Abel to Yzerman
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Off Night All Around
by IwoCPO on 12/21/08 at 07:56 AM ET
Comments (11)
Something’s starting to make a little sense. Maybe it didn’t apply Thursday against San Jose, but for the majority of their games this year?
Fighting boredom.
“I think we play way better when we’re down a goal. When the chips are down, we find a way to tie it or win it,” Cleary said.
Think about it. Prior to October, the last meaningful hockey these guys played was Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final. Pressure and stress like nothing most of them had ever experienced.
And we, because of who we are, expect them to “bring it” just like that on a Saturday night in December in the middle of a blizzard in Detroit against the Los Angeles Kings.
Yeah. I know. They’re professional athletes and they get paid huge money to put out the same way each game, the same level of effort. And, yeah, it’s a worry that this malaise will last into April. But it’s possible that these guys look around that room and think from time to time, “The Kings? Seriously? Wake me up in the third.”
Hangover? Yes, but more in the form of boredom. Oh, and hey. I’m not concerned about the offense, the defense, the PK, the PP, the coaching or the janitorial staff. Which leaves one area of worry. So let me be clear: I have zero confidence in either of our goaltenders right now.
But then there’s...this.
MacLeod
I know that Chris Osgood is sick with the flu and has a groin strain and maybe I’m missing something here, but why don’t I see him in the usual spot where the backup goalie sits beside the bench. I saw Osgood sitting a bit down the hallway in Thursday’s game. Saturday night though, I couldn’t spot him at all. Maybe I’m off base, but couple that with Ozzie being unavailable to the media of late and it gets me wondering whether he’s not happy. It could just be that Osgood is sick and doesn’t need to be right at the bench though.
Wow. Well, I’m all about the controversies and the occasional conspiracy. But the anti-Digger’s reaching here. Let me get this straight. Chris Osgood wasn’t charting faceoffs and sitting on or very near the bench because he’s unhappy with his lot in life?
I have no doubt that Ozzie’s pissed. Why? It better be with himself considering he’s played like absolute trash all year. But, isn’t it a bit more likely that the reason he wasn’t in view of the cameras last night is because he was dry heaving and spewing his last six or seven meals all over the halls and walls of the Joe?
Oh, and while I’m running the risk of actually criticizing Bruce MacLeod, what the hell is the deal with Ty Conklin getting the first star last night? Yep. That was MacLeod’s selection.
4 goals on 26 shots? Rebounds flying all over the place. Great games from Wally, Buckets, Datsyuk? We dig you Bruce, but everyone has an off night and I think last night may have been yours.
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Comments
It is not the goalies.
Last year made Ozzzie and Hasek look better than they were, because the Wings played stifling defense all year.
This year the Wings are playing lazy defense, and it makes the goalies look worse than they are.
The goalies are above average, as they have always been.
They will look better when the team starts playing better without the puck.
(Winess Conk’s shutout against St. Joe)
Posted by w2j2 on 12/21/08 at 11:02 AM ET
I must be a pessimist, or a Red Wing fan. I think everyone is right. Both our defense AND our goaltending suck.
Witness, Frolov just prancing casually a 180 spin from one post to the other in front of the net untouched waiting for Conk to flop on the ice like a Brook Trout. Witness perennial NHL Goal Leader Kyle Calder crashing the crease and slapping a loose puck into the twine.
Also witness numerous times this year our goalies swatting at flies that turned out to be pucks and having to reach around to clear out the coal bin.
We must have a watershed event. I was hoping it may have been the San Jose game. A lot of time left, come April we really won’t care what happened in December, unless they’re still playing the same, and we can say “We all saw this coming.”
Posted by RWBill from The bar on The Hasek. v00x! Hurry up Bitch! on 12/21/08 at 12:42 PM ET
This is possibly the most alarming revelation from that quote and what we have seen from their performance this year - the complete LACK of a skate on the throat, KILLER INSTINCT. The attitude that, “Bitch, you just stepped on the same ice as the Detro-yet Freakin’ Red Wings, do you know what you are in for?”
I would love to see this team actually hungry with something to prove. That may not happen until next year if they don’t win squat and they only keep 3 out of 6 names, or whatever.
This team with an attitude should be demolishing opponents by a 1.5 goal average difference every game.
This team is missing that edgy attitude of earlier dominating teams of their eras, the Isles, Flyers, and heck even the “We will bury you every night and won’t quit until we get 6 goals” Edmonton Oilers.
Every night there was a pride and killer instinct to prove they were the best.
That is clearly lacking in a team who has players that calmly state,“I think we play way better when we’re down a goal.”
Those teams I listed would take great offense at being down a goal, not need it as a crutch for motivation.
This is freakin scary.
Posted by RWBill from The bar on The Hasek. v00x! Hurry up Bitch! on 12/21/08 at 02:07 PM ET
couple that with Ozzie being unavailable to the media of late and it gets me wondering whether he’s not happy. It could just be that Osgood is sick and doesn’t need to be right at the bench though.
Or possibly Ozzie is contemplating retirement?
Maybe a classy move like John Hiller.....
Announce his retirement on Tuesday, a small retirement ceremony before
Wednesday’s game and Goodbye, it’s been fun.
Stranger things have happened.....
Denis DeJordy gave up 6 goals in the first period of his first start of the season.
He came out for the second period carrying a beer in each hand and they
announced his retirement. He still holds the RW record for the season GAA of 18.
I believe these facts are incorrect:
In 1973-74, DeJordy played one period for the Wings, allowing four goals, leaving him with a 12.00 goals against average for the year.
Someone should ask Mickey Redmond about that, I was down at Olympia.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from A. K. A. NostraGrampus on 12/21/08 at 02:24 PM ET
They’re professional athletes and they get paid huge money to put out the same way each game
I kind of disagree. they get paid to win. most of us don’t like how they are doing it, but they are winning. the trouble ensues when the playoffs arrive. I hope they are cognizant of the fact that the way they’re playing won’t fly in the playoffs, and at the end of the season start practicing putting in the full game efforts they will need.
I hope they don’t wait until the last week of the season to do it, because they’ll run out of gas in the playoffs. they need to do it starting after the All Star break, or their bodies and minds won’t be ready for the playoff grind.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 12/21/08 at 02:42 PM ET
As I recall, the Detroit Examiner’s Mike Mouat said that you have to make your 3 Stars picks with 5 minutes left in the game, and I’d gather that MacLeod was giving Conklin a nod for keeping the Wings in a game it appeared they’d lose.
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 12/21/08 at 04:35 PM ET
I watched the game without commercials last nite on the internet feed. Murf was gonna interview Osgood for one of those return from the break snippets. They set up and then Ozzie disappeared. Mick located him and chimed in that he’s “doing the technicolor yawn in the room” probably won’t be back. They then waxed on about whether they should mention it on the broadcast. They did’n’t.
more comedy later when they showed the team doc doing the stats with the blue gloves on....Mick was chirping about the clipboard being toxic.
Bottom line, he’s sick. Pretty obvious but then...I am 3000 miles away. Come to think of it maybe MacCleod is too.
Posted by Rumbear from a boat MFr's, take a look at me...... on 12/21/08 at 07:41 PM ET
Entertaining as it is to see commenters at mlive up in arms about the “double standard” between Elroy and Conks, Macleod now avows that he didn’t do it. Somehow Dan Cleary got turned into Ty Conklin. Don’t worry, it’s just further proof of the utter, total, absolute and complete lack-of-logic vortex Conks operates in. But that won’t cause you to stress, right? 
Posted by nu on 12/21/08 at 07:44 PM ET
Nice work HTT. I never saw a game in the Olympia, a bit of a drive from Shiawassee County in the 60s and my dad was not a hockey fan, and got nervous and perspired whenever in a city. He did take my brother and mom and I to Briggs/Tiger Stadium a few times in that decade, walking through the ramp and seeing the boys dig up the brown dirt with their cleats while taking infield, the white balls soaring off the fungo bats into the blue sky and slowing plummeting into the brown leather, the green grass and the white chalk lines, damn, the very first time I saw Major League Baseball in color was walking through the ramp into the upper deck. What an exciting moment in a young boy’s life.
Some DNA in me made me spend a lot of time twisting the rabbit ears to try and pull in CH 9 Windsor to see grainy black and white figures up and down the ice. I used to stare at the Red Wing ticket Ads in the Sunday Detroit Free Press with the big print “Olympia”. It was exciting staring at the Ad dreaming about it, like Ralphy dreaming about his Red Rider BB gun.
How about this for “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore”.
Lincoln Cavalieri, general manager of Olympia Stadium, once described the construction of Olympia Stadium as tremendous, saying “… if an atom bomb landed, I’d want to be in Olympia.” Although not likely to have actually survived a nuclear attack, the Olympia was considered to be a well-constructed building, and Cavalieri, along with many in the Red Wings organization, were sad to leave it behind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Olympia
Sadly, the Olympia was demolished in 1982. The building was so soundly built that it defied implosion technology and had to be torn apart one brick at a time. http://www.angelfire.com/de2/detroitpix/OlympiaC.html
I believe the Ads for Red Wings tickets had this front view of Olympia on it. Ah man.
Posted by RWBill from The bar on The Hasek. v00x! Hurry up Bitch! on 12/22/08 at 01:49 PM ET
Denis DeJordy 1973
1973-74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 20 4 0 0 12.00 0 1 0
The HockeyDB.com also gives him credit for a fine season GAA of 12.00: 1 GP, 20 minutes, 4 GA, 12.00 GAA, 0 wins, 1 loss.
A fine start to a season, reason enough to celebrate with a couple of beers. A fine trivia story HTT.
Posted by RWBill from The bar on The Hasek. v00x! Hurry up Bitch! on 12/22/08 at 03:10 PM ET
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Our goaltending is extremely bad this season, Conklin has been playing better than Osgood (not that difficult in fact!) but he doesn’t look consistent enough for a long ride in the playoffs. Which means that if Osgood is not coming back to form soon, we’ll most probably be out in the 1st or 2nd round, despite having the best players in the league… would be nice to see what our other goalies in GRs can do, but i think we are tied up with this f###ing cap and can’t move players around… at the same time, with the way he is playing, we can probably put Osgood on waivers, nobody would claim him, lol.
Posted by yannick on 12/21/08 at 10:11 AM ET