The Rundown: Pride.

Well, that's the season.

Disappointed? A little. But only because the season is over.
Disappointed in the Wings? No, not at all.

The Wings showed us their passion for the game, their determination, and their pride. When they were down 3 games to none in this last series, Jimmy Howard stepped up and said "Why not us?" Those three simple words were just what we needed to hear. Three simple words that made all of us believe in the magic and passion of this team. Three simple words that made the Wings believe and come back to win 3 straight games. There is nothing to be disappointed about. The Wings fought hard. They played hard. To the very last second last night, they did all they could to keep the season alive not only for themselves, but for us as well.

Though things didn't end in our favor, there is still a lot to be happy about. This team gave us one hell of a season full of milestones and memories. Let's reflect a little. Instead of focusing on last night's loss, let's focus on the season as a whole. Let's put things in perspective. Here's some of the best moments this season...

Mike Modano Comes Home- Last summer there was a lot of speculation and rumors about Ken Holland bringing Mike Modano to Detroit. Many were weary at first, but Mikey-Mo signed a 1 year contract with the Wings. Even though Modano's season was cut in half due to that horrific wrist injury, It was still nice to see the hometown hero sporting the winged wheel. Not to mention, he'll probably end up retiring. Modano has come full circle. Starting his hockey playing here in Detroit and coming back to end it. (someone give me a tissue)

Pavel fights- Our Mr. Lady Bing found himself in a fight this season against Corey Perry of the Ducks. Something that we all talked about for days. And let's not forget, in that same game Datsyuk scored a goal and got an assist. (Better known in Hockeytown as the Gordie Howe Hat Trick) Datsyuk joked after the game about being able to open his mind a little more and not having to worry about trying to win the Lady Bing this season.

Chris Osgood's 400th Win- Yeah, we all waited a L O N G time for it to happen. But when that moment came, goosebumps were sent all over my body. Chris Osgood won his 400th career game, an accomplishment that only 9 other goaltenders in the history of the game were able to do. Osgood, who hasn't always had the respect of media and fans, showed everyone that he is hall of fame worthy. Numbers don't lie.

Lidstrom's Hat Trick- Nick Lidstrom is arguably they best defenseman the NHL has ever seen. We're lucky to be able to call him our own. With 4 Stanley Cups, 6 Norris Trophies, and a number of other career achievements (heck, the guy even has a street named after him!) , it's crazy to think that in 18 1/2 seasons, Lidstrom never had a hat trick. That all ended on December 15th. Perfect human, perfect curly fries.

Franzen's Five Goal Game- When he shoots, he scores... and he does it often. On February 2nd, Johan Franzen beat the Ottawa Senators all by himself, scoring 5 goals. Mule gave Hockeytown free curly fries... he even enjoyed some himself.

Bertuzzi's 1000th Career Game- Todd Bertuzzi made it to 1,000 games this year. Through out his career, Bert has experienced a lot of ups and downs and has been one of the most controversial players in the league. Bertuzzi's 1,000 game was well deserved and earned. He even scored the game winning goal in game 1,000. As my Bertuzzi Kuzzi says, Bertuzzi is "#44 in your program, #1 in your heart"

20 Straight Playoff Appearances- We're spoiled. Year in and year out the Wings spoil us with playoff hockey. 20 years in a row, the Wings have found themselves in the playoffs. 4 of those years they went all the way to win the Cup. No other current team in any pro sport has been able to accomplish such a thing. I have a feeling that this streak will continue to grow for years to come.

Other Things That Made Me Smile This Season-

Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader -
These two are really starting to come into their prime. Abby has been able to step up, get in fights, score a few goals, and really make great plays happen. Helm has been able to use his speed to make plays happen, he's been great on the PK, and he's also been able to provide great entertainment every time I see a quote from him in the paper. Example: "With that comes responsibility. I was quoting Spider-Man to you there -- with great power comes great responsibility. I'm excited about it."

Jimmy Howard-
Today, while listening to the radio, one of the DJ's was talking about how for once in Detroit, fans are actually standing behind their goalie with pride. Jimmy's earned it. He's OUR GOALIE. He's our man. He knows that in this town, his job is not so easy. But night in and night out, Jimmy provided us with great saves, great wins, and great chances to win. He was pretty solid through out the entire season and earns all the praise in the world for his efforts.

The Fans-
There is nothing like being a Detroit Red Wing Fan. And I've come to learn that you don't quite understand it from the outside looking in. But once you're in, once you're a fan, you quickly become attached to this team and become proud of what they do every night out on that ice.
There is no better feeling than walking into Joe Louis Arena and realizing that you aren't the only obsessed fan... There is nothing cooler than the Wings having the lead in the 3rd period and hearing everyone in the building sing Don't Stop Believing. There are so many great traditions here in Detroit and we make sure every single one of those traditions live on. There's a reason why Detroit is called Hockeytown, and the fans have a lot to do with it.

_______________________

The Future- It's going to be an interesting summer. I want to see what will happen next for the wings, I wish I knew the roster for next season already. I'm hoping and praying that last night wasn't the last time that we all get to see Lidstrom and Draper in the Red Wings jersey.

_______________________

On a personal note, I would like to thank all of you guys for reading. Stef and I wanted to do this for fun and for our love of the Wings and we appreciate you're support more than we could probably say. We'll be updating through out the summer to let you all know about trades, signings, and all the other fun stuff Red Wings related.

Until next time, Go Wings!

The Rundown: One Down!

Everything fell into place.


Special teams were on top of things.
Franzen showed us that the playoffs are his time to shine.
Jimmy was GREAT.
...oh, and the Tuzzi got in a fight.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, it's only the first game.

The Rundown:

So, let me start by saying... I sadly missed the first half of the game due to work commitments... but, when I got home and put on my green shirt... the magic started to happen. I was a bit weary when I came home and saw the Wings were trailing by one.

Let's talk about the goals that the Wings scored tonight....

-How the hell did Datsyuk make that happen? A wrap around goal? He really does know magic tricks.
-Then one from the Mule. I can only pray that he can play the same way he's played in playoffs past...
-Did anyone else think that Rafalski's shot from the blue line went STRAIGHT THROUGH anyone? Like literally through someone... there were tons of players in front of the net.
-And Hudler? That was one BEAUTIFUL goal!




Octopus Count:
Word on the street from someone at the game... 6 octopi.

Broadcaster Quote of the Game:
(In a Arnold Schwarzenegger voice) "Johan Franzen wants to PUCK YOU UP IN THE PLAYOFFFFFS!" -Mickey York


Next Game: Saturday 1PM.

The Rundown: And That Folks, Is How You Do It...

The Rundown-

That's how you end the season. The Wings fought hard and came out on top beating the Blackhawks 4-3. Now the Blackhawk's fate is in the hands on the Dallas Stars. The Wings did what they needed to do today and proved to everyone that they are indeed ready for the playoffs. Datsyuk was sick on the ice dangling everyone left and right. Abby made sure to get the hits in. The momentum was high, the team was prepared, and they fought to the very last second. Jimmy made some great saves and Homer even scored a goal more than 2 feet away from the net.

This is it.

This is Red Wing Hockey.

Let's prepare for all that they playoffs will have to offer.

Fellas, start growing your beards. Ladies, paint those nails red.

LET'S GO RED WINGS.

The Rundown: Hmm..

You know things aren't going well when I would rather spend my time watching a baseball game.

Something's gotta give.
The Wings need to get their act together if they want a long play-off run.

At least Miller scored so I could enjoy a beverage that shares his name.

Last game of the season is Sunday against Chicago.

Go Wings!


P.S. Hossa still blows.

The Rundown - "It's Like Shooting Ducks at a Circus"

Yes, Mickey Redmond said that. I think he was going for "Like shooting ducks at a carnival." Either way, you can always count on Mickey to bring some afternoon entertainment.... and for the sports announcer quote of the game.

The Wings won their second straight tonight by defeating the Minnesota Wild 4-2.... ALSO... with the win comes another Central Division Title. The Wings won their 9th Division Title in 10 years, way to go boys.

Onto the Rundown...

It was nice to see Pavel Datsyuk back in the line up tonight after missing 8 games. It was also quite obvious that Pav was happy to be back in too. Pav had one assist tonight and his presence on the ice was a great addition to the team.

Darren Helm started the scoring for the Wings with helpers from Eaves and Rafalski. Helm now has 12 goals this season... building off of his career best.

Lidstrom added another one towards the end of the first, which looked like it was tipped in by Datsyuk... but wasn't.

In the second Tomas Holmstrom scored what he would consider a long shot. Homer's goal was outside of the crease, facing the goalie. I couldn't believe my eyes. Homer scored a big boy goal. (Don't get me wrong. I LOVE that Homer gets goal after goal after goal right in front of the net... it's just odd to see him get a goal the way he did tonight. Way to go Homer.)

FINALLY Franzen scored a goal in the third. Franzen hasn't been too hot on the goals lately, so its nice to see the Mule net one.

Also, in the third, big boy Johnathan Ericsson took a puck to the face. Goodbye pretty boy looks.


Let's keep the W's coming our way. Up next - The Hurricanes, Wednesday. (Where I hope my favorite Swede, Nik Kronwall will make his return... pleasepleaseplease!)

Side Note- I WANT THE PLAYOFFS TO START! Getting that itch for some play off hockey... so close!

Go Wings!

The Rundown: Hossa Blows

Well the game made it to overtime... then Marian Hossa had to ruin all the fun, just like he usually does.

Yep, that's all I got.

The Rundown: Old MacDonald

Let's pretend that it isn't St. Patricks Day and I miraculously spell every word in this post correctly.

First Period-

Drew Miller!!!! Drew decided to show Babcock that he DESERVES to play every game. Miller had a nice goal only 33 seconds into the game. This has just got to be the sign of the beginning of a good night. Its St. Patricks Day, Miller scores, time for a Miller Lite.

Miller had another great shot on goal, however, Mason saved. But then, soon after, Miller decided to make the period all his and get into a fight. Someone is going for the Gordie Howe Hat Trick... why not?

Filppula scored his second goal in two nights as well. Keep it up, Fil.

And Joey MacDonald, I talked sh-- about you in the Warm-Up. YOU OWNED THE ICE during the first period. I can only hope that you will play like this the ENTIRE game.


First Intermish-
Mickey York said that Larry Murphy was "a little lucky charm" then Murph laughed uncontrollably. Then I laughed uncontrollably. The York said Murph would do an Irish Jig during the Second Intermission. I'll let you know if that really happened.


Second Period-

Too many men on the ice penalty. DUMB. DUMB. DUMB. Let's get these outrageous penalties out of our systems now though...

Pretty boring second period though.

Second Intermish-
Murphy did not do an Irish jig. Total disappointment.

Third Period-

SHIT! Datsyuk went into the locker room with the trainer. BAD NEWS BEARS. While we're at it, Rafalski went down again too...

Johnathan Ericsson-- you're not the brightest, buddy.

P.S. Modano's face after the ref brought the octopus off the ice... PRICELESS.





Time to pretend to be Irish... In Mickey Redmond's words, Time for a few ginger ales! Happy St. Patricks Day!

The Rundown: Someone buy the refs new whistles please...

Thank you, Nicklas Lidstrom for keeping us alive!!

The Rundown-

Need I say more? I'm pretty sure this explains most of the game:

• There were wayyy to many instances tonight where the refs should have blown the whistles but didn't. I don't know what was going on, but it was just ridiculous.
  

• Wings were down by one for pretty much the entire game. Jimmy made some AMAZING SAVES. The guy was on top of his game all night long. I was surprised he wasn't one of the top 3 stars of the night.

• Tonight was also another night to add to the list of games where the Wings can't score on a 5 on 3. Someone needs to put an end to this soon. The power play needs to get their act together. I'm not expecting a goal on every power play, but there is no reason why a team like the Detroit Red Wings shouldn't score on every 5 on 3 opportunity they get.

• I'm not going to even touch that disallowed goal by Lidstrom that went off Bertuzzi's hand...

• I love though, that Lidstrom was the one to score the goal late in the third to keep the Wings in the game. He is perfection. Everything he does, he does well.

• OT- DATSYUKIAN GOAAAAAAL! WOOT!

Up next- Wings @ Blues, Tomorrow.

Go Wings!

The Rundown: Snake Bite

So King Cobra, Johnathan Quick made some great saves and held the Wings to 1 goal all night. Also, the refs made some greeeeeaaaaaaat calls.


NOT.

The Rundown-

So, I missed the entire first period driving home from work and making some delicious dinner for the rundown roomies. (Yes, my room mates will now be referred to as the Rundown Roomies. They provide me with lots of inspiration for my blog and make the games very enjoyable.)

Anyways, On my drive home, Helm scored. I may or may not have screamed with excitement. I also may or may not have gotten home from work and put on my Darren Helm shirt. Nerd Alert.

The second period, the Kings scored twice. Great. The Kings have only lost 1 game.... ONE GAME... when they've been in the lead going into the third. Right then and there, I felt like we were screwed.

Also, since when does high sticking not count as a penalty. I mean, that high stick that Lidstrom got to the face... COME ON REFS! ... Even the perfect human being himself was pissed... I'm pretty sure I read his lips too and Lidstrom was saying some pretty un-Lidstrom like words.

Then the third period... BORING. Nothing happened. No goals, no penalties, no fights.

The Wings need to pull off a win here sooner rather than later. Judging on how close everyone is in the West, it should be wins from here on out just so that we can get home ice in the play-offs.

Up next... The Edmonton Oilers, Friday Night.

The Rundown: Dogs. Woof Woof.

Well the Wings came out to play, but then couldn't finish. Sigh... Yet, Coyotes goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov got off to a pretty slow start, which the Wings took full advantage of. Also, hockey shouldn't be played in the desert. So the Rundown is a bit different tonight, I blogged as I watched the game unfold. So everything you read, I typed as it happened...

The Rundown....

First Period-

Oh Hey Ilya Bryzgalov... there's a hockey game you should be playing... you know, you're supposed to stop pucks before they go into the net, right?

Bryzgalov didn't show up on time tonight which ended in me drinking a Miller Lite. Thank you Drew Miller... I think I explained it before but for those of you who missed out, every time Miller scores I have to crack open a Miller Lite. Milllller Tiiiiiiiime. 1-0

Johan Franzen!!! Power play goal!! Finally... after 15 games!!!! Franzen hadn't scored a goal since the night he scored 5 goals in one game. Maybe he should leave the goal streaks to one or two a game instead of 5....? Maybe? 2-0

Goaltender interference? Yep. 2-1.

Second Period-

Jimmy Saves! Jimmy made some WONDERFUL saves through out the entire second period.

So Johnathan Ericsson made a really nice play (yes, you read that correctly) at center ice a little more than half way into the second. Ericsson lost the puck and saw a Coyote behind him who was going for the puck too. So what does Ericsson do? He shows the Coyote whats up and pretty much pulls a Nik Kronwall. Well played, Ericsson, well played.

Valterri Filppula with a nice goal. His first goal since coming back from his knee injury. Fil shot the puck and it bounced of Bryzgolov's pads and into the net. 3-1.

Darren Helm with an AMAZING short handed goal. That was a one big F-YOU to Phoenix. Beautiful goal by a beautiful man. 4-1.

Larry Murphy even tried to give us his take on the whole Charlie Sheen situation. If anyone should talk about Charlie Sheen, it's Larry Murphy.

On another Larry Murphy note, Murph ended his second intermission commentary by taking a bite of a hot dog. Murph Loves Hot Dogs.


Third Period-

Is that? Could it be? No... that's not Hasek in the net for us again? 4-2.

Okay, so the Wings are on a power play and then all of a sudden the refs blow the whistle. Why? Because one of the straps on Bryzgalov's helmet came off. Its not like the entire helmet came off. Come on, grow a pair. You play in the NHL.

JIMMY, JIMMY, JIMMY!!!!!!!!! (happy now?) Jimmy has been making some GREAT saves tonight.

Ugh. Apparently I spoke too soon... Jimmy let in 2 more goals, 4-4 tie with 90 seconds left in regulation.

Fil tried to end things in regulation. But the game only ended with The Tuzzi threatening Shane Doan's life.

Onto OT-

Wings with so many great chances so far in OT. None of them getting past Bryzgalov. Seems like he finally woke up.

Shoot Out-

Not even worth talking about. Goal Posts. Damn It.


Next up- King Cobra and the LA Kings at Detroit on Wednesday.

Go 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!!!!!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

Draper Drought Ends

Kris Draper made his season debut at the Dec 4^th game at L.A. against the Kings and Chris Osgood return home to the net.

Draper had been out suffering from a groin injury that occurred during the first day of training camp. The injury advanced into a sports hernia which required surgery. Osgood also returned to the net after he had been out for 13 games due to a pulled groin.

Draper saw little ice time in his first game back, a precautionary decision by Coach Babcock to help him get eased back into the game.

Osgood made 22 saves but ultimately the Wings were defeated 3-2 in overtime.

Wings Roast the Ducks

Saying the Wings started their season opener with a bang would be an understatement.

Overall there were 4 Red Wing goals, 3 major fights, and 70 penalty minutes!

Five minutes into the first period, Johan Franzen and Mike Modano scored goals within 24 seconds of each other for the Wings. Bobby Ryan got the first penalty of the night for the Ducks for high sticking. This put the Wings on their first power play but to no prevail.

Just over five minutes into the second period, Pavel Datsyuk scored the third goal for the Wings. The first of three major fights broke out with seven minutes left in the period. A total of 24 penalty minutes were given out. Andy Sutton received two minutes for roughing Ruslan Salei and Corey Perry got a ten minute misconduct for the Ducks. In return, Salei got a two minute penalty for roughing Sutton and Tomas Holmstrom got a ten minute misconduct for the Wings.

With three minutes left of the period, Dan Cleary made a questionable goal that was reviewed because the net came off. After much careful consideration, Cleary was awarded the goal assisted by Datsyuk making the score 4-0.

An astounding 12 penalties were given out in the third period and not a single goal was scored. Ryan Getzlaf got called for a slashing penalty on Henrik  Zetterberg. Zetterberg’s retaliation earned him a two minute roughing penalty. The second massive fight broke out between Datsyuk and Perry resulting in five minute fighting majors for both of them. Although the fight cost Datsyuk the Lady Byng trophy, he earned himself a Gordie Howe hat trick which consists of one goal, one assist, and one fight.

George Parros picked up two penalties: a ten minute misconduct and a two minute roughing penalty for trying to provoke a fight with Cleary. Holmstrom was next to take a two minute time out in the penalty box for hooking.

The third major final erupted between Brad Stuart and Sheldon Brookbank which also ended with in five minute fighting majors for both of them. At the same time, Boddy Ryan racked up two more penalty minutes for the Ducks for interference. This resulted in a 5-on-3 power play for the Wings.

Only seconds later did the Ducks get called again for another two minutes for having too many men on the ice, extending the Wings power play. The last penalty was called on Paul Mara for hooking bringing the total penalty minutes in the game to 70.

The horn sounded the end of the game leaving the score Red Wings 4 – Ducks 0. This is the first shutout of the season and Jimmy Howard’s fourth career shutout.

Did the Wings roast the Ducks or did they really roast themselves?

The next game is Saturday, October 9^th, away against the Chicago Blackhawks!

Quote of the game: “He will hop on the rebound.” – Ken Daniels

Preseason Highlights

If you missed out on the Wing’s preseason, here is your chance to catch up!

Detroit Red Wings Preseason Stats:

9.22.10 Wings Vs Penguins
L    1-5
9.24.10 Wings Vs Blackhawks
W    3-2
9.25.10 Wings Vs Blackhawks
L      2-4
9.26.10 Wings Vs Rangers
W    5-3
9.29.10 Wings Vs Rangers
L   1-5
10.1.10 Wings Vs Mapleleafs
W     7-3
10.2.10 Wings Vs Mapleleafs
L     2-4
10.3.10 Wings Vs Penguins
L    2-5

Overall Record:
3 Wins and 5 Losses

The Red Wings kick off their regular season this Friday, October 8th against the Anaheim Ducks!!!