Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
The Red Wings’ 4-1 loss to Edmonton on Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena ended a two-game winning streak for Detroit. Edmonton’s Patrick O’Sullivan scored twice to lead his team to their first win in four games with the help of two pucks inadvertently deflected by Wings’ players into the team’s own net. Dan Cleary scored Detroit’s lone goal. Head coach Mike Babcock told MLive.com that “It’s unacceptable, it’s un-Red Wing like and it can’t happen.”
For those of you worried about Jonathan Ericsson after he left the game in the third period with an apparent leg injury, it sounds like you don’t have to think the worst. MLive.com reports that Ericsson will be okay and may even be ready to go on Saturday night in New Jersey.
Defenseman Jakub Kindl made his NHL debut in the outing, logging some time on the first power-play unit, with Brian Rafalski out with a sore back according to The Detroit News. GM Ken Holland spoke with FSDetroit during the game and Snapshots has a wrap-up of the interview.
For more reactions to the game, check out these blogs: Big Red Machine, The Production Line, Red Wings Blog, Red, White & Black-n-Blue, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.
The team will now fly to the east coast for a two-game road trip that starts Saturday night in New Jersey and concludes in New York on Sunday against the Rangers.
In Other News
- The NHL announced today that former Wing Brendan Shanahan has been named the VP of Hockey and Business Development. According to TSN, he “will work with Colin Campbell, the league’s senior executive vice-president of hockey operations, providing insights from a player’s standpoint into trends that have emerged. The 40-year-old will also be responsible for special projects handed down by commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly.” The Windsor Star writes that Shanahan believes he is prepared to help the NHL even if he doesn’t know where the bathrooms are yet in the league office. DRW bloggers comment on the NHL’s signing at Abel to Yzerman, Big Red Machine, Snapshots, and The Production Line.
- The Detroit News writes that Jimmy Howard has been making the most of his chances in net. MLive.com notes that Howard has been motivated by doubters.
- Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare shares why he thinks you will want to tune into the World Junior Championship tournament this holiday season.
- Sergei Fedorov’s former lawyers have asked a judge to drop the lawsuit the former Wing has filed against them.
- Chris at Motown Wings offers up his thoughts on why captain Nick Lidstrom is struggling offensively this year.
- Trying to come up with some gift ideas for the Wings’ fan in your life? Check out the Hockeytown Book Collection for some reading material.
- Red Wings’ prospect Tomas Tatar may be the youngest guy on the Grand Rapids squad, turning 19 this week, but that hasn’t stopped him from lighting up the league.
- Want to know what life is like as a player for the Griffins? This weekend’s Wingspan episode on FSDetroit will show you just that with the episode airing tonight at 5:30 p.m. EDT with repeats of the episode on Saturday (11 a.m.) and Sunday (8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.).
December 4, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Brendan Shanahan, Jakub Kindl, Jonathan Ericsson, Tomas Tatar . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
The Wings beat Dallas 4-1 at Joe Louis Arena on Monday evening to earn their second straight win and ended a four-game losing streak at home. Todd Bertuzzi snapped a nine-game scoreless drought with a goal and assist against the Stars. Michael Caples of DRW.com breaks down the game. Netminder Jimmy Howard made 29 saves in the win. The most interesting tidbit of the game was the 10:09 minutes of play without a whistle.
DRW bloggers talk about the win: Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Bingo Bango, Fight Night at the Joe, Hockeytown Static, Motown Wings, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Red, White, & Black-n-Blue, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, and Winging It In Motown.
In Other News
- The Detroit Free Press reports that defenseman Brian Rafalski left practice early with a sore back. Just in case he won’t play tomorrow, the Wings have called up Jakub Kindl from the Grand Rapids Griffins. This latest injury update has prompted some concern at Abel to Yzerman, Nightmare on Helm Street, and On the Wings.
- Forward Patrick Eaves will miss tomorrow’s game due to a sore ankle according to MLive.com.
- The Red Wings made their annual trip to Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, which the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
- Johan Franzen spoke with the Detroit Free Press about his social anxiety and being shy.
- Drew Miller scored his second goal with the Wings and has seen an uptick in his ice time.
- Snapshots points out that the Red Wings were the most-searched hockey team over the past year.
- Hockey’s Future has an update on the Red Wings’ junior prospects.
- Red Wings’ prospect and University of Wisconsin defenseman Brendan Smith has been named WCHA Defenseman of the Week.
- The Triple Deke picks out some Christmas gift ideas for a few of the Red Wings.
- Casey at Winging It In Motown talks about goalie Jimmy Howard turning the corner.
- Out of Bounds discusses how important a resurgent Tomas Holmstrom is for the Wings this season.
December 2, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Brian Rafalski, Patrick Eaves, todd bertuzzi . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment
Photo by Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images
The Detroit Red Wings ended a three-game losing skid on Saturday night with a 4-3 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues on the road. According to the Detroit Free Press, “Holmstrom’s power-play goal at 2:35 of the third period ended Detroit’s scoreless streak at 175:57.” After erasing a 2-0 deficit, it took Henrik Zetterberg’s goal with 56.7 seconds remaining in the third period to even the game up at three goals apiece and send the game into overtime. Forward Todd Bertuzzi would eventually score the game-winner in the shootout.
MLive.com writes about the impact that Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader had in Saturday’s game, while Chris McCosky of The Detroit News notes that the Wings “fired 217 shots on goal over the previous six games and had only five goals.” For video highlights of the game, click here.
While the win doesn’t necessarily signal that everything is back on track, it did bring a wave of relief to the DRW bloggers: Babcock’s Death Stare, Octopus Thrower, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.
The Wings hope to make it two straight tonight at Joe Louis Arena and end a scoring drought at home when they host the Dallas Stars. The game is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be televised by FSDetroit. The first 2,500 twelve-and-under kids in attendance will receive a snazzy 12 x 30 inch pennant.
In Other News
- The Detroit News and MLive.com report that captain Nick Lidstrom will play for Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
- Red Wings TV spoke with GM Ken Holland in an exclusive interview to talk about the first quarter of the 2009-10 regular season.
- MLive.com discusses the surprising lack of production from Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.
- ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun says that Holland remains firm in his stance that the Wings will not look to make a big trade by the deadline.
- The Detroit Free Press writes about defenseman Jonathan Ericsson’s development and his transition from Grand Rapids (AHL) to the NHL.
- Tomas Tatar, one of Detroit’s second round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, scored the game-winner for the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit’s AHL affiliate) in a 2-1 win Saturday night. The Grand Rapids Press notes, “Tatar, who is the youngest player in the American Hockey League, has a four-game goal streak and a string of five games where he has tallied at least one point.”
- Casey and Michael at Winging It In Motown created a thorough guide to where Wings’ players Olympic chances stand with their respective countries.
- Red Wings Hardware makes a case for Lidstrom and a jersey retirement down the road.
November 30, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Ken Holland, Nick Lidstrom, todd bertuzzi, Tomas Tatar . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
The Wings come back from a day off yesterday for the Thanksgiving holiday and will face off against Calgary tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT. If you plan to attend tonight’s game, be sure to get there early to check out the Chilly Cookout Pre-Game Party going on along the riverfront starting at 4:30 p.m. EDT.
Detroit hopes to get a win tonight after dropping four of the last five games, including a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday evening. Despite peppering the Atlanta goaltender with 40 shots, the Wings were unable to get the puck into the back of the cage. The loss marked the first time Detroit has been shut out this season, according to MLive.com. Michael Caples of DRW.com also broke down the game.
Some of the Red Wings bloggers offered up their thoughts on the loss: Babcock’s Death Stare, Hockeytown Static, Motown Wings, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, and Winging It In Motown.
In Other News
- Want to know if any of the players have traditions for Turkey Day or what they’re most thankful for? Red Wings TV talked to some about the guys and the Detroit Free Press noted that Kris Draper will have a very full house thanks to the holiday. MLive.com spoke with Jonathan Ericsson and Ville Leino, who are pretty new to the Thanksgiving holiday.
- The Detroit News reports that Johan Franzen is aiming for a return to skating by Christmas after tearing his ACL on Oct. 8.
- Big Red Machine linked to an interview Darren Helm did with Hockey Night in Canada Radio.
- The Wings continue to struggle offensively, scoring five goals total in the last five games according to the Detroit Free Press.
- Chris McCosky of The Detroit News has a thorough feature piece on enforcer Brad May and his fighting career.
- GM Ken Holland went on “The Huge Show” to speak about the Wings’ and their injury bug. You can listen to the interview at MLive.com.
- The Detroit Free Press and MLive.com point out the Wings continuing penalty kill woes as Detroit’s PK sits No. 28 overall with a 74.4% success rate this season. Bill at Abel to Yzerman chimes in with his thoughts on the team’s PK.
- Defenseman Jakub Kindl, who plays in Grand Rapids for the Wings’ AHL affiliate, leads the way in Red Wings Central’s preliminary prospect ranking.
November 27, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Brad May, Darren Helm, Jakub Kindl, Penalty Kill . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 1 Comment
Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images
The Wings returned home from a two-game road trip, which resulted in a narrow 3-2 shootout win over the Canadiens on Saturday and a 3-1 loss to Nashville on Monday. The one positive in the loss to the Preds was forward Drew Miller scoring his first goal in the Winged Wheel.
The Detroit media and bloggers commented on the loss and what it means: Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Bingo Bango, Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, Hockeytown Static, MLive.com, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.
Coach Mike Babcock says he will shuffle his defensive pairings tonight vs. Atlanta at the Joe. He also told MLive.com that Jimmy Howard will get the start in goal tonight.
In Other News:
- Georges Laraque received a five-game suspension for his hit on defenseman Niklas Kronwall, which resulted in a sprained MCL that will keep him out of the lineup for 4-8 weeks. Niklas Kronwall spoke with the Detroit Free Press and MLive.com, saying that he didn’t believe Laraque intended to cause harm. DRW bloggers chimed in about what they viewed — a dirty hit: Babcock’s Death Stare, Hockeytown Static, Nightmare on Helm Street, Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Corner, Red Wings Hardware, and The Scrappy Octopus.
- Alex Trebek, the host of Jeapordy and a Wings’ fan growing up, made an appearance at the Joe last Friday to shoot a segment for his show.
- Big Red Machine posted her three stars of the week from the Wings’ roster.
- The Detroit Free Press commented on Darren McCarty’s appearance on Versus as the guest studio analysis during the broadcast of the Wings-Preds game.
- Bill at Abel to Yzerman is a bit concerned about the loss of talent both to free agency and injuries this season.
- Puck Daddy names captain Nick Lidstrom the best player of the decade.
- Nashville’s Shea Weber told The Detroit News that he feels bad his fight with Andreas Lilja in February has kept him out of the game for this long.
- Ansar Khan of MLive.com writes that Todd Bertuzzi is getting frustrated with his lack of offensive production and hopes to pick up his scoring and soon.
- Red Wings Central reports that the Wings want to see prospect Jesper Samuelsson shape up.
- The Production Line evaluates where the team stands after making it through a quarter of the regular season.
- The Triple Deke lists the five top individual performances by a Red Wings player this decade (video clips included). What do you think of his list? Anything you would add?
- The latest edition of random award winners and stats update is up at Winging It In Motown.
November 25, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Alex Trebek, Drew Miller, Jesper Samuelsson, Nick Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, todd bertuzzi . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 6 Comments
Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images
After the Dallas Stars ended the Wings’ three-game winning streak on Wednesday night, Detroit will look to redeem itself tonight at Joe Louis Arena when the team hosts the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. EDT. Goaltender Chris Osgood will return to the crease tonight after sitting out the last three games due to a virus per the Detroit Free Press. Kirk Maltby will also return to the lineup tonight after fighting the flu and missing three games, replacing Brad May. Don’t forget to bring a new, unwrapped toy (please no stuffed animals) as the Wings will hold another Toys for Tots drive tonight.
Wings lose 3-1 to Stars
The 3-1 loss to Dallas stung, in particular, because an apparent goal by Brad May was overturned according to The Detroit News and it marked Detroit’s first loss in regulation at home. It was not deemed a goal thanks to an intent to blow the whistle call as explained by Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations. The DRW blogosphere was angry about the call and had no trouble voicing their opinions: Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, Below the Crossbar, Big Red Machine, DetroitHockey.net, Hockeytown Static, Motown Wings, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog and Winging It In Motown. Other hockey bloggers even chimed in, including Puck Daddy, Gross Misconduct, From the Rink, the New York Times’ Slap Shot Blog and Mike Chen’s Hockey Blog.
Forward Henrik Zetterberg extended his point streak to four with Detroit’s only tally on Wednesday. Stars forward James Neal, who played for the local Plymouth Whalers for two seasons including their 2006-07 OHL Championship season, posted two assists and was named the game’s first star.
In Other News
- Osgood’s illness gave netminder Jimmy Howard the reins and he benefited from the extra workload according to the Detroit Free Press. Coach Mike Babcock told MLive.com that Howard’s four-game stretch as a starter helped solidify the Wings’ goaltending situation.
- DRW.com’s Bill Roose talked with Brad May about his career as a fighter.
- Need a gift idea for the hockey fan in your life? If so, the Red Wings have an entertainment package — Homer for the Holidays — for you at a great value. For just $96, you can purchase a ticket to three games (list of games available can be found here) and one free general admission ticket to see a movie at any Uptown Entertainment theater.
- Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily talked to the newest Wing, Drew Miller, about making a return to his hometown.
- The NHL.com writes that Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury have helped to energize the Grand Rapids Griffins, which is the Wings’ AHL affiliate.
- Hot Ice, which is a Russian magazine, interviewed former Wings forward Sergei Fedorov.
- Nightmare on Helm Street sized up Detroit’s opponent tonight, the Florida Panthers.
November 20, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Brad May, Chris Osgood, Drew Miller, Henrik Zetterberg, James Neal, Jimmy Howard . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images/NHLI
Former Red Wings player Brendan Shanahan announced his retirement yesterday. He finished his career with 656 goals (11th overall) and is the only player to score over 600 goals and log over 2,000 penalty minutes. MLive.com spoke with former captain Steve Yzerman about what Shanny meant to the team. Shanahan was the player that former coach Scotty Bowman referred to as “the missing piece.”
DRW bloggers remembered the fan favorite for his goal scoring and his ability to shine against the Colorado Avs as he posted his 500th career goal against Patrick Roy, the Statue of Liberty marker against Roy, and he was part of the memorable March 26, 1997, battle at the Joe. Here are some of their thoughts: Abel to Yzerman, Motown Wings, Octopus Thrower, Out of Bounds, Red Wings Hardware, The Production Line, and The Triple Deke.
In Other News
- Goaltender Chris Osgood remains out for tonight’s game against Dallas thanks to the lingering flu bug. As a result, Jimmy Howard will get his fourth straight start in net and Daniel Larsson will remain the backup netminder. Ozzie practiced with the team yesterday for the first time in about a week, but wasn’t ready to play a full game yet.
- If you are coming to tonight’s game at the Joe, the Wings are hosting a toy drive for Toys for Tots so please bring new, unwrapped toys (please no stuffed animals) to help underprivileged kids in the southeastern Michigan area.
- With the help of teammate Kris Draper, Darren Helm has shown improvement on the ice this regular season.
- Red Wings’ players like Niklas Kronwall and the third and fourth lines have stepped up into the void left by some of the players who left in the offseason or were injured early on. The defenseman has recorded three goals and four assists in the last three contests.
- Kronwall’s defensive partner Brad Stuart is also getting a shot at offense, playing at the point on the second power-play unit with Jason Williams still injured.
- The Wings welcomed the Memorial Cup champs, the Windsor Spitfires, to practice on Monday.
- Wings’ top draft pick from this summer, Landon Ferraro, is slowly coming around after suffering a knee injury according to Red Wings Central.
- Winging It In Motown takes a look at some stats and awards Wings’ players some various honors, including the Patrick Eaves Award.
- Big Red Machine posted its three (Wings) stars of the week. The NHL named Henrik Zetterberg the first star of the week with a league-leading nine points, two game-winners and a plus-five rating last week.
November 18, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Brad Stuart, Brendan Shanahan, Chris Osgood, Darren Helm, Henrik Zetterberg, Landon Ferraro, Niklas Kronwall . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
Wings win 7-4 thriller over Ducks
Detroit defeated the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday evening at Joe Louis Arena, 7-4, to give the Wings six wins in seven games. Forward Henrik Zetterberg scored a hat trick (three goals in the third period), including the game-winner and an empty-netter, to outlast the Ducks. It marked the first time a Wing has recorded a hat trick since Hank did so on March 19, 2008. Due to the injury situation, coach Mike Babcock moved Ville Leino to a line with Zetterberg and Dan Cleary. The trio hit it off with eight combined points in the game. Goalie Jimmy Howard stopped 19 shots playing in his third straight game, which has resulted in a boost of confidence in the crease.
DRW bloggers chimed in with their thoughts about the win: Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Hockeytown Static, Octopus Thrower, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.
In Other News
- The Detroit News writes that The Hockey News put together a panel that determined captain Nick Lidstrom is still the league’s best defenseman at the age of 39.
- Craig Custance of The Sporting News argues that the Wings have the deepest front office in the NHL.
- Chris McCosky of The Detroit News notes how youngsters like Justin Abdelkader have given the team a boost during this injury situation. Speaking of Abdelkader, enforcer Brad May gave him some fighting technique tips after a recent practice according to MLive.com.
- Puck Daddy names Lidstrom’s 2005-06 season as the sixth best individual stats season of the decade.
- The Wings like how their waiver pickup Drew Miller is fitting in with the team, particularly on the penalty kill.
- With Chris Osgood out with the flu, the Wings had called up Daniel Larsson from Grand Rapids to fill in as backup keeper.
- Kyle at Winging It In Motown ranks the Wings’ three most promising collegiate prospects.
November 16, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Henrik Zetterberg, Jimmy Howard, Justin Abdelkader, Nick Lidstrom, Ville Leino . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: 2 Comments
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
Wings beat Canucks 3-1
On Steve Yzerman Hall of Fame night, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena. Forward Tomas Holmstrom scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season, while Henrik Zetterberg posted the game-winner in the second period. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall’s insurance goal and empty-netter was his third tally in as many games. With Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby out with the flu, netminder Jimmy Howard stopped 31 shots and Drew Miller made his debut in the Winged Wheel.
The win gives Detroit five in six games. It was the first game back at the Joe for former Wing Mikael Samuelsson. A couple bloggers have their thoughts of the game, including The Production Line and Winging It In Motown.
Detroit dominates Columbus in 9-1 win
Seven different players scored in the 9-1 blowout over the Blue Jackets with each one interestingly scoring their third goal of the season on Wednesday evening. Forward Dan Cleary got the score going with a tally just 1:05 into the contest. Kronwall posted two power-play markers, while forward Justin Abdelkader added two third-period goals.
You can read recaps from the following websites/blogs: Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Bingo Bango, Motown Wings, Octopus Thrower, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, The Scrappy Octopus, and Winging It In Motown.
In Other News
- The Wings picked former Spartan Drew Miller off of waivers on Wednesday. Some bloggers chimed in with their thoughts on the Wings’ pickup: Babcock’s Death Stare, Motown Wings, The Production Line, and Winging It In Motown.
- The Detroit Free Press describes what you can find in the new Steve Yzerman exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
- Chris McCosky of The Detroit News writes that the Wings are not interested in goaltender J.S. Giguere.
- MLive.com reports that Jason Williams will not need surgery on his broken leg. He will be in a cast for six weeks and will then need two more to practice and skate before returning to the lineup.
- The Phoenix Coyotes are in need of a defenseman and they are scouting former Wing Chris Chelios as a possibility.
- Led by Red Wings vice president Steve Yzerman, the Red Wings are teaming up with Fifth Third Bank to encourage Southeast Michigan high school students to volunteer in the community. The new S.H.O.T.S. program (Students Helping Others Through Service) is an initiative designed to encourage high school students to volunteer their time and efforts while creating a competition among the student groups with monthly and overall winners taking home several great prizes.
November 13, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Chris Chelios, Drew Miller, Jason Williams, Jimmy Howard, Niklas Kronwall, Steve Yzerman . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Three former Wings now enshrined in HHOF
On Monday evening, three former Red Wings’ players — Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille — had the honor of being enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame. NHL.com has made each of the players’ induction speeches available online so you can watch the speeches given by Yzerman, Hull, and Robitaille.
Plenty has been said leading up to the big night (as we’ve linked to in the past week), but here’s what the media and bloggers have added since the ceremony.
- The Detroit Free Press has a section of their website dedicated to the induction with a focus on Steve Yzerman. Articles under the section include a recollection by Hull and Robitaille of their Detroit days, Yzerman discusses how winning the Cup later in his career made him appreciate it all the more, and the complete text of Yzerman’s 10+ minute induction speech.
- The Detroit News writes how memories of the 2002 Cup-winning season dominate the Hall of Fame.
- MLive.com talked about Yzerman’s references to his childhood hockey idol in his induction speech. He mentioned how as a kid he had posters of hockey players decorating the walls in his room, which can be weird to picture as there were thousands of kids and probably more adults, who put up posters of Yzerman on their walls.
- The Ottawa Citizen points out that Yzerman’s speech was another example of his grace and class as he seemingly thanked everyone under the sun for their role in his career.
- Bob Duff of The Windsor Star notes a comment made by Brett Hull comparing the Wings to the Yankees of old.
- Puck Daddy, the hockey blog at Yahoo!, argues why this 2009 class may be the strongest of the decade. Other bloggers have chimed in with their own thoughts, including Abel to Yzerman, Bingo Bango, Hockeytown Static, Nightmare on Helm Street, Octopus Thrower, On the Wings, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.
In Other News
- The Wings will return to action tonight as they face off against the Blue Jackets in Columbus at 7 p.m. EDT on FSDetroit and FSOhio.
- Coach Mike Babcock told DRW.com that he is cautious of Columbus’ netminder Steve Mason, who has experienced the sophomore slump so far this season but Babcock doesn’t believe that will remain true for long. The injury-riddled team will provide an opportunity for forwards Ville Leino and Patrick Eaves to shine.
- Lineup Updates: The Detroit News reports that defenseman Brett Lebda missed practice on Monday due to illness and his status for Wednesday’s game is still TBD. With Jason Williams out with a broken leg, there is a void at the point on the second power-play unit. Defenseman Brad Stuart may fill that void according to MLive.com.
- Former Red Wings’ forward Darren McCarty has gotten a gig with Versus as a guest analyst for Nov. 23 when the Wings visit Nashville. Kris Draper told the Detroit Free Press that he’s looking forward to hearing what his fellow Grind Line former member has to say, but that “he better be a homer” (per The Detroit News). MLive.com says that he has officially retired from playing the sport.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes that Yzerman, who is the GM for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, has identified his core group of players for the squad.
- Former Detroit netminder Manny Legace has been signed by the Carolina Hurricanes after their star goalie Cam Ward suffered a fluke leg injury when Columbus forward Rick Nash’s skate sliced through Ward’s leg to the point where he could see muscle.
November 11, 2009
Categories: Around the Rink, Detroit Red Wings . Tags: Brett Hull, Brett Lebda, Darren McCarty, Hockey Hall of Fame, Luc Robitaille, Steve Yzerman . Author: Christy Hammond . Comments: Leave a Comment
Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images
