And here I was expecting it to read like one of Olbermann’s “special comments”....

Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 12/04/08 at 10:31 PM ET

Couldn’t watch the game cause Comcast can’t find my account….brilliance in action.

The team’s confidence with Ozzie in net is not very high. They’ll talk a good game about trusting him, but we’ve seen them be sloppy and tighten up after a sloppy goal. He’s having an off year, a wildly inconsistent year that include some great performances (despite a lot of goals) and very mediocre performances (also with lots of goals let in).

The accusation that Ozzie is a product of our system doesn’t hold this year either. We’re not playing well defensively, but he’s not stopping the shots he’s supposed to. Instead, he’s making some amazing saves and then letting in some softies that are killing morale.

Wonder what Kenny is thinking?

Posted by Osrt on 12/04/08 at 10:34 PM ET

Two goals from Osgood that should not have happend. 6-4. A HORRIBLE hooking call on Dats, and a PP goal takes place that should not have. 6-3.

It’s not as bad as it seems.

Posted by Dennis Dubay on 12/04/08 at 10:37 PM ET

Chief, I’m going all-in on McCollum being better than Howard.  He’ll be our backup next year.  Mark my words.  Maybe time to work out a package with the Hawks and their goalie glut?

Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 12/04/08 at 10:47 PM ET

Give Jimmy a shot, he’s played well on some pretty average GR teams here in the past years.  He’s been inconsistent, but let some time in the big leagues make that decision before we write him off.

Posted by moore00 from Columbus, OH/Grand Rapids, MI on 12/04/08 at 10:50 PM ET

According to my calculations after tonight’s stunning performance Ozzie’s SV% will fall to .876.  Worst in the league?  No, but pretty damn close.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 12/04/08 at 10:51 PM ET

One goal tonite couldnt be helped, one was a nice shot that maybe he should’ve had, and the other 3 were soft. He made several saves he had no business making, and got very lucky/bailed out by the D. And the memory of the 90 foot BJ will remain untill he gets his game back in order.

I dont suggest that Howard is going to come in here riding on a pony and bring that beautiful silver mug back to Detroit. But Ozzy needs a breather, and Conklin isnt quite up to snuff either. Hell it might even get a little competition going.

Yeah, I know I’m being panicky and overreacting, and it’s probably a foolish move. But damnit, I’m desperate for that “normalcy” that was so talked about back in September.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 12/04/08 at 10:53 PM ET

I’ve been secretly praying for Ozzie or Conk to go down with an injury just so we can get Howie Boy up for a spell.  Couldn’t be worse than what we’ve seen so far this year.  Not for a game or three, at least.

On a lighter note-

Couldn’t watch the game cause Comcast can’t find my account….brilliance in action.

They pulled that shit with me, too- cost me almost two hundred bucks when I moved this summer, notwithstanding the fact they “waived” my installation costs for the trouble. 

And Ozzie’s obviously not playing at the high level he did last year.  The defense has obviously sucked this year- a couple of our D are having particularly weak years defensively, Conklin is a serviceable goalie but maddeningly inconsistent, and the backcheck has been anemic to nonexistent for long stretches this season, usually about twenty minutes right at the end of the game.  At this point, with a wobbly cap and reams of UFAs to think about, Ken Holland is willing to give it

at least

another month before anybody really starts to panic. 

And I think the Flying Circus needs to get back together too.  They set the tempo last year, and it’s not there this year.  Hossa’s great and all, but last year this team belonged to Nick, Z, and Dats, and probably in that order.  That may not immediately clear the cobwebs between Osgood’s ears, but it could do the trick with a little time.

Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 12/04/08 at 11:03 PM ET

Holy weird formatting ghosts, Batman!

Posted by mudshark from Divetown, Colorado on 12/04/08 at 11:04 PM ET

On the contrary, I think Ozzie’s excellent play last year was the aberation.  His play this year is his norm.  I think you start Conklin in the playoffs, and bring in Ozzie if Conk drops the ball.  Howard?  ... if all else fails.

I think the Wings need a change in their defense.  Maybe Chelios is the answer.  I think Meech would be more efffective than Lebda, and it may be time to bring up Ericsson.  I think you will see Lebda traded soon to make CAP room.

Rest assured, if WE are talking about this, you can bet Holland and Babcock have been talking about it for weeks.

As has been stated a month ago,
“We have ourselves a goalie contorversy!”

Say, is Service Master finished with the Hasek Car yet?
I get dibs on the seat in the back.  Near the bar.

Posted by w2j2 on 12/04/08 at 11:09 PM ET

And I think the Flying Circus needs to get back together too.

I wish we could but Hossa was essentially guaranteed that he would play with either Pav or Z regularly; it was a verbal agreement with Babs at the least.

Honestly, I’m more intrigued by Larsson (sp?) than Howard at this point. Jimmy played great last year when called up but I don’t know how well he reacted when he was assigned to GR again this year.

Between Larsson and McCollum, I think we have a very bright future in goal.

The present, however, is a big pile of hairy doodoo

Posted by Osrt on 12/04/08 at 11:18 PM ET

The team’s confidence with Ozzie in net is not very high.

Interesting, Osrt. I was actually thinking in exactly the opposite terms. To me, Ozzie looks like he’s completely unsure of what’s going to happen on D. It’s crazy that he would feel that way because we’ve got the same D that covered him in the playoffs. But a slow (and inconsistent start) by those guys looks like it’s made him (1) try to do too much and (2) hesitate whenever there’s pressure.

Whatever the reason, the reality is that, right now, Ozzie stinks. And it’s beyond the rotten-egg kind of stink. He’s somewhere close to chicken left in the sun for three days kind of stink. One more game like tonight and Babs needs to pull a “Lebda” on him. Sit him for a week and a half and see how he likes that. Brett got the message. Maybe Ozzie would too.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 12/04/08 at 11:34 PM ET

Trading for a superstar goalie is not in the cards unless the goalie is only here for the rest of this and is then gone.  If in fact the Wings are trying to sign Hossa, Zetterberg, and Franzen then they are not in the position to pick up a goalie who makes more than $2 million a year, period.  In order for the Wings to sign all three of those forwards, they are going to have to move two of their middle level salary guys ($2-$3 million guys) and another big contract player.  I think Sammy, Wally, and Rafalski are gone next year if Holland signs Hossa, Z, and Mule.  It makes absolutely zero sense for him to trade those guys for another big contract at the deadline unless they are explicitly bringing someone in to play in the playoffs and then leave.  They would more than likely trade these guys for draft picks and prospects.

Osgood is not playing well, that is no secret.  This is the worst hockey I have ever seen him play and I don’t see any signs of it improving.  There is something wrong with him.  I don’t know what it is, but there is something wrong with him.

Posted by John in Pittsburgh (Wings fan for life!) from Pittsburgh, PA on 12/04/08 at 11:42 PM ET

It’s kinda hard to blame him a ton for tonight, but the numbers are just not good enough at this point. He’s got to make bigger saves.

And yeah, the defense worries me a bit too.

Posted by Tyler from Arizona on 12/05/08 at 12:12 AM ET

Seems to me like he’s guessing a lot on shots, and is very unaware of where he is in net. He’s over-committing on shots going wide and it’s leaving him out of position (see 3rd goal tonight). He also has been playing very deep in the net, which is a sign that a goaltender has very little confidence in himself and his abilities. His reaction time is slow, his rebound control is brutal and his angles, especially on short side shots are all messed up.

Osgood is a system goaltender. When the defense in front of him breaks down, he gets exposed. It’s not a bad thing to say, but it’s the truth. 99% of goalies are better when their team plays well defensively. I think Ozzie has put undue pressure on himself this year because he is now “the man” again in Detroit. His goaltending last year in the playoffs placed the expectations onto him this year of throwing up a 2.00 GAA and a .920SV%.

As a former goalie myself, Chris right now needs to get back to fundamentals and work on the aspects of his game that are failing him. I haven’t seen any improvement out of him yet this season. He’s a serviceable goalie, he’ll never be great or even very good. While it’s not all his fault, a goalie has to bail out his team every so often and right now that’s just not happening.

I don’t think sitting him will help him at all. He needs to re-focus and understand that he has to trust in himself in order for the team to trust in him again. I don’t think that the Wings will make any goalie moves because of cap space, and I don’t think we’ll see Howard up. The Wings will stick by their guns and hope that things get better. If not, they’ll likely face an early exit in the playoffs and the calling for Ozzie’s head will once again be a mantra for all Wings fans.

Posted by Jeremy from Bowling Green, OH on 12/05/08 at 01:25 AM ET

tell yourself that it will be ok once we get Homer back, smoke a dube and all will be ok for awhile.

Posted by hankyspanky40 from Michigan on 12/05/08 at 01:40 AM ET

I haven’t piped in too much this year. I’m giving myself a bit of a grace period as we’re only a quarter of the way in and our winning percentage is better than anyone except the Sharks (who are insane cuz they took our coach). This is the point I want to bring up that I haven’t seen anyone else bring up:

Brad McCrimmon.

Our new defensive assistant coach.

Why has no one talked about this?

That is legitimately the only thing different about this team than last year’s. Obviously, he doesn’t go out and play but it’s a definite possibility that his defensive schemes are different than McClellan’s. Uncle Mike tried to replace him but could only get as close as an incredibly similar name (slightly freakish actually). Something is amiss and this seems like the only surface difference.

What sayeth the 19?

Posted by Alex from San Francisco on 12/05/08 at 02:48 AM ET

This team seems stuck on the idea that they can outscore anyone. That reallys is the problem in my opinion.

We’re playing horribly average in the defensive aspect of the game, but we continue to win based on offense. So it’s like, the guys know they aren’t playing well defensively, but they just think because they’re winning they can continue to think offense.

And I’m with ya Chief on Ozzie. I only got to watch the highlights, but he looked brutal on every goal. In particular, the I think PPG, the one that hit the backboards and came right back out to a Vancouver player. How could Ozzie possibly forget about the boards at the Joe? He watches his own team do it every practice/game for Christ’s sake! not covering the hsort side on Wellwood’s goal, jsut getting plain beaten on the opening goal (another 1st shot goal too FFS).

I’m really starting to wondering if wee need to call Chicago. Hell, even the Poultry with the way Hiller is playing. But right now, we don’t have a goalie that can steal us games in the playoffs. Hell, we don’t have a goalie that could keep us IN a game in the playoffs.

What’s the CMOI’s number?

Oh, and as for what I’d do, based purely on a knee-jerk reaction: Send Sammy to Chicago for Huet/Khabitoolongofaname, and trade Lebda to anyone for a pick(s). Bring up Helm or Leino (I’d perosnally love to somehow see both) and then alternate between Meech and Chelios for the 6th d-man spot. I’d hope to have the team looking like this:

Hossa-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Leino-Hank-Mule
Happy-Wally-CokeandPepsi
Maltby-Draper-Cleary
McCarty (scratch)

Nick Sr.-Rafalski
Nik Jr.-Stuart
Lilja-Meech/Chelios

Our new #1 goalie
Ozzie

But I believe that’s impossible, because of the cap. Thanks Gary. Ass.

Posted by Alzy from Innisfail, Alberta, Canada on 12/05/08 at 03:49 AM ET

Great comments Jeremy.  There’s really nothing more that can be said about Ozzie than that.

About Brad McCrimmon, he’s been an assistant coach for the Islanders, Flames, Thrashers, and now Red Wings.  That’s 11 years and counting…why hasn’t he been a head coach yet?  Why did Atlanta select their AHL-affiliate coach (yes, I know he won the Calder Cup) over Brad who had been with the team for 4 seasons?  But apparently he was Uncle Mike’s first choice, so who really knows.  And since the offense is humming right along maybe Paul MacLean can work more with the defense like he used to…but why would a guy who was a forward in his playing days have better defensive schemes than a guy who was a great defenseman in his day?

I really think it has to do with the players…they’re not the tight five-man unit like they were last year, but lately it’s been improving, as evidenced by low SOG totals and low scoring chances.  They’re just not getting the saves and all we can do is sit and wait and hope the goaltending improves.

Posted by yawt from norcal on 12/05/08 at 04:37 AM ET

One other thing…Homer’s coming back Saturday and Cheli is off to GR for a conditioning stint…*knock on wood* we will finally have our entire roster healthy for the first time all season.  I’d like to actually see them play some games before I start calling for dramatic changes.

Posted by yawt from norcal on 12/05/08 at 05:05 AM ET

I’d like to actually see them play some games before I start calling for dramatic changes.

You must be new here.

Just kidding.

Point is, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that Ozzie is at a .876 save percentage and after yesterday’s game, he’s on a negative trend towards that percentage.  That would be unacceptable even in, say, Atlanta.

Posted by lilja4ever on 12/05/08 at 06:38 AM ET

Is anyone else scared at the obvious signs of the upcoming apocalypse????  Our defense sucks, Vancouver can score, and most of all, Lilja made an incredible pass to Hudler last night to send the midget on a breakaway and NOBODY has said anything about how out of place that is.  LILJA HAS MORE EVEN STRENGTH POINTS THEN THE PERFECT HUMAN.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!??!??!

I think I’m losing it…

Posted by moore00 from Columbus, OH/Grand Rapids, MI on 12/05/08 at 10:06 AM ET

here is some stuff that will shake the foundation of your hockey beliefs, for the Red Wings Samuelsson is…

5th in points
7th in +/-  (at only +2 which is scary)
3rd in shots (behind Hossa and Zetterberg) - imagine how many he’d have if half his attempts didn’t go high and wide!
7th in goals
tied for 1st in assists with Datsyuk

how can this be?!  it just doesn’t make sense.  every time he touches the puck I wince, and the only memories I have are of him NOT holding the puck in the zone, firing shots high and wide, flubbing passes, etc.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 12/05/08 at 03:08 PM ET

Is that the horn of the stress train I hear a’comin?  My it’s early this year…

Posted by Hippy Dave from Portland by way of Detroit on 12/05/08 at 03:31 PM ET