The summer could have been longer, but the Wings went to the final four )

Robin Big Snake.  Memorable name.  Like Steve Bartman.

I REALLY think Paul Kukla should gather Bill, Alanah, George Malik and a bunch of your loyal readers in Traverse City for a get-together.  $5 tickets, $1 beers, cheap motels, and great hockey.  Sign me up!

Posted by w2j2 on 09/02/07 at 01:58 PM ET

Robin Big Snake isn’t bad, but the Bruins have a kid in their system named Wacey Rabbit.  No kidding!

I hear he’s pretty fast. 

(At least he was Boston property last year; didn’t follow him, just thought the name was great.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/02/07 at 02:11 PM ET

I just googled his name and apparently Wacey is still around and will be playing for Providence this year.  But this gets even crazier - there’s also an old story in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that says he was named after Wacey Cathy, a former world-champion bull rider.  I’m not kidding.

Plus, that Rabbit story?  Written by a Wolfe.

Posted by BobTheZee on 09/02/07 at 05:08 PM ET

We had a funny name discussion in the KK Forums last year…

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 09/02/07 at 05:40 PM ET

Thanks, Paul, it was fun to go back and read it…

Posted by BobTheZee on 09/02/07 at 09:05 PM ET

Come on now, we’ve got a 6’6” defender coming to camp named Tuzzolino...A can of pork and beans says that they’ll slap #44 on his back to make the fans who actually bought Bertuzzi jerseys feel a little better about themselves…

The deeper I get into the muck and mire of the Ilitch organization, the more I’m finding out that Hahn gets away with what he gets away with--completely shutting off the public’s access to the Red Wings based upon anything other than paid game attendance or chance, and open/blatant censure of the media--because it’s not just a Devellano mandate; it’s also an Ilitch one, for some strange reason.  The people over at “The Verifiable Truth” have a very interesting take on that…

When Mr. and Mrs. I had to decide whether Denise or Chris would run the show, and Chris won (it should be noted that Denise is the ex-wife of Mr. Jim Lites, who’s one of the reasons the Stars are allowed to take bigger chances than, say, promising “fire on ice, or to Newberry, whichever gets there first"), the family tenet of resenting the concept that one actually has to “relate” to its public in any other way than to demand their money came back into employment with a bang, crash, and several padlocks placed upon the PR door.  It’s sad that Red Wings fans from the team’s backyard have to travel 245 miles to get “up close and personal” with the hometown team--and that training camp is really the only time of year that you can get “up close and personal” without paying several hundred dollars per person for the privilege.

Anyway…

Nick...Watching Nick is an experience in itself.  I genuinely wish that FSD would consider posting footage of an iso cam on Nick from shift to shift during a game, because he’s constantly anticipating plays--that’s the reason he can appear to be Clark Kent in his play; the whole time the puck’s on someone else’s stick, and especially when it’s in the other end.  Most defenders tend to take a position and either simply glide or stand there until the play comes to them, and Nick’s constantly moving, shufflling across the ice laterally, adjusting his position very subtly as the puck goes from the half-wall to the back of the net, always trying to determine the proper position to get himself between the puck and the goal, regardless of how far the puck is from the actual goal, and how he can cut off breaking forwards or cut through set plays and slick individual moves with that long, aggressive stick. 

Nick Lidstrom’s play can be summed up in the way he tapes the butt end of his stick--he’s got a big knob of white tape on the end, just like a goaltender, but Lidstrom actually wraps his hand around that knob so that he can pivot and sweep his stick at its full extension, ten feet out from his body, just as sublty as he can when the puck’s in his feet.  He works extremely hard to make things look simple, and it’s a real privilege to watch a player who can make a beautifully vicious game so elegant and nuanced. 

I’ve seen Coffey, Bourque, MacInnis, Stevens, Robinson, Fetisov, Murphy, and the younger crowd, Niedermayer, Pronger, Chara, Ohlund, you name it, and there is no one who so authoritatively controls the entire game with the puck on his stick like Nick.  Bourque and Fetisov came close, and there are players who are certainly bigger and faster, but Nick has the ability to intimidate opponents while skating across his own blueline in a way that I’ve only seen in goaltenders--he spooks guys before he’s even made a play, and that’s truly special.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/03/07 at 03:02 AM ET

he’s constantly anticipating plays--that’s the reason he can appear to be Clark Kent in his play

I was watching some Yzerman highlights over the weekend and, well, same thing.  Some crazy arse play would happen and if you paid attention you could see Stevie sneaking over where the puck was going to be in the next 5 seconds and then BINGO there it is and he’s all alone.  Quite brilliant to watch if you can pick it out...just like watching Lidstrom.

Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 09/04/07 at 08:39 AM ET

he spooks guys before he’s even made a play, and that’s truly special.

We need that in an offensive player.

Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 09/04/07 at 08:45 AM ET

Then it’s on to Detroit where the doors are locked and the fans are reminded that you just don’t matter.

This really frustrates me.  Maybe if the players identified with the fans more, interacted with them more, then they’d understand the fans’ passion for the game.  Maybe that passion would rub off on the players.  That’s what the Wings seem to be lacking in the past few years.  There’s no doubt the talent is there.  But in the games they lose in the playoffs it’s like their minds are somewhere else.

I’ve always wondered why the players don’t even acknowledge that the fans are there when they’re coming onto and off of the ice, when they’re in warm-ups, etc.  How about tossing some sticks and pucks and gloves into the stands?  How about some high-fives on your way to the bench?  Maybe the fans would cheer you a little bit more if they didn’t feel shunned by you, like you don’t realize they’re the sole reason you get in your Ferrari to drive home.

[/rant]

Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 09/04/07 at 08:55 AM ET

He’s not talking about the players, but the management, Paul.

I see why you are so upset, but I don’t ever think that someone doesn’t care if they aren’t yelling and frothing at the mouth.  Some people are just quieter than others, and it might not be a sign that they are aloof or distant that they don’t seem to notice the fans (which I have seen in many other teams on tv shots, too) as much as that they are focused on their work.  For fans, athe arena is somewhere to visit for entertainment--for the players, it is a place of work for their profession.  More fun than many other workplaces, but still a workplace.  Maybe that is where some of the quiet concentration comes from.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/04/07 at 11:47 AM ET

NFL players regularly give balls to fans, jump on the wall after scoring a touchdown so fans can pat them on the back, wave their hands to get the crowd going, etc.  Much more interactive.

In tennis, the players acknowledge the fans and even applaud back to them for being good, respectful fans.  McEnroe was a fan favorite because he interacted with them.  (btw - anyone seen his new AmEx commercial?  LOL)

Baseball players throw balls to kids during the game, sign autographs from the dugout or bull pen.

Hockey players?  It’s like the fans aren’t even there.  The only time they acknowledge them is when the 3 stars are announced and they give a little wave and go back to the locker room.  It just doesn’t cut it in my mind.  Hockey may be “work” for the players, but the entire point is to entertain the fans.  I just think the league and players should do more to recognize this fact.  I know they do a lot of events for the fans, but it’s not the same thing.  Oh what I wouldn’t give to see Kris Draper spinning around slowly at center ice during a playoff game, lifting his hands repeatedly into the air to get the quiet fans off their arses and making some noise!

[/rant]

Sorry for going off on this topic, it’s just a personal pet peeve that hockey players seem so detached.  What’s wrong with a smile and a wave, maybe a high five and a “hey, thanks” when I’m standing above the tunnel congratulating the players on a good game or a good play, after spending $100+ to see them play?

Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 09/04/07 at 03:53 PM ET

Paul from Miami Beach: The Red Wings’ inaccessability is mostly due (try 90% thereof) to the fact that John Hahn and the Wings’ PR department refuses to allow the public access to the team.

Examples? 

You’re not allowed to get close enough to the tunnel to slap hands with the players, whether it’s in warm-ups or before and after intermissions.  The entrance is guarded by three security guards, more when the players are actually walking by.

Example?  During the Wings’ pre-Thanksgiving mess vs. the Sharks, I sat next to the Wings’ bench (corporate seats from a friend), and a guard literally threatened to kick someone out for daring to place his foot on the step next to his seat, which happened to be 5 feet from the bench.  He was literally told that if he didn’t move his foot, he’d be removed, and it was totally unintentional.

Even during the Wings’ one open practice, they cordoned off the benches, and anyone who got close to the roped-off portions near the tunnel were told that if they did not move, they would be escorted out of the building, which was quite upsetting to a few parents whose kids were just being kids and exploring a bit.

The Red Wings don’t allow their players to dillly-dally, a la Mccarty tossing pucks in the crowd--they’re told to get off the ice, and get off it fast, though it’s relatively common for a player to give up a stick to a kid if it’s possible (i.e. there’s one nearby a grumpy guard). 

Hahn literally hovers at the entrance to the players’ benches during the announcement of the three stars, and the players are expected to go out, take a turn saluting the crowd, and then skate back and immediately exit the rink area.  There are no rink-side interviews, and the Red Wings’ PR staff chooses not to have their three stars pre-sign the $10 Sher-Wood street hockey sticks that many teams use so that their palyers can hand away a twig to fans without giving up a $200 hunk of graphite.

There are no other open practices, there are no meet-and-greets, if you wait around for autographs, you will be brusquely asked to leave by several of the police officers and full-time guards who guard the Red Wings’ closed-to-the-public parking lot, and the players are told to leave the arena and not dilly-dally to sign stuff. 

Aside from the $250-a-plate wine-tasting/fundraiser for Vladimir Konstantinov and Sergei Mnatsakanov, huffing your butt to training camp, waiting in line for an autograph signing at a hockey memorabilia shop, or getting lucky enough to bump into a Red Wing at Cheli’s Chili or out in the community at a coffee shop or department store, there is no public community presence, and that’s per team policy.

The Red Wings supposedly do a tremendous amount of charity work for Children’s Hospital, but none of it is promoted or even acknowledged.  It is assumed that, per the Red Wings’ media policies, that players need not be bothered--and that’s Hahn’s take in general.  The players need not be bothered by their fans. 

You pay your ticket price, “facilities and convenience fees,” overpriced parking, and $20 for a “$5 hot and ready Little Caesar’s Pizza” for the privilege of watching the Red Wings play live with a game presentation that hasn’t changed since 1997, and then you’re expected to leave, read heavily censored and homogenized stories in the four major newspapers that have been accredited--the News, Free Press, Macomb Daily, and Ann Arbor news--and you are expected to be stupid and not know that the Wings tend to leak more interesting commentary to the Windsor Star.  You might read or watch an exclusive feature when the Red Wings choose to involve the national media (ex. Jiri Fischer told Sportsnet and ESPN, 12 months after his heart fibrillation, that he was working out, hung out with the team, and wore a 24-hour-a-day heart monitor for that entire year), or watch the total of three hours of “new” footage that is provided to Red Wings Weekly over the entire course of the season, repeated over and over and over again during intermissions, or you might catch a radio interview, but that’s the extent of the access that you are allowed to have with the team per John Hahn and Jimmy Devellano.

The players are also told to avoid autograph-seakers on the road, and they’re known as one of the most difficult teams to get signatures from, but you can at least get an autograph on the road, so it would be much better, from an “I can actually say hello to my team’s players” perspective, to go to a game in Columbus or Chicago than it would to go to a game in Detroit.

When I actually met several Red Wings players during the lockout, I can honestly tell you that they are, by and large, very nice people who really do appreciate their fans’ support and relish the opportunity to play in Hockeytown, where fan interest is as passionate as it is (despite the relatively small amount of media access), and they’re more than willing to sign an autograph or simply talk about hockey, sports, whatever.  Even Pavel Datsyuk, as shy as he is, was more than willing to sign an autograph--and say “thank you” after being asked to do so! 

It’s not the players.  There are assholes on every team, there are quiet guys who don’t want to be bothered at the rink, and there are a whole bunch of good guys in Detroit who are just doing what their PR director tells them to do.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/04/07 at 06:48 PM ET

wow.  that is all quite disturbing.  wtf kind of bug is wedged up Hahn’s ass?  Ilitch seems like such a nice back-slapping kind of guy that it is a surprise he would have such a Nazi in charge of these things.

Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 09/05/07 at 11:55 AM ET

I don’t call him a PR Nazi for nothing…

It’s my belief that the Wings’ PR philosophy goes back to the days when Jimmy Devellano was the GM, and he had to do some serious covering-up of the antics of Kocur, Probert, Klima, et. al.  The “Goose Loonies” scandal, Probert’s conviction for smuggling cocaine, and the like caused Devellano to clamp down, and clamp down hard on the media....

As the years went by, mind you, especially toward the Cup years, the Wings were very open with the press again, they held camp at the Joe, had a handful of open practices each year, there were feature stories on the players in the local print and TV media that were insightful and gave fans an up-close-and-personal experience, and then…

Sergei Fedorov started trapising around with Anna Kournikova, and he started having issues with alcoholism, Darren McCarty was battling his own alcoholism issues, and after 2002, the power struggle between Denise Ilitch and Chris Ilitch loomed...and the doors slammed shut as the Red Wings tried to keep Brett Hull and Chris Chelios’s desire to relive some of the “good old days,” more than a few Fedorov arrests for DUI’s, and some of McCarty’s issues became cloak-and-dagger issues--and, of course, Denise lost out to Chris, who is a “baseball guy” through and through--but the PR gate slammed back down, and it’s been down ever since.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/05/07 at 02:03 PM ET

If nothing else, it’s nice to see that George doesn’t let stuff like that get under his skin or anything.  Stiff upper lip, Homeslice. 

It’s a shame the Wings try and leech all the individuality and character from ther roster.  At some point creating the perception of an aloof, homogenized team is going to have an impact on their ticket sales as fans move on to sports with players who, you know, actually exist as more than a digital representation of a human they could just as easily see on a video game.  Or a TV screen.  From their homes.  For $200 a night less.  With cleaner bathrooms.

I mean, if they keep those antics up pretty soon we’ll start seeing empty seats during second and third round playoff games and such.  Mark my words.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 09/05/07 at 09:31 PM ET

Hey, somebody’s got to be the burr under someone’s saddle.  If I’m annoying Hahn, I’m doing my job

HockeyinHD, your theory couldn’t be actually based on a true story, now could it?  Besides, who doesn’t want to pay $7.50 for a beer and $19.50 for a “$5 hot and ready” Little Caesar’s Pizza?

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/06/07 at 01:44 AM ET

That kind of an environment can’t be the best situation for the players, either, I would think.  I’ve worked in places with a little martinet on the payroll, and it made the job a lot more enjoyable if he was in a position where he could be ignored and snickered at behind his back.  A more relaxed climate makes any job more enjoyable.

And there is nothing wrong with being a gadfly. 

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 09/06/07 at 05:56 AM ET

So THAT is why Manny was not re-signed!  He talked too much!

Posted by w2j2 on 09/06/07 at 10:52 AM ET

Between Manny’s comments about his job being on the line if he lost vs. Edmonton--which sealed his fate--and his willingness to tell the media before telling Babs that he was injured, or, worse, came back from an injury too early by lying to the team’s doctors, his fate was most certainly sealed.

The Wings’ management claimed, and probably told the truth, in saying that Manny’s teammates didn’t have confidence in a goalie who was constantly saying how awful he was, but the media aspect was more of a concern to Babcock than it was to Hahn.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 09/06/07 at 12:59 PM ET

Lots to be learned at TheVerifiableTruth.com

If the Ilitch machine won’t talk, then people have to investigate ... and boy, what we’ve found out!

Posted by verifiable from New York, Michigan, California and places in betwe on 09/07/07 at 04:47 PM ET