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Dallas Moms Are Sad Today, But The Downriver Puck Bunnies Aren’t
by IwoCPO on 05/11/08 at 03:24 PM ET
Comments (19)
A2Y staffers have compiled the numbers. There are 919,000 moms in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Every single one of them is sad today. I’m cool with that. Here’s something else the staffers, the underappreciated backbone of A2Y, have come up with. Ready?
Chris Osgood’s your Conn Smythe leader.
Yeah, I know. Franzen deserves consideration. But I’m looking forward and if this “concussion” is actually that, then we may be Mule-less for at least the rest of this series, no matter how long it goes.
Despite sitting the first four games of the Bubba Jr. series, Osgood’s second in wins to Fleury, only 1 behind. He leads in every other category, including one that can’t be calculated. The Wings have been a different team since he took over. They’ve won 8 straight, the most since 1952. Closing this thing out in 4 would surprise exactly no one.
And Dallas, led by mental oompa loompa Marty Turco, is emotionally on the brink of total collapse. A strong Detroit first period Monday in Dallas and this thing could be over.
While Chris Osgood is six wins away from one of the more remarkable stories in NHL history (once the future, then the past, then the backup, then the starter and now the starter once again), there can be no doubt that the squirrels running furious laps inside Turco’s head are only gaining momentum.
The Red Wings faithful serenades Marty Turco loudly and lustily – sometimes for no apparent reason.
Clearly, they revel in his failure.
It’s up to Turco to shut them up. He didn’t do it Saturday night.
Again.
And he’s not going to do it. Not in Detroit. Oh, he may win one in Dallas. Heck, firetrucks and puppies and laughing children may surround Bubba Sr.‘s barn while leprechauns dance for dollars. The Stars may even win two. But Turco’s done in Detroit. He lost it well before Osgood’s alleged butt-end to Mike Ribeiro. And he seems to have forgotten everything he’s gotten away with the last two games when he opened his trap last night.
“A butt-end to someone’s face at any time is pretty gutless and not fair at all,” said Turco, who admitted he didn’t see the play. “Just sticking his knob out there, it’s a dangerous play.
“I’ve seen guys get major injuries to the face, especially when they’re not expecting it. Those knobs are dangerous, and that’s just something our game doesn’t need, if that’s what indeed happened.”
Gutless, eh? As gutless as the two assaults Turco’s levied on Darren Helm? The elbow to the throat in Game 1 and the trip in Game 2? Neither one was called of course. I’ll admit, anyone who sticks their knob anywhere without thought or protection? Not smart on many levels. Gotta be careful where you stick that knob.
And since Turco’s on his high horse, speaking for the league and the sanctity of the game, I’d suggest he watch the replays from last night and Thursday. Count the amount of times he laid the wood to Holmstrom.
A few thoughts. Losing Franzen hurts. And we have no idea when he’s coming back. You’ve read the quotes today from Babcock. He’s as surprised as anyone. When I first heard of it I was a little curious why the medical staff took so long to diagnose, or to suspect a concussion. But it turns out Franzen was playing with the headaches since early against the Dive and only said something Friday morning.
So yeah. Get ready for uncertainty, more testing, more waiting. But don’t think for a second this team is going to slow down without Johan Franzen. And don’t be fooled by the score of Game 2. Look at the intangible stats, the ones that win games. 71 percent faceoff percentage in Game 2, after we thought it couldn’t get any better after going 63% in Game 1. I think faceoffs equal grit a little. I’m just guessing. Dallas finished the regular season ranked 13th in that category, by the way. So don’t listen to any of this crap that we should be surprised by the Wings’ dominance in that area. You want to stop puck possession? Win a faceoff.
Hits? A 39-26 Detroit advantage. And the quality of the hits was high. Drake, Cleary, Kronwall, even Datsyuk and Helm. No one can doubt the physical toll the Wings are taking out on the Stars.
But they’re soft Europeans. And we’re all rednecks.
Darren Helm. It’s not even worth our time to shake our heads at the kids who continually filter through the Nill/Holland minor league/Euro machine. Helm’s looked dangerous up to last night, and you got the feeling he was ready to pop one a few times. The first goal yesterday was a perfect shot on the fly, off a perfect feed from Happy, that little gnat. Woops, guess that’s secondary scoring.
I really don’t care if Ribeiro gets suspended. Last night, when the strung out punk snapped his stick across Osgood’s chest? Yeah, I called for a suspension. Now? Let him play. Let ‘em all play and take their medicine. And it’s going to be bitter stuff too. Bitter to the tune of more dominance in every phase.
The skate is on the throat, and yeah I know that’s a tough phrase this year, but it’s true. It’s poised. One more good period. An opening twenty minutes to send Marty off the edge and the real “rednecks” home unhappy.
Eight straight playoff wins for Detroit and six more to go. Last year the door was slammed shut with six left. Anyone think that’s even remotely possible right now? We’re going to put a number up here tomorrow, the same one that stayed for a week, then for an entire summer last year. Something tells me its shelf life is going to be much, much shorter.
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Comments
Chris Osgood’s your Conn Smythe leader.
Could not agree more! All the reasons you pointed to Chief! He deserves it…changed the momentum of the team, a leader and a team player.
He lost it well before Osgood’s alleged butt-end to Mike Ribeiro. And he seems to have forgotten everything he’s gotten away with the last two games when he opened his trap last night.
Yea he did! What an ASS of a Cry Baby! He had issuses coming to Detriot and could not get over them…too bad….Turco!
Posted by dwingsrock on 05/11/08 at 04:05 PM ET
I’ll admit, I was angry last night… at Turco, at Ribiero… and everybody else with a name that ends with “o”... but as I have settled in a bit more this afternoon, I’ve come to remember that this is just the Wings’ playoff reality the last couple of years. Other teams cannot compete, and resort to various levels of stupidity.
The sad part is that the shenanigans at the end of the game have overshadowed the bigger storyline. Instead of anyone asking Turco how he managed to suck another big one in Detroit, and gently reminding him that he assured everyone losing there was never something that happened in the playoffs—just a regular season anomaly soon to be relegated to the history books—we got treated to his opinions on a play that pales in comparison to the actions he pulled repeatedly.
Too few people are talking about a professional hockey team that failed to convert on a 4 on 1… lost 71% of the faceoffs… couldn’t quite make anything out of a second period that was mostly a Dallas powerplay… or a team that boasts only one player (Ott, of all people) that anyone even notices is on the ice…
Let Ribiero play. I want to hear what the next batch of excuses will be.
Posted by Ryan from Syracuse, NY on 05/11/08 at 04:18 PM ET
With so much controversy over the stick-swinging incident at the end of game 2, I hope nobody forgets that Marty Turco can’t win at the Joe, and that Dallas got stone-walled at every opportunity. When all the Ribiero cheap-shot smoke clears, the Wings will still be better than the Stars, and Ozzie will be proving every single person who said Turco was the goalie to watch in the series wrong.
Let Mac, or Kronner, or Drake, or Drapes or Maltby handle Ribiero. I couldn’t care less.
Posted by Lauren from Portland, OR on 05/11/08 at 04:31 PM ET
Lauren meet Ryan…I sense a spark between you two 
Have we so quickly forgotten Jamie McHacker? Remember the back up goalie who basically ousted himself from the NHL after swinging at Franzen in the dying seconds of the Flames series? Jamie McClennan (sp? couldn’t be bothered to look it up), remember?
That’s two playoff years in a row in which an opposing player takes a clear swing at one of our guys. That’s no accident if you ask me; it’s indicative of the kind of frustration the Wings create.
I’m not sure how much that hurt Ozzie, only he really knows. I did not, however, like his reaction at all. If he had stayed on his feet, and maybe bent over in pain or something, I would be much happier. The class difference would have been stark, and people would have an easier time buying his interference on Ribiero was unintentional.
I hope the league simply fines Ribiero, and perhaps even Ozzie, rather than suspend either. There will be no excuses. It will also give the players a chance to police themselves.
I think Wings loose tomorrow’s game partly because they have to get used to the crappy ice conditions. I hope I’m wrong but that ice will definitely affect our crispness and speed. No worries, Wings will still win in 5, as I predicted earlier.
Posted by Osrt on 05/11/08 at 05:26 PM ET
For Dallas to complain about Ozzie holding his stick out while standing in his crease is absurd given the hacking Marty-Not-So-Smarty was trying to inflict on Holmstrum et al. Repeated punching in the back of the head, dangerous tripping throwing the blade of his stick square down into the skates of another Wing. Not to mention the Stars punching out Detroit with 2 seconds left. Good for Ozzie breaking up the intended run by Ribeiro on Lidstrom after the final whistle. Slow him down indeed Ozzie, doin’ it for the team even if it means being on the receiving end of a dangerous 2 handed slash.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 05/11/08 at 05:37 PM ET
Well Osrt, it will be the classic hockey “withstand the first 10 minutes” of the home team’s emotionally charged onslaught we see in series after series. If the Wings hold them off and counter attack, and are not facing a deficit after 1, they’ve got a good chance of making it 3 in a row.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 05/11/08 at 05:39 PM ET
Oh please! Let Ribeiro play. Let’s see another meltdown for the ages like he did when he was with the Habs and Mike Knuble “tapped” him silly.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 05/11/08 at 05:41 PM ET
I remember two sucker punches delivered by Turco to the back of Holmstrom’s head. Both times, Marty Mind-Screw had to inch himself out to the top of his crease to administer the blows, as Holmstrom stood back-to-Marty outside the paint.
I also remember Mind-Screw using his stick to trip Filppula as the lad skated backwards across the front of the crease, just outside the paint.
Apparently, according to Mind-Screw, his blind-sided tactics, taken directly from the manuscript of Slapshot, were acts of nobleness and fair play, while Osgood doing his deed in full view of the charging Ribeiro, thereby giving Ribeiro the opportunity to protect himself, was the behavior of a gutless coward.
Posted by O-Joe on 05/11/08 at 05:44 PM ET
I did not, however, like his reaction at all. If he had stayed on his feet, and maybe bent over in pain or something, I would be much happier.
I understand your point, and I originally felt the same way, but then I got to thinking…this is Ozzie, not Dom. I’ve never seen him take a swan dive (not saying he hasn’t, just that I haven’t seen it! XD) Maybe the slash just simply caught him by surprise, or maybe it knocked the wind out of him?
Posted by Lauren from Portland, OR on 05/11/08 at 05:51 PM ET
O-Joe, looks like you watched the same game I did.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 05/11/08 at 05:52 PM ET
Lauren meet Ryan…I sense a spark between you two
Could be the first A2Y wedding… so long as my girlfriend doesn’t find out.
I think Wings loose tomorrow’s game partly because they have to get used to the crappy ice conditions. I hope I’m wrong but that ice will definitely affect our crispness and speed.
Another thing to think about is that if Ribiero does end up getting suspended, Dallas may feel like they’re being “picked on,” (bulls&#* though it is) and band together just enough to put up a win. Sort of what we saw last year with Pronger’s suspension.
Posted by RJNY36 from Syracuse, NY on 05/11/08 at 05:57 PM ET
Maybe the slash just simply caught him by surprise, or maybe it knocked the wind out of him?
Franzen said the same thing last year; I’ll buy it, but the slow motion replay makes it look a bit exaggerated.
I trust Homer to stand through that kind of stuff from Turco, although he must wonder if this is his rookie year again; D-men were allowed to pound Homer for so long, I don’t know how he hasn’t had major back issues. Let Turco be a hypocrite and “clear his kitchen;” we’ll just keep scoring and send him home then remind him of his meltdown every time we meet them next season. Ass.
Also, Colin Campbell attended the game last night. I would be surprised if he didn’t have some directions to the refs about Turco’s antics. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing changes.
Posted by Osrt on 05/11/08 at 06:02 PM ET
O-Joe, looks like you watched the same game I did.
Nah, I just stole your bit to make myself look topical. It’s how I roll.
(I guess I should hit ‘refresh’ after taking twenty minutes to type a simple response—just to make sure I’m not echoing anybody).
Posted by O-Joe on 05/11/08 at 06:12 PM ET
I watched the game again today on NHLN and saw something that I didn’t notice yesterday. After the game and the melee that ensued, one of the Stars picked up what looked like Ribiero’s broken stick. If he hit Ozzie hard enough to break his stick, then I’m not going to be too hard on Ozzie for what I thought was playing it up.
Posted by Jennemy of the Skate from putting the b*tches in the box on 05/11/08 at 06:29 PM ET
Poor Osgood. I think he just had so few shots hit him that when he felt a whack across his chest he was momentarily befuddled and collapsed in confusion because he forgot what it felt like.
Seventeen saves isn’t a whole lot of contact for the poor guy. 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/11/08 at 08:10 PM ET
how high up on the chest does a goalie’s equipment protect? could the stick have hit him just at, or above, the edge?
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 05/11/08 at 08:55 PM ET
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What a cry baby! Turco can swing the stick where ever he wants…but he can’t take the reverse! What an ASS baby. ASS!
Posted by dwingsrock on 05/11/08 at 03:55 PM ET