Abel to Yzerman
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Closing The Loop
by IwoCPO on 03/08/07 at 06:43 AM ET
Comments (6)
Updated 1015 EST: Khan(!) has posted the entire THN GM ranking list at his blog.
Seems like a good day to tie up a few loose ends, address a few issues that would typically be in my lane. Oh, you know the ones. Renegade columnists, Wing GM’s, alleged “disharmony” in the Wings room. But before we get to the Wings, I wanted to make small mention of the consistent pride all Sailors have in the Navy’s participation in our nation’s space program. You can’t beat statements like this when it comes to improving service morale.
“Crazy, diaper-wearing would-be murderer Lisa Nowak has been fired from NASA and returned to duty as a US Navy captain.”
That, my friends, is what I call fun for the whole family.
One way or another I’m going to work that wack job into the A2Y Glossary. Your suggestions as to who “Nowak” should refer to are, as always, welcome.
Next subject. Allow me to clear the air a bit. Do I dislike Bob Wojnowski? I don’t know him, so that answer is “no.” Do I find his writing to be amateurish, poor, tasteless or grammatically deficient? No. I like the way he writes. I like it so much that I wish I could read more of it…about the Wings.
But he chooses not to, unless the playoffs are near…which they are. And, so, here comes big Bob back on the bandwagon, gracing us with his Wing knowledge. Yesterday? He knows a hockey rivalry when he sees it, by god.
The playoffs are where rivalries usually are born, although we’re nearing the 10-year anniversary of that epic clash between Detroit and Avalanche on March 26, 1997. That seems like a long time ago and yet here are the Wings, still skating near the top, looking for a passion push.
Nashville is pushing. The rest of this season, we need to see the Wings push back hard, as hard as they did in this game, as hard as we remember.
“As hard as we remember”? As hard as who remembers, Bob? You? What precisely are you attempting to recall since your base of reference is so small?
When does Wojo cover the Wings? Only when necessary. April 21st? Playoff preview. May 1st? Wings down 3-2 to Edmonton. May 5th? What will Yzerman do now? July 5th? Yzerman retires. July 10th? Yzerman career recap. July 20th? Shanahan leaves. August 1st? Hasek signs. Nothing from last August through yesterday. More than six months between mentions, more than fifty columns. No Wings.
But he’s the expert now.
Hockeytown has shown signs of sickness but it’s eminently treatable. The injuries will heal, and I’ll say it again—it was a necessary gamble to grab Todd Bertuzzi and wait for his back to get better.
Say what again, Bob? When did you say that in the first place? Maybe on the radio where it takes no effort and no thought to throw in a hockey reference now and again. But not in print big boy.
So, prepare yourselves Wing fans. The playoffs are close, so the varsity’s going to ride in on their all-knowing steeds, ready to enlighten you with their views.
Speaking of enlightenment, the Hockey News has named our wunderkind Kenny it’s GM of the Year. Christy at Behind the Jersey has the write-up and I haven’t read the article, but I’ll go ahead and throw a dart.
No he’s not. David Poile? Brian Burke? Maybe. Ken Holland has done a good job of stocking a team that wins on a regular basis. He’s drafted well, with the assistance of genius scouting—a team he admittedly formed and trained. He re-tooled when money wasn’t an issue. But, no architect is Frank Lloyd Wright when your buildings collapse the way the Wings have the last three playoffs.
Paul posted this story from the Sporting News’ Ray Slover earlier this week, but I wanted to point out a quote that adds to a recent prolonged discussion here regarding malcontents in the Wing room.
Oh, yeah, one more thing about Bertuzzi: If this man can clean up his tarnished reputation, he has come to the right place to do it. The Red Wings have perhaps the best atmosphere and leadership corps of any team in the NHL.
Woops. As Paul said, you have to wonder what Andy Strickland has to say about that? Me, I’ll be a little more tactful. Andy can take that short sentence and stick it right up his…
...as I was saying, it also ties into a recent discussion associated with this post and the misguided (and poorly defended) comment from a ‘Dique fan who claims disharmony is the norm in Hockeytown.
Oh, and one final issue. Last night I told you of the painful experience of “watching” the Wings/Bubba game via Blackberry. Please keep in mind that while I appreciate your condolences when I whine like a girl, I do so for your entertainment and because it’s fun to write about. Have no fear: as soon as we get the tires off the roof of the house we’re selling in the State That Hockey Forgot and the family moves up to The Capitol, all will be well again. Thanks though, for your concerns.
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Comments
HD: I’m liking the Nowakian usages. And I have spent far too little energy on Foster. He’s the worst of the lot.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 03/08/07 at 09:03 AM ET
I love listening to Terry Foster and Mike Valenti on radio. They do great topics, and they know their sports… with the obvious exception of hockey. I have the utmost respect for their knowledge on other sports, but when they begin talking hockey, I cringe.
If you haven’t watched at least, you know, a few of the Wings’ games this year, please, don’t comment on them at all. It’s painfully obvious how little they know about the sport and the team when they chime in and do a segment on the NHL.
Nowak = Mike Danton?
I like HD’s suggestion though.
Posted by Nathan on 03/08/07 at 10:31 AM ET
I think HD has it.
I can think of a few Nowaks off the top of my head:
Lacroix and Giguere trading for Jose Theodore.
Kevin Lowe trading Ryan Smyth.
Feaster trading away Khabibulin.
Mike Keenan trading away Roberto Luongo.
Ted Saskin reading players’ and agents’ e-mail.
Jeremy jacobs trading away Joe Thornton.
...Or maybe these should be “Darwin Awards”
Posted by w2j2 from Alpena, Michigan on 03/08/07 at 11:42 AM ET
...Or maybe these should be “Darwin Awards”
Only if they wind up dead or sterile as a result. Evolution refers to reproductive fitness, you know! 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/08/07 at 01:05 PM ET
Should we consider Hakan Andersson the reason for Holland’s success? Probably. Holland is still definately in the top 3rd, probably top 4th of GMs in the league. But Andersson has a lot to do with the success they’ve had, and the way they’ve been able to survive in the cap environment.
I think Holland will be a great GM for this team in the cap system, but all of Andersson’s European “diamonds in the rough” a really giving Holland the time he needs to adjust.
You have to give Poile a lot of credit for doing it right and not rushing like the Caps tried to do a few times before finally regrouping, or like the Rangers have done since their last Cup.
Burke has shown he can build a team, but does anyone question his ability to build a team that can close the deal? I think Burke could easily be the best GM in the league if he wouldn’t be so seemingly stubborn about having a team full of good Canadian boys. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there are a lot of outstanding European players out there that he should open an eye toward.
Lamoriello could go either way. Do you look at his manipulation of the new rules to keep his team afloat as genius or pathetic? I’d still rank him in the top quarter.
Darcy Regier has done as good of a job as anyone with his young talent, but soon enough he’ll have to do what the Sens had to, and we’ll see if he truly belongs at the top of the list. That brings up Feaster, in that Feaster kept his top talent, but look at the sacrifice he’s made. I think he’s still a great GM, who provides evidence that the NHL needs to consider a Larry Bird rule (or a Chara rule, or Smyth rule, or something).
Posted by Nathan on 03/08/07 at 02:57 PM ET
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Nowak seems more like something which ought to be used as a verb rather than being wasted by attaching it to just one entity.
Nowak (verb): To pursue a likely empty and ultimately fruitless goal with such single-mindedness as to cause one to ignore local, state and federal laws, rationality, or overt concern with bodily function, and most definitely to their future embarassment.
Example: The Nashville Predators are Nowak-ing in their efforts to win the Central.
Other forms: Nowak-y(adj), Novak-ish(adj)
Hmm. That needs a little work.
About Wojonowski… he’s a maroon. He’s one of that rare breed of sportswriter who seems to be legitimately ambivalent to all sports. Guys like him and Terry Foster make me want to howl because more than anything else they seem to want to style themselves as mini-Alboms… guys who deign to critique and comment on things they themselves find nothing which moves them in, except when they have the opportunity to pontificate on the shameful excess or weakness or failure of one thing or another, sadly shaking their litterary (misspelling intentional) heads in the worst kind of arrogant dissapointment.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/08/07 at 09:00 AM ET