Joey Mac

[dragonballgtz 273]

Joey can finish out the year here but I wouldn't want him to be our backup come next season. He has played decent the last couple of games but his rebound control scares the living crap out of me. I believe playing in GR regularly has allowed him to find his groove unlike Ty. But will he be able to find it when he is sitting on the bench like Ty does for most of the season?

[dobbles 252]

i think once jimmy is back, keep joey up and send conklin down. its not like anyone will claim conklin. at least then he could play regularly and maybe get his game back. sitting on the bench 90% of the time isn't going to get him out of his funk. with how little he normally plays, i don't see him improving anytime soon if they keep him up.

conversely, with how much joey has played this year, he could manage time on the bench better i think.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Joey Mac plays very similar to Jimmy Howard, just with not as much skill. The Wings go about their business and goals are minimized as a result. With Conklin in net, you could see that Ty was trying to play that patient, yet aggressive style and wasn't comfortable with it. He was getting burned. The Wings were collapsing in on the net to play more to Conklin, and they weren't comfortable with it either. Other teams were cycling with ease in our zone and creating more opportunities to score. The result was high GAA.

MacDonald is in a good situation because of his goaltending style. It complements the Wings' system and we can get away with having a no. 3/AHL goalie in net and not suffer the way that folks might expect. He has my worthless approval for official backup.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I was all about having Joey be the backup and waiving Conklin. At the same time, I would send Joey down to GR and keep Conklin up at the Wings. Joey will get more ice time, plus he has a two way contract which means we can bring him up and send him down without any restrictions. If you want to play a backup, then bring Joey up and scratch Conklin.

I do agree with everyone here, Joey has played well the last few games. He deserves his shot.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Conklin is in the playing deck anymore (as the #2 guy) once Howard returns.

I was never one of those on here that thought he stunk from minute one when things starting going south for him some this season. Team didn't play all that well in front of him, it wasn't just him alone, but he certainly didn't help himself obviously.

I like Conklin and think it'd be cool if he is still in the organization once Howard gets back but say they put him down to the minors and somebody claims him - while I like Conklin that probably wouldn't be too big of a loss with MacDonald emerging and the likelihood of trading for a backup going down now.

[Cali-Wing-Nut 102]

If we win 21 it WILL be the defining game of his career. He will be the one in net to solidify the record that was started over 70 years ago. To that end I hope Jimmy gets 22.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Cali-Wing-Nut

[jthiel86 43]

I hope Jimmy gets 22 as well! I'll be at the game Friday, my first one at the Joe!

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

I have no qualms with keeping Joey as a backup. If the wings got a chance to upgrade or add a more veteran backup at the deadline though I would say jump at it. He is a really good at being there for the first save. The problem is he never seems to make a clean save. Everything is a rebound and most of the time nice juicy ones. Even shots right into the gloves hes leaving rebounds on. Good teams will make him pay for that.

As for his mistake the other night playing the puck I don't put to much stock into it. A play like that happens to every goalie during there career. Even great puck handlers like Brodeur and Turco had that happen to them.

[Nightfall 871]

I believe the two-way contract is just about how much he gets paid in the minors, if i remember correctly. So I believe he would still have to go through waivers. I doubt Ilitch really cares about the little extra money he'd have to pay to Conklin in the minors or MacDonald in the majors.

Also I think I think your idea would be a very douchebag move on Conklin, just having him in the backup role and then scratching him and bringing up MacDonald for certain games. Why would he even want to be on the team if hes just there to practice and only ever plays if Howard in injured during a game.

However, I think we should send Conklin down to split some time with Pearce(if hes still there) and keep MacDonald as backup the rest of the year and next year to play out his cheap $550,000 2-year contract.

Yea, I know its a douchbag move. I would rather see Joey get some starts and not get rusty. I think a lot of the problem with Conklin was that he sat on the bench and played only 1 game a month. A backup needs more starts to stay fresh and in the game. For example, look at the Rangers. Henrik has started 41 games while Marty Biron has started 14. So thats about 1/4 of the games.

I have no problems keeping Joey up with the Wings so long as he gets 1 start every 4 games. I say make it happen.

[Nightfall 871]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Conklin is in the playing deck anymore (as the #2 guy) once Howard returns.

I was never one of those on here that thought he stunk from minute one when things starting going south for him some this season. Team didn't play all that well in front of him, it wasn't just him alone, but he certainly didn't help himself obviously.

I like Conklin and think it'd be cool if he is still in the organization once Howard gets back but say they put him down to the minors and somebody claims him - while I like Conklin that probably wouldn't be too big of a loss with MacDonald emerging and the likelihood of trading for a backup going down now.

I agree. As a goalie, I see the crap defense being played in front of him and I wonder what the heck the Wings were doing. Chicago is in the middle of an 8 game losing streak and they have really sucked, just like the Wings have sucked with Conklin. You can tell when a team is just not motivated to play or is not playing well. When Conklin is in net, its as if they don't care. I know that rubs off on Conklin's stats, but if he was lights out and doing his best, you can bet that the Wings would feel even worse.

As it turns out, the team responds with Joey in net. I say keep him up with the wings and start him every 4th game. Keep him fresh. Send Conklin down to work with Pearce and McColloum (sp?). Those two young goalies need a veteran to assist and Conklin would provide that.

[jfranzen 51]

Phone interview

Nick Lindstrom!?!?!?!?!? Joey should know better

Edited February 14, 2012 by jfranzen

[Danielsm 244]

Another great game by JMac!

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Good back up stats - 6 GP 4W 1L 1OTL 142 SA 132 SV .930SV% 1.72 GAA

Bad back up stats - 11 GP 3W 5L 0OTL 263 SA 231 SV .878SV% 3.40 GAA

This isn't a competition anymore. Joey has won the job, he'll play back to back's the rest of the year, he'll sit on the bench and work the clip board. Nuff said.

[canadian wings fan 305]

Congratulations on being apart of history Joey MacDonald! The guy has simply stepped in and played solid hockey. Who saw him get the 3rd star tonight, skate out and salute our fans, and then handed a stick to that little kid over the glass! Awesome stuff Joey

[Danielsm 244]

Congratulations on being apart of history Joey MacDonald! The guy has simply stepped in and played solid hockey. Who saw him get the 3rd star tonight, skate out and salute our fans, and then handed a stick to that little kid over the glass! Awesome stuff Joey

I actually caught him salute the fans after a save when they were cheering too in the middle of gameplay.

[RedWingsRox 614]

Babcock, whatever you do, do NOT start Conklin at home. If you want to see if he's still got it, wait till you're on the road. Joey Mac gets all home starts until Jimmy is ready to go.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

He's definitely making his case to be the #2 goalie.

[Red Wings Addict 787]

Will the Red Wings waive Conklin and send him to GR? Or will they send Joey back to GR and claim they want to "maintain their assets"? I'm not sure how long Joey has until he's no longer waiver-exempt or whatever. Isn't it a 30-day period or something like that?

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

I considered today a big game, it wasn't the playoffs, and it really didn't make a determination in the standings, but considering what was on the line with the home win record, Joey solidified himself even more. If this were the workplace and Joey was displaying this kind of work ethic right now, i'd say "your hired" and figure out the rest later. The Wings can't justify sending him back down once Howard returns after what he's done for us these past few weeks.

[USNAVYABH 2]

KEEP JOEY

[sandyeggo wingnut 19]

I actually caught him salute the fans after a save when they were cheering too in the middle of gameplay.

Saw that. How many times does the crowd start a chant for the third goalie just called up?

Aside from the defensive breakdown with *30 ******* SECONDS LEFT* he made some killer saves.

Edited February 15, 2012 by sandyeggo wingnut

[Nightfall 871]

Good back up stats - 6 GP 4W 1L 1OTL 142 SA 132 SV .930SV% 1.72 GAA

Bad back up stats - 11 GP 3W 5L 0OTL 263 SA 231 SV .878SV% 3.40 GAA

This isn't a competition anymore. Joey has won the job, he'll play back to back's the rest of the year, he'll sit on the bench and work the clip board. Nuff said.

I agree, but the backups to the best teams in the NHL are playing every 4 games. I would rather see Joey playing more often than just on back to back days. Keep him fresh and ready for action. Part of the problem with Conklin was the fact that he wasn't getting steady starts. If they are going to keep Joey up, then put him to work every so often.