• Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

Sign in to follow this  
w00p33

Summer doldrums, excuses, and curiosities

Rate this topic

Recommended Posts

Despite summer ending and training camp getting close, I haven't been following hockey news. But with football preseason I'm jonesing for hockey info. I finally purchased a HDTV and was watching movies, History and Discovery Chanels (lately, Olympic coverage) a lot and ignoring hockey news so I'm out of the loop. With our core D and O intact and the highlight addition of Hossa, there's no real question of Det. being a scoring team and defensively responsible too. I'd argue we'll be pre/early season favorites to - at least - make a run at a repeat, but that leads to the question of weaknesses, and to me, that's goaltending. Now Chris proved himself last year but he did as a savior from Dom's let down. So let my inquisition begin :

Chris has been streaky at times of his career, this late in his career is he ready to lead solo?

Is Ty the "bridge" guy between Ozzy and Howard or is he likely to become the next starter if/when Ozzie calls it quits/gets pulled off starter roll?

Is this a good enough goalie tandem to make a Cup run?

Who is the true Western spoiler to this team? My guesses are the Sharks, as they inherited a coach who knows the Wing's system and are likely to compete against it and (hold your breath) Chicago because they are familiar with us as rivals, they have great young talent that can compete with anyone, especially with a year experience, and they will be hungrier than any time in about a decade or so.

Is there any major obstacle to a serious deep run that I've left out?

And last, I know there have been threads along this line, but, is there any way to hope for a chance to get Winter Classic tix at under $200 for a non-season ticket-holder of ... well.. anything... heh?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is just one idiot's opinion, and I am a pretty big idiot at times, but here goes...

Despite summer ending and training camp getting close, I haven't been following hockey news. But with football preseason I'm jonesing for hockey info. I finally purchased a HDTV and was watching movies, History and Discovery Chanels (lately, Olympic coverage) a lot and ignoring hockey news so I'm out of the loop. With our core D and O intact and the highlight addition of Hossa, there's no real question of Det. being a scoring team and defensively responsible too. I'd argue we'll be pre/early season favorites to - at least - make a run at a repeat, but that leads to the question of weaknesses, and to me, that's goaltending. Now Chris proved himself last year but he did as a savior from Dom's let down. So let my inquisition begin :

Chris has been streaky at times of his career, this late in his career is he ready to lead solo?

Yes. Last season answered this question and Osgood will have the majority of starts regardless of if Conklin or Howard is the backup, but Babcock and company are smart enough to not overwork him assuming his play isn't ridiculously in the s**ter for whatever reason.

Is Ty the "bridge" guy between Ozzy and Howard or is he likely to become the next starter if/when Ozzie calls it quits/gets pulled off starter roll?

Unless I have been sniffing too much glue, Wings mgmt is deeming Howard the goalie of the future. I think he has one more year where he doesn't have to worry about clearing waivers/getting picked up by another team, so it might make more sense to give him one more year of as much playing time as possible in Grand Rapids. Conklin is an experienced backup more/less, he can probably handle coming in cold or with not as many starts over Howard perhaps, but again with this last sentence this is one idiot's opinion and I am a big idiot.

Is this a good enough goalie tandem to make a Cup run?

If Osgood stays healthy, yes.

Who is the true Western spoiler to this team? My guesses are the Sharks, as they inherited a coach who knows the Wing's system and are likely to compete against it and (hold your breath) Chicago because they are familiar with us as rivals, they have great young talent that can compete with anyone, especially with a year experience, and they will be hungrier than any time in about a decade or so.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Minnesota. No real reason, just a wild guess (again, the idiot's opinion at work here).

Is there any major obstacle to a serious deep run that I've left out?

Injuries, plain and simple. I don't think this team will lack motivation even after winning a Cup already. Just stay healthy.

And last, I know there have been threads along this line, but, is there any way to hope for a chance to get Winter Classic tix at under $200 for a non-season ticket-holder of ... well.. anything... heh?

Probably not, and I've already accepted this and it is slim/none that I plan to go to this. I honestly don't mind cold weather all that much even though I live in a warm climate more often than not, but anything below 20 degrees being outdoors for extended lengths of time and I usually become miserable, and it'll probably be that cold around Chicago that time of year.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest CaliWingsNut

It's only a long subject title because you included that ("Long subject title:") in the title.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Barring any injuries I'm certain Osgood will start in 50 to 55 games, with Conklin aka 'Conk-Block' will be our #2 guy between the pipes...Howard will spend another year in GR.

We won the Cup with Ozzie - he's in great shape, & has improved upon his game; no reason why he can't do it again in 2009.

Sharks, Ducks, & Stars will again be top teams with a dark horses in Calgary, Edmonton, & Phoenix...Adding Hossa to our roster still trumps whatever they got IMO.

Health is everything - just ask the Avalanche.

I'm certain a few thousand tickets will be made available for the Winter Classic via Ticketmaster...Just go to the Ticketmaster site, & sign up for Chicago Blackhawk alerts so when they go on sale - you'll be notified via an email.

The Ducks are not going to contend for the Cup. The team that won the cup was dismantled the summer after they won. They finished near the bottom of the league in goal scoring last year and went out in the first round.

I expect that they will have a tough time just making the playoffs because they are in a tough division. As much as the Canadian sportswriter like a team of big Canadian kids, you have to look beyond the hype and youwill see their are some obvious problems.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Osgood, in my opinion, has improved as a goaltender even over the younger years of his career strictly thanks to the butterfly style that he has seemed to master in record time. He plays much more positionally now then say in 96 or 98. Osgood is made for the Red Wings so to speak because he is tremendously low-maintenance guy who the players in front of him are confident in. Also, Ozzy can mentally handle games with long dry-spells which is the kind of games the Wings play, him seeing only around 18-24 shots on any given night. Personally, I think if you throw some of the upper echelon goaltenders in the league in his situation, they would look really average, really quick.

As far as Conklin, he will make a superb backup goaltender this season and I see him taking around 2/5 of the games, simply because Babcock is going to want Osgood hungry and rested come playoffs.

Howard is the goaltender of the future, as others have pointed out, its been like that for years now, just a matter of time. Barring an absolute dominant training camp, the Wings will want Howard getting as much playing time as possible in GR. Next year he'll be backup to Ozzy.

Almost forgot...

Contenders: Stars, Blackhawks, Sharks

Pretenders: Ducks, Wild (both have remained stagnant)

Edited by b.shanafan14

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ozzie is the clear-cut #1 and he's very much capable of repeating. Having said that, he's not the kind of guy who will play 75 games in the regular season and be able to go on a tear in the postseason. If he's going to be the #1 in the playoffs, he needs someone to split time with in the regular season.

Howard's job as the future #1 is his to lose. However, I can't blame management for not feeling entirely comfortable with an Ozzie-Howard tandem in light of Howard's inexperience and the point I just made about splitting time. That's where Conklin comes in: his presence should cover for Howard while also pushing him to work hard and play the best he can play, whether he's with the Wings or the Griffins. Realistically, I would expect Conklin to be the #2 for most -- if not all -- of the season.

I expect the 'hawks to play the Wings hard this season. They may even make the playoffs. However, I don't regard them as a serious postseason threat (yet). True, they'll probably be the most competitive they've been in quite some time, but this Wings team could be one of the most competitive ones ever assembled, featuring a rock-solid top-4 and a borderline unreal top-6. And that's not even counting the roster's depth, and Ozzie's "reinvention," if you want to call it that. Basically, this is the team that just won the Cup in convincing fashion -- only, now it features Hossa in Sammy's place in the top-6.

If we're talking the postseason, I see the Stars and Sharks as the Wings' biggest threats. If the Ducks are a contender, then they're a dark horse. Their glory days are pretty much over.

No one in the East worries me. The Pens are floundering and the season hasn't even started. It's trendy to like the Habs, but let's face it: unless they nab Sundin and get a revelatory run out of Price, they're not going to be able to topple the Wings in a best-of-seven series. That may sound cocky, but it's true. (Just ask the Pens.) The Flyers? Even with Sundin, they're a pretty crappy team. Stick them in the Western Conference and see how tough they are.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will weigh in quickly...I think that Ozzie will do just fine this year and based on our cap situation, barring a major trade he has to. Make no mistake the Red Wings are confident in his abilities. Is Chris Osgood a top five goalie in this league, probably not, but with the limited number of shots the Wings give up coupled with puck possession style of play, Ozzie has seemed to thrive. I have no doubt he will continue to do so.

As for Howard, I am not so sure the Red Wings brass are all that confident in his abilities anymore. I agree that it's still his job to loose but I think this is basically his last year to do something about it. We brought two possible number one goalies into the system this year in signing of the swedish goalie (name?!) and the first round drafting of Thomas McCollum.

Teams to beat will be the Sharks, Calgary, and Dallas.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'd argue we'll be pre/early season favorites to - at least - make a run at a repeat, but that leads to the question of weaknesses, and to me, that's goaltending. Now Chris proved himself last year but he did as a savior from Dom's let down. So let my inquisition begin :

Chris has been streaky at times of his career, this late in his career is he ready to lead solo?

Is Ty the "bridge" guy between Ozzy and Howard or is he likely to become the next starter if/when Ozzie calls it quits/gets pulled off starter roll?

Is this a good enough goalie tandem to make a Cup run?

Osgood deserves major props for his performance last season and is a great fit for the Wings on a number of levels. I do have some concerns, however.

Some thoughts:

1) Ozzy has always played his best as part of a tandem, where the lion's share of the pressure and workload are not on him. An overworked Ozzy is NOT what this team needs heading into the playoffs. Ozzy was able to have a laid back attitude last year because he knew that Hasek would have his back.

2) Conklin is capable of playing well in the #1b role, which is (I hope) what his role will be this year.

3) If Ozzy plays more than 50-55 games in the regular season, I think the Wings could be facing trouble.

4) I hope that Conklin is able to play at least around 25-30 games and still have a decent record.

5) If the Wings alternate goalies in the regular season, then go with Osgood in the playoffs, all while finishing near the top of the conference, things will look great.

6) Ozzy (and our D-men) need to stay healthy.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Im done picking the sharks there pretenders in my opinion, the Stars and Blackhawks are the two teams that could give us a run for our money but as always injuries are going to be key because as stated above i dont our boys are going to lack motivation for a repeat.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but saying the Sharks are pretenders and the 'hawks are a serious threat is just silly. Bottom line: when you look at the hierarchy in the West, it's the Wings at the top and the Sharks and Stars battling it out for #2 status (although one could argue the Stars are the clear #2, having soundly beaten the Sharks this past postseason). The Blackhawks haven't made the playoffs in years. All they've done is play the Wings hard for a couple straight seasons.

I expect the Central to be competitive this season, and I expect that to take a toll on all of the teams in the Central. No more of this "We'll save up our energy for when we play the Wings. We know we're not gonna make the playoffs anyway, so we can afford to put in an honest effort for only, like, 8 games out of 82."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The Ducks are not going to contend for the Cup. The team that won the cup was dismantled the summer after they won. They finished near the bottom of the league in goal scoring last year and went out in the first round.

I expect that they will have a tough time just making the playoffs because they are in a tough division. As much as the Canadian sportswriter like a team of big Canadian kids, you have to look beyond the hype and youwill see their are some obvious problems.

I have a tough time taking the Ducks seriously. Even in years they did have success (even the Ultimate success), I just don't buy into them being a consistently good team. They find the lightning in the bottle then spend the next few seasons chasing it around only to realize they got hot (and lucky) at a good time. It's hard to describe, and I admit, it's a biased opinion, but alway playing on that edge that gets the into exorbitant penalty trouble at times may work in regular season, but it's just not a good cup-run mentality.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Osgood [...] can mentally handle games with long dry-spells which is the kind of games the Wings play, him seeing only around 18-24 shots on any given night. Personally, I think if you throw some of the upper echelon goaltenders in the league in his situation, they would look really average, really quick.

Howard is the goaltender of the future, as others have pointed out, its been like that for years now, just a matter of time. Barring an absolute dominant training camp, the Wings will want Howard getting as much playing time as possible in GR. Next year he'll be backup to Ozzy.

Almost forgot...

Contenders: Stars, Blackhawks, Sharks

Pretenders: Ducks, Wild (both have remained stagnant)

Great first point, does anyone else feel Luongo looked BETTER in Florida facing 40+shots a night than in 'couver facing around 30? It takes a different mindset to be calm for as much as 5-minute stretches with no shots then be very sharp for a 2 minute, 4 shot drill in PK mode...

I'm all for a move to make Howard the next full-time backup but I just haven't seen him really.. at all.. so I just have his reputation to go on.

Stars is a good mention. Ducks I already dismissed (though I may eat crow for that), Wild is interesting, they may approach Wing's quality on D in the Western, but you still need to score goals to win, and I think they'll still be light there. Stars might equal the Sharks for all-around skill, D and O.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just to comment on one of the original questions: Is this goalie tandem good enough to win the Cup?

I say yes. Conklin is probably as good as Hasek was this year (and, being on a Wings team known for unexpected spectacular personal play, he could be better theoretically), and Ozzie is probably a little better, having his confidence back.

So I'd say that, barring any huge unexpected goalie breakdowns, this tandem is at least as strong as last seasons.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think Ozzie is more than capable to take a good portion of the games, around 55 to 60. He is an experienced goalie who has just got a monumental dose of confidence. Imagine being a waived goalie, make a couple of stops on mediocre teams, then have no team after the lockout. He was added by Holland post lockout to be a back-up and strictly that. For seasons he worked and worked, being consistent but still very underrated. Now this playoffs he literally was the savior. The team became relaxed and it was cruise control with him with minor hiccups along the way to hoisting the cup. If there is any question or doubt, look at Ozzie's face when he is lifting the cup and the giant smile that he has had for the entire summer. This guy is back and he has his eyes set on entering the Hall, he is deserving just look at the career stats. With that said he is going to be working hard in the off season and will be re-energized and ready to play. The best back-up(s) are playing in front of him with THE BEST top two defensive pairings in the league. NO WORRIES about OZZIE

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I think Ozzie is more than capable to take a good portion of the games, around 55 to 60. He is an experienced goalie who has just got a monumental dose of confidence. Imagine being a waived goalie, make a couple of stops on mediocre teams, then have no team after the lockout. He was added by Holland post lockout to be a back-up and strictly that. For seasons he worked and worked, being consistent but still very underrated. Now this playoffs he literally was the savior. The team became relaxed and it was cruise control with him with minor hiccups along the way to hoisting the cup. If there is any question or doubt, look at Ozzie's face when he is lifting the cup and the giant smile that he has had for the entire summer. This guy is back and he has his eyes set on entering the Hall, he is deserving just look at the career stats. With that said he is going to be working hard in the off season and will be re-energized and ready to play. The best back-up(s) are playing in front of him with THE BEST top two defensive pairings in the league. NO WORRIES about OZZIE

True that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA
I'm sorry, but saying the Sharks are pretenders and the 'hawks are a serious threat is just silly. Bottom line: when you look at the hierarchy in the West, it's the Wings at the top and the Sharks and Stars battling it out for #2 status (although one could argue the Stars are the clear #2, having soundly beaten the Sharks this past postseason). The Blackhawks haven't made the playoffs in years. All they've done is play the Wings hard for a couple straight seasons.

I expect the Central to be competitive this season, and I expect that to take a toll on all of the teams in the Central. No more of this "We'll save up our energy for when we play the Wings. We know we're not gonna make the playoffs anyway, so we can afford to put in an honest effort for only, like, 8 games out of 82."

True the Stars match up well agaisnt the Sharks, but I still get more nervous playing the Sharks than the Stars, Simpily because they match up better vs us. The Stars basically emulate the Red Wing's style, and while they have a very talented Roster, will never beat the Wings in a 7 game series with that approach. We Simply just have too much Talent as of now.

The Sharks, while older and smaller then they were a couple years ago, are still substanislly bigger than the Wings, and can dominate us in the corners. I still like Detroit's chances, but this year we got lucky that Dallas did all our dirtywork for us

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
True the Stars match up well agaisnt the Sharks, but I still get more nervous playing the Sharks than the Stars, Simpily because they match up better vs us. The Stars basically emulate the Red Wing's style, and while they have a very talented Roster, will never beat the Wings in a 7 game series with that approach. We Simply just have too much Talent as of now.

The Sharks, while older and smaller then they were a couple years ago, are still substanislly bigger than the Wings, and can dominate us in the corners. I still like Detroit's chances, but this year we got lucky that Dallas did all our dirtywork for us

There are three teams in the west i can see beating us, possibly.

San Jose

Anahiem

Dallas

San Jose vs. Detroit playoff series are always close, exciting, and often stressful to fans.

Either team can win this one easily.

Anahiem has had our number since 2003, and i know we could beat them in a best of seven, but it would be a tough obsticle.

Dallas is a good team, and they are hungry after last year, i expect to see them come close again.

unfortunatly Turco's record against his home town team is dreadful, so yeah.

i also think Chicago is improving for the better in the offseason and will be a threat to us in the division.

and is possibly looking forward to a nice, deep playoff run in 09.

Nashville won't do anything,

Calgary sucks. with the exception of Kips and Iginla

Av's suck.

GO WINGS!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was never overly impressed with Osgood's skills as of late. I think he's an average, yet solid number one goalie in today's league, and normally that would have me worried, because the rest of our team is anything but average. However, Osgood should never have to stand on his head like we expected from Hasek, Cujo, Legace, and Vernon. Our defense does a spectacular job of filtering out 90% of the quality scoring chances the opposition tries to make. All he needs to do is stay healthy, and solid positionally and should be fine.

If he were to get injured, though, then I'll start worrying. I don't know enough about Conklin (sp?) or Howard to have faith in a cup run with either of them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I think Ozzie is more than capable to take a good portion of the games, around 55 to 60. He is an experienced goalie who has just got a monumental dose of confidence.

I agree he's capable, but as I stated earlier, he is streaky, that was the basis of my question. He can do the job in stretches, but can he do it through a whole season as starter? Also, 55-60 sounds high, I'm thinking around the 50 mark... (I think Dom should have had about 5-10 less starts last year)

... Now this playoffs [Ozgood] literally was the savior. The team became relaxed and it was cruise control with him with minor hiccups along the way to hoisting the cup. If there is any question or doubt, look at Ozzie's face when he is lifting the cup and the giant smile that he has had for the entire summer. This guy is back and he has his eyes set on entering the Hall

Totally agreed, without Ozzie, there's no cup run for the Wings. That said, with as good as our D was in Reg-season and Post-season, we could have made any goalie look good... It was just a statement on how he could keep his cpmposure under high-risk situations, the difference between a routine save and a crucial (game-winning) save. That said, I'm just not convinced that, at his age, he can keep that mindset going as top man in the ne tfor a full season.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
True the Stars match up well agaisnt the Sharks, but I still get more nervous playing the Sharks than the Stars, Simpily because they match up better vs us. The Stars basically emulate the Red Wing's style, and while they have a very talented Roster, will never beat the Wings in a 7 game series with that approach. We Simply just have too much Talent as of now.

The Sharks, while older and smaller then they were a couple years ago, are still substanislly bigger than the Wings, and can dominate us in the corners. I still like Detroit's chances, but this year we got lucky that Dallas did all our dirtywork for us

The Sharks worry me a bit more, but honestly, that's rooted mostly in past matchups. In the here and now, if a team is going to take down this Wings team in a best-of-seven series, it will need to play a grinding defensive game -- and play it really, really well. This Stars team is, I think, better equipped to play that kind of game than this Sharks team is. The past few seasons, the Sharks have favored a pretty wide-open, end-to-end game without the foundation of a strong identity/system. Todd McLellan will help instill a stronger commitment to defense, but I think the Sharks are still going to favor that wide-open style -- i.e., skating fast, hitting hard, and getting to pucks first. With the emergence of Mule and the addition of Hossa, the Wings top-6 looks to be much more imposing than the one that faced the Sharks (and still beat them) in 06-07. Size, strength, speed, snarl, scoring prowess -- it's all there. And if the Wings can impose their will on this sharks team and, through puck-possession, make the series a defense-oriented one, the Wings have the definite edge there -- and it's not one that'll just magically crumble if Joe Thornton decides to start running our D, not with Kronner and Stuart laying fools out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this