Oh no where have I been?

Sorry guys, I’ve been gone starting my life here at MSU. That means a slew of things: breaking in the new apartment, figuring out classes plus a ton of other stuff. It’s a little dead in the hockey world for the most part, although free agency is still chugging along slowly.

Well not much is going on recently. The retirement of Chelios and his subsequent joining of the Wings’ front office was awhile ago, which of course was a good move. It was too bad that Chelios’ career had to fizzle out, but that’s what you get when you play to age 62 (not really, fools!).

Kirk Maltby agreed to a one year, two-way deal. I’m glad we were able to get Kirk to settle for the two way contract, because guaranteeing him to the NHL roster would’ve hurt our rookies and role guys that could fill the spot better. Judging from Kenny’s comments, the GM seemed very sympathetic to Maltby and his situation, but in the end, we all know Maltby is heading more towards Chelios as he ages. Don’t be mistaken though, Malts provides good depth when we need it, and we will definitely need it. In the meantime, Kirk will be chilling in Grand Rapids and maybe (we hope) will make a return to FSN Detroit.

Meanwhile, the big news today was Mike Modano skating in a Red Wings jersey. Riveting stuff I know, but a lot of NHL people (or maybe just Dallas fans) made a big story out of it. Here’s the story and the footage that went with it.

Looking good in that red Mikey!

That’s all I have for now. I hope to do some kind of season preview as long things don’t get too crazy around here, so we’ll see. Training camp starts very soon…

Oh by the way, I have a tiny issue: it turns out the TV package my apartment has here doesn’t carry FSN Detroit. This could be potentially very crappy. We are hoping to sign on to a better TV package, but if anyone has any suggestions about online subscription to just FSN Detroit programming, I would appreciate it. I don’t need the NHL Network online, just my hometown Wings. Because if I can’t watch the Wings, you guys can’t read this blog. And we all know that would be awful for everyone.

Augusto Updates

Hey everyone, thanks for the feedback on the Mt. Puckmore debate we had last week. It looks like the original four selected by the mLive blogger were your guys’ choices (Howe, Yzerman, Lindsay and Lidstrom), but Terry Sawchuk and Chris Osgood got votes, three votes for Osgood to two for Sawchuk, surprisingly enough. But enough of such trivial matters.

The final piece of the Wings’ offseason, Justin Abdelkader, was signed yesterday for two years. The experts are projecting him already starting on the fourth line with Helmers and Patrick Eaves, which will leave some good depth like Drew Miller and the ol’ reliable Drapes waiting in the wings. The front office is hopeful for his improvement, so I’m hoping that either this or next year he can show us his stuff, because Kenny Holland believes he can be a top-six forward, something I haven’t quite seen yet. But he’ll get ice time on the fourth line, which will be enough time to develop and not too much to spoil him, like what we had to do when we had him on the second line and the powerplay for a spell last year.

Also, guess who has a new website? It’s Niklas Kronwall! Finally you can keep up with all of the news, photos and videos of our very own 55. What Kronwall doesn’t mention is the latest nugget of information he leaked in an interview with a Swedish reporter. He told her that his left knee is still hurting him, the same knee that the Wings opted not to do surgery on after we dropped out of the playoffs. Kenny Holland confirms the report here .

Now I appreciate Kenny’s honesty, but this summertime story does need to draw a little attention. Here we have Kronwall, a top-four defenseman for us who has had at least three seasons since 2006 cut short by some type of injury. I’m not questioning the Wings’ ability to rehab and solve injuries, but this is definitely a little worrisome considering his history. What step that needs to be taken next, I don’t know. Holland does not say surgery is an option anytime soon, certainly not with the season approaching. Kronwall did say it’s not quite 100 percent, which isn’t all bad in the end. But if Kronwall doesn’t maintain his health for a longer period than two or three seasons, I’m not too sure about his future here anymore, which worries me as our d-men get older (Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart). Just something to keep tabs on as we roll closer to the beginning of training camp.

Also, if you haven’t been around NHL.com recently, there’s been some  interesting summer conferences going on that should spark some interest. A week ago, the NHL Research and Development camp was hosted in Toronto, the brainchild of former Wing Brendan Shanahan. There were some interesting things they tested, including a yellow line behind the goal line that would signal an automatic goal if the puck touched it and a referee calling the game standing above the penalty boxes off the ice. There were also some crazy things, such as a two foot wide blue line and the two faceoff dots in each zone replaced by one giant one smack dab in the middle of the slot. I’m not sure what rules are going to be instituted, but definitely not many of the radical things here.

Who are the four faces of the Red Wings?

Puck Daddy, my favorite hockey blog over at Yahoo Sports, has been running the August “Mt. Puckmore” series, where they skillfully Photoshop four faces onto the side of the Mount Rushmore that represent four significant names from each NHL franchise. The entries have been very interesting for each team, including bitter entries from teams mired in long Stanley Cup droughts (The Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues writers were quite bitter but entertaining) to the relatively lackluster entries from expansion teams such as the Blue Jackets.

So, even before the Wings were featured today, the questions would definitely mount on who from our storied past would enjoy this honor. I could think of two instantly: Howe and Yzerman, but the other two were the concern for me. Surely, there is debate between us now that are enjoying this recent success and those who will argue in favor of the Wings’ dynasties of the 40s and 50s. To settle the debate, I have the link to the Wings’ Mount Puckmore article, with the choices selected my mLive blogger George Malik.

I would go visit this monument

Overall, I thought he did a good job. Howe and Yzerman are there, and his other interesting picks are Ted Lindsay and Nicklas Lidstrom. I can definitely vouch for Lidstrom even though his number isn’t yet up in the rafters, but as he is considered one of the best defensemen ever to play, his inclusion is imminent. Malik makes an honest case for Lindsay, who certainly made his mark on Detroit as part of the 50s dynasty. However, in his case, he didn’t stand out as much as Howe, and his accomplishments are right up there with other players of that era. Alex Delvecchio played longer and scored more points than Lindsay. Another notable candidate missed was Terry Sawchuk, our most notable goalie ever, whose illustrious shutout record was recently broken by Martin Brodeur.

Again, it’s all based on personal preference for the last few picks, and Lindsay was chosen for his “Terrible Ted” reputation that went along with his statistical success. I’ll post a poll next to this to ask you guys who you would want. I’ll make it multiple choice, and the top four choices obviously get to be on the Mount Puckmore.

Birthday Updates!

Hey everyone I’m 20 today!

But thankfully, this blog isn’t about me, or my current readers wouldn’t be reading it. I do have some fun little things for you guys to do.

NHL.com has been running a special daily feature to ease hockey fans out of the boredom of August, although this offseason may just heat up this month due to the inactivity on the market. But anyway, the NHL have been breaking down each team’s offseason moves, a helpful guide compared to the alternative of hockey geeks like me checking each team’s individual roster to see who’s there and who’s not. Today the Red Wings were featured, so go ahead and check out the coverage. You get to take a look at Babcock’s projection of our lines, which should make any Red Wing fan happy, considering our scoring depth goes all the way to third line with guys like Hudler, Modano and Cleary. Also, there are some good quotes from Coach, so it’s a good read for sure. Babcock isn’t as cool to quote as fellow Detroit coaches Jim Schwartz of the Lions or Jim Leyland of the Tigers, but he definitely has his moments.

Also, make sure you check out the home page on NHL.com today. In addition to the report on the Wings’ offseason, NHL.com also dedicates their video highlights to the Wings’ season. The videos have a lot of classic moments, most of them against Phoenix, including Datsyuk’s backhand-forehand beauty and Z’s hat trick.

Mid-August Updates!

Sorry guys, it’s been a busy few weeks coming home from Georgetown, going off to Chicago for a little bit of my brother’s State Wars action, and now back home again. In the meantime there has been plenty of offseason action for the Wings, as August is looking like their month to shine.

First off, I’m sure you have heard, but the fabled Mike Modano will be in fact joining us this season. Coach Babcock made the inevitable prediction, and as he says, Modano doesn’t have to be the guy, just one of the guys. He’ll fit in nicely on a projected third line role with Jiri Hudler and Dan Cleary, but with Modano’s skill he could just crack the second line and power play as well. I haven’t got to watch him in awhile, and I know he was playing a similar third-line role with the Stars last year, but Modano has the veteran poise to hold down a solid roster position and if we’re lucky we can get upwards of 15 goals out of him.

Welcome to Hockeytown Mike!

In other news, Darren Helm also signed with the Wings, and Chris Chelios joined the Wings front office. NHL.com was a little sneaky with their headline, causing a little anger in me when I read “Chelios joins the Wings.” However, it was followed by a crucial dash and the words, “In the front office.” Ken Holland doesn’t really have a specific goal for him yet, but says he’ll be doing some player development. With this it’s more certain that Chelly won’t be  making dogged attempts to get back into the league…for now.

In the latest news I can give you, the Wings went out a grabbed veteran defenseman Ruslan Salei. He’s a 35 year old defensive defenseman who has played for the Avs and Babcock’s Ducks in recent years, and he was the captain and only noticeable player on Belarus for this year’s Olympics. With this move, it’s looking like the Wings won’t be returning Andreas Lilja, who is at odds with contract figures. This is an interesting move, it’ll give us big name defenders on each of our pairs, and hopefully Salei can mentor young Ericsson as he tries to acclimate himself to the rigors of the NHL season without going into the minuses too much. That, and I’m hoping Salei can do his own job well enough, something the Wings’ D corps struggled with last year. With the depth in the ranks, this certainly means that Lidstrom and Rafalski don’t have to log so many minutes.

Pleasure to have you as well, Ruslan!

With the additions of Modano and Salei, the Wings certainly become more middle-aged. The defenseman are quite old, with Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart and Salei all in their thirties to late thirties. The offense is prime aged, although Datsyuk and Zetterberg are hovering around the 30 mark, something our fan base seems to forget. However, we aren’t too tired and old, considering we have guys like Helmer and soon to sign Abdelkader occupying lower roster spots. We also have depth waiting in the wings, ranging from guys like Mattias Ritola to new guys like Brendan Smith, that young defender out of Wisconsin. So what does this mean now? We have veteran experience in our ranks, but supplanted by many eager rookies ready to make the jump to the NHL.

The Wings are pretty much all set for next season in terms of offseason moves, and I have to say they did a decent job this summer. Only a  month or so until camp!

Awwwww…

Apparently, this was front page news today at NHL.com: our very own Henrik Zetterberg was married to Swedish TV personality Emma Andersson. NHL.com definitely made today all about Zetterberg, as they feature a slew of Zetty hockey highlights with their front page package.

Zetty looks like such a pimp

“Woah how did you get that picture Jake?” some of you may be wondering. As much as I hang out in Sweden (I really don’t), I lifted the photos from a link provided by the Detroit Free Press. I guess I can let you look at the rest of them here.

As you will see, Nick Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen and Mikael Samuelsson all clearly show up, most near the end, all with their own share of attractive female counterparts. Of course, let’s not take away from Zetty’s wife Emma; she is clearly a gem. I won’t provide the link, but I’m sure you eager man-dudes out there will be interested in doing a simple Google image search of her.

Also to note from the wedding: Zetty and Emma are hilarious. Just check out this sweet story from Puck Daddy.

I’ll include the sweet picture they took before the wedding for you lazy people that can’t click a hyperlink:

Yes! My favorite kind of wedding theme, prison theme!

Ok, it’s really not prison themed. Conventional wedding planners, cover your eyes if it isn’t already too late. But apparently, the town they got married in, Molle, Sweden, had public baths back in the day where these suits were common attire, so Zetty and his bride got a little creative and dressed up all of their guests in these wonderful outfits for a pre-wedding dip, including some of our lovable hockey stars like Pavel Datsyuk and Valtteri Filppula, who can be seen at the very left of the picture. Just look for Filp’s blondness and Datsyuk’s trademark triangle head.

Besides all of the silliness, I would just like to congratulate Hank and his beautiful wife. Now the question is, Will Emma be at the Joe more often next season now? We can only hope so.

Congrats guys!