Has this lockout-shortened season been one to forget for the Wings? Some would agree, some would not.
This year's Detroit Red Wings was a team that had many unexpected twists, a team that you just had no idea what could deliver on any given night. Prior to a game, you wouldn't know if the Wings best players would perform, what injury would hit next, which rookie would step up. It was an unclear season, but still one that was filled with doubt right from the start from GM Ken Holland myself. Maybe the only guarantee you would know as a Wings fan before you watched them play is that you knew Jimmy Howard was likely to be the best player on the ice for Detroit. That's likely it.
The Wings were entering the 2013 regular season with a defensive core with many question marks and a forward group that was arguably not acknowledged properly during the off-season. Things would only get worse when Darren Helm went down and inevitably Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson would be ruled out to play for a significant chunk of the year as well. Was it a blessing in disguise though? Key injuries to core players (well, not Samuelsson anyways) paved way for the call-ups of Joakim Andersson, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar. Eventually, one of the best acquisitions Holland made in a long time was done with the signing of Danny DeKeyser. Bright spots were finally being seen in a season that didn't look like it had hope. Jakub Kindl was taking huge strides as an offensive defenseman. Jonathan Ericsson grew into a defensive machine. A youth movement was being made, where rookies or players with not much experience were being heavily relied upon, whether Detroit management was ready for it or not.
Was it going to be worth it in the end?
I looked at this team and thought: "Hey, even with the huge amount of adversity this team has and is facing this year, they should be in the playoffs." That looked highly unlikely with only a week left. Some reporters and fans were suggesting that Detroit might not end up making it with their inability to show urgency in games that they had to win to extend their postseason streak. Not only that, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars were making notable pushes to prove that they had what it took to make it. Uncertainty ran through my mind. This is might be the year. The first time in 22 years that the Red Wings won't make it. Is this actually the end of an era?
It didn't seem that way. The Wings went 4-0-0 in the final week of regular season games, needing their last game of the year against the Stars to ensure a playoff berth and they got it done. Their best players were their best and they fought through it all. Now, it seemed like there was nothing to lose. There wasn't. They were up against an Anaheim Ducks team that were merely playing average hockey after the Ducks set a franchise record in winning percentage during the beginning of the year. Detroit going down to 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in the playoff series didn't seem surprising based on what they've endured during the year, but they dealt with it. On to the Chicago Blackhawks, a series that was heavily not in their favour. All the odds in the world against them and they pushed "the best team in the NHL" to Game 7 in OT.
Yeah, maybe Detroit should have closed it out after having a 3-1 series lead, but they overachieved already.
It would have been awesome to have seen this team in the Western Conference Final and maybe even the Stanley Cup Final, but by no means am I disappointed in what this Red Wings team has done. They took big steps towards transitioning a young core into the lineup, something I've been wanting to see since the 2010-2011 season, which was likely their best shot at Cup since the 2009 Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This year has been so influential in the way that it has shown the Wings to build within instead of grabbing any free agent you can find. This year has allowed certain players to take on key roles that they weren't accustomed to before, such as Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Ericsson and Kindl to name a few, and man, were they ever good at it.
As a Wings fan, I can't take a look at what this roster dealt with to have done what they did and not be impressed. Battling through injuries, rookies stepping up, a new system and leadership that looked like it hadn't diminished at all. Looking at you, Mr. Henrik Zetterberg. So, here's to the 2013 Red Wings and what they have set for a path that seems so bright in the coming years.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
NHL Playoffs: Hawks Over Red Wings in 6 Games
Do I get an award or something for correctly predicting the Detroit Red Wings over the Anaheim Ducks in 7 games?
Okay, maybe many thought the Red Wings would prevail over the Ducks, maybe just for the reason of who was playing better going into the playoffs. Either way, the Red Wings are up against the Blackhawks, which is probably best team in the NHL. The Wings went 0-1-3 against the Hawks this year with three of the games going past regulation. The entirety of all the games, the Wings were either slightly outplayed, massively outplayed or it was a close matchup.
None of that matters now.
The Red Wings are going into Game 1 today coming off two well-executed games against the Ducks. I point out those two because the rest of the games, Detroit didn't necessarily bring out the best of their abilities or inexperience was like a plague throughout the roster. The good thing for the Wings is that they have their best players rolling in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg while Valtteri Filppula is slowing finding stride. That's the thing for the so-called underdogs in the Wings heading into this series: secondary scoring is going to be huge, which is probably a factor in why Mike Babcock has split up Datsyuk and Zetterberg.
Even if secondary scoring is factored into this series for the Red Wings, they're going up against a team that's been modelled after the Detroit Red Wings model. The Blackhawks have scoring from every direction, their loaded with depth, their defense is one of the best in the league and Corey Crawford is dominating. They're probably the replica of the perfect NHL team. Alright, maybe near-perfect.
By no means are the Wings favoured to win this series based on anyone's neutral opinion. That could be a good or bad thing. I doubt the Wings themselves really care anyways. As professional hockey players of a professional hockey organization, they obviously know they have to take it game by game. Not speculate around the odds of winning the series or debating who's the better team.
They're going into this series with nothing to lose, but they're looking at winning. Winning one game at a time. They showed they're worthy of going past the first round of the NHL Playoffs and they're going to show it against Chicago.
Here comes the downer.
I can't see the Wings winning this series regardless if they give it everything they've got. Inconsistency, lack of experience and closing out games has been common so far these playoffs for them. Sometimes it hasn't shown, sometimes it has, but the Wings cannot afford to show it at all against a team like this.
You know I love you Red Wings, but the Blackhawks are taking this one.
Blackhawks in 6 games.
Okay, maybe many thought the Red Wings would prevail over the Ducks, maybe just for the reason of who was playing better going into the playoffs. Either way, the Red Wings are up against the Blackhawks, which is probably best team in the NHL. The Wings went 0-1-3 against the Hawks this year with three of the games going past regulation. The entirety of all the games, the Wings were either slightly outplayed, massively outplayed or it was a close matchup.
None of that matters now.
The Red Wings are going into Game 1 today coming off two well-executed games against the Ducks. I point out those two because the rest of the games, Detroit didn't necessarily bring out the best of their abilities or inexperience was like a plague throughout the roster. The good thing for the Wings is that they have their best players rolling in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg while Valtteri Filppula is slowing finding stride. That's the thing for the so-called underdogs in the Wings heading into this series: secondary scoring is going to be huge, which is probably a factor in why Mike Babcock has split up Datsyuk and Zetterberg.
Even if secondary scoring is factored into this series for the Red Wings, they're going up against a team that's been modelled after the Detroit Red Wings model. The Blackhawks have scoring from every direction, their loaded with depth, their defense is one of the best in the league and Corey Crawford is dominating. They're probably the replica of the perfect NHL team. Alright, maybe near-perfect.
By no means are the Wings favoured to win this series based on anyone's neutral opinion. That could be a good or bad thing. I doubt the Wings themselves really care anyways. As professional hockey players of a professional hockey organization, they obviously know they have to take it game by game. Not speculate around the odds of winning the series or debating who's the better team.
They're going into this series with nothing to lose, but they're looking at winning. Winning one game at a time. They showed they're worthy of going past the first round of the NHL Playoffs and they're going to show it against Chicago.
Here comes the downer.
I can't see the Wings winning this series regardless if they give it everything they've got. Inconsistency, lack of experience and closing out games has been common so far these playoffs for them. Sometimes it hasn't shown, sometimes it has, but the Wings cannot afford to show it at all against a team like this.
You know I love you Red Wings, but the Blackhawks are taking this one.
Blackhawks in 6 games.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
NHL Playoffs: Detroit Red Wings - Round Two Schedule
The official broadcasting schedule for round two behind the 1st seed Chicago Blackhawks and 7th Detroit Red Wings. Hah, not nervous at all! Jokes, I've already puked three times and the series hasn't even started yet.
Chicago Blackhawks Vs. Detroit Red Wings: Broadcasting Schedule
Game 1: Wednesday, May 15th, 8 PM. Detroit at Chicago - NBCSN, CBC.
Game 2: Saturday, May 18th, 1 PM. Detroit at Chicago - NBC, CBC.
Game 3: Monday, May 20th, 7:30 PM. Chicago at Detroit - NBCSN, CBC.
Game 4: Thursday, May 23rd, 8 PM. Chicago at Detroit - NBCSN, CBC.
*Game 5: Saturday, May 25th, TBD. Detroit at Chicago - CBC.
*Game 6: Momday, May 27th, TBD. Chicago at Detroit - CBC.
*Game 7: Wednesday, May 29th, TBD. Detroit at Chicago - CBC.
The asterisk (*) represents the games if necessary.
Not too bad of a schedule and the travel is nice. Even in saying that, I absolutely despise Game 2 with it's 1 PM start for obvious reasons. Nasty.
Go Red Wings!
Chicago Blackhawks Vs. Detroit Red Wings: Broadcasting Schedule
Game 1: Wednesday, May 15th, 8 PM. Detroit at Chicago - NBCSN, CBC.
Game 2: Saturday, May 18th, 1 PM. Detroit at Chicago - NBC, CBC.
Game 3: Monday, May 20th, 7:30 PM. Chicago at Detroit - NBCSN, CBC.
Game 4: Thursday, May 23rd, 8 PM. Chicago at Detroit - NBCSN, CBC.
*Game 5: Saturday, May 25th, TBD. Detroit at Chicago - CBC.
*Game 6: Momday, May 27th, TBD. Chicago at Detroit - CBC.
*Game 7: Wednesday, May 29th, TBD. Detroit at Chicago - CBC.
The asterisk (*) represents the games if necessary.
Not too bad of a schedule and the travel is nice. Even in saying that, I absolutely despise Game 2 with it's 1 PM start for obvious reasons. Nasty.
Go Red Wings!
Monday, 29 April 2013
NHL Playoffs: Red Wings Over Ducks in 7 Games
Let's throw everything aside. Forget the definitely forgettable 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in February. Never mind the excellent wins in Anaheim with scores of 5-1 and 2-1, but make sure you always remember when Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne lost their tempers with those games in California.
That was funny.
When Ken Holland was on Hockey Night In Canada's feature of the "Hot Stove" with Craig Simpson and Scott Oake, he said, "Forget the regular season. When you go into the playoffs, you start fresh." Well, that's not word for word, but accurately paraphrased. Kind of. You get the point. Holland is right on the money: you forget the record you had, the adversity you faced, the wins and losses, all of it. Even with that being said, the Red Wings are going into the playoffs with confidence. As Chuck Pleiness of the Macomb Daily put it, "Wings have been in playoff mode." They've been playing with fire, intensity, urgency and the willingness to win in the past week, which helped them into the playoffs. They know that their four lines are all rolling, that their defense has been so solid, that Jimmy Howard has been absolutely stellar and that their special teams are gradually improving.
You know what they also know? There's bad blood between these two teams as this season and the past suggest.
Don't get me wrong, the Ducks are a great team. They've got great offensive players in Getzlaf, Perry and Selanne along with some of their underrated ones in Saku Koivu and Daniel Winnik. Their defense has been a key part of their success in the regular season with the great play of Francois Beauchemin, Sheldon Souray, Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa. Of course, they've got an excellent goaltending duo in Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth along with good coaching from Bruce Boudreau.
However, the Ducks amazing record this year is not a clear representation of how they've been playing all year round, especially with the way they've been playing recently. Yes, as an NHL going into the playoffs, you're meant to have clean slate, let everything that happened in the regular season be forgetton. Even so, the way the Ducks have been playing lately is not comparable to the Wings. Going 8-9-2 in their last 19 games after starting the year 22-3-4 is not the type of hockey you want to exhibit going into the playoffs. They key for the Wings in their last 19 games is how they played in the final week, going 4-0-0.
The Red Wings are playing great all-around with momentum. Regardless of the young team they have compared to previous years with so much experience, the Wings prevail in this one.
Red Wings in 7 games.
That was funny.
When Ken Holland was on Hockey Night In Canada's feature of the "Hot Stove" with Craig Simpson and Scott Oake, he said, "Forget the regular season. When you go into the playoffs, you start fresh." Well, that's not word for word, but accurately paraphrased. Kind of. You get the point. Holland is right on the money: you forget the record you had, the adversity you faced, the wins and losses, all of it. Even with that being said, the Red Wings are going into the playoffs with confidence. As Chuck Pleiness of the Macomb Daily put it, "Wings have been in playoff mode." They've been playing with fire, intensity, urgency and the willingness to win in the past week, which helped them into the playoffs. They know that their four lines are all rolling, that their defense has been so solid, that Jimmy Howard has been absolutely stellar and that their special teams are gradually improving.
You know what they also know? There's bad blood between these two teams as this season and the past suggest.
Don't get me wrong, the Ducks are a great team. They've got great offensive players in Getzlaf, Perry and Selanne along with some of their underrated ones in Saku Koivu and Daniel Winnik. Their defense has been a key part of their success in the regular season with the great play of Francois Beauchemin, Sheldon Souray, Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa. Of course, they've got an excellent goaltending duo in Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth along with good coaching from Bruce Boudreau.
However, the Ducks amazing record this year is not a clear representation of how they've been playing all year round, especially with the way they've been playing recently. Yes, as an NHL going into the playoffs, you're meant to have clean slate, let everything that happened in the regular season be forgetton. Even so, the way the Ducks have been playing lately is not comparable to the Wings. Going 8-9-2 in their last 19 games after starting the year 22-3-4 is not the type of hockey you want to exhibit going into the playoffs. They key for the Wings in their last 19 games is how they played in the final week, going 4-0-0.
The Red Wings are playing great all-around with momentum. Regardless of the young team they have compared to previous years with so much experience, the Wings prevail in this one.
Red Wings in 7 games.
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