Detroit Red Wings

Hockey Around The Horn: Episode 9

Greetings everyone…this is your host, Chris Wassel, with another episode of Hockey Around The Horn: The Stanley Cup Edition.

And now the intros…..

Kindly introduce yourselves please….

I am the Ogre, the strong yet gentle giant of TheNHLArena. And I happen to be the GM of the Penguins.

“Stand back, JoeyHurricane is coming thru! *cues entrance theme*…darn the CD is skipping!”

I am the one..the only….the Princess.

THE ICEBREAKER

Brian Burke has denied the Leafs yet again….is this story really dead or is there still more to the tale?

I know not of this “Brian Burke” of which you speak. Is he the one living down in the forest by the elves? Seems I’ve heard the name before and pain fills the eardrum. — Ogre

“I wouldnt call it dead right now, perhaps life support. I think things will get clearer just after the draft. Since Burke has a year left on his current deal, even if he resigned he would still have to honor that final year so unless he was able to get an out if the owner gets in potential legal trouble, this story is going to be a moot issue until next season with a few more weeks of conjecture from hockey media.” — Joey

LOL…dead. Burke isn’t going anywhere. — Princess

NEWS OF THE WEEK

1. Much has been made of the officiating in the Stanley Cup Finals…what sticks out more…the goaltending interference calls or the obstruction calls?

You asked the right person. The obstruction needs to be stopped and the refs are doing the right thing. Reaching out with the free hand needs to be eliminated. As far as goalie interference, I think the call on Zetterberg in the first OT was a good call and the other was a nice fall by Fleury. I am strongly against diving or embellishing but until they correct it, it’s going to happen, and most goalies are good at it. But players need to stop driving into the crease. If they hit a goalie outside his little blue home, tough, he deserves to be hit. But if he’s where he is supposed to be, you got to stay out. Home invasion should be a crime. Make the blue area a little bigger, get rid of the trapezoid, and if you roam from home, expect to get hit.
– Ogre

“I think it is the interference calls. As much as we fans all clamor for more consistent officiating, let’s face the facts, obstruction calls are hockey’s version of holding in football, you just aren’t gonna get them all and get them all right. Goalie interference calls far too much exploit the wording of the rulebook and can use a revision to make this infraction completely understandable, thus making this call more consistent.” — Joey

Obstruction, but I’m tried of hearing about people being upset about the calls made or not made. No *person* is perfect and no one ref is gonna see every pentaly to be called. And there are calls in every game you can say were bad or not made. I think people should either really try to fix this issue or shut up and just watch the game. Just crying about it doesn’t do anything.
– Princess

2. Former Coyotes GM Mike Barrett has proposed a developmental league in the Spring for prospects. Is this something that could work or is it just too outlandish to be plausible?

To do what? Save a few weeks in the minors? Stupid idea. Use the minors for what it is there for, getting young players time on the ice in game situations. — Ogre

“Chalk me up on the negative. Several reasons for this, first is you would have young players and prospects from a variety of leagues both professional and not that would have to sign off on this and that wont happen. The NHLPA wouldnt and shouldnt agree to something that can injure players that are members of the PA that may potentially be caused by players that are not members. Also give these kids a rest, hockey is enough of a drain on their lives, give them more than 8 weeks of an ‘offseason’. Instead of this have more rookie tournaments thru the league like the Traverse City tourney and the rookie tourney in the Pacific Division, instead. — Joey

Could work, but then again, there’s nothing to say you can’t take one of the many leagues already made and turn it into that. Probably would save money and time. — Princess

3. What is the more intimidating place to play a home game at….Joe Louis or the Mellon?

Well, bowing to the intelligence of my counterpart, Princess, with the lower attendance at the Joe, (I agree with the pricing and economic atmosphere he pointed out to me) and total sellouts at Mellon Arena, I got to go with the hometown crowd. The whiteout and full out mayhem makes it a tough place to play, hence the recent record, which the Red Wings snapped Monday. — Ogre

“I am going with Igloo. I was there scooping up Student Rush tickets, even if I was out of college already, when the team sucked and attendance barely ever got over 13,000 and those crowds were as loud as some sellouts cause those were the passionate fans that were there. I have seem many examples of how Pens teams play and effort resonates with the crowd at the Mellon. On thing I’ll remember the most is the Pens breaking a long winless streak at home with Andy Chiodo slamming his goalie stick on the net and waving his arms to the crowd that is so loud that you think we just won a berth in the Stanley Cup.” — Joey

Haha! I don’t think playing a home game at Joe Louis is intimidating…for the Red Wings
— Princess

4. How bad has the Tampa situation spiraled out of control and could it possibly get worse?

Yeah. It could get worse.
Win. Win. Win. Win. Win.
They couldn’t with the good players they had.
The baseball team has finally shown up and could steal people, and dollars, away from the Lightning, too. It’s tough enough to get people to go inside in a place like that when the area has a beautiful landscape and sunshine.
Oh, and making it Melrose Place, won’t be any better either. — Ogre

“Oh it can definately get worse, what is gonna happen if the Miroslav Satan Rays are for real? It can be an ugly situation if new ownership really does go for a coach for promotional purposes instead of the product on the ice. It will be trouble if 2 seasons go by without realistically competing for a playoff spot.” — Joey

Everything can always get worse. I don’t think it’s “spiraled out of control”. Rough times happen for everyone. — Princess

OVER/UNDER

There will be 7 trades made at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft….over or under?

Way over. Eleven or twelve. There are too many young stars and not enough money around to pay them and older players. Some teams, Pittsburgh, may have to deal a youngster or two, and others will strengthen what they have with vets. Last year was a learning curve on what to do with the new era in hockey. Teams will do more this year. — Ogre

“Under, I like 6 more than 7.” — Joey

Over…at least 8 or 9. — Princess

OUT OF BOUNDS

According to some in the media….what is worse…tanking you way to the Stanley Cup Finals or barely being able to sell out your own building?

You’re gonna get me in trouble here. I don’t believe any team “tanked” there way into the finals. (I know what you are hinting at, and you’re not so subtle) Teams do what is best for their team. Now, did the Pens “tank” games to get Mario? They probably didn’t play their best.
Not selling out your building is a damn shame, especially for the Cup Finals. To show off your team pride for the greatest trophy in sports, is what it is all about. But, as I stated earlier, some circumstances can’t be avoided. — Ogre

“Not selling out is the bigger issue to me. Yes the economy is not that good at the moment, yes tickets are expensive, yes people watch their what their disposable income is spent on but there are still enough people in the metropolitan areas that the necessary amounts of people should find their way to purchase those seats. Understandable if you cant afford them all but if you took said people and they all bought a game or two if that is all they can afford, sold out city.” — Joey

“Barely being able to sell out your own building” - I’d rather not be the champions and still have the fans behind me and still bring in some revenue. But a team is more likely to become champions if they can sell tickets. — Princess

THE FINAL SHOWDOWN

1. In the end, who should normally win the Conn Smythe…the best player on the winning team…or the best player in the playoffs period no matter their outcome?

This is tough. Surely players on Cup Final teams will normally have the best numbers; i.e. points, goals, assists, wins, etc. So it comes down to two teams usually. Unless someone has an outstanding, over-the-top performance, for the losing team, someone on the winning team should win. You were not the “best” player if you couldn’t help your team win. If it’s a close, seven game series, I could see it happening. — Ogre

“Normally its the best player on the winning team. Not often will you see a player on the losing team be worthy of the award. The Cup is awarded to the team who wins 4 series, which is a sign of consistency, and the consistently best player on said team will always outshine the best the losing team had to offer.” — Joey

I think it should go to the best player in playoffs no matter what the outcome. That’s only fair.
– Princess

2. At press time….the Chicago Wolves were up 2-0 on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins…do you think WBS has a snowball’s chance in coming back and why? Also, who has set the scoring record for rookies with 26 points so far?

With the call-ups for the Pens from the WBS team, and yet the great year they’ve had, I wouldn’t bet against them. WBS in seven.
I’m not going to look it up but I do know Alex Gologoski was credited with breaking some record or something, even though he was just called up and not a member of the team anymore. — Ogre

“This is a series that the word ‘chippy’ doesnt do it justice. Game three will define this series for several reasons, Wilkes Barre has always been a great team at home and the Calder Cup has a 2-3-2 format. Problem for Wilkes-Barre is the Pittsburgh Penguins have called up Alex Goligolski for the Stanley Cup Finals on an emergency basis and if the Penguins were to force a game 7 tonight, Alex will miss games 4,5,6 in this series. This is gonna hurt WBS moreso as Alex has a record 26 points by a defenseman in a postseason. Tough row to hoe for the Baby Pens but dont count them out until maybe tonight. ” — Joey

Alex Goligolski set the record and no the Baby Pens will not come back…Chicago is too tough.
– Princess

3. When all is said and done….what does it really take to not only win the Stanley Cup but repeat in this day and age? Really is any team now capable of doing so and why?

Not very possible anymore. Teams are better throughout the NHL now more than ever, and when you win it, teams gun for you even more, making it harder for you to repeat. Also, free agency and players jumping from team to team makes it tough.
But, if you have a real good farm team, and group of guys, signed for a few years, AND they play beyond their expectations, who knows what can happen. (Not so subtle, either, huh?)
– Ogre

“Lets face it, dynasties in the NHL are not anywhere close on the horizon. Back to back champions are only slightly more realistic. I believe that the closest you will find to a ‘dynasty’ is 3 Cup wins in a decade, but don’t expect two of those to be back to back. The collective talent pool in the NHL nowadays as compared to 15-25 years ago makes a 100+ grind to the Grail that much more difficult and unlikely. — Joey

You gotta have talent. A team that doesn’t have a lot of experience and/or talent is not gonna win. I think you also have to have heart and passion; the team has to care to win, because they want it and not because they want a paycheck. — Princess

CW: I wanted to personally thank all three of the participants for being in this month’s edition….and now the fans decide who wins this month’s Hockey Around The Horn.

Osgood As It Gets!!!!

START SPRAING THE SHAME PAIN BOYS AND LETS DRINK FROM THE LORDS CUP!!!!!

Wow, well the Red Wings are Stanley Cup Champions again.

What a series it was, both teams played their hearts out and it the end we all know who is the best team this season in Hockey.

The Red Wings dominated the Playoffs and Osgood got the MVP.

Although the Penguins tried to force a game 7, the Wings were just to big to stop.

If the Penguins did force a game 7, then it would be really tough to win it in Hockeytown.

The Pens came into the Stanley Cup Finals overconfident and not willing to admit that there was another team better than them and more hungry for Lord Stanleys Cup.

That’s the real reason the Penguins lost the series and their dreams of hoisting the Cup.

All that’s left to do until the offseason comes is the 2008 NHL Draft which will be an exciting one and with Melrose becoming the new lighting head coach and the Wings winning the Cup this will be an interesting Draft year for the NHL.

Oh crap!!

(Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

This series is going back to Pittsburgh and Petr Sykora is why.

His goal 9:57 into OT gave the Pens a 4-3 win and a ticket back to Pittsburgh in an attempt to force a Game 7.

The power play tally came just 36 seconds after Rob Scuderi was high sticked by Jiri Hudler. Clearly this was a call that had to be made and it had to be a 4:00 double minor. Another big thing from that goal was a sighting from Evgeni Malkin who got the primary assist on Sykora’s game winner. Considering that Malkin looked like he was dogging it most of the overtime, it was a bit unexpected. Detroit outshot 58-32 and really was the better team throughout.

However, Pittsburgh jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first before Detroit got it in gear. When Adam Hall scored another surprising goal (his 2nd unassisted goal), the crowd in Joe Louis went DEAD! The hunger in Pittsburgh faded when Sergei Gonchar went out with an injury. Other players were already banged up but most thought he would not return even the TV folks. Detroit took advantage scoring three unanswered…from Helm, Datsyuk, and Rafalski. Rafalski appeared to be the hero when Pittsburgh pulled the goalie with less than a minute left. Then a bad clearing attempt led to Crosby keeping the play alive….the puck went over to Hossa and then to Max Talbot of all people who tied the game at 3 and kept the season and the Pens’ heart alive.

From there…the OT’s seemed to blend into each other. Every opportunity that Detroit had seemed to become more magnified. Datsyuk and Zetterberg were amazing tonight but in the end, Fleury foiled every Detroit attempt at a cup clincher. Marc-Andre Fleury was the star here even if Petr Sykora called his shot and delivered. So why is this series going 6….look no further than Fleury, who has a bright and amazing future in this league….a future far better than it looked early last year….that is a given!

Pittsburgh did take his share of knocks in this game.  Gonchar still looked gimpy even in that one shift when the Pens scored.  The whole team looked fatigued.  I just wonder kind of aloud…do they have anything left in the tank for Wednesday?  Maybe the adrenaline of the home crowd will help them or will the anger of Detroit’s disappointment be the deciding factor?  We’ll find out Wednesday.

That’s Me In The Corner…..

With a dunce cap on my head, ouch!  This is why you never know folks….you can make sound predictions based on what you think will happen.  But until they play the game, a person just never bloody knows do they?  I found that out the hard way tonight.  After the first period was tied at 1 and I saw 23 combined shots, I felt relatively comfortable about my outcome.  The problem is they combined for 30 in the final two periods….oops!  Who turned out the power?  Maybe they didn’t pay their electric bill at the Mellon?

What developed last night simply was a game where no one wanted to make that critical mistake.   Those are games when the outcome can be easily changed just by a stick or an instance of the unexpected.  Cue in Jiri Hudler who took a nice pass by Darren Helm and backhanded one past a stunned Marc-Andre Fleury.  With that shot, the life in the building went out of the Mellon faster than I can drink a 12 ounce glass of cider and that is pretty quick my friends.

Then Pittsburgh got a 5 on 3 on two very uncharacteristic Detroit penalties.  The three men out there not only killed the disadvantage off but were unbelievable in their puck pursuit…not something normally seen in the late stages of a long, tough Game 4.  But the world saw it in plain sight why Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will get more consideration than Chris Osgood for Conn Smythe.  Will one of the two talented forwards win it?  I don’t know.  I wonder if Lidstrom would get it but something tells me no way.

From there, the Penguins were just SHUT DOWN!  In the end, what resulted was a 2-1 Red WIngs victory that ended so many home streaks for Pittsburgh.  Well at least I got the Wings goal total right and hey Evgeni Malkin did lead the Penguins in shots and it was probably his best game but still nothing to show for it.  So now I feel some serious shame….at 2-2 for the finals.

Reading the Behind The Jersey live blog…I really got the sense of how this game went.  It went the opposite of what I expected completely.  It definitely caused me to think long and hard about my prediction and well I was sure way off even if the game didn’t start that way.

This is why I always say…no matter how much analysis….you never really know.  Now the Red Wings are just one win away from a fourth Stanley Cup title in 11 years and well I won’t be able to hold that little tiebreaker over Wings’ fans anymore.  So that’s me in the corner….standing….seeing….my prediction going up in smoke.  I will take my dunce cap and tip it to the Red Wings..they showed me something last night I did not expect to see.  The Penguins’ task is now one I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy on a frigid, arctic winter’s day….period!

So as I take the day off today to ponder Monday’s Game 5…there is one thing Therrien, Crosby, Malkin, and company can take comfort in….they have nothing to lose now…but the Stanley Cup.  Maybe that will help…maybe it won’t.

The Predictor Pulls A Coin Out Of His WHAT???

Yes that is my wife, Dawn, on the left. She would be the diehard Anaheim Ducks fan that swept me off my feet. Sometimes they say the best thing is just to go with your wife’s instinct. So after a lengthy discussion and much going back and forth….we went over what we thought were keys in the game.

Detroit’s Keys:

1. Puck Possession
2. Keep the momentum from the end of Game 3.
3. Better focus from the blueline and Osgood.

Pittsburgh’s Keys

1. Continued brilliance from Fleury
2. Crosby-Malkin-Hossa being active in the box score
3. Stay out of the penalty box.

The strange thing is Pittsburgh did not need a 60 minute effort against Detroit in Game 3 because Detroit was uncharacteristically poor in their own end. That happens again and this goes back to Joe Louis tied at 2. This game seems destined to go Pittsburgh’s way just from what I’ve been reading. Even Evgeni Malkin looks the best he has in practice in weeks according to Going Five Hole’s Sean Leahy. We will see what happens there at least.

Overall the wife and I both agree that this thing is going back to Joe Louis tied at 2 but I think Detroit again finds a way to make this interesting in the third period before bowing out to the buzzing home crowd and Penguins at the Mellon.

Penguins 4 Red Wings 2

I almost forgot…as a bit of a parting……highlights from Game 3….enjoy!

The Turkey’s On ME!

Well tonight I guess, the turkey is on me. I predicted earlier tonight that the Red Wings would defeat the Penguins 3-2. I apparently got my signals crossed because the Penguins beat the Red Wings 3-2. Crosby getting on the scoreboard was a given but Hossa being a playmaker wasn’t. Marian Hossa had two big assists on those two Crosby goals.

Strangely enough it was Detroit who made the mistakes tonight. Though some would argue the call that led to the second Pittsburgh call was a bit marginal. The bottom line is that Detroit’s Penalty Kill cracked for the first time in the series. Even Datsyuk and Zetterberg were on the ice for Pittsburgh’s first goal…a sign that it really wasn’t Detroit’s night. The Adam Hall goal was icing on the cake…Osgood should have had that one no question.

Now all was not perfect for the Penguins and really they do have some considerable concerns going into Game 4. Detroit pounded 16 shots on Fleury in the third…now Fleury only gave up one goal and was amazing in net…but that relentless puck possession started to tire Pittsburgh out. Another few minutes and this game would have gone into Overtime.

So who were the turkeys tonight? A quick three if you will.

1. Chris Osgood — for allowing that Adam Hall goal.
2. Evgeni Malkin — for still being pointless.
3. Datsyuk and Zetterberg — for having a rare off night.

Well there are two days off…how ever will we fill the time you may ask? I want to know what the reader really thinks of these Stanley Cup Finals…so fire away!!  I will answer your questions and comments as fast as I can.

Sincerely,

Chris

The Playoff Predictor Hits Pittsburgh….

(Jill_tski/flickr.com)

As the scene shifts to Pittsburgh, above is center ice at Mellon Arena.  Legend has it that Pittsburgh is undefeated at home.  Well that will be put to the test tomorrow evening as the Detroit Red Wings come to town.  The Red Wings have won a road game in every round actually (5 wins total).  That is not surprising really considering they won the Presidents Trophy with a road record of 25-12-4.  The only team better on the road was San Jose (27-10-4).

The twist is Pittsburgh (26-10-5) at home is one of the best teams at home and undefeated in the playoffs at the friendly confines.  The team plays much better there and they will need the crowd to be at their loudest if they expect to win Game 3.  Maybe Evgeni Malkin can rediscover the magic from earlier in the playoffs and hopefully Marian Hossa  can make an impact.  This has been well documented in most circles but especially on The NHL Arena Program.

I have gone over in previous posts what Pittsburgh needs to do.  Now, the first goal is so obviously paramount that it is downright scary.  The Penguins really need to get one past Osgood and quickly.  The longer they go scoreless in this game…the longer the agony Pittsburgh fans will feel and well the players too.

How are they going to score first?  STOP SHOOTING WIDE!  If you watched the first two games…there were a number of chances where Pittsburgh did have glorious scoring chances but could not hit the net on 2nd shot opportunities or in the prime scoring areas thus making Chris Osgood’s life easier than can be.  Crosby, Talbot, Malone, Malkin, Hossa, and others have suddenly found their sticks break or shots shanked when so close to hitting the back of the net.

One problem with all of this….Detroit is just too good defensively.  However, maybe deliberately shooting wide instead of shanking could work.  Time will tell but right now I just do not see Pittsburgh pulling this one out Wednesday Night.  They will get really close in this one and will score at least once but it will not be enough as the hole gets deeper.

Prediction:  Detroit 3  Pittsburgh 2

Halfway Home….

(Getty Images/Yahoo)

A Happy Wings team halfway there….

Give Detroit a ton of credit here…they are the teacher here and Pittsburgh is the pupil much like the Islanders of the 1980’s and the Wings of 10 years ago. Brad Stuart tallied first on a shot where he skated back just a bit then fired…that caught Marc-Andre Fleury off guard. Once Detroit went up 1-0…it looked like Pittsburgh just fell backwards again. It didn’t hurt that it took nearly 9:00 for Pittsburgh even to get a shot on goal on Chris Osgood..

Tomas Holmstrom would add a goal (from in close that counted this time) late in the first to make it 2-0 and really after that you could have turned the television off. Surely Gary Bettman had to have an acute case of heartburn after seeing this game. Thoughts of high octane offense on both sides has melted into a Detroit puck possession clinic where Pittsburgh has few answers but much yapping to do.

Then in the third…Val Filppula scored on a 4 on 4 situation with much help from The Mule (Johan Franzen) and Brad Stuart. At 3-0…the Penguins were reduced to trying to be physical for a change and finally they responded but in a bad bad way. Ryan Malone killed any hopes of a Pens comeback when he ran into Osgood while the Penguins were on a man advantage. Detroit scored just 44 seconds later.

At this point all Detroit has to do is keep on keeping on. Yes Pittsburgh will have the advantage with line changes…BUT Detroit truly has experience on their side.  Will the result change Wednesday, find out on NBC.

Flying High In MoTown!!!

The Red Wings took game 2 on Monday night 3-0. The Pens looked aware, but a sleep at trying to score goals.

Detroit had a very busy couple of days hosting the Stanley Cup Finals and the Eastern Confrence Finals between the Celtics and the Pistons. between the fights and the penalties that were in game 2, I have to say what a game it was on Monday.

There were so many fights and so much talkin I was wondering that maybe this was WWF smack down in hockey style.

Now I know their playing for the biggest trophy in hockey, but I guess you can’t blame them when it comes to Lords Stanley’s Cup you just sometimes have to drop the gloves and fight it out, to see who wants it more.

Although the Pens did seem like they might have been starting to make a comeback in the third, I doubted it after one of the players on the Penguins was called for goalie interference.

Malkin and Crosby seemed to be alert on trying to score goals, but the defense of the Red Wings kust were to much to handle.

I really think that the Red Wings will sweep the Penguins if the Pens don’t start shuting them down and start slowing it down a bit.

The Pens need to stop talking trash with the Wings and start performing as if in fact they are Eastern Confrence Champs.

Because honestly if they keep on talking trash with their mouths, they will see their hopes and dreams of becoming the NHL Champs sweeped away by the the MoTown Wings.

GO PENS!!!

Hail To The Predictor??? Not quite!

No pretty pictures, links, etc today….just something right to the point.  People have been asking me all day so okay the Wings got the upper hand on the Penguins in Game 1 and just played smarter.  Many have asked if they can continue it in Game 2.  It does pose a very interesting side question.  Can the Penguins figure out a way to control the puck and then actually get shots on net?

A nice little stat I forgot was that a majority of shots either missed the net or were blocked.  That is simply unacceptable in the minds of many Penguin fans and I am sure players and coaches as well.  Really Maggie the Monkey could have told you the Wings were going to win Game 1…hell an upside down sleeping dog could have done the same honestly.  So telling you the Wings were going to go up 1-0 was really not very hard at all.

Predicting Game 2 will be a little harder….however, the status of Johan Franzen is questionable but the Penguins have taken out Georges Laraque and in his place will be Gary Roberts.  Combine Roberts being in there with Talbot being put on the Crosby line and I do think you will indeed see a very different Penguins team.  The Wings will be in for a fight.

In the end though…I still see the Wings prevailing although it being very close.  Their puck possession and the home crowd will be just a little too much.

Detroit 3  Pittsburgh 2

I am wondering what fellow Fanboomer Eric Dorman thinks about this.

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