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Abel to Yzerman

Bucci? We’re Not Done With You Just Yet

by IwoCPO on 11/16/09 at 08:51 AM ET
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The last time I saw John Buccigross on television I think he had a perm.  That, in itself, is pathetic.  Men don’t get perms and they don’t use exclamation points.  In his defense, I don’t believe John Buccigross uses exclamation points in his columns for ESPN. 

But there are other issues.  One big one that I’m not ready to let go of. Not yet, mainly because this Buccigross thing? It’s the MSM’s view of Detroit in a nutshell so far this year.

We’ve focused on the “past their prime” thing.  We’re on it and we’ll be on it all year.  It will continue to be a rallying cry whenever Zetterberg puts up five points or Datsyuk makes a game his own, and especially when Zetterberg leads his team to another gold medal in Don Cherry’s backyard this February. Yeah. I went there.

But there are other elements to Buccigross’ idiocy.  Other aspects of his response on 22 October that deserve your scorn.

After 18 games, the Wings sit 4th in goals scored.  Ok. For now.  Bucci?

The Red Wings will struggle to score goals and that is a problem because they are not constructed to prevent them.

19, a nice round number, goals their last three games.  Averaging 4 goals per game their last 9 games. 

They continue to live off their power players and struggle with their penalty killing and goaltending.

Over those last nine games? 27 even strength goals.  And over those nine games? 7 wins and five games with 1 goal or less allowed.

This is my favorite, because John Buccigross is so qualified to make this claim.

Younger players are more energetic, more durable, heal quicker and, most important, have heightened mental clarity because younger people think only of the present, which is the key to creativity and productivity.

Pavel Datsyuk and Hank Zetterberg, according to John Buccigross, don’t have the “mental clarity” of their younger peers.  Got it. So when some of the younger stars of the league are losing their minds, crying over officiating, punching people in the nuts, instigating in Stanley Cup Finals games, slew footing, refusing to back check, refusing to leave the ice during a power play and allowing 9 goals against even when you’re the brightest goaltending star to hit the NHL in decades?  I guess when that’s all going on their mental acumen is sharp, sharp, sharp. 

And that’s the key to “creativity and productivity”.  Two attributes that just don’t go hand in hand with Datsyuk (the most creative player in hockey) or Zetterberg (on pace for an even 100 points).

I don’t like to belabor things here.  That’s not how we roll.  We simply don’t like to ping on one thing over and over and over again until it becomes so redundant that you want to close your eyes and swallow something poisonous.  But this is the exception.  Buccigross, perm and all, gave us something that just keeps revealing new tidbits of glory. 

And you can thank Kate.  It was her comment in this post that got me going today.  Blame her, not me.

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Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977.  No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y.  Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation.  There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature.  Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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