Yes. I took a few days off. I deserved it. I was tired. Beat down. Physically exhausted.
But at least I didn’t have a dose of the Triple Bravos, eh Dive bloggers?
One note to the Dive fans out there, in the wake of a sweep and an utter humiliation at the hands of the team you love to hate because your neighbor tells you that it’s cool to do so: eat it.
Let’s take a little spin, check out the Diggers, the Dallas Diggers--one of them a former Detroit Deep Digger before he departed--and see what bloggers deep in the hearta are saying. It’s a frigging link fest is what it is. Speaking of, the port side round-to-round link section has been upated with all your Dallas pointers.
Have a healthy and a happy. It appears all is well. The Wings, heading into the conference finals, are as healthy as a reasonable person could expect. Val Filppula, of the “twisted leg”, didn’t practice today but Khan(!) tells us Uncle Mike’s been talking again.
“I expect him to go,’’ coach Mike Babcock said. “Everything, weight-room wise and everything is going kind of what we expected. I expect him to skate with our team tomorrow. If at that time it doesn’t happen, then that’ll be a change to our plan and I’ll update.
I’m sure his update will be all-inclusive as usual Ansar. Keep your ears open.
Teddy Kulfan mentions the team’s relative health but also got his Dora the Explorer map out and realized the Wings haven’t had to travel nearly as much as playoff years past.
And compared to recent playoff seasons, the Wings haven’t spent nearly the time traveling, either. There have been no West Coast trips at all.
“It helps not having to spend as many hours on a plane, and all the time differences,” defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.
“This is an opportunity to feel fresher and get going,” coach Mike Babcock.
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention the fact that I’m happy Uncle Mike doesn’t haven that less than fresh feeling. That would frigging suck.
Jimmy D Jr.’s running his mouth again, and we kinda dig it. When Chelios talks, he reminds me a bit of Brett Hull because there is just no governor. In this case, he may be on to something regarding the official Wing bitch.
“You can get under his skin a bit if you have guys there, bumping him a bit,” Chelios said. “We have a guy like that on each line in Homer (Tomas Holmstrom), Mule (Johan Franzen) and (Dan) Cleary.
I’ll be adding on to this post in a bit. Just a nugget to get you started.
And now I’m adding to it.
Jennifer Floyd Hyphen Engel was the psycho who claimed Dallas were lifeless, barren soul’d pigs (or something like that) on March 14th after a regular season loss to the Righteous Wings. She’s recalling that dreadful day, and she’s wondering which team will represent the 73 hockey fans down in Texas.
I had this Stars team pegged for another quick and dirty playoff run.
Brutal does not do justice to how pathetically compliant they were in Joe Louis. And so it is fitting, in a playoff march that has been all about slaying monkeys for this Stars team, what awaits now is the biggest.
Returning to Detroit.
Where ugly typically happens to them.
And where maybe, just possibly, from that embarrassing mess, this Stars team finally started to become a group capable of an extended Stanley Cup playoff stay. Maybe, they had to slop through a month of ugly to finally develop that resiliency they lacked.
Because what they have become is a team that no longer folds when games get hard.
Wack. Job. Newsflash Sybil: the games are going to get even harder.
Anybody remember Chuck Carlton? He was, I believe, the beat writer who preceded DD Captain Khan(!) at MLive. He’s a Dallas guy now, has been for years.
The bridge to Canada is closed but the giant Uniroyal tire on Interstate 94 remains as a local landmark.
So do the Detroit Red Wings, and their locker room had a distinct 1998 look today. Against one wall were Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty, the same checking line from a decade ago.
Nicklas Lidstrom, on his way to a sixth Norris Trophy, was talking in one corner. Chris Osgood was on the other side, surrounded by reporters. He was in a good mood until someone (uh, me) asked him what he remembered from 1998 West finals. He clearly wasn’t in the mood for a Jamie Langenbrunner flashback.
Anyone else remember the other Wing beat writer to defect to Dallas? Yep. Keith Gave. Remember him? He’s your boy isn’t he? Popular fella. I’m sure you remember his role in the Yzerman-to-Ottawa rumors back in ‘93.
Anybody feel like a series preview? Yeah? Tomorrow.
Despite all the Turco adulation, I still say Brett Hull traded their best goalie to Tampa.
Posted by w2j2 on 05/06 at 10:46 PM