Dregs is getting the Kronwall treatment.

Wings fans want him to be a good NHLer so badly...NEED him to be good so badly that they will orgasm over every last word written or spoken about him.

You watch, every last blunder he makes will be summarily dismissed if not outright ignored, while every good play he makes (which, if he’s anything like Kronwall, will be few and far between) will be fawned over as if Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman had a Russian love child. He’ll be talked about as if he’s already an elite 2nd line player (if not first line) by his tenth game in the NHL.

I recall the talk about Kronwall being a “solid NHL defenseman” his rookie year, with assurances of him being “Norris-caliber” by his third year in the NHL.

The same thing was done with Datsyuk. I remember him being referred to as the third best passer in NHL history his ROOKIE FREAKING YEAR.

It’s sad that the Wings have had so few prospects that their fans don’t know how to react to them. I’d hate to see what would happen if the Wings ever had an actual blue chip.

Posted by Thomas on 09/08/07 at 01:52 PM ET

Tommy!  Good to see ya kid. I was actually afraid the new format would be a little difficult for you to comprehend and might even drive you away. Whew.

You know, it’s funny.  I’m having fun with this new tag cloud thing to the right and you just prompted me to create a new one.  Just for you.  See if you can pick it out, ok?

Remember, bail money’s on us.

Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 09/08/07 at 02:48 PM ET

Thomas?  Get a life.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/08/07 at 02:49 PM ET

Grigs will be expected to do what Pavel did during his first year--adjust and make as much of an impact as possible.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/08/07 at 02:53 PM ET

Yeah, that sounds better.

Wings fans… will orgasm over every last word written or spoken about him.

Wow, I must have missed something on the first go around.  I had better read that story again, just to make sure…

Posted by BobTheZee on 09/08/07 at 03:05 PM ET

Don’t take the “adjust” comment from me, listen to Ken Holland and Jim Nill instead:

“We’d like to think he’s going to be a good player at this (prospects) tournament,” said Detroit general manager Ken Holland. “Most of these kids are 18-22. On the other hand, he doesn’t speak a lot of English, he hasn’t played much hockey in rinks this size. For us, this is a week for him to get adjusted. We’re going to give him this entire month to show us what he can do. Then we’re going to have to make a decision. We’re hoping he’ll play his way onto the team.”

The upside for Grigorenko teases Red Wings’ fans. His potential, however, is mated with lingering question marks.

Four years ago, Grigorenko was in a serious car accident that shattered his leg and eventually had him fighting for his life in a Russian hospital with a fat embolism in his lung. Grigorenko said Friday that he feels that his level of play is back to the same as it was before the accident.

Grigorenko spent his time between lunchtime practice and nighttime game to fill out his application for a Social Security card. In many ways, his life off the ice is more difficult now than on the ice.

“The game feels the same (here as in Russia),” said Grigorenko. “But everything would be much easier if I spoke English.”

There are, however, indications that the Russian came to this camp not in top physical condition. One member of the Red Wings’ hierarchy confirmed that the club was concerned that Grigorenko hadn’t worked hard enough during the summer. The Russian was slow at the end of shifts during the first game of the prospects tournament.

“Before the accident, he reminded me of Slava Kozlov, but better,” said Hakan Andersson, Detroit’s director of European scouting. “He was similar, but Grigorenko was such a tank. He’s still a tank, but he’s not totally back to what he was. Doctors say he’s fine, but with how nerves work … you can’t measure everything.”

Drafted in 2001, Grigorenko has long been one of the Red Wings’ top prospects. His injuries from the car accident in 2003 set back his development, but in the past three seasons, Grigorenko has had successful Russian Super League campaigns. He finished 18th in scoring in 2005-06.

If he can produce offense in the NHL as he has in Russia, then Grigorenko will be a welcome addition to the Red Wings. But will success come quickly enough for the team and player to wind up married?

“Grigorenko is going to be a big challenge,” said Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill. “He’s got an out to go back in November. Our whole thing is give yourself a chance. One or two weeks of struggling … give yourself more than a month. Don’t use your out. Now, easier said than done. You can have $1 million tax-free in Russia or make $75,000 in Grand Rapids. But if you want to be an NHL player, just relax and go from there.”

He’s going to adjust.  It will take time.  The talent is definitely there, but he’s got on-ice and off-ice learning curves which will take a lot of patience, from both Grigorenko and Wings fans.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/08/07 at 05:15 PM ET

Come on, now, folks. Let’s all give Thomas of Avdom a break. He’s here ragging on the Wings because there’s no place he can go to rag on his beloved Avs. And he has to rag on somebody four or five times a day or his life has no meaning.

Usually, trolls like Thomas are two-toothed illiterates who can’t tell the difference between a consonant and constipation. But our boy, Thomas, apparently is literate...at the very least we know he can spell and he can write a grammatically correct sentence. His problem is he can’t figure out how to use those skills to do anything but rant and rave.

Just a guess, but I suspect Thomas is one of two things. He’s either a really frustrated seventh grade English teacher or a really hyperactive seventh grader. Either way, he deserves all the love we can send his way.

So, let’s all join hands and send him one of George’s hugs. Ready now...HUG!

There you go, Thomas. That should hold you for the next couple of hours. And, hey, maybe you could stretch that time out a bit by conjugating some verbs to release the stress.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 09/08/07 at 05:26 PM ET

I wonder if with Grigorenko, the conditioning is more a matter of lack of dedication (hard to believe after coming back from his injuries) or just a lack of awareness?  A lot of players new to the NHL talk about how they didn’t realize fully what was needed to be prepared for every game until after they had played a while.  This might explain some late bloomers, too.  If that’s it, then he might just need to play himself into better shape.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/08/07 at 05:52 PM ET

He’s here ragging on the Wings because there’s no place he can go to rag on his beloved Avs.

Really? Better not tell that to the guys at Inthecheapseats.

I got absolutely lit into for calling them out for drinking FG Kool-Aid when the Avs went out and Hollanded Brett Freaking Clark to the tune of $3.5m per year.

Like I said before, if I am getting shit from you clowns, and getting shit from idiot Avs fans as well, I am obviously right on the money.

Usually, trolls like Thomas

If this were a Wings blog, then you might have some justification in calling me a troll. Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is an NHL blog, not a Wings blog. I can’t help it if a bunch of Wings pom-pon wavers like to come here and fellate their losers. Telling it like it is and calling you out when you drink Holland Kool-Aid and spin things to some ridiculous extent doesn’t make me a troll.

His problem is he can’t figure out how to use those skills to do anything but rant and rave.

Enh, I could use the same exact tone and have a pro-Wings take on things, and you’d be fellating me. If I were to be lobotomized and then do that, I would be IwoCPO.

Wings homer with a Holland Kool-Aid ‘stache = intelligent hockey discussion.

Realistic, unbiased, edgy posting = “ranting and raving.”

Don’t take the “adjust” comment from me, listen to Ken Holland and Jim Nill instead:

I don’t take anything that Ken Holland says with anything more than a grain of salt. The guy is a moron, and his analysis is even less valid than yours is.

He’s going to adjust.

You’d better hope so.

It will take time.

You don’t have time. Dregs has to come in IMMEDIATELY and make an impact, otherwise the Wings are screwed. This isn’t 1999. There aren’t two or three guys on the 3rd line who can come in and play on a scoring line if the rookie doesn’t perform. Dregs has to not only adjust immediately, but he also has to stay healthy.

That’s a lot to ask of a guy who not only hasn’t improved since he was drafted, but actually REGRESSED.

Posted by Thomas on 09/08/07 at 06:46 PM ET

If I remember correctly, the Wings early summer camp addressed nutrition and conditioning, so Grigorenko missing that camp would support the lack of awareness argument.  But — am I the only one? — I’m just a little troubled with what the I’ll-give-it-a-month-and-then-maybe-go-home clause might indicate about his dedication.  Time should tell.

As far as learning curves go, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the off-ice curve is the much steeper one.  In an earlier post, George described the Russian player’s lifestyle, where nearly everything is done for them.  It can’t be easy to be suddenly thrown into a lifestyle that’s worlds apart from everything you knew.  And learning another language is lots harder when you also have to learn a different alphabet… and at the beginning that only allows you to read printed words, because you still haven’t learned how the new letters are written in script.  If a Russian learning English is at all like my learning (I’m using that word quite loosely here) Russian back in college, while it’s doable, it ain’t easy.

And being in the land of plenty (or land of excess, some might say) can be quite the culture shock all by itself.  I once worked with a guy from Argentina who described what it was like when his country opened up economically.  His example: one day you go into the store needing toilet paper, and you buy the one kind for sale.  The next day you go into the store to buy toilet paper and there are twenty kinds to choose from — and you’re overwhelmed because you’ve never learned how to make that decision.  Again, doable, but not easy.

I presume Grigorenko will have lots of help with both off-ice and on-ice adjustments.  How will he do?  Time will tell.

Posted by BobTheZee on 09/08/07 at 06:52 PM ET

Poor, poor Thommy… still baffled by the “Abel to Yzerman” thing.

Sad, really.

Posted by TeamDub from Toledo on 09/08/07 at 08:07 PM ET

If this were a Wings blog, then you might have some justification in calling me a troll. Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is an NHL blog, not a Wings blog.

It’s an understandable mistake really.  I blame most of the confusion on the blog title.  And the banner.  And the constant flow of Wings discussion.  And the “head to Hockeytown” links section.  And everything else that shows this is clearly a Wings blog.

The thing I don’t get is the constant references to fellating and Kool-aid.  Did you have a bad childhood experience with a black-sheep uncle that you need to share Thomas?  Or is it just some weird oral fixation?

Posted by ColBerdan on 09/08/07 at 11:50 PM ET

Superleague strength and conditioning is definitely not NHL conditioning.  The Russian teams’ training regimens have gone largely unchanged since the 80’s--lots of dry-land stuff, weight training, running, calesthenics, etc.--and while Igor Larin will talk about the superiority of Russian hockey until he’s blue in the face (Viktor Fedorov weighed in on Sport Express the other day, and I can get that one up for y’all if you want to read that ridiculous diatribe)…

It’s a clutchy-grabby league where the shifts are long and the schedule is extremely different.  Sure, they play on a 100’x200’ rink, but there’s been no obstruction crackdown, so it’s more than legal to pull and tug, and, as we’ve seen in the NHL over the past two seasons, the obstruction crackdown requires and entirely different kind of fitness--more about anerobic “short bursts” of energy in 45-second shifts and speediness and game-in-game-out endurance instead of bulk. 

European games can be like watching soccer, with lots of peeling off and regrouping in those vast stretches of perimeter ice opened up by the extra 15” of width, where players can get lost and lollygag out there for a few minutes.  The NHL is up, down, up, down, fast fast fast, everything done at a high tempo, with many more collisions, and lots of European players come over and say, “There’s no space” or, “It’s really hard to get used to not having as much time to set up.” It’s just as hard to play an 82-game season instead of a 48-game one--and the Russian league starts in September and ends in March, so they basically play half the games NHL’ers do in the same period of time--so endurance is huge, and guys are expected to more or less show up in game shape in the NHL.

I have no doubt that Grigs is behind the conditioning curve.  He had to stay home because his hometown team went bankrupt and wouldn’t pay his wages while they were bankrupt (that’s Russian labour law for you), so he sued ‘em...But that strength/conditioning camp would have smoothed out some of the bumpy parts he’s dealing with now.

Regarding the off-ice stuff, as BobTheZee says, it’s not just hard learning a completely different language, where the letters can be pronounced different ways (vs. Russian, where the alphabet is phonetic) and there’s no case delineation.  I’ll give you an example from what I know: “Ich muss am Montag beim meinen gelben Auto an der Uni fahren"--that’s German for “I have to drive to the university on Monday in my yellow car,” but the word order is different because there are endings on the words and articles that tell you which parts of the sentence each word belongs to.  English is very different because we rely upon word order, and when you add in all those crazy prepositional phrases we use and all these uses of the articles “the,” “an,” or “a,” which Russian lacks, and you get a complicated language to learn. 

It’s not exactly learning Japanese or Finnish, but English is a difficult language to learn to use effectively.  And no, I’m not a 7th-grade English teacher Just a language dork with a degree in the darn thing…

It’s doing his own stuff, it’s the variety of groceries in grocery stores, most certainly--supermarkets, from what I understand, can be terrifyingly intimidating for our visitors from across the pond--learning how to do stuff like find an apartment for the wife and kid, buy a car, get child care, all those things won’t be done for him here…

And I have a real problem with the fact that his agent is working for him as an interpreter.  Lapush isn’t a prolific agent in terms of clientele, and he seems to want to shield Grigs from certain questions, which I don’t like at all, because that indicates he may be trying to do stuff for him instead of allowing Grigs to learn to interact with his teammates and coaches on his own, and it may extend to the off-ice stuff. 

Pavel should help Grigs tremendously, and having masseur Sergei Tchekmarev around to help Grigs when Pavel can’t will be just huge.  I honestly think that the Red Wings would be wise to hire a “minder” for Grigorenko, i.e. an outgoing person who speaks Russian and English, as the Caps did for Ovechkin and some teams do for their Russian rookies. 

We’ll see how things go, both on and off the ice.  Grigs says that he’s determined to play in the NHL--determined enough that he’s over here playing for about half of what Salavat Yulaev’s offering, including the comforts of home--but he’s going to have a bumpy road, and it’s how he navigates it, and the quality of the help he receives in doing so, which will determine whether he succeeds in the NHL or heads back home.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/09/07 at 12:19 AM ET

One more thing:

“Realistic, unbiased, edgy posting = “ranting and raving.””

Um, no.  Edgy’s been done to death, and it’s overrated, frankly. 

(hugs)

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/09/07 at 12:22 AM ET

Being overwhelmed by choices in the store even happens to accomplished American shoppers--the marketing term is something like “analysis paralysis at the point of purchase.” You go to the store with “toothpaste” written on your list and have to choose from eighteen different options when all you want is to grab a tube and check off another item and move on to the food.

I just wish the packaging wouldn’t keep changing so I could keep the same search image in the aisles! 

("Edgy" seems to have lost all meaning as a descriptive term.  It seems to be most often used as a synonym for “new! revised! more expensive!” these days.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/09/07 at 05:42 AM ET

That explains why my toothpaste tastes like fabric softener…

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/09/07 at 11:00 AM ET

That explains why my toothpaste tastes like fabric softener…

And why all your clothes smell minty??? 

Posted by BobTheZee on 09/09/07 at 12:19 PM ET

All the adjustments that Grigor has to overcome is no problem if he has Determination. 
From all that I have read his determination is highly questionable.  All Wings fans should hope that the Determination was Lost in Translation.

Posted by Gramps (HockeyTownTodd) from Hockeytown on 09/09/07 at 01:04 PM ET

Just don’t mix up the bleach and the mouthwash.  No one needs a trip to the emergency room!

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/09/07 at 02:28 PM ET

It’s an understandable mistake really.  I blame most of the confusion on the blog title.

Kukla’s Korner. Yeah. Dripping with Wingness.

And the banner.

There is no banner.

And the constant flow of Wings discussion.

Paul is from the Detroit area, and one of the three article posters is a Wings slapdick. So yeah, there are going to be some Wings idiots here. That doesn’t make it a Wings blog.

And the “head to Hockeytown” links section.

There is no links section, moron.

And everything else that shows this is clearly a Wings blog.

There’s a link to Bill’s articles. Other than that, there is absolutely nothing that would indicate that Kukla’s Korner is a Wings blog, you imbecile.

It’s doing his own stuff, it’s the variety of groceries in grocery stores, most certainly--supermarkets, from what I understand, can be terrifyingly intimidating for our visitors from across the pond

Well, in Dregs’ case, that’s not such a big deal in Detroit. Nearly everyone on the Wings’ roster is from Sweden or Russia, which makes the language adjustment quite a bit easier than it would be on some other teams. Add to that the huge Russian and Eastern European populations in Detroit (I used to deal with businesses in a Russian section of Detroit, and it’s amazing how immersive the Russian culture is there - in the middle of Detroit) and he will have a much easier time adjusting that he would elsewhere.

I don’t imagine the off-ice adjustment is going to be too difficult for him. I think it will be more on-ice.

Then again, I don’t think he’s done anything to indicate that he’s an NHL-caliber talent as of yet, so it stands to reason that I think his on-ice adjustment is going to be difficult for him.

Posted by Thomas on 09/09/07 at 06:46 PM ET

Oh, the delicious irony of you calling someone an imbecile…

I’d be demanding a full refund from U of M if I were you.

wow.

Posted by TeamDub from The Fifedom of Finkbeiner on 09/09/07 at 08:58 PM ET

My fault Thomas.  I figured you were bright enough to realize that you weren’t actually on Kukla’s main page when you wrote that comment.  Having given your ability to perceive reality too much credit, I just assumed you were ignoring the line at the top right of the page where Abel to Yzerman self-identifies as a Red Wings blog.  I’ve learned my lesson though and will try to not overestimate your intelligence in the future.

Posted by ColBerdan from San Jose on 09/09/07 at 10:55 PM ET