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It’s The PK Stupid
by IwoCPO on 11/25/09 at 03:18 PM ET
Comments (30)
I’m still not convinced Brad McCrimmon’s the guy to blame for the PK. I just haven’t seen anything that says it’s his responsibility.
Is it likely? Oh yes. But I need confirmation. I need something solid that says he’s the huckleberry. Until then? I refuse to condone burning him alive.
However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go right up to the edge. WingFanInBeanland concurs. He posted this earlier today in a comment and I wanted to be sure all you freak shows saw it.
I just love that so much.
And the diggers are all over this today, as if a lawyer in Oklahoma finally had an impact on all of them at once.
They’ve seemingly exhausted every avenue, to no avail. They rank 28th in the league in penalty-killing overall, last on the road at 65.7 percent. They might be in worse shape if they weren’t the second-least penalized team in the NHL.
As Okie has said, that’s just a fauxing disgrace. Those are St. Louis numbers, Denver numbers, Florida numbers. Sickening. I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve never played the penalty kill in any form in any way ever. Not a single time. But my fauxing christ…isn’t it all about hustle, sound positioning and sacrifice. Isn’t it? It doesn’t take huge talent, although that helps. It takes heart motherfu**er. Heart.
“I think if anyone could figure out what the exact problem was, we’d have it fixed by now,” Kris Draper said. “But you know, you’re playing against power-play units that have good hockey players that make good plays. We expect when our power play goes out on the ice that they’re going to score goals, that’s the belief we have, and I guess there’s 29 other teams that feel the same way.”
Yeah. I know. But here’s the thing and I hope everyone listens to this real closely. I don’t care about other units with “good hockey players” Kris. I really don’t. And I really don’t care what 29 other teams feel. And I really, really don’t care how the fans of those teams feel. The thing, Kris, is that you’re the fauxing Detroit Red Wings and the Wings do not let this continue. Pull your heads out of your ass. You’re a veteran and the mainstay on the kill, Kris. Fix. The. Fuching. Problem.
Live Blog tonite. Zeppelin’s done. The midwestern boy on his own is back in business.
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Comments
Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from Earth. on 11/25/09 at 01:54 PM ET
Excellent. Good work.
(Can we have Babs or Tick Tock delivering the slap?)
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/25/09 at 03:11 PM ET
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 11/25/09 at 03:48 PM ET
When was the last time we looked consistently dangerous on the PK for a shorty?
Yeah, ok, ... but take Darren Helm off the ice and tell me when was the last time before that?
I incorrectly argued against the Versus guys on Monday when they said our PK was too passive. I was wrong. Of course, I still contend that Patrick Eaves’ overcommitting on Arnott led directly to the goal, but the play should not have been set up like that in the first place.
Here’s my deal: I’ll shut the fuch up about the PK when we start allowing goals shorthanded and I’m forced to say things like “F*ck, what a shot” or “What a freakin’ pass, stupid jerkass” instead of saying things like “yep, saw that coming” or “knock his stupid ass down there, Big E!”
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/25/09 at 03:50 PM ET
Chief—I found your smoking gun, and posted it an earlier thread - - and if I wasn’t so damn lazy would find it and reprint it here. But to paraphrase from the article; apparently Uncle Mike and my favorite whipping boy (deservedly), McCrimmon spent a great deal of time going over the PK this summer. That said all I needed to know.
Ah, here it is, but it is archived, and you have to pay for it, and I don’t have a client to expense it to:
Babcock and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon spent a portion of their summer ... “He’s doing the penalty kill there and I was able to learn from Jacques.” ...
http://www.detnews.com/article/20090911/SPORTS0103/.../1128/rss1
and WFIBL - -that is priceless.
As Capt D said the other day, there is no salary cap on coaches. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. I will take notice too.
“I think if anyone could figure out what the exact problem was, we’d have it fixed by now,
We all know who that somebody is - - maybe it is well past friggin time to let someone else try to decipher the problem.
See you Bitches tonight!
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/25/09 at 03:55 PM ET
“I think if anyone could figure out what the exact problem was, we’d have it fixed by now”
If you’re doing everything right and it’s not working, try doing a couple things wrong.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/25/09 at 04:02 PM ET
If you’re doing everything right and it’s not working, try doing a couple things wrong.
Fauxing genius.
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 11/25/09 at 04:07 PM ET
Chief…I think we’ve been spending too much time together, I posted this yesterday:
http://animaldrew.blogspot.com/2009/11/its-pk-stupid.html
It’s like a post title mind-meld or something.
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 11/25/09 at 04:43 PM ET
(Can we have Babs or Tick Tock delivering the slap?)
I searched the fathoms of the interwebs for a profile shot of Tick Tock or Uncle Mike that would match the angle of the bald dude. To no avail.
Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from Lidstrom's head telling him 1 more year on 11/25/09 at 04:53 PM ET
no one is willing to block shots.
god help me…i miss andreas lilja.
Posted by paul maclean's soup strainer on 11/25/09 at 04:57 PM ET
Chief…I think we’ve been spending too much time together, I posted this yesterday:
Drew, I might have peeked at your page and that may have stuck. You get the credit for that one.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/25/09 at 05:26 PM ET
no one is willing to block shots.
Exactly.
Here are the NHL stats for BS (blocked shots):
The best Red Wing is Brad Stuart, in 54th place.
Kronwall # 80
Rafalski # 92
There are a lot of teams and players blocking a lot more shots than the Wings.
Posted by w2j2 on 11/25/09 at 05:34 PM ET
i’ve been reading up on the various wings blogs all day and it’s the same Bertuzzi hatred everywhere that i see here. genius fans are actually calling out for him to be waived (yeah, real smart with our injury problems. i’m sure we have tons of kids in grand rapids who are a step up from Bertuzzi)
I still find this hatred towards Bertuzzi (not counting last game which was his worst thanks to those penalties) to be incredibly overblown and I have to wonder if he had a few more goals trickle by and his point standing was more up to par with a top 6 forward if everyone would still be up in arms.
he’s obviously NOT the Bertuzzi of old, but we don’t pay him the salary of the Bertuzzi of old. He’s not expected nor asked to be the Bertuzzi of old and it’s really an unfair comparison. He came in and the coaches and management asked him to work hard, play d, and don’t take dumb penalties. He’s complied more than amply (minus last game of course). In fact, his defensive play has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. Babcock confirmed his agreement with all of this earlier.
Bertuzzi is obviously in a slump… but it happens to everyone. No one was calling for Cleary to be waived when he went over 10 games without a goal. People just need to relax. The whole reason babs is playing Bert with Datsyuk is to give him every opportunity to work his way out of his slump. Because if he does, and a goal starts trickling in here or there, it’ll change things big time. Why is it everyone talks about “scoring in bunches”? That’s not a magic phenomena. It’s clearly a confidence thing and Bertuzzi is playing with very little offensive confidence - hence the hesitance to pull the trigger, go to the net, etc. It takes a little spark and before you know it he could go on a mini-tear. All Holland wanted out of Bertuzzi is around 20 goals. He’s on pace for 12-15 right now all while being in a huge slump. It’s completely realistic that if he breaks out of that slump and has an upswing he will make that 20 mark easily.
People just need to settle down. This is a team with the greatest coach of the decade and the greatest management in the last 20 years and yet game in and game out all the fans think they know better.
Well, in Babs I trust.
(but WTF is the deal with scratching Eaves any damn way? the kid better be hurt or our coach is just an idiot… 
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 05:36 PM ET
i realize EVERYONE disagrees with my post above by the way
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 05:43 PM ET
he’s obviously NOT the Bertuzzi of old, but we don’t pay him the salary of the Bertuzzi of old. He’s not expected nor asked to be the Bertuzzi of old and it’s really an unfair comparison.
I’m not arrogant enough to assume that my site is a part of the “various blogs” you read that included such hatred, but I’ll respond anyway since I’m in that camp.
I am well aware of what he’s being paid, and what he is now compared to what he used to be. I am aware that if he somehow gets to 20 goals, then it’s not going to look like a bad thing paying him 1.5$ dollars.
But my problem is that I see a boatload more potential out of Bert, and he chooses not to use it. You are correct—his defensive play (at times) has been better than we could’ve imagined, and I think he backchecked once. But he doesn’t look like an old man just barely hanging on. I see a guy who loafs through too many games, never hits or uses his physical gifts, and expends more energy complaining about penalties than using it against his opponents.
I respect your opinion, but I hate the “we’re not paying him to ___” argument. His stats don’t matter as much to me as his effort. Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves might not total 20 goals together at the end of the year, but I still love watching them play because I know that they’re good for the team, can work with a number of line combinations and seem to truly give a shit. I don’t get anywhere near the same vibe from Bert and that pisses me off.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 11/25/09 at 05:48 PM ET
I have to wonder if he had a few more goals trickle by and his point standing was more up to par with a top 6 forward if everyone would still be up in arms.
Well… no. I guess I wouldn’t be saying things like Bert needs to produce more points if he were, in fact, producing more points.
With me, it’s a loss of patience. I agree with almost every sentiment you’ve made, Perfection, but I’m frustrated as hell with the way the Wings have played lately.
I don’t expect Bert to score 50 goals, but I also don’t want to give him a break on his $1.5M salary. I don’t remember when I said it, but I expect guys to play to their line grade and not their pay grade. I guess the unspoken thing to this point is that I don’t want Bert on our top line anymore. I know I’m not as qualified to run the Wings as Babcock and I still think he’s the best coach we could have, but that doesn’t mean I can’t ask the questions when one of our top scoring lines all goes into a slump at the same time and it drags on for multiple games. I want Bert to pull out of his slump, I do; I think all Red Wings fans do, even the ones who hate Bert to his core. I just don’t want to see one-goal games by the Wings and losing points in the standings waiting for it to happen.
Comparing Bert to Cleary is apples to oranges. I still don’t give Cleary enough credit even when he’s scoring points because he’s one of the few Red Wings players I’ve never seen loafing on the ice (even Datsyuk doesn’t fit that category, despite consistently being one of the team’s hardest workers). Of course, times have also changed and I recognize that. When Cleary was developing before our eyes, he did it on the third line in times when the team was healthier and deeper than it is now. The injuries are intensifying the spotlight on everybody.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/25/09 at 05:50 PM ET
Posted by perfection on 11/25/09 at 05:36 PM ET
What he said.
Or as you jackass wannabees say it now, +1.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 11/25/09 at 05:52 PM ET
Faux it, I’m firing up the 360 and blasting off 10,000 rounds in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 before 730.
Posted by RWBill from the Land of 12 in 12. on 11/25/09 at 05:53 PM ET
Faux it, I’m firing up the 360 and blasting off 10,000 rounds in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 before 730.
Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 11/25/09 at 05:53 PM ET
RWB: i’ve been getting waxed on that most of the day by EMO’s and 12 year olds. Too bad you’re not on PS3 or we could team up and go Probie on their asses.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/25/09 at 05:56 PM ET
No FSD+ at my place, so J.J. you better get that pull-out couch prepared for when I head over in an hour. And make it nice and comfy— you wife’s pregnant after all.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 11/25/09 at 05:59 PM ET
first off Triple Deke, I’d love to read your site… what is it?
outstanding points… no doubt. frustration mounts for all of us. I think injuries and PK are the two reasons for the wing’s frustrating play and frustrating results. to put the blame on one player or one assistant coach is absurd.
with that said, Bertuzzi has always had a “loafing” quality about him. He definitely doesn’t have the snarl he once had (for obvious reasons… his lawyers have probably even advised him to never punch anyone again because it will affect his pending lawsuit). but i think he’s a lot stronger on the puck than it appears because he does it so casually. when he’s cruising around the boards like an idiot with one hand on his stick not accomplishing anything, notice how opposing players just bounce off of him one after another. if he just used that ability to drive to the net, we’d have a different player. and I think that is about confidence.
i think another point to make for why Bertuzzi may not be launching his tank of a body all over the ice is that he is clearly injury prone at this point in his career. he’s suffered a ton of injuries the last few years and I think that has affected his play much more than falling over on steve moore (which was a total fluke… the same exact thing could have happened when dmac jumped claude lemieux or a million other players in a million other beatdowns)
of course everyone can question the coaches moves and babs is obviously not infallible. i just think we need to be patient and i can’t stand all of the ‘waive him’ talk either. that’s just stupid.
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 06:03 PM ET
Triple Deke, I’d love to read your site… what is it? Posted by perfection on 11/25/09 at 06:03 PM ET
Follow your heart. (Or click my name in my signature.)
I think this is the most civil disagreement I’ve had on this blog in .... well, ever. Let’s be web friendz.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 11/25/09 at 06:06 PM ET
Some interesting numbers for the tilt tonight, from CBC.ca:
•Detroit dropped a 3-1 decision in Nashville on Monday and has now lost three of four overall (1-2-1 record), including two straight setbacks at Joe Louis Arena.
Atlanta is 6-2-1 on the road this season—third-best in the league.
•At 7-0-0, Atlanta is the only team in the league without a loss when scoring first this season. Detroit is 5-2-2 when lighting the lamp first in 2009-10—tied for 20th.
•Tomas Holmstrom has been held without a point in five straight games after tallying 12 points (9g, 3a) in his first 17 skates of 2009-10. Holmstrom is just two goals shy of lighting the lamp for the 200th time in his career.
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 11/25/09 at 06:15 PM ET
No FSD+ at my place, so J.J. you better get that pull-out couch prepared for when I head over in an hour. And make it nice and comfy—you wife’s pregnant after all.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 11/25/09 at 05:59 PM ET
The wife can stay with her parents tonight, I don’t want her ruining the slumber party.
I’ve got pizza rolls…
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/25/09 at 06:29 PM ET
Perfection, I think you made an important point here:
his lawyers have probably even advised him to never punch anyone again because it will affect his pending lawsuit
I don’t think fear or wariness of injuries is the main factor in Bertuzzi’s change of play (though, I am sure it is one). Could his lawyers also be saying, “not only can you never punch a guy again, but you also can’t play like you used to because Moore’s lawyers could claim that you have showed no remorse by continuing to play as you did before the incident”?
To the 19 lawyers: could that be the case?
Either way, Bert has internal and external factors grinding into his brain and whispering into his ear every time he steps on the ice. He’s haunted by a mistake that probably replays over and over in his head when he lies down to fall asleep. Dude has baggage. And he won’t shake his ghosts ever. All we can hope is that he can push it out of his head enough to quit being so useless out there.
Posted by pilgrim from the ice at the bottom of the world on 11/25/09 at 06:30 PM ET
I think you inadvertently got to the root of the problem right at the end of your post:
You’re a veteran and the mainstay on the kill, Kris.
Draper, for a long time, was the number one reason the Wings penalty kill was consistently at the top of the league. but he’s no longer what he used to be, sad to say. and the Wings do not have a new Kris Draper.
I think Darren Helm could be it. Babs needs to make them roomies. Darren Helm needs to drink at the well that is Kris Draper, day after day, until he has absorbed it all.
because you’re right, Chief. PK is about hustle. it’s about pressuring the puck and taking away time and space from those “good hockey players that make good plays” - and make them make bad plays. that’s it in a nutshell.
can I have Brad’s job?
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/25/09 at 06:35 PM ET
If you’re doing everything right and it’s not working, try doing a couple things wrong.
do the opposite!
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/25/09 at 06:36 PM ET
I have to wonder if he had a few more goals trickle by and his point standing was more up to par with a top 6 forward if everyone would still be up in arms.
good job, captain obvious. you figured out why everyone is hating on Bertuzzi. it’s EXACTLY BECAUSE his numbers aren’t where they should be.
and yeah, I do think that we have some in GR who could do his job just as well (or as poorly, I should say) as he is. for less money. and take fewer penalties.
Bertuzzi is a -5. second worst on the team.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/25/09 at 06:40 PM ET
see, that’s exactly what i’m talking about. when Zetterberg’s #‘s weren’t where they should have been the first couple weeks of the season, did you want him cut as well Lieutenant Overreaction?
or when cleary was slumping? Corporal Nearsighted
in fact, Lidstrom’s points are not nearly up to his standard right now…. perhaps we waive him and bring up Kindl… i mean he’s so much cheaper. that would be a great idea Private Retard!
at least the other guys have solid reasoning… it’s posts like yours that spawned my first post. Just stupid.
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 07:29 PM ET
and i’m pissed that center ice isn’t offering an HD feed. i have an HD projector and a 9x5 screen and it makes standard def look that much crappier. booooo.
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 07:31 PM ET
we can continue this after the game… no live blog for me… i can’t stand commercials so I HAVE to DVR the game and start it an hour late. I can skip all the BS and the game ends at almost exactly the live ending. Be back for post game analysis…
Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/25/09 at 07:34 PM ET
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Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving Chief to you and yours. Also, thanx again for your service to our country.
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 11/25/09 at 03:47 PM ET