Around the Rink — November 6 Edition

58838178Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Around the Rink had experienced some technical difficulties over the last two weeks, which is why this feature has recently been M.I.A. We apologize for the down time and will now return to running this feature every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as before.

Detroit ends San Jose’s six-game winning streak

The Red Wings earned their third straight victory at Joe Louis Arena Thursday evening in a 2-1 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, who had strung together a six-game winning streak entering the game. Detroit earned its first win in three shootouts so far this season.

Detroit netminder Chris Osgood had a strong outing, making 33 saves and stopping both of San Jose’s shootout attempts.

“Ozzie’s got to be feeling really good about himself,” Babcock said of his starting goaltender, who’s allowed just two goals in winning three in a row. “We’re playing well in front of him, but he’s playing well.”

DRW.com’s Michael Caples breaks down the Wings’ win, including some interesting stats in the 65 minutes of play. You can read other game recaps at The Detroit News, MLive.com, Motown Wings, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

Red Wings honor Budd Lynch

Former broadcaster and longtime PA announcer Budd Lynch was recognized in a ceremony before Thursday’s game to mark Lynch’s 60th year with the Wings. All fans in attendance received a commemorative Budd Lynch bobblehead, which proved to be a hot ticket at the Joe last night.

In addition to the ceremony, “the Little Caesars Veterans Program and Coca-Cola will provide a Joe Louis Arena suite to military veterans and active military members home on leave every home game during the 2009-10 regular-season” in honor of Lynch.

Lynn Henning wrote a great article about Lynch in The Detroit News, which details the story of how he lost his arm in the war and how he landed his job with the Wings. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star goes back to Lynch’s start with the franchise.

In Other News

  • With the 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony quickly approaching, Wings’ fans can find a nice chunk of articles on three of their former players. Michael Caples of DRW.com spoke with current Red Wings’ players about Steve Yzerman. Dan Rosen of NHL.com wrote two features on The Captain that were posted on Thursday.
  • Forward Valtteri Filppula received the Carhartt award as the “Hardest Working Player of the Month” for October. Filppula remains out until December with a broken right wrist, which has provided Patrick Eaves with an opportunity that he appears to be taking advantage of.
  • The Wings have got some good news from defenseman Andreas Lilja, who hasn’t had a headache in three days after seeing a chiropractor in Vancouver by the suggestion of teammate Brad May. There is no specific timetable for his return, but this three-day span has been the first time since his fight in February without headaches. He has started to practice with the team and at some point will have to see how he handles getting hit.
  • Forward Dan Cleary is one goal away from notching his 100th career goal and it appears he’s getting a bit antsy to reach the benchmark.
  • USA Hockey will announce its roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics on Jan. 1 during the NBC broadcast of the third annual Winter Classic at Fenway Park. A blog for the LA Times has the announcement dates for all of the national hockey federations.
  • Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily notes that Brad May will return to the lineup on Saturday after suffering an eye injury on Oct. 31.

November 6, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – October 16 Edition

58647605Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

After suffering a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings bounced back with a 5-2 victory over the LA Kings in front of the Joe Louis Arena crowd Thursday night. Jonathan Ericsson, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Kirk Maltby, and Brian Rafalski (empty-netter) all scored in the win.

Michael Caples breaks down the game for DRW.com, including a look at Maltby’s great goal. A couple of bloggers commented on the game, including Red Wings Blog, Nightmare on Helm Street, and The Triple Deke.

The best moment of the night was when captain Nick Lidstrom registered his 1,000th career point on an assist for the game’s fourth goal. Lidstrom recorded two helpers in the contest, receiving a standing ovation from the fans in attendance when the PA announced his milestone. He joins Mats Sundin as the only two Swedish-born players to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

In Other News

October 16, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 6 Comments

Around the Rink – October 14 Edition

58607895Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings dropped a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on the road Tuesday evening. The game was even at one goal apiece heading into the first intermission, but the second period was a different story when Buffalo capitalized on Detroit’s mistakes. The Sabres posted four goals in the middle frame, including two from Thomas Vanek who left the game with a shoulder injury after his second tally. Netminder Chris Osgood was chased from the goal by Buffalo’s fifth goal of the evening midway through the second period. Detroit’s two goal scorers were Valtteri Filppula (Niklas Kronwall, Jason Williams) and Tomas Holmstrom (Brian Rafalski, Henrik Zetterberg). George Malik of Snapshots wasn’t pleased with the team’s play and said it was a ‘burn the tape’ game.

In Other News

  • Darren Helm returned from his shoulder injury, making his season debut on Tuesday night and being placed on a line with Patrick Eaves and Brad May.
  • Forwards Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby were healthy scratches in the game. Coach Mike Babcock explained to The Detroit News that they will use a rotation for a bit when it comes to the lineup before making any final decisions.
  • In the NHL.com piece on the Central Division, Larry Wigge emphasizes goalie Chris Osgood’s dedication to ensuring that this year is not a repeat of last season. MLive.com also took a look at Chris Osgood and his intended play this year.
  • Offensive production has not been an issue for the Wings this year writes The Detroit News.
  • In Saturday’s win, Todd Bertuzzi saw some time on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Coach Mike Babcock spoke with the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News about it.
  • Can’t get enough of that victory over the Capitals? Motown Wings has more analysis of the game, including video and thorough statistical analysis.
  • Nightmare on Helm Street drew a few comparisons and contrasts between Detroit and Buffalo, including a comparison of stats. On the Wings, Winging It In Motown, and Snapshots also had some Wings-Sabres previews up on their respective blogs.
  • Red Wings Central describes prospect Willie Coetzee as a great free-agent find.
  • The Red Wings aren’t the only teams to lose a player due to a serious injury this early in the season, although Johan Franzen may be the biggest offensive name on Fox Sport’s list.
  • Captain Nicklas Lidstrom remains two points away from notching his 1,000th career point.
  • The NHL website notes that former Detroit goaltender Dominik Hasek is on the Czech’s invite list for the upcoming Winter Games.
  • Former Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios will sign a 25-game tryout contract with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) in order to get a contract with an NHL team per Puck Daddy.
  • The Fourth Period reports that former Wing Kyle Quincey had actually been traded to Dallas, but the deal was nixed after Quincey did not pass their physical due to a herniated disc. He wound up being placed on waivers and getting claimed by the LA Kings. Quincey was later traded to Colorado this past summer.
  • The New York Post details why Brendan Shanahan is no longer with the New Jersey Devils.
  • Interesting note: Windsor will host the CHL Top Prospects Game according to the Windsor Star and will take place sometime in January.

October 14, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – October 12 Edition

88035444JM081_Stanley_Cup_F

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Detroit Red Wings’ power forward Johan Franzen tore his ACL during Thursday’s game and will be out of the lineup for at least four months. According to MLive.com, Franzen complained of knee pain after a “pile-up along the boards in the second period,” but he remained in the game and even scored the game-winning goal. Apparently, this injury marks the third time in consecutive years Franzen has suffered an injury to his left knee in Chicago against October.

The Swede will have ACL reconstruction as soon as the swelling goes down, probably in a couple of weeks. While Franzen may be able to return by the end of February, he will be unable to represent Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Bloggers are a bit panicked about the loss and understandably so when you recall that Franzen had 34 goals and 25 assists last season. Babcock’s Death Stare, Bingo Bango, Hockeytown Static, Abel to Yzerman, Motown Wings, On the Wings (very thorough post), Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, Unconnected Red Wings Blog and Winging It In Motown all react to the injury.

How will Franzen’s four-month absence affect the lineup? For one, you’ll likely see coach Mike Babcock shuffle the lines for the next few games before he settles on anything. After a brief stint in Grand Rapids, forward Justin Abdelkader was recalled from the Griffins on Friday. The healthy scratch will likely rotate among Abdelkader, Kirk Maltby, Patrick Eaves, and Brad May depending on the coaching staff’s gameday decisions. Darren Helm hopes to re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, which will help ease the offensive void left by Franzen. GM Ken Holland told the media that they will look at solving this internally, rather than making a trade.

Wings defeat Capitals

Detroit evened up its season record at 2-2 with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. In the team’s first game without Franzen, the team stressed goaltending, defense, and grinding it out before the contest began. Detroit did just that, playing their best game of the season so far or so goalie Chris Osgood thought. A power-play tally from Tomas Holmstrom with 6:53 left in the game, while limiting Alexander Ovechkin’s line to one assist gave Detroit its second straight victory

DRW.com’s Michael Caples broke down Saturday’s game with thoughts on the hero of the game among others. The game was just Alexander Ovechkin’s second appearance at Joe Louis Arena in his career. Patrick Eaves made his regular season debut wearing the Winged Wheel on Saturday. You can also check out various game recaps and notes from the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, MLive.com, The Windsor Star, Detroit Examiner, NHL.com, Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Winging It In Motown, and Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle.

In Other News

  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com has more thoughts on the Brad May signing last week. The 37-year-old veteran hopes to eliminate cheap shots on the Wings according to the Detroit Free Press.
  • While we’re on the topic of Brad May, the enforcer would like to switch his jersey number from No. 20 to No. 24. Before he asked the Wings, he gave Chris Chelios a call out of respect. The Detroit Free Press reports that “Chelios said jersey numbers have never been special to him, so he wouldn’t care.” He has yet to make an official request yet.
  • Abel to Yzerman tells its readers to “Stop the Shanny Talk.”
  • Winging It In Motown’s Kyle Kujawa examines three Red Wings’ prospects: Joakim Andersson, Jesper Samuelsson, and Adam Almqvist. Almqvist has apparently been on quite the scoring streak with 17 points in five games per Red Wings Central.
  • George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press spoke with Assistant GM Jim Nill about some college players he watched this past weekend when Michigan State swept Clarkson.
  • The Winnipeg Free Press reports that former Wing Bob Probert was the first player knocked out of CBC’s “Battle of the Blades” show.
  • The Hockey News shows that the last pick in the NHL draft is last, but certainly not least — case in point, Wings’ defenseman Jonathan Ericsson.
  • Are you a salary cap nut? Want to know if a certain player would fit under the cap? Matthew Wuest, the man behind Red Wings Central, spearheaded a new website called CapGeek where you can use the cap calculator to answer those questions and more. Puck Daddy spoke to Wuest about the venture.
  • Brian Compton posted a great feature on Wings’ senior vice president and alternate governor Jimmy Devellano on NHL.com before he receives the Lester Patrick Award on October 21.

October 12, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment

Around the Rink – October 9 Edition

58592664Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings got off to the right start in North America with a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in the team’s home opener Thursday night. They bounced back from a one-goal deficit early in the second period to earn their first win of the regular season. Captain Nick Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and Johan Franzen posted Detroit’s three goals in the second period.

DRW.com’s Michael Caples breaks down what happened in the Wings’ win. George Malik noted on Snapshots that defenseman Jonathan Ericsson left the game during the third period after taking a shot off of his ankle or foot, but coach Mike Babcock told the media after the game that he seemed to be fine. Thursday’s contest was the first of six against the Blackhawks this season, which should only promote the already healthy rivalry between these two Original Six squads.

Wings sign Brad May

Detroit announced that the team had signed enforcer Brad May to a one-year, two-way contract on Thursday worth $500,000 per The Detroit News, filling the void left by Aaron Downey. May already made an appearance Thursday evening with a fight against Radek Smolenak in the first period.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock didn’t mince words when asked how veteran enforcer Brad May might help his team.”Well, we got the crap ran out of us (in two losses against the Blues),” he said. “It’s pretty interesting, we had May in a couple of exhibition games and no one got hacked or whacked or touched. We don’t have him and we get run. You get tired of watching that.” …

“Our guys do a good job of competing hard but we don’t have a team that twists off helmets at stoppages,” Babcock said. “When you are seeing that all the time (done to your team), it’s nice when you’ve got someone to look after that stuff.

“Tough guys always play tough and I got no problems with that. But guys who aren’t tough and they play against you and they are tough, that drives me crazy.”

The overall reaction from Wings’ bloggers was generally positive. Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare sees May as the “right mix of Draper and Maltby.”

Detroit hosts Capitals

The Wings take on the Washington Capitals led by superstar forward Alexander Ovechkin this Saturday. But you don’t have just the game to look forward to as it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Night. As a result, the Wings have numerous activities going around before and during the game:

Select Red Wings players will wrap their sticks with pink tape during the pre-game warm-ups, and in support of the HFC campaign, Red Wings coaches and front office executives will wear lavender ties, which signify the fight against all forms of cancer. Lavender is the NHL’s designated color for this year’s HFC initiative. Some of the sticks used during the pre-game warm-up will be individually autographed and available in a silent auction on the Joe Louis Arena concourse during the game.

Red Wings’ wives will also get involved in the event by selling custom-made pink hats on the concourse for $20. They feature the winged wheel on the front of the hat with a pink breast cancer ribbon embroidered on the side. Proceeds from both the stick auction and the hat sales will benefit local hockey families affected by breast cancer. The team will host breast cancer patients, survivors and their families in suites during the game.

Want to make it out to the game? Visit Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.

In Other News

  • With May joining the lineup, Justin Abdelkader was sent to play for the Griffins in Grand Rapids.
  • Darren Helm’s shoulder is still not 100% so he did not play in the home opener.
  • If you were at Thursday’s game, you may have noticed the sounds of an organ throughout the game. It was the first of 11 games (all against Original Six teams) that an organist will be playing at Joe Louis Arena. DRW.com gives us an inside look at the organist.
  • Are you a high school or college student? If so, you can catch a Wings’ game for just $15! Check out DRW.com for more details.
  • Former Wing Chris Chelios plans to start practicing with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) next week according to the Detroit Free Press.
  • Tomas Kopecky talked to DRW.com about his expectations for Thursday’s game against his former team. The forward expected plenty of chatter from the likes of Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper.
  • Hockeytown Static posted 10 reasons why the Blackhawks hate the Red Wings, while Nightmare on Helm Street gave five reasons why the Wings hate Chicago.
  • The Detroit Free Press writes that Henrik Zetterberg is hoping to see his line click and fast. Hank centers a line with fellow forwards Dan Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi.
  • Babcock’s Death Stare posted their expected lineup for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
  • Eric Goodman reminds us on DRW.com that Lidstrom is nearing a very important milestone — his 1,000th career point.
  • The blog Big Red Machine found a couple websites with some new Steve Yzerman material.
  • Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News recently wrote a book, which has been released under the title “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” and it examines the “heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, and gut-wrenching moments from Detroit Red Wings history.” The book is currently available for $10.17 at Amazon.com.

October 9, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment

Around the Rink – October 7 Edition

58549633Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Wings opened their season with back-to-back games in Stockholm, Sweden, over the past weekend. Unfortunately, the games didn’t go quite as planned with Detroit dropping both contests to the St. Louis Blues, 4-3 and 5-3 respectively. NHL.com writes that it was a bittersweet experience for the Swedes.

Bloggers weren’t thrilled with the goaltending and defensive struggles, allowing three goals in the second period in both outings. However, not everyone is panicking just yet. Motown Wings dissected both games, taking a look at the numbers and the goals. The Triple Deke has reaction to both games. Casey at Winging It In Motown posted the good, the bad, and the ugly of the series in Sweden.

The Detroit Free Press discusses that the team will have to work on its penalty kill and correct the defensive lapses that were evident over the weekend. The paper also noted the adulation the Swedish fans had for the Wings’ captain and a few other Swedes on the roster. The Detroit News writes that goaltender Jimmy Howard will be looking for redemption in his next start. According to MLive.com, coach Mike Babcock is concerned with the team’s lack of play for a complete 60 minutes.

In Other News

  • Detroit will host its home opener — and first game back in the States — on Thursday evening against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. All fans in attendance will receive a magnet schedule.
  • Darren Helm is questionable to play in the game, according to MLive.com. He missed all of preseason and the first two regular season contests due to a shoulder injury. The only roster change for Thursday’s game is that Derek Meech will partner with Jonathan Ericsson on the blue line, replacing Brett Lebda.
  • Upon the team’s return from Sweden, netminder Daniel Larsson was assigned to Grand Rapids resulting in goalie Jordan Pearce being sent to Toledo (ECHL).
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins won their season opener, 3-1, over the Peoria Rivermen.
  • Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle has story lines for the 2009-10 season up on the blog. What do you think will be the big story of this season?
  • Winging It In Motown takes a look by the numbers from what happened in preseason and the two regular season games.
  • Hockeytown Static caught a funny video of Yzerman’s cell phone (with the ringtone to a certain Black Eyed Peas song) going off during a TV interview.
  • Red Wings Hardware found this cute video of a little kid reciting the Herb Brooks’ speech from the movie Miracle.

October 7, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment

Around the Rink – October 2 Edition

58528778Photo by Paul Gilham/NHLI via Getty Images

The Wings open their season this afternoon (3 p.m. EDT) on Versus against the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden. The two biggest question marks for this game is whether Chris Osgood will be well enough to play and who will get the final spot on the fourth line (Kirk Maltby or Patrick Eaves).

Detroit finished up its preseason with a 6-2 victory over Farjestad on Wednesday afternoon. Due to Chris Osgood being under the weather, netminder Jimmy Howard started in goal and had a very strong outing, making some key saves right off the bat. Henrik Zetterberg played in his first exhibition game, receiving a loud ovation from the fans and scoring the second goal of the game. Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle has some thoughts on the game.

In Other News

  • In its season preview, The Detroit News talks about the media’s predictions and the team’s thoughts on being underdogs. Their website also takes a look at the Western Conference and Eastern Conference. MLive.com has its season prediction up with the Wings as the second seed in the Western Conference.
  • The Swedes remember the Vasa shipwreck and the history surrounding it.
  • The team’s focus remains on improving its defense this year to compensate for the 88 goals lost. Babcock will look to his third line for offense according to the NHL.com.
  • MLive.com takes a look at Nick Lidstrom’s 18th season with the Red Wings.
  • The Grand Rapids Press has a great feature article on how Justin Abdelkader has grown up in front of our eyes.
  • The Detroit Free Press writes that FSDetroit has an all-new digital TV studio in Southfield.
  • Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare is pumped about the upcoming season and he tells his readers why that is.
  • EA Sports simulated this season and the results showed the Penguins repeating and the Wings finishing eighth in the conference.
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins named Jamie Tardiff the new captain of the squad.
  • Surprising news came out of New Jersey as former Wing Brendan Shanahan announced that he would not play for the Devils after signing a one-year deal this summer. This decision was reportedly amicable and mutual with both parties.
  • Babcock spoke with NHL.com about Todd Bertuzzi. He also hopes to cut the ice time for forwards Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk per The Detroit News.
  • Nightmare on Helm Street is pretty excited for the season to start today and liked some of the things he saw in preseason.
  • Andreas Lilja may not be able to play in Detroit’s two games against the Blues to start this season, but he will still enjoy his time in Sweden.

October 1, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

Around the Rink – September 30 Edition

89598537BB028_Detroit_Red_WPhoto by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings conclude their preseason today with a game against Farjestad at 1 p.m. EDT. The game will be streamed live on NHL.com so if you want to watch the game, make sure you head over there to catch the action. Henrik Zetterberg had been questionable to play today, but it does appear that he will play in the exhibition contest and we all know he certainly wants to play. MLive.com has posted what it thinks the roster will be this week in Sweden.

With the Wings in Sweden for almost a week, there’s plenty of talk about this trip.

  • The Wings’ official Twitter and Facebook accounts have been updated with fun videos and photos from the trip in addition to Nicole’s blog on DRW.com talking about her experiences over there.
  • On Tuesday, captain Nick Lidstrom received another honor — the Ambassador of Honor of Dalarna — in his career. The Detroit Free Press has a video of Lidstrom talking to Helena St. James about the honor.
  • The Detroit Free Press has postcards from Sweden here, here, and here. Jet lag has been a problem as the players have fought to stay awake in order to get on the proper sleep cycle.
  • Kirk Maltby commented on his first day in Sweden in a video with the Free Press, but The Detroit News notes that the Wings don’t have time to be tourists all day and will remain professional amid all the hype.
  • Channel 7 spoke with Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg about what common Swedish phrases their teammates should know.
  • NHL.com writes about the probable line combinations for Detroit.

In Other News

  • Johan Ryno, a DRW prospect, is heading back to Sweden. Babcock’s Death Stare talks about what this means for Ryno’s career and his chances at the NHL.
  • As we mentioned earlier this week, veteran forward Brad May was released from his tryout contract with the Wings. He then had a tryout contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) where he hopes to make the team with the chance to go up to Detroit as they need.
  • Speaking of the Griffins, they have returned to the west side of the state before their season opener on Saturday.
  • Chris Hollis at Motown Wings will update the Wings’ regular line and special teams production line throughout the season.
  • As part of its 30 Teams in 30 Days feature, TSN has its preview up on the Red Wings.
  • The Triple Deke has its preview and pointless predictions up for this year’s squad.
  • Unconnected Red Wings Blog also has its preview up for the 2009-10 season.
  • Want to win a trip to any two regular season games this year in the NHL? You can enter to win by going on Twitter and doing #NHLPick15, which “asks fans to predict the winning team in all 15 games played on October 3. One fan that picks all 15 games correctly will win a trip for two to a regular season game of his choosing.”

September 30, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment

Around the Rink – September 28 Edition

58503704Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

After playing three preseason games in as many nights, the team left for Sweden on Sunday evening. Detroit’s last exhibition contest will be on Wednesday against Farjestads (Swedish Elite League) before the Red Wings kick off versus St. Louis on Friday afternoon and Saturday in the NHL Premiere Challenge. DetroitRedWings.com and NHL.com will have the latest DRW coverage during the next week. You can also check out the Wings’ official Twitter and Facebook accounts for video, photos, and much more!

Weekend Game Recaps

Sunday, vs. Pittsburgh — The Wings snapped a five-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over the Penguins. The game got a bit chippy with a total of 28 penalty minutes, primarily from the third period, plus two 10-minute misconducts. Brian Rafalski recorded four assists during the evening, while Pavel Datsyuk and Jason Williams each registered a goal and a helper. Johan Franzen and Ville Leino also scored in the outing. Jimmy Howard was awarded first star of the game after making 25 saves.

Saturday, at Toronto — The Wings lost both games in the home-and-away exhibition contests, dropping a 2-1 game in Toronto. Brad Stuart scored Detroit’s only goal of the game.

Friday, vs. Toronto — Detroit fell to the Maple Leafs on Friday in a 5-4 shootout loss after rallying from a 3-0 deficit. Niklas Kronwall and Johan Franzen each posted two markers, while netminder Chris Osgood stopped 25 shots in the effort.

In Other News

  • There has been plenty to talk about with the Wings gearing up for their big trip to Sweden. The Detroit Free Press took a panoramic photo of the seven Swedes after practice this week. The newspaper continued its work in preparation of the festivities, discussing how the Swedes are like rock stars over in Sweden and will be treated as such this week. MLive.com noted that Stockholm may become Hockeytown East this week. The NHL.com writes that the Wings went on this trip partially as a reward to captain Nick Lidstrom.
  • Justin Abdelkader earned a spot on the season-opening roster according to MLive.com as Darren Helm can’t play in Sweden. On Friday, the Wings trimmed their roster to 33 players and Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare commented on those cut. Two days later, Detroit was at it again bringing the total on the roster to 23 before the team headed to Sweden. Brad May was released from the Wings so that he could get a tryout with the Griffins in the AHL.
  • The Detroit Free Press talked with Jakub Kindl, who tries to stay positive in his third year in Grand Rapids.
  • ESPN.com has an update on Dan Cloutier after he was cut by the Wings on Thursday.
  • Sports Illustrated’s Allan Muir and Kevin Allen at USA Today posted their Central Division previews, picking the Wings to finish atop the division.
  • Greg Eno at Out of Bounds says that the Wings’ run of excellence has been taken for granted.
  • Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle once again has previewed players with profiles on Chris Osgood, Derek Meech, and Kirk Maltby.

September 28, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments

Around the Rink – September 25 Edition

D064133034.JPGPhoto by Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Brad May earned a tryout with the Red Wings earlier this week and will make his debut in the Winged Wheel on Friday night against Toronto at Joe Louis Arena. If all goes well, he could sign a two-way deal and have a role similar to what Aaron Downey had in the past. Coach Mike Babcock told the Toronto Sun that he had pushed for May four years ago. Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily reports that May will not play in Sweden and will not be offered a contract, if the Wings even wanted to do so, until after the trip to Sweden.

The Red Wings trimmed some of its roster on Thursday, sending seven players to Grand Rapids. These players include forwards Jamie Tardif, Tomas Tatar, Francis Lemieux and John Vigilante and defensemen Travis Ehrhardt, Sergei Kolosov and Sebastien Piche. While Dan Cloutier was cut and was not sent to Grand Rapids, the Detroit Free Press writes that he felt good to be back skating with an NHL squad during training camp and preseason.

With 39 players remaining, there is still a question concerning the final DRW roster: Who will replace Darren Helm, who is out with a shoulder injury? According to The Detroit News, Helm skated for the third time since his injury on Wednesday and is still experiencing pain when he starts fast or takes hard strides. Shooting is too painful so he is expected to begin the season on the short-term injured list.

In Other News

  • Dan Cleary will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game, but Henrik Zetterberg will remain out with a sore groin. Michael at The Production Line posted nine things you will want to watch for in Detroit’s sixth preseason contest.
  • The Sporting News selected some of its best athletes and teammates from the 2000s and the Wings were honored in four categories: NHL team of the decade (Red Wings), NHL player of the decade (Nicklas Lidstrom), NHL coach of the decade (Mike Babcock), and NHL executive of the decade (Ken Holland). Lidstrom was also named to the All-Decade first team.
  • As you may guess, the Swedes on the Wings’ team are a bit excited about playing in Sweden to kick off their regular season. Lidstrom told The Windsor Star that he has 40 tickets to the games and continues to look for more.
  • Speaking of the Wings’ games in Sweden, The Detroit News has a fun interactive feature on their website about the Swedes and their hometowns.
  • Kevin Allen at the USA Today has eight reasons why he believes the Wings will contend for the President’s Trophy.
  • FSDetroit will kick off its Wings Premiere Week next Thursday. Over the following 10 days, FSDetroit will have over 40 hours of airtime devoted to the Red and White. For a complete schedule, please visit FoxSports.com.
  • The season previews continue to filter in as the Sports Network posted their Red Wings’ preview.
  • Babcock expects to rely on depth this year as he will have to reduce his top forward’s playing time and increase other guys’ time on the ice because of the condensed schedule this season.
  • Last night, Dan Cleary and former Wing Ted Lindsay participated in a celebrity wheelchair basketball game at the Palace to benefit the RIM’s SportsAbility program.
  • The Grand Rapids Press has an article on Ken Holland and the role the Griffins play in Detroit’s system.
  • Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle has more in her player profile series with her take on Andreas Lilja and Lidstrom.
  • The Plymouth Observer compares the Red Wings and Plymouth Whalers (OHL) franchises. If Tomas Tatar does not make it onto the Griffins’ roster, he will play in Plymouth this season.
  • In other NHL news, Wayne Gretzky has resigned as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes after four years behind the bench.

September 25, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: , , , , , . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment

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