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Abel to Yzerman

Buh Bye Bubba.  Next?

by IwoCPO on 04/21/08 at 11:29 AM ET
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422 comments left on the prolific, record-setting Game 6 Live Blog.  It’s the highest number of reactions to any blog post in the history of the internet, according to A2Y research.

Just two of those comments were mine, and neither were essential to the conversation. I feel a little bitter, and a little underappreciated.  But I’ll work that out in my quiet time.

Here’s something I would liked to have seen yesterday: the Wings, or maybe just a few, raising their sticks in tribute to the fans of Nashville.  I’ve not been shy about my feelings regarding the idiocy of a hockey team in Tennessee, but that’s never been a slight to the handful of loyal supporters of that team.  Unfortunately, those fans are the stark exception in a state that couldn’t care less about hockey.  The average TN resident is getting fatter and stupider on SEC basketball and NASCAR, with the greatest sport on earth right under their noses, ignored by hundreds of thousands. 

The fans who filled the SoGay for games 3, 4 and 6?  An overwhelming minority, but still deserving of recognition for supporting their team through some tough times. 

Reaction. 

Kulfan

As for the Lidstrom goal—can anyone say 2002 playoffs, first round, against Vancouver goalie Dan Cloutier? Same type of goal. Even the Wings players acknowledged it.

“They were (talking) once we were in the locker room, the guys that were there,” Lidstrom said. “A lot of guys brought it up. It bounced high glove. He went down on the butterfly and bounced high over his glove. The puck landed in front of him and took a fluke bounce.”

Fluke goal, but strategic and insidious.  Lidstrom does nothing haphazardly.  He picked a spot, picked an approach and a time to try it and he floated a wack-job of a knuckleball at a rookie goalie under more pressure than he’s ever experienced. He knew the spin and probably the landing area.  A lucky goal?  Ok, if you want to label it that.  But talent and genius created that luck.

By now you’ve read the analyses of this series, the input from the Diggers and others.  So have I.  Wanna know what the MSM thinks of your team?  They think the Wings are lucky to be where they are.  They won’t be talking too much about the airtight ‘98-like defense the Wings played for nearly seven consecutive periods.

And they’ll still bring up a lack of secondary scoring, despite Hudler’s resurgence and the unveiling of young Helm.  They’ll point out that Zetterberg’s not scoring but Datsyuk’s performance won’t be a discussion point.

Oh, and yes, we’ll hear quite a bit about goaltending.  Whoever’s next, you’d better believe Chris Osgood’s going to be considered the the inferior goalie compared to Theodore or Kiprusoff.  You ok with that?

Yeah, I thought you would be. Me too.    Guess who Osgood’s looking like right now?  Yep.  Chris Osgood. Not the Ozzie of January through March. But the Osgood of October right up to the all star break.

Kulfan points out this morning that Osgood has some sort of zen-like deal going on, that his very appearance on the ice “calms” the team.  I don’t know about that, but I do know he’s in position to make every save and he’s not giving up rebounds.  And I know that should the Wings win the Cup, the biggest story of this run will be Osgood.

And youth.  It’s not the cool thing to talk about now, but eventually it will be.  It’s not the kind of thing the MSM likes to point out, but the Detroit youth movement is doing the job.  Kronwall is steamrolling anyone who comes near him. He’s doing it violently, but mostly cleanly.  Helm has been a revelation.  His performance yesterday guaranteed Uncle Mike has yet another tough call to make when Maltby returns Thursday or Friday or Saturday or whenever Little Gary says it’s ok for the Wings to play hockey again. 

Khan(!)

“He was hanging onto the puck down low, he wasn’t throwing it away,’’ Lidstrom said.

Babcock flip-flopped Hudler and Dallas Drake on his third and fourth lines, putting the latter on the line with Draper and Dan Cleary.

“I switched Huds and Drake every game at the start of the periods because Dally likes to run defensemen and I like to watch him run defensemen,’’ Babcock said. “Plus, with Helm’s speed, Hudler and McCarty don’t have to have the same kind of speed but they both got good hockey sense. I thought that line was outstanding, it was our best line in the first period and obviously scored a huge goal.’‘

Absolutely on the money.  A Red Wing fourth line that was dangerous, buzzing, not just taking up space typically occupied by Mark Hartigan.  Make the choice: Helm or Maltby.  Who do you start in Game 1, Round 2?

Me? Helm.

Anyone staying up to watch the Calgary/San Jose game tomorrow?  Really? You have an interest in that? 

Oh, you’re torn.  Genetically, you’re bred to hope for a Denver redux.  You want the Dive. You want to see them suffer as I do.  But you also know that Calgary is probably the better option for us right now.  Nobody wants to say it but the Dive are currently a dangerous team.  Calgary? Also dangerous, but not quite the way Denver is, not with the potential firepower that the Dive bring.  I say roll the dice in Alberta and hold off on the Dive until the conference finals when there’s a strong possibility Floppa will have been slowed by some female-related injury.

A few other random thoughts:

-Dallas Drake was brought here for April, May and June and he’s making Tick Tock Kenny look real smart.  He was a presence the whole series, banging and even creating chances.  He has more energy now than we’ve seen from him all year.  Drake seems to have been built for the intensity of the playoffs.

-Same with McCarty.  With one key goal and plenty of physical presence, no one is questioning his place on this team.  Think he has a preference for the next round? Yes, Denver would be pleasant for him I’m sure.  But I wonder how he feels about Calgary?  Hard to gauge how he left that team, not much written about it.  Hopefully he wishes them ill.

-And while we’re at it, has anyone seen Kris Draper play as well as he did against Bubba?  He could legitimately be considered the most physical presence throughout the series.  Yes, Kronwall and Drake drilled some bastards, but Draper was there every shift, in the corners and especially around Ellis.  He played inspired hockey from Game 1 to 6.

-Uncle Mike and Lidstrom.  Since I questioned their leadership after Game 4, it’s time I gave credit where it’s due.  Somebody flipped a switch in that room. Somebody convinced the team that a gear was being skipped or just not reached.  And the results were obvious:  shutdown hockey for two straight games.

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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)

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