I was just about to point that out somewhere.  That was the day after my birthday...I guess it was a present that unwrapped itself a few months late.

Still can’t believe this.

Posted by eyesris from Chestertown, MD on 07/02/08 at 08:17 PM ET

A natural hat trick to start the game?  7th career hat trick-

$7Mill for Brian Campbell or Mars Hossa - which is the better use of money?

“Marian really wanted to find a way to become a Red Wing.”

Damn, someone kick me in the package so I know this is real.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/02/08 at 08:18 PM ET

Someone said they saw what jersey number he was going to take, anyone? anyone?  Buehler?

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/02/08 at 08:19 PM ET

Someone said they saw what jersey number he was going to take, anyone? anyone?  Buehler?

Malik (IIRC) mentioned the possibility of him taking #81 and the Wings having a two Slovaks with consecutive numbers.

He’s only ever worn #18 in the NHL and juniors.

http://www.hockeysweaternumbers.com/players/hossa_marian/

Posted by Clark on 07/02/08 at 08:39 PM ET

How’s this look, Hossa linked with the Winged Wheel -

Thank you for the early Birthday present, Tick Tock!  I would SO give this guy a courtesy reach-around!

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/02/08 at 08:42 PM ET

Posted by Clark on 07/02 at 09:39 PM

Thanks Clark.  Mars would be the first Red Wing to wear 81.

Kopecky 82 (Czech) is becoming the forgotten man, well, he and that other Finn dude I keep forgetting.

Imagine Sour Grapes if the Wings win back-to-back with a Swedish captain and adding 2 more “soft Euros”?  Bwahaha.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/02/08 at 08:48 PM ET

That game sucked.  Getting Marian Hossa is way better.

Soft Euros are f***** hardcore.

go wings

Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 07/02/08 at 08:57 PM ET

Hossa’s brother, Marcel, has donned #81 on occasion.  That’s where I’m gettin’ my theory.  They wear 18 or 81 in that family.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 07/02/08 at 09:03 PM ET

I mentioned that hat trick going into game 1, 5/24

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don�t live up to my expectations on 07/02/08 at 09:05 PM ET

$7Mill for Brian Campbell or Mars Hossa - which is the better use of money?

That’s a great question and I would say the answer would be “depends on what you need”.

We didn’t really need either.  But I think Hossa was the right choice for us.  Expands the “circus” to a two-ringer.

Posted by Cal on 07/02/08 at 09:32 PM ET

Anyone else notice the chinese fire drill in Pittsburgh?  Is it their coach?

I bet one big reason for Hossa going to Detroit is the chance to play for Babcock instead of Therrien.

Posted by w2j2 on 07/02/08 at 09:37 PM ET

Hossa’s brother, Marcel, has donned #81 on occasion.  That’s where I’m gettin’ my theory.  They wear 18 or 81 in that family.

I’d always assumed that Marcel wore #81 specifically because it was the reverse of his brother’s number.

And the younger Hossa has had to resort to other numbers, #17 and #36, which are both (assuming Drake retires) available in Detroit.

http://www.hockeysweaternumbers.com/players/hossa_marcel/

I think our God of War will go for #81, too, I’m just really interested in numbers and like looking into the options he’s got.  He could pull an Alexei Yashin/Pavel Kubina and say a 7 looks like a 1 and go with #78.

“43wish” As in now #43 only wishes his playoff contribution would be enough to get him into Detroit’s opening night lineup.

Posted by Clark on 07/02/08 at 09:39 PM ET

I bet one big reason for Hossa going to Detroit is the chance to play for Babcock instead of Therrien.

Clearly, it’s because he’s French. And a whiner.

Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 07/02/08 at 09:40 PM ET

as a canuck fan i’m so jealous of detroit, where all 6th round draft choices become allstars and big time free agents just jump onto holland’s lap like bunnies at a playboy party.

meanwhile gillis drives around the block trying to lure kids into his cargo van with candy and xboxes.

Posted by bitterguy on 07/02/08 at 10:09 PM ET

Anyone else notice the chinese fire drill in Pittsburgh?  Is it their coach?

I wonder, too.  Admittedly, I didn’t see much of Therrien during the season and even the early playoffs, but I was less than impressed with him during the finals.

Moving from coaches to GMs, these two quotes from today have been sticking in my head…

Dale Tallon:

“You always overpay (now), then it trickles down and you get the bargains in August,” said Tallon. “But we had to make a statement.

Ken Holland:

“Success is about sacrifice — sacrificing ice time, sacrificing personal statistics, sacrificing some money,” said Holland. “Success doesn’t come easily.

Posted by BobTheZee on 07/02/08 at 10:11 PM ET

Nicely done Bob. That is the difference right there.

Posted by Osrt on 07/02/08 at 10:43 PM ET

To be honest, both the GMs are right in their situations.

Chicago has to overpay. They don’t have the ridiculous winning tradition that Detroit has and they need to do SOMETHING to attract people. Tallon impressed me by showing some guts and taking some serious risks.

Ken describes what you need to do to keep winning after you’ve already won. You need to find those cheap players, those discounts to keep your team going in the long-term; Pittsburgh is a perfect example.

And to any still-bitter Pens fans: You don’t know what betrayal is. Hossa was on your team for less than a season; when we lost Sergei Fedorov, he was on the fast-track to having his jersey retired here. Not only that, but the contracts were worth the exact same annually. At the very least, Hossa took slightly more.

Posted by Justice And Rule from Marine City, Michigan on 07/02/08 at 10:55 PM ET

Anyone else notice the chinese fire drill in Pittsburgh?  Is it their coach?

Judging from quotes by some of the (now former) players, I would say “yes,” it is their coach. No one likes a French wine… at least, not without some cheese. And Pennsylvania isn’t exactly known as being a dairy producing state.

Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 07/02/08 at 10:55 PM ET

meanwhile gillis drives around the block trying to lure kids into his cargo van with candy and xboxes.

Posted by bitterguy on 07/02 at 11:09 PM

You may be bitter, dude, but you’ve got a great sense of humor. I just hope that’s enough to carry you through the 2008-2009 season ‘cause you’re gonna need it.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 07/02/08 at 11:09 PM ET

Point well made Justice and Rule (are you a superhero?)

On with the drunken celebrations with the Newman twins!!

Posted by Osrt on 07/02/08 at 11:56 PM ET

as a canuck fan i’m so jealous of detroit, where all 6th round draft choices become allstars and big time free agents just jump onto holland’s lap like bunnies at a playboy party.

meanwhile gillis drives around the block trying to lure kids into his cargo van with candy and xboxes.

Hahahah!  Hilarious.

*Deep Inhale*
My it is good to be a longtime Wings fan.

come on over, the water’s warm.

Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 07/03/08 at 01:53 AM ET

Hossa really proved that he is all about winning. He could have accepted 100 million from some banana team and rested his butt for career because his season would always end in March.
I’m not saying 7,4 mil is little money, but what if he tears his knees this season. Almost always it is about security for professional players, Hossa wants his name on the Cup, and then will think about pension.

Posted by Kosta from Surcin, Serbia on 07/03/08 at 04:36 AM ET

HOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSAAA!!!

Guys, I’m happy as all of us that the same team that won the Cup last season just got BETTER...but one request.  Let’s not bring in bad mojo by getting Hossa wrong.  I’ve seen a few people refer to him as Czechoslovakian, or worse, Czech.  He’s not.  Just like Kopecky, he’s Slovak.  There is no such nationality as Czechoslovakian-- there once was, but Czechoslovakia was an artificial construct created for convenience’s sake after WWI.  Nowadays, there is the Czech Republic and Slovakia, more accurately reflecting the national makeup of that part of central Europe.  You have the Czechs, in the historical kingdom of Bohemia and the region of Moravia, and the Slovaks, in Slovakia, a region of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.  Generally, the two nationalities have always thought of themselves as separate, even if history has associated them together at times.  It’s kind of like England and Scotland...or the USA and Canada.  Kosta will back me up on this.  Dominik Hasek (from Pardubice) or Jiri Hudler (from Olomouc) are Czechs.  Tomas Kopecky (from Ilava) and Marian Hossa (from Stara Lubovna) are Slovaks, and I’ve had first-hand experience of just how upset a Slovak gets when you mistake him or her for Czech (you’re liable only to be gently corrected if you use the term ‘Czechoslovakian’).  Like the term ‘North America,’ Czechoslovakia is vague and nebulous, referring to two separate and distinct nations.  It’s like calling a Canadian ‘American,’ or stranger still, a Canadian a ‘Canadamerican.’ And you wouldn’t do that, would you?

Bad karma if we keep calling our newest acquisition by the wrong nationality.

Oh, and you’d be surprised how many female names besides Marian started out as male names.  It’s VERY common in the UK, where names like Laurie, Leslie, and Lindsay (must be an L thing) are still used for boys, but exists all over Europe.  And for those of you in and around DC, don’t forget the beloved former mayor MARION Berry!

With that set right, let’s get back to dreaming up lethal line combinations.  HOOOOOSSSSSAAAAA!!!

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from poring over old boring volumes of history on 07/03/08 at 05:04 AM ET

Chief, I had the same thought when I saw we’d signed Hossa, back to that game that I thought would be an easy win.  They said at the time it was Hossa auditioning for us before the trade deadline, so that we’d make a big trade for him.  Who needs a trade when he’s happy to come here in free agency?  WOOT!

And bitterguy, you may be a ‘Nucks fan, but with comments like that, stick around.  You’ll find a kindred soul to moan about your team with in AlanaH, and you make us laugh.

So if we’re going to start using

(Hossa)

we need to know what the hell it means.  Anyone from Pensblog here want to field this one?

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Bletchley Park, cracking the Pensblog Code on 07/03/08 at 05:22 AM ET

Is signing Kratos going to mean the end of The Flying Circus?

http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip64056#clip64056

Listen to Ken Holland at about 45 seconds:
“We think in Zetterberg and Datsyuk we have two real creative center ice-men.  I expect that he [Hossa] is going to play with one of those two guys.”

Posted by lilja4ever on 07/03/08 at 05:33 AM ET

as a canuck fan i’m so jealous of detroit, where all 6th round draft choices become allstars and big time free agents just jump onto holland’s lap like bunnies at a playboy party.

meanwhile gillis drives around the block trying to lure kids into his cargo van with candy and xboxes.

My God, if Gillis is trying to lure kids into his van, what does that mean Kevin Lowe is up to? Clubbing them and tossing them in the back of a dump truck?

Listen to Ken Holland at about 45 seconds:
“We think in Zetterberg and Datsyuk we have two real creative center ice-men.  I expect that he [Hossa] is going to play with one of those two guys.”

He’s got to know what the fans all want to see though.  At some point it will happen, I can’t believe Babs won’t try it to see how it goes.

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/03/08 at 06:12 AM ET

You know, in retrospect that Avery to Dallas move was fairly obvious.  Brett Hull loves him some Sean Avery.

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/03/08 at 06:16 AM ET

I just know this is going to be sooo much fun.  Regular Season Stats from NHL.com (using SCF Game 6 lineup and inserting Hossa to the #2 line, moving Willam Tell to the #3 line to fill Drakes spot):

Datsyuk (97 pts), Zetterberg (92), Holmstrom (40);
Franzen (38), Filppula (36), Hossa (66)
Cleary (42), Draper (17), Sammuelson (40)
Hudler (42), Helm (0), MacCarty (1)

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 07/03/08 at 07:53 AM ET

Check out this short story from Darren Dreger at TSN.ca:

Why Detroit?  Because Marian Hossa wants to win and he feels his best chance of winning the Stanley Cup is with the defending champion Red Wings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, though, look at Hossa’s signing with Detroit for one year and $7.45 million as a slap in the face. Why is that? Because of the term, not so much because of the money.

The Penguins would have been more comfortable had Hossa just gone to the Edmonton Oilers and accepted their multi-year deal for $60 million or more because that would have represented a financial decision. 

All along, Hossa was telling Penguins management that he would like to sign with Pittsburgh, but he asked for the chance to test the free agent market and see what was available on July 1 and ended up signing with Detroit.

Pittsburgh would have matched this had they been given the opportunity.

Yeah, a slap in the face—a BITCH SLAP!!!!

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 07/03/08 at 07:59 AM ET

Since when was one of a player’s considerations when looking for a new contract supposed to be, “make the team I was on for a few months feel comfortable with my decision?”

Everyone does what is best for themselves, in any profession.  If you don’t look out for your own interests no one else will, and you’ll wind up getting screwed at some point.

Hossa was likely a rental from the start, and eveyone knew it.  There was a chance he might have chosen to stay with Pittsburgh, but it was never more than a chance.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/08 at 08:06 AM ET

I wonder how Hossa’s agent, Rich Winter, feels about his client leaving $74 million on the table.
What would be Winter’s percentage of that?

Question:
Do player agents hate to see their clients go to the Wings, where the player (and agent) will get paid less than if they went to the hightest bidder?

Datsyuk’s agent Gary Greenstin comes to mind…

Posted by w2j2 on 07/03/08 at 08:17 AM ET

Do player agents hate to see their clients go to the Wings, where the player (and agent) will get paid less than if they went to the hightest bidder?

I highly doubt it. Who’s worth doesn’t sky rocket when they come here? Hossa is taking 7.4 now, with the opportunity to play with guys that will give him another 100pt season. And if he wins a cup, he’ll be worth 10 mil next year, easily.

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/03/08 at 08:33 AM ET

And if he wins a cup, he’ll be worth 10 mil next year, easily.

That’s the big gamble.

Posted by Osrt on 07/03/08 at 08:42 AM ET

In the end, the agent works for the player, not the other way around, so if the player wants to take a chance, all the agent can do is advise him of the consequences so he makes an informed decision.

It soulds like from some of the bits that George Malik posted that his agent was also surprised by Hossa’s desire to take a one-year deal.

I’m actually surprised that more agents aren’t paid by the hour instead of a percentage.  I think a couple of NFL players (Peyton Manning and someone else) pay their agents that way.

It isn’t as though he’s working for the league minimum.  That would raise eyebrows - and should.  The offer isn’t drastically different than the numbers that other teams were offering.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/08 at 08:42 AM ET

speaking of Datsyuk…

how good does his contract ($6.7 Million) look for the next few years? and i remember the signing last spring and everyone wondering if we should have waited ‘til after the playoffs before extending his contract. Ken is God.

Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 07/03/08 at 08:46 AM ET

Wow, Damien Cocks sure has come a long way from when he said the Wings were in the midst of a death spiral to mediocrity.  That was just a couple of years ago, wasn’t it?

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/453271

Posted by O-Joe on 07/03/08 at 08:48 AM ET

I have a question:

Notwithstanding the fact that Ken is the best GM/businessman in the league to date, is there anyone in the NHL head office going.....

Oh crap, maybe increasing the cap like this has created a powerhouse....our league is about to be manhandled.

Granted the cup isn’t ours again YET, but does dynastic hockey do as much league-wide as it does for the local fans? Do the Wing haters become more rabid? Does it sell MORE tickets to have 1 team virtually indestructable?

In short, has Gary.Ass somehow just allowed MORE harm to the league?

As I am continuing to run around drunk and naked, as we all have been since we signed MaryAnn, I am having a sinking feeling that it might simply take the NHL in a direction that would be bad for the sport as a whole. Perhaps the reverse is true, I simply do not know and am hoping you all can shine light.

End this summer crap, I wanna go be cold in Traverse City.

Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 07/03/08 at 09:09 AM ET

@ Stott H:

Check out this little item for possible answers to your questions.

http://downgoesbrown.blogspot.com/2008/06/few-random-and-unrelated-observations.html

Random and unrelated, my butt.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/08 at 09:17 AM ET

Wow, great find Baroque. I don’t disagree with his argument. In fact, last NBA Championship? The biggest rivalry in basketball, Celtics and Lakers? Last Super Bowl? Two of the biggest markets in football, Giants and Pats. All of the 50 games or so the Red Sox and Yankees play a year are on ESPN. The mass media loves to cover big markets, for obvious reasons. Which just makes those markets even bigger as the bandwagon continues to pick up more fans (see your local jackass wearing the Red Sox hat, there’s a 75% chance he doesn’t know shit about them).

In short, has Gary.Ass somehow just allowed MORE harm to the league?
As I am continuing to run around drunk and naked, as we all have been since we signed MaryAnn, I am having a sinking feeling that it might simply take the NHL in a direction that would be bad for the sport as a whole.

However, I think there is a big difference between SPORT and LEAGUE. Parity is great for the sport, big market teams dominating is great for the league.

I would much rather watch a league with parity than one where 4 or 5 teams are the perennial dominators. Its just more entertaining for hockey fans, but less easily marketed by the media. A few dominant teams create rivalries which can be marketed and watched.

So the question is, do you care more about the sport or the league?

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/03/08 at 10:34 AM ET

In short, has Gary.Ass somehow just allowed MORE harm to the league?

I saw somewhere here that the floor is now where the cap was the first season after the lockout, and if it continues to go up the 7-10% per year it has, that the cap will be upwards of $75 million by 2010 - when the current CBA expires.  so, eh, what again was the point?

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 07/03/08 at 10:45 AM ET

I would much rather watch a league with parity than one where 4 or 5 teams are the perennial dominators.

the problem I have with parity under a cap system is that it seems to make it difficult for teams to stay together - which harms their ability to establish an identity as players move around so much more.

personally, I don’t have a problem with a league dominated by 4 or 5 teams, as long as the Wings are one of those teams.  it’s all about your perspective, I guess

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 07/03/08 at 10:51 AM ET

@ Baroque

Thanks for the link.

I wouldn’t have a huge problem with a Wings dynasty, since they’ve (mostly) been built the right way. No tanking for top draft picks, no huge FA spending sprees, just a solid organization top to bottom that scouts well and demands excellence.

I reserve the right to hate them again if they sign Sundin, though.

Posted by Down Goes Brown on 07/03/08 at 11:01 AM ET

the problem I have with parity under a cap system is that it seems to make it difficult for teams to stay together

I agree Paul, I think you’re pretty dead on there. To keep a team together and gain an identity, you have three options:

1)Get every GM on board with not paying ridiculous salaries, so there’s less incentive for players to switch teams (which essentially eliminates the need for a GM, so probably not going to happen)

2)Get every player on board with the idea of taking less money, so there’s less incentive to switch teams(maybe force it on them? put in the cba a clause saying a player can’t make more than 3% than his previous years salary?)

3)Be really good for a long time, getting players to stay for less money because you foster a great environment for them to play in, causing more players to WANT to come to your team and stay (ahem)

Option 3 as we’ve all seen just ends up over time in one team dominating and eliminating parity altogether.

Option 2 might be feasible, but the NHLPA will never buy into it.

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/03/08 at 11:32 AM ET

Bettmans cap system disguised as an attempt at parity is just a businessmans wet dream of having fixed overhead.

Parity my ass, it has led to mediocre hockey.

Next time you are watching 2 powerhouses play, switch over to another game (85% of the regular season), and you will see the difference.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don�t live up to my expectations on 07/03/08 at 11:36 AM ET

I agree Todd. I went to watch the Dive play against the Panthers in Fla earlier this year and was aghast. I thought I was watching mini-mites playing.
It was embarrassing to say the least to watch 2 “professional” hockey teams try to outlose to each other. JOKEinin and Vokoun were the only bright spots....Joe Ted was HILARIOUS....still had Paris on his mind.

It was at THAT game that I knew the Wings would go to the finals.

Posted by Scott H from Kalamazoo on 07/03/08 at 12:01 PM ET

Next time you are watching 2 powerhouses play, switch over to another game (85% of the regular season), and you will see the difference.

What companies carry Center Ice? I was thinking about getting it for next season, but I’m not sure who has it.

Posted by rwingscup19 from Dallas on 07/03/08 at 12:02 PM ET

What companies carry Center Ice? I was thinking about getting it for next season, but I’m not sure who has it.

it’s a DirecTV product, so they definitely have it.  some cable companies have it, some don’t.  mine had it for a few years, but had a nasty habit of waiting until a few weeks into the season to decide if they were going to carry it.  this year they didn’t.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 07/03/08 at 12:09 PM ET

To be honest, both the GMs are right in their situations.

Pretty long after the party, J & R, but it’s worth saying that you made very good point.  My intent wasn’t to call out one good GM and one bad GM, but to note the vast difference in philosophies.  As you aptly noted, there is reason for that difference.

Almost all of us would agree that Holland is a top-notch GM, the best in the business.  But it’s fair to say that Tallon has done a good job in his time at the helm.  He surely deserves some credit for taking the Black Hawks from where they were to where they are now.

A side comment: He certainly is a better GM than he was a color commentator—though being a better anything was an easy challenge, imo.

Posted by BobTheZee on 07/03/08 at 12:44 PM ET

Next time you are watching 2 powerhouses play, switch over to another game (85% of the regular season), and you will see the difference.

I was so proud of my wife when she noticed this during the playoffs.  We were watching the Rangers and Devils and she was just like “God, does the whole Eastern Conference play like this?”

Posted by Clark on 07/03/08 at 12:47 PM ET

Chief said it before the playoffs, and it still holds true for me.  I’m not an NHL fan, and while I like hockey, I’m a fan of the DETROIT RED WINGS.  PERIOD.  I don’t give a crap about parity one way or another, as long as my team is strong.  Same goes for the Tigers, Pistons, Lions, and U-M, but being that I gravitated more toward hockey during my upbringing, I pay a little more attention to the Wings.

Gramps is right though-- the cap isn’t about capping player salaries, it’s about fixed costs, hence cost-certainty and rising equity values of every franchise, even those that are LOSING money.  It’s there solely for the owners to speculate and make money.  The fact that the players are doing so well out of it is only a bonus to someone like me who admired Cheli during the lockout and Goodenow before him.

That’s the big gamble.

Which is why it’s all the more impressive that Hossa worked like a madman to make this deal happen.  To fit into our salary structure and our time frames, so adapt to our needs rather than force us to adapt to his...Let’s just say that with all I’ve read today (Pete over at Yzerman Is God has a good summary of this, along with The Highlander), well...I’ve gained a whole lot of respect for Hossa today.  Let’s hope it means he wears the Winged Wheel for a long time to come.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the Hasek, gone runaway off the rails... on 07/03/08 at 12:54 PM ET