On the Wings

On Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Dallas Stars, 4-2. Kris Draper notched two goals in the third period. For the shootout, he had another opportunity to score but missed the shot. Brendan Shanahan and Dan Cleary also scored for the Wings. Detroit also won the shootout.

It appears that the lockout did not affect Draper’s offensive abilities. “One of the things Mike said was, ‘Don’t think, go fast,’ and that has been one of my theories since,” Draper said. “It is fun when things are opening up a little bit, especially down low.” Head coach, Mike Babcock, hopes to see Draper use his speed more. “I expect him to be good,” Babcock said. “He is probably one of the best athletes in the game.”

It sounds like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and even Jamie Rivers may return on Wednesday when the Wings play Columbus. “He is a great young player,” GM Holland said. “All the moves made this summer were to make sure we had Pavel and Zetterberg. It would have been a great loss to buy people out and not have Pavel.”

I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the hockey game on Sunday. Because of all the construction on the freeways heading into Detroit, it took an hour and a half to get there (normally a 30-45 minute drive) and we got into JLA with 4 minutes before the puck dropped. I was lucky because Steve Yzerman actually played. But unlucky because I left my camera in my dorm room so I borrowed my mom’s. Her camera had a minute of battery left and 3 photos left on the memory space. None of which I realized before I got to JLA. So I have 3 photos, but I haven’t transferred those few photos yet.

Anyways, the fans weren’t as energetic as a typical mid-season game, but I was just happy to be at the Joe watching NHL hockey. I happily bought two t-shirts and an Yzerman bobblehead. My room at home is filled with autographed Red Wings memorabilia, none of which I took to college because I didn’t want to get it ruined. So all my unsigned stuff was brought to my dorm room to Wing-ify it. As the game went on, the “lets go Red Wings” chant became much more pronounced.

I must say that after watching a shootout live, I’ve become a big fan. The whole crowd was chanting “Manny Manny.” It was intense. However, I hope that this shootout feature is not added on in the playoffs because the prospect of OT, double OT, or even triple OT is what makes the playoffs so incredibly exciting. Remember Larionov’s goal against the Hurricanes or Yzerman’s goals over the Blues? Good times.

The Wings play Colorado tonight, but unfortunately it won’t be shown on TV in the Detroit area. Go Wings!