sit a guy like Sammy or Franzen before Bert.

Give me whatever it is that your smoking. It must really work!

[Rice 42]

No matter how Bertuzzi has been playing, he's not going to be scratched. The Wings PR have sold the grit thing to many fans. Plus, he's going to get better as time goes on, not worse.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

Besides, I think the Wings should sit a guy like Sammy or Franzen before Bert.

FRANZEN? JOHAN FRANZEN? Completely disagree.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

eh.. I dont know what to say. How can you bench a guy like Bertuzzi? I admit he has played like garbage, but he is the kind of guy who could be on the verge of breaking out. I say keep him in.

[puckbags 863]

THE WORLDS GONE MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Bertuzzi seems to be a real hot button issue right now. The chances of him being sat are slim to none though. We can pretty much count on the fact that Hudler, no matter how good he plays, will always be the odd man out.

Agreed...this is the Bert we didnt want to get and all we can do is hope is that he can start bringing something to the table soon!!

[Hank 0]

THE WORLDS GONE MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Bertuzzi seems to be a real hot button issue right now. The chances of him being sat are slim to none though. We can pretty much count on the fact that Hudler, no matter how good he plays, will always be the odd man out.

I agree. It took Babcock how long to give Lang a limited role? And he still has Samuelsson on the top 2 lines and the 2nd PP unit despite amassing a whopping 3 measly assists in 15 playoff games with the Wings.

If you're one of Babcock's favourites you basically have to shoot one of his family members or tell him that hunting and fishing is for fags. And even then, you're probably going to get prime icetime for the next 10 or so games.

Bertuzzi's going nowhere. I personally like Bert and I think he is a great hockey player. But he's clearly not 100% and it's obvious he hasn't gelled with this team yet. It would serve the Wings better to sit him for Game 4. But at the very least, he should be on the top line with Zetts and Dats where his shortcomings aren't so blatant. Besides, that line needs size bigtime. They're getting manhandled out there.

[stellargirl21 0]

Yeah ok, I would have to agree that the penalties that he took in that last game didn't help, but I would much rather see Samuelsson benched...he just sucks.

[Hank 0]

eh.. I dont know what to say. How can you bench a guy like Bertuzzi? I admit he has played like garbage, but he is the kind of guy who could be on the verge of breaking out. I say keep him in.

We've been saying the exact same thing about Lang for how long?

Lang finally acted like a hockey player last night and it was after being benched. Maybe the same medicine will work for Bert.

[Barrie 900]

Sit Hudler.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

Sit Hudler.

Sit Sammy. Huds deserves to stay in the line up.

[Hank 0]

Sit Hudler.

Hudler hasn't been a liability. Bert has.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

Give me whatever it is that your smoking. It must really work!

Hah, classy. You are telling me you'd rather have Franzen in than Bert? Come on, be serious.

[puertoricanWingsfan 5]

The moment I found out that Todd Bertuzzi was being signed to the wings, I let out a long groan. I'm not denying his abilities, as he's proven in the past how he can be a value to a team. I groaned because bertuzzi plays a different style then the wings franchise. The wings have never been a dirty team, and Bertuzzi has history of being a dirty player. He takes dumb penalties, and is just a goon. Now, I'm not writing this to be a Bert Basher, but I am saying that the Wings would potentially be better off without him. Unlike what has been said before, the wings don't need a goon to survive the "physical" playoffs; what they need is skill. That unfortunately is something that Bert doesn't have a whole lot of.

Why are players like Sidney Crosby, Vinny Lecavalier and Pavel Datsyuk some of the best players in the NHL? Because no one can touch them. Goons are gamebreakers; skill players are. BENCH BIG BERT!

BTW, as far as the whole Franzen/Bertuzzi debate, you can't honestly say Bert has made a bigger contribution that Franzen. If you think he has, you haven't watched a single minute of this postseason.

[OsGOD 3]

Huddles was on his ass the entire game last night.... Even mickey was poking fun at him. Huddles, puck, ass on the ice. He was the whipping boy for the sharkies last night.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

The moment I found out that Todd Bertuzzi was being signed to the wings, I let out a long groan. I'm not denying his abilities, as he's proven in the past how he can be a value to a team. I groaned because bertuzzi plays a different style then the wings franchise. The wings have never been a dirty team, and Bertuzzi has history of being a dirty player. He takes dumb penalties, and is just a goon. Now, I'm not writing this to be a Bert Basher, but I am saying that the Wings would potentially be better off without him. Unlike what has been said before, the wings don't need a goon to survive the "physical" playoffs; what they need is skill. That unfortunately is something that Bert doesn't have a whole lot of.

Why are players like Sidney Crosby, Vinny Lecavalier and Pavel Datsyuk some of the best players in the NHL? Because no one can touch them. Goons are gamebreakers; skill players are. BENCH BIG BERT!

Outside from the Steve Moore incident, which you cannot prove Bert actually broke his neck or the 15 guys who piled on top, where does Bert get his dirty rep from?

[Hank 0]

The moment I found out that Todd Bertuzzi was being signed to the wings, I let out a long groan. I'm not denying his abilities, as he's proven in the past how he can be a value to a team. I groaned because bertuzzi plays a different style then the wings franchise. The wings have never been a dirty team, and Bertuzzi has history of being a dirty player. He takes dumb penalties, and is just a goon. Now, I'm not writing this to be a Bert Basher, but I am saying that the Wings would potentially be better off without him. Unlike what has been said before, the wings don't need a goon to survive the "physical" playoffs; what they need is skill. That unfortunately is something that Bert doesn't have a whole lot of.

Why are players like Sidney Crosby, Vinny Lecavalier and Pavel Datsyuk some of the best players in the NHL? Because no one can touch them. Goons are gamebreakers; skill players are. BENCH BIG BERT!

BTW, as far as the whole Franzen/Bertuzzi debate, you can't honestly say Bert has made a bigger contribution that Franzen. If you think he has, you haven't watched a single minute of this postseason.

The Wings have never lacked skill. It's been grit that's kept them from holding the Cup the last few years. Bert was supposed to provide some of that. However, like you said, he's been providing it in a negative way. He should be using his big frame to overturn pucks and wear down defenders, not by taking horrible penalties.

P.S. Crosby and Lecavailer are different than Datsyuk in that they play a more gritty game. Crosby and Vinny routinely drive to the net, while Datsyuk will try to set things up from the outside.

[OsGOD 3]

Why are players like Sidney Crosby, Vinny Lecavalier and Pavel Datsyuk some of the best players in the NHL? Because no one can touch them. Goons are gamebreakers; skill players are. BENCH BIG BERT!

Well luckily for us we have the only player on that list still reaching for the cup this post season.... And why are they so untouchable... because they have guys to kick arse or break some heads if someone does....

I have seen the amount of hits Dats and Zeta have taken decrease since bert has been on the ice... Not to mention he made Phanuef is play toy in the calgary series.... He is a presence out there and it says better not f*@ with our stars.

Edited May 1, 2007 by OsGOD

[Guest GodofHockeyStevieY19]

I don't wanna even let myself get all worked up over this. Cause im in a good mood. But this article is a piece of trash. E.J. Hradek is a complete fool. And im not just saying that because of this particular article. He's had a history of being a dumbass. This is the same dude that when the lockout was into February and nearing the deadline for a shortened season, he reported they agreed to a 45mil cap and there was to be a 28 game regular season with full playoffs. Yeah good report there E.J.. Bert has been physical and has battled in the trenches. f*** Hradek. He's f*cking clueless.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Even before we signed Bert, I predicted he would be a playoff washout. Bad back, hasn't played in a long while.

With 2 goals and 2 assists, he's actually done better than I thought.

He had a bad game. Maybe Babcock should chew him out or cut his minutes if he makes another boneheaded play like that elbow, but I'd be awful reluctant to sit a 6'3" 245 lb physical forward against the Sharks unless he was a total liability.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

I don't wanna even let myself get all worked up over this. Cause im in a good mood. But this article is a piece of trash. E.J. Hradek is a complete fool. And im not just saying that because of this particular article. He's had a history of being a dumbass. This is the same dude that when the lockout was into February and nearing the deadline for a shortened season, he reported they agreed to a 45mil cap and there was to be a 28 game regular season with full playoffs. Yeah good report there E.J.. Bert has been physical and has battled in the trenches. f*** Hradek. He's f*cking clueless.

Just something I found kind of funny about your post....you censor yourself after you already drop the 'f' bomb...heh

[Guest GodofHockeyStevieY19]

Just something I found kind of funny about your post....you censor yourself after you already drop the 'f' bomb...heh

I got control half the time atleast. LOL