The Bleacher Guy, Rob Visconti, chimes in on the speculation about Yzerman’s retirement. I agree, Rob.
Monthly Archive for December, 2005Page 4 of 5
The Wings won their third in a row tonight, beating Pittsburgh 3-1 at the Joe and pulling ahead in their all-time series with the Pens by just one win (58W-57L-16T).
Steve Yzerman sat out the game and will miss the next couple weeks or so with yet another groin injury, a tear this time, but on a different side than before. I forgot to mention it in the preview but the Freep’s notes section today said Babcock had hinted a player would be out with a groin injury but he wouldn’t say who it was. Now we know. With Yzerman out, Kris Draper wore the third “A” and Jiri Hudler got substantial increase in ice-time over the last game (9:44 over 2:58 against the Caps). Yzerman will not go on the Southeastern Division road trip with the team.
The Wings’ power play was potent as usual, going 3-for-8 with the man-advantage and getting good pressure on at least a couple opportunities on which they didn’t score. On the other side of the ice, the Wings were perfect, killing off 5 of 5 penalties and even scoring shorthanded.
Henrik Zetterberg had another dominating game, scoring two goals and coming close a number of other times. His first goal came after a point shot by Lidstrom and a flurry in front of the net involving Holmstrom. He knocked it in over Marc-Andre Fleury, who was down, and it barely crossed the line before being knocked out by a Pens player. The light went and the players began their celebration but the play was not whistled down until the linesman streaked in indicating it had in fact crossed the line. Then the goal horn sounded and the Wings got credit. Hank’s second goal was much less in doubt. While on the power play, Sergei Gonchar took a hit from Kirk Maltby and coughed up the puck at his own blueline. Zetterberg picked it up and broke in on Fleury all alone, deked the young goalie out of his pants and roofed a backhander for one of the more exciting goals of the season.
Chris Osgood was solid in his third start in a row, though he didn’t face much work. He made some excellent saves when called upon, however, including a breakaway chance or two. He was good during the Pens’ two successive 5-on-3 opportunities in the second and made a great glove save on Gonchar with under five remaining in the third. The Pens did finally score with 29 seconds left in the game but it looked to me like the puck was kicked in. Mark Recchi, the shooter, got credit.
Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Wings’ other goal and finished with a two-point night (1G, 1A). His goal came on the power play in the third and was the result of a nice cross-ice pass from Pavel Datsyuk. Lidstrom, who had crept up from the point, hesitated just a bit and then ripped the puck past Fleury to make it 3-0. No chance to stop that one.
Sidney Crosby wasn’t all that noticeable, though he did get an assist on the Recchi goal. He certainly didn’t seem as dangerous as Ovechkin did but that’s probably due to Kris Draper, who was on him like a blanket all night. Both he and Draper wore mics for the OLN crew, though they didn’t have anything too interesting to say, as far as I heard.
The OLN special before the game was worth watching. They started out with a Darren McCarty highlight reel and then showed his arrival back in Detroit. The crew went with him to his house, where he surprised his kids and re-entered domestic life for a while. They followed him to practice the next day and interviewed people in the Wings organization who said what you’d expect them to say (”Mac’s like a brother to us, it’s like we’re having a friend visit,” etc.). They finished with footage from the December 1st Wings/Flames game as well as a short bit coming from afterwards.
Now, the Wings head to Atlanta, where they will face another young star, but one who has been in the league for a couple years, Ilya Kovalchuk and his Thrashers, tomorrow night at 7:00 ET.
Before the press conference began, the FSN commentators informed us that just Jiri Fischer and team physician Tony Colucci would make an appearance, noting that the absence of a team official such as GM Ken Holland was a counter to any speculation that Jiri would announce his retirement.
Someone, team media director John Hahn, I assume, introduced Colucci and Fischer, giving Jiri the floor for his opening statement.
Jiri started out pretty composed but very quickly became emotional and it’s no wonder. He began by thanking everyone with a blanket statement of thanks and said Colucci must be “my guardian angel or something,” noting just how lucky he was to survive that night. He was thankful for being where he was when it happened, mentioning Mackenzie Watts, the 15-year-old girl who died the same night of a seizure while at swim practice with full realization that the same could have happened to him had the Wings not had the AED at hand.
He began to thank some people by name and they were generally names I didn’t recognize enough to write down. He said that he didn’t want to leave anyone un-thanked but that those who were left unnamed know they have his thanks. He mentioned having received many letters in the mail from fans and was very appreciative.
The floor was then opened to the members of the media and of course the first question was about when he thought he could return. He jokingly replied, “The game is in three hours, right?” but followed that up by soberly saying that he wasn’t going to be back for the Pens game, obviously. He left it that he wants to return.
The next question was about how his life has changed. He responded “I get up every day and I live.”
When asked whether he would risk playing again, given his apparent new appreciation for life, Fischer replied that he hopes medical technology will advance quickly to help him get answers to his situation. He said that his case will help doctors make discoveries down this particular avenue of research. He mentioned that he doesn’t see himself coming back in a few weeks but that he doesn’t want hockey to be taken from him since it’s what he knows.
He was asked about what he remembers from that night and he replied that he remembers being on the ice but does not remember going down or the life-saving efforts that went on on the bench. He doesn’t remember the ambulance much and apparently, his memory picked up once he got to the hospital.
Someone asked him about his fiancee, Avery, and he got very emotional and had a lot of trouble speaking for some time. He eventually got it out that she’s one of the best people he knows and that she was part of the group of unnamed people whose support he was immensely thankful for.
As for advice from the doctors, Jiri said he’s just waiting on better answers and better solutions.
When asked about what treatment he has undergone since the incident, he said that he always watched what he ate very closely and that he has undergone many tests to discover what, if any, substances he may have ingested could have caused what happened. Nothing was found.
After that, Colucci had to field a question or two. He was asked to give an account of what happened: Jiri slumped over on to Brett Lebda’s lap, at which point Lebda alerted Piet Van Zant, the team’s athletic trainer. Van Zant called down Colucci and the other team doctors, who were sitting very near the bench, and they immediately began working on Jiri. Colucci credited the quick response of the various people involved and for their help in getting him the equipment he needed (such as the AED) with the haste required.
Jiri was asked the next question, this time about whether he has had to face the reality of life without hockey yet. He admitted that he will have to eventually but for now he is just waiting on the results of various tests. He wants to know why it happened, why then and not at some earlier stage in his career or at such an early stage in the game.
Colucci then had to answer (A) whether or not he would clear Jiri now, (B) whether or not he would clear Jiri ever and (C) what exactly happened to Jiri’s heart that not. For the first two, he said he would not clear Jiri now and would not speculate on a timetable for anything in the future. As for the third, he said that Jiri’s heart was in an irregular rhythm and that the AED (electricity) was required to get his heart out of it. Apparently, the AED’s effect is analogous to holding down your computer’s power button to force it to turn off. So, after the AED did its bit, Jiri’s heart did stop and Colucci began CPR. He said Jiri’s heart came back on its own after that.
Finally, Jiri was asked what it was like not to know what happened or why. He replied that it was a lot better than not being alive. He said he had been getting a lot of support from around the league, having received many phone calls from a number of players. He pointed out that he had always felt “perfectly fine,” and that his blood pressure, for example, had always been “just about perfect.”
With that, the conference ended.
Jiri mentioned a couple times that he felt as though he had been born twice and gotten a second life. He also mentioned a belief in “faith” (or “fate,” couldn’t quite tell), that he’s always believed in some higher power, crediting this for his survival.
I came away from the press conference with mixed feelings. Jiri seemed to be doing well and that was great but the evasion of the career issue was pretty telling. I have the impression that Jiri has not been getting news he wants to hear from his doctors (ie. they are probably telling him he won’t be able to return) and he is holding out hope that “medical advancements” will be made in the next few “months or years, maybe,” that would allow him to return in spite of that. It seems he is merely waiting for someone to contradict everyone else and tell him he can play.
He certainly does not want to let go yet and I think it’s very understandable. He needs to hold on to whatever hope he can but eventually, as he said, he very well may have to face a reality without hockey, despite it being all he knows.
It’s hard for me to be optimistic after what was said, and more importantly, what was not said today.
Our thoughts and prayers are still with you, Jiri.
Update (13. Dec): The News put up some links to a few audio clips from the conference in Bob Wojnowski’s column today:
Jiri Fischer:
On his desire to return to hockey
On his approach to life now
On looking for medical answers
On not knowing what triggered the arythmia
Red Wings team physician Dr. Anthony Colucci, on the possibility of Fischer’s return
They are Windows Media Audio files.
Tonight is the one and only game between these two teams this season. The Pens won the 2003-2004 season series 1-0 with a 4-3 win on October 18, 2003. The Wings lead 3-1 at one point but the Pens came back to give Marc-Andre Fleury his first NHL win.
The Wings are 5-3-o in their last eight, winning their last two, 5-2 over New Jersey last Tuesday and 4-3 over Washington on Friday. Detroit is the second-highest scoring team in the League, thanks to such regulars as Pavel Datsyuk (10G, 22A), Henrik Zetterberg (13G, 17A) and Brendan Shanahan (17G, 10A) as well some surprises such as Jason Williams (9G, 22A) and Mikael Samuelsson (12G, 9A). The team as a whole has put up 112 goals, allowing 78 in the meantime. A major factor in the Wings’ offensive success has been their power play, which leads the league at 25.8%. Immediately following tonight’s game, the Wings will leave for Atlanta, where they will kick off a three-game Southwest Division road trip by playing the Thrashers tomorrow night. The Wings are 10-5-1 at home so far this season.
The Pens have had a rough season, despite having the most highly touted rookie and what should be a pretty decent roster. It took them nine games to get a win (0-4-5 start) and for much of November, it was on again, off again for this once-proud franchise. They halted a six-game skid with a win Saturday at home against Colorado and will wrap up their Western Conference series against the Blues tomorrow night in St. Louis. Pittsburgh has allowed the most goals of any team in the league so far (119) and scored among the fewest (81), despite an offense that boasts Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Zigmund Palfy, Mark Recchi and John LeClair. However, Palfy, LeClair and Lemieux have missed time due to various injuries and medical conditions so maybe it’s not so surprising after all. Crosby has 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points but is minus-9 so far and is among the team leaders in penalty minutes with 38. With the Pens’ penalty kill at 79.1% (26th in the league), they could probably do with a lot less of Sidney in the box. Pittsburgh is 4-7-3 on the road this season.
Given Mike Babcock’s policy of rewarding winning goaltenders with playing time, I expect Chris Osgood to make his third consecutive start tonight. The papers report that Manny Legace will not return until he is fully healthy, unlike the last time. Apparently, he was only 15% when he came back from his first knee injury, which took place on November 1st. The papers say he’ll face some shots in practice this week but has no idea when he’ll be back. (Freep and News)
I’m looking forward to finally seeing Sidney Crosby play and while I hope the Wings shut him down, I’d like to see some reason to believe all the hype.
Be sure to catch Jiri Fischer’s press conference at 4:00 PM ET on Fox Sports Net as well as the Darren McCarty special on OLN before the game tonight. Remember the puck drops at 7:00, not 7:30, as some schedules have it.
It was a hard-fought and physical game but the Wings, making good use of their power play opportunities, pulled out the win, which for all intents and purposes was 4-2, not 4-3, but more on that later.
Chris Osgood was absolutely great in his second start in as many games. The Caps tested him early and often and he had very little chance on the goals he did allow. He made some very good saves and kept the Wings in it for stretches of the game that they did not control play.
Henrik Zetterberg, playing his natural position of center, had a stellar game, scoring two nice goals and getting very involved at both ends of the ice. He showed the most hustle by far of any Red Wing and whenever he was on the ice, he was where the action was. Great game, Hank.
Steve Yzerman looked good out there as well. He and Dan Cleary seem to have good chemistry and they play well together with Tomas Holmstrom. He had some jump and though he only played 6:38, he had another solid game.
The crowd at the Phonebooth had a very large and vocal Wings fan contingent. Detroit had to at times feel as though they were back at the Joe, with the “Let’s Go Red Wings” chants and such giving the place a nice and friendly feel.
After seeing the Caps play, it’s hard to understand why they have the record they do. Though they had some penalty trouble, they kept it close with the Wings and gave Detroit one of the most physical games they’ve played all year.
Alexander Ovechkin wasn’t as noticeable as I thought he be but every once and a while he’d surprise me with his quick shot or rapid acceleration. That kid has got a quick release (ha, “kid” - he’s my age!). I’d like to see him in the fastest skater competition before the All Star Game but that won’t happen this year. He and a lot of other NHL players will be playing in something called the “Olympics” instead, or so I hear.
During the broadcast, it was announced that Jiri Fischer and his doctors will hold a press conference on Monday, 12. Dec, at 4:00 PM ET on Fox Sports Detroit. I know what I’ll be doing at 4:00 on the 12th. What about you?
First Period
Mike Babcock went with Mikael Samuelsson, Henrik Zetterberg and Jason Williams to start the game with Mathieu Schneider and Chris Chelios on defense.
The Caps capitalized on Detroit sloppiness initially and got some nice chances early on. As previously stated, Osgood had to be sharp on a number of Washington shots. After the first couple minutes, the Wings got it more together and things evened out a bit.
Samuelsson went to the box for interference at 4:34 and the Caps got their first power play. After a short-handed chance by Nicklas Lidstrom, Washington came right back and scored to put themselves ahead 1-0. Jamie Heward took a shot from the point and the rebound ended up on Ovechkin’s stick, with Chris Osgood down and at his mercy. If you’re a Red Wing or a Red Wings fan, that’s a bad thing. Alex the Great promptly made use of the opportunity presented him and put the puck in the net, following the goal up with a very enthusiastic celebration. I thought “Oh, great.” 1-0 Caps, at 5:23.
A little over a minute later, Dan Cleary nearly scored from the side of the net but the puck ended up getting caught in Kolzig’s equipment instead of going into the net so the score remained the same.
Osgood was forced to make a good save at 7:22 but the puck went the other way and Draper’s line generated some solid pressure for about a full shift in the Caps end. Nothing came of it though. The Caps made good use of Wings gaffes, making things a little tense in the Detroit end and keeping Osgood awake.
Steve Yzerman’s line had a nice shift about 11 minutes in but all they got as a Washington penalty. The ensuing power play wasn’t too terribly exciting, except for two near-goals: Shanahan’s shot after crossing the line clanged off the left post and Samuelsson’s effort around the net after Lidstrom’s slap shot a short time later were as close as the Wings came to scoring.
At 15:39, Chelios went to the penalty box for tripping. I thought it was a bit of a phantom call, since the Caps player lost his footing just before Chelios touched him but the ref must have blinked or something. The Caps got a good set up going and Ovechkin got a couple good chances but they weren’t able to score. With 7 seconds left on the man-advantage, Washington got a penalty and the teams went to four a side.
On the power play that followed, Henrik Zetterberg opened the scoring for the Wings, at 18:06, after taking a pass from Holmstrom. He skated to the slot and ripped a wrist shot past Kolzig in the top left corner, tying the score at one. Nice goal and great shot, Hank.
Mathieu Schneider got a penalty at 18:59 (interference) but the Caps didn’t do anything with it and the period ended without much of anything worth mentioning.
Shots were 11-7 Caps.
Second Period
The Caps started the period on the power play and got set up, getting a couple shots off but they did not score. Shortly after the power play expired, Washington had a delayed penalty but when the play ended, there was a scrum in the corner involving Samuelsson and Brent Sutherby. Both he and Samuelsson went to the box for roughing but because of the earlier Caps penalty, the Wings ended up with a power play.
The Wings got set up but it was cleared and the Caps ended up scoring a short-handed goal. Chris Clark went to the near corner, got the puck and centered it to Matt Pettinger, who tipped it in from 17 feet. Pavel Datsyuk was right there but couldn’t do anything without getting a penalty (thank you, new rules). Osgood really had no chance thanks to his teammates’ defensive lapse. 2-1 Caps, at 2:54.
Forty seconds later, the Caps got another penalty. There were still nine seconds remaining on their first penalty so the Wings got a short 5-on-3 opportunity. They got a nice set up and cycled the puck well, pressuring the Caps well but it just resulted in another Washington penalty and a 5-on-3 chance that was just over twice as long as the first. This time, they scored. Right after a faceoff, Lidstrom took a shot from the point after taking the pass from Samuelsson. It hit Shanahan on the way to the net and bounced right to Zetterberg, who had a wide open net in which to shoot. He scored his second of the night on the play, at 5:27 and tied the score up once again. Since the goal came on a 5-on-3, the Wings remained on the power play, though this chance was cut short by a Shanahan penalty.
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg had a great shift on the ensuing 4-on-4 (Hank especially) and the Caps power play was killed off as well.
At 10:59, Ovechkin, who had been relatively quiet since his goal, knocked Andreas Lilja on his can at center ice. Lilja, who is 6′5″, was admiring a pass he had made when Alex the Great streaked in and nailed him, instantly earning him FSN’s Check of the Game (see picture below). That has to the best thing about Ovechkin, that he is physical as well as offensively skilled, and won’t back down from a hit. I doubt we’ll see much of that from Sidney Crosby.
(Freep)
Ovechkin’s hit was pretty indicative of the Caps’ game, though his teammates didn’t deal out hits that were as spectacular, for the most part. The game had good flow at this point and was very physical, something the Wings struggle with at times but last night they seemed to be able to handle it.
Much of the rest of the period consisted of the teams trading chances and hits. The Wings did have to kill off one penalty but they didn’t have much trouble doing that.
At 18:19, the Caps hit the post but the goal judge thought it was a goal. The red light went on and the Caps’ obnoxious goal horn sounded while both teams paused for a moment before the ref waived it off and play continued. Holmstrom bowled over his own goalie on the play and is lucky Osgood didn’t end up being hurt.
Shots were 15-7 Wings.
Third Period
Jason Williams had a great chance all alone out front about 30 seconds into the period but Kolzig made a great save and kept the score tied at 2.
A 4:01, Pavel Datsyuk scored a nice goal on a 2-on-1 to give the Wings their first lead of the game. Cleary, who seems to have a knack for getting in on 2-on-1’s (but not at starting with the puck on them), again acted as a distraction while Pavel held on the puck the whole time on the near side. He faked going straight at the net before cutting across ice and releasing the puck in the slot as he fell to the ice, scoring in the left side of the net. 3-2 Wings.
At 6:30, the Caps had a good shift and ended up hitting the post but that was as close as they got to scoring there.
Brett Lebda went to the box at 9:03 for hooking. Kris Draper, trying to force a breakaway, was called for holding at the blueline, handing the Caps a 5-on-3 opportunity. It was a good kill by the Wings, however, who were cheered by the very vocal Wings fans in the arena.
At 16:06, every Wings fan’s heart skipped a beat as Steve Eminger laid a dirty knee-on-knee hit on Pavel Datsyuk at center ice. It was a last ditch effort by Eminger since Pavel was just about to spring into the Caps zone for a solid scoring chance. Fortunately, Datsyuk got up and seemed to be fine. Eminger got a penalty on the play and the Wings capitalized.
Playing to the “Let’s Go Red Wings” chant, the Wings extended their lead at 17:07. Nick Lidstrom, after pump-faking once, let loose his trademark blast and beat Kolzig cleanly, putting the Wings up 4-2. Datsyuk got a little revenge for the hit that caused the power play by getting an assist on the goal.
The Caps emptied their net in the final minute but Babcock wasn’t kind enough to put Zetterberg on the ice to attempt the hat trick. I suppose that’s a cheap way to get a third goal anyway.
The Wings iced the puck with 5 seconds left and paid for it after the ensuing face-off, as the Caps scored with .4 seconds left, a slap shot from the point that beat Osgood glove side. The Wings are fortunate they were up by two and not by one at the time. Not the greatest goal for Ozzie to give up but he played very well the rest of the game so I won’t get on him too much.
Shots were 12-8 Caps and 30-30 for the game.
Notes
Mickey Redmond made the trip for FSN, despite his usual policy of staying home on Wings road trips because of his celiac disease. … Jiri Hudler was in the lineup again but played a measly 2:58 and was pretty much a non-factor. … Babcock rolled three lines instead of the Wings’ usual four for most of the game. … Wings with multiple-point nights included Shanahan (2A), Lidstrom (1G, 2A), and Zetterberg (2G). … The Wings have won their last three on the road. ….
Next up, Pittsburgh and Sid the Kid Monday night at home. The puck drops at 7:00 PM ET (not 7:30). The game will be televised by OLN and will be preceeded by an OLN special called “Homecoming,” which will focus on Darren McCarty’s return to Detroit with the Flames (6:30 ET).
Tonight is the one and only game between these two teams this season. Detroit beat the Caps the last time they played, on December 13th, 2003, a 5-1 decision in which Pavel Datsyuk had two goals and two assists. Pavel’s 4 points that night made him the NHL’s scoring leader with a total of 37 points (passing Marcus Naslund). It was Niklas Kronwall’s third game in the Winged Wheel, as well.
The Wings are coming off a solid 5-2 win over the Devils on Tuesday night. The win halted a two-game home losing streak, capping off a three-game homestand before this short trip. Those two losses came against Calgary (2-3) last Thursday and the Islanders (1-2) on Sunday. Detroit is a disappointing 4-5-1 in their last 10 but they are still among the leaders in the NHL standings, behind only the Senators and Rangers (both with 40 points). They are just one point ahead of the Predators for the Central Division lead, however, though they can thank the Rangers for halting Nashville’s four-game win streak last night. The Pred’s star goalie Tomas Vokoun suffered a sprained knee in the game and will be evaluated today.
The Caps are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Predators Wednesday night. It wasn’t anything new for a team that has won only once in their last 7 games (5-1 over NYR on the 3rd) and only 9 times in 27 total games this season. They do have one of the most exciting players in the NHL, though, and that’s the big reason I’m looking forward to this game. Alexander Ovechkin is making a strong push for the Calder Trophy, with 17 goals and 13 assists (leads all rookies). This kid is very involved in the offense for Washington, taking a whopping 135 shots on net so far this season, twice as many as any of his teammates. The Wings are impressed and know they’ll have their hands full tonight as they try to shut him down.
Chris Osgood, having redeemed himself with Tuesday night’s win, will get another start tonight.
If Robert Lang weren’t out with a groin injury, the Caps would get their first look at their former player since trading him to Detroit last season.
I expect a good game tonight. Alexander Ovechkin should make things exciting and he will put the Wings defense to the test, which is something they need. As a hockey fan, I’d like to see Alex the Great do something spectacular but as a Wings fan, I hope it doesn’t result in a Caps win.
The Detroit Red Wings players and coaches, minus Jiri Fischer and Kris Draper, visited Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. The Wings make this trip yearly to encourage and lift the spirits of young ones fighting illnesses like cancer and hydrocephalus, an increase of fluid on the brain causing one boy named Joey to have 66 surgeries.
Fischer could not attend for his obvious health condition and Draper came down with the flu and since some kids have low immune systems, he didn’t want to jeopardize their health. Both the players and patients missed Fischer because he is a team spokesman for the hospital’s Wish Club. “It was a little tough on all of us, knowing Fish wasn’t going to be part of it,” said Anne Marie Krappmann, community relations manager for the Wings.
The Wings players chatted with parents and the kids, signed jerseys and photos, and took photos with the kids. Captain Steve Yzerman is always a big hit with the kids and this year was no exception. “You know, we get caught up in our lives, things we think are important,” Yzerman said. “These people here, they don’t complain. They don’t feel sorry for themselves, they just do what they have to do.” As much as the Wings inspire the young patients, the players are very much inspired by the kids. “The kids feel pretty good about seeing us, so you can’t help but feel pretty good about coming down here. We feel good seeing them,” Yzerman said.
Source: The Detroit News
Yzerman signed a hat, sweater, and puck for Michael Columbia, a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with brain cancer in April. “Stevie’s my favorite player,” Michael said. “My father’s told me a lot about him. He said he hoped that my treatments are good and that I don’t get sick again.”Head coach Mike Babcock is active in multiple pediatric cancer charities and always admires the families of these ill children for their determination, love, and strength through it all. “You know, I lost my mom to cancer, but losing a mother doesn’t even compare to losing a child,” he said. “I have good friends who have lost children. … I can’t even imagine. I have three healthy children and thank God every day for that.”
Other players’ thoughts on the day’s event:
“If you can just make the kids feel good for a couple of hours, and not have them think about what’s going on for them, that’s good,” Tomas Holmstrom said.”It gets to be really hard, 24 hours a day,” Mathieu Schneider said. “It’s really miraculous what these kids and families go through. The amazing thing with these kids, though, is they’re so resilient. When you see their faces, it gives you a special feeling.”
The Wings staved off a homestand sweep tonight, beating their old rivals for NHL supremacy, the New Jersey Devils, 5-2 downtown. It was the 1,000th game at Joe Louis Arena, which opened December 22, 1979. Fox Sports Net made a big deal of it before the game, playing clips of the various milestones, fights and some of the more memorable goals the arena has seen over the years.
Chris Osgood made his first start since surrendering 6 goals to San Jose over a week ago. He didn’t inspire a lot of confidence at first but by the end of the game, he was very sharp when needed.
It was a good game for the oldies on the team: Steve Yzerman scored a goal that evoked memories of a younger career and Chris Chelios was very solid on defense. Even Brendan Shanahan brought back memories, with two of his trademark goals.
Goal highlights are from NHL.com’s Highlight Machine. Click here for the continuous reel. (300K, .wmv)
First Period
Jason Williams, Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson started the game with Mathieu Schneider and Chelios on defense. Much of the first few minutes of play was played at center ice, with neither team really clicking offensively. The Wings had trouble gaining the New Jersey zone, being deflected on their sloppy attempts by a Devils defense that isn’t entirely depleted. The most noticeably out-of-sync player was Pavel Datsyuk, who was taking too long to accomplish anything with the puck and getting very little done at this stage in the game.
Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby had a good shift about three and a half minutes in, generating some good pressure but they did not score.
The Devils opened the scoring at 4:04, when Viktor Kozlov beat Osgood on the far side after a point shot from Sean Brown hit a crowd out front. It was a backhand shot that banked off Ozzie’s pads, making it 1-0 Devils. It was New Jersey’s first real “chance” though it wasn’t even that much of one!
Following the goal, Nicklas Lidstrom had a great shift, becoming the catalyst for some good Wings pressure in the Devils’ zone after carrying the puck through center and over the line. Lidstrom got in on the action down low and helped get Shanahan some great chances around the net in the fifth minute of the period. No goals resulted, however. Zetterberg’s line had similar pressure a couple minutes later, with the same results.
The Devils generated some solid pressure of their own around 12:30 but it didn’t pay off for them and ended up resulting in the first Red Wings goal of the night. Shanahan took the pass from Woolley along the boards and stepped up with the puck, releasing it after a little hesitation from just inside the left circle. He beat the New Jersey goaltender, Scott Clemmensen, who may have been screened a little by Datsyuk, glove-side, in the top right corner. Beautiful shot and a typical Shanahan goal, scored at 13:00. 1-1.
Yzerman had a good chance on net about a minute later but was hooked on the play and was unable to finish. He did draw a penalty, however, and the Wings went to their first power play. It wasn’t all that impressive, with the Devils clearing the puck immediately each time Detroit gained the zone.
The Wings finally got some minor chances on their third attempt at setting up but it was cleared with about 42 seconds left in the man-advantage and nothing further developed.
At 16:48, Draper had a glorious chance at the left post after Clemmensen bobbled the puck but he sent it through the crease to the opposite post and out.
Less than 20 seconds later, he had another great chance. This time, he was wide open out front and had all day to shoot. He sent it right into the New Jersey Devils logo on Clemmensen’s jersey. Draper still can’t buy a goal. That’s the Drapes we know and love, I suppose.
Just after Draper’s failed opportunities, Jiri Hudler got his name included in the boxscore but not in a way you want to see. He ran into Clemmensen in the crease and was called for goalie interference. Fortunately for him, the Devils’ power play is completely inept. Or the Wings’ penalty kill was just awesome. I think I’ll go with that one: Detroit controlled the puck for much of the penalty and killed it off with little apparent effort. Nice job, guys.
Hudler followed his time in the sin bin with a very nice shift in which he exhibited a lot of jump. He got two shots off in the final minute, with only one going on net, and gave the Wings a chance to go up by one in the waning seconds of the first. It was a nice finish to Jiri’s first period back to NHL action, after remaining relatively unnoticed until his penalty.
Shots were 17-4 Wings.
Second Period
The Devils came out of the gates in the second controlling the play. The Wings wrestled control away for some of the second minute but this ended with a New Jersey 2-on-1. Jamie Langenbrunner, one of Osgood’s old nemeses (think 98 playoffs, Dallas Stars), ended up with the puck but he waited too long and didn’t have much of anywhere to shoot it so the save was made.
The Devils kept the puck in the zone though and in the resulting play, the Wings got a penalty, with Datsyuk going to the box for interference.
Draper and Maltby kept the Devils on their toes while short-handed, with Draper coming pretty close to scoring off a pass from Maltby. With just 31 seconds remaining on Datsyuk’s penalty, Schneider went to the box for hooking, handing the Devils a 5-on-3.
Fortunately for the Wings, though, they had touched up the puck near their own blue line and when they won the ensuing faceoff, they were able to clear it immediately and basically negate the 2-man advantage. Schneider’s penalty was killed off as well.
Steve Yzerman, playing with Dan Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom had a nice shift about 8 minutes into the period but nothing substantial developed.
The Devils took the lead again at 8:34. This time, Vladimir Malakhov took a shot from the point and Osgood made the save with his pads but ended up directing a juicy rebound in the direction of a Devils player. Zach Parise made good use of the chance Ozzie presented him and sent it into the net pretty emphatically.
It was a bad rebound for Osgood to give up. He had a clear line of sight on Malakhov’s shot and should have been able to control the puck better. At this point, I wasn’t too confident in him and really thought the Wings would have to play catch-up all night.
Less than two minutes later, at 10:21, Richard Matvichuk cleared the puck over the boards in the defensive zone and cost his team a delay-of-game penalty. The Wings made good use of it, scoring again to tie it up at 11:57.
After failing on their first attempt at setting up, they gained the zone on their second try and kept it there for a bit, cycling the puck well and getting some good chances before it was cleared again.
On their third try, Shanahan scored his second of the night, again in standard #14 fashion. This time, it was a one-timer from the slot. Mathieu Schneider, on the right point, sent the puck along the boards to Samuelsson in the corner. The Swede centered it to Shanahan whose blast tied the game at 2.
The Wings picked up their play a bit after Shanny’s second goal. Henrik Zetterberg got off a nice shot as he went over the line at 13:00 and forced Clemmensen to be quick. Not long after that, Williams just missed a pass from Zetterberg that would have certainly resulted in a goal.
A little less than five minutes after Shanahan scored, Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary got a 2-on-1. Homer kept the puck, using Cleary as a decoy, and moved in on the net. He made a little move and beat Clemmensen 5-hole from 27 feet out at 16:42. Nice goal from Holmstrom, who continues to surprise me with his new goal-scoring touch (He’s always had one, just not the same as he does this year. A lot more “skill” goals from Homer this season.) The Wings finally got the lead and never looked back.
With a little under two minutes left, Zetterberg had a nice chance, moving on net but was just unable to finish. Right after that (18:42), Jason Williams put the Wings ahead 4-2, scoring from much the same spot Shanahan scored from on his second of the night. It was a similar goal as well and a nice shot from Willie, who scored his personal-best 9th goal on the play. Zetterberg got the assist, with Lidstrom, which was fitting since his stellar shift resulted directly in the goal.
At 18:42, Shanahan went to the box for hooking. The Devils got some good pressure going but were unable to convert.
Shots were 17-13 Wings.
Third Period
The Devils started the period on the power play, from the carryover of the Shanahan penalty at the end of the first, but they didn’t do much with it. The Wings controlled play for much of the first few minutes of the period. This was broken up by another Devils power play at 4:34 (a rare Lidstrom penalty) but New Jersey looked pretty anaemic on that one too.
Play settled down as the game headed toward mid-period but around 9:00 or so, things heated up. The Devils put some pretty serious pressure on and Chris Osgood was forced to come up big a number of times. He made another great save on Jamie Langenbrunner at 9:36 and though he didn’t retain the puck, he kept it on on the ensuing flurry around the net. He was sharp on subsequent Devils chances as well.
At 10:49, Steve Yzerman scored a beauty of a goal to put an end to the scoring for the night (maybe the skeptics will give the guy a break now, eh?). Tomas Holmstrom made a great effort at the blue line to steal the puck, which ended up on Cleary’s stick. He saw Yzerman streaking in all alone and centered the puck. The Captain had all kinds of space and used it well, faking to the forehand and faking Clemmensen out, beating him on the right side of the net. Really a great goal and the fans at the Joe thought so too: they began to chant “Stevie” and the place rocking for a few minutes afterwards.
The game wrapped up pretty neatly after that. The Wings got another power play but didn’t get much going and Williams had a nice chance all alone out front but didn’t finish. Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful second half to the period.
Shots were 10-10 and 44-27 for the period.
Notes
Of course Chris Osgood starts when I pick Jimmy Howard! Osgood needed a strong game to clear his name and I think he got it, for the most part. … With all that hair, does Jiri Hudler look like he should be on the cover of Spin or what? … The Wings wore their white sweaters tonight, rather than their home red. Mike Babcock joked that it was because the “red weren’t working” but really it was because Ken Holland and Lou Lamariello had decided on the change weeks ago. … Long-time JLA National Anthem singer Karen Newman got a break tonight, with Steve Acho doing a passable job singing the nation’s song in her place. Nice to finally have some variety, I say. …
Next up, Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. I’m definitely looking forward to that game. The puck drops at 7:00 ET Friday night.
Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman phoned Wayne Gretzky last night asking that he withdraw his name from the roster for the 2006 Olympics. The upcoming Winter Olympics will take place at Torino, Italy. “I talked to Wayne the other night and told him I didn’t feel I was playing well enough to hold one of 13 spots,” Yzerman told Sportsnet, referring to Team Canada general manager Wayne Gretzky. “I’m very grateful for past opportunities representing my country, but there’s too many good players playing too well for me to hold a spot on the roster.”
Wings spokesman, John Hahn, confirmed this report that Yzerman will not be playing for Team Canada. Yzerman helped Canada win a gold medal in 2002 when the Winter Olympics took place in Salt Lake City and became only one of three to win the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold medal in the same season (teammate Brendan Shanahan was another).
I was very pleased with Yzerman’s decision and not surprised whatsoever. I kept reading about people griping about how Yzerman will take a spot of one of the up and coming players, who would have a bigger impact on the team, and that he is being selfish about the whole ordeal. Give Yzerman credit. He is the classiest athlete I know, well have read about, and I’m just happy people around the country (well US and Canada) will finally see that and accept that. Yzerman has always done the best for his team, not himself. And this is just one of many examples backing that statement up. I had expected Yzerman to turn down the offer to play in the 2006 Olympics because he realized that he couldn’t play the same and while his leadership is invaluable, he couldn’t impact the team in ways other younger players could.
So please, everyone, lighten up on The Captain. He’s not going to retire during this season, unless something crazy happens. He’s missing a couple of games here and there to give his knee and body a breather not because the coach is benching him. You can’t expect a 40 year old player to put up the numbers and time he did when he was 21. Enjoy the rest of the season that we have here with one of the best hockey players of all time.
