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Time To Put The Kingdom Up For Sale?
by IwoCPO on 10/15/09 at 05:16 AM ET
Comments (75)
That seems to be the consensus around hockey these days…that the 19 should come to grips with a stark reality. The MSM, bloggers, fans of “championship” teams who didn’t follow hockey until 2006 and would have let their team move to KC without a second thought prior to that?
They would like each of you to just go ahead and admit that the Detroit Red Wings are no longer Hockey’s Greatest Team. No longer Cup contenders, much less favorites. Four points after five games? Pitchforks please. Grain alcohol. Big women laughing at you at 12:58 am in a dive bar. It’s all over. Pipers are lined up, hands out, feet tapping. Pay them for your success.
And look…look at recent evidence. Just yesterday…
Khan(!)‘s playground there kids. The MLive Wing page and for the love of the adorable one, it’s all bad news. The Wings are slow. Franzen under the knife. Datsyuk’s hurt.
It’s all going to crash around us. The only male hockey fans on the planet to use the term “whatev”, the same ones who predicted the Wings wouldn’t even make the playoffs? Certainly they’re right.
Not so fast little bitches. Not so fast. Bleak? Yes. Discouraging? Yep. Did Tuesday expose some potentially horrific flaws? Maybe. Let’s take an objective look…because that’s how we roll here.
Here’s what Uncle Mike, Head Coach for the Canadien(an) Olympic team, had to say yesterday...
“To be successful in this league, you’ve got to compete for 60 minutes and not give up chances,’’ Babcock said. “Our careless play with the puck is hurting us (NHL-high 73 giveaways). Our faceoff circle is hurting us (50.3 percent, 13th in league). Buffalo played well as a five-man unit. We had too much space and separation and weren’t quick enough.’‘
Forget the cliche at the beginning of that and move to the stats. A league-high in giveaways. Interesting, but not exactly revealing. Detroit led the playoffs last year in giveaways. Pittsburgh was second. Amount of games played is obviously a factor but style of play also affects that. One more bit…the Wings, during the playoffs, had 166 giveaways at home. 59 on the road.
Anyway, if the Wings are playing well, moving the puck…that’s gonna happen. 73 after five games? Yes, too much. But that will get better.
Faceoffs? Wings led the league at 55 percent last year. They’re at 50.3. Too many quality F/O guys to think that won’t improve. But the concern, and I can’t find a stat to support this, is where the faceoffs are lost. Buffalo’s first PP goal Tuesday? Stafford at the goal mouth? Cleary had lost the faceoff. Not so dangerous in itself. The real problem occured immediately after when a Sabre was allowed to bee-bop in, pick up the puck and send it to the blue line. No Wing anywhere near him or the puck. No legs. No hustle. No energy.
Which leads us to the volcanic disaster of a penalty kill. Detroit’s given up at least one in all five games and it affects everything. It symbolizes all our ills. It is The Issue That Must Be Fu**ing Dealt With. I offer no insight. None. I have no idea how a problem this significant can last this long and plague a team so talented and cohesive. This is not a Ranger team, thrown together without considering where the pieces fit. Ken Holland doesn’t operate that way. Every piece has a purpose and for many, a primary task is the PK.
It sucks now, and it has for more than a year. But, mothefu**, at some point we have to have faith in the smart people within that organ-I-zation. I have to believe that if it has this effect on me, then it’s got to be keeping people awake at night. Head coaches have got to be pacing. And assistants had better be looking over their shoulders. Oh, and Captains…yeah, I’m thinking Captains may want to consider reminding some players that success does not start with laziness.
That was a bad loss. One of the worst we’ve seen. Buffalo was fast where the Wings were lethargic. They crashed the net while we had serial killers tap dancing twenty feet away from the crease. They controlled the puck while the Wings scrambled.
But here’s the thing. Skill is still in their favor. Experience is still there. Humiliation at losing the Cup to a whining, diving, classless piece of shit “captain” and a team inferior in skill but a favorite in the eyes of a hapless commissioner…yep, that should be there too.
2-3 after five games, after a trip to Stockholm and back, is not the end. It could very well be an indication that there are some serious problems. But none of them are unsolvable because all of them have to do with energy and will.
Ability is one thing, and the Wings are stocked. Pride is a whole other matter. Swagger can be fleeting and it’s probably hard to find in Hockeytown right now. LA’s got it. Jesus, even Denver does. And they’re both coming to town this week. Young, dumb and full of…themselves. The Wings of old, just last year against Chicago in December and January, took care of teams like that. Little brother deserved a beating and that’s what he got. Repeatedly.
It’s a tough stretch, an angry stretch. But there is no logical way to believe it won’t be righted. And it will. The most talented team in hockey still resides in Detroit. Now it’s just a matter of remembering that talent alone doesn’t win games in October, much less the real important ones in May and June.
Oh, and I’ll say this again…those of you idiotic enough to keep claiming Detroit won’t make the playoffs? Put it on the line. Make me a wager or STFU.
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Comments
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He’s right: WTF the PK?
Posted by pilgrim from the ice at the bottom of the world on 10/15/09 at 10:18 AM ET
Stay calm,
Over the years,
I have seen a lot of games just like the one we are not talking about.
Usually, it has nothing to do desire,
little to do with fatigue,
just a lot to do with confusion.
It is all downhill, when players are told one thing in practice, and something different
in pre-game. After a win like the Cap game there should be no changes, no mistakes pointed out, and practice should be only for conditioning. Confidence is a delicate thing, and care needs to be taken to not chip away at it, or destroy it by focusing on weaknesses.
——————————————
Reg. Thur. get together, be missing the LB, or joining late in the 3rd
——————————————
I’m sick and tired of Gramps being right.
Sidebar….
I insistPosted by HockeyTownTodd from Madmen is in my 19th year on 10/13/09 at 08:50 PM ET
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/15/09 at 10:22 AM ET
The Wings continue to devot a lot of PK ice time to superstar players such as Zetterberg and Lidstrom. WHY? If your system SUCKS, why do this? The Penguins use their 3rd and 4th line units exclusively for the PK and they finished #8 in the regular season last year and #5 in the playoffs.
Because they’re still your best players? Doesn’t say much for Pit top lines does it. Why not play those 3rd and fourth liners more often and give up fewer goals?
The system is flawed in Detroit. Not the players.
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 10/15/09 at 10:22 AM ET
Enter the summer of 2008: Todd McClellan and Jay Woodcroft (video coordinator) leave for San Jose.
We’ve talked about this a lot. If we elaborated on it extensively after each bad game, for the past year + 5 games, we’d all be dead right now.
Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 10/15/09 at 10:23 AM ET
But, mothefu**, at some point we have to have faith in the smart people within that organ-I-zation. I have to believe that if it has this effect on me, then it’s got to be keeping people awake at night. Head coaches have got to be pacing. And assistants had better be looking over their shoulders. Oh, and Captains…yeah, I’m thinking Captains may want to consider reminding some players that success does not start with laziness.
Yes. And like others, I’m not so much as disconcerted about the losses as I am about the Jekyll and Hyde efforts from period to period, the same thing that plagued the team last year. It’s unfair to compare the first two weeks of the season with the playoffs, but in my mind I go back to game 3 of the ‘08 SCF ... the Wings lost that game, but for the most part they played wonderfully. I was upset with the result, not the effort ... it was a tight, well-played hockey game from both sides, and terrific fun to watch. We have most of the same players from that game. I want to see those Red Wings again. I think those Red Wings are still around, still capable of that play. Those are my expectations for the season ... watching that type of hockey. I still have faith in these players, their coaches, and the management. I still think this is a great team, and that they can be a great team for years to come.
But if we fall off that high perch? I’ll still be here in the gutter, motherf*ckers, looking at the stars.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 10/15/09 at 10:22 AM ET
And yes. If this really is the end of the dynasty? The 19 still will be watching, obsessing, vomiting, cheering, swearing, neglecting family, friends and career just to watch the Winged Wheel. ‘Cause that’s how we roll. Everyone else can go *#$%@& themselves.
Posted by Bella on 10/15/09 at 10:33 AM ET
Nate A and Triple Deke - I’m right there with you both and I’ll save my subsequent logs for this fire on folks who aren’t paying attention to it enough (mainstream sports media in the D). In the meantime, I’ll continue to keep Brad McCrimmon on the top of my sh!t list until proven otherwise.
Nate - with regards to Pittsburgh, I do agree and I’m sure a lot of has to do with the defensive skill level for Malkin and Crosby being next to nothing. Credit to teams like them that have effective systems while using their role players exclusively (thus saving a few extra mins for their big guns on even strength and PP).
Posted by Freddo from Showbiz on 10/15/09 at 10:34 AM ET
Posted by Freddo from Showbiz Pizza on 10/15/09 at 11:12 AM ET
How long have you been around here, Freddo? For the last year and change we’ve done nothing but talk about the PK. We are all well aware of the issues surrounding the PK. We don’t need a wake up in that regard, thanks.
Re: Zetterman—
I didn’t mention this because I assumed it was Chief’s sly way of saying that Zetterberg is the best leader in hockey, the next Stevie Y….
But, guess it was just a slip.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 10/15/09 at 10:39 AM ET
Chemistry issues? Babcock’s to blame for that, fiddling with a winning lineup and taking the heart (Draper/Matlby) out of the team. They may not seem to do much on the ice, but their worth is intangible on the stat sheet. Lesson learned.
Eventually, I expect the entire 19 to come around eventually regarding the value of the Vets.
1 or 2 rooks in the line-up, tops.
If the Wings ever get the coaching situation corrected (that would include the PK), they still have problems in the net.
Larsson is not the answer this year (not ready), A veteran back-up should have been top priority if the Conk didn’t want to stay in Detroit.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/15/09 at 10:44 AM ET
I like the concept of having our best offensive players on the penalty kill, I don’t like the concept of a penalty kill with our best offensive players that doesn’t score enough shorthanded goals. Being a shorthanded threat keeps other team’s power play units from taking certain liberties, which limits their offensive choices significantly.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 10/15/09 at 10:44 AM ET
PK Suggestion: Kick Brad McCrimmon in the face. Then tell him he has been dismissed. Because this is Sparta bitch.
5 on 5 play: Keep a set of lines in tact and play the ones that are doing the best. Let them develop some chemistry and accountability amongst each other. The current strategy is to keep everyone responsible for the whole system by not giving them steady line mates; they have to pay full attention and the hope is that they back check better this way. This is a part of Scotty’s legacy.
PP: More quick release shots. Get some lateral movement to open up lanes then fire away. Williams and Lidas should be leading the charge on this.
Leadership: Draper and Maltby are part of the core. Homer and Lidas are the only others to be with the Wings through all the Cups.
Coaching: Babbles can’t talk to Scotty any more and that sucks. He is going through some growing pains as Wings coach, which is different from being a coach anywhere else. But he is also under pressure to win; if Team Canada has the head coach of a middling NHL club, the torches will be lit and the Yukon snipers will activate. Bitches get crazier as they get closer to the USSR.
To quote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t Panic”: the monster can swallow you but it can digest you, so just wait for the shit to pass.
Posted by Osrt on 10/15/09 at 10:53 AM ET
Nathan - yep, I’m new to this forum. Glad to be put in my place on a topic like this, and glad to hear that folks are dialed in.
Now we need to find a way to get this to Babs doorstep, evidently nothing happend this past summer.
Posted by Freddo from Showbiz on 10/15/09 at 10:54 AM ET
The Wings continue to devote a lot of PK ice time to superstar players such as Zetterberg and Lidstrom. WHY?
2-3 years ago the season started out with teams gettin 10-14 penalties per game, and the Wings reg Pk units were exhausted, qnd giving up a lot of goals. The star players were sitting on the bench getting cold during the PK, and not that effective when returning to the play. Babs noticed a few successful teams using their top forwards and made the change. Bingo-Bango, PK became top of the league. More teams followed.
It is the Norm now, unless you’re top forwards are only 1 way players. When Bylsma took over the Pens, that was one of the first changes he made.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/15/09 at 11:00 AM ET
PK Suggestion: Kick Brad McCrimmon in the face. Then tell him he has been dismissed. Because this is Sparta bitch.
Posted by Osrt on 10/15/09 at 11:53 AM ET
Now that is change I can believe in. Bitches.
Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!
Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 10/15/09 at 11:15 AM ET
god you americans love to be nervous
this so called bad start is great for the team, you need your best play in the playoffs,everything before is just warm ups,
time to make mistakes,play bad,try odd combinations,and get better with every game,
thats how champions roll muthas
as Hank and Pasha would say : relax,take it eeeaasy,.........
eurodance all the way
Posted by Edillac from jesenice,europe on 10/15/09 at 11:27 AM ET
We need to find someone older and crankier than HTT to verify these narratives. That’s a really cogent explanation HTT, but teams have been using their top flight offensive stars on the PK for a while both to develop two way play and to threaten short-handed. Pavel Bure with the Canucks comes to mind.
Posted by Osrt on 10/15/09 at 11:30 AM ET
And yes. If this really is the end of the dynasty? The 19 still will be watching, obsessing, vomiting, cheering, swearing, neglecting family, friends and career just to watch the Winged Wheel. ‘Cause that’s how we roll. Everyone else can go *#$%@& themselves.
Posted by Bella on 10/15/09 at 11:33 AM ET
You go girl!
Posted by calquake on 10/15/09 at 11:31 AM ET
A3: ditto.
It is not their record and the stats that concern me so much as it is how they have looked. They are tired and slow five games into the season.
No one that is playing in the Olympics should play both ends of back-to-back games. Babs should do with other vets, what he did with Draper and Malts: let them get an extra day of rest at home during meaningless eastern conf. games.
By the end of this season (assuming a long, long playoff run), these guys will have played an inhuman number of hockey games in the past three seasons with very little time off. The cumulative wear and tear of the long seasons and short off seasons cannot be underestimated.
Rulers make bad lovers
You better put your kingdom up for sale
Did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
Is it over now- do you know how
Pickup the pieces and go home.
Chief, If I have shattered illusions at the end of the season, ..well, never mind, I won’t.
Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 10/15/09 at 11:45 AM ET
but teams have been using their top flight offensive stars on the PK for a while both to develop two way play and to threaten short-handed. Pavel Bure with the Canucks comes to mind.
I am aware of that, but now the exception has become the norm.
Don’t confuse using your top forwards to kill a penalty with throwing a sniper out there to cherry pick.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 10/15/09 at 12:16 PM ET
Nathan - yep, I’m new to this forum. Glad to be put in my place on a topic like this, and glad to hear that folks are dialed in.
Now we need to find a way to get this to Babs doorstep, evidently nothing happend this past summer.
Freddo, glad to have you. Didn’t mean to snap, as you can tell, we’re a feisty bunch, and we roll as one unit of 19. Now that you’re part of the 19, you will understand… 
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 10/15/09 at 12:17 PM ET
Oh boy sounds like there’s some grumpy detroit red wings fans in here. Why would that be oh that 2-3 record might have something to do with it. Detroit has been a consistantly good team for as long as I remember but that’s about to end. You guys have had a longer run than I would have thought, be happy and proud about it. But come on you and I both know the Red Wings are not and have not been a dynasty.
But Lidstrom can’t protect your lack of quality goaltending anymore. Datsyuk will always be a under-performer come playoff time. And your supposed depth has come up pathetically short thus far.
Oh yeah and the Pens are 6-1. Don’t worry you guys will have 12 points in 2-3 more weeks.
Posted by Tim from Johnstown on 10/15/09 at 12:20 PM ET
Oh yeah and the Pens are 6-1. Don’t worry you guys will have 12 points in 2-3 more weeks.
Posted by Tim from Johnstown on 10/15/09 at 01:20 PM ET
And your Pens played the same shit hockey last year…so what’s your point?
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 10/15/09 at 12:48 PM ET
Objective? hahahahaha!!! that’s funny, chief.
Posted by B on 10/15/09 at 12:49 PM ET
Detroit has been a consistantly good team for as long as I remember but that’s about to end.
Insightful. Will you come back at the 30 game mark to verify this bold claim that no one in the past ten years has made?
Looking forward to seeing you then. I’ll be sure not to shave so that you can choke on my pubic hair.
Posted by Osrt on 10/15/09 at 01:15 PM ET
Detroit has been a consistantly good team for as long as I remember but that’s about to end.
Insightful. Will you come back at the 30 game mark to verify this bold claim that no one in the past ten years has made?
Looking forward to seeing you then. I’ll be sure not to shave so that you can choke on my pubic hair.
Posted by Osrt on 10/15/09 at 02:15 PM ET
I’d be happy too. Just like all the Detroit fans that came on the Pens message board after game 5. Didn’t see too many of you on there when we were skating the cup around your arena.
And Mrfluffy are you really bringing up comparisons of last year? How did things end last year?
Posted by Tim from Close to the Stanley Cup Champions on 10/15/09 at 01:41 PM ET
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Great article! 1,000 folks commenting and not one elaborates on the PK situation? C’mon Wings fans, wake up.
NHL.com allows you to sort through team statistics over the past decade. Between 1997 and 2008, the Wings ranked in the top 8 as a PK unit EVERY YEAR.
Enter the summer of 2008: Todd McClellan and Jay Woodcroft (video coordinator) leave for San Jose.
Brad McCrimmon and Steve arrive to fill their spots. The Wings PK slumps to 25th in the NHL for the regular season. THEY WERE THIRD IN THE NHL IN 2007-2008.
Further, in the playoffs this past spring the Wings became the first team in the last 11 years (likely more but NHL.com doesn’t provide these stats) to advance to the Stanley Cup finals with a PK unit that ranked in the bottom half of the 16 playoff teams. To make matters worse, they were 14th out of 16 overall. The two teams that had worse PK units were eliminated in the first round.
The Wings continue to devot a lot of PK ice time to superstar players such as Zetterberg and Lidstrom. WHY? If your system SUCKS, why do this? The Penguins use their 3rd and 4th line units exclusively for the PK and they finished #8 in the regular season last year and #5 in the playoffs.
Translation: WAKE UP RED WING FANS.
This year, Babs has Team Canada on his plate. If one is thinking logically about this situation, surely Babs must be leaning on his staff a litle more? Not sure how I feel about that as it seems evident that NOTHING was done this past off season to address this pathetic issue.
Posted by Freddo from Showbiz Pizza on 10/15/09 at 10:12 AM ET