Abel to Yzerman
Next entry: Look For A Late Night Post
Previous entry: Just To Be Safe
30K Live Blog…Kinda
by IwoCPO on 04/26/07 at 12:35 PM ET
Comments (77)
From 30,000 feet above Colorado and the stench has reached us here in coach. It’s not pleasant smelling a state that reeks of hockey failure, but it’s not a cause of pain and stress.
Nope. Mere hours before Game 1 against The Team We Must Now Speak of and I’m trying to explain to the mother and young child next to me why Homer’s absence tonite should worry them as it worries me. I think they’re coming around but it’s been a tough sell.
There’s a 65 year old man just in front of me. He seems like a nice old gentleman, grandfatherly, sympathetic to my stress. He nods when I tell him that Zetterberg’s back has me so nervous that I may have to use his air sickness bag. He doesn’t want to talk to me anymore though. He’s watching a movie now. I’m gonna lean over and see what it is….Saw II. Awww, that’s nice. Sweet old man.
A young French couple is across the aisle from me. They don’t seem to listen when I tell them I believe their nation is short on sack. They perk up though when I tell them that I’m concerned that Nick Lidstrom may have finally met his match this time. They look skeptically at one another when I explain that Thornton presents too many problems. They huddle and whisper then the woman leans over and says that she and her husband have discussed it and they both agree that Thornton may see a healthy dose of Chris Chelios, as well. They think the old man may frustrate him to the point of distraction. The husband returns to his romance novel, te wife to her hygiene magazine and I’m alone again with my thoughts.
I think we’re past Colorado because the passengers have stopped giggling.
Jeffrey, our stewardess and a San Jose native, is prancing up the aisle firing orders. “Elbows in please.” “Watch those bags ladies.” I stop him and ask if Rosie actually quit the View today. He chokes back a sob and nods in the affirmative. I ask him what he thinks the keys to the series are. The power play, he says. Detroit has to stifle San Jose’s and the Wings have to succeed at least 20 percent throughout the series.
He adjust his scarf and moves on. The pilot comes over the 1MC and announces there’s turbulence ahead, they’re turning the snack carts around, back to their little caverns at the back of the plane. Naturally I think of “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” and “fellas it’s too rough to feed ya.”. That’s a Michigan song, I say to the lady behind me. And that’s an omen, a good one. she looks at me funny and says “what song?”. The one I was just singing to myself, the Lightfoot timeless classic, I reply.
She tells me to turn around or else she’ll press the call button. No one ever presses the call buton, I say. They think about it but they never do. I dare you but I doubt you will. She looks at me for a minute then says, “Ron Wilson’s a genius you know, a true motivator.” I press the call button and Jeffrey sprints up the aisle. “Yeth?”. I tell him what she says about Wilson and he says he believes players tune him out, that he’s a clown. I ponder that for a moment and then decide to avail myself of the spacious restroom in the rear of the plane.
I’ve been in here for thirty minutes now and notice there’s some graffiti on the bulkhead. How odd, I think, graffiti on a plane. You just don’t see much of that. I lean in closer to it and see that it’s written in child-like scrawl, in crayon.
“I built this team for this series,” it says. “I’m hungry for Fritos and melted cheese and I’ve got a secret and his name is The Enigma. Remember I wrote that.” There were initials underneath it…..MB.
I’ve just been told to turn off all electronic devices. I only have one but I’ll turn it off because I’m a lemming at the mercy of the bastard airline even though we all know the electronic devices don’t make one damn bit of difference.
Wings in 6.
Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
Comments
If, like Jeffery, I swung from the opposite side of the plate, as roughly five-fourths of adult males living in the Bay Area do, I’d be a hockey fan, I’m thinking.
Those guys are yummy, I would think.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 01:12 PM ET
Hmm…Chief, I’m still feeling somewhat superstitious from the last thread. Your renegade typing to predict a Wings victory and its potential to send your plane spiraling downward is eerily juxtaposed against the potential for comments like that to send the high flying Wings crashing and burning in this series.
So…
Stop that. Trust in the Captain and do what he says. And that goes for you too, Wings.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 04/26/07 at 02:07 PM ET
Captain Marleau wired in he had water comin’ in
And all of the Valley’s hearts sank.
And later that night with the red light outta sight
Came the wreck of the San Jose Shark Tank.
Posted by Matt from Chicago on 04/26/07 at 02:42 PM ET
Hey Chief…
Great read! On a plane to Washington State no less. After reading your place and BTJ, y’all inspired me.
Go check out Cootie’s back room on ezboard.com Check the Round 2 game 1 thread. It’s been a tradition at least for the first two W’s we’ve gotten. Though I didn’t post a “cheer” on game 5 and the WINGS won, so no cheer for game 6. You know the history.
Since the WINGS have traditions and superstitions, I figured, keep with what we started with, just like Bab’s will with the team.
Hope the rest from the “flu” has done HANK some good and we’ll have HOMER and LEBDA back soon!
GO WINGS GO!
20 MINUTES AT A TIME ~ ONE GAME AT A TIME!
Posted by Draper33 from Atlanta on 04/26/07 at 02:47 PM ET
So I started the laundry last night, (using Calgone) sat down to an evening meal (Shark! It’s what’s for dinner!) and begin perusing the A2Y. Well, well there seems to be a real kerfluffle here about the sensitivities of us Kallyfornians. For those of you back east (of Arizona) please understand there are two Kallyfornias, Northern and Southern and never the twain shall meet. Whine & cheese up North. Chilled Perrier and roast Duck down here. Mixed in with the locals are MidWest transplants, like yours truly. I still drink my latte from a dirty mug and prefer Rum….over, well, pretty much everything. So we are not all that sensitive. Conflicted yes, but sensitive, no. 25 years of shoveling snow in the Greater Detroit area solidified my allegiance to the Wings.
Having said that, I’ll turn to one of the many interesting tidbits from the San Jose Fan blog of Peterboroughpete….. Oewwwww statistics, as Eeeyon might say, “San Jose is 3-23-1 all-time at the Joe Louis Arena”. Most interesting, seems to indicate the Sharks may be one of those “We are the best in the west…..as long as you don’t go to far east” conundrums.
So the stage is set…Shark this week followed by a steady diet of Duck next. Wings in 6!
Posted by Rumbear on 04/26/07 at 03:27 PM ET
Mixed in with the locals are MidWest transplants, like yours truly.
Shortly after moving to the Bay Area in the mid-80s, while out on a first date, I asked a local girl—a native Californian—if she had ever been back east. She replied, “Yeah, I go to Tahoe every once in awhile.”
That pretty much told me everything I needed to know about the attitudes of native Californians—that for all intents and purposes, the United States lies between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern California border.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 04:00 PM ET
Thought I’d post a link to the Red Wing page at MLIVE in case any of the Crew wants to hear the original MBQOD (runs about 9 mins):
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/
Posted by Jeff - - OklahomaWingNut from Never-Never-Land on 04/26/07 at 04:07 PM ET
“That pretty much told me everything I needed to know about the attitudes of native Californians—that for all intents and purposes, the United States lies between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern California border”.
Why on earth would you want to go anywhere else…let alone Detroit MI or Frankenmuth MI or Toldeo OH.
Geesh.
Posted by Pedro from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 04:50 PM ET
That pretty much told me everything I needed to know about the attitudes of native Californians—that for all intents and purposes, the United States lies between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern California border.
A real student of the human condition, huh? Yeah, I’m sure I couldn’t find a jackass that lives in Michigan.
Oh wait.
Posted by Mike on 04/26/07 at 04:57 PM ET
Oh, there are plenty of jackasses in Michigan. And they don’t like Mexicans or vegtables.
Posted by Pedro from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 05:03 PM ET
nice post. you’re either a good writer, or they were serving tequila on the plane.
“I stop him and ask if Rosie actually quit the View today.”
My prediction - she quit to start her Presidential campaign.
Posted by Paul on 04/26/07 at 05:46 PM ET
She couldn’t do any worse than George W…
Posted by Pedro from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 05:56 PM ET
Shouldn’t you two shitheads be up in Berkeley taking your clothes off in protest of some stupid thing?
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 06:31 PM ET
A real student of the human condition, huh?
Please, I lived out there for four years. I came in contact with plenty of native Californians. The superior attitude shined brightly with most of them. Tell them you’re from any place other than California and this glassy-eyed stare complete with an ever-so-slight curling of the upper lip looks back at you, like they’ve suddenly realized they’ve been conversing with a swamp creature or something.
Depending upon your age, you were probably one of them.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 06:35 PM ET
For those who wish to study the “human” condition in the Bay Area:
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 06:40 PM ET
cricket
cricket
cricket
awfully quiet in the Joe halfway through Q1
Posted by Chicken Wings from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 07:00 PM ET
Never realized hockey was played in quarters, Chicken. Maybe you should re-do your math next time and realize that 3 of something is not a quarter. Those Shark fans never fail to amaze me.
Posted by Jeremy from Bowling Green/Oregon, OH on 04/26/07 at 07:28 PM ET
What’s “Q1?”
Posted by Derek from Davisburg, Michigan on 04/26/07 at 07:29 PM ET
Good points, Jermey and Derek. My mistake. I was thinking of the financial quarters of all of the technology stocks in our area that have made me millions.
Thanks for the reminder. We’re new at this, like an 11-year old girl.
Plus I’m drunk.
Peace.
Posted by Chicken Wings from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 07:34 PM ET
My mistake.
That’s what your father said when the best part of you was running down your mother’s leg .
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 08:17 PM ET
Clever, Bloe, Clever. Intelligent. And classy!
Posted by Chicken Wing from San Jose on 04/26/07 at 08:35 PM ET
Say, Toby. I missed the tip-off of the fourth quarter. Who won it?
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 08:46 PM ET
It’s 2-0 with 4 minutes left.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 08:49 PM ET
We need a two-point goal.
(They award and extra “point” if the shot was taken outside the blue line, Toby)
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 08:51 PM ET
It’s 2-0 with 3 minutes left
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 08:52 PM ET
It’s 2-0 with 1 minute left
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 08:55 PM ET
I bet you living-the-past losers/whinners wish there was a 4th quarter now.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 08:56 PM ET
This is the point where I’d normally invite you to lick my nuts, Toby, but I’m afraid you’d break a leg getting to the phone to order yourself up a plane ticket. So, in the interest of fair play and sportsmanship, I’ll refrain.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 08:58 PM ET
“Fair play and sportsmanship”
That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. Seriously.
You’re OK, Joe. I like you. I’m sure you have nice nuts.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:00 PM ET
Will get them Saturday, Tobe. The game is still on the Wings’ home court.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 09:05 PM ET
That’s the spirit! Give up home-field advantage as the heavily-favored #1 seed who doesn’t lose at home, and stay positive.
I like your attitude.
Next you’re going to tell me that it’s part of the “master plan”...lose game 1, let them get over-confident, and crush them. I like it. We’re all dumb-asses out here, so it’s a good strategy.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:08 PM ET
By the way, what’s a “whinner?” Is that anything like a “looser.”
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 09:10 PM ET
Wow, that was fast. I found this at the Mercury-News website:
Caption: San Jose hockey fans spontaneously celebrate their gayness after a Sharks’ victory over the Red Wings Thursday in the opening game of their second-round playoff series at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. This photo was taken along the parade route on E. Julian St. near Overfelt Gardens.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 09:13 PM ET
Oh Jesus, now you’re a grammar teacher. Typical bitterness; lose, and point out un-related, minor flaws and go with personal attacks. It’s an effective strategy. Or is it affective?
You’re OK Joe, I like you.
Plus, I’m drunk. Your boy IWCPO knows how I roll.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:14 PM ET
Wow, those guys are hot!
BTW, the E Julian St reference is pretty darned funny.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:16 PM ET
I see the San Jose fans still haven’t learned that the playoffs aren’t 1-game series.
Sheesh.
Posted by Paul on 04/26/07 at 09:20 PM ET
Two observations…
The Sharks are fast but not quick - the Wings need to exploit that next game.
The big, bad San Jose Sharks…I didn’t see it. Wings outhit them, as was expected (by Wings fans, anyway). Heck, even when the Wings were hacking and whacking at the puck while Nabokov had it, it was like the Sharks players didn’t even notice. They sure didn’t react.
I almost think the Wings were expecting Calgary+ and they got, well, Dallas.
Posted by Paul on 04/26/07 at 09:25 PM ET
Paul,
The Wed Wings are the #1 seed, heavily favored, with tremendous history. The Shark fans have nothing but respect for Hockey-Town. I was borned and raised in central Michigan.
We just shut out the best (regular-season) team, at their place.
We’re talking it up.
I can only imagine what you guys would be saying had the results been different.
Thanks for listening.
Respectfully,
Toby, Chad, Chicken Wing, and all of the Shark fans.
It’s all good, man.
Sleep tight. We love you all.
Thanks for listening.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:27 PM ET
Oh Jesus, now you’re a grammar teacher. Typical bitterness; lose, and point out un-related, minor flaws and go with personal attacks.
Oh, suck it up, Princess. It’s the playoffs. I play with an edge during the playoffs.
You’re making a [Brokeback] Mountain out of a molehill.
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 09:28 PM ET
Borned. Damnit. Sorry, Joe. Five martinis.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:29 PM ET
Hehehehe. Damn, you’re cute. “I play wth an edge”. Sexy.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:30 PM ET
Kelly’s a pretty name, too.
Speaking of which, the Sharks’ beat-writer for the Merc-News is a fella by the name of Mark, um, Purdy.
Damn, how appropriate.
Well, it’s getting late. Grow some hair on your sack overnight, if not your head. 
Out..
Posted by O-Joe on 04/26/07 at 09:37 PM ET
Does that mean you want to put it in the two hole?
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:41 PM ET
“I can only imagine what you guys would be saying had the results been different.”
I can honestly say for myself, but can’t speak for anyone else, I wouldn’t be making too much out of a game 1 home win. A road win is nice, but an objective eye sees that the Wings had tons of chances down low they just seemed a little rough around the edges…shooting when they should pass, passing when they should shoot. I actually think both teams can play better -but the Sharks seemed content to try to hang onto a 2 goal lead and it paid off. These days that’s a dicey gamble but it worked out.
My favorite part of the game? It was clean. No garbage after the whistles, both teams just want to play hockey. This is going to be a good series.
Posted by Paul on 04/26/07 at 09:44 PM ET
Good, rational observations, Paul.
On to Game 2.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 09:51 PM ET
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!!!!!! First off, taking game one in a shutout is nice, however, I think the Toby that is posting today should identify himself with a last initial. Because I was the one who posted the other day with the breakdown of the Sharks. Which I’ll reiterate now…the regular season does have meaning…Nabby was white hot in the last 20 games, the first round of the playoffs, and as evidence by the shutout, still hot…now the Sharks have the home ice.
It’s looking good.
Toby K.
Posted by Toby K. from Santa Clara on 04/26/07 at 10:49 PM ET
Sorry Toby K.
I’m Toby C.
I’ll remember that from here on out.
Posted by Toby on 04/26/07 at 10:51 PM ET
I saw that our friend Paul is standing by his Wings. He should. But let’s get all the facts right Paulie-boy. You say the Wings outhit the Sharks - that is true, by six hits. Here are some stats that you should have noticed.
GIVEAWAYS Red Wings 26 Sharks 5
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sloppy play Puckheads. Mostly because our Sharks were clogging up the neutral zone and ruining your figure skating.
BLOCKED SHOTS Sharks 18 Red Wings 1
One blocked shot??? I guess that’s right. I don’t think Chelios can bend over long enough to block a shot.
MISSED SHOTS Red Wings 13 Sharks 6
As I type, I think Pavel Datsyuk is still standing the crease waiting to pull the trigger. PULL THE TRIGGER SON! Guess he’s shooting blanks.
And just in case you forgot the most important stat of all.
SHARKS 2 WINGS ZIP
Posted by Can'tStoptheGrier on 04/27/07 at 02:03 AM ET
Shaved Ice Sharks Blog. Game One.
http://shavedice.blogspot.com/
Posted by Can'tStoptheGrier on 04/27/07 at 02:04 AM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
GDT - Game #55: Red Wings host Oilers (7:30)
The F Stands For Finger And The Finger Could Really ______ Us All
GDT - Game #54: Red Wings at Coyotes (8:00)
So Far 4 In 2, Why Not 6 in 3?
GDT - Game #53: Red Wings at Oilers (10:00)
GDT - Game #52: Red Wings at Canucks (10:00)
All Aboard…Play Time Is Over, Live Blogging The 7th Re-Grand-Redolent Opening Of The Hasek
About Abel to Yzerman
Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
Witty Chief, very Witty:
Heres something to make your ride a little less turbulent: Scott Cullen at TSN, you kow the mathematical genius rankings guy, has his picks for round 2 (btw he was 7/8 using his formulations in the 1st round—- and the one he got wrong is the only one where he went against his stastical model):
Picks for Round Two:
Sabres in six
Senators in six
Ducks in five
Red Wings in seven
Hmmm, very nice Scott (Borat accent required)!!!
Crazy Hank news posted in the previous blog!!!! But rumor has it he is playing albeit with the flu. Baroque suggests Hank carry the fish water bottles to the bench tonite!!!! BRILLIANT!!!!
Posted by Jeff - - OklahomaWingNut from Never-Never-Land on 04/26/07 at 12:55 PM ET