Abel to Yzerman
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It’s Christmas…and It’s Ok To Hate
by IwoCPO on 12/20/07 at 05:05 PM ET
Comments (145)
Updated 2024: Ted Kulfan, former Deep Digging Captain, reports that Chris Chelios did not take the news he’d be staying home tonite well.
“What do you want me to say? I’m happy about it?” said Chelios, who definitely was not happy with the news.
Derek Meech will take Chelios’ spot in the lineup. This is the third time this season that coach Mike Babcock has sat Chelios, 45, for the second of back-to-back games.
“I could play him, but I’ve said from day one, and we’ve had this same conversation all the time, I told him the first half of the year this is going to happen,” Babcock said. “We’re going to need him at the end of the year. He doesn’t like it, but that’s life.”
Sometimes, when I’m kicking the bejesus out of Dive fans, just drilling them day after day because it makes me smile? Well, sometimes, I get sad because Bitter Blues fans think I’ve forgotten them.
That’s not true. It’s not true at all. It’s just that, well, the little Blues have never defeated the Wings in a playoff series so it’s kind of a debate ender, you know?
But there’s an ingredient there that can’t be overlooked. Oh, the Blues fans, they hate them some Wings.
And you know what? I’m not real fond of Blues fans either. That’s the cool thing about me. I make no claims to be mature. In fact, yesterday at my youngest daughter’s school Christmas holiday party? Some (army) idiot was wearing a Blues jersey. Here’s what happened.
Iwo: Blues fan, eh?
Dumbass: Yep
Iwo: We’re kicking your ass tomorrow night.
Dumbass: Oh. Detroit fan.
Iwo: That’s right. Feeling inferior right now aren’t you?
Dumbass: Not really. The Blues are much improved. Love the McDonald trade, Kariya…
Iwo: Yzerman. ‘96.
Dumbass: Oh. That.
There was more, but it’s not as funny as I remembered it to be.
Here’s a nifty little post over at a blog named St. Louis Game Time. You’ll have to click from here because it’s not in my blog roll to the left. It’s in the supersecretbookmarkedblogrollfeaturingbloggerswhohatetheWings. Their Hockeytown hatred would only be rivaled by the Hockey Dumb in Denver if only Denver had more than 13 fans left.
I’m not going to get into the whole “take the Central more seriously” thing. There is zero chance the Wings fall into that trap again. Does that mean they win tonite? Am I predicting that? No. I’m out of the prediction business. But it does mean it’s time for another Sack o’ Mail. That’s right Skippy. Gather the family ‘round because it’s time for some wholesome fun courtesy of the faithful A2Y readers.
The Honorable Denny Wisniewski, Saginaw--Were you one of the bastards who passed out in my tool shed on several occasions in 1986 and 1987? Should we be concerned with the Poultry now that Scott Niedermayer decided to return?
Iwo: No, sir. That wasn’t me. I rarely drank in high school and Saginaw was in a dry county when I lived there. Still is as far as I know. Scott Niedermayer doesn’t necessarily make me any more wary of the Poultry than I was before. Re-phrase: they were very good, despite their early season malaise, before he came back. Now they’re better. I see them as a 2 or 3 seed and our opponent in the WCF.
We’re going to let this serve as the starting point for tonite’s live blog and I’ll update the Sack during the game. It’s a 2030 start so “the letters” I pick may be a little less formal than Denny’s. Stand by.
Updated: 1940 EST. See what happens when games start one hour later than usual? I take ZERO responsibility.
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Comments
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srt, this would be the link, but it’s not working. I think the NHL closed that loop hole.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 08:49 PM ET
just curious it the refs are going to let the wings get away with the same kind of penalties that the blues are getting away with. Not complainin’… just sayin’.
good game so far tho
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 08:49 PM ET
Thanks Srt, I’m sure I’ll post embarrassing pics after the deed is done.
Posted by TeamDub from The gratch. on 12/20/07 at 08:51 PM ET
McDonald only had all day to make that pass…
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 08:52 PM ET
anybody elses feed from FSN screwing up too?
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 08:52 PM ET
Good point, Baroque, but I think she married me out of guilt.
She was the reason the proposal crashed and burned. 
I’ve never quite let her live that down. Whenever she’s all “It’s your turn to do the dishes,” I just ask, “Remember when I proposed?”
Works every time.
Damn. Hate to say it, but that goal should probably count.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 08:53 PM ET
just curious it the refs are going to let the wings get away with the same kind of penalties that the blues are getting away with.
I was wondering the same thing, myself.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 08:55 PM ET
So...anyone wondering why Babcock would choose to play Chelios against LA, then sit him against St. Louis?
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 12/20/07 at 08:56 PM ET
anybody elses feed from FSN screwing up too?
Yup.
Glad it’s someone else in the area. I was ready to yell inside my head at the guys who removed my gutter, thinking they messed up the cable.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 08:57 PM ET
Gabriel - Guilt don’t keep a marriage going.
She might have said yes initially, but would have figured a way to wiggle out of the committment before the actual ceremony if she didn’t actually love you.
So what happened that involved washing dishes?
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 08:59 PM ET
That Barrett Jackman thing still irks me…
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:05 PM ET
“Kronwall was slow to get up”
Not what you want to hear. Ever.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:06 PM ET
I wasn’t looking...did Kronwall have his head down again or something? It’s about time for him to break a bone that nobody’s ever heard of.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:07 PM ET
No, he was standing up - just hit heavily. A bit of an unnecessary hit.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:08 PM ET
Holmstrom’s down. Not good.
Knee on knee.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:10 PM ET
Well, he did get off the ice on his own. That’s a good sign.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:11 PM ET
Babs is looking a little grumpier than usual. Nobody’s used to the Wings being behind.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:12 PM ET
That’s lame. How about McKee’s play on Draper along the right wing, where he looked to have gone for a knee?
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:13 PM ET
Agreed, Matt. If we don’t see him back tonight, I’m guessing we will next game.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:13 PM ET
Heh...Baroque, nothing involving washing dishes, it’s just my way of getting out of chores I don’t want to do. Will type the story during the intermission.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:16 PM ET
That answers my question about the bias-ness of penalty calling…
Thanks Gary!
ASS!!!
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 09:17 PM ET
Osgood is looking very good tonight, one-goal Blues lead notwithstanding. He was particularly sharp on that last save.
I know HockeyTownTodd has pointed this out before, but this crap where the Wings play one night and then travel to another city to play a team that has rested for a few days the next night had better not be a feature of the schedule next season. This is ridiculous.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:19 PM ET
Methinks there may be a bit of tongue licking going on.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 12/20/07 at 09:20 PM ET
What is it about the Central that brings out the worst in this team? I’m sorry, but if Dom were in net, this game would be 3-0. I think the Blues are better off with the McDonald trade, but the Wings struggled against Nashville too in their last game.
Is it really a question of back to back games for them?
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:23 PM ET
Agreed Matt, but the Wings benefit from it too. It can’t be an excuse for the disparity in play, ESPECIALLY in the first period. Maybe the third, but not the first.
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:25 PM ET
Well, the Blues went into this game looking to come out of a slump, so it’s not all that surprising that they have more jump. Combine that with the Wings having played last night and you get the result we just saw.
Fortunately, the Wings weathered that first period storm thanks to Osgood. Hopefully they’ll come out stronger in the second, though if Homer’s out for the night, that’ll be less likely.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:28 PM ET
That one will come back to bite us as the officials look to even the penalty score.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:36 PM ET
So Baroque, the story was like this: she picked a huge fight during the dinner that I had planned for the proposal. In Ireland. At Ashford Castle.
She wasn’t feeling good and was pretty grumpy (read: “insanely bitchy")… unfortunately I told the maitre d’ I was going to propose, so they set us in a corner of the restaurant, overlooking the river all lit up by torches. It was perfect, but the isolation allowed her to start a fight. By the time I decided to wait for another day to propose, the waiter brought dessert - two small plates covered in those big silver bell plate covers. When he lifted the bells, we saw that the chef had written “Congratulations!” in frosting across the top of each plate.
Yeah.
Awwwwkward.
I played it off for about five minutes, drilling her as if she had something to tell me. But I finally caved and pulled the ring box out of my pocket saying “It might have something to do with this.” At that point she flew out of her chair with her hands over her mouth. So yeah...she feels pretty guilty about picking the fight.
(In her defense, it was really unlike her...she’s a sweetheart, rarely in a bad mood.)
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 12/20/07 at 09:39 PM ET
Oh, Gabriel -
Intermission over. Were you too busy to tell the story?
Despite the fact that my one engagement ended somewhat badly, I still like to hear other people’s stories.
Although right now I want to see a couple of the Blues squashed as flat as if they were run over by a Zamboni.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 09:39 PM ET
Although right now I want to see a couple of the Blues squashed as flat as if they were run over by a Zamboni.
ditto
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 09:43 PM ET
It’d be nice if the Wings could put forth 1/3 of the Blues’ aggressiveness tonight.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:46 PM ET
That was elaborate.
He just got down on a knee and proposed while we were on a walk in the woods, and like a moron I let my emotions overcome my good sense and said yes. Within a year I gave him the ring back.
Very tough at the time, but it was really for the best. Even more so after the bankruptcy was final.
(We had slightly different ideas on what was an appropriate use of credit cards for an emergency. The cards were in my name, since I was the one working, and I figured it would be a good idea to have a joint account in case he needed gas for the car and didn’t have cash. He thought it was an emergency if there was a really good sale at the hobby shop.)
But that was many, many years ago, and I’m out of it a little wiser and none the worse for wear.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 09:46 PM ET
damn, that Ozzy is hot tonight! sonofa..
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 09:46 PM ET
My brother is having cable issues up in Swartz Creek, just WSW of Flint. Says it keeps freezing up, other channels too.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 12/20/07 at 09:51 PM ET
Or maybe Legace could have a meltdown and put it in his own net. That would work, too.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 09:52 PM ET
Looks like the Wings can rest easy: “Detroit’s sterling record is legit.”
Nice to see the guys get affirmation from from the Anti-Wings Party.
Not that it changes anything. Playoff issues aside, the Wings are and have been the class of the League, weak Central or not.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:54 PM ET
There’s the meltdown.
What secondary scoring problems?
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:55 PM ET
It’s alive!!!
I’d almost forgotten that Samuelsson is a goalscorer.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/20/07 at 09:55 PM ET
Didn’t proof-read my second-to-last comment. Too many from’s My apologies.
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 12/20/07 at 09:55 PM ET
Man, the Drake really threaded that needle, hitting a moving target, oops got to see the replay on Sammy. Who passed that up to him, it looked lika a Lilja pass?
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 12/20/07 at 09:56 PM ET
Nevermind Sammy from Lidstrom, confirmed.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 12/20/07 at 09:57 PM ET
Mickey said it was Nick Lidstrom
Versus read: Chris Lindstrom 
Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 12/20/07 at 09:58 PM ET
St Louis is on their heels now, that tongue licking must have worked.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 12/20/07 at 10:04 PM ET
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Speaking of the dive, not too much longer before we get to abuse them.
Posted by TeamDub from The gratch. on 12/20/07 at 08:49 PM ET