On the Wings

Pavel Datsyuk (Павел Дацюк)
Dynamo Moscow (Russia)

Pavel Datsyuk wears #13 for Dynamo, and has 2 goals and 3 assists through 8 games played. Dynamo is currently second in the Russian Super League. Click here if you want detailed game summaries (in Russian) for Dynamo.

Anders Myrvold
Valerenga (Norway)

Anders Myrvold wears #54 for Valerenga, and has 2 goals and 5 assists through 7 games played. Valerenga is currently seventh in the Norwegian Hockey League.

Jiri Fischer
Liberec (Czech Republic)

Jiri Fischer will wear #2 for Liberec, which is currently fourth in the Tipsport Extraliga. Jiri has yet to play for Liberec, after suffering a separated right shoulder in the World Cup of Hockey. Jiri should join his Czech team in early November.

Jason Williams
Assat Pori (Finland)

Although a deal is yet to be set in stone, Jason Williams is leaving for Finland early next week to join up with the Assat Pori Aces in the Finnish Elite League:

“Basically, the contract is going back and forth between my agent and the team on the details. I’ll be leaving Monday or Tuesday…I don’t know much about the team but I do know one of the players. I played with Scott Langkow, their starting goalie, in Cincinnati.”

Williams also said that he would return to Detroit immediately if the lockout ends.

Darren McCarty
Band, Grinder

Instead of heading over to Europe like some of his teammates, Darren McCarty is getting back with his band Grinder to play some shows. ESPN NHL 2K5 included four Grinder songs on its video game playlist, something McCarty attributes to the growing interest in the band.

Chris Chelios
Bobsledding

In his free time since the World Cup of Hockey, Chelios has been bashing Gary Bettman, looking for a new insurance policy, managing Cheli’s Chili Bar, and bobsledding with the US Team in Lake Placid, NY. Chelios is considering a run for the Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He’s also looking to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL as a possible lockout destination:

“Realistically, I want to stay with the Chicago Wolves. It’s so close to home. I could commute with my kids. If it gets too tough with the commuting, it won’t be worth it to be away from the family. We’ll see how it goes.”

As many Wings, Chelios, 42, is working hard to stay in shape during the lockout.

Recently, he met up with former Wings Igor Larionov and Aaron Ward, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Jason Woolley at Suburban Training Center in Farmington Hills. Cheli has also skated with Derian Hatcher and former Wing Doug Brown.

Mark Mowers/Jamie Rivers
Original Stars Hockey League

Jamie Rivers is on “Detroit” and Mark Mowers is on “Toronto” of the Original Stars Hockey League, the brainchild of OSHL president Randy Gumbley. I use quotations with team names, as all games are played in Canada. In the opening game of the pre-season, Toronto beat Detroit in a 16-13 decision. The game was wide open, and lacked checking and emotion. Rivers scored three goals and Mowers had one goal. Attendance was pretty low (2,176 in an arena that can hold 4,500), and only a few hundred fans showed up a few days later for a game in Brampton, Ontario.

The OSHL regrouped, canceling the remaining pre-season games, and started its regular season this past Thursday. That night, New York beat Toronto 11-4 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Edmonton Oiler Jason Chimera had three goals, and there were 91 shots on the night. Attendance was 2,025, which was high considering only about 500 tickets had been sold by Thursday morning. A 2-for-1 ticket deal helped surge the sales by game-time though. The general consensus on the OSHL is that it is all-star style hockey without the big-name all stars, and that the lack of checking and defense makes the game boring.

Manny Legace
CBA player representative for Red Wings

Manny Legace was chosen by teammates to be the player representative for the Red Wings during CBA negotiations. I’m sure he’s been having fun participating in the trench warfare, with sides not talking for a month and counting now.

Derian Hatcher
Let’s Play Racing, owner

Brothers Derian and Kevin Hatcher are owners of Let’s Play Racing, a powerboat racing team stationed in Detroit. Derian even drives power boats from time to time, and has joined up with Chelios and Doug Brown in workout sessions.

Management
Scouting

The coaching staff and members of management will scout Grand Rapids, as well as other local professional or collegiate teams, as they wait for the lockout to end. Jimmy Devellano, the Wings’ senior vice president, plans on concentrating on Europe and the AHL. On the side, Head Coach Dave Lewis and Assistant Coach Joey Kocur are co-owners of “Joe & Lewie’s Penalty Box” Sports Tavern and Eatery in Fenton.

Ken Daniels
Painting his House, Growing Beard

Ken Daniels, the Wings’ play-by-play announcer of the past seven seasons, is hanging around his house in Farmington Hills, waiting for the lockout to end. He has painted his house, and played some pickup hockey. He also is growing a beard that he says he might even keep after the lockout ends. Daniels is a contract employee with the Wings, so he isn’t getting paid during the lockout:

“My dad called me the other day. He told me I’d better find a job or think about going back to school. Doing college hockey will certainly help pay the bills.”