NHL news...

New Jersey Devils activate Martin Brodeur,from injured reserve list,today... he could play,against Toronto,Wednesday...

Red Wings' news...

Niklas Kronwall signed a seven year contract extension,worth $33.25 million,with the Red Wings...

home cooking...

Minnesota Wild,November 1st
Calgary Flames,November 3rd
Anaheim Ducks,November 5th
Colorado Avalanche,November 8th
Edmonton Oilers,November 11th
Dallas Stars,November 12th
these are tough games,period...

commentary...

as a fan of the Red Wings,i am not happy that the Red Wings are not playing well,but honestly,they have a core of players that will be there at the end(the playoffs)... they seem to be just out of sync,and pressing too hard to be too fine,in playing the game... the line in playing well,and stinking up the joint,is very,very fine,almost paper-thin... what is annoying me,right now,is that Red Wings are getting shots,but not second shots,rebounds,or even good shots,on the rebound,and only in one game,has the power play looked even decent,and the exception of the 7-1 shellacking,by the Washington Capitals,goaltending has been very good,overall... coaching has been spotty,not because of the results,but because of the fact that Mike Babcock,and his coaching staff,has only been together,for nine regular season games(they lost three coaches,including Brad McCrimmon,who died in the crash,of the Yak-42-D,in Jaroslavl,Russia,in crash that took 44 people,and their lives,and most of entire team roster,and coaches,of Lokomotiv Jaroslavl,a KHL team),in which this blog is dedicated to their memory...

noting for family...

by the way,the two teams that the Columbus Blue Jackets has beaten,so far,this season,are the Red Wings,and the Anaheim Ducks...

correction...

the year that the Red Wings had eight major players out,early in season,was 2009/2010,not 2008/2009... sorry for mistake on dates...

commentary...

as a fan,last night's game,between the Red Wings/Wild was real ugly,to lose,1-0,and four in a row,really sucks... the coaches should be upset,with lack of offense,which i am,but the fact that they only gave up only one goal,on a night that looked,at times,like high-grade pee-wee hockey,was really amazing,because of the way that they played overall,in front of Jimmy Howard,was,at times,very pathetic,and Jimmy Howard was the best player on the ice,for both teams,even though Josh Harding put a goose egg,on scoreboard,because even though Howard gave up a goal,in first period,he actually stopped five,or six point blank shots,from less than ten feet away,in first period,alone... he was spectacular,but the Red Wings could not shoot,skate,pass puck around,and could not enter their offensive zone,without getting mugged,or having a bad pinch play turnover,until midway through the third period,consistently... the Red Wings totally missed the net on,at least three separate shots,shot into crowds,or had shots so weak(overall)towards Harding,that i could have played goal,in NHL,against them,last night... no one had a real good night,especially Mike Babcock(Red Wings' coach),whose game plan did not work,last night,and both teams played just horribly,on offensive side of the game... it was totally a game that i would use to actually fall asleep,and enjoy the nap... wake up,Red Wings!!!!!!! i guess that you need to feel like you stink,as a team,because last night,offensively,was the absolute worst game,in five years... even in 2008/2009,when you had eight major players out,with injury,and looked like the Detroit Griffiths(on ice,having so many call-ups,from Grand Rapids,at one time),you played harder than last night,and back then,it was really painful to watch Red Wings' hockey... by the way,what was Todd Bertuzzi doing last night? playing "ugly Red Wing?,or invisible Red Wing?"... giving the Wild two power plays,and then getting clipped in face for a four minute high-sticking major,was highlight,of the night,FOR ENTIRE TEAM,except for Jimmy Howard,who had his A+game,on display,last night... too bad the rest of the team did not show up,and failed the test....

game score,and commentary...

Wild 1,Red Wings 0... winning goal went to Dany Heatley,on a pinch play by blue line,and instead of being stopped by Zetterberg,at blue line,puck skipped over his skate to Heatley,who went down right side of zone,and shot puck past Jimmy Howard,on the left side of net,and never had a chance to stop puck... Red Wings seemed out of sync all night,and Minnesota clogged up neutral zone,all night...

game in progress---2nd intermission

after two periods,they(Red Wings) are pressing too hard,and just out of sync... both teams suck,with their passing... honestly,it looks like pee wee hockey,but good teams seem to have their cold spells,and both teams can not seem to find the back of the net,on a consistent basis,tonight,but Red Wings have one period,to pound the puck,at Josh Harding... Jimmy Howard has been rather spectacular,tonight,robbing the Wild,on several point-blank chances,and without him,it is not 1-0,after two periods,but 2-0,or 3-0.... the Red Wings still have chance to win this ugly "pee-wee" game...

commentary...

should have been down,2-0,but the disallowed goal bug bit Minnesota(kicked puck,with an onside kick motion(pooch kick),and popped puck over Jimmy Howard's head,into net),and the Red Wings gave up four or five two on one chances,and Dany Heatley scored on one,for a Wild goal.... start of a ugly game;passing the puck is erratic,for the Red Wings,but luckily the Wild can not seem to pass,or shoot the puck on those two on one chances,or honestly,it would be 2-0,or 3-0,for the Wild,but Red Wings made a great puck stuffing play,when Red Wings,basically hit puck and stick,at same exact time,to stop puck dead on stick,as the Wild player started to shoot puck,on one of those chances... defensively,they are not that bad,except for the two on one chances... they just need to kill off 1:22 off during Wild power play to start second,and then start passing,and getting pucks to the crease,and into the net...

if i was Mike Babcock(Red Wings' coach)...

overall,as a fan,if i was Mike Babcock(Red Wings' coach),i would not be too happy with the way that they are playing overall... as a team,they are on a three game losing streak,and even though you were unhappy with the officiating,you were more upset with giving two straight empty net goals,to make games look like we were playing worse than we were playing... good teams occasionally gives up empty net goals,at end of games,but to do it for two straight games,is not good... better offensive pressure at end at games,would really help your cause,and get your team out of the offensive doldrums... the good thing about the loss to San Jose,if there was one thing,was that the top line(Pavel Datsyuk,Henrik Zetterberg,and Dan Cleary)played very well,with Zetterberg getting a goal,Datsyuk getting two assists,and Tomas Holmstrom scored a goal,and getting two pucks in net(even though one was disallowed,on a very questionable call,with contact with Antti Niemi)... it was more of a reputation call on Holmstrom,because Niemi moved out of the blue paint,in front of net,and made contact with Holmstrom,before puck was chipped over Niemi,into net,and gave Holmstrom a little shove down onto ice... before you think that i do not think that it was a veteran move,it was,and a good one,but any other player would have scored on that play,or had a penalty on Niemi... calls like that,Holmstrom gets every season,because he is best puck tipper,in front of net,in the NHL... he had a penalty,against Dallas,on a totally phantom call standing in front of goaltender,and he tipped puck past goaltender(did not move body,at all),and Tim Peel,called him for goaltender interference,in a 4-1 loss,last year,to the Stars,so it happens every year... The Dallas goaltender(Kari Lehtonin) actually crosschecked him in back,and Peel,called Holmstrom for interference... the Red Wings are having trouble on power play,and getting puck into offensive zone,and setting up offensively,to attack their opponent,but good teams go through spells like that,so i would not be worried... i would be upset with the overall way that the Red Wings are playing right now,but honestly,i would tell them,and have a hard practice,or two,to get point across,and stress better defense in our defensive zone,because better offense comes from having teams turn the puck over to you... i would believe that they were pressing too hard on offense,trying to score goals,and making rather trivial mistakes,in the neutral zone,and turning pucks over in our defensive zone,giving the goaltender(Jimmy Howard,and Ty Conklin)little chance to stop pucks,and having them make spectacular saves,just to bail the Red Wings out,and finally stop making stupid,brain-dead penalties(hooking,etc.),and putting themselves into hole,with an opponent's power play coming at them every five or ten minutes... if they would do that,the Red Wings would improve,with their overall game...

schedule update...

Red Wings/Minnesota Wild,tonight...
Minnesota/Red Wings,Tuesday
Calgary Flames/Red Wings,Thursday
Anaheim Ducks/Red Wings,next Saturday

game score,and commentary...

Sharks 4,Red Wings 2... Sharks did play better,but Red Wings played best game,in last three games... referees were simply bad;disallowed goal,for the Red Wings(Tomas Holmstrom got shoved down,by Antti Niemi,and Holmstrom fell into him,while putting puck,in net(could have been called either way,so Sharks got very lucky not to down,2-0,at that time)... that disallowed goal took air out of the building,and for the second game,in row,Kelly Sutherland was one of the referees,and he simply called every small penalty,early,and then late,put whistle,in pocket,so Red Wings were befuddled,by referee's non-calls,and both teams had no rhythm,until third period... Sharks played very good defense in third period,and scored an empty-net goal,in last minute,which sucks,but they were better tonight... good fan game,but for both coaches,and teams were chippy,and confused,by the officials,and you can tell that there is some very bad blood,between the teams,and Brent Burns simply tried to embarrass Tomas Holmstrom,by punching him multiple times,in a scrum,very late in game,and referees just stood there watching him punch Holmstrom... you do not want to know what i think about Burns... i will tone it down;good player,but have no respect for him,now...

Red Wings' news...

Sharks/Red Wings,tonight... game score,and commentary,after game...

top Western Hockey League defenseman to be drafted,in 2012 NHL entry draft...

Matt Dumba defenseman,Red Deer Rebels
Ryan Murray defenseman,Everett Silvertips
Derrick Pouliot,defenseman,Portland Winterhawks
Griffith Reinhart,defenseman,Edmonton Oil Kings
Morgan Rielly,defenseman,Moose Jaw Warriors

wild game in Philly...

Winnipeg 9,Philadelphia 8...

Red Wings' schedule...

Sharks/Red Wings,tomorrow,in Detroit... round one....

NHL news...

the 2012 NHL entry draft,will be in Pittsburgh,PA.... will note some draft picks,later today...

NHL team milestone...

St. Louis Blues just won their 1,500th game in franchise history,in a 3-0 win,over the Vancouver Canucks,tonight...

commentary...

Red Wings' coach Mike Babcock is still very upset about the way that Red Wings played the last two games,against Columbus Blue Jackets,and the Washington Capitals... he mentioned that the Red Wings were not getting second chances/rebounds,of their shots,and most of them being outside shots(not in the crease),and goaltending has not been up to snuff,allowing big rebounds and shots up close... he let the Red Wings have it,at practice,(the way that Babcock was upset at team)i would believe that... expect the Red Wings to play better going on....

game score,and commentary...

Columbus 4,Detroit 1... two rookies(Ryan Johansen,and John Moore)scored their first NHL goals,a smothering(almost mugging) defense,and every bounce of puck went their way... referees gave Blue Jackets six power plays to three,for the Red Wings... there was an empty net goal,in last minute,while Red Wings were on a rare 6-4 power play... Kelly Sutherland may have to be in the Hall of Shame,along with Mike Leggo,Stephane Auger,and my all time least favorite referee,Paul Devorski,because he called penalties on Red Wings that were invisible to naked eye,or were so picky to be believed... Columbus had a great game plan,against the Red Wings;mug them,stop them,and Steve Mason had his most solid game,in two years... have to give credit to Columbus,they played the game without being dirty,and played good defense throughout game,and jumped on turnovers to score all four goals,in game... what got my gripe up,tonight,was the fact that the Red Wings went 30:34,of gametime,without a penalty called,on the Blue Jackets,while the Red Wings had to kill off eight minutes,of penalty time(four minutes of that time went to Pavel Datsyuk,and Henrik Zetterberg),,, sloppy game playing,and bad referee calls,did the Red Wings in,tonight... fyi,Leggo called a shootout goal,from 30+feet good when referee from less than three feet away,called no goal,in shootout loss to Dallas... the call was so bad that even the Stars' announcers were absolutely dumbfounded... Auger has been known to be arrogant,and berate players... Devorski:one game,Game two,Red Wings/Sharks...2009-2010 playoffs... enough said....

NHL debut...

Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltender Allen York,when he was backup to Steve Mason,made his NHL debut,tonight... he played 2:33 of gametime,when Mason was checked by doctors in locker room,after he hit arm on goalpost... Mason came back into game,while i was typing about injury(laughing)...

health update,and comments...

Philadelphia Flyers' captain Chris Pronger received a scare,when he got hit in eye by stick blade,during a 4-2 win,over the Toronto Maple Leafs... he will miss 2 to 3 weeks,and has been put on bed rest,for time being... even though,i do not like him as a player,i respect him as a player,and i hate to admit that he is a winner,and greatly respected,in many locker rooms,and he did win Stanley Cup,with Anaheim,in 2007(beat Ottawa Senators,in five games)... hope his vision is going to be fine,and the Flyers say that he will not be cleared,until he wears a visor...

commentary...

Red Wings/Blue Jackets,tonight,in Columbus... little known facts:Ty Conklin will start his second consecutive game,and Joey MacDonald has been called up,from Grand Rapids... before you fans get crazy,Jimmy Howard,and his wife,had a baby boy,James Howard IV,within the last couple of days... congrats,Jimmy!!!!!!!! Columbus is winless(0-7-1),and the fact that the Red Wings were "humbled"(their own words),by Washington Capitals,expect Columbus to be desperate,with the addition,of James Wisniewski(off an eight game suspension),and expect a dogfight... Columbus lost to the Red Wings,in a sweep,in only playoff appearance,in 2008-2009...

memories of hockey...

the most famous trio of brothers ever to play,in NHL,were the Stastny brothers(Peter,Anton,and Marian)... they came from Czechoslovakia,during the Soviet era... they all played for the Quebec Nordiques,at the same time... Peter scored 450 goals(380,with Quebec),Anton scored 252 goals(all with Quebec),and Marian scored 121 goals(all with Quebec)... Peter also played for the New Jersey Devils,and with a cup of coffee,in St. Louis,with the Blues,(23 games,over two years),and without the Stastny brothers,you do not have a Russian explosion of players,when they defected through Canada,i believe,at that time... the Detroit Red Wings do not have "the Russian Five",without the Stastny brothers coming before them,because back then,the Soviet Union put a cap on hockey players,and their travels,in Eastern Europe...(remember "the Iron Curtain"?)...

commentary...

i do my blogs to teach you the games' history,and to tell you about my love for the true game of hockey... people may think that i am a fan of the Red Wings,and the Packers,and i am,but i will tell you when they are having a bad streak of games,and appreciate,and respect the teams they play... however i will tell you about my love of the true game of hockey,and football,and criticize the game,when people do the stupidest things,and you may disagree with me,and i accept that,but i will do it,with ultimate respect for the game... i may say that i despise a divisional team(like the Blackhawks,and teams in Central Division,of NHL,and the Bears,or the teams in the NFC North),but i totally respect those teams,and the respect is most important,to me... if Red Wings switch divisions,in 2012-2013,i will "despise" those teams,too... (laughing)

Toledo Walleye (ECHL) news,and a reminder of Griffiths' record...

the East Coast Hockey League team has a record,of 1-2,after three games... just a reminder that the Griffiths has record of 3-4,and play Abbotsford Heat,on October 28th,at home(made a mistake on that post(...

Grand Rapids Griffiths' update

the American Hockey League team has a record,after seven games,of 3-4... they play Abbotsford Heat,on October 28,2011,in Grand Rapids....

schedule,and comments...

Red Wings play Columbus Blue Jackets,tomorrow,in Columbus... they then come back to Detroit,to host the San Jose Sharks,on October 28,2011... i did try to get tickets,for two,for November 17 game,in San Jose,but after one day,it only had single seats... i even tried for March 17th,2012,but they were gone,on same day that i tried to get tickets... funny thing i even tried to get tickets for their two games,in Detroit... no such luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Red Wings' October trivia...

on October 29,1947,Gordie Howe wore the number 9,for the first time,as a Red Wings' player,and on October 29,1944,Ted Lindsay made his NHL debut,as the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks,7-1,and finally,on October 26,1984,in a 7-3 win,over the Buffalo Sabres,they scored three empty net goals... on October 8,1993,Red Wings went to Anaheim,in their first game,in their NHL history,and beat the Mighty Ducks,4-0... why do i remember that? i listened to the game,while i lived in Orange County...

commentary...

until last night,against the Capitals,Red Wings have played like they should be playing:very good overall offense,and very good goaltending,but last night was one of those games,where everything went absolutely wrong:bad special teams,bad defense,and very bad goaltending... everything shot at net,for Capitals,seemed to go in,and no one played well,period... Red Wings should honestly forget this stinker,and get back,"on the horse",and get back to being one of the best teams,in NHL... every good team has,at least,one stinkbomb of a game,and the good teams bounce back...

game score...

Phoenix 5,Anaheim 4...

commentary...

the two turning points,in tonight's Red Wings' game,was the Red Wings,not scoring at least a goal,on back end,of first two man advantage,and not scoring on second two-man advantage given to them by the Capitals,midway through second period,when they had chance to get close,and were down,3-1,then Ty Conklin giving up a goal,that got through his pads,and was behind him,and was tapped in net,with mere seconds to play,in second period... instead of being down,3-2,or tied,they were down 4-1,after two periods,and then Detroit lost any momentum to get back into game,after two periods... there is no way to put a bow on this game... it stunk... if i was Mike Babcock,i would put this game on the shelf,and show it to the Red Wings' players,before the game,in Detroit,when the teams meet again,March 19th,2012,to remind them of this stinker,tonight...

game score...

Capitals 7,Red Wings 1... the Red Wings really should forget about this slaughter,rather quickly... UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!! STINKER!!!!!!!!!

game in progress---2nd intermission

every bounce of puck is going the Capitals' way,and a very late goal,in second period,by Capitals,gave them a 4-1 lead after two periods,and a lack of offensive punch,by the Red Wings,on two two-man advantages,and two very stupid penalties,by Todd Bertuzzi,and Cory Emmerton gave Washington two power play goals,and a late very soft goal,given up by Ty Conklin,who could not corral a puck,under his glove(puck squeezed under glove,into goal),with mere seconds to play in the second period,put Red Wings into big hole... you can not win them all,and this game i could nit-pick all night,but just a very sloppy night,for the Red Wings... still a period left,but the late goal,in the second period,changed the tempo for the Red Wings,and just made it very difficult,and the way that they are playing,they honestly look lethargic,tonight...

comments,on game...

after first period,Red Wings look a step slow,and out of sync,gave up two goals,and just before the buzzer,the Capitals rang a puck off the post,behind Ty Conklin,so the Red Wings have to come back on the Capitals...

Lidstrom's night...

Nicklas Lidstrom is playing his 1,500th game,tonight,the 14th player,in NHL history(fourth in Red Wings' history,to play 1,500 games),and only has missed 32 regular season games,including two playoff games,in his 20 year career...

NHL news...

Red Wings/Washington Capitals,tonight... at this time of post,both are last unbeaten teams...

commentary...

Red Wings basically dominated the Blue Jackets,from opening puck drop... Johan Franzen scored two goals in first period,and three points in game... Valtteri Filppula had a goal,and three assists(a four point night),and Red Wings led 2-0,3-1,4-2,and finally won by score by 5-2,with empty net goal,by Flippula(assisted by Franzen who tripped over a Blue Jacket,as he passed puck to Flippula)... two good periods,out of three(second period was the worst period,got out-shot,13-7,but Pavel Datsyuk scored goal 27 seconds into period,to extend lead to 3-1,but Columbus did not get closer,because of the Red Wings' overall defense,in that second,and they dominated the third defensively,and backbreaker goal came from Nicklas Lidstrom,who fired a rocket over Steve Mason's right shoulder,into left upper corner of net,to make it,4-2,at 7:46,of third period... Red Wings were 3-5,on power play... Rick Nash,of Columbus has scored 23 goals lifetime,with a couple hat tricks,against the Red Wings,but got nary a shot on goal,tonight... Steve Mason,in net,for the Blue Jackets,has been owned by the Red Wings,meaning that he may have a shutout,or two,against Red Wings,but he gave up four goals,against Red Wings,tonight... since his Calder Trophy winning rookie season,in which he was 33-20-7,.916 save percentage,and 2.29 goals against average,he has been 44-53-17,.894 save percentage,with a 3.18 G.A.A.,with Columbus,being the only winless team,at 0-6-1,in the NHL...

Red Wings' score...

Red Wings 5,Blue Jackets 2... Red Wings 5-0-0,for season... commentary later...

Red Wings' history...

Nicklas Lidstrom will play in his 1,500th game,when the Red Wings play the Washington Capitals,tomorrow... he has missed only just under 35 games,in his 20 year NHL career...

NHL history...

San Jose Sharks' Joe Thornton plays his 1,000th game,against the New Jersey Devils,tonight... 1,000 games for any player is a great milestone,in the NHL... he has played for the Boston Bruins,and the San Jose Sharks,in his career...

commentary...

before you get excited about Detroit being in second place,in Central Division,(behind Chicago),they(with San Jose)have played the least number of games,this season-four games... there are 82 games,in the NHL season... anybody tell me that San Jose is the 14th team(out of 15),in Western Conference,they would be insane,because they are not that bad... they have gotten off to a very bad start,and have not won since their opening night of the season... problem is that points count as much,in October,as they do,in April,because they are harder to get in April,to make the playoffs,and tomorrow night,against New Jersey,may be the biggest game that they play,so far,because they really need two points badly,period... to go 1-4-0,in the first five games,is not a tough hole to dig out of,but with the best teams at 8 to 10 points,so far this season,they would be behind teams that will not be ahead of them for long,and yet they would have to chase the good teams,most of the season,and the front office would be in trouble,because San Jose changed their basic lineup to speed up,and to make a run at the playoffs later,wears,and tires the team out(example:2009-2010 Detroit Red Wings,who had eight major players injured,and got healthy,went on a run,with best overall record,in last 25 games,or so,landed fifth,in playoff race,and ran out of gas,against San Jose,in five hotly contested games)... so season again starts,in New Jersey,for the Sharks,if you know what i mean...

schedule update...

Columbus Blue Jackets/Red Wings,tomorrow...
Red Wings/Washington Capitals,Saturday night(both teams unbeaten,and playing good,at time of this post)...

commentary...

the NHL schedule makers are strange,because they have given the Red Wings,four days off between one game,and then five days before another,and they guess they may do that for every team,but every year they do it for the Red Wings early(which is a good thing,but drives bloggers crazy).. i just wish that they would do it sometimes,in March/April,because of injury to the team,healing up at that point...

NHL news...

New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur out 7 to 10 more days ,with injured shoulder,that he injured last week,and was at that time,day to day,but injury reports are known to be a "so-so" thing,over the years...

game score...

Toronto 4,Winnipeg 3,shootout win...

NHL labor update...

part of hockey-related revenue(HRR) was put in escrow for the NHL players,as part of collective bargaining agreement,set in 2005,and that revenue,and that was supposed to be in their checks,for the players,on October 14th,but there is minor squabble,between the NHLPA,and the NHL... with the CBA,up in September 2012,pundits are beginning to say there are "disturbing" trends toward both of the labor union,and negotiations,that are coming up next summer... i just believe that the squabble will be fixed shortly...

NHL news,and trivia...

Winnipeg plays Toronto,in Toronto,tonight... the last time Winnipeg visited Toronto,was March 13,1996(a 3-3 tie)... only two still active NHL players,played for Winnipeg that night-Phoenix Coyotes' captain Shane Doan,and Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin...

trivia,and historical tidbits...

Hockey Hall of Fame member,and defenseman Paul Coffey scored 1,000 points,in 770 games,163 games less than Hockey Hall of Fame member Ray Bourque... he played for the Edmonton Oilers(with Wayne Gretzky),Pittsburgh Penguins(with Mario Lemieux),Los Angeles Kings(with Luc Robitaille),Detroit Red Wings(with Steve Yzerman),Hartford Whalers,Philadelphia Flyers,Chicago Blackhawks,Carolina Hurricanes,and Boston Bruins,in a career that spanned,1980-1981,to 2000-2001 Both Coffey,and Bourque were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame,in 2004...*
*all players named in this post,are Hockey Hall of Fame members...

correction...

i noted yesterday that on January 12,1971,The Red Wings suffered their worst shutout loss,in team history,to the Montreal Canadiens,13-0;however i made a mistake on the date:it was January 2,1971... i made the mistake,because it notes team history over the entire month of January,and they note days,and years.... have to be as accurate as i can be...

OOPS!!!!!!!

Henrik Zetterberg turned 31,on October 9th...

Red Wings' history...

this is not to say the Red Wings will win Stanley Cup,but the last time the Red Wings were,4-0,was 1997-1998,when they won the back end,of a back to back run,of Stanley Cup-winning teams...

feat of note...

Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins netted his first NHL hat trick,in his third NHL game... the 2011 first overall draft pick,was the Oilers' only scoring,as the Oilers lost,4-3,to the Vancouver Canucks,last night...

Red Wings' history...

on January 12,1971,the Red Wings suffered their worst shutout defeat,in team history,losing to the Montreal Canadiens,13-0(second biggest shutout loss,in NHL history)...

game of note...

Phoenix 4,Winnipeg 1... first of two meetings,between the teams,this season...

commentary,and game score...

finally,a power play goal!!!!!!!! the goal that won the game,against the Wild... Red Wings 3,Minnesota 2,in overtime... however,the best player on the ice,was the goalie for the Wild... Josh Harding,his first game played,since March,2010... the Wild scored two goals,in 28 seconds,of game time(the last twelve seconds,of the first period,and the first sixteen seconds,of the second period),but had only twelve shots in entire regulation time... the Red Wings wore them down late in second period,when Ian White scored with forty-eight seconds left,in second period,and Jiri Hudler tied game,at two,3:46,into third period,and then the Red Wings clamped down,and took over in third period... Johan Franzen scored game-winning power play goal,then knocked off the net off the pegs... Minnesota did protest,but it was confirmed by,"the War Room",in Toronto... replays did really show that the goal was in the goal,before Franzen fell into the crossbar,like a "mule"(his nickname)...

worst shutout loss in hockey history...

in the 1998 Asia-Oceania under-18 hockey championship,South Korea crushed Thailand,-you better sit down for this score-92-0...

biggest NHL shutout...

Detroit Red Wings shutout the New York Rangers,15-0,on January 23,1944...

history of note...

Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes:the Jets play the former Winnipeg Jets franchise,who moved to Phoenix,from Winnipeg,in 1996...

injury update...

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby has been cleared for full contact,by his doctors... timetable for his return to playing NHL hockey is uncertain... my guess:a couple of weeks,or so...

schedule update...

Red Wings at Minnesota Wild,tonight... game score and commentary,after game...

tribute news...

starting with tonight's game,both the Anaheim Ducks,and the San Jose Sharks will honor victims,of the September 7th KHL plane crash,that took Ruslan Salei(who played for the Ducks)and the Sharks will honor their 2011 NHL sixth round draft pick Daniil Sobchenko... both players were on the Lokomotiv Jaroslal team who died that day... the Ducks will wear a patch on their sweaters,honoring Salei,and the Sharks will wear a sticker,honoring Sobchenko...

NHL news...

Rick DiPietro,of the New York Islanders,suffered concussion,when he was hit in mask,with puck,during practice... he is out indefinitely...

commentary...

early on this season,Red Wings impress me with their overall defense... they will get better on power play,when team chemistry improves... that takes time,but now the season rotation really starts(a game every two,or three days,except for All-Star Break),so the fact that they have not been behind,in the three games that they have played(a 5-0 lead,before Ottawa scored three goals,in third period,opening night,and then back to back shutouts(3-0,against Colorado,and 2-0,over Vancouver)),will change... they are playing very good,and that will change,because a team can not play all 82 games,at peak throughout the entire season... people may say that the Red Wings may be underdogs this season,and they may be right,but honestly,when the team is facing Detroit,in playoffs,they will be in for a fight,because they have enough overall firepower,and if played like they should,they have one of the best defenses,in NHL... the Red Wings may be long in the tooth,and have many free agents next off-season,but the pride of the Winged Wheel,and the fact that last year they fought like dogs,against San Jose(and lost)really gives them momentum,and a real big chip on their collective shoulders to get the job done... they seem to be very hungry for the run for the Stanley Cup,and let Ken Holland handle team mechanics next off-season,to keep Red Wings mostly intact,and at their usual high standards... you may believe that they are on the outside of the talk about contenders,but the long shadow of the Red Wings and the team must be dealt with,because the Western Conference is,actually,up for grabs,for the very good teams,in the conference,so it will be the biggest dogfight,probably,in NHL history,or least,in the timespan of a decade... Bring on,everyone,NHL...

fun fact...

Hockey Hall of Fame member Mark Messier will run this year's NYC Marathon,for charity... New York Police and Fire Widows,and Children's Benefit Fund,and Tomorrow's Children's Fund are the charities involved... the marathon is November 6th,2011

Red Wings' game score,and commentary...

Red Wings 2,Canucks 0... first back to back shutouts since 2006,and Red Wings have not given a goal,in 121:31,of game time... they have given up three goals,all to Ottawa,in under 13 minutes(12:40,or so),of game time(3rd period)and have not given up goal,in first,or second period,so far this season... i know that will change,but one bad item about this season is that the Red Wings have not scored on power play(0-17),so far,this season... Justin Abdelkader,and Valtteri Filppula scored in second period,2:18 apart,and Vancouver,after playing third game in four nights,had no jump,throughout the game,and Red Wings played great defense around the net,all game long... Jimmy Howard has one shutout,and Ty Conklin shut down Colorado the other night...

update on KHL plane crash inquiry...

early reports says of the Yak 42-D crash,that killed 44 people of 45 people,including most of the Lokomotiv Jaroslavl KHL team(one member was waiting in next town that team was playing in,after game,with Dynamo Minsk,that was cancelled),that one of the pilots accidently put on braking system,while on take off,and the other pilot tried a quick takeoff,and hit a tower,and then hit the trees,at end of runway... official cause has not been released yet... Alexander Sizov,the only survivor,who did not have his seatbelt on,and said that he did really wonder why they were not lifting off,and said,"i felt we would crash"...

Red Wings' news...

Vancouver Canucks come to Detroit tomorrow,on back end of back to back games... Vancouver lost to Philadelphia tonight,5-4... they are 1-1-1,after three games,and given up eleven goals,while scoring ten goals,this season...

nice going,Kyle...

Kyle Turris is a restricted free agent,with the Phoenix Coyotes,and he wants to be paid,i hear,$4 million,a year... the Coyotes are not budging on a new contract,and do not want to trade him... so Turris is sitting home,threatening to sit out the season,if Phoenix does not give him a new contract,and on top of that,now he wants to be traded,out of Phoenix.. well,Kyle,get the popcorn,soda,get a great recliner,watch Phoenix not budge,on offer(and there is one),and the Coyotes go down in flames,without you... way to go,Kyle!!!!!!! if you do not cave in,see you next season,and if you think Phoenix is going to welcome you back with open arms,i may have two words for you-NO WAY!!!!!!

Red Wings' news... INJURY UPDATE...

Red Wings' Mike Commodore (sprained knee)skated for a hour today,and should be in game shape,sometime,in the next week...

facts of Red Wings' front office...

old Red Wings do not retire,they go into the front office of the Red Wings... Chris Chelios,Kris Draper,and Jiri Fischer... Chelios is advisor to Hockey Operations,Draper is special assistant to the general manager,and Fischer is Director of Player Development... they all are learning from the best front office(Jim Devellano,Kenny Holland,and Jim Nill),in NHL...

Red Wings' news...

Niklas Kronwall will be in two player rotation,with Pavel Datsyuk,and Henrik Zetterberg,to be an alternate captain... to be an alternate captain,in Detroit,is a great honor,because of the team history,of the Red Wings... way to go,Niklas!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomas Holmstrom has said that,"it is time,for (Kronwall) to take the next step in his career"...

update on Sidney Crosby...

he has said that he will meet with his doctors later this week,not today...

NHL news...

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby could get medical clearance,for contact,as early as today,from his doctors... the Penguins have a three game homestand,against Florida Panthers,Washington Capitals,and Buffalo Sabres... contact drills are final step to getting ready to play,soon... Crosby may play against Washington,or Buffalo,if cleared,but again,it may be a few games until the Penguins have number 87,in their lineup...

history of note...

Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did something that Pittsburgh Penguins' Hall of Fame member,Mario Lemieux did in his first NHL game:he scored the only regulation goal,for the Oilers(and his first NHL game),in a 2-1 shootout win,over(guess who?)the Pittsburgh Penguins...

first game in Winnipeg....

Montreal 5,Winnipeg 1... Jets were in game,at 2-1,but two questionable penalties,one on Dustin Byfuglien,put Montreal on 4-3 power play,gave Montreal life,shortly after Winnipeg's first NHL team goal,and they dominated the game after that... i may be a Red Wings' fan,but i will root for the Jets this season,except when they play Detroit,at Joe Louis Arena,December 10th

comments on NHL score of note...

San Jose Sharks 6,Phoenix 3... good news:Sharks scored six goals,most in season opener;bad news:they beat Phoenix,who pundits(other than me-note:The Hockey News ranked them 14th,in Western Conference)have said that the Coyotes will not make playoffs... i have told you that the Sharks will be very good,and they were last night... the Sharks,and Red Wings have same problem:they scored a ton of goals in first game,but gave up late garbage goals,in same game... they were minus -1 on power play(scoring twice,and giving up three power play goals,two in third period),and was up,6-1,at one time... i could nit-pick the game,and have,because i want you to learn how to look at a hockey game the way that i do... scoring six goals gets the headlines,but coaches,and true fans look at entire game... now a test:can the Sharks do what the Red Wings did last night:give up no goals,or even one goal to next opponent,would be nice,because you,as a NHL team,can not score six goals,every game,and you need a goaltender,to have games against average(G.A.A.),of about,of 2.2 goals,per game,and a save percentage,of over 91 percent,over a season,for your number one goaltender... even winning last night was nice,but giving up three goals,in this game was not so nice...

update on KHL plane crash inquiry...

it appears from flight recordings that pilot,and copilot had a fatal miscommunication,a braking problem,and lack of attitude at take-off that caused the crash of the Yak-42D,because they have to find what caused the slow takeoff,and it appears that something was wrong with the braking system,but Alexander Sizov-the only survivor-has said that nothing appeared to be wrong on flight there,and on plane,during fatal flight,and plane crash...

Red Wings' score...

Red Wings 3,Avalanche 0... commentary,tomorrow morning.... Red Wings 2-0,but do not play until next Thursday,against Vancouver... that sucks...

commentary...

the passion of loving the game of hockey is simple,but very complex... people can root for their team,and yet,"hate" the other team,who they play,but having deep respect for the great players who play the game,no matter what team they play for... true fans of the sport tell you that it comes from skating on a pond,or river,and having a rink in your town,and understanding the game... i may not live near a hockey rink,a pond,or river that freezes... i learned the game from television,and have seen games,in person,but never call me not a true fan,because i can dissect a game,like very few people can,because i have a true love,and passion for this game,of hockey... sometimes,i wish that i was born near the Canadian border,because i would have loved see it more of it live,and in person,but California is not bad,either.... i have traveled a great deal,and seen some beautiful things in my life,but to see a kid skate around with a puck,on his homemade,or other type of stick,on a clean sheet of ice,is just as beautiful,as anything that i have ever seen,in my life... that is the passion,and love of the game that i have,for the true game of hockey,whether i live in California,or not...

commentary...

every pundit on NHL.com,or NHL Network(maybe one on that network has a brain,and picked Detroit) thinks the Sharks,Canucks,Blackhawks,Bruins,or some other team,but the Red Wings will win Stanley Cup... i will say this:the Red Wings,when they are in the playoffs,will be tough to beat... the Sharks,last season played a near perfect series,against Red Wings,getting on every puck,and when they did,it seemed like they put in the net,or had a tap-in goal,and just barely beat Red Wings(in closest seven game series,in NHL history),then they got smoked by the Canucks,in Western Conference Finals... i am not saying that Detroit would have had a chance,against Vancouver,but they do play them very tough,and won in Vancouver,in regular season,i believe,last year... the additions,(and subtractions)of the team over the summer,just do not add up(in my opinion),to a Stanley Cup championship,for the San Jose Sharks,and i do have some expertise in knowing how hockey teams play... i have seen nearly 10,000 games,since 2001,and as you know,if you give me that much exposure to something,i could handicap two flies in a window,seeing how long they live... i think Detroit loves being under the radar,and i am not saying that they will be holding Stanley above their heads,in June,but would never like to play them in the playoffs,because,if healthy,they will be tougher to beat,than eating shoe leather,with ketchup...

Red Wings' opening night...

Red Wings 5,Ottawa Senators 3...

NHL scores...

Tampa Bay Lightning 5,Carolina Hurricanes 1
Nashville Predators 3,Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Dallas Stars 2,Chicago Blackhawks 1

comment...

tomorrow,the Red Wings play Colorado,but the Avalanche will retire Peter Forsburg's number,and raise his number to the rafters,tomorrow night... he deeply deserves it,and will be a Hall of Fame member,in three years(waiting time for induction,in NHL)...

commentary...

Henrik Zetterberg is confident that the Red Wings does have another run,in the team this season,and Mike Babcock is proud of his former assistant,Paul MacLean,as the new head coach,of the Ottawa Senators... unfortunately,with nine minutes gone,in third period,Ottawa is losing to the Red Wings,5-2... Ottawa came out flying,and Detroit was not sharp,but three goals,in 8:59,in second period did the Senators in... Todd Bertuzzi,Nicklas Lidstrom,Cory Emmerton,Jiri Hudler,and Ian White all scored,before Ottawa sniffed a goal... Milan Michalek has scored twice for Ottawa,along with Filip Kuba,all three goals,in third period... Ottawa never gave up,but honestly,is very young,in critical areas... Craig Anderson honestly got hung out by his defense,but also gave up a couple soft goals,in second period... Ottawa never gave up;have to give them credit,but the Detroit Red Wings,won 5-3,over the Ottawa Senators...

early NHL games...

Buffalo Sabres 4,Anaheim Ducks 1,in Helsinki,Finland...
Los Angeles Kings 3,New York Rangers 2,overtime,in Stockholm,Sweden...

NHL scores...

Toronto Maple Leafs 2,Montreal Canadiens 0
Philadelphia Flyers 2,Boston Bruins 1
Pittsburgh Penguins 4,Vancouver Canucks 3,shootout...
both 2010-2011 Stanley Cup Finalists lose opening night...

first goal of NHL season...

Brad Marchand,of the Boston Bruins,scored the very first goal of the 2011-2012 season,against the Philadelphia Flyers,on a power play,9:42 into first period,in Boston...

NHL season opening games...

Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs
Pittsburgh Penguins at Vancouver Canucks

commentary...

reminder:the Central Division has been home to the Stanley Cup,two of the last four years... that just means that the Central Division will beat up on each other all season,and there is a possibility that four teams in division(Detroit,Chicago,Nashville,and maybe,St. Louis) will make playoffs,like the Pacific Division(San Jose,Anaheim,Phoenix,and Los Angeles)had four teams make the playoffs,last season,and if Dallas had beaten Minnesota,in last game of season(they lost,5-3),they would have eliminated Chicago(then the defending Stanley Cup champions)from the playoffs,and they would made the playoffs,too...

commentary...

you may find the Red Wings' three players to watch a little odd... no Pavel Datsyuk,Henrik Zetterberg,or Nicklas Lidstorm on list,even though Lidstrom could have put on that list... my reasoning:Commodore will take time to adjust to system,Franzen had a off goal-scoring season(only two goals in last 27 games that he played),and Howard has to improve on giving up the soft goal,and make it less difficult,for the Red Wings to win games;giving up too many two goal leads,in third period,especially,against Phoenix... it drove me crazy...

Western Conference players to watch...

Detroit Red Wings:Mike Commodore,Johan Franzen,Jimmy Howard
Nashville Predators:Patrick Hornqvist,Pekka Rinne,Martin Erat
Chicago Blackhawks:Patrick Kane,Daniel Carcillo,Patrick Toews
St. Louis Blues:David Perron,David Backes,T.J.Oshie
Columbus Blue Jackets:Jeff Carter,James Wisniewski,Steve Mason
Vancouver Canucks:Roberto Luongo,Daniel Sedin,Henrik Sedin
Calgary Flames:Jarome Iginla,Miikka Kiprusoff,Alex Tanguay
Minnesota Wild:Niklas Backstrom,Devin Setoguchi,Dany Heatley
Colorado Avalanche:Matt Duchene,Semyon Varlimov
Edmonton Oilers:Taylor Hall,Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,Nikolai Khabibulin
San Jose Sharks:Brent Burns,Martin Havlat,Antti Niemi
Anaheim Ducks:Jonas Hiller,Teemu Selanne,Bobby Ryan
Phoenix Coyotes:Shane Doan,Mike Smith,Keith Yandle
Los Angeles Kings:Drew Doughty,Anze Kopitar,Mike Richards
Dallas Stars:Brendan Morrow,Stephane Robidas,Kari Lehtonen

Red Wings' injury update...

Mike Commodore will miss first two games;Patrick Eaves,and Tomas Holmstrom will also miss opener,against Ottawa Senators... Commodore has a minor injury,and has to get up to speed... Eaves,and Holmstrom both have a bad reaction,to a Synvisc injection to their knees...

Eastern Conference players to watch...

Philadelphia Flyers:Chris Pronger(now captain),Ilya Bryzgalov
Pittsburgh Penguins:Brooks Orpik,Chris LeTang,Evgeni Malkin
New York Rangers: Marc Staal(injured reserve),Henrik Lundquist,Marian Gaborik
New Jersey Devils:Stephen Gionta,Martin Brodeur,Zach Parise
New York Islanders:Michael Grabner,Kyle Okposo,Evgeni Nakobov
Boston Bruins:Tim Thomas,Johnny Boychuk,Zdeno Chara
Montreal Canadiens:Max Pacioretty,Carey Price,Brian Gionta
Buffalo Sabres:Ryan Miller,Thomas Vanek,Ales Kotalik
Toronto Maple Leafs:James Reimer,Luke Schenn,Tim Connolly
Ottawa Senators:Jason Spezza,Chris Neil
Washington Capitals:Alex Ovechkin,Mike Green,Tomas Vokoun
Tampa Bay Lightning:Steven Stamkos,Martin St. Louis,Dwayne Roloson
Carolina Hurricanes:Jeff Skinner,Erik Staal,Cam Ward
Winnipeg Jets:Evander Kane,Alexander Burmistrov,Dustin Byfuglien
Florida Panthers:Jose Theodore,Ed Jovanovski

hockey news...

i will give two or three players on each team,as,"players to watch",for each team... you may think that it may be the high-end stars,but the players on this list may be role players,for team chemistry,too... the list will be finished in each conference,by opening weekend(this weekend)...

Red Wings' news...

Fabian Brunnstrom got a one year,two way contract,with the Red Wings today... a two way contract(in hockey terms)means that he starts in Detroit,and will have some time with the Grand Rapids Griffiths this season,with a different pay scale:one pay scale with Detroit,and one pay scale with Grand Rapids... his chances to make team improved,when Jan Mursak fractured his ankle eight days ago,and will be out,at least,three months...

new Red Wings on roster...

Mike Commodore,Ian White Cory Emmerton,Jakub Kindl,Jan Mursak,along with the returning Ty Conklin,who played for Red Wings,in 2008-2009(record:25-11-2,with 6 shutouts)have made the roster out of training camp... side note:in 1995-1997,he(Ty Conklin)played for the then Green Bay Gamblers,of the United States Hockey League(USHL).... Commodore,Conklin,and White,came through free agency,and Emmerton,Kindl,and Mursak played for the Grand Rapids Griffiths(AHL-American Hockey League),and the Red Wings,last season...

Breaking hockey news...

in a major hockey shock,the New York Rangers lost to EV Zug(a team in Swiss. National League A),8-4 in an exhibition game,in Zug,Switzerland,today... game ended in last half hour...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings 3,Penguins 2... Red Wings were 4-3-1,in preseason,going 3-1-1,in last five preseason games... next:Ottawa Senators,in Detroit,with former Red Wings' assistant coach Paul MacLean,as Ottawa Senators' head coach... he spent last six years,as assistant,to Mike Babcock.... good luck,coach,for the season... you are going to need it!!!!!!!!! opening puck drop of season... YAY!!!!!!!!!!

preseason update...

Detroit plays Pittsburgh tonight in Detroit(in fact,Red Wings lead,3-1,after two periods)... the game will be on tape at 6 pm.,on NHL Network...

preseason score...

Red Wings 4,Maple Leafs 2... high point,for what it is worth(preseason,you know)Red Wings were 3 for 4 on power play...

preseason score,and commentary...

Red Wings lose to Maple Leafs,4-3,last night... one player who has impressed the coaching staff is Fabian Brunnstrom ,who in four preseason games,has scored three goals... he is on a professional tryout contract(PTO)trying to make team... with Jan Mursak out up to three months,with broken ankle,he has a good shot to make the team,but if he does not,he will play in Grand Rapids,hopefully,but i would love to see him on team's roster,opening night,against Ottawa...