Detroit Red Wings & the NHL

[Hannibal]

Wings could actually win this one. It feels an awful lot like all of those shitty series the Wings lost in the '90s and '00s when they got outworked by mediocre teams and got a little bit unlucky too. I'll never forget the Freep headline after Game 5 of the 2001 playoffs: "Chicken Wings".

They haven't gotten exceedingly lucky the past two games to win those, despite the fact that having Brendan Smith on your defense means you spot the other team a goal.

Fun fact: Joel Quenville's career record against the wings is 7-22. He is to us what Mack Brown is to Oklahoma.

[Hannibal]

If the Wings get the next one at home, I think the Hawks are done.

Even though the Wings haven't blown a 3-1 series lead in 23 years, this is as likely a year as any for it to happen.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Yes .... I liked Mike's observation that all the Hawks have to do is poke the puck over the blue line with the Wings penchant to press, get a break away one on one and Howard will let one by. They do that a few times and the series is tied. I'm surprised that didn't happen in Monday's win. Its going to.

I think Babcock figured his defense is so bad, he might as well risk what he's been calling. So far it appears its worked pretty well but, geeeze, the Wings are a poke away from giving up an easy goal or three.

[DennisT]

They are kind of playing with house money at this point and that is a good position to be in. Nice to see the other team with the bullseye on their backs.

[Optimus Prime]

Rangers DOA, no urgency in their play....likely will be swept.

LA got screwed by the officials after they prematurely blew the whistle on goal, should be a mandatory video review...the official obviously made a mistake that is easily corrected.

Expect the Pens to come out flying to night and take 3-1 series lead. Jussi Jokinen will be inserted in the lineup, he's got fresh legs and is 24-11 on faceoffs....Pens getting killed on draws.

[Optimus Prime]

Still to be confirmed, Vancouver fires head coach Alain Vigneault.


http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=423778


If the Rangers get swept by Boston I bet John Tortorella will be next.

[Mike]

Never let a frog coach your team. Michelle Therrien should be fired, too, just on general principle.

[WingsFan]

Didn't watch the game tonight, just worked and seen the final score. As I expected Anderson cant beat Pittsburgh by himself 2 games in a row. I have no idea how Ottawa beat Montreal, they are by far the worst of the playoff teams.

[madootra]

Penguins completely outclassed them tonight. Pittsburgh still has issues with goaltending, and in their own zone. Boston will give them a helluva lotta difficulty.

[Optimus Prime]

Boston is looking good against the NYR's frankly because NY failed to show in the series. Although the Bruins appear to have found some depth and are playing physical, they did squander a 3-1 playoff lead to the Leafs and IMO essentially lost the series butfor an act of God, 2 goals with their netminder on the bench....they are very beatable. although Chara & Lucic have been beasts.

Blackhawks, Rangers & Senators have all been round 2 playoff disappointments.

If Malkin doesn't turn the puck over on the powerplay in his zone with 29 seconds left when the Sens score a shorthander to tie, the series is a sweep for the Pens.

Crosby continues to dominate, should of scored another Hat trick in the 7-3 romp.....checkout this magic, pure beauty! Tied for playoff goals, 2 behind the overall scoring leader even though he missed the start of the playoffs, shift-by-shift.

[youtube]jrP1bsMiMpk[/youtube]

Oh yeah, Crosby fastest player to score 40 goals in the playoffs, in 77 games, Jagr is 2nd on the list in 86 games.....elite club with Gretzky, Lemieux, Bossy.

[Optimus Prime]

Never let a frog coach your team. Michelle Therrien should be fired, too, just on general principle.

Don Cherry:

"Alain Vigneault is officially out as the Canucks' coach, but Don Cherry puts the blame on Vancouver GM Mike Gillis. Assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown were also let go, and the Coach's Corner star had this to say about the decision: "As far as I'm concerned, the general manager threw three good guys down the drain and that’s a shame. [It's] his fault, all the way. Vigneault, I just get to know your name and you’re gone."

Reminds me of my Grandfather.

[Hannibal]

Writing was on the wall for Vigneault.

[Optimus Prime]

"Probably not. Their depth and our play right now...it doesn't look too good."

- Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, when asked if his team could come back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

First horse meat in the Swedish meatballs and now this?

Captain Ikea, Moblerfucken?

(yes, that is a barrette in his hair)

[Mike]

Disgusting behavior on all counts. So glad the Wings don't have "those types" of Swedes.

[Optimus Prime]

Sports Illustrated named Mark Messier the best Captain in Sport, period. He used to "throttle" guys in dressing room who were not leaving it all on the ice.

I know this as fact.

Jimmy Carson got shipped to Detroit as result, no kidding, Messier punched him out.


"When Jimmy was 16, he left University-Liggett High School in Grosse Point, Michigan near Detroit to play in the Quebec junior league, where he scored 70 goals in his last year, 1985-86.
From there he was selected 2nd overall by Los Angeles in the 1986 draft and when he played his first game that fall he was the youngest player in the NHL. Just two years later, he set records for most goals (55) and points (107) in a season by an American-born player, and he was just the second youngest player to hit the 50-goal mark (Grtezky was the youngest).

On August 9, 1988, Carson was the key King involved in the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky out of Edmonton, and the pressure of replacing the Great One on the Oilers was huge. He scored 49 goals his first season, but just four games in to the 1989-90 season walked out on the team, demanding a trade. A trade it was, back home to Detroit, but Carson was unhappy playing second fiddle to Steve Yzerman, saw his ice time diminish, and forced a trade again, this time right back to La La Land and Gretzky and his only trip to the Cup finals (a loss to Montreal).

But by this time he was lucky to hit double digits in scoring, and fifty goals sounded more like career totals than play for a single season. Carson wound up in Vancouver and Hartford, where he never even reached double digits. In his final four NHL seasons, he had 58 goals, three shy of his total for all of 1987-88. Carson played briefly in Switzeralnd and the IHL before retiring in 1998."