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Previewing The Wings Part 2
by IwoCPO on 09/25/07 at 08:36 PM ET
Comments (11)
Defending the republic can be hard work. Hard, stressful work that I sometimes interrupt to entertain you bastards with my prose and seemingly endless wealth of hockey knowledge. Consequently, I tend to find amusement in things that other people don’t, well, get. Oh, I’m not talking about the simple stuff like Transvestite Dive Fans or Dive Fans Who Rip The Heads off Defenseless Duckies. Don’t get me wrong...those situations do make me laugh.
But I’m going to give you some insight you haven’t had before. And this is some sophisticated, high-brow stuff. If you’re drunk, you may want to stop reading now because this may just fly right over your heads. Today, on the phone, taking down an email address:
Me: “What’s your address?”
Caller: “somethingsomething at cox dot net.”
Me: “Ok...is that C-O-X”?
That made me laugh for frigging hours.
Juvenile? You bet. Filthy? Yes. Like it or leave it, Thom. Something tells me you’ve heard that before. As Gene Hackman says in the movie that falls in at #6 in the IwoCPO top ten, “I apologize for nothing.”
We finish the riveting Wing preview tonite with a look at the defense and then the coaches/organ-I-zation.
Nick Lidstrom’s going to win his sixth Norris Trophy because no one comes close. No one. He was shafted the two years before his first one and he was shafted between the third and fourth. He owns that award now, and that is right and just. But that wasn’t the question last year. Nope. Last season the question was whether Nick Lidstrom could handle the pressure involved with assuming the duties. I was of the opinion, and I lobbied for it all summer, that Hank Zetterberg should have been named Captain at the beginning of camp last year. My silliness knew no bounds as I whined like a biotch and said that if Steve Yzerman could handle it at a young age, then so could Zetterberg by God. What I didn’t take into account, and what none of you geniuses pointed out either, was that Steve Yzerman was no Danny Gare. Asking a young player, even one as composed as Zetterberg, to fill the shoes of Steve Yzerman would have been stupid. Instead the Wings selected the one player who is immune to pressure. And all he did was lead us further in the playoffs than the Wings had been since the glorious southern Michigan summertime (Seger reference, but it’s live...so you may not get it) of June ‘02. There is no reason to expect any less this season, not from Lidstrom personally or from the Wings in general.
We haven’t watched Brian Rafalski enough to have an opinion. When I say “we” I mean you, all of us, the entire village. We haven’t seen enough of him in the pre-season and don’t you lying liars lie to me and tell me you watched him when he was a Devil because nobody watched the Devils except David Puddy and the rest of the Devil fans. So we don’t know him well enough to predict how he’ll contribute to our happiness. But I can tell you what I damn sure expect. Steadiness and puck movement. Mathieu Schneider gave us plenty of the latter but little of the former. An offensive force, yes. But a defensive liability. Rafalski, if he plays as advertised, will start the breakout, qb the PP if necessary and play a Lidstrom-like style of defense. Will the Wings score as much with him? No. But come playoff time when Mitch Albom remembers there is hockey in our state, he’ll be of greater value than Schneider due to his defense.
Niklas Kronvall needs to stay healthy. It’s beyond coincidence now and bordering on guaranteed that he can’t do it. But he needs to because this injury crap is starting to sour us on the young man. Read the message boards this offseason? Of course you did. Of course you did. What’d they say? What’d you say? Any of you suggest, perhaps, trading Kronvall? I did. In fact I endorsed it here. It was a Saturday morning and my wife had just told me that in order to save the backyard we were going to hose down every spot where the dog pee’d. My dog, Sailor, found that amusing and pissed in the living room instead. I pretended I didn’t see him do it and suggested trading Kronvall. Ok, I made that up. He didn’t pee in the living room. Kronvall shows us glimpses when he’s healthy. Glimpses of offense that we haven’t seen from a defenseman since Paul Coffey was kicking pucks into his own net. Nick Lidstrom can control a game. Kronvall can break one open. He can do it with finesse, nimbly maneuvering along the boards, or veering toward the net. Or he can do it with a brutal hit. We’ve seen both, but we’ve been teased. Stay healthy Nik. Prove to us you deserve that contract. More importantly, prove to us you can stay healthy a full season.
Brett Lebda has speed. Andres Lilja has braun. Brett Lebda can be offensively gifted and he can give a game away on the blue line. Andres Lilja brings nothing to the table on offense and he has great potential to ruin a perfectly good Western Conference Final. Both have their faults, but both bring different ingredients to the table that keep them off the trade block. As I check in on the spanking at the Joe (4-0 Wings over Rangers with 16 left in the third), I see that Lilja has five hits. Lebda has two shots and is +2. Great, now we wait for the other shoes to drop with these two. And that’s how we’ll roll all season. Good with the bad.
Derek Meech is probably going to make this team because the Wings have no choice. Can’t send him down because the second he hits the waiver wire the bastard bitter Blues will yank him up. Do we really care about the Blues getting him? No. We could release Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom and Hasek tomorrow. All could be grabbed up by JD and the Blues would still never beat the Wings because God says it can’t happen. We’ll see what happens with Meech. An injury fill-in, unless Lilja regresses to the point that he has to sit. But keeping Meech means losing Quincey and that kid earned himself a spot last year in the playoffs. It’s maybe the toughest decision the Organ-I-zation has.
Chris Chelios wants more minutes. He wants top-four minutes and he wants time on the PP. He scored again tonite, by the way. And so did Kopecky...just now. Really. Not lying. And Hasek’s going the whole way? Interesting. 5-0 Wings. Eleventh Cuppeth Runneth Overith. Anyway, back to Chelios. The thing is, he could probably handle all of the above. I don’t mind Chelios on the PP because he’s highly intelligent. He has no slapshot anymore but he’ll get the puck to the net and I’ll guarantee nothing will get behind him. Where Lidstrom is the brains of this team and Zetterberg is the engine, Chelios is the soul. His work ethic and his heart, his will to win are infectious. According to him, he’s in even better shape than last year. Babcock is going to rest him and that could send Chelios into a Hasek-like rage. Another year of “Chelios Is Really Frigging Old” feature stories from every city the Wings visit. Bank on it.
There’s your defense. In my opinion, top five in the league...if not top two.
Mike Babcock has the team he wants. Finally, he has the team he feels is completely his. It’s his style, his attitude and his philosophy. I was a doubter after year one. After year two, I’ve bought into it and it’s going to take a pretty damn persuasive argument to convince me he’s not Adams material. He’s turned a soft team into a fierce one, a playoff disappointment NO ONE predicted to get out of the first round last year into a popular pick for the Cup this year. Andy Strickland can stick his implosion up his bitter Blue butt.
Finally, Ken Holland. Been quite the topic of conversation here lately and I’ve stayed out of it. Here’s a little justification as to why he’s the best in the business: Hank Zetterberg. Pavel Datsyuk. Nik Kronvall. Johan Franzen. Jimmy Howard. Jacob Kindl. Igor Grigorenko (who would have been a star). Jiri Hudler and Val Filppula. Anyone who bashes any of those players is ignorant and just looking for a debate that never comes. They’ve all developed at a pace equal to, or faster, than any young star in this league with the exceptions of Crosby and Ovechkin. The only difference is Holland’s drafted them from a spot dictated by his team’s success. He’s built and maintained the most consistent winner in all of pro sports.
Plus, he’s not a transvestite, which is nice.
I’m tired again and cranky. Two goals for Hank tonite and Hasek finally let one in.
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Comments
I’m sold on Rafalski simply because I’m sold on our perennial winner building front office. If you’re right about the impending goalie controversy then I hope they have enough sense to acquire or trade and not throw Howard to the wolves (I would say lions but they’re impotent in this town...yea yea...this year...) The market for goalies is so tight though....
Top two on defense for sure IF our goaltending holds up; otherwise top five. AND Nik Kronvall plays 70 games this year, guaranteed. The walls in my world are soft but I only run into them because I see further than most.
Chelios should have an award named after him. Quincy did earn himself a spot with his steadiness in the playoffs. That said a lot about his composure. However, given the people around him steadiness could easily be read as ‘bland’ relative to Lebda’s offensive potential and Lilja’s grit. Meech too is another puck mover. I think Quincy will be traded and will have a steady career elsewhere, at least I hope as much for him.
Babblekok for the Adams? What would that winner’s speech sound like? Is there an award for GM of the year? Aside from, you know, being number 1 on Sports Illustrated’s list and other such biased garbage.
Oh, and right on about Feds. His flight left me bitter but you’ve all convinced me to cheer for the guy if, that is, I ever get in to JLA for a game.
Posted by srt on 09/25/07 at 11:23 PM ET
Bill,
There was once a guy on usenet who was being completely honest when he said that there was nobody in the Western Conference who deserved to be an All Star over any Wings player. Forsberg, Sakic, Selanne (this was around 1999), Pronger, Blake? Not as long as Maltby was in the NHL.
What made it even funnier was that when he rated the non-Wings players, he didn’t have anyone rated higher than the guys the Wings had dealt or had left via free agency.
Ray Sheppard was better than Mark Messier. Dino Ciccarelli was better than Mario Lemieux. Said it with a straight face.
That guy was a complete trip.
He’s the only person I have ever been witness to who is more rabidly delusional than you are.
I was drawn to your blog because you seemed to get it. You bashed the team for their mistakes, praised them for their strengths and gave other teams’ fans a load of assholishness. I liked that.
Somewhere along the way, no doubt in reaction to me, you lost any sensibility. You’re now just a babbling, delusional homer. It’s sad, but also pretty funny at the same time.
Now dance, puppet. Dance some more for me!
Posted by Thomas on 09/26/07 at 12:31 AM ET
You’re now just a babbling, delusional homer. It’s sad, but also pretty funny at the same time.
Yet, YOU still continue to read him, despite being able to find funnier comedy elsewhere on the web.
Just WHO is the loser here?
Explain THAT one, Professor Logical.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor on 09/26/07 at 02:40 AM ET
Interesting stuff.
Eleventh Cuppeth Runneth Overith.
Grammatically, that should probably be “Overeth,” but since it’s a made-up word, I think you should alternate spellings as in the early days of English to confuse people.
Another year of “Chelios Is Really Frigging Old” feature stories from every city the Wings visit. Bank on it.
I’ll bet the lazy writers don’t even write different old man stories, but use the same ones from last year and just change the teams and players to match the situation and increase all the ages by one year.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/26/07 at 04:42 AM ET
Please don’t call the local Dive fan a Professor, even out of jest; it’s personally insulting.
Posted by srt on 09/26/07 at 08:12 AM ET
Nice wrap-up Chief. I confess, I know nothing about Rafalski other than what I’ve read about him. Might have actually,very briefly,seen him play a time or two (you know while flipping the Center Ice channels during intermission and/or commercials during the Wings games. That said, nearly everyone, myself included, expect him to be a defensive upgrade over Schneider. Most expect Rafalski to post slightly lesser offensive numbers. Not me, I’m a greedy, rabid fan—I don’t consider myself delusional, though my wife may disagree. I think, based on observing St. Nick for 15 years, that most any competent D-man will post career offensive numbers. And by all accounts, Rafalksi is an “All-Star”. And he did take a “home town” discount to play in Detroit—clearly indicating he “wants” to play here. He’ll be a great fit. If Larry Murphy (that blazing fireball of speed) was a great fit, Rafalski will be too.
Your take on Kronwall, well, it might be through rose-colored glasses. And I dont’t hold that against you or anyone else. This is a homer website isn’t it? No need to account for wishful thinking (I reject your reality and substitute my onw). As I previously suggested we need to consider the pick your “whipping boy” contest, perhaps we also have a contest to see who gets sidelined with major injury first, Hasek (say “how sick” is my groin) or Kronwall (hell-bent for leather, damn the torpedos, I’ll crash at top speed into anyone). You gotta love his grit—but he may be even more fragile than Haseks groin. I will sacrfice a chicken or two to the Hockey Gods (who ever heard of beheading a duck—thats plain sick and cruel) and chant “Fire on Ice” in hopes to appease both seemingly imminent injuries.
All that said, Babblecock (who according to MSM prognisticators all thoght the Wings age meant their demise—should have won the Adams last year—the MSM who say Wings too old and slow, Stevie Y and Shanny gone. The same MSM who throw-up their hands whe the Wings do really well—saying they expect them to do well in the divsion that Gary built—freaking more waffling than IHOP) has this team built to play defense. Babblecock has “his team” (Be nice to see if he can find a way to make the PP more effective). Even still this is a top five in GAA this year—even if both Hasek and Kronwall are sidelined (a little reverse mojo).
Wings will walk away with the Central by as much as 20 pts, and compete all year for the coveted President’s trophy (coveted by who, I’m not sure). The real question, as always, how deep of a run can they make in the playoffs (which calls to mind—just how many teams consistently face that wonderful issue? Must suck hard to wonder if your team will make it at all, “hoping” your team will, eh Tommy Boy).
And that question, as fully evidenced by this past post-season, depends in large part on health. Healthy Wings can post huge numbers and make a seriously competitive run.
Posted by Jeff - - OklahomaWingNut from Wind-Swept-Plains on 09/26/07 at 08:32 AM ET
First round and out. Hasek held up last season. This year he won’t. And the Wings will be one year older and one year softer.
Posted by Bob from CO on 09/26/07 at 10:16 AM ET
Fortunately we have an expert on delusion contibuting to this board.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 09/26/07 at 10:21 AM ET
Oy, I swear, like a catfish on a Canadian crawler, and where I come from, you throw the catfish back, ‘cause they’re ugly and taste bad.
I mean it. Irony: I’m soaking in it. Gets rid of dishpan hands. Once they go off the deep end, they don’t come back, do they?
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/27/07 at 03:18 AM ET
Softer? Every one of them has been through a deep playoff run. Every one of them has come close enough to taste a trip to the finals. It’s finally Babcock’s team. Health isn’t just a big question, you have to figure it’s the ONLY question, because these guys are going to be harder to play against this year than they were last.
Four lines that can score. No slackers left. Vets on the blue line. The best goalie in the game still between the pipes. Anyone who thinks these guys don’t make it past the first round is smoking crack.
Health is the question—if they’re healthy come next April, then another deep playoff run is the likely outcome.
Posted by Chris from Born in Detroit, exiled in DC on 09/27/07 at 10:47 AM ET
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