Warm-Up: Detroit @ L.A.

The Wings are on the West Coast this week and kick off a series of late night games tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. The last 2 times these teams met, the Kings ended up with the W. I particularly remember the last meeting between the two, I was at the game. It ended 5-0, LA. The Wings had something ridiculous like 45 shots on goal... not a single one went in thanks to one Johnathan Quick. If he's in net tonight (haven't had a chance to read anything about tonight's game) then I might worry.

Johan Franzen and Brian Rafalski are out of the line up tonight. Mule's wife had their first baby on Sunday... it reportedly came out kicking. (woohoo lame joke!) Rafalski's back is still giving him trouble. Drew Miller and Jakub Kindl will be taking their spots in the line-up.

Also, today was the trade deadline. No transactions made in Detroit.

As posted earlier, Jimmy was signed to a two-year deal. Jimmah!!!

The Predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Pavel Datsyuk
Danielle- Henrik Zetterberg
(Oooo... a battle of the euro-twins!)

Final Score-
Stef- 4-2, Wings
Danielle- 3-1, Wings

Wings Sign Howard for Two More Years

General Manager Ken Holland announced earlier today that Jimmy Howard signed with the Red Wings to a two-year contract extension at $2.25 million per season. If not for the signing a contract with the Wings, Howard would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1^st.

Howard has made 47 starts for the Wings this season and with 30 wins, he is currently leading the league. His stats on the season are 2.79 G.A.A. and .908 SV%.

Last season Howard played his first full season and earned a 37-15-10 record, which made him a contender for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the year. His 30 plus victories made him the Red Wings fourth goalie to have won 30 or more games in their freshman year.

Howard has earned himself several awards throughout his NCAA hockey career when he played for the Black Bears at the University of Maine and he has even contributed to Team USA winning their first ever Gold Medal in 2002. Now Howard is pursuing the biggest honor in hockey, his first Stanley Cup Championship.

The Rundown: A Night of Happy and Dangles.

Well, tonight was the "Miller Bowl" it seemed like every chance that Ken and Murph got, they had to mention how Ryan and Drew were brothers. If I were Mom and Pop Miller, I would be kinda pissed that Drew was pulled from the line-up tonight. Oh well, the game must go on.

Anyways, after going down by 2 in the first, I thought that this game was just about over. I was a bit worried with JoeyMac in net.. I'm not sure why though, it seems like most of the time he's in net he plays pretty well. The Wings made a comeback though and eventually won the game in overtime.

Here's the Rundown...

First Period-

• Mike Modano took the first face-off of the night and won. Modano took that first shift out on the ice after 41 games and showed me that he was more than ready to be back. Welcome back Modano, so happy to see you again.

• Can I get an "Ug-ly Jer-sey" chant, please? Buffalo's jerseys are tough to look at. And whats up with that ugly stitching on the numbers. Ew.

• So at one point in the first, Draper was battling in the corner for the puck but all I noticed was the Buffalo mascot rubbing his ass up against the boards. Real classy Buffalo, real classy.

• Did anyone else notice Kronwall and Cleary just totally take each other out? You would think that Mr. Kronwall himself would know better and keep his head up while he was skating. But nope, just decided to skate right into Cleary and they both fell down.

• So, JoeyMac let in 2 goals this period, which resulted in our defensemen and even our forwards playing goalie, it seemed.

• 0-2, Buffalo after 1.

Second Period-

• All I wanted at the start of this period was a quick goal. That didn't happen. After Kronner had 10 great shots that didn't go in, Datsyuk finally scored one for the good guys.

• For a moment, I thought I saw Lidstrom check someone. Not believing what I had saw the first time, I pressed the rewind button and sure enough, it was real. I didn't know that he was capable of such mean things.

• After the Datsyuk goal, a pretty purple octopus was thrown out on the ice. I love Wings fans.

• Second period ended 1-2, Buffalo still in the lead.

• As the second period came to a close, this conversation took place between Ken and Murph:

Ken said something about how Murph had to talk about the first 2 periods during the intermission... THEN...

Murphy: I was planning on taking it off, goin' for a hot dog, but I guess I have to work instead.
Ken: You've already had two, that's enough.
Murphy: They're free here! If it's free, it's for Larry... That's my motto.
Ken: I know. Its our Degree second intermission, so Murph will be along, I'll try to pick him up another dog.

I cannot express the joy I felt hearing Murph talk about hot dogs. It brings a smile to my face everytime... Oh, the little things in life.


Third Period-

• Not much going on in the third.

• Then.....HAPPY HUDLER!!!! Wings Goal. All tied up!

• Ryan Miller, there are so many mean things I wish I could say about you, but I just can't get myself to do it. I couldn't even trash talk you during the game.

Shoot-out-

• Pavel set the tone with a nice back hand shot that got past Miller. Then, Hudler gave Miller a little look, took the puck, and shot it in.Wings win the shoot-out, Wings win the game.

Next up - The Kings. Monday night. Let's hope they don't have Quick in the net.


As always, Go Wings!

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Buffalo.

It's Miller Time! Modano's Back!

The Wings are in Buffalo tonight to take on Sabres. It's a battle of the Millers tonight as Drew and Ryan will compete against each other. It would be pretty neat to see Drew get a puck past big brother. Ryan Miller has been a hot goalie lately, not allowing more than 2 goals in his last 5 starts.

The Wings are coming off of a 2 game losing streak and should come out fighting and wanting to win. The Wings also have 2 players coming back into the line up. Mike Modano will be making his return to the ice for the first time since November. I am SO EXCITED to see Modano come back, as I am sure many of you are too. Filppula is also back tonight after suffering a sprained knee.

Also, Rafalski is out tonight due to back-spasms. Franzen may or may not be playing since his wife is supposed to give birth to their first child. If she does, Franzen would be making a quick flight back to Detroit.

Now the predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Nicklas Lidstrom
Danielle- Niklas Kronwall

Final Score
Stef- 2-1, Wings
Danielle- 3-2, Wings

The Rundown: The First Rule of Fight Club...

I really don't like Dallas. I never have, probably never will. Well that's two losses in a row for the Wings. Dallas came out fighting. Literally and figuratively. I'm also sure that this might have been the most penalties the Wings have taken in a game this entire season. (Not sure on that one, but it seems totally possible, right?) Anyways... to the Rundown.

First Period-

So the first power play for the Wings came very fast. I thought for sure the Wings would go up 1-0 on this power play... but it didn't happen.

And then.. what? Darren Helm scrapping a little bit? I like it.

Jimmy made some pretty good saves in the first, up until Mike Ribiero found an open spot in the net and scored late in the period. Minutes later Eriksson had a nice shorthanded goal that put the Wings down by 2. Dallas even out-shot the Wings 12-8 in the first... which only means trouble.

I want to point out that I think Mursak came out playing really strong. He's showing a lot of potential and I can't wait to see what he will do once he finds himself a permanent spot on the roster.

Second Period-

Holy penalties. There was a combined total of 38 penalty minutes in the 2nd period alone. 38 minutes. More than half the time of the game. I know this isn't a high number compared to a number of other games played in the NHL this season, but for a Red Wings game? I'm impressed.

Anyways, Krys Barsch scored in the 2nd. Which I don't really care about because he spells his name K-R-Y-S.

I was quickly losing interest in the game now that the score was 2-0 in favor of Dallas and the Wings weren't really playing "Red Wing Hockey"... so I was pretty confused with the whole Franzen situation. It seemed to go on for awhile and I was just waiting for the gloves to drop. I was also waiting for Franzen to reach over to some guy and just take the mouth guard out of his mouth. Kind of like this...



That video still cracks me up every time.

Also, after that little mix up, whenever the camera went to Jimmy he had the devil in his eyes. Jimmy was ready to just punch a guy. Kind of like what he did to Crosby that one time.

Third Period-

Dear Johnathan Ericsson,
There are many times when I curse at the TV because of things you do. However, during the third period of tonight's game, you dropped the gloves and fought Steve Ott. I loved every moment of it. I hope that soon you stop making bad plays at the wrong time and continue to do more things that make me happy. I don't like referring to you as the "good-looking hockey player who can't play." Hopefully the one hit that Ott got on you will change things around.
Love Always,
Danielle

So Ericsson and Ott fought. It was enjoyable. Ericsson came out on top. It was also the first hockey fight that one of my room mates saw. Also enjoyable. I should mention that I'm in the process of turning a non-hockey house around and turning it into a hockey friendly environment. Even if they deny it, they know the game is growing on them. They don't know what's coming their way when the playoffs start.

Holmstrom scored with a little under 5 minutes left in the game. So at least we didn't get shut out.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:
"Star light, star bright, first goal I see tonight" -Mickey York. ...Creative. I wish Murph would start talking about hot dogs again.

Predictions-
Well, Stef and I were both wrong with the final score and player of the game. I must admit though, I was so excited when Homer scored. Called it.



What's Next:
Wings @ Buffalo. Mr. Westland makes his return!!!!!

Warm-Up: Dallas @ Detroit

The Red Wings welcome the Dallas Stars into the Joe tonight after coming off a loss to the San Jose Sharks. It's also Jason Williams first game in the Joe with a Stars uniform. I wouldn't comment on something like that, but when I was younger I was crazy for Williams. I don't know why I'm even admitting it now, but now its out there. Take it or leave it.

Jimmy is starting in net tonight.

Last time these two teams met, Eaves made the citizens of Hockeytown happy by providing them with free curly fries. Eaves won't be in the line up tonight, his spot will be taken by Jan Mursak.



Predictions-


Player of the Game
Stef- Jiri Hudler
Danielle- Thomas Holmstrom

Final Score-
Stef- 3-1, Wings
Danielle- 4-2, Wings.


Go Wings!

Tune in after the game for the Rundown.

Injury Updates

Our few broken Wings should be making their returns soon! Here's the scoop:

• Mike Modano is scheduled to come back on Saturday when the Wings play the Sabres in Buffalo. Modano suffered a terrible lacerated wrist back in November. It will be nice to have one of the hometown heroes back out on the ice!

• Valtteri Filppula who had a sprained knee may be returning tomorrow night against Dallas. Fil has been day to day, but is practicing.

• Chris Osgood should be in shape to return next week too after having sports hernia surgery. Ozzie has been facing shots in practice.

• In last night's game against the Sharks, Patrick Eaves left in the second period and didn't return for the third. It was reported that Eaves had a "lower body injury" which seems to be an injury with his leg. Eaves is out of the line up tomorrow night. The Wings called up Jan Mursak to fill in.

Check out The Hockeytown Rundown tomorrow for the Warm-Up and The Rundown for the game against the Stars.


GO WINGS!

Run-Down: There goes the win streak

It was a 4-3 loss against the Sharks tonight in Detroit. I was really hoping that the Wings could pull it off in the final minutes. If there is any team in the league that could tie it up and force an overtime, it would be Detroit. But they didn't go down without putting up a fight.

The Rundown...

First Period-

So I missed much of the first since I was busy doing domestic type things like grocery shopping and laundry. However, once I sat down and had a chance to watch the game, I was all smiles. See, I turned the game on right when a penalty was called on Mr. Penalty Box himself, Johnathan Ericsson. Ericsson received a high sticking call and shortly after, Lidstrom got one too. San Jose had a 5 on 3 for what seemed like an eternity, but not to worry my friends. JIMMY HOWARD DOMINATED. He made some GREAT saves during that 5 on 3 which made me do a little dance. It things like that that make me appreciate how spoiled I am being a Red Wings fan.

I thought we were going out of the first period scoreless, but then with 7 seconds left, San Jose scored. I absolutely hate when we let in a goal with less than a minute left, when that happens, it usually doesn't end well for the good guys.

I should also note too, while coming home from the grocery store I called my friend Mike and mid-conversation he was amazed at a play that Datsyuk made that he had to rewind it and watch it again. Turns out it wasn't Datsyuk, it was Eaves. Once again, another reason why us Wings fans are spoiled. All of our guys, no matter what line they're on are capable of making mind-blowing plays with the puck. Love it.

Second Period-

Well hello, Danny Cleary. You owned this period. Cleary scored 2 goals in the second proving once again that the Cleary-Datsyuk-Hudler line is a force to be reckoned with. Cleary now has 22 goals this season, making it his highest scoring season in the NHL. Congrats Cleary!

Patrick Eaves also left the ice very slowly during the 2nd. He didn't return for the third due to a "lower-body injury." Hopefully it's nothing serious. But if it is, at least its before the playoffs.

Second period ended 3-2 San Jose.

I also heard this conversation take place during the game...
"Why is there a semi-truck in there?"
"It's a zamboni."

Third Period-

San Jose made it 4-2 in the third. Needless to say, I wasn't too pleased.

Hank tried to make a comeback on a power play to make it 4-3 and I was praying that the Wings would be able to pull it off and tie the game. They had a few great shots during the last 2 minutes leading me to believe that it would actually happen.

Then. My heart broke. Franzen had a great shot and somehow Niemi saved it. I thought it was in. It wasn't. Sigh.

The win streak is over. San Jose wins, 4-3.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:

I had one, didn't write it down. But Murph said it. I'm really slacking in the quote department. Sorry guys.

Stef wins the player prediction for tonight's game.


Next up, the Stars. Thursday Night.

Here's an injury update too:
Osgood should be returning next week after his sports hernia surgery. He's been taking shots in practice. Modano will be back on Saturday after that horrifying lacerated wrist and Filppula is skating in practice but is still day to day with a knee injury.

Warm-Up: San Jose @ Detroit

The Red Wings and the Sharks face-off tonight at the Joe. The Wings are on a nice 5 game win streak and tonight might be a bit of a challenge since the Sharks have won 8 of their last 10 games. (Wings have won 7 of their last 10) These two teams are pretty evenly matched so it should be a good game from start to finish. Also, the last 2 times these teams met, the winning team scored 5 goals... so maybe we have another high scoring game ahead of us tonight

Here's the Predictions...


Player of the Game-
Stef- Danny Cleary
Danielle- Pavel Datsyuk

Final Score-
Stef- 4-3, Sharks
Danielle- 3-2, Wings

Eaves Signing

If you have been waiting for your chance to meet Patrick Eaves than here it is!

Red Wings Day at Meijer will games, contests, photos with Red Wing cut-outs and of course Patrick Eaves.

This event will take place TOMORROW February 23^rd from 5-7pm at the Meijer in Westland. Eaves will be signing autographs from 6-7 pm.  Autographs will only be available for the first 150 people.
 
Meijer
37201 Warren Rd.
Westland Mi 48185

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame

If you’re a big Red Wing fan and an even bigger Detroit sports fan, this is the event for you!

The Detroit Historical Museum is hosting an exhibit that highlights Detroit’s local sports teams and individual players.

The exhibit is a collaborative effort of the Detroit Historical Society and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

The Red Wings have their own exhibits on display in the museum featuring Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe, prior Captain Steve Yzerman, and much more!

Check out the Red Wing Gallery:
Red Wing Gallery

The exhibit will run through Sunday, April 3^rd. So if you haven’t went already, be sure to go soon!
For more information and to purchase tickets please visit the website:
Michigan Sports HOF

The Rundown: NBC announcers can't pronounce.

Happy Hockey Day In America, America!

The Wings played in Minnesota this afternoon and got the win in overtime. The broadcast was on NBC. But before we get to the Rundown, let me tell you about how my game watching experience started today. I came home from work, in fact I left a little early so that I could make it home before the puck dropped. I sat down on the couch and put on NBC and watched their coverage on hockey day in America. Then the scariest thing in the world happened. At 12:30 PM, instead of the Wings coming up on my TV screen, I saw the Buffalo Sabres. My heart stopped. It was scary. I was scared. I stomped into my room and pouted. I wanted my Red Wings... I wanted the right then and there at 12:30. But nope, the lovely folks at NBC had other plans. THANKFULLY, it was just a quick scare. The Wings game was on at 12:43. Life was good again.

Onto the Rundown....
First Period-

I said it before, I'll say it again. I REALLY don't like NBC coverage of hockey games. Today was no exception. The announcers mispronounced 3 players names. THREE. Franzen, Rafalski, and Hudler. I can't even begin to explain how much stuff like that annoys me, especially since theses announcers are "professionals." Also, I've been told that the announcers are even given pronounciation keys on how properly say these names. And its not like those three names are even that difficult to pronounce. UGH.

The first period was scoreless but the Wings came out strong and played pretty well. Danny Cleary was completely killing it out on the ice. I feel like he had all of the Wing's first period shots. They guy kept firing and firing. Way to go Danny, hopefully one of those shots will go in later in the game. Franzen also had a penalty. The penalty kill was pretty good and there was a pretty solid effort made by Mr. Jimmy Howard. After that PK I had regrets not picking Jimmy for player of the game.

Towards the end of the first their was a "Let's Go Red Wings" chant. It made me smile. That makes me proud to be a Red Wings fan.

Second Period-

I wonder what it's like to be Martin Havlat. I think the guy has nightmares about the Red Wings. First that awesome hit from Kronwall back in the playoffs where he just got killed.
(See Right)
THEN, there was that collision with Hudler. Havlat probably pisses his pants just thinking about the Wings. That must be a rough life, constantly living in fear.

NBC did one of those coaches interviews with Babcock. Babcock smiled. I laughed so hard. That guy never looks happy.

Once again, another scoreless period.

Third Period-

Still through the third period... NBC announcers are pronouncing Franzen and Hudler incorrectly. I'm ready to write NBC an angry letter.

Mr. Perfect himself, Nicklas Lidstrom made the game 1-0 Wings with a perfect goal. Hudler and Stuart with the help.

Havlat scored on a breakaway to tie the game up just minutes after Lidstrom scored. Way to ruin the fun, Havlat. There's probably another hit coming your way.

There was a Minnesota shot on goal at 7:55 in the third. Jimmy blocked it, but the he seemed to freeze in that position for like 2 seconds. I don't know what happened to him but it literally seemed like he was in a video game and someone hit "pause" and he just stopped moving. I thought for sure it was danger time and Minnesota was going to score. Weird.

The Third ended with a 1-1 score. To OT we go.

Overtime-

Not much excitement here except Cleary didn't shoot the puck when he was supposed too.

Shoot Out-
There was a lovely Datsyukian goal, followed by a lovely Todd Bertuzzi goal. Again. On his 1,000 game. Way to go, Tuzzi. You're simply awesome. Congratulations.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game-
I didn't really write down a quote because the announcers made me so angry. But, there was about 5 minutes during the third period where they worshiped Detroit and just how awesome we are at hockey. Not only as a team, but as an organization, and as a city commonly referred to as Hockeytown. Loved it.

I'm also going to say that I won the player of the game prediction for today since Lidstrom scored. Hooray!

Tuesday the Wings take on the Sharks of San Jose.

Go Wings!

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Minnesota

Todd Bertuzzi will play his 1,000 career game today when the Wings take on the Minnesota Wild. This is the 3rd road game for the Wings in 4 days. Hopefully the Wings can continue their winning ways and Bertuzzi can continue this awesome 2 goals a game thing he has going on. I'm also pretty excited to watch the Hudler-Datsyuk-Cleary line again. These three have something special going on here. Personally, I'm surprised that Cleary works so well with the other two. You can barely understand them when they speak. I would assume that Jimmy is getting the start in the net today after that nail-biter of a game that Joey Mac put us through.

Predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Henrik Zetterberg
Danielle- Nicklas Lidstrom

Final Score-
Stef- 3-2, Wings
Danielle- 4-2, Wings


Go Wings!

Run-Down: The Tuzzi!

So after watching last nights game... or some of it at least, I must say, I am in love with Todd Bertuzzi. The guy is on fire. He's always out on the ice playing hard and putting fear into the eyes of every player not wearing the red and white. And, he has a great dentist too.

I can't do my normal recap for this game because I missed a lot of it. But, I'll give it a shot anyways.

Here's the rundown...

First Period-
So Todd Bertuzzi decided that this game was going to be won by the Wings. And when the Tuzzi decides something, it happens. Tuzzi scored a goal pretty quick into the game, automatically setting the tone for the rest of the game. Then my man, my prediction for player of the game, Mr. Danny Cleary scored a nice goal, putting the Wings 2 goals up.

Second Period-
The only thing I saw during the 2nd was Darren Helm having a "scare" and skating off the ice into the locker room. No joke, I whined. I was worried. I was scared. I was concerned. I don't want to see what would happen if he got injured. I would probably have tears coming out of my eyes.

Third Period-
I saw nothing of this period. Wait, that's a lie. I saw Joey MacDonald make the biggest save of his career with less than 30 seconds left in the third. Wait to go kid. I'm glad we didn't have to witness an overtime. If that happened, I think it would have ended bad for the good guys.

I'm not sure who won the Player of the Game prediction for this game. Cleary had a goal but Zetterberg had 2 assists.

Wings take on Minnesota tomorrow at 12:30.

GO WINGS!

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Florida

After winning the Yzerman Bowl last night, the Wings and their Dads travel further south to face off against the Florida Panthers tonight. The Wings always make me nervous with these back to back games, but with the recent return of Stuart, Datsyuk, and Cleary, I think the Wings will come out fighting. Here's to hoping they keep the momentum going from last night.

By the way, does anyone remember when Florida Panther fans threw rubber rats on the ice? Do they still do that?



Game Predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Henrik Zetterberg
Danielle- Danny Cleary (yep, for a second game in a row)

Final Score-
Stef- 4-1, Wings
Danielle- 5-2, Wings


Go Wings.

The Rundown: Get him some SPF 40, he is glowing!

Well the Wings were in good ol’ Tampa Bay tonight with the Tigers (minus one drunk Miguel Cabrera) and what seemed to be the rest of Hockeytown. I knew right from the start that we would be seeing a lot of Stevie Y tonight, so much so that I said something about a Stevie Y drinking game. Thankfully that didn’t happen because I would have been passed out by the end of the first period. Seeing as he was shown or talked about 42509325824392013 times within the first 10 mintues of the broadcast. The Wings wound up with the win tonight, 6-2.

Anyways, on to The Rundown…

First Period-

So I started the game listening to my roommate provide excellent commentary. It really caught on when Darren Helm Kronwalled a guy. Awesome. The first period was pretty boring for the first 6 minutes, so I spent the time thinking about when I witnessed a wings game in Tampa. I had gone into the St. Pete Times Forum with a sign that said “Fire Millen!” Needless to say, I had the entire building chanting “FIRE MILLEN!” by the time the game was over.

The Wings went on a power play and Danny Cleary had a nice tap in off of a shot by Nick Lidstrom. Wings up 1-0. The Wings were looking very good and didn’t show any signs of shopping. These are the Wings that make me excited for the playoffs.

The Red Wings then took a high sticking penalty. Kindl was called for the high stick, though I’m 99% sure Franzen was the culprit. Oh well, just goes to show that the refs really are blind.

Datsyuk got the good guys another goal. 2-0, Wings. Right before this goal, the crowd was chanting “Let’s Go Red Wings!” I love hearing that sound, especially when its not at the Joe. Red Wings Fans 1, Tampa Bay Fans 0.

Second Period-

Let’s be honest. Those of you who know me, know that I was way to excited when I saw Ozzie in the broadcast booth with Mick and Ken. No joke, I couldn’t even pay attention to what was going on, on the ice.

It was also pointed out that the head coaches of both teams were wearing matching ties. How cute.

Tampa tied wit up pretty fast with 2 quick goals. The first one off of Jonathan Ericsson’s stick, the second was a quick shot into a pretty wide open net. 2-2

No worries though. Kronwall scored with Abdelkader following suit. 4-2. Abdelkader’s goal was pretty nice, a pass across the ice and between some legs to Abby’s stick. He had a nice clear shot right into the net. He was all smiles after that.

2^nd period ending with Ericsson in the Penalty Box, the big guy isn’t having the best game.

Third Period-

Lots of wings are having multi-point nights through 2 periods, Kronwall, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, and Cleary all have 2 points.

Okay, Pavel had a BEA-TI-FUL goal. The Hudler, Datsyuk, Cleary line has been so fun to watch. They’re clicking, they’re having fun, they’re playing hard. Not to mention, they’re producing goals. 5-2

Darren Helm! FINALLY, your hands caught up with your legs. Nice breakaway by Helm to end the game.

Mikey York just called this game the “Yzerman Bowl.” I said it in the warm-up, I’ll say it again. We all know about Steve Yzerman. All the hype leading up to this game was ridiculous, lets save it for the playoffs.

I guess Stef wins tonight’s Player of the Game Prediction with Dangles. He had two goals and he was “pick-pocketing” (thanks, Mickey) all night long.10 more points? I think so.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:

“Oh yeah, you can only grab that baby for so long.” – Mickey Redmond

and for good measure, “Good job Ron Howard, not only can you make movies but you can stop pucks too.” -Chet Pflugrad.

Go Wings!

Warm-Up: Detroit @ Tampa

The Red Wings will make a visit to Steve Yzerman tonight as they face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Yzerman, who spent all of his hockey-playing career in Detroit is now the General Manager for the Lightning... which is "news" that most of you should already know. However, I've noticed in the papers that the media needs to constantly remind us all that:

1. Yzerman played hockey here in Detroit.
2. We were all sad when he retired.
3. He now works in Tampa.

All three of these things should be common knowledge for any Detroit sports fan, yet, the news needs to repeat each of those things NUMEROUS times just to drill it in our brains some more so that we all get teary-eyed just thinking about our (old) Captain.


Making his return to the line up tonight is D-man Brad Stuart. Ruslan Salei is out. No worries though, he's not injured or anything, just going to have some "family time" as his wife is expecting.

This weekend is also the "Dad's Trip" where the Wings get to bring their fathers or grandfathers, uncles, brothers, whoever, on the trip. Its made for some good coverage.

Game Predictions-

Player of the Game-
Stef- Pavel Datsyuk ...dangle, dangle
Danielle- Danny Cleary

Final Score-
Stef- 3-2, Wings
Danielle- 3-1, Wings

Check back after the game for the Rundown.


On a side note, my Mom called me yesterday to tell me that my Dad goes to get his hair cut with the celebrities. Apparently my Dad goes to the same barber as the Tampa Bay Lightning team. I won't believe it until I see a picture of my Dad sitting next to Steve Yzerman.

Osgood's 400th Commemoration

Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood was commemorated for his 400th victory at the Bruins game on February 12th. Osgood achieved his 400th win on December 27th 2010 at Colorado.



Here is the video of the Osgood highlights and the ceremony:
Chris Osgood Commemoration

Also, here are some pictures from the commemoration.

Red Wings honoring their team mate Chris Osgood upon introduction.

Chis Osgood and family, wife Jenna and daughters Mackenzie and Sydney.

Osgood waives to his applauding fans.

Chris Draper presents Jenna with a bouquet of flowers.

Red Wings Vice President, Chris Ilitch presents Osgood a gift on behalf of the Wings.

VP Chris Ilitch stands with Osgood and family.

{Video Credit belongs to the Detroit Red Wings. Photo Credit belongs to Stefanie Mullins.}

I'll have the Bertuzzi Special

The Red Wings welcomed the Boston Bruins into the Joe this afternoon, the second meeting between these two teams in three days. The Wings got the W and another 2 points… here’s the rundown…

First Period-

• With 19:59 left in the first, I already missed Ken and Mickey. And Murph. I always miss Murph. Anyways, I’m not to fond of the NBC broadcasts… but more on that later.

• Within the first two minutes of the game, Tyler Seguin scored leaving me to believe that Friday night was just a lucky night for the wings. 0-1. But not to worry, Todd Bertuzzi, who probably kills bears in his free time, scored an unassisted goal. It was kind of an odd goal, going off his skate, then off Tim Thomas’ pad, then flipped off of Tuzzi’s stick into the back of the net. 1-1.

Red Wings rush the net looking for a goal.

• During a break in the game, the cameras went on Darren Helm. All I have to say about this is that Darren really needs to shave that “beard” of his. Unless of course, he’s just trying to get a head start on his playoff beard… if that’s the case, he needs all the help and time he can get.

• Drapes took an interference penalty and Brand Marchand scored. 1-2. There wasn’t much Jimmy could have done to stop that one.

No penalties called as Holmstrom gets roughed up against the boards.

• The period would end 1-2, Boston in the lead and the Wings on a power play. A power play that came 8 crosschecks and 1 hit in the face too late. Seriously, how many times does Holmstrom have to checked into the boards before a ref decides to make a call? Ridiculous.

• Also, on a side note, I pretended the Red Wings Power Play was brought to me by Bell Tire, not Bud Light.

Second Period-

• At the start of the second, Pavel Datsyuk strolled out on the ice, took a shot, got a goal. Then he shrugged it off like it was no big deal. The guy makes it look so easy. He probably could have done the same thing with a blindfold on and his arms tied behind his back. 2-2.

• Later on in the period, Bertuzzi took a hit to the knee. He felt it immediately and my heart dropped. He skated off the ice slowly, then went into the locker room. A few minutes later, ‘Tuzzi was back out on the ice and skating fine. I will admit, it took awhile for me to come around on Tuzzi. But he plays hard, he plays with heart, and he plays well. I’ve become a softie for Bertuzzi. Who would have ever guessed?

Thomas lets in the 3rd Wings goal of the game.

• Kris Draper had a BEAUTIFUL goal off of some BEAUTIFUL passes from Helm and Eaves. Those guys are so much fun to watch. Its always nice to see Drapes get a goal too. 3-2.

• At the end of the second Kronwall Kronwalled Caron. Doc Emrick then said the BROADCASTER QUOTE OF THE GAME when he said: “Caron just experienced a Kronwallian hit.” A Kronwallian hit, eh? Interesting…

Third Period-

Franzen sets up Bertuzzi for his 2nd goal of the game.

• Not much excitement in the third. Greg Campbell got a tripping penalty. Too bad his Daddy couldn’t get him out of that one. I was hoping the Wings would have gotten another goal on the power play, but the scoring had to wait until ‘Tuzzi got his 4^th goal of the weekend. 4-2.

Other Notes:

• Berttuzi outscored the Bruins 4-3 this weekend all by himself.

• Stef predicted the score of the game. She wins 10 points. She also went to game today where Osgood was honored before the game for his 400^th win.

• It seems to look like Mr. Westland, Mike Modano will make a comeback by the end of February, earlier than expected.

• Filppula is still out with a knee injury.
  

Here’s to hoping the winning continues.

Go Wings. 

{Photo Credit belongs to Stefanie Mullins}

Red Wings at Bruins, Bruins at Red Wings

After struggling since the All-Star Break, the Red Wings played ‘Red Wing Hockey’ Friday night against the Boston Bruins. The 2 teams have a 'home and home' this weekend. The first meeting was Friday night where the Wings crushed the Bruins 6-1. The next game between these two is tomorrow at 12:30.

Friday night, the Wings came ready to play. I admit, I was a bit scared coming into tonight’s game. The Wing’s haven’t been playing their best hockey. Being a Wings fan, we’re constantly spoiled by their success, so it’s hard to not worry when things aren’t going so well. I’m sure Babcock put on his mean face (or his meaner face) and whipped these boys back into shape.

And, one more thing. Zdeno Chara (or as Ken Daniels calls him, Chair-a) scares me. The guy can shoot a puck 105.9 MILES. PER. HOUR. I worry that Jimmy Howard might just crap his pants if he were to be hit with a shot like that. (which by the way, would that cause a delay of game penalty or something? I mean, I don’t think he would be allowed to play in such conditions.)

Anyways... to the rundown...

First Period- Only 1:50 into the game, ‘Tuzzi scored putting the good guys up on the board. 2 minutes later, Danny Cleary put one in the back of the net with some help from some of THR’s favorites, Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall. By the end of the first, Boston had scored a goal making the score 2-1.

Second Period- HAPPY. HUDLER. What a great goal for Huds just a couple minutes into the second period. What a great pass from Zetterberg too. I’m so glad Hudler is finally picking his game up and picking up some points as well. 3-1. The Red Wing’s Power Play showed up Friday night too with Z scoring a goal. 4-1. Then, it happened again, ‘Tuzzi scored another goal! At this point, I was beginning to make plans to go to Arby’s and get my curly fries. With an entire period left, I was ready to put money on the Tuzz scoring a third. 5-1.

Third Period- The third had the Bruins frustrated. Brad Marchand tried scrapping with Patrick Eaves. Eaves just kind of gave him a confused look and skated away. I don’t know why, but I found this extremely funny. I also kind of felt like a proud mom watching Eaves turn down an opportunity to fight. Good for you Patrick. The final goal of the game was another PP goal from Mr. Holmstrom. Homer tipped the puck in while standing in his office. 6-1. It’s great to see him back in the line-up and pissing off goalies.

Great effort by the Wings on Friday night. I can only hope they keep it up tomorrow when they face the Bruins again. Stef will be going to the game and collecting more free Osgood memorabilia. It seems to be all she ever gets now when she goes to the Joe.

Game Predictions:

Player of the Game

Stef: Thomas Holmstrom

Danielle: Henrik Zetterberg

Final Score

Stef: Wings 4-2

Danielle: Wings 3-1

Welcome!

Hello Everyone and Welcome to The Hockeytown Rundown!
The Hockeytown Rundown was created by two long-time citizens of Hockeytown, Stef and Danielle. We hope to bring you the latest news, gossip, and happenings going on with the Detroit Red Wings. And don’t worry, we will be sure to share our opinions on the team, their play, and whatever else may come their way.
Go Wings. 


Note:
This is also where the posts from The Puck Stops Here ends, and The Hockeytown Rundown begins.

Datsyuk Withdrawals are Officially Over

The long awaited return for Pavel Datsyuk is finally over.

Dan Cleary, who returned on February 2^nd, welcomed his line mate back for the Red Wings game against the New York Rangers on February 7^th. Datsyuk who was out with a broken hand, showed no signs of weakness as he “dangle-dangled” his way to a goal and assist.

Pavel Datsyuk

His return has caused for a change of energy that is noticeable both on the ice with his teammates and off the ice with the fans. Players stuck in a ruck, like Jiri Hudler, had almost an immediate change in vitality. Even the atmosphere in Joe Louis Arena was filled with more liveliness than usual, similar to the energy during the playoffs.

The Red Wings and Hockeytown are certainly not the same without Pavel Datsyuk.

Could the Red Wings Read Your Poker Face?

Would playing Texas Hold'em with the Red Wings be the ultimate Red Wing experience? Then this is the perfect event for you!

The Red Wings annual Charity Poker Tournament will take place at the Motor City Casino on March 14th. The charity donation is $300 per seat; all proceeds go to the Detroit Red Wings Foundation. Guests are allowed to request up to three seats.

The event will start with a dinner reception before beginning a night full of poker playing with the Red Wings. Prizes will be awarded to the top ten. The grand prize is a trip for on the Red  Bird 11, the Red Wings private plane, during the 2011-2012 preseason. Other prizes include suite tickets, game tickets, and an autographed hockey stick.

There are only about a hundred seats left for this event so check out the website to get registered! Red Wing Poker

The Mule Stampedes All Over the Senators

Johan Franzen set a lot of records with his 5 goal game in the February 2^nd game against the Ottawa Senators.

His first 3 goals earned him his first hat trick in the regular season; he has had three hat tricks in the playoffs.  Franzen became the third Wing to score a hat trick this season along with Nick Lidstrom and Patrick Eaves.

When Franzen scored his fourth goal, he earned himself his second 4 goal game of his career. His first four goal game was during a 2009-2010 playoff game on May 6^th (2010) against the San Jose Sharks.

Although his fifth goal was an empty netter, it was a history making goal. The fifth goal made Franzen the first Red Wing in history to score goal 5 goals in an away game.

The last Red Wing who scored 5 goals was Sergei Federov in 1996 during the December 26 game against the Washington Capitals.

With the unstoppable Mule, the Wings won 7-5.