Abel to Yzerman
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Prime Time
by IwoCPO on 11/15/09 at 07:39 AM ET
Comments (85)
First of all…
For some reason, you just knew after those three words that you were gonna be irritated back on October 22nd. If someone had just given John Buccigross an open-handed bitch slap right then? All would be well. Didn’t happen. Steve Phillips’ production assistant was busy. Matthew Barnaby was repeatedly stabbing the exclamation point key. No one stopped Buccigross and now he just looks like a tool.
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are no longer in their NHL prime.
Oh, and dick? It’s Zetterman. He dreams in colors. Red ones.
I’m gonna do some talking about Hank but before I do I want to tell you it’s not gonna compare to this. And that pisses me the fu** off.
He was so good that he scared Arby’s into downgrading their Hat Trick prize to “free urinal cakes”. He was so good, in fact, that Mitch Albom is going to lie about being at this game and write a column on it.
The guy works his beard off every night, on and off the ice. He is an absolute machine. Most players think that “double shifting” is playing on multiple lines; to Z it means dominating a hockey game and then going home to work over Emma.
Tyler and his dad also talked about the fact that they don’t profess their love for Hank as much as they should. Interestingly, I think the same can be said for all of us. Is Zetterberg overlooked? No. But he’s just undermentioned. I get into ruts. We all do. We’ve talked more about whether it’s cool to like Mike Babcock here than we have about one of the top 3 all around players in hockey.
We know why, of course. The Babcock deal is a debate starter. Zetterberg is an ender. Around here you mention Uncle Mike and blood pressure starts to skyrocket. All Zetterberg elicits is a nod. Best player in hockey right now? Yep. Best leader in hockey? Yep.
I said it. Discuss it if you want, but it’s true. Zetterberg’s the best leader in hockey and he’s not wearing the “C”...yet. It’s not just about the scoresheet and I seriously doubt he’s ever said one motivating word in the room. It’s about hustle and filth and grit and want and the desire to tell John Buccigross and Jimmy Devellano to just STFU. It’s about placing a team on your back and carrying them because you despise losing. That’s leadership and Hank’s got it.
It’s about taking on every team’s top line and playing your best when you do. It’s about shutting down the face of hockey on the biggest possible stage…two years in a row. It’s about frustrating and sticking your boot in asses, reminding people that just because you’re Swedish doesn’t mean you lack some sort of mythical intensity only possessed by Canadien(an)s, or at least that’s according to a guy who talks toughness while sampling Tiny Tim’s wardrobe.
It’s about leading quietly, through pain, by example, lifting others and creating shame if your friends don’t play as hard as you do. It’s about wearing a number that’s 21 away from a legend but playing a style that’s close enough for valid comparisons.
You know when it started. We all do. During the third period of a game that is sickening to remember. Game 6 of the WCF, 2007. The Wings may have lost but Zetterberg and Datsyuk laid claim to this team on that day. They almost brought the Wings all the way back because it’s what they willed to happen. And the next year? The bile of losing was so disgusting that Zetterberg refused to let the taste come back.
He’s doing the same thing now, you know. A third-period hat trick. Tie game? BFD. Hank? Seal it. Done deal.
Ville Leino played his best game of the season last night. He was fast, relentless, aggressive. Why?
“I have to compete more and win the puck in situations where it’s 50-50,” Leino said. “If you watch Pav and Hank, they win a lot of the battles, and that’s why they get the puck more and get to play more in the offensive zone. So you have to compete harder, otherwise you’ll just be floating around.”
Wings are gonna miss the playoffs. Wings won’t have a top four seed. Wings won’t win the division. Detroit’s run is over. Dynasty no more. Really?
Do you really think Hank Zetterberg is gonna let that happen?
Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
Comments
leadership = “Prime Time”
(on & off the ice)
‘nuff said
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 09:27 AM ET
“The Wings will struggle to score goals ...”
Not always, Buccitool. Not always. 
I think it says a lot about Zetterberg’s priorities and personality that signing a long-term contract was very important to him, to avoid the hassle of negotiations. It is a bother for all players to go through it, even if it’s relatively smooth, but some deal with it better than others. With Zetterberg it was a substantial distraction and it was pretty clear that once it was over and it was something that he would NEVER have to deal with again for his career he was very relieved to have it all finished.
Some people in any situation love the back and forth of negotiations, contract negotiations, grant writing, business deals - others just don’t want to bother and want the distractions over so they can get back to the business of what is really important, whether it is running their business, doing their research, or playing hockey.
Hank wanted all the fuss of extraneous things like contracts gone so he could concentrate on hockey, because the practice of his profession is far more important to him than figuring out what he should get paid for it. (Datsyuk I think has some of the same qualities, but he seems to be a little more adaptable and laid-back personality - not less intense, just different intense.)
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 09:31 AM ET
I wish I had the time to look through the comments from the last couple weeks and find the “doom and gloom” comment that “we might never see Zetterman at 100% ever again,” cause he’s sure looked pretty close to it for a few games now.
Posted by shanetx on 11/15/09 at 09:37 AM ET
Watching NHL on the Fly - - don’t know the analysts name, but I think he is a pharmacist, he said Zatta was: “a brilliant hockey player.”
Funny, he never mentioned - - past his prime.
Baroque mentioned this is the last thread - - interestingly, DET hovers near the top of the league in GF and PP, still struggling in GA and PK. Given their talent losses, you’d think those numbers would be reversed.
Around here you mention Uncle Mike and blood pressure starts to skyrocket.
Not Uncle Mike, no. Brad McCrimmon, yes.
Eric Stephens, Orange County Register, apparently doesn’t like the Wings playoff chances either:
By the time Henrik Zetterberg finished off a third-period hat trick with an empty-net goal to close a wild final stanza, the Ducks left the ice wearing the same collective forlorn look as they did in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.
Except this latest battle against the Detroit Red Wings featured a team that is no longer near the conference’s elite and merely looking to escape the bottom.
Win Thu Oct 8, 2009 CHI (2) - DET (3)
Win Sat Oct 10, 2009 WSH (2) - DET (3)
Loss Tue Oct 13, 2009 DET (2) - BUF (6)
Win Thu Oct 15, 2009 LAK (2) - DET (5)
OTL Sat Oct 17, 2009 COL (4) - DET (3) SO
OTL Thu Oct 22, 2009 DET (2) - PHX (3) OT
Loss Sat Oct 24, 2009 DET (1) - COL (3)
Win Tue Oct 27, 2009 DET (5) - VAN (4)
OTL Thu Oct 29, 2009 DET (5) - EDM (6) SO
Win Sat Oct 31, 2009 DET (3) - CGY (1)
Win Tue Nov 3, 2009 BOS (0) - DET (2)
Win Thu Nov 5, 2009 SJS (1) - DET (2) SO
Loss Sat Nov 7, 2009 DET (1) - TOR (5)
Win Wed Nov 11, 2009 DET (9) - CBJ (1)
Win Thu Nov 12, 2009 VAN (1) - DET (3)
Win Sat Nov 14, 2009 ANA (4) - DET (7)
Since Sweden - - 10 wins, 3 losses, 3 OTL. Points in 13 of 16.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 09:48 AM ET
Except this latest battle against the Detroit Red Wings featured a team that is no longer near the conference’s elite and merely looking to escape the bottom.
The way I read that Stephens is talking about the Ducks as the team looking to get out of the bottom of the standings, though - he is emphasizing that last time the Ducks lost, they were considered an elite team in the conference because it was a playoff matchup, and a close one, too. Now it is a regular season game between one team that seems to be finally playing better, and another that is in a losing streak, and can’t stop taking bad penalties that cost them dearly.
I think you are reading the “Wings past their prime” meme into that article, actually.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 10:03 AM ET
Team stats:
.639 pt% (10), 3.39 G/G (4), 2.89 GA/G (17), 1.06 5-5F/A (13), 24.7 PP (4), 75.4 PK (27), 33.9 SG (1), 28.5 SA/G (8).
Uncle Mike on Hank, Helene St. James, Freep.com :
“Anytime we’re playing the players in the league that are dominant players,” coach Mike Babcock said, “Z always lifts his game, and I thought he did that tonight.” . . .
The Wings have won six of seven and three straight in four days, all since last Saturday’s embarrassment at Toronto.
“I think we’ve done a good job,” Babcock said. “I would have liked us to been better tonight—I wanted to flat-out wear them out, they played last night. And yet we found a way to win games, and that’s good. We’ve got ourselves going in the right direction and we’re getting better.”
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 10:04 AM ET
I think you are reading the “Wings past their prime” meme into that article, actually.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 10:03 AM ET
You are right Miss B., as usual. I hadn’t had enough coffee at the time D’oh.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 10:23 AM ET
Posted by Baroque
Exactly why I don’t really want to run my own lab some day.
Mike Babcock said, “Z always lifts his game, and I thought he did that tonight.” . . .
Yeah, I thought that too.
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 11/15/09 at 10:33 AM ET
Watching Zatta’s second goal I keep thinking he learned alot from Brett Hull. Old goats can teach new dogs some tricks.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 11:03 AM ET
As I and a few others noted last night after the game,
‘It wasn’t pretty but it is a “W” in the books.’
They did what they needed to do to make certain it was a win.
And Hank lead the way.
(With Buckets doing a fair share (and more) of the dirty work.)
(There were several other noteworthy efforts, too; some real good at times, a few, uh, not so good (Big Rig - up the middle?). But it seemed like the team played together, as a team. And TPH? Well, he was TPH, under the radar but excellent in D.)
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 11:03 AM ET
Watching Zatta’s second goal I keep thinking he learned alot from Brett Hull. Old goats can teach new dogs some tricks.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 11/15/09 at 11:03 AM ET
Mick: “That dog can hunt.”
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 11:11 AM ET
Cleary’s effort to gain the zone on one of Hank’s goals was a nifty little move that I would have expected to see from Datsyuk. He earned that assist.
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 11/15/09 at 11:15 AM ET
Again, the right mix and the fantastics are leading the way.
If not Buckets, then Zets then Pavs then speed that kills the other teams, and the perfect human.
There is a right to demand the best, but here is there is the best, so watch it happen before our eyes.
This was a beautiful thing, 19, something to enjoy, and Wednesday is coming.
Posted by bobbo from Romeo, Michigan on 11/15/09 at 11:22 AM ET
Buckets makes moves like that every night…that one just earned him an assist that sometimes he doesn’t get. Buckets personifies the gritty un-pretty wear ‘em out style that will carry the Wings this year.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 11/15/09 at 11:22 AM ET
It’s about placing a team on your back and carrying them because you despise losing.
kind of sounds like another quiet leader who used to play for the Wings, doesn’t it?
It’s about leading quietly, through pain, by example, lifting others and creating shame if your friends don’t play as hard as you do.
there’s that deja vu again.
I predicted last week that the Wings would be first overall in a month. they won’t let me down. the best part is going to be all the msm “journalists” falling all over themselves to gush on the Wings, and pretend they never said the Wings wouldn’t make the playoffs this year.
do you think the Wings read that stuff? I do. do you think it’s any coincidence they have been playing the way they have the last week or two, after all those downer articles? I don’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if Babbles has those articles printed out and taped up on the wall in the locker room where the Wings can see them on the way to the ice.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/15/09 at 11:23 AM ET
Over the summer, someone told me the same thing: that the Wings were done and we were in store for a long, slow, miserable decline into the group of perpetual bottom-dwellers in the league. I asked him if he honestly believed in his head that Henrik Zetterberg was going to retire 12 years from now with his name engraved on the Stanley Cup only once. He walked away without answering. Thank you, logic, for continuing to ward off the fools…
Posted by Kris from MI on 11/15/09 at 11:34 AM ET
By the way, NHL.com has Hank as their #1 star of the night.
Henrik Zetterberg Left Wing - DET G: 3 | A: 2 | Pts: 5
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 11:39 AM ET
I’m as guilty as anybody on the doesn’t give Zetterberg enough love bandwagon. I don’t like comparing him and Datsyuk, because you’re always working the losing side of an argument when you have to say that one of them is better than the other because you’re not really doing both of them justice.
Zetterberg is nothing short of fuching awesome. It’s consistently amazing when reading other team’s sites how he’s rarely mentioned. He’s like a black hole of a hockey player. People only really know he’s there by the lack of things that would ordinarily surround their team’s stars. Some people are even too blind to see that. They’ll wonder aloud where the hell their best offensive forward(s) went and why they had such a crappy game. It must just be that their own superstar failed to show up against the Wings (of course, we all know how often that happens).
Simply put, Zetterberg is the Lidstrom of NHL forwards.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/15/09 at 11:42 AM ET
He’s like a black hole of a hockey player. People only really know he’s there by the lack of things that would ordinarily surround their team’s stars. Some people are even too blind to see that. They’ll wonder aloud where the hell their best offensive forward(s) went and why they had such a crappy game. It must just be that their own superstar failed to show up against the Wings (of course, we all know how often that happens).
Most definitely. Back in the playoffs, I likened him to an invisibility cloak. But that’s because I’m kind of a nerd…
Posted by Kris from MI on 11/15/09 at 11:47 AM ET
Simply put, Zetterberg is the Lidstrom of NHL forwards.
Or Bryan Trottier 2.0
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 11/15/09 at 11:49 AM ET
hahah, did you guys and gals see this on Down Goes Brown, the “dammit Pronger” makes me lol
http://www.downgoesbrown.com/2009/11/nhl-suspensions.html?onemoretime
Posted by FranzensMouthguard from Chicago, IL on 11/15/09 at 11:55 AM ET
Obviously, I have too much time on my hands today - - queue Styx.
Anyway, how about a look at who is carrying the Wings mail to-date:
G/P G A PTS +/- ATOI
L Henrik Zetterberg 18 8 14 22 6 20:10
C Pavel Datsyuk 16 4 12 16 4 20:03
D Niklas Kronwall 18 5 8 13 4 21:56
L Tomas Holmstrom 18 9 3 12 5 15:06
R Daniel Cleary 18 4 7 11 0 18:31
D Brian Rafalski 17 2 8 10 2 22:37
D Jonathan Ericsson 16 3 6 9 -2 17:02
R Todd Bertuzzi 18 3 6 9 -5 16:03
C Jason Williams 15 2 5 7 -5 15:38
D Nicklas Lidstrom 18 1 6 7 11 24:28
C Kris Draper 17 3 3 6 2 12:27
C Valtteri Filppula 11 2 4 6 -6 17:32
C Darren Helm 13 2 3 5 2 13:30
R Patrick Eaves 11 1 4 5 7 12:31
L Kirk Maltby 13 3 2 5 5 9:51
L Ville Leino 17 3 1 4 0 13:47
L Justin Abdelkader 15 3 1 4 1 9:32
D Brad Stuart 18 1 3 4 2 21:59
D Brett Lebda 15 1 1 2 -3 13:25
C Johan Franzen 3 1 1 2 0 18:41
L Brad May 11 0 1 1 -1 7:46
L Drew Miller 16 0 0 0 -2 11:52
D Doug Janik 1 0 0 0 0 13:56
D Derek Meech 5 0 0 0 -2 10:07
Past their prime? Zatta is over a point per game, and Dats is at point/game.
Of the regulars, the following are the only minus players:
C Valtteri Filppula -6
R Todd Bertuzzi -5
C Jason Williams -5
D Brett Lebda -3
D Jonathan Ericsson -2
L Drew Miller -2 (don’t know if he is minus in DET)
L Brad May -1
Shocking that Lebda and Jonny aren’t minus 50. I swear to Gawd, they always seem to be on the ice when the opposition score.
5-5 F/A for DET is in positive territory at 1.06.
P/K is abysmmal at 75.4% (27). Here’s looking at you Brad.
Yet we are winning.
SJS lead the Conf with 31 pts in 21 games, last 10 are 8-0-2
DET are 6th 23 pts in 18 games, 7-2-1 last 10.
Fix the flippin PK, and the Wings world would be filled with visions of Emma 
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 12:01 PM ET
Drew Miller w/Detroit : 2, 0-0-0, +1, 0
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 11/15/09 at 12:04 PM ET
It’s consistently amazing when reading other team’s sites how he’s rarely mentioned. He’s like a black hole of a hockey player. People only really know he’s there by the lack of things that would ordinarily surround their team’s stars.
That’s a great line.
And also a great point about other sites. Sometimes out of boredom or curiosity I’ll search “top player + nhl” and click through some message boards. (Not to sound like an elite pharmacist, but generic NHL boards aren’t the place I go for intelligent hockey discussion ... this is more for fun). You never see Hank in anyone’s Top 5, he’s just not that type of player. I’ve seen Kovalchuk’s name (who I really like) pop up far more in those threads than Hank’s, and to be frank, that’s just *#$%@& stupid.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 11/15/09 at 01:06 PM ET
I don’t like comparing him and Datsyuk, because you’re always working the losing side of an argument when you have to say that one of them is better than the other because you’re not really doing both of them justice.
That’s because neither one is better - their styles are too different. Apples and oranges, but one is the perfect combination of sweet and tart to make a flawless pie with no added sugar and just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, while the other is perfectly sweet, juicy, and not all rind with the ends of the wedges shriveled and dry.
Not only does either one make whoever they play with better, but they also make each other better. Two tremendously talented and incredibly intelligent hockey players. Any team would be lucky to have just one of them among their forwards, and Detroit is fortunate enough to have both.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 02:13 PM ET
according to a guy who talks toughness while sampling Tiny Tim’s wardrobe.
Absolute poetry Chief.
Posted by calquake on 11/15/09 at 02:19 PM ET
Bob Duff, great writer for the Windsor Star, writes an interesting article for NBCSports.com, “breaking down the perfect hockey player.”
Guess who has the “greatest hockey sense?” - - TPH:
It was about midway through his first season as coach of the Detroit Red Wings when Mike Babcock’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe the hockey rarity he’d witnessed with his own eyes.
Nicklas Lidstrom actually had made a mistake.
Lidstrom’s vision of the ice, his ability to always be in the right spot, and his tremendous skills of anticipation make him a one-of-a-kind player.
“He’s not a guy that’s going to hammer you, but he’s always in great position,” Chicago left winger Patrick Kane said.
Babcock loves having Lidstrom on his side, but is glad he doesn’t have too many Lidstroms.
“Nick Lidstrom is the kind of professional that does everything right every day without ever being told,” Babcock said. “Let’s be honest, if everyone was like Nick, there would be no coaches, because there would be nothing for us to do.”
“It’s kind of easy to play with a guy like that,” Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson said. “You always know where he is and he talks a lot out there. He’s always backing you up back there.”
How about “Strength” - - Pavel:
He’s just like that old battery commercial with actor Robert Conrad. Go ahead, try to knock him off his skates. Just try it, if you think you can.
Better yet, think otherwise. Stopping Datsyuk when he has the puck is one of hockey’s most imposing challenges. He can make it dance on the blade of his stick and checkers bounce off him like he was a wall and they were rubber balls. And if you’ve got the puck, don’t be surprised when you come out second-best in a collision with Datsyuk.
“He competes just as hard as any player in the league,” Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf said. “You can’t do that if you’re an outside player. He’s definitely a player that likes to get in there and go to the net.”
“He is so strong on his skates, so strong on his stick,” Detroit defenseman Brad Stuart said. “I don’t know what else you can say. I really think he is one of the top two or three in the league in any category you can think of.”
Durability - - TPH, again:
He played his first playoff game in 1992. Eighteen seasons later, he’s still playing them at the highest level. No European-trained player or anyone in a Detroit uniform has been in more playoff games. Only two defenseman have scored more Stanley Cup goals than him and just three have more assists.
“It’s something I take a lot of pride in, not having missed any playoff games,” Lidstrom said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be with a team that’s made the playoffs every year that I’ve been here. Going deep into the playoffs, it really adds up.”
Others marvel at how Lidstrom, nearing 40, continues to thrive playing the NHL’s most physically demanding position.
“He’s pretty amazing out there,” Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said. “He makes it look so simple to be a D-man here in the NHL, when it’s not really. If I’m going to be even close to his career, I’m going to be happy.”
Speed - - can you say Bang your Helm:
He wasn’t even in the NHL for much of last season, yet talk to any of his teammates - or opponents who suffer through the misfortune of coming up against him - and they’ll tell you Helm is the fastest.
“You won’t get any argument in our dressing room,” said Detroit center Kris Draper, himself no slowpoke on ice. “The kid just flat out flies. His first couple of strides, he just explodes. He’s very agile, too. Not only can he skate fast when going straight, he’s just as fast side to side, stops and starts, turns, and his mobility is very good as well.
“I would put him in the class with the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt,” Draper said of the Olympic 100 and 200-meter gold medalist from Jamaica. “I look at Helm, thats Usain Bolt on ice.”
Thid made the list once, for “grit?” Gawd, my estimation of Duff just shrank a little.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 02:36 PM ET
An oldie but a goodie…
Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg picked up Sidney Crosby early on Sunday, the morning of Game 2, at the Penguins’ hotel in Detroit. The two stopped at a Starbucks, where Zetterberg paid, poured the milk into Crosby’s coffee and stirred.
Then they drove to a nearby church. Crosby settled into a pew, and Zetterberg slid in next to him. Crosby picked up a hymnal; Zetterberg turned the pages.
Crosby recited the Lord’s Prayer. Zetterberg said, “Amen.”
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156211/index.htm
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 11/15/09 at 03:34 PM ET
Thid made the list once, for “grit?” Gawd, my estimation of Duff just shrank a little.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 11/15/09 at 02:36 PM ET
“He’s strong down low,” NHL on NBC analyst Pierre McGuire said. Douche Canoe would know about Rosby going down low now wouldn’t he.
Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from Lidstrom's head telling him 1 more year on 11/15/09 at 03:37 PM ET
@ Jeff OKWingnut - Maybe I missed it but how did your boy’s game go this weekend?
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 04:56 PM ET
Gotta love this line from that sportsillustrated.com article…
This was less about Zetterberg checking Crosby than stalking him. The fluid Red Wing, strong on his skates, was so near he could have guessed Crosby’s toothpaste brand. “That’s what he tried to do the last couple of years that I’ve played against him,” Crosby says.
Cindy with his constant refusal to acknowledge or credit anyone else for playing well. Yea, you’re right Cindy, he “tried” to do that to you the past couple of years. Don’t you mean he “did” that to you? That he absolutely and completely shut you down every time you were on the ice against him? Little bitch.
Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/15/09 at 05:32 PM ET
My only hockey jersey is a Zetterman, and at the same time I’m happy I chose him, and kinda mad because it has an “A” on the shoulder. Maybe I should’ve waited some more.
Oh, and dear lord, God Helm loves playing the (Daffy) Ducks.
Posted by Guilherme from Brasil on 11/15/09 at 05:34 PM ET
“I like that we found a way to win,” said Babcock, whose team now has won six of its last seven. “But I thought we could have worn this team out and we didn’t do that. We let them back into the game. I like winning, don’t get me wrong. But that’s not how we want to go about our business.”
Crack that whip Uncle Mike.
Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!
Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 11/15/09 at 05:42 PM ET
Cindy with his constant refusal to acknowledge or credit anyone else for playing well. Yea, you’re right Cindy, he “tried” to do that to you the past couple of years. Don’t you mean he “did” that to you? That he absolutely and completely shut you down every time you were on the ice against him? Little bitch.
I wonder if that won’t change as he gets older and matures - I hope so. It’s not at all fun to be so insecure in your own abilities that you can’t just admit when someone is better at something than you are, and just decide that you have to find a way to improve or deal with it in some way other than belittling their efforts.
Zetterberg has several years of development on Crosby and has used that to his advantage whenever they match up. It doesn’t make Crosby any poorer of a player - just when matched against each other, Zetterberg has been a better player.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 06:00 PM ET
@ Jeff OKWingnut - Maybe I missed it but how did your boy’s game go this weekend?
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 04:56 PM ET
God Awful - - DHS “O-Line” thought they were toreadors. Ugly loss 20-12. Alas, next season they should be better.
Thanks for asking though.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/15/09 at 06:02 PM ET
I wonder if that won’t change as he gets older and matures - I hope so. It’s not at all fun to be so insecure in your own abilities that you can’t just admit when someone is better at something than you are, and just decide that you have to find a way to improve or deal with it in some way other than belittling their efforts.
Zetterberg has several years of development on Crosby and has used that to his advantage whenever they match up. It doesn’t make Crosby any poorer of a player - just when matched against each other, Zetterberg has been a better player.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 06:00 PM ET
Zetterberg definitely has more experience and development for sure, but the funny thing is, look at The Captain. Never acted anything like that, even from day one. I think it is a fundamental flaw in Crosby’s personality, and I don’t see it changing. I think he has a serious sense of entitlement that clouds everything he does. Nobody denies his skills, but I really can’t see him suddenly becoming this hugely respected leader.
Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/15/09 at 06:16 PM ET
I think it is a fundamental flaw in Crosby’s personality, and I don’t see it changing. I think he has a serious sense of entitlement that clouds everything he does. Nobody denies his skills, but I really can’t see him suddenly becoming this hugely respected leader.
That’s why I think it’s so sad. He can’t accept that someone is just better than he is, he has to find reasons and excuses and shrug off the whole situation as no big deal.
Whereas if he could just accept it, realize that he was jus tout-played, and think of how to counteract that - either try to counteract Zetterberg (not as likely because that would take away his offensive ability to some extent, which would have the same effect as Zetterberg shutting him down) or figure out some way to try to use his teammates more effectively to try and get them more involved in the offense, or something. But use the experience to improve something in his own game instead of just shrugging off what is done against him as nothing special and no big deal.
But you might be right. It has probably been all about him since he was a kid, and that has given him the same kind of inflated attitude as anyone in the US who looks to be amazing at basketball or football at an early age and thus from the time their ability is obvious, the word “no” kind of disappears from his world.
I think it stunts any kid’s emotional development to have that kind of attention from such an early age, and I think it’s sad because the process of becoming a real grown-up can be retarded that way. :(
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 06:28 PM ET
I feel bad for the kid because it seems almost as though he is turning into A-Rod, and I depise that arrogant self-involved phony, and don’t wish that kind of enforced blandness of public persona on anyone. Poor kid.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 06:29 PM ET
I think he has a serious sense of entitlement that clouds everything he does.
Too true, but it would hard *not* to have that sense when all of Canada has been on your balls before they dropped.
My friend was about to wring Jimmah’s neck yesterday. As the Salers have pointed out, he’s not a model of consistency.
Z will be the next great Captain. I look forward to his reign.
Posted by Osrt on 11/15/09 at 06:44 PM ET
Nobody denies his skills, but I really can’t see him suddenly becoming this hugely respected leader.
Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/15/09 at 06:16 PM ET
Makes one wonder what his teammates and other players really think of him. You have to think that any Penguin who wants to remain a Penguin isn’t going to say anything even slightly controversial, but they can’t be thrilled with the way their captain makes an ass of himself on a fairly regular basis.
Posted by Bio on 11/15/09 at 06:59 PM ET
Thanks for asking though.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 11/15/09 at 06:02 PM ET
You’re welcome. Wish there had been a better outcome.
I usually take an interest when someone I know has kids in a special high school sport event, so I’ve been thinking about them since you mentioned the end-of-season / start-of-playoffs games a few weeks ago.
(High school sports were a big part of my life - 13 varsity letters.) Never won ‘the last game I played’ in high school, if you understand my meaning, but have some GREAT memories and life long friends. (Maybe some day I’ll share how 5 of us still get together once a year for a “Gaming Weekend”. 1 was 2 grades ahead of me, 3 were 1 grade up and the other was a grade below. We all played sports through school together (CC, basketball, track, baseball - and summer fast pitch softball) and were very competitive by nature. You know, hate to lose. But we had good coaching that taught sportmanship and character which, in the long run, was / is more important.)
Like you said, ” ... next season ... “.
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/15/09 at 07:06 PM ET
My friend was about to wring Jimmah’s neck yesterday. As the Salers have pointed out, he’s not a model of consistency.
Posted by Osrt on 11/15/09 at 06:44 PM ET
I’m willing to give Jimmy a pass for yesterday, if only because the Wings won. He didn’t make a lot of saves, but he made enough. His save pct. and GAA are ongoing causes for concern, don’t get me wrong, but some games are just going to see more goals scored than others. I’m not mad at him for being involved in one of those, in light of those two really good back-to-back starts.
Posted by Bio on 11/15/09 at 07:10 PM ET
It’s just so sad to see Datsyuk and Zetterberg desperately hanging on in the twilight of their careers.
Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 11/15/09 at 07:23 PM ET
It’s just so sad to see Datsyuk and Zetterberg desperately hanging on in the twilight of their careers.
Posted by monkey from Gary’s World, setting fire to McCrimmon on 11/15/09 at 07:23 PM ET
And don’t forget Nick. Lost a step and mentally cloudy from age, poor old man.
//shakes head sadly
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 07:53 PM ET
And don’t forget Nick. Lost a step and mentally cloudy from age, poor old man.
Just padding his stats at this point.
Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 11/15/09 at 08:23 PM ET
Would I be able to marry the 19? Or perhaps, one of them civil union thingies?
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 11/15/09 at 08:29 PM ET
Would I be able to marry the 19? Or perhaps, one of them civil union thingies?
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 11/15/09 at 08:29 PM ET
Um ... why?
Aren’t you happy with the current state of the relationship?
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 08:31 PM ET
If you’re happy with it as-is, then a civil union would just mess it up.
Leave well enough alone, I say.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/15/09 at 08:49 PM ET
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