Two things I wish: that I had more time to give this column the attention it deserves, and that I’d written it.  Pat Caputo, as you’ll read, calls Don Cherry a bigot.  Pretty strong term.  Pretty accurate too.  Caputo also reaches out to smack Barry Melrose around a bit, which is always fun.  Both “experts” have been very open about their biases against Detroit this postseason (and well before). 

Caputo’s had enough.

I’ve been giving strong consideration to using a Seger lyric as the title of tonite’s live blog, but decided against it. A few of you have suggested I go with a couple, more obscure Lightfoot songs.  I thought of doing that too, and taking full credit for the idea. But, I can’t.  The Wings are now 3-0 since we went with “Fitzgerald” and I’m not turning back.  Plus, I’m chomping at the bit to use a particular line and I can’t until the number reaches “1”.

On to the keys, the fact-driven, stat-backed, heavy-handed analysis A2Y has become famous for.

From Michael McCarthy at USA Today:

The NHL and cable TV partner Versus are talking about introducing “puck-tracking” technology as early as the 2008-09 season, executives from the network and the league told USA TODAY.

Tracking would make it easier for TV viewers to follow the fast-moving puck. But the idea brought back memories of Fox’s “glowing puck” experiment from 1996-98. It got mixed reviews, with some players and coaches complaining the internal electronics of the “FoxTrax” puck made it play differently. When ABC picked up the NHL’s broadcast rights in 1998, the idea was junked.

More, and Didn’t somebody write a book about how badly this failed the first time?

Wyshynski has more on the topic.

Interested in getting the pulse of the fans on this topic, vote now…

via Mike Heika of Dallas Stars Blog at the Dallas Morning News,

The league just confirmed.

There are some fines involved, but both Ribeiro and Osgood are good to go for Game 3.

That’s important for the Stars, particularly if Lehtinen is hurt and can’t play.

Ribeiro was quite feisty today, so it will be interesting if he transfers that energy to the ice.

added 7:07pm, Sorry for the back to back posts on this topic.  At least we used different sources!

Update 1932 EST:  Confirmed from Mike Heika at the Dallas Morning News.  He also says Ribeiro was “quite feisty today” at practice.  Twitchy too, I’m sure.

That’s according to Andrew’s Dallas Stars Page.

Sounds good to me.  Want more on Ribeiro’s antics? Read George Malik’s observations from Game 2.

Every night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, “Eye on the Media” writer Steve Lepore will keep you updated on the complicated ordeal that is finding your favorite game on the tube.

from Bruce Garrioch at Off the Posts,

The talk is Florida Panthers GM Jacques Martin is going to turn to an old friend for the coaching post in the Sunshine State.

Sources told me today that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Andre Savard has emerged as one of the top candidates for the vacant coaching post with the Panthers.

a little more…

From hockey fan Captain Salamander on Gabby’s Gobbledygook, complete text of his blog post today:

Separated at Birth?

You know those side by side photos of celebrities and regular folk who look remarkably alike? Well here’s one of two hockey players who must be identical twins.

Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

Those ESPN links were included by the Captain to further illustrate the spooky similarities that lead to this breakthrough realization of his.

I only wish I could have been there for the final epiphanies. Probably went something like: “Hold on—they even have the same birthdays. I’m starting to see a pattern developing!”

Awesome.

An Interview With: D. Tippett, M. Modano, M. Ribeiro, M. Turco, B. Richards…

Q Hear anything on Ribeiro?

COACH DAVE TIPPETT: Haven’t heard anything from the league yet, no.

Q How do you prepare if you don’t hear anything until tomorrow?

COACH DAVE TIPPETT: We’ll hear something today. I don’t suspect anything. I suspect he’ll be a player. Looking at the situation, I can’t see how it would be a suspension, myself, but that’s for them to figure out. And from our side, I’m going to prepare like Ribeiro’s a player and move forward.

A2Y staffers have compiled the numbers.  There are 919,000 moms in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.  Every single one of them is sad today.  I’m cool with that.  Here’s something else the staffers, the underappreciated backbone of A2Y, have come up with.  Ready?

Chris Osgood’s your Conn Smythe leader.

from John Kreiser of NHL.com,

Chris Osgood doesn’t have the flash of Detroit teammate Dominik Hasek. He’s not a spectacular puck-handler like Dallas’ Marty Turco, his rival in the Western Conference Finals. He’s a solid goaltender who doesn’t do anything extraordinarily well.

Except win.

Few goaltenders in any era can match Osgood when it comes to winning games. He was 27-9-4 during the regular season while splitting time with Hasek, and improved to 8-0 during the playoffs with a 2-1 victory over the Stars Saturday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

continued

Flyers coach John Stevens and Penguins coach Michel Therrien met with the media earlier today…

from Jack McCaffery of the Delco Times,

There is no secret to holding a lead; if there were, there would be no reason to watch a sporting event after the first team scores. But if there was a theme dominating the Flyers’ clubhouse conversation Saturday, it was that they would be better off continuing to attack while ahead rather than earning a lead and then start looking at the clock and listening for the horn.

It’s three series into a four-series tournament, but apparently the Flyers have decided that the next time they are ahead in the game, they’ll try to pretend that they are behind.

“We’ve done a great job at getting leads —- and that’s important,” Scottie Upshall said. “But keeping it is another thing. For us, we have to concentrate on having good starts. In the playoffs, you see two-goal leads just turn into tie games right away. So we have to keep playing that aggressive style of play.”

more

via the Detroit Free Press,

“Redneck to me, the word came about when the Scottish and Irish come over here and worked, and they were bent over in the fields all the time and their necks got red and the Indians called them rednecks,” Cherry said Saturday (and later on “Hockey Night in Canada"). “To be a redneck is to be proud.

“This is a redneck city, a blue-collar city, and Probert and Kocur and McCarty were the gods when they were here,” Cherry said. “I’m not knocking the team ... people would rather see a good, tough team.”

more from Don…

- Instead of putting her kids in time-out, she says she’s sending them to the penalty box.

- The bruise on her hand comes from banging on the glass along the boards.

more at Fish in my Hair…

Happy Mother’s Day!