game score,and comment...

Red Wings 3,Blues 0... twelve straight wins at home... Jimmy Howard's fourth shutout,and NHL leading 23rd win,in net,and his goals against average(G.A.A.),is 1.93/per game... he has allowed two,or fewer goals,in twenty five of his starts...

NHL news...

St. Louis Blues/Red Wings,tonight...

game score,and commentary...

Blackhawks 3,Red Wings 2... when you do not get a penalty called on your opponent,for 42:23,and suffer five STRAIGHT penalties,plus a penalty shot,what can you do? lose,3-2... great game for the Blackhawks' fans,but not for the Red Wings' fans,because the referees basically gave the game to the Blackhawks,even though the Blackhawks were 0-5,on power play,they got a goal on a penalty shot,on a questionable hook on Nicklas Lidstrom... the Blackhawks got lead,after trailing twice,in game,at 1-0(penalty shot tied it),and 2-1,early in third period,to go up,3-2,and then fought even the rest of game... the only thing that i have to say about the referees is that they really sucked tonight...

Red Wings/Blackhawks trivia,and schedule between them...

tonight's game between the Red Wings and the Blackhawks is the latest day for their first game,since 1928,when they were known,as the Detroit Cougars,and of the next eight games,the Red Wings and the Blackhawks will play three times...

upset at World Junior Hockey Championships...

Czech Republic 5,USA 2... in a major upset,at the World Junior Hockey Championships,in Edmonton,Alberta,the Czech Republic put the United States on brink of elimination... only a win over Finland,by winless Denmark,will save the USA... Red Wings' prospect Petr Mrazek stopped 52,of 54 shots,in the Czech Republic's win,over the USA...

commentary...

Red Wings/Chicago Blackhawks,tonight... one of 82,i know,but this is first time,since last game of last season,and the Red Wings have a game in hand,and the Blackhawks have a three point lead in division,and yet,they have three more overtime losses,than Red Wings(that is difference,in division)... the Blackhawks have been shaky,in goaltending,but the Blackhawks have slight edge in firepower,but defense edge is in the Red Wings' favor,so interesting game,tonight... both teams will be in playoffs,so they may meet then,too,and yet this is only the first act(of six),and maybe more...

AHL,and ECHL update...

Grand Rapids Griffiths are fourth(of five teams)in North Division,of the Western Conference,of the American Hockey League,with a record,of 12-13-3-2... Toledo Walleye,in the Eastern Conference,of the East Coast Hockey League,are 13-13-0-1,,,

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings take Jan Mursak off injured reserve,and assign him to the Grand Rapids Griffiths,for game action,and conditioning... he suffered fractured ankle in pre-season...

commentary...

Red Wings play the Chicago Blackhawks for first time,in 2011-2012 season,on Friday... i have to admit that they are a good team,but losing to Los Angeles Kings,and not scoring a goal may tell me something that Chicago may be become fatter,on inferior teams,and the Red Wings may clip the Blackhawks,by playing Red Wings' defense around their net,and let Jimmy Howard do his usual good work...
however,their overall offense may be stronger,in their top two lines,but their back end(third,and fourth line)may be weaker overall than the Red Wings,and i have to give the overall goaltending edge to the Red Wings,but Ty Conklin(Red Wings' second goaltender)has not had many games of game action,because Jimmy Howard has been so very good...
Chicago has slightly more firepower,but if the Red Wings play defense the way that they can,that will neutralize that edge,but the Blackhawks overall team speed does worry me,but again Howard,and Conklin should neutralize it to a great whisper,and the Red Wings' defense,which overall is superior to the Blackhawks,except for defenseman Duncan Keith,who may be one of the best defensemen,in NHL,behind the Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom,and the Nashville Predators' Shea Weber...
the reason that i rank him third is that Lidstrom makes very few mistakes,and has seven Norris Trophies,and Weber is basically a carbon copy of Lidstrom,and has a 100+mph cannon of a slap shot,but Keith has better teammates,than Weber,overall,so it will be an interesting series of six games,this season,starting Friday

schedule update...

Red Wings/Chicago Blackhawks,Friday(first time they will play(of six times),this season...
St. Louis Blues/Red Wings,New Year's Eve...

commentary...

Red Wings looked dead,in game last night,until they scored a power play goal,in last minute,or so,in second period... their accurate passes were going awry,and the game was rather choppy in rhythm... the Blues were playing their game,and dictating the pace,and the Blues' goaltender were stopping everything shot at him,and the Blues' defenders were blocking everything else... however,Jimmy Howard was his usual very good self,but the Red Wings were shooting themselves in their skates,with penalties,giving up both goals,on the Blues' power play(which was last in NHL,in percentage),but unfortunately they have had a very good power play,against the Red Wings,this season...
the Red Wings scored,with 1:03 left,in the second period,when Nicklas Lidstrom scored on a perfect low shot,that hit the right goal post,and went in,from the 60 foot point(by the blue line),while on the power play,and the Red Wings scored twice in 56 seconds,midway through third period,when Pavel Datsyuk tipped a puck out of the air,over Brian Elliott's head and shoulders into the net,and then Niklas Kronwall shot one off,or near the left goal post,and into the twine,on a seeing eye shot... all three shots had to be perfect,to go into the net...
funny thing was that,besides their power play,the Blues stopped skating,and pushing the Red Wings,when up,2-0,and after the Red Wings scored twice,in third period,in very short order(56 seconds apart)they had no jump in their legs,and started to shoot at distance at Jimmy Howard,and with very few people in front of Howard,Howard played his usual solid game,and the Red Wings kept the Blues on the edges of their zone,and very few shots were threatening to Howard,and in the crease,in the third period... the Red Wings have won eleven straight games,at Joe Louis Arena...

RIP Johnny Wilson...

Johnny Wilson,a four time Stanley Cup winner,with the Red Wings,and former coach of the team,has died today,at age 82...

game score...

Red Wings 3,Blues 2...

anniversary observed...

today is the 32nd anniversary,of the first game played by the Red Wings,at Joe Louis Arena... game was against the St. Louis Blues,and won by the Blues,3-2,that night...

schedule update...

St. Louis Blues/Red Wings,tonight,in Detroit...

unique NHL trivia...

what goaltender has been credited with a power play goal? answer:Evgeni Nabokov,of the San Jose Sharks,on March 10,2002,against the Vancouver Canucks... the Canucks had pulled their goaltender to try to tie the game,while the Sharks were on the power play,so Nabokov shot puck,into an empty net...

commentary...

the fact that Shea Weber was out with a concussion,for the Nashville Predators,last night,as the Red Wings did not have to worry about his cannon shot,and they concentrated on their defense around their net,so Jimmy Howard did not face many shots(he let in one shot,with just over two minutes to play,in a 4-1 win,over the Predators,who looked lethargic,and an inept power play,at least,last night(they were one of the best on the power play,with a percentage,just under 23%,overall,with a power play,for December(the entire month),of 42%,going into last night(they were 0-5,last night)...
Red Wings got two goals from Valtteri Flippula,along with Dan Cleary,and Pavel Datsyuk,who scored a beautiful wraparound that was reviewed by Toronto's War Room(it was called good on the ice,and inconclusive in Toronto,which means that the call stands)... the best skater on the ice,last night,was Jimmy Howard,who had a save percentage,of .969,last night,and going into last night,had a goals against average,of 1.99,for the season... he leads NHL,with 21 wins,as goaltender,of Red Wings...

game score...

Red Wings 4,Nashville Predators 1...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

new dedication of blog...

i have decided to extend the dedication of this blog to the victims,of Lokomotiv Jaroslavl KHL plane crash to,at least,the one-year anniversary of the tragedy(September 7,2012),and to tell you the truth,the tragedy has had a profound impact,on me,for one simple reason:to tell me that though hockey is a beautiful game to watch,but that it is life that is more beautiful,but very fragile,indeed... THE TRAIN WILL RISE AGAIN!!!!!!! i will be always a fan of the team!!!!

HO HO HO SANTA CLAUS IS COMING ....

December 24,1972:New York Rangers 5,Red Wings 0...
December 25,1971:Toronto Maple Leafs 5,Red Wings 3...
scores from last game played on Christmas Eve,and the final game to be played on Christmas,by the Red Wings,EVER...

schedule update...

there are no NHL hockey,on December 24th,and Christmas Day.... Red Wings/Nashville Predators December 26th...

game score,and commentary...

Calgary Flames 3,Red Wings 2... three defensive turnovers,and major two man rushes doomed Red Wings early;all three defensive turnovers ended up past Ty Conklin,in the net... a frantic last three minutes,with Henrik Zetterberg hitting a shot off a goalpost,and a scrum in last seconds did not help Red Wings... Red Wings' defense sucked throughout the first two periods,and a very intense,and frantic third period did not help the final outcome,but may help,in the long run of games coming up,after Christmas,because they needed a big jolt,of being down,and trying to overcome,and they showed the nasty side of the Red Wings,tonight... i just hope they just come out,against Nashville,the day after Christmas,in a real surly mood,and start hitting like they were,tonight,because they were even hitting hard throughout the game,but they did make three defensive mistakes,that cost them big,tonight,plus an obvious goaltender interference on Tomas Holmstrom,that disallowed a goal,in second period,when he pushed a Calgary player,into Miikka Kiprusoff(Flames' goaltender)... the same two referees,from last night's game,against the Canucks were on the ice tonight in this game,and honestly they did a very good job of being invisible,tonight...

commentary...

the NHL has said that the bump,by Henrik Zetterberg,that caused a Canucks' player to bull over Jimmy Howard was incidental contact,and the goal that was scored by the Canucks,in the scrum that ensued,should not have counted,which on ice the referees made the wrong call,so even though the Red Wings lost by two,the play was on a Red Wings' power play,with the Red Wings,down one,early in third period... that may be on my top 10 worst calls,after this season,but there has not that many bad calls,against Detroit,so far... just cross your fingers!!!!!!

game score,and commentary...

Canucks 4,Red Wings 2... when you give up two goals,in 21 seconds,then give up a third goal,after scoring a goal,all goals coming up,in a wild first period,to lead,3-1,after one period,Vancouver just out-played Red Wings,throughout game,and play defense around your own net,like a bullfighter,and making too many mistakes,simply to be competitive,in this game... honestly,Jimmy Howard,who has been very very good,this season,simply stunk up the Rogers Arena,in Vancouver,tonight... Red Wings gave up a short-handed goal,when Howard got run over,but honestly,it was a bump,by Henrik Zetterberg,that caused the guy to lose his edge,when he hit Howard,but on the play,it was the lack of effort,by the Red Wings,that disappointed me tonight... it was one of the worst games played by the Red Wings,because of the simple lack of effort...

schedule update...

Red Wings/Vancouver Canucks,tonight...

only time that a team lost Stanley Cup Final,when team up,3-0...

April 4,1942... Detroit 3,Toronto 2...
April 7,1942... Detroit 4,Toronto 2...
April 9,1942... Detroit 5,Toronto 2...
April 12,1942... Toronto 4,Detroit 3...
April 14,1942... Toronto 9,Detroit 3...
April 16,1942... Toronto 3,Detroit 0...
April 18,1942... Toronto 3 Detroit 1...

NHL news...

Darryl Sutter was officially introduced,as the Los Angeles Kings' head coach,today...

hockey fun...

in an afternoon fun game,after Pittsburgh Penguins' practice,Mario Lemieux,Mark Recchi,and Bryan Trottier were playing hockey on Consol Energy Center ice,having fun... Trottier,and Lemieux are,i believe,members of the Hockey Hall of Fame... i wish i was in the building to see them play(like a fly on the wall)... i love the true game of hockey,and to see two Hall of Fame members skate would have been a thrill...

game score...

Red Wings 3,Oilers 2...

schedule update...

Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers,tonight... Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks,Wednesday... Red Wings at Calgary Flames,Thursday... three games in four days... then Red Wings plays Nashville,the day after Christmas,in Nashville...

what heartbreak!!!!!!!

New York Rangers beat Phoenix Coyotes,last night,3-2,with 0.1 second on clock,in Phoenix... what heartbreak!!!!!!!!

Red Wings stomp Kings...

Red Wings 8,Kings 2...

some good news,and a very upset coach...

some good news:Justin Abdelkader,who hurt his foot,against Nashville;X-Rays show only a bruised foot,he will play Saturday,against Los Angeles Kings... Jan Mursak,who fractured ankle,in preseason,will go to Grand Rapids,for games,and conditioning,after Christmas... Mike Babcock was not too happy,with last night's loss,to Nashville,and was very vocal,at Red Wings' practice,today...

Red Wings/Sharks stats,since last meeting...

Red Wings are 10-3,in 13 games,and the San Jose Sharks are struggling,with a record,of 7-6,in 13 games... that includes a three game winning streak,after beating Red Wings,5-2,November 17th... that means that the Sharks are 4-6,in last 10 games,while the Red Wings are 7-3,in last 10 games...

injury update...

Philadelphia Flyers have said that team's captain Chris Pronger's concussion,has ended his 2011-2012 season...

game score...

Predators 4,Red Wings 3... Red Wings lose on a real bad,and odd puck bounce(hit rut,while on edge,and literally bounced over Howard's head,and right under crossbar-could not blame him),and it was the second goal,by Shea Weber,late in third period-2:48,apart,that did Red Wings in,tonight... it was first loss by Red Wings,in regulation,scoring three,or more goals,in game...

injury update...

the Philadelphia Flyers report that captain Chris Pronger is out indefinitely,with a concussion... Pronger has suffered many injuries,this season(broken eye socket,preseason knee surgery),and has only played thirteen games this season,for the Flyers... it may affect his entire season...

Red Wings' news...

Red Wings at Nashville Predators,tonight...

i will give you two posts this weekend,and give you a break,except for game scores,and i will save my commentaries for next week...

AHL,and ECHL report...

Grand Rapids Griffiths are 10-12-1-2,so far,in the North Division,of the Western Conference,in the American Hockey League;fourth place(of five teams),and eleven points,behind the Toronto Marlies...
Toledo Walleye,of the East Coast Hockey League,are last in the Eastern Conference,with a record,of 9-12-0-1...

commentary...

the game,against the Penguins,was a very tight defensive battle,with both teams scoring in both periods(Pittsburgh,at 19:55,of the first period),and Detroit scored in second period(16:01,by Pavel Datsyuk)... after a tight fought first two periods,and Pittsburgh without Sidney Crosby,and Chris LeTang,because of injury,Pittsburgh just ran out of gas(energy),and Johan Franzen scored for the Red Wings,at 5:15,of the third period,to go up,2-1,they clamped down,with Jimmy Howard stopped every shot,but one,all night... the real difference was Pittsburgh was missing a couple of people,who runs the defensive side of the team,and in the way,their offense runs on the turnovers,caused by a nasty,and smothering defense,and the Red Wings had Pavel Datsyuk,Johan Franzen,Danny Cleary(who scored last two goals-one an empty-net goal,in last five minutes,of game),and they also had Nicklas Lidstrom,who settled down the defense on the Penguins,in last two periods,and especially in last half of third period,when Pittsburgh did try to press the offense,which led to the major turnovers,in neutral zone,and the last two goals,by Dan Cleary... Red Wings are now one point,behind Chicago,with two games,in hand... the Red Wings may not be a glamour team(great name stars-all over the nation,and television),but they are a very gritty,hard team,like the city they are named for-Detroit,Michigan...

game score...

Red Wings 4,Penguins 1... commentary later...

extra special note...

in a game of second tier Russian Major Hockey League teams,a reborn Lokomotiv Jaroslavl team played their first league game,since the 7 September 2011 KHL plane crash,that killed the entire team,Lokomotiv Jaroslavl beat Neftyanik Almetyevsk,5-1... Lokomotiv Jaroslavl will play only 22,of the 53 league games,and will play in the Kontinental Hockey League,next season... THE TRAIN WILL RISE AGAIN!!!!!

schedule update...

Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins,tomorrow
Red Wings at Nashville Predators,Thursday
Los Angeles Kings at Red Wings,Saturday night...

injury update...

there is no timetable for Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby,who has missed the last couple of games,because of a big hit,to return to the ice... concussion-like symptoms apparently have returned to Crosby,in last week,but doctors have said that he has not suffered another concussion,but symptoms can return without another concussion,so he says that his body is telling him that it is time to rest,and so he is resting,right now...

sad tale...

83 year old Gordie Howe has sued his former business managers,who Howe has said in filed lawsuit,they had destroyed a lot of personal(family),professional tapes,compact discs,and papers,in two days,in 2008... the former financial managers were ordered to return Howe's property(in lieu of a private court settlement agreement),but instead they sent some stuff back,and destroyed most of the property,by shreding it,and then sending them invoices,in violation of the settlement... what real scumbags that the former financial managers are,and they deserve to be sued again... beat the pants off them,"Mr. Hockey"...

commentary...

when you are one for the last twenty-three chances,on the power play,and you have lost five of the last seven games,that you have played,and yet,you are only two points,out of first place,in your division(Pacific Division),but Dallas,and Los Angeles(Dallas is tied with San Jose)being a point behind San Jose,means that the Sharks are in deep trouble,without a doubt... it will be a dogfight between the top teams in the Western Conference,but the Sharks have only fifteen wins,and they can catch everybody in the Pacific Division,but with Minnesota,Chicago,Vancouver,and Detroit ahead of them,and for example,Detroit having won nine of the last eleven games,the Sharks may have good offense,but it is not working right now,and even though the defense may be good,the offense is not clicking on any cylinders(losing tonight,to St Louis,1-0),and playing a rather pissed off team in the Blackhawks,in Chicago,tomorrow afternoon,who the Sharks did beat,1-0,a few weeks ago,and the Blackhawks are one point ahead of Red Wings,as of now,so Chicago will have a rough edge,looking for two points,and a little payback,for the shutout,by the Sharks,November 23rd... so the Sharks better come out firing on all cylinders,or Chicago may have a free lunch,tomorrow afternoon,because the Blackhawks are looking for the valuable two points,which both teams need quite badly...

game score,and commentary...

Red Wings 7,Jets 1... one minor criticism,about Jimmy Howard,and the coach (Mike Babcock)will let him know about it,ever so slightly,was that the lone goal,given up to Winnipeg,should have been stopped(went right through his pads,and legs,at 35 seconds gone,in first period),but with the Red Wings winning their ninth straight at home,he may pat him on back and joke with him about it... after six different players scored,and 14 different players had,at least,a point,in game,with Jiri Hudler scoring twice,the game was a mow-down job,throughout the game,by the Red Wings... as a fan,of the Red Wings,i enjoyed game,but Winnipeg did not play well,all night... the Jets basically came out with piss,and vinegar,but after Red Wings got their second goal,of first period,they stopped hitting hard,and played rather soft the rest of game...

NHL news...

the people in NHL front office,and NHLPA,will get serious about negotiations,about next CBA(collective bargaining agreement),after the NHL All-Star Game...

NHL news...

Edmonton Oilers' Andy Sutton has been suspended eight games,as a repeat offender,under the current collective bargaining agreement,which expires next offseason,for his hit on Carolina Hurricanes' Alexei Ponikarovsky... he will forfeit eight games' pay,worth,$207,317.04...

comment...

one minor criticism of Winnipeg Jets' coach Claude Noel,tonight,is that he kept goaltender Ondrej Pavelec,in game,until early in third period,with Red Wings,up,7-1... stupid move...

game in progress---2nd intermission

Red Wings 6,Jets 1... Red Wings score four goals,in second period... after giving up opening goal,to Winnipeg,35 seconds into game,Red Wings have scored six straight goals,from six different players... going into tonight's game,Red Wings have won eight straight games,at home...

special note...

there is a great first person account(article was written 9 December 2011),of the 7 September 2011 KHL plane crash(recalled by relatives),in an article,on Sportsnet.ca... the article is written by Brett Popplewell... parts of the article named,"Lokomotiv:Gods of Yaroslavl",was written with accounts,from actual eyewitnesses,to the plane crash... i recommend it highly,and better grab some Kleenex...

comments...

going into tonight,the Red Wings are 6th,in NHL,in goals allowed... last year(the entire year),they were 23rd,in the NHL,in goals allowed... they are a contender,not a pretender(giving up real soft goals,and their defense really sucked),like last year,if they play this well,for the rest of this season...

Jets' franchise history...

the last two times the Atlanta Thrashers played the Red Wings,they beat them... the Winnipeg Jets were in Atlanta,last season

game in progress...

Red Wings 2,Jets 1... after one period,but honestly a very sloppy game... Winnipeg played Carolina Hurricanes,last night,and won,4-2,at home,but yet,did not get through U.S. Customs,and to their hotel,in Detroit,until around 4:30 am,Detroit time...

schedule update...

Winnipeg Jets/Red Wings,tonight...

commentary...

Red Wings are three points behind Chicago Blackhawks,with a record of 17-9-1 but with two games in hand,on the Blackhawks(17-8-4),which just means that Chicago has played two more games than the Red Wings,but if you want my opinion,Chicago is still struggling,because they have same amount of wins,as Red Wings,and yet,has lost four times in overtime,to the Red Wings losing only once in overtime... the difference between the two teams,who do not play their first game,of six games,until December 30th,is the play of Jimmy Howard,who leads the NHL,with sixteen wins,and has been the major rock,and difference,in the Red Wings,this year,so far,because he has been rock steady,with a goals against average(G.A.A.),of under 2.00,and a save percentage,of over .920,going into last night's game,with Phoenix...

game score,and comment...

Red Wings 5,Coyotes 2... the Red Wings scored five goals,in first nineteen minutes,and pretty much dominated the Coyotes,after the first period,and the Coyotes looked tired throughout the game,getting beat to the puck throughout the game... i will give you a better breakdown of the game,tomorrow morning...

game in progress...

Radim Vrbata scored on a rocket,over Jimmy Howard,with 4:45 left in second period,but Phoenix has done very little otherwise,so they are trailing,5-1,to the Red Wings tonight,after two periods... Red Wings killed off a two man advantage midway into second period,and Red Wings have jump in their legs,tonight...

game in progress...

Red Wings score two goals,in 53 seconds,very early in first period,then score two more with about five minutes,to play again,in first period,and then their fifth goal,in period,in last minute,of first period,and they are leading the Phoenix Coyotes,5-0,after one period...

Pearl Harbor,December 7th,1941...

Pearl Harbor,on December 7th,1941,at 7:55 am,and 8:30 am,Hawaiian Time,Empire of Japan attacked Naval Base Pearl Harbor,killing 2,403 sailors,and civilians(68 civilians),1,177,from U.S.S. Arizona,and injured 1,178 people... to their memory,i dedicate this day... this will be the only post,on this blog,today...

game score,and comment...

Blues 3,Red Wings 2... ugly game,mostly outplayed by Blues... two goals,early in third period,1:53 apart,and within the first 2:45,of third period,gave Blues the cushion,for the win...

schedule update...

Red Wings/St. Louis Blues,tonight...

BREAKING NEWS...

Board of Governors approve four conference format,for 2012-2013(next season)...
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
New York Rangers
Carolina Hurricanes

Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Detroit Red Wings
Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Wild
Dallas Stars
Winnipeg Jets

Los Angeles Kings
Anaheim Ducks
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers

names of new conferences have not been named...

injury update...

Valtteri Flippula suffered a deep laceration down to bone,in last night's Avalanche/Red Wings game,late in first period,at 4:21,just above his skate boot,and he says that he may play St. Louis Blues,next game,on Tuesday night...

game score,and comment...

Avalanche 4,Red Wings 2... Avalanche totally outplayed Red Wings,in last two periods,and deserved the 4-2 win... you can not win them all... DRAT!!!!!!! commentary,later...

Red Wings' schedule...

Red Wings/Colorado Avalanche,today...

a big fight,and unique trivia...

Jordin Tootoo,of the Nashville Predators,bulldozed over Ryan Miller,of the Buffalo Sabres,in third period,of a 3-2 Sabres' win... both Miller and Tootoo fought each other... Miller pounding on him,in a scrum... Miller is coming off a major concussion,and whether he gets time off,is debatable,because Tootoo ran down Miller,deliberately... i would not be surprised if Miller got a few games off too... expect Brendan Shanahan,dean of supplemental discipline to give Tootoo a few games off(suspension)... by the way,if you are wondering,if that is his real last name(Tootoo),it is,he is the only Inuit Eskimo,playing in the NHL,born in Churchill,Manitoba,a outpost,near Hudson Bay,while polar bears walk down the middle of the roads... Tootoo wears number 22,of course...

congrats,Fabian,a new father....

Fabian Brunnstrom and his wife Sandy celebrated a birth of a baby boy,Alexander Noah,on December 1st...

game score,and commentary...

Red Wings 4,Sabres 1... game started great for the Red Wings,three goals in first fourteen minutes,in game,then Jimmy Howard,and Red Wings' defense took over... Sabres have been oft-injured,and has many key players out for much of this season,but for them,goaltender Ryan Miller(concussion)will be back tomorrow,most likely,against Nashville,tomorrow(he was backup goaltender,tonight,behind Jhonas Enroth),so Buffalo did not have much firepower,or Howard was a "stone wall",tonight,with a great glove hand... seven straight wins,for the Red Wings... Jacub Kindl,Johan Franzen,Valtteri Flippula,and Pavel Datsyuk(who had an empty net goal)all scored for the Red Wings...

schedule update...

Red Wings/Buffalo Sabres,tonight...

commentary...

NHL Board of Governors meeting begins Monday,and Tuesday,at Pebble Beach,and out of it could come one of two realignment plans for next season... since Winnipeg is guaranteed,as part of getting team,to be moved to Western Conference,in 2012-2013,it could be a simple swap,of Detroit,Columbus,or Nashville,for Winnipeg,or it could be much more radical:removal of both conferences,and four divisions(one of eight teams,and one of seven teams)to both Eastern and Western coasts... like i said very radical... who knows? my guess would be the first choice,but there are teams,like Dallas,who would like to be more centralized in NHL,and Detroit,who does not like the trips out to West Coast,and Western Canada,as often as they do,now,and they were promised by Commissioner Gary Bettman,that if realignment happened,they would be in the Eastern Conference,and if you believe that i am making up that fact,this information has been known in NHL circles,for years... confirmation of this comes from many sources...

2 teams,1 coach list

Bruce Boudreau:Washington Capitals,Anaheim Ducks,2011-2012
Ken Hitchcock:Philadelphia Flyers,Columbus Blue Jackets,2006-2007
Bob Hartley:Colorado Avalanche,Atlanta Thrashers,2002-2003
Darryl Sutter:San Jose Sharks,Calgary Flames,2002-2003
Ted Sator:New York Rangers,Buffalo Sabres,1986-1987
Roger Neilson:Vancouver Canucks,Los Angeles Kings,1983-1984
Fred Glover:California Golden Seals,Los Angeles Kings,1971-1972

NHL historical trivia...

Bruce Boudreau last coached for the Washington Capitals on last Saturday... he will coach Anaheim Ducks,tomorrow night... if you think that it is quick between coaching jobs,it is only 65 hours,and 25 minutes,and when Boudreau steps into coaching behind the Ducks' bench,Friday night,it will be the quickest time,between coaching jobs:six days...

Red Wings' history...

the Boston Bruins had a record of 12-0-1,in November... great record... one blip on the record... guess who beat them in November... one team did... one guess? the team plays in Detroit,and the Red Wings beat the Bruins,3-2,in a shootout,November 25th,2011...

BREAKING NEWS...

Anaheim Ducks fired Randy Carlyle,as head coach,and hired former Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau,as head coach