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More Advice For Wing Fans
by IwoCPO on 02/19/08 at 12:10 PM ET
Comments (19)
Some of you feel like victims. You feel the world is, because you’re a Wing fan, against you; even hoping for your sorrow. You greet each day knowing there are fans out there who take great joy in your misery, and that of your team. Many of you revel in this. It makes a small number of you cranky and itchy.
Whatever reaction happens to be yours, prepare yourself because I’ve got a stimulant for you. Yet another voice from another state, representing another fan base, who would like to tell you how to support your team. Shockingly that voice comes from down South.
Carolina way to be exact.
Over the weekend, we were told specifically how to act as “transplants” in another team’s arena. Teri Frei, sobbing Dive apologist, whimpered his way through an ESPN column, indirectly pointing at Wing fans in Denver who have the gall to show up at The Ass Can and support their boys from Hockeytown.
Now, Dave Lee, owner and proprietor of Red and Black Hockey, feels we overreacted last evening when Nick Lidstrom hobbled back to the Wing bench, and then to the Wing room. Dave Lee feels we should have taken Lidstrom’s injury with a grain of salt. Dave Lee said we “whined” about our Captain’s fate. I think Dave was even trying to say we singled ourselves out, falsely claiming we’re the only team to lose a key guy to injury.
While they’re happy to have won the game, they’re more concerned right now with the fact that they have just become the only team in the history of the game to see one of its star players get injured.
After reading around some of the Wings blogs, it’s clear that most of the “ZOMG, it’s the end of the world!” posts were hastily written before details were available, but it still reeks of hubris to whine about a minor injury, as if that kind of thing can’t possibly happen to the Red Wings.
I’m not sure what “ZOMG” is. I have a teenage daughter and I do read Dive blogs, so I guess I’ve seen it...but it hasn’t stuck yet. And I’m positive I don’t know what “hubris” is. Again, it’s just not a word I care to investigate too deeply. Sounds kinda French, kinda like “derrier”, or “perrier”, or Laperriere, or even LaFairierre. None of those words feel good on my fingertips when I type them.
Despite Dave’s high-brow lexicon (see? I’ve got a few up my sleeve), I understand the point he’s making. And because I like Dave Lee, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt today because his Canes just lost their Captain for the season. But Dave is clearly not placing himself in our position when he chooses to scoff at our sprint toward the Stress Train.
This is far from a “worst-case scenario”. Rafalski is day-to-day with a sore groin. Kronwall is about a week away from returning from a shoulder injury. Lidstrom is not expected to be out for more than 10 days.
It’s a good point, were we tempted to take the Wing organ-I-zation at their word, which is highly discouraged ‘round these parts. You see Dave...we assume our team officials lie to the press (the Diggers) on a regular basis, and we like it. Because if they’re lying to the media, they probably have a good reason. We accept that. In this case, there is always the distinct possibility that Lidstrom’s hurt worse than advertised and that info has been kept from us (and you) so that Ken Holland doesn’t get fleeced at the trade tables in Naples.
Oh, and when we posted our “Worst Case Scenario” ditty last night? Lidstrom had been injured for about fifteen minutes, and no one had any clue as to the extent. So, a “worst case scenario” was--indeed--staring us in the face.
You see, when the best player in hockey, the second best defenseman of all time, the Captain of your team, the five time Norris winner, the conscience and the confidence of your franchise, when he’s got a potential knee injury two months before the playoffs begin...that’s kinda, yeah, “worst case.”
So, Wing fans, another voice--clearly with your best interests at heart--has elected to provide you with some wholesome advice as to how you should be reacting today. I’m sure you’ll take it onboard and give it the kind of attention it deserves.
Me? I’ve got my engineer’s cap on ready standby.
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Comments
“I have a teenage daughter and I do read Dive blogs”
ZOMG!
Posted by Backpacking Dad on 02/19/08 at 01:03 PM ET
Exactly.
Rafalski could be “day to day” with a sore groin for the next two weeks. Only to be out again because he did something else to it.
Kronwall is Kronwall. If I recall correctly, his inital diagnosis was also “a week to 10 days.”
See? We aren’t overreacting - we are being extremely skeptical, and rightly so.
IF the time lost for Lidstrom is actually a week to ten days for a minor knee tweak, then great. If it is actually the next four weeks with concussion-like symptoms, then not great. Not great at all.
Don’t tell us to take the organization’s word for anything. I wouldn’t trust them if they told me it was snowing right now without finding a window and a Doppler radar map to check for myself.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/19/08 at 01:06 PM ET
The rest of the hockey world just does not understand our affection for Nick Lidstrom. He is our big brother. You do not mess with him. You do not hurt him. You do not reduce him to stumbling around and not knowing where he is. That is unacceptable to everyone on the bench and everyone on the “Hockeytown Chief” (train).
Posted by w2j2 on 02/19/08 at 01:08 PM ET
And I think “hubris” may be why the Sharks are playing as though they only need to show up to get wins because other teams will collapse before their overwhelming skill and speed and size advantage on their way to the Cup.
Doesn’t seem to be working very well at the moment, however. Blown third-period lead again on the island.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/19/08 at 01:09 PM ET
One of the Dive fan’s at work just tried to gloat: “Boy, Lappy sure got Lidstrom”
“And then took the beating of his life; Downey went through him faster than an alligator goes through a chicken. Besides, when the season’s over we’ll be in the playoffs, and you’ll be remembering one hit from a regular season game while the Dive polish up on their golf game.”
Uncle Mike looked like he was going to rip Tony’s eyes out and lick the retinas.
Great to see Ozzy out of the funk. Great to see the team out of the funk. Hopefully Nick isn’t out too long.
Posted by wingsfanindenver from 'lanche land on 02/19/08 at 01:47 PM ET
With all due respect, Brind’Amour and Lidstrom aren’t exactly in the same category, other than the fact that they are both captains. No doubt Brind’Amour has a legit shot at the HOF, but nobody will mistake him for one of the top three of all-time at his position.
The key here is to keep Rafalski and Kronner out until they are truly 100%. At this point in the season, with the lead the team has (10 points with a game in hand), you have to be willing to trade losses for health. If they overreact and rush those guys back, it’s just going to get worse.
Obviously, when the playoffs start, if you can play well, you will play, regardless of pain, and regardless of anything short of a career-ending re-injury.
Posted by Nathan on 02/19/08 at 01:50 PM ET
According to UrbanDictionary.com, ZMOG roughly translates to something like: “Oh my god! Oh my gawd! Zombiz run!” They say it’s also “...a good way to express anger, or dislike of a certain thing.” Whatever!
It’s just another lazy-kid’s way of saying nothing at all. At least it uses capital letters. I didn’t think the kiddies even knew where the Shift key was anymore.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 02/19/08 at 01:57 PM ET
“Boy, Lappy sure got Lidstrom”
“Lappy?” That’s his nickname in Denver?
Sorry, I can’t really take him that seriously without a mental image of “Lappy” in the Slides’ strip club...er...dressing room?
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/19/08 at 02:01 PM ET
Nick is a class act and the best Dman in the NHL right now. You don’t run at the guy without retribution. I’m nervous about the injury, but we’ll see what happens. If Meech keeps playing like he did last night we migh be ok letting the captain rest for a few weeks. As long as #5 is back before the playoffs (along with Kronner) we should be cool. But then again, I’m an optimist.
Posted by Bryan from Athens, OH on 02/19/08 at 02:09 PM ET
Hubris—interesting choice of words for Mr. Dave Lee.
In the interest of correctness, hubris is defined, at dictionary.com as:
Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance
.
It seems to me, that it is Mr. Lee displaying a great deal of hubris in analyzing just how Wing Nation should react to the injury to St. Nick! Especially someone that is not a Wing fan nor dedicated to all things Red Wings—that, in my opinion, is blatant hubris!!
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 02/19/08 at 02:10 PM ET
BTW, Bill Roose, the writer of redwings.nhl.com said,
DETROIT – Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom will have his injured right knee re-examined on Wednesday morning before meeting with team physicians to discuss any prognosis.
“The knee feels sore and a little bit swollen,” Lidstrom told DetroitRedWings.com. “I’ll have an MRI in the morning.”
Lidstrom’s injury occurred in the first period of Monday’s game at Colorado’s Pepsi Center. He was sent into the boards as a result of a monstrous check from the Avs’ Ian Laperriere at about the six-minute mark of the period.
“I have a pretty good mark on my chin where he hit me,” said Lidstrom, a five-time Norris Trophy winner. “Whether he tried to or not, I don’t know, but he followed through and finished with his elbow up on my chin and that’s when my head went back into the glass.”
Lidstrom appeared to be woozy as he was helped from the ice by trainer Piet Van Zant and teammate Henrik Zetterberg.
“I don’t have a headache or anything,” Lidstrom said.
Take that to Dave Lee and then tell us how the NHL is supposed to be cracking down on head shots.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/19/08 at 02:18 PM ET
1) He has one FUGLY blog. The banner looks like a 2 year old threw up on his crayons.
2) Spells “Nik” incorrectly in tags
3) Says Downey has “barbells for brains,” then follows with a quote in which Downey explicitly says he is not interested in goonery. The “Roman times” thing is a reference to codes of honor in sport, i.e. Olympians, not hockey specifically. (yea, it dose sound funny when quoted without Downey’s pause between “honorable hockey” and “Roman times")
4) I agree with Nathan. Rod and Nick are not to be compared.
5) Instant classic award: “Uncle Mike looked like he was going to rip Tony’s eyes out and lick the retinas.” --Wingfanindenver
6) Can’t form sentences...must use bullet point...brain melting....h..e..l..p
Posted by Osrt on 02/19/08 at 03:46 PM ET
Hubris...it’s like scruples…you can pick some up on E-Bay for .06 cents a pound. That is about .06 cents per pound more than hockey advice on the Wings from a non-resident of Hockeytown. We can’t expect them to understand. Half the fun is trying to figure out what Babblecock means, when he says, what he says, unless it is in writing. Reviewing old comments to discern the scintilla of fact buried in the plethora of misinformation is deriguer for Wing fans. Others, not so much. Thanks anyway, Dave.
Posted by Rumbear from Sandy Eggo on 02/19/08 at 04:28 PM ET
Hubris...it’s like scruples…you can pick some up on E-Bay for .06 cents a pound.
That would be for the rarest form, the hard-to-find Reeking Hubris. Merely Malodorous Hubris goes for about .04; Only Odoriferous Hubris, .02; and Simply Scentless Hubris, .01.
Posted by BobTheZee on 02/19/08 at 06:18 PM ET
Hey,
Just a few happenings from the game last night, that I attended, that may shed a light on why they chose to isolate the wings fans in denver, and why they might be a little rowdy. Its been the 5th game ive seen the wings play at THE ASS CAN, and everytime its clearly evident that the Wings Nation is in full force. A rundown
1.) get yelled at by usher for spilling my own beer,
2.) We get a little rowdy after the Laperierre hit and then again during the fight and was then told i needed to settle down because it was upsetting the season ticket holders
3.) the announcer tried to get the “let’s go avs” chant going with the horn, except it turned out to be “let’s go wings” in the whole arena, the wings fans were loud!
4.) when walking to the concession stand/bathroom I Got harassed by the ushers that I was wearing the wrong colors, and when I started spitting out numbers left and right, points, standings, its clearly apparent they dont follow their own team or even hockey at all, but have the gull to say I was wearing the wrong colors.
all in all this was probably the most satisfaction Ive felt for the wings in a while, and its clearly evident in denver and I imagine in other places as well, that its not that we’re bad fans, or whatever you want to call us, its that when a team we only get the chance to see a couple (the 2 away games vs. colorado) times a season in person, we get anxious and worked up, To me its those in Hockeytown that are spoiled. I get the chance twice a season, and when they do come to town, I may get a litte excited, I may get a little rowdy, but its all in fun, I don’t cuss up a storm, I voice my opinion, that “hey this guy over here is a wings fan, and not afraid to root on his team with a loud voice.” We just have a seasons worth of cheering to do in two games. We dont get scared, we don’t cower and keep our mouths shut, we love our team, and were going to make sure you know it!
Posted by Adam from Denver on 02/19/08 at 08:49 PM ET
Also Ive lived in denver for a while now and have never once heard laperierre referred to as “Lappy”
Posted by adam from denver, on 02/19/08 at 08:54 PM ET
They now have a video on redwings.nhl.tv (yes, that’s a real site) where Lidstrom just said that he didn’t think Laperriere’s hit was dirty. The initial tests on his concussion were negative. He also said that the club’s still waiting on the results of the MRI, which should be later in the day.
He looked disappointed he wasn’t part of the victory over the Slides but he gave credit to the guys for stepping up as he usually does.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/20/08 at 04:37 PM ET
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I’m just having flashbacks to the Kronwall injury how at first it wasn’t serious and we still don’t have him back. Same with Cleary. Once I got word last night that they were saying a knee injury, I looked at my friend and said, hmm, do they have their body parts confused? Or is it just more hockey speak, you know when they have a concussion but they say it is a groin strain or something.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 02/19/08 at 01:02 PM ET