Zetterberg

[Yemack 1]

Let's get this out of the way first, yes he played very very well last night .

Ok what do you guys think about Z's back? I'm sure some of you have noticed already that his steps seem to be heavier than before. I just watched Z's plays from begining of the season and last year where he was much more dynamic and I am wondering if his back is bothering him alot.

I'm pretty sure Z has talked to our training staffs before making decision to play again but I'm worried sometimes because he usually turns his back to hold on to puck and seems to take a lot of punishment to his already questionable back.

Do you think he is playing injured? or maybe have one of those customized kevlar back protector?

[RedStormRising 7]

Hmm interesting...

[awingsincebirth 0]

I really have no doubt that his back is affecting him, at least to a certain degree. No way of telling just how much, but I'm pretty sure it is having something of an impact.

I'd be all for Babs giving him a few games off down the stretch, especially around the time we get Danny Boy back in the lineup. With Dats the way he is playing right now, and Hank the way he played earlier in the year, we would be very hard for anyone to beat.

[miller76 463]

I am sure he is playing with some discomfort in his back. Injuries just don't heal themselves with constant stress on that area. Especially back injuries. Not to mention we are getting to the end of the season here, where everyone has some type of ailment that needs attention or a break from the day to day stress they endure. Z is human also.

[norrisnick 1]

There's a month left in the season. If you're at 100% you haven't been playing hard enough.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I thought Z played one of his best games last night, even though the score sheet may not reflect that. He made two unreal passes to Franzen that resulted in good chances. I told my dad during the game that you never see an opponent steal the puck from Zetterberg. He has to be one of the best in the NHL at protecting the puck. It's amazing to watch how he can completely dominate a game when he comes on the ice.

As far as the back goes, nothing in Henrik's play has led me to believe the back is bothering him. If it is acting up, it isn't obvious from my perspective. I am concerned that this could be a lingering injury that will hurt him in the future. Back injuries are no fun, and they hardly ever completely go away.

Edited March 12, 2008 by GoWings1905

[Salviaman 104]

There's a month left in the season. If you're at 100% you haven't been playing hard enough.

Well what about Sammy? He always seems to be at %100

[#19=Legend 29]

Im sure its bothering him, and has been probably all season. and you can be sure babs will rest him down the stretch.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

There's a month left in the season. If you're at 100% you haven't been playing hard enough.

Unless your name is Selanne or Niedermeyer - then you took a vacation for over half the season and you're not as banged up as the rest of the guys. WHICH, incidentally, should be made illegal in the NHL, barring medical reasons, because it's an unfair advantage over the teams that put all their players in the line-up all year.

[rage 24]

Unless your name is Selanne or Niedermeyer - then you took a vacation for over half the season and you're not as banged up as the rest of the guys. WHICH, incidentally, should be made illegal in the NHL, barring medical reasons, because it's an unfair advantage over the teams that put all their players in the line-up all year.

So True!

They should also look at the players that get traded then re-sign with their previous clubs.

Zetterberg should be fine though, to keep on track.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

It maybe hurting him... however he may also be punishing it in the weight room to get it stronger for the playoffs. If he is working hardcore on strengthening it (which I remember him saying in old interviews that it's been a major part of his training) he could be playing with a very sore back instead of a hurt one.

[daniel1 32]

No doubt about it he was playing at a higher level before the first back injury this year. I'm not sure whether the coaching staff told him to tone it down a bit and save himself for the playoffs or he is simply doing the best that his wonky back will allow at the moment.

The telling factor for me has been the shots on net and the battles along the boards. Before the back injury this year he was getting like 5 or 6 shots on net EVERY game, quality ones too where he would use his speed to beat defenders and get dangerous shots away, now he's averaging like 3 to 4 shots per game. Zetterberg hardly ever lost a battle along the boards before the injury as well, he was able to twist, turn, use his feet and body to protect the puck and come away with the puck about 90% of the time, now it seems he has trouble holding his own along the boards and down deep in the cycle area of the offensive zone.

I hope that he's either just being cautious before the playoffs or that the coaches told him to dial it down and save himself for the real season.

It would be of concern to me if I was Kenny Holland though; Z right now is worth about 4-5mil a year... Z before the injury was a 6-7mil a year guy. Does Kenny know which Z he'll be getting for the next 6 or 7 years when we resign him? I hope so...

[Yemack 1]

No doubt about it he was playing at a higher level before the first back injury this year. I'm not sure whether the coaching staff told him to tone it down a bit and save himself for the playoffs or he is simply doing the best that his wonky back will allow at the moment.

The telling factor for me has been the shots on net and the battles along the boards. Before the back injury this year he was getting like 5 or 6 shots on net EVERY game, quality ones too where he would use his speed to beat defenders and get dangerous shots away, now he's averaging like 3 to 4 shots per game. Zetterberg hardly ever lost a battle along the boards before the injury as well, he was able to twist, turn, use his feet and body to protect the puck and come away with the puck about 90% of the time, now it seems he has trouble holding his own along the boards and down deep in the cycle area of the offensive zone.

I hope that he's either just being cautious before the playoffs or that the coaches told him to dial it down and save himself for the real season.

It would be of concern to me if I was Kenny Holland though; Z right now is worth about 4-5mil a year... Z before the injury was a 6-7mil a year guy. Does Kenny know which Z he'll be getting for the next 6 or 7 years when we resign him? I hope so...

That is what I was saying. He used to skate very effortlessly and he used his feet more than his stickhandling or passing, now he just tries to beat defender with stick and his acceleration isn't just the same.

With amount of point cushion Red Wings have right now, I think getting as close to 100% before the playoff is also important. Especially Z for the said reason.

[OsGOD 3]

Wouldn't surprise me if he isn't injured for the rest of his career... once you back is compromised you are pretty much suffering from chronic pain the rest of your life.

He will just have to now find a way to play through the pain, which will get harder the longer he plays and the older he gets.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Let's get this out of the way first, yes he played very very well last night .

Ok what do you guys think about Z's back? I'm sure some of you have noticed already that his steps seem to be heavier than before. I just watched Z's plays from begining of the season and last year where he was much more dynamic and I am wondering if his back is bothering him alot.

I'm pretty sure Z has talked to our training staffs before making decision to play again but I'm worried sometimes because he usually turns his back to hold on to puck and seems to take a lot of punishment to his already questionable back.

Do you think he is playing injured? or maybe have one of those customized kevlar back protector?

I'm positive there's something not exactly right with Z. Why? Because most of the time there's something wrong with him. When he was leading the league in scoring did anybody seriously think he wasn't going to be ailing at some point in the season? Much like Kronwall the guy has an unfortunate knack for being nagged by something.

[clayjoh 3]

As an aside here somebody mentioned Cleary coming back shortly.Unfortunately he will be a shadowof his former self for this year Remeber he's had his jaws wired together for several weeks and has lost significant weight(approx20 lbs on average) and muscle tone will be severely depleted due to lack of high quality meat protein.I'd bet we won't see him till round 3 of the playoffs Even if they put some form of NASA helmet on him he just won't have the gas for the playoff battles.His jaw fracture was much more severe than our close personal friend Pronger and it will be reflected in a longer transition back to playing 100% Sorry to rain on the parade.

But I think management is ready to put out a real heavy hitting lineup if necc this year against San Jose or Anaheim to counter their greaser 3rd and 4th liners

[daniel1 32]

As an aside here somebody mentioned Cleary coming back shortly.Unfortunately he will be a shadowof his former self for this year Remeber he's had his jaws wired together for several weeks and has lost significant weight(approx20 lbs on average) and muscle tone will be severely depleted due to lack of high quality meat protein.I'd bet we won't see him till round 3 of the playoffs Even if they put some form of NASA helmet on him he just won't have the gas for the playoff battles.His jaw fracture was much more severe than our close personal friend Pronger and it will be reflected in a longer transition back to playing 100% Sorry to rain on the parade.

But I think management is ready to put out a real heavy hitting lineup if necc this year against San Jose or Anaheim to counter their greaser 3rd and 4th liners

Those are very definite possibilities, but I want to give you some reasons to hope for the best in this situation.

A. His injury hasn't hindered his ability to work out, and while he may not have been skating/practicing you can bet he's been riding the bike, lifting weights and doing as much cardio as possible to keep in shape.

B. After his new contract I think he'll have something to prove; Dan is a proud guy and he wants to show his teammates and Detroit that he's worth the 5yr deal.

C. He should be back playing or at least practicing about 5 or 6 games before the playoffs start. This would give him to get up to game speed before the playoffs even start.

D. I've played hockey with a "mouth" injury, 3 days after having my wisdom teeth pulled out (all 4!) my University team was in the playoffs and I played 4 games in 6 nights. Yes, it was painfull at the start of each game, but with the help of some painkillers and my own adrenaline it was manageable. Once the game started and after about my 3rd shift I forgot all about my sore jaw and was able to play without thinking about it. I'm betting Cleary has a higher tolerance to pain than I do (cause i'm a *****) and that he's gonna have access to better drugs too.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Those are very definite possibilities, but I want to give you some reasons to hope for the best in this situation.

A. His injury hasn't hindered his ability to work out, and while he may not have been skating/practicing you can bet he's been riding the bike, lifting weights and doing as much cardio as possible to keep in shape.

B. After his new contract I think he'll have something to prove; Dan is a proud guy and he wants to show his teammates and Detroit that he's worth the 5yr deal.

C. He should be back playing or at least practicing about 5 or 6 games before the playoffs start. This would give him to get up to game speed before the playoffs even start.

D. I've played hockey with a "mouth" injury, 3 days after having my wisdom teeth pulled out (all 4!) my University team was in the playoffs and I played 4 games in 6 nights. Yes, it was painfull at the start of each game, but with the help of some painkillers and my own adrenaline it was manageable. Once the game started and after about my 3rd shift I forgot all about my sore jaw and was able to play without thinking about it. I'm betting Cleary has a higher tolerance to pain than I do (cause i'm a *****) and that he's gonna have access to better drugs too.

I remember last season Chris Pronger had a leg/ankle injury of some sort, and he wasnt allowed to skate, but he was allowed to work out, and he said it actually benefited him in the long run, because he was able to build back up his muscle tone, a lot of which he had lost during the season because he couldnt do as intense of workouts in the thick of the hockey schedule.

Stamina and timing lost? of course. Muscle tone and strength? I dont see anything that could stop him from using weights and drinking protein shakes, but thats just me.

Edited March 13, 2008 by YoungGuns1340

[clayjoh 3]

Those are very definite possibilities, but I want to give you some reasons to hope for the best in this situation.

A. His injury hasn't hindered his ability to work out, and while he may not have been skating/practicing you can bet he's been riding the bike, lifting weights and doing as much cardio as possible to keep in shape.

B. After his new contract I think he'll have something to prove; Dan is a proud guy and he wants to show his teammates and Detroit that he's worth the 5yr deal.

C. He should be back playing or at least practicing about 5 or 6 games before the playoffs start. This would give him to get up to game speed before the playoffs even start.

D. I've played hockey with a "mouth" injury, 3 days after having my wisdom teeth pulled out (all 4!) my University team was in the playoffs and I played 4 games in 6 nights. Yes, it was painfull at the start of each game, but with the help of some painkillers and my own adrenaline it was manageable. Once the game started and after about my 3rd shift I forgot all about my sore jaw and was able to play without thinking about it. I'm betting Cleary has a higher tolerance to pain than I do (cause i'm a *****) and that he's gonna have access to better drugs too.

[clayjoh 3]

I just think the loss of muscle mass/strength is unavoidable with being wired up and he's a bit of a skinny rat anyhow but he'll be out there trying I'm sure.Also do you guys see vastly different lineups being put out by Babcock depending on the playoff opposition?Obviously Vancouver isn't too physical but I bet we'd need to bulk up for San Jose or Anaheim and their tactics

I hope San Jose meets Anaheim first round and we can sit back and watch them pummel each other for 6 or seven games

[Heaton 1]

He's fine, just because he hasn't been at higher than ppg pace lately just shows how high of a level he was at earlier this season.

[Thunderpriest 8]

The biggest detriment to Zetterberg's game right now is that Samuelsson is playing on his line.

Samuelsson is the Flow-Killer.

(I'm going to trademark that name for him.)

[Guest LivingtheDream]

You know, I love Hank and want him to be a Wing for life, so this has nothing to do with Hank vs. having a lot to do with sooooo many of you who bashed the living hell out of Datsyuk the past few years and are now on your knees kissing his tight Russian ass as he once again leads the team in scoring, is playing awesome on both ends of the ice and gives us jaw dropping moves on a regular basis. I'm betting if Dats was injured and/or not playing scoring for a while some of you would be crawling out of the wood work right about now slamming him, but nooooooo, Hank is the golden blond God. Just looking for a little equality and less fair weathered BS.

[sixer 37]

He should definitely take several games off to get some rest!

[Opie 308]

You know, I love Hank and want him to be a Wing for life, so this has nothing to do with Hank vs. having a lot to do with sooooo many of you who bashed the living hell out of Datsyuk the past few years and are now on your knees kissing his tight Russian ass as he once again leads the team in scoring, is playing awesome on both ends of the ice and gives us jaw dropping moves on a regular basis. I'm betting if Dats was injured and/or not playing scoring for a while some of you would be crawling out of the wood work right about now slamming him, but nooooooo, Hank is the golden blond God. Just looking for a little equality and less fair weathered BS.

What is this fair weathered fandom you speak of, you mean people only rooting for the team when things go their (the fan not the team) way!!

NO not on the internet!! Surely you jest, Don't call me Shirley!! (Airplane, anyone!)