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And Lightfoot Saved Us
by IwoCPO on 10/28/09 at 10:37 AM ET
Comments (76)
Because that’s what Gordon does and then he asks for so precious little in return. Just a thought now and again for the poor bastards who rode the E. Fitzgerald until her keel split in two like a frigging twig, and maybe a cheap beer if you see him at some non-descript UP watering hole.
And we owe him. Oh yes we frigging do.
But we owe a few other fellas just as much. What an interesting turn of a stomach last night, eh? Do you know the exact thing the 19 absolutely did not need last night? An early soft goal. Do you know the precise follow-up that would send us careening down a road toward a massive, collective inhalation of vomit? A second softy.
Well, that’s what you got Motherfu**ers. Because that’s how we’ve been rolling lately. And the 19, I’m sorry to say, was on the very cusp of blowing the hell up. Oh yes. Yesterday, actually all week, was a day of infighting, sobbing bitchfests and grade-school squabbling. And I’m proud to say I was right in the middle of it. Here’s a newsflash, a little bit of insight for you. Ready?
I do not take it well when people pick on my Uncle Mike. Sometimes, when it’s dark, I let those people irritate me. And every single time? I like to pretend i’m 11 and get sucked into those conversations like a toolbag.
Well, guess what? The Babcock Naysayers are at a disadvantage. While they may be smarter because they watch hockey games other than those featuring my Dynasty? They don’t have the kind of access my interns do. And you know the result of that access?
The Mike Babcock Consolidated Quote of the Day (MBCQOTD)
“Yep I sat Helmer. Love that kid but I sat him because he was playing like a fourth-liner not a third liner and a third liner’s what I need him to be Ansar a third liner with some grit and a sense of humor sometimes because when things get tough I like to flick him on the ear on the bench. Flick. Flick. Flick. What? Me? Eyes on the ice. I’m an Olympic coach Ansar. O. Lim. Pic. You gonna doubt me? Well you just roll the dice Sally. Roll ‘em and then pick ‘em up and put them in your pocket next to your Mentos.”
Good points Mike. All of ‘em.
Interesting. I spend three straight days defending Babcock against the evil hordes. And then he benches Helm and I literally have no idea why. I couldn’t figure it out and here’s the thing…I saw Darren Helm doing what Helm typically does. He was running people, skating hard, being a nuisance. That, honestly, is all I ever expected out of the kid…at least at this stage.
But Uncle Mike? I guess he saw something else, and I guess he saw it because he knows more about hockey than I do.
“There’s an opportunity for a young guy to watch, (and) he’ll be fired up to come back,” Babcock said. “Sometimes, a shot over the bow is a good reminder for guys.”
Helm has one point (an assist) and a minus-1 rating in five games since returning from a one-month absence because of a sprained AC joint.
Babcock said Helm’s play has been “fine,” but “not at the level I’m used to having him.”
He then added, “There would be a lot of guys who can be accused of that.”
A few things in there. Yes, Helm will be fired up to come back. But Helm seems to be fired up from the minute he wakes up. Helm jumps out of bed and starts hitting people. Helm doesn’t walk from the couch to the fridge. He sprints and he hits people in his way. It struck me as odd that he’d require that kind of motivation.
A shot over the bow is a naval term and I dig that. But there’s a difference between a bow and a…
“Sometimes just a shot over the bough is a good reminder.”
Watch out. One more shot and that “bough” might break bitches. That’s alliteration. Sorry.
So Mike made his move and benched the kid. In favor of Brad May? Sure. And May did his job. Hopefully he didn’t break his hand in the process. He returned after our initial panic last night so all appears well. But May is no Aaron Downey. He’s more of a Darren McCarty type, only much tougher. May has a bit of offense to him where Downey was inept. Good guy but no offense.
I’m digging May Day.
You’re thinking it today because you’ve been raised to go there. You’re thinking it but you’re waiting for someone else to actually say it before you comment. Your hesitation sickens me. You know who has no problem saying it? Uncle Mike. Unprecedented. Two in one post.
MBCQOTD (b)
“Yanked his ass. Yanked. Him. Said to Todd, ‘GimmeJimmy.’ Rhymed it. Woops. I mean Brad. Stupid haircut Brad. But I said ‘GimmeJimmy.’ Does that mean there’s a goalie controversy? I don’t know Helene. What’s a controversy? You tell me Helene. Define it for me. I pulled the starter and put another person in goal and that person played well. Did he play great Ansar? No. But he played well and the other guy sat and stewed in his ballcap with his pen and pretended to do the faceoff chart that nobody ever looks at. Frescas on me bitches. Frescas alllllll around.”
Jimmy Howard looked like an NHL goalie last night. Oh, he was scary and a little reckless. But I’ll be bitch slapped if the kid didn’t make some amazing saves, along with a bunch that just have to be made every time. And because of the way Babcock reacted after the second soft Osgood goal? You have to think he’s a little fed up with Regular Season Osgood.
November is the new May. Whoever we have in net can’t afford mental lapses and boredom and whatever else ails Chris Osgood during the heretofore meaningless games between early October and April. Every game, when you decide to bend over for the first month of the season, means a bit more the rest of the way. It looked to me last night that one goalie understands that. Another one doesn’t.
Someone I was angry with earlier in the week just made a good point and I’d like to let you see it. No, it’s not going on the frigging sidebar.
Besides 4 in the third, something deliciously different was going on last night. Three (3) down low goals, Wings seem to have cut the number of shots from the point.
I can dig that and it looks like the Wings, finally, do too. And you know who’s leading that charge? Two guys: Wally and the Unibomber. Frigging Filppula, as many of you hetero-Fil-fawners have pointed out, is becoming a force. His pass to Williams (yep…I was wrong) was a thing of beauty and a picture of why moving, moving, moving toward the net instead of dancing around the perimeter on the PP is so critical to Detroit’s success.
Bertuzzi is going to earn himself a multi-year deal in Detroit. He’s lighter, faster and more aggressive than we’ve seen him. And last night? The elbows were up and that just makes me giggle. Sooner or later he’s gonna start scoring and then? Stand by. Because this guy is comfortable and he’s right there. That close.
So Jimmah and Wally and Uncle Mike and the Rejuvinoozi all played a part.
But you know what we needed and where we got it from. Offense was a problem going in, eh? Third period scoring an issue? Power play problems? Lack of production from the guys being paid to score?
Datsyuk. Finally. And if you think there is one other single ingredient as important as him? There isn’t one. His offense feeds everything. Need evidence? Look no further than last June and a loss to a team that never could have contained him if healthy. There should be a hologram of his ankle x-rays under the names of the Pittsburgh players engraved on the Cup.
Many things went right last night as the Wings finally took an “elite” goalie to task. They sucked quick and early then mounted a comeback. So much went right. And, really, so little was proven.
Sustained superior performance is all that can right the ten-game open hander. A little streak of consistent periods (great, now I can’t even use that word without squirming), then a couple wins, and then a five or six gamer. If last night meant anything, it has to be the beginning of something consistent.
I think it can, but only stupid people believe for certain that a win tomorrow night in Edmonton is guaranteed.
Still…screw it. I’d start Howard. You?
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Comments
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You may have a point that I’m giving up on him too early,
Posted by CaptNorris5
Hell, I gave up on him last summer when the decision was made.
It is just no fun flailing on a dead horse once he starts to smell bad.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/28/09 at 02:30 PM ET
Just lower your expectations, sit back and enjoy….
You’ll never take me alive.
The Nucks’ 3d and 4th goals were crazy soft.
If that Schneider goal was soft, then I’d be willing to be that 40 out of his career 100 power play goals are also soft. Hell, he got within a few inches of scoring another “soft” goal there earlier in the game.
The only thing Howard did wrong on the fourth goal was to not freeze the puck. Everybody got out of position on the scrum in front of the net. Howard has to play the shooter there. Sedin did hesitate a bit, but not long enough to allow a goaltender to get over and make anything short of a spectacular grab.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/28/09 at 02:31 PM ET
And he’s never going to get there if people give up on him after he plays pretty well in a win in the 10th game of the season.
I agree 100%.
I don’t understand why people are so quick to bury Howie yet willing to give Ozzie so much rope. Why exactly did Ozzie earn this? Was it because of his stellar performance LAST regular season? No, it’s because he’s proven to be excellent when the pressure was on. Howie hasn’t had the chance to prove himself yet, so why don’t we give him the chance?
Howie’s played in what, 12 NHL games in his career? At some point we NEED to give him the chance to play. Sure, he may have let in some questionable goals, but he still made 18 more saves than Ozzie made and his save percentage was WAY better than Ozzie’s .500 last night.
If it was Howie who started last night and gave up two pathetic goals on four shots, people would be shouting for him to be shipped out of town in favour of a “real” backup. But hey, all he did last night was come into the game in relief, with his team down to goals and play well enough for them to overcome Ozzie’s shit start to win, so we’re…shouting for his him to be shipped out in favour of a “real” backup?
Jesus, there truly is no pleasing some of you…
Posted by Garth on 10/28/09 at 02:32 PM ET
Was Hasek ever in position?
No, that’s the cause for his success and his inuries.
Posted by Guilherme from Brazsil on 10/28/09 at 02:34 PM ET
Heh…I just think Hasek went with whatever worked at the time, hence the CMOI tag. You never knew what that crazy bastard would do next….sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 10/28/09 at 02:36 PM ET
Apparently Luongo had a broken rib against the Leafs that Big Bad Bert aggravated last night.
From the main page:
http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/luong_out/
Nobody tell the Wings this. I want them thinking they potted five on an elite goalie at his best.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/28/09 at 02:57 PM ET
However, for those who are calling for Ozzie to sit in the dunce corner and think about why it’s bad to shit on ice. Why exactly do you think that would help him get better? Sure as hell didn’t work last season. And I’ll bet you that game didn’t rattle him. He’ll be fine.
Osrt, I’m not calling for Ozzie to sit in the corner; I’m his second biggest fan here. But sitting him down for his mental health sabbatical did help him regain his form last season.
Babs needs to call him into the office and let him know in no uncertain terms that this team, this team that lost so many goals from last year, needs Playoff Ozzie every time he’s between the pipes for the full 65 minutes (+ sillyskills competition, if necessary).
2-3 games on the pine ought to get the message through.
I’m not seeing or hearing from anyone associated with this team the attitude of a mid-pack team—that every point counts whether its April or October. 10 points in 10 games is what we have. 85 points in the next 72 games is a bare minimum of what we need. Ask the oil, wild or bubba if they’s like to have a couple of their October 2008 losses back.
As Gramps noted, the oil is decimated by the flu. The Wings need to put skate to throat and crush that team. OT/SO wins against conference foes won’t cut it.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 10/28/09 at 02:59 PM ET
Being a Red Wings goalie is an unfathomably hard job. To keep the jackals at bay one must play like a HHOF-caliber goalie who will accept earning near minimum wage. It’s a wonder we don’t have goalies breaking down the door to Holland’s office with those expectations.
Making Jobu t-shirts would be excellent. I’ll buy one. Jobu would be pleased. It would be nice to see everyone’s shirt after the postseason and compare vomit stains.
Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 10/28/09 at 03:01 PM ET
Babs needs to call him into the office and let him know in no uncertain terms that this team, this team that lost so many goals from last year, needs Playoff Ozzie every time he’s between the pipes for the full 65 minutes (+ sillyskills competition, if necessary)
The problem with that is that apparently, Playoff Ozzie only shows up during the Playoffs.
And I’m Okay with that. That’s when it really counts. Until then, its not the goaltenders to blame. It’s the defense and the offense. If the D doesn’t provide the support that Ozzie needs, he can’t carry the team. If the offense doesn’t give a cushion, he can’t stonewall everyone in sight. At least not October - March for some reason.
That’s why it’s so important to have a solid backup. Someone like Conks who could handle it when the D broke down a bit. Or who could really perform when it was a one goal game. Perhaps I put too much on Howard, but the guy never seems to be in the right spot. And this season of any, we need someone who can take the workload off of regular season Ozzie and help us get to a point where The Great and Powerful Wizzard of Oz can come out of his regular season shell and start playing like the Ghost of Terry Sawchuck on Steroids. That’s how it works for the Wings, and I don’t see Jimmy fitting in there.
12 NHL games, 1 NHL win. Hope I’m wrong… but I’m not ready to hand him the kingdom.
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 10/28/09 at 03:15 PM ET
Look at the toothless 19. All giddy like little school girls because they beat an injured Luongo like a rented mule in one period after their own “HoF” goalie crapped the bed for the 200th time in his “storied” career. Good luck riding Ozzie and Howard all season, toothless 19. I don’t think this year’s version of the wheel is good enough to cover for suck arse goaltending like in years past.
Posted by rwhater on 10/28/09 at 03:37 PM ET
Would it be distasteful to comment about raping rwhater’s sister?
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 10/28/09 at 03:42 PM ET
Would it be distasteful to comment about raping rwhater’s sister?
Posted by CaptNorris5 from Chicago via Detroit on 10/28/09 at 04:42 PM ET
Only if you’re planning on saying that you’ll do it before he gets a chance.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/28/09 at 03:44 PM ET
Would it be distasteful to comment about raping rwhater’s sister?
Yes, but it would be appropriate, deserved and justified, too.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 10/28/09 at 03:45 PM ET
If you’re not happy after your team wins, you’re an idiot
If you’re ecstatic after your team wins a regular season game, you’re an idiot.
If you’re happy that your team may be coming around and point to a hard fought win as evidence, you might be a reasonable person. Or a douche, depending on what you do next.
Would it be distasteful to comment about raping rwhater’s sister?
Only if it doesn’t include gerbils. Or LolCats. i can haz insext?
Posted by Osrt on 10/28/09 at 04:36 PM ET
On 9 April 2006, I told my husband I saw a kid play the night before who will be a star in the NHL one day. That was Filppula. I think he is finally making my prediction come true and I can’t be happier.
Posted by cmk from the top part of MI on 10/28/09 at 04:42 PM ET
If you’re not happy after your team wins, you’re an idiot
If you’re ecstatic after your team wins a regular season game, you’re an idiot.
If you’re happy that your team may be coming around and point to a hard fought win as evidence, you might be a reasonable person. Or a douche, depending on what you do next.
So I guess I’m an idiot because I’m more relieved than anything that they won, and while I’m hopeful they have turned a corner, I’m still stressed out over several aspects of their play. And judging from today’s comments, you’re the only one who isn’t an idiot. I’ve been called worse by better.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 10/28/09 at 04:45 PM ET
I’m an idiot, but not for any of the reasons laid out above. I just realized I could have had a V8 and now my brain hurts.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/28/09 at 04:49 PM ET
Posted by cmk from the top part of MI on 10/28/09 at 05:42 PM ET
I KNOW YOU
So I guess I’m an idiot because I’m more relieved than anything that they won, and while I’m hopeful they have turned a corner, I’m still stressed out over several aspects of their play. And judging from today’s comments, you’re the only one who isn’t an idiot. I’ve been called worse by better.
Allow me to pull Osrt out of my mouth long enough to speak for him, Capt. I believe he wasn’t being entirely literal. “Relieved” falls under the umbrella of happy, in his mind, or so I would assume. Feeling relieved is feeling happy kinda sort of. You are certainly no idiot. A bitch definitely, but no idiot.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 10/28/09 at 05:02 PM ET
I thought I heard the whole team exhale after Datsyuk scored last night…
...but it was probably just me.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 10/28/09 at 05:17 PM ET
Feeling relieved is feeling happy kinda sort of.
I know I feel happy after I’ve relieved myself.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 10/28/09 at 05:20 PM ET
Hasek wearing a kimono chasing butterflies in the fields of whatever country he’s from nuts
Posted by Rob from Ann Arbor, MI on 10/28/09 at 02:32 PM ET
You almost killed me you bastard… I have a nosefull of Coke (thats Coca-cola, not the powder kids) and a nice stain on my shirt. Thats funny right up there with Homer pitching Zetterman a contract extention.
Posted by CRoy from Redford MI on 10/28/09 at 05:28 PM ET
12 NHL games, 1 NHL win. Hope I’m wrong… but I’m not ready to hand him the kingdom.
Posted by CaptNorris5 from Chicago via Detroit on 10/28/09 at 04:15 PM ET
That would be TWO NHL wins. 
Posted by Zettermonkey on 10/28/09 at 06:24 PM ET
I thought I heard the whole team exhale after Datsyuk scored last night…
They shouldn’t have exhaled so hard. They hurt the poor bastard.
Posted by rwhater on 10/28/09 at 07:15 PM ET
I am confused. When MO sits in a tree stand all day is he clutching a trusty “bough” or a bow? I would not want to shoot anything across his bow.
Posted by Rumbear from Top O da Hasek, sippin rum & catchin some rays on 10/28/09 at 07:19 PM ET
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Was Hasek ever in position?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 10/28/09 at 02:27 PM ET