Monthly Archive for May, 2004Page 2 of 2

A little perspective

Published
by
Matt Saler
on May 5, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

I got this through an e-mail list I belong to and I thought it was really good. It’s by Carole Lee Sussman of AllSports.com’s hockey media section.

I’m a little amused at all of the End of an Era-themed articles in the papers this week — just what Era is Ending? Are the Wings suddenly going to go back to the way things were in 1994 when nobody wanted to play the sort of defense that wins playoff rounds? Are they going to go back to 1985 when they were Stevie Wonder and the Oy Veys, one brilliant kid and a bunch of guys no other team wanted, all combined for a toxic combination — the Dead Wings?

The Wings have been preparing for the post Big Name Player period all along. Go look at the roster. Zetterberg. Fischer. Datsyuk. Kronwall. Hudler. Williams. Even Dandenault. No, there are no Yzermans on that list, but you *know* those players don’t come around a franchise every day — not even every generation. Go look at that list and remember what a roster of with names like Lapointe, McCarty, Draper, and Lidstrom looked like ten years ago. What the Wings have is a core. A solid core. There will be players added to it, players subtracted, but in the end, that’s a
half-dozen guys who earned their stripes playing with some of the best players ever, who shared a locker room — and for some, a Stanley Cup — with Hall of Famers.

The Wings are not about to turn into the Columbus Blue Jackets. Or the New York Rangers. Or the Calgary Flames, for that matter. They are not about to turn into a faceless group where even the home fans need a scorecard to figure out who’s who. They are not about to miss the playoffs for five, six years in a row.

This team, win or lose, was not built to last. With an average age of 32, it wasn’t going to go on forever like this. Is it the end of an era? No. It’s the natural way of things and the changes that come will be similarly organic.

Still numb and a few other thoughts

Published
by
Matt Saler
on May 5, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

I’m still numb to the whole thing. I guess it will hit me in a few days when I wonder “When’s the next game?” or “What time’s the game on?” I see myself in the mirror with no goatee and I feel like I’m looking at a stranger because I had it on there for so long, having started growing it about a week before the regular season ended. When it hits me, I’m going to realize that there will be no Red Wings hockey at the very least until September and more likely not until much later than that due to the much anticipated CBA talks. I’ll also realize that Monday night’s game was the last time I’ll see some of my favorite players play after taking their presence on the ice for granted for as much as eight years.

I’ve known this day would come for years but I never really thought it would. The core of the team is going to be changed and the reletive floodgates of exodus are going to start. We’ve seen players leave in the past, some of them fan favorites, but this off-season promises to be one where the team loses some of its biggest fan favorites of all. Guys like Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper and Chris Chelios could all be gone next time the Wings suit up, if for different reasons. Shanahan put on a disappointing offensive performance in the playoffs and might just be let go by the Wings who most likely will not be willing to pick up his $6.5 million option next year. The Captain, who says he is not done and is willing to wait a year, probably shouldn’t play again. Draper’s contract is up this year and the Wings may not be able to give him the money he earned with a career season, even though he says he does not want to leave the team. Chelios is 42 and an unrestricted free agent but he wants to keep playing, though the Wings may not want him again and a lockout would end his career. Brett Hull is an unrestricted free agent but, as the Freep says, “The Wings won’t want him back … He won’t want to come back.” Mathieu Schneider is an unrestricted free agent year and with a Norris quality year like he had last year (despite what the award nominations say), his price has gone up considerably and the Wings may not be able to commit that much money to him with a new salary structure coming. Steve Thomas is 40 and after a disappointing finish to what was a great start to his time with the Wings, he is done.

We may see a new coach next year as well. Joel Quenneville and Jacque Martin are available. I’d take Quenneville over Martin, personally, but the Wings may stick with Dave Lewis anyway because, while he was a major factor in the loss, he wasn’t fully to blame and he knows the team better than anyone.

This team will look very different next time we see them on the ice. They will still be competitive but I’m not as sure that they will be competitors. Since they will be losing a few players this offseason, gaining some speed and size would not be a bad idea.

Check out the Free Press and Detroit News’ takes on some possible changes.

The Detroit News has a “Build a Better Wings Team Contest” going. You get to pick from a list of free agents and coaches as well as deciding who stays and who goes on the current roster as long as you have 23 skaters and stay within $83 million. Whoever comes closest gets three tickets to a regular season game.

Quote of the day

“There’s a lot of guys . . . who wondered, this whole season . . . if there’d be a night when we took this uniform off for the last time . . .” — a teary-eyed Brendan Shanahan after Game 6, quoted by Mitch Albom.

Shanny probably was thinking about himself when he said that. It’s sad….

Some Consolation
The Avs lost their series last night 4-2 when they lost 3-1 to the Sharks at home. The Sharks will obviously face the Flames in the Western Conference Finals.

The Leafs lost at home as well last night, 3-2 to the Flyers, who won the series 4-2. The Lightning will face their first tough opponent of the playoffs when they play the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

I’m going to support Detroit money here and go for the Lightning to win the Cup, though I personally think the Sharks will win it all.

Game 6: Wings 0, Flames 1

Published
by
Brian List
on May 4, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Facing elimination in the Pengrowth Saddledome, the Wings played as hard as they could, but ran out of gas, Martin Gelinas scoring with 47 seconds left in the first overtime. Cujo had 43 saves and kept the Wings in the game. Despite allowing only 2 goals in 2 games, Cujo took his second straight playoff loss. The Wings are now eliminated from playoff action, the Flames winning the best-of-seven series 4-2. They will face either the San Jose Sharks or Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.

First Period

The Wings opened the game with a different look to the Grind Line, the front three consisting of Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper, and Steve Thomas. The Flames got the first shot of the game 28 seconds in, on a shot from Shean Donovan between the circles. Steve Montador gave Cujo a bump as he gained control of the puck.

The Wings got their first shot of the game a minute in. On the play, the Wings won the faceoff and McCarty followed up his initial shot from outside and carried the puck in deep on Miikka Kiprusoff, who made the save.

At 4:56, Tomas Holmstrom got off a wrist shot from the right circle, giving the Wings an early 7-3 shot advantage. The Wings won the ensuing faceoff and took possession, Hull centering the puck into the crease, where Kiprusoff was steady with his skate against the post.

At 7:25, Jordan Leopold took a long shoot-in on Cujo from center. The puck skipped between the circles and rebounded off Cujo, Craig Conroy cleaning up with a good chance, notably beating Derian Hatcher to the loose puck.

At 9:50, Mathieu Dandenault took a Brendan Shanahan skate to the face when he went down to make a shot-block and was stepped on by Shanny. Despite some early Detroit pressure, Calgary owned the pace of the remainder of the period. The Flames were able to carry the puck in at will, whereas the Wings had trouble gaining the Calgary zone. The Wings continued to dump the puck in, not able to use their puck possession style to enter the offensive zone.

At 11:42, Kirk Maltby was called for delay of game when he intentionally knocked the net off its moorings. It turned out to be a smart move. Gelinas made a wrap-around pass to Iginla in front, who scored on the displaced net. Cujo bit on the wrap-around, and was way out of position on the Iginla shot. The Wings made a good penalty kill, and Cujo was solid on the Flames’ one shot from the point during the power play.

At 13:59, the Wings were called for another penalty, Jamie Rivers getting caught slashing Marcus Nilson. With back-to-back power plays, the Flames had more sustained pressure in the first minute of the man advantage. Cujo made a huge save on Iginla on the doorstep, laying his pads out with traffic in front. The Wings were able to clear the zone and keep things calm for the second minute of penalty killing action.

At 15:58, Derian Hatcher laid out a viscous elbow on Matthew Lombardi at the Wings’ line. Lombardi left the ice dazed, and the crowd booed Hatcher for the rest of the game. If there was a Game 7, Hatcher might’ve been suspended from it for the dirty elbow to Lombardi’s head.

With 3 minutes left in the period, the “Two Kids and a Goat” line cycled the puck, but Hull fired a shot over the net with a glorious chance from the point. At 18:40, Jason Woolley passed to Shanahan at the right circle, catching Kiprusoff out of position. But Kiprusoff was able to make the save standing straight up, not able to see the puck.

At 18:55, the Wings finally got a chance on the power play when Rhett Warrener was called for holding the stick of Robert Lang. The Wings had a bad power play try, and anemic doesn’t do justice to describe the Wings on the man advantage this playoff season.

The Flames have gone 11 straight games without a first period goal, and we have another scoreless first period.

Second Period

The Wings opened the period with 55 seconds left on the power play. Nilson and Lombardi returned from injuries, courtesy of the Rivers slash and Hatcher elbow, respectively.

At 3:22, the Flames got the first serious chance of the period when Gelinas took a partial breakaway with Lidstrom on him, shooting point blank on Cujo. On the play, the Wings were caught on a bad line chance, with Brett Hull coasting to the bench in laziness.

The ice seemed slanted, with Calgary owning all the offensive pressure. The Wings couldn’t carry the puck in the Calgary zone to save their lives, while the Flames did it every single rush.

With Dandenault getting repairs from his skate cut, the Wings were going with only five defenseman in Woolley, Rivers, Schneider, Lidstrom, and Hatcher.

At 6:34, Shanahan got a bad angle shot on Kiprusoff, which seemed like it took all of the Wings’ efforts to set up. Pretty sad. At 7:23, Cujo cleared the puck across the rink, and a racing Ray Whitney was almost able to corral the puck and get a shot off. At 7:40, CBC noticed that Dandenault had returned to the Wings’ bench, a bandage on his left cheek.

At 9:27, the boards needed repair, and the Wings were without a goal for 99:25. The highest scoring team in the regular season can’t buy a goal. At 9:52, Jarome Iginla hauled down Mathieu Schneider and was called for holding. The Wings had a good power play, and made some good passes. The best of which came when Shanahan, on the left side, passed across to Holmstrom, hugging the backdoor right post. Homer fanned on the puck and missed a wide open net, the puck going off the heel of his stick and behind the net. Utter frustration.

At 14:09, Kirk Maltby and Robyn Regehr were called for slashing and crosschecking, respectively. The offsetting minors made for 4-on-4 action, opening the ice up for some chances. Unfortunately, the Wings were unable to capitalize.

Third Period

Early on, the Wings continued to chase the Flames around the rink. At 1:33, Ray Whitney was caught riding Martin Gelinas through center ice. It was a lazy penalty to take, Ray holding onto Gelinas and taking a ride rather than moving his feet himself.

At 2:19, Oleg Saprykin passed across to Andrew Ference from the right point to the left back door, and Cujo made a huge save. The Flames’ power play ended when Chris Clark was caught tripping Lidstrom as he attempted to clear the Calgary zone.

At 5:06, Whitney passed it to Draper on the right wing, but the play was called offside. It was the difference of Ray controlling the puck on the Calgary blue line to advancing it across. Such a play is a microcosm of the game and series. A game and series of inches.

The bulk of the action was in Detroit’s end, and the Wings started to ice the puck in desperation. At 7:38, Hatcher crushed Conroy in front of the Wings’ bench.

At 11:51, the Flames had a good chance when Conroy passed across to Iginla on the right side, but Cujo made a nice blocker save on the wrist shot. On the play, Schneider was caught tired.

At 10:51, Nicklas Lidstrom was called for hooking Martin Gelinas. The Flames had a 2-on-1 opportunity, Clark passing across to Saprykin, but Schneider made a game-saving block on the shot.

At 13:37, the Wings got their first shot of the period on a bad angle wrister from Brett Hull. At 15:46, the Wings got their best chance of the period when Kiprusoff flubbed a routine Draper shot and the puck slid just inches from the right post. At 17:42, Hull got another bad angle shot from the right side. Shots were 11-3 Flames with 1:55 left in regulation. Cujo was steady in the final two minutes, and single-handedly sent the game to overtime.

First Overtime

The sudden-death, extra period opened with the Flames continuing their offensive pressure. At 4:05, Hatcher threw the puck at the net, and Homer almost got a garbage goal “Johnny on the spot” as Kiprusoff had trouble with a bouncing puck.

At 7:05, a Hatcher turnover led to a Lombardi chance, which beaned off the bottom of Cujo’s mask. At 9:32, the Wings got their best chance of overtime when McCarty passed across to Shanahan on the right backdoor, but Kiprusoff was big and made the save. After that missed opportunity, which I thought might be the Wings’ last of the game, things just went downhill.

At 9:44, the Flames rushed down the ice and Cujo took another shot off his mask courtesy of a Clark shot. The Wings began to ice the puck and looked very tired. And, on a Leopold dump-in, the Flames won the series. Iginla took a shot from the left circle, Conroy picked up the rebound off Cujo and sent it across to Gelinas, who shot it into a wide open net. Hatcher was covering Conroy, and unable to take the pass away. Cujo had no chance on the play, and, just like that, the series was over. 1-0 Flames.

Quote of the Game

“We gotta pull a game out, like we did in Game 5.”

–Darren McCarty, talking to CBC during the second intermission. I know he meant Game 4, but it seems kind of ironic now. Game 5 was a 1-0 Calgary win.

Series Analysis

It turned out that the “Turn on the Red Light” playoff slogan for the Wings was their kiss of death. As happened last playoffs in the loss to the Mighty Ducks, the Wings were unable to convert offensive chances into goals.

It was a good game for Lidstrom, Schneider, and Hatcher, but it came down to big names not showing up in the goal column of the series’ boxscores. Pavel Datsyuk still is without a playoff goal in his 22nd game.

In Game 6, Datsyuk and Zetterberg tried their best, but ended up on their backs when they tried to make something happen. I’m sure Pavel got a good look at the rafters of the Saddledome one of the hundred times he ended up on his back.

Coach Dave Lewis made some good changes pregame to try to get the Wings going. He put Jamie Rivers in (who also played in Game 3), and benched Jiri Fischer, who was sloppy all series and lacked confidence. In addition, Steve Thomas and Jason Williams got the go, and Boyd Devereaux took a seat.

It will be a big summer for GM Ken Holland and the rest of the Wings management. They should not follow what Ottawa did and make decisions quickly with emotions running high. They fired Jacques Martin knee-jerk after losing to the Maple Leafs. That said, the Wings will have to look at all areas of their roster and coaching staff, and make all necessary changes.

Gone? Done? Possible Departures:

Jiri Fischer (restricted free agent)
Brendan Shanahan (club option)
Dave Lewis (contract up, with Quenneville and Martin available)
Steve Yzerman (unrestricted free agent, may retire)
Chris Chelios (unrestricted free agent, may retire)
Brett Hull (club option)
Steve Thomas (unrestricted free agent, may retire)
Ray Whitney (possible offseason trade)
Kris Draper (unrestricted free agent)
Boyd Devereaux (restricted free agent)
Jamie Rivers (unrestricted free agent)
Mathieu Dandenault (restricted free agent)

Injuries Fully Revealed

Robert Lang, broken left hand
Brett Hull, broken toe
Chris Chelios, partially torn rotator cuff

Next Major Event

NHL Awards
June 10 in Toronto
Kris Draper up for Selke

Notables: The Wings were 1-4 in 1 goal games this playoff season….Just in case you didn’t hear it 1000 times this series, the Flames haven’t won a Cup since 1989 with Vernon….Wings were 0-2 in playoff overtimes….Vancouver’s Brian Burke was not resigned as organization President and GM….Calgary is 6-2 in Game 6’s when leading the series 3-2….Datsyuk is part of a not-so-elite group that has 30+ regular season goals, but none in the playoffs….maybe Kiprussov is looking for a modeling contract the way he takes off his mask and models for the camera each stoppage….The Saddledome had a figure skating event between Games 4 and 6, so the ice was good for last night’s game….Kris Draper wore the third ‘A’ in the absence of Captain Steve Yzerman….The Wings went 0-for-3 on the power play, finishing 3-for-23 on the series.

Although this marks the end of the Wings’ season, Matt and I will still cover the playoffs, Wings player transactions, as well as any news on the CBA and NHL in general.

(Editor: Here are the lines, courtesy GWB)
Maltby-Draper-Thomas
Maltby-Lang-McCarty
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Shanahan-Williams-Holmstrom
Whitney-Lang-McCarty
Shanahan-Draper-Thomas
Maltby-Draper-Whitney
Shanahan-Williams-Hull
Thomas-Datsyuk-Hull
Whitney-Datsyuk-Hull

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Dandenault
Rivers-Woolley
Lidstrom-Rivers
Hatcher-Woolley
Rivers-Schneider

4 on 4-
Zetterberg-Datsyuk
Shanahan-Lang

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Woolley
Schneider-Woolley

PP-
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom

Lidstrom-Schneider
Lidstrom-Woolley

PK-
Shanahan-Draper
Lang-Zetterberg
Maltby-Draper
Shanahan-Zetterberg

Lidstrom-Hatcher
Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Schneider
Woolley-Dandenault
Schneider-Dandenault

O.T.-
Maltby-Draper-Whitney
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-McCarty
Thomas-Williams-Hull
Maltby-Draper-McCarty
Thomas-Draper-Williams
Zetterberg-Lang-Holmstrom

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Woolley
Hatcher-Dandenault
Rivers-Dandenault
Hatcher-Schneider

Net-
Curtis Joseph

Game 6: @ Calgary, 10:00 ET

Published
by
Brian List
on May 3, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 1 Comment

Tonight is the sixth game in this Western Conference Semifinals series between the Wings and the Flames. The teams have traded wins. Calgary won Game 1, 2-1 in overtime, the Wings won Game 2, 5-2 , Calgary won Game 3, 3-2, the Wings won Game 4, 4-2, and Calgary won Game 5, 1-0. Calgary leads the best-of-seven series 3-2.

This is the first time the Wings will be facing elimination in this playoff run. After going up 2-0 in the Nashville series, the Wings lost two straight in the Gaylord Entertainment Center, but won the last two games for a 4-2 series win.

The Wings will be deep in enemy territory tonight, 1572 miles from the Joe in Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames are looking to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since their Cup win in 1989, just in case you want to hear that for the 1001th time.

The Wings need to rally around Yzerman’s situation and start to read how the pundits are saying “Wings staring at end of era”.

Big Names in Big Games

Pavel Datsyuk needs to prove that he belongs in playoff hockey and score his first playoff goal in his 21st game. Or else he is just a circus-act out there, teasing us with his skills, but failing to capitalize.

Although likely injured, Brett Hull is an important part of the Wings power play. He has been getting off 5-6 shots per game, but few have been vintage Hull slot chances.

Jiri Fischer needs to concentrate on defense, rather than throwing his body around and watching guys skate in for game-winning goals. That’s what happened in Games 1 and 5.

Brendan Shanahan also needs to take up the reigns of this team and show more leadership tonight. The 35-year-old has only 1 goal and 5 assists in 11 playoff games. Back in the day, on October 9, 1996, Shanny was obtained from the Hartford Whalers for Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey. While Coffey is since retired, Primeau is now captain of the Flyers and had 3 goals and 2 assists yesterday afternoon. That’s the type of big game effort the Wings need from Shanny. Go out there and one-up the guy who was traded for you…

Derian Hatcher also needs to step it up a notch after an awful Game 5. He looked flat-footed all afternoon, and passed the puck more to Calgary Flames than men in the Winged-Wheel. If he wants to be a cornerstone of the Wings’ defense, he should concentrate more on defense than solely throwing his body around. On that note, he has done an excellent job of antagonizing Jarome Iginla. But he still remains a potential defensive liability each night…

Injury Update

Brett Hull has been playing with a “lower-body” injury, and is reportedly taking pain-killing injections. He has skipped a few recent optional practices, and was seen walking with a limp after a game earlier this series.

Robert Lang has been unable to take faceoffs with his hand injury, which will likely turn out to be a broken bone in the offseason. The absence of Steve Yzerman will also hurt on faceoffs. Guys like Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper will have to take the bulk of the faceoff load tonight.

Chris Chelios, who missed Games 3, 4 and 5, is again a game-time decision for tonight’s game. Oleg Saprykin hit Cheli hard into the boards near the end of the second period of Game 2. He left the ice holding his right arm.

Jason Williams had problems with a groin injury during the regular season, and has aggravated it during the playoffs.

Steve Yzerman is out for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering serious facial injuries in Game 5. After a point shot deflected into his face, Yzerman was left with a scratched cornea and multiple fractures to his left orbital bone. He underwent a four and a half hour surgery at Henry Ford Hospital to repair the left eye area. While his vision was blurry after the incident, it has cleared up after the surgery.

Steve Thomas is out for the series with a torn groin. The Second Steve has had bad luck with injuries all season long. He is the Wings’ candidate for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

Rhett Warrener returned in Game 5 for the Flames from an eye injury, after taking a high stick from Yzerman in Game 2. Ironically, the doomed Mathieu Schneider shot deflected off one of his skates and into Yzerman’s left eye socket.

The Evil Grin Returns

Ville Nieminen, who was suspended from Game 5 after running Cujo with 4 seconds left in Game 4, will return to the ice tonight. I don’t think the Wings will go after the Cheshire Cat too much tonight, since it is an elimination game and revenge can wait.

Remember 2002

In the Wings’ last Cup-winning playoff run in 2002, they trailed Colorado 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals, but won Game 6 in Denver and Game 7 in Detroit. Some pearls of wisdom from Coach Dave Lewis:

“We were in the same position a couple of years ago heading into Colorado for Game 6. So we have to have the mentality that you have to win that game. Anything can happen in Game 7, but you have to get to Game 7.”

The main cause of the Game 6 win was a meltdown in the Colorado net, courtesy of Patrick Roy, who made the Statue of Liberty save that led to a Brendan Shanahan poke-in goal. The Wings won Game 6 of that series, 2-0.

Quotable:

“The Red Wings are Steve Yzerman.”

–Darren McCarty, longtime teammate of Captain Steve Yzerman.

Notables: The Wings have not allowed more than three goals in their last 25 playoff games, an NHL record….The Flames have not scored a first-period goal in their last 10 contests….The Wings have won 2 of their last 3 road playoff games….Robert Lang leads the Wings with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists)….Pavel Datsyuk has six assists but no goals….Of the 180 teams that have lost Game 5 with the series previously tied 2-2, only 36 have won the series….The Avs are in the same situation as the Wings, trailing the Sharks in their series 3-2. But the Avs have won their last two games, as they, at one point, were trailing 3-0.

Series totals: Wings lead goals 12-10, Wings lead shots 150-109, Flames lead checks 176-154, Wings lead power play time with 30:41 to 25:25, Wings lead faceoff wins 205-154. The Wings have the most goals in the second period a at 7, followed by the third (4), and first (1). The Flames also have the most goals in second period at 8, followed by the third (1), overtime (1), and first (0).

Game 5: Wings 0, Flames 1

Published
by
Matt Saler
on May 2, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

The Wings put on one of their weakest performances of the year yesterday in one of the biggest games of the season and ended up getting shut out 1-0 in front of their own fans. They played very uninspired hockey and were almost completely outplayed by the Flames.

Curtis Joseph once again served as a barrier to a blowout and was one of the few Wings who had a good game. He was left out to dry numerous times but came up with the save all but once.

The first period was the Wings’ worst. Their passes were terrible and their offense was not clicking as a result. They continually failed in attempts to pass the puck across the ice because the puck was either too far in front or behind the intended target. They turned the puck over numerous times in the defensive zone and the only reason the score stayed at 0-0 is because Curtis Joseph came to play, unlike the rest of his teammates. The Wings were being outshot 7-1 at the halfway mark of the period though they did have a few minutes where they controlled the play in the second half. They only had a couple chances and never really threatened the Flames too much though. Shots ended up 8-7 Wings.

They started out a bit better in the second but still weren’t all that threatening and still looked flat compared to Game 4. They had a couple power plays and generated good pressure but couldn’t get the puck into the net so they were totally wasted. Steve Yzerman was injured a few seconds after the second power play expired (11:57) when Mathieu Schneider’s point shot was deflected by the leg of Rhett Warrener (returning to the Flames lineup after going down in Game 2). The Captain was skating behind the net and never saw it coming. The puck hit him in the area of his left high and he immediately clutched his face and went down. He then jumped up and tried to skate a few feet before falling down again writhing in pain. At first I didn’t know who it was because it happened live on the edge of the camera frame but as soon as I realized it was Yzerman, I was stunned as was the whole of Joe Louis Arena. The ref immediately motioned for the trainers to come out and The Captain laid on the ice for a couple minutes before getting up with a towel to his face. Brendan Shanahan helped him the bench and he went on to the lockerroom from there. If the Wings looked flat before that, they were even worse afterwards. Craig Conroy opened the scoring at 16:07 when Jiri Fischer put himself 10 feet out of position in an effort to level Jarome Iginla along the boards. Iginla calmly sent the puck forward to Conroy who was then free to come in on Joseph all alone. Fischer tried to get back in time but he was too late and Conroy beat CuJo high to make it 1-0 Flames. Curtis Joseph came up big for the rest of the period and the Flames didn’t score again. Shots were 9-9.

The Wings once again played their best hockey in the third period but still couldn’t solve Miikka Kiprusoff, especially since they kept shooting long shots with no traffic in front. Far too many shots were blocked by a Flames team that was showing its determination on each play. The Wings outshot the Flames 15-4 in the third but too many of those shots were routine saves for Kiprusoff and not enough of them were followed up by going to the net.

CBC reported during the second intermission that Steve Yzerman was sitting outside the Wings’ lockerroom with a bandage on his eye, talking to the players. He then went to Henry Ford Hospital and ended up going through a four and a half hour surgery on his eye, which had a scratched cornea, and orbital bone, which had multiple fractures. He had blurry vision before the surgery but it was cleared up afterwards and he is expected to make a full recovery. He is out indefinitely, however, and we will not see him again this series for sure. Thank God it was nothing more serious that than. I wouldn’t wish such a thing to happen to any player but The Captain is the last guy I’d want to see it happen to in the entire league. It was hard to watch and I feared the worst, though now I am relieved.

I am not very confident in the Wings’ ability to win this series, however. Not after their performance yesterday, in front of their home crowd. If they cannot get themselves up to play in Joe Louis Arena, how do they expect to do so in the Saddledome? Yesterday’s game was of enormous importance and I am extremely disappointed in the Wings for losing in the way they did. I could understand being beaten after working hard but that is not what happened. They were outworked the whole game and were beaten by the better team, at least for yesterday. Even if they do get past this round, they will have to improve 1000 percent if they want to win the Conference and the Cup. They are nowhere near that level now. They have to win Game 6 and they must do it without their captain.

It is sickly ironic that the player who the puck deflected off was Rhett Warrener, the man who was high-sticked accidentally by Steve Yzerman in Game 2 and ended up with a scratched cornea of his own. He was completely inactive from last Saturday to the game yesterday but ended up with the third most ice time of any of his teammates in Game 5.

Dave Lowry played in place of Ville Nieminen yesterday after sitting for four months. He was a problem for the Wings all game long and had a couple good scoring chances.

Pavel Datsyuk needs to get on the ball. He has not scored a goal in 20 consecutive playoff games.

Here is the boxscore.

Lines-
(courtesy GWB)
Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Hull
Maltby-Draper-McCarty
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Whitney-Lang-Holmstrom
Shanahan-Lang-Yzerman
Devereaux-Datysuk-Whitney
Maltby-Draper-Yzerman
Devereaux-Datysuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-McCarty
Maltby-Draper-Holmstrom
Lang-Datsyuk-Hull

Lidstrom-Schneider
Hatcher-Woolley
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Lidstrom-Schneider

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Lang-Yzerman-Holmstrom
Shanahan-Datsyuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-McCarty
Shanahan-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Zetterberg-Datysuk-Hull
Shanahan-Lang-Holmstrom
Maltby-Draper-Devereaux

Lidstrom-Schneider
Lidstrom-Woolley
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Woolley-Dandenault
Whitney-Woolley

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Zetterberg-Shanahan

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Schneider-Dandenault

Net-
Curtis Joseph

Game 5: vs. Calgary, 3:00 ET

Published
by
Brian List
on May 1, 2004
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Today is the fifth game in this Western Conference Semifinals series between the Wings and the Flames. The teams have traded wins. Calgary won Game 1, 2-1 in overtime, the Wings won Game 2, 5-2 , Calgary won Game 3, 3-2, and the Wings won Game 4, 4-2. The series is tied 2-2.

With the win in Game 4, the Wings earned back home-ice advantage. The series is now essentially a best-of-three series, with two of the three possible games in Joe Louis Arena. The Wings need to take advantage of home ice in Game 5, and put a stranglehold on the Flames.

History is on the Wings’ side with best-of-three’s against Calgary. In 1978, the Wings defeated the Flames (then based in Atlanta) 2-0 in the Preliminary Round of that playoff season. Read up on past playoff formats and the Atlanta Flames. Some trivia is that ESPN announcer Bill Clement was on the Flames, as was Dick Redmond, Mickey Redmond’s brother.

Injury Update

There has been serious speculation that Brett Hull is injured. The future Hall-of-Famer has skipped several recent practices, and CBC reported Thursday night that Hull is taking pain-killing injections and has been seen walking with a limp. It is unclear what the injury is, but the reports lead me to believe it’s a “lower-body” injury.

Chris Chelios, who missed Games 3 and 4, is likely a game-time decision for this afternoon’s game. Oleg Saprykin hit Cheli hard into the boards near the end of the second period of Game 2. He left the ice holding his right arm.

Forward Jason Williams has been out with a “lower-body” injury, which we now know is a groin injury. He had had problems with it during the regular season, and aggravated it during the playoffs.

As for the Flames, Rhett Warrener’s status is unknown for Game 5. He was a scratch in Games 3 and 4, after Yzerman’s stick clipped him dangerously near his eyes. He is listed as day-to-day.

Nieminen Suspended

The league has rightfully responded to Flames forward Ville Nieminen’s last second run on Cujo in Game 4 with a one game suspension. With the score 4-2 Wings and four seconds left in the game, Nieminen charged Cujo from between the circles and elbowed him in the head, throwing him into the net. He was given a 5-minute charging penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct. Fights ensued, and the refs escorted Nieminen off the ice as McCarty and other Wings attempted to exact revenge.

It was a good move by the league to suspend Nieminen for Game 5, so the focus of the game is not revenge but playoff hockey. It’s good to know that Nieminen’s Cheshire Cat smile is going to be watching the game from a press box or the Flames locker room. It also means that Darryl Sutter will have to juggle his lines a bit, as the line of Nieminen, Shean Donovan, and Marcus Nilson was effective for the Flames in Game 4.

Nieminen BSing an excuse for the incident:

“I was going behind the net and - I don’t know - my arm kind of got stuck. I didn’t hit him too bad….I was going for a loose puck behind the net, and I guess I was a little bit too close to the goalie.”

Hull’s Corner?

With the future of Don Cherry in “Coach’s Corner” uncertain, the CBC is looking for possible candidates to fill his unfillable shoes on Hockey Night in Canada. Brett Hull has been on the second-intermission “Satellite Hotstove” several times this season, and it is quite possible that he will be asked to move to the first intermission “Coach’s Corner” if Cherry is not brought back. Hull comments on the possibility:

“They asked, and I’m getting down to the end of my career. Sooner or later here, I’m going to have to do something. I’m trying to make some inroads, to maybe see if it’s something I enjoy or if I’m any good at it. I’m just sort of sticking my toes in the water.”

While I don’t think that Hull will bash French-Canadians and Europeans, and be as politically-incorrect as Cherry, I think he’d be a good fit. Hull has always been known as a second head coach on his teams, and he has a colorful personality.

With this in mind, “Coach’s Corner” would never be the same without the “Coach,” Don Cherry. The guy has a passion for the game and Canada. When Hockey Night in Canada ratings are analyzed, there’s a spike in viewers during the first intermission that far exceeds time slots for the rest of the game, and that’s for a good reason. One reason, in fact. Also, I don’t see how Brett Hull, Team USA member in the Olympics, can preach to Canadian hockey fans on CBC like Cherry.