Author Archive for Christy HammondPage 2 of 9

Detroit Autograph Signings

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on March 22, 2006
in Autographs, Henrik Zetterberg, Igor Larionov, Mikael Samuelsson, Nick Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall
. 0 Comments

I have two autograph signings that I would like to notify my fellow Detroit area readers: Igor Larionov and the five Swedish Wings who played in the Olympics and won gold.

Igor Larionov Signing
This weekend, Igor Larionov (aka The Professor) will be signing copies of his DVD entitled “Farewell from Moscow: The Igor Larionov Farewell Game.” This Saturday, March 25th, he will be at the Best Buy in Auburn Hills from 2-4pm. The following day, March 26th, Larionov will be at the Best Buy in Novi from 2-4pm. A portion of all his DVD sales will benefit The Igor Larionov Youth Hockey Charitable Foundation. The excerpt below has been sent to me by IMJ Communications, LLC.

After an unparalleled 27-year career, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Larionov bid farewell to the game on December 13, 2004. An inspiration on-and-off the ice, Larionov continues to give back to the community and to the hockey world through The Igor Larionov Youth Hockey Charitable Foundation. Founded by Igor Larionov in 2004, The Igor Larionov Youth Hockey Charitable Foundation is concerned with improving the condition of youth hockey leagues throughout Russia. During his visits to facilities where young, aspiring hockey players in Russia skate, practice and play the game, Igor was strongly affected by the lack of equipment, use of shoddy and broken gear by the young players, and disrepair of the ice rinks. He also saw first-hand, the poverty that plagues towns in the periphery of Russia’s major cities. The parents of children growing up there can hardly afford used skates and equipment and new gear is wholly unattainable. Larionov was so moved by the dedication of the Russian kids to the game that he decided to create a foundation to provide new equipment, repair locker rooms and rinks and motivate the youth to continue to pursue their passion for the game of hockey.In a short span of a year since his retirement from hockey, Igor has made several trips back to Russia, both to the major cities and to the periphery with new equipment, lots of new skates and funding to commence the process of repairing hockey facilities. Through his foundation, Larionov plans to devote substantial time, efforts and funding to building the future of hockey for many years to come.

Since the January 13, 2006 premiere of the documentary at Michigan’s Royal Oak Music Theatre sales of “Farewell From Moscow: The Igor Larionov Farewell Game” have continued to raise funds for the foundation.

Touted as one of the best moments in sport’s history, Larionov’s farewell game, was masterfully captured by Chrome Bumper Films in its entirety and has been incorporated as part of the recently released, cutting-edge documentary/DVD. The fast-paced signature style of A-list director, John “QUIG” Quigley, known for his creation of music videos and other work for leading music artists, including Eminem, brings a vibrant, youthful energy never before seen in a documentary. Under Quigley’s direction, Chrome Bumper Films has remarkably weaved countless hours of footage, both on and off the ice, into a captivating masterpiece befitting a legend. Working closely with Larionov, Quigley threaded a refined, articulate and intelligent portrait of the man who captivated fans worldwide with his talent for nearly a third of a century.

“A Farewell From Moscow-The Igor Larionov Farewell Game” is a must-have for the sports-lover’s collection. The DVD chronicles all the excitement, energy and passion of Larionov’s powerful and emotionally-charged final game while also giving fans a rare behind-the-scenes look at Larionov with candid interviews from him and former teammates and coaches. The DVD is also loaded with many extras, including game highlights spanning Larionov’s career, more than 150 photos and footage tracing the players’ entire weekend in Moscow.

The “Farewell From Moscow: The Igor Larionov Farewell Game” DVD can be purchased at Best Buy. The Auburn Hills Best Buy is located at 300 Brown Rd. The Novi Best Buy is located at 21051 Haggerty Rd. in the High Point Shopping Center.

Five Swedes Signing
This upcoming Tuesday, March 28th, Fan Zone in the Westland Mall will be hosting an autograph signing with the following Red Wings players: Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, Mikael Samuelsson, and Nik Kronwall.

The signing will start at 7pm. You can pre-order your tickets today by calling 734-762-9618. Here are the prices:

- 16×20 picture of 5 Swedes & signed by the entire group = $150
- Lidstrom is $40 flat / $50 everything else
- Zetterberg $25 flat / $35 everything else
- Holmstrom $25 flat / $35 everything else
- Sameulsson $15 flat / $20 everything else
- Kronwall $15 flat / $20 everything else

The above information was found at Lets Go Wings forums. I called that number inquiring about the group photo and autographs. When I called right before 7pm, there was less than half of the 300 photos remaining. You can order it over the phone with a credit card (like I did), but do it ASAP!

Wings lose in shootout

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on March 22, 2006
in 2005-2006, Game Reports and Predators
. 0 Comments

Last night the Wings played the Nashville Predators for the sixth of eight meetings this season. Due to a meeting, I was unable to watch the entire game and just got the beginning and the end. Since that is the case, I will recommend that you check out the always interesting game recaps from IwoCPO at Abel to Yzerman. Here is one example of his always entertaining game thoughts.

When I see Chelios going after Kariya, my first instinct is to put some John Denver on, call the kids into the living room, drink some warm cocoa and revel in the family moment. You just can’t beat that kind of fun.

Anyways, the game ended in exciting fashion with a shootout. Now the shootout, for me at least, is always exciting to watch because you get to see the likes of Pavel Datsyuk and even my favorite The Captain deke out the opposition. However, I just hate that it decides the game (and I’ve been saying that the entire year, not just because we lost last night). Sure it’s better than having ties, but I guess I’m just an OT girl. I can’t wait for the playoffs and those good ole nights staying up real late because the game goes into double or triple OT.

And why did Babcock choose Holmstrom in the shootout BEFORE the likes of Yzerman, Shanny, and the other sharp shooters we have on the team. Don’t get me wrong, Homer is a great guy. But for the shootout? Bad idea. But then Yzerman went up to center ice to get his shot at Vokoun. My heart was pounding like crazy. My mouth went dry. I started going crazy in my single dorm room. I mean I was clapping and chanting “Yzie, Yzie, Yzie” (what my family and I call him). The Captain just had to make the shot. Missing wasn’t even an option. I mean this is the Steve Yzerman. He’s been captain of this team longer than I’ve been alive. From the looks of it, everyone at the Joe was standing and acting crazy. And then Yzerman, like the pro he is, smoothly deked Vokoun and tied the shootout up. IwoCPO had similar thoughts:

Steve Yzerman skated to center and winning meant nothing. An extra point wasn’t even a consideration.The only thing going through the mind of every Wing fan anywhere was this, “I do NOT want to see Steve Yzerman fail.”

Deals with the devil were made on the spot, “just let Yzerman score…if we lose, I can handle it. K? I’ll take the loss, but not this way. Deal? Great, thanks.”

He did. The Captain scored low on Vokoun’s right side…and the deal was done. The devil was due.

But the Preds scored on their next opportunity and Shanny failed to get the puck in the net so the Wings lost in a closely contested game and shootout.

Chelios’ son, Dean, comes on road trip

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on March 19, 2006
in 2005-2006 and Chris Chelios
. 0 Comments

Remember the father/son trip to the southeast last December? Well Chris Chelios is giving it another try, but this time with his older son, 16 year old Dean, on this 4 day road trip to western Canada

In the southeast father/son road trip, Dean couldn’t tag along with his dad and younger brother, Jake, because of his own hockey schedule (he plays for Cranbrook who recently won a DIII state championship). Since his high school hockey season just ended and this is his spring break, Chris Chelios asked head coach Mike Babcock and GM Ken Holland if he could bring Dean along on this trip (answer: yes).

Since Dean was born the summer after his dad played in the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals in Montreal, he’s been growing up with his dad playing in the NHL. However, this trip is giving him a new perspective on the NHL & Wings (much to the jealousy of his Cranbrook teammates). On Friday night, he went to dinner and then a movie with the team. He even got to pick the movie, The Hills Have Eyes. Following the movie, the team returns to the hotel where Dean got to sleep in his own room, “a luxury usually reserved for 10-year NHL veterans who have played 600 or more games.”

“There’s not too many players that can say their kids are old enough to be able to do this,” said Chelios, 44, the NHL’s oldest active player. “And just in case, if I don’t play next year, at least he’ll have been able to do this once.”He’s a laid-back kid, almost to the point where it drives me crazy. But I can tell (he’s excited). He never gets up in the morning at home, but he’s gotten up two mornings in a row now on this trip.”

“My other son plays like I play — he’s a knucklehead,” Chelios laughed. “I don’t know how the new NHL rules are going to help him, but Dean is perfectly suited for it. He’s a goal-scoring demon.”

Again on Friday, he played a 20 minute game of “keep-away” with Pavel Datsyuk, his favorite NHL player. The next day he “spent an extra half-hour on the ice working on shooting and skating drills with assistant coach Paul McLean and Chris Osgood, among others.” While Dean certainly isn’t at the level of an NHL player, he is already three inches taller than his dad at 6′2″. Unlike his dad, he plays forward (left wing or center).

“I haven’t been on one of these (road trips) in a long time, since I was maybe five years old, so I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “But it’s just awesome - better than I expected. It’s amazing. This has just been really fun.”

Wings 2, Mighty Ducks 0

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on March 2, 2006
in 2005-2006, Ducks and Game Reports
. 0 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Anaheim Mighty Ducks early after scoring both goals in the first period. The Wings have the next two days off before their game Saturday at 9:00pm against the Phoenix Coyotes.

First Period
The Wings scored two goals in the first (and the only two goals of the game). 7:28 into the period, Tomas Holmstrom scored on quick pass from Henrik Zetterberg who got it from Pavel Datsyuk. For once it wasn’t the typical Holmstrom deflection, rather a slick backhand shot. The first goal came while on even strength.

Less than a minute later, at 8:14 into the period to be exact, Nicklas Lidstrom took a shot inside the blue line which was stopped by Holmstrom upon which it fell to the ice when Zetterberg put it in the back of the net. The second goal happened while on the power play. Notice a pattern yet? All offensive points belong to the Wings who stayed in Torino until at least the semifinals. Datsyuk may not have earned a medal in Italy, but he’s helping the team offensively even with a fractured finger. He also extended his point streak to six games following tonight’s win.

Chris Osgood, the Wings goaltender for the evening, made 12 saves in the first period while the Ducks goalie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, allowed two goals on 15 shots.

Second Period
Not much happened in the second period, but I must say that Osgood looked pretty sharp to me. Within the last two minutes of the period, Osgood made an excellent save even though the whistle was blown to call the play offsides.

With 1:23 left in the second, Mikael Samuelsson got called for roughing and sent to the penalty box. During the penalty kill, both Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom blocked a couple shots. It sure is nice to see No. 5 back in the lineup; even exhausted and jet-lagged, he’s one of the better defenders in the league.

Both teams had six shots apiece during the second, but no goals made it past the goaltenders.

Lidstrom had 20 shifts in the first two periods lasting a total of 18:04 minutes, he’s leading the Wings in ice time tonight even though there are certainly more rested Wings than Lidstrom. Zetterberg only played slightly over four minutes in the second period after playing about eight minutes in the first.

Third Period
Once more, nothing much happened. No goals scored. Only 4 penalties in the final period and the Wings were unable to convert on all four instances. Osgood made six saves in the third. With less than five seconds left, Brendan Shanahan rocketed a shot towards the empty net and hit the goalpost.

Osgood stopped 24 shots tonight to earn his second shutout this season and his 43rd of his career. It was his first game in a month so that’s a pretty impressive performance to me at least. It was the Wings third shutout in the last six games.

Other Notes…
An NHL.com article by Doug Ward briefly mentioned that both head coach Mike Babcock and GM Ken Holland supported the 5 Swedes to go celebrate in Stockholm and miss Tuesday night’s game in San Jose. It also went on to say that the Wings can learn from the losses of Team Cananda and USA in the Olympics.

Not everyone in the Detroit locker room will be walking on air. In contrast to his gold-medalist Detroit teammates, the Wings’ Kris Draper came home empty-handed and disappointed after playing for tournament favorite Team Canada. Chris Chelios played for the United States team that won only one game in Italy.Babcock said his Wings could learn a lesson from the disappointment Team Canada and Team USA endured in Torino.

“We can have all the skill,” Babcock told the Detroit News, “but if we don’t play well as a team, we’re not going to win. These teams were good teams (in the Olympics) and showed you can’t win individually.”

The Wings were the only team, to my knowledge, that played back to back games to return from the Olympic break and the Wings had the most players participating in the gold medal game. “I don’t think any team could have had a worse scenario than us, missing five guys and the week road trip on the West Coast,” Chelios said. “It’s not an advantage, but that’s the way it is.”

Pretty good “excuse” for the San Jose loss (even though that was an awful game to watch as a Wings fan). Speaking of which, a Detroit News poll asked readers “Are you upset the gold medal-winning Swedes missed the game against San Jose and the Red Wings were blown out?”

75.72% said, “No; they deserved to go to Sweden for the celebration.”
21.14% said, “Yes; they are paid by the Wings and should have been there.”
3.14% said, “It didn’t matter as the Wings would have lost anyway.”

Datsyuk, like his fellow Olympians, had to adjust after playing in the larger Olympic size ice rinks.

“Just a little bit scared,” Datsyuk said before the game against the Sharks. “Every board is too close.”Datsyuk was referring to the ice surface at HP Pavilion. The Olympic ice sheets Datsyuk played on for the Russian team in Torino were 15 feet wider than those in NHL rinks.

Lidstrom needs four more assists (after getting an assist in tonight’s game) to reach the 600 assist milestone. Captain Steve Yzerman currently has 684 career goals, six goals shy of Mario Lemieux’s. He also needs to play in 6 more games to become the 10th player in NHL history to play 1,500 games (should happen on March 15th against Anaheim in Detroit).

Wings 3, Avalanche 0

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on February 4, 2006
in 2005-2006, Avalanche and Game Reports
. 1 Comment

In a solid defensive effort, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-0. The Wings had seven successful penalty kills in the game and were unable to capitalize on three power play opportunities. Wings goaltender Manny Legace made 28 saves for the win. He looked incredibly strong today. There were certain instances that I couldn’t believe the puck didn’t go in the net; Legace had some unbelievable saves. I think Babcock has found his No. 1 goaltender.

The first goal of the game came 5:40 into the third period. Henrik Zetterberg passed the puck from the corner to the front of the net where Dan Cleary flicked the puck behind Avs’ goaltender Abeischer.

Mikael Samuelsson scored his 19th goal of the season on a pass from Tomas Holmstrom 10:01 into the third. The final goal came on a breakaway from Robert Lang with 1:31 left in the game ensuring the Wings’ victory in the Pepsi Center.

Since Dallas lost to St. Louis in OT, 4-3, the Wings are now two points ahead of the Stars in the Western Conference standings. The Nashville Predators are currently seven points behind the Wings in the Central Division with 70 points.

Offensive Scoresheet

Well that’s all for today, I’m going to the University of Michigan vs. Ohio State hockey game. Go Blue!

Wings 5, Wild 4

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on January 30, 2006
in 2005-2006, Game Reports and Wild
. 0 Comments

What a crazy and bizarre game. The Wings were up 4-0 by the end of the first period with goals by Steve Yzerman, Robert Lang, Mikael Samuelsson, and a beauty by Henrik Zetterberg. Yzerman’s goal notched him his 200th career power play goal. After going pointless for seven games, hopefully Samuelsson will bounce back offensively after scoring his 17th goal of the season. Wild goaltender Manny Fernandez was taken out after the first period.

I watched the first part of the second period, upon which the Wild scored to make it 4-1. I then had to watch 24 with my college friends so I missed the rest of the second and most of the third period. I came back with five minutes left in the game to see the score at 5-4 and my heart dropped. I’m always skeptical when the Wings are up by so much because especially with the new rules, it’s pretty easy to even that all up. Fortunately, Andreas Lilja scored his first goal as a Wing to win the game for Detroit. At some point, Manny Legace replaced Chris Osgood in goal where he made some impressive saves to keep the Wings in the game.

Detroit outshot the Wild, 27-16.

Boxscore
Play by Play
Offensive Scoresheet

Wings v. Canucks’ game notes

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on January 29, 2006
in 2005-2006, Canucks and Game Reports
. 1 Comment

A few notes about Thursday’s Wings v. Canucks’ game…

My Dad sent me 14 photos from the game that he took and they look great. When he has more time, there will be more up on Webshots. But for now, these photos will have to do. These are just two of the 14 photos I posted today.

In addition to that, Alanah and Jeff (of Vancouver Canucks Op Ed) were kind enough to email me an 18 second clip of right after Nicklas Lidstrom scored where you can briefly see me on the Vancouver broadcast, which you can view here. I’m the girl who looks like this:

Wings 2, Canucks 1

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on January 26, 2006
in 2005-2006, Canucks and Game Reports
. 0 Comments

Tonight was honestly the best night of my young 19 year old life. I attended the Wings vs. Canucks game at the Joe where I sat in the first row *right* next to where the zambonis come out (but on the opposite side of the goal judge). People literally came up to us to tell us that we had the best seats in the house. They were amazing. To see my “idols” within 2 inches of me was unbelievable. I don’t remember the period, but Steve Yzerman was nailed literally right in front of me- just crazy. My Dad and I took hundreds of pictures (seriously, like over 500) so we’ll be going through them tomorrow and I’ll post them whenever we transfer them from his camera to my laptop. It was soo worth the nearly $500 it cost my dad and I to get the best seats at the Joe. My dad’s birthday is at the end of March so we’re going to try to get those same seats again…it was so surreal.

The Wings won in an excellent hockey game. And while there wasn’t a full blown hockey fight, there certainly were numerous scrums where the entire crowd at the Joe jumped up to their feet. The Joe was pretty loud tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There were two little kids behind me and Al Sobotka, the infamous zamboni driver, sat right next to them and gave them some pucks in the third period.

Brendan Shanahan scored the game winning goal, his 100th in his career, while on the power play with seven minutes left in the game. The goal was a beauty right in front of my face (Yzerman did a nice job screening Auld). Carter scored the only goal for the Canucks with 7:50 left in the first period. Nicklas Lidstrom scored the Wings first goal of the game during a 5-on-3 power play, Robert Lang and Mathieu Schneider with the assist (lengthening his point streak to 5 games).

The Wings outshot the Canucks 35-15 in a strong defensive effort. “We’re playing real strong in our own end,” Lidstrom said. “We’re not giving up a lot of shots and Manny only has to make one save and we’re clearing the rebound.”

For those of you who watched the game on TV, you should’ve seen me on the Vancouver broadcast right after the Wings scored their first goal. I was banging on the glass like crazy. And then the Detroit broadcast, I believe I was shown when our section held up “Hi Jiri” signs, but since I was in the front I’m not sure if that scanned down that far. And my dad was prominently seen during the Karen Newman performance, which we were less than 10 feet from in his bright red sweatshirt.

Interesting Notes: Every single time Todd Bertuzzi touched the puck, the Joe was filled with boos. In between the 1st and 2nd period, they brought out a Toyota truck and the entire time it was on the ice, the crowd booed their heads off. But when a Jeep was brought out in the next intermission, no problems at all. Quite entertaining.

Well, I’m exhausted after a long but exciting birthday and I’m still experiencing sensory overload from today’s game. But I will try to post those pictures ASAP. Good night everybody!

Lines*

Datsyuk-Shanahan-Zetterberg
Holmstrom-Yzerman-Cleary
Franzen-Draper-Maltby
Samuelsson-Williams-Lang
Franzen-Draper-Williams
Zetterberg-Williams-Lang
Holmstrom-Cleary-Draper
Zetterberg-Samuelsson-Datsyuk
Yzerman-Lang-Holmstrom
Samuelsson-Williams-Cleary
Holmstrom-Franzen-Draper
Zetterberg-Draper-Maltby
Maltby-Draper
Franzen-Cleary

D-pairings

Lilja-Lidstrom
Lebda-Chelios
Lebda-Schneider
Lebda-Lilja
Chelios-Schneider
Schneider-Woolley
Woolley-Chelios
Schneider-Lilja
Lidstrom-Chelios
Lidstrom-Schneider
Chelios-Lilja

PP

Zetterberg-Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Schneider-Lidstrom
Samuelsson-Lang-Shanahan-Woolley-Schneider
Zetterberg-Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Woolley-Lidstrom

*compiled by Brian

A Wings look back on 2005

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on December 31, 2005
in 2005-2006, Andreas Lilja, Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Brett Lebda, Capitals, Chris Chelios, Curtis Joseph, Darren McCarty, Dominik Hasek, Flames, Henrik Zetterberg, Jason Williams, Jiri Fischer, Johan Franzen, Kris Draper, Lightning, Manny Legace, Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Babcock, NHL, Nick Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Olympics, Pavel Datsyuk, Robert Lang, Sidney Crosby, Steve Yzerman, The Team and Wayne Gretzky
. 2 Comments

As the 2005 year draws to a close, it’s time to take a look back on the past year. Since this is a Wings hockey blog, I’m going to do a list of the top 3 of the year in a variety of categories with Matt’s help. All categories are in regard to the Detroit Red Wings, not necessarily the NHL, in the year 2005. Feel free to leave comments saying what you would change on these lists!

Top 3 Scary Moments
3. Niklas Kronwall tears his ACL and MCL after what was supposed to be his breakout season
2. Kris Draper gets hit in the face with a puck / Nick Lidstrom gets hit in the face by the puck against the Blue Jackets Dec. 20th
1. Jiri Fischer collapses during a game (On the Wings had in depth coverage of Fischer’s press conference)

Top 3 Games
3. Detroit beat the Washington Capitals after a hard fought game, 4-3
2. Wings beat defending Stanley Cup champs Tampa Bay, 6-3
1. Wings extinguish Flames, 6-3, in Darren McCarty’s first game in Hockeytown on an opposing team

Top 3 Former Wings Moments
3. After a drama filled 2003-2004 season in Detroit, Curtis Joseph moved on to Phoenix, where he is having a good season
2. Dominik Hasek is one of the reasons why Ottawa is the best team in the league. When Hasek has something to prove, he is a hard one to beat.
1. Brett Hull retires after short stint with Phoenix and is now being offered a job with Dallas

Top 3 Goals
3. Pavel Datsyuk’s near end to end goal against Tampa Bay
2. Henrik Zetterberg’s breakaway goal against Pittsburgh
1. Steve Yzerman faking out Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen earning the final goal of the night

Top 3 Suprising Moments
3. Pavel Datsyuk actually signs with Detroit
2. Manny Legace wins 10 games in October earning a league record and defensive player of the month honors / Darren McCarty signs with the Calgary Flames
1. The Wings go 11-1-0 in October to start off the season with a bang

Top 3 Surprising Players
3. Chris Chelios for being so silently strong at the age of 43 (just 10 PIM since November 6th)
2. Jason Williams suddenly becoming a point machine with 10 goals and 24 assists as of December 30
1. Mikael Samuelsson has a breakout offensive season

Top 3 New Wings
3. Brett Lebda re-joined main roster and is playing very well to help bear the burden of Jiri Fischer’s absence
2. Mikael Samuelsson / Johan Franzen, the “Mule,” doesn’t score a lot but works as hard as anyone on the ice, very solid
1. Mike Babcock comes in as new head coach

Top 3 Team Moments
3. Wings visit Children’s Hospital in Detroit
2. 9 Wings were selected to represent their country in the 2006 Olympics
1. Father and son southeast road trip. While the Wings performance during games on this trip wasn’t solid, both the players and their fathers/mentors got a lot out of this trip.

Top 3 Defensive Players
3. Johan Franzen
2. Chris Chelios
1. Nicklas Lidstrom

Top 3 Offensive Players
3. Jason Williams (34 pts)
2. Henrik Zetterberg / Brendan Shanahan (38 pts)
1. Pavel Datsyuk (42 pts)

Top 3 Players Overall
3. Brendan Shanahan - was on a point tear that was only recently halted
2. Manny Legace - very good when not injured, though it has been a while
1. Henrik Zetterberg - two-way force

Top 3 +/- Ratings
3. Robert Lang / Pavel Datsyuk (+11)
2. Andreas Lilja (+13)
1. Mikael Samuelsson (+16)

Top 3 NHL moments
3. 2005 NHL Draft day / Sid the Kid finally heads to an NHL team.
2. Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One,” becomes head coach of the Pheonix Coyotes.
1. Opening night. Every single NHL team played on October 5, 2005, which is quite a way to start the new season after a yearlong lockout.

Schneider & Chelios selected to US Olympic team

Published
by
Christy Hammond
on December 20, 2005
in Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider, Olympics and USA
. 0 Comments

Two current Red Wings players, Mathieu Schneider and Chris Chelios, were selected to the US team for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy. This time around with be Chelios’ fourth Olympics (1984, 1998, 2002) in his 44 years, two of those times he was named captain of the American squad. “I feel very lucky at my age and am looking forward to the challenge,” Chelios said.

Wings GM Ken Holland told Chelios yesterday that he had been selected to the team.

“There’s no doubt the intangibles Chris Chelios brings to any team have to be discussed,” said Holland. “We brought him back for his ability to play, but also because of his leadership and competitiveness. When he’s on your team, he believes your team is going to win, and he has an impact on the players around him.”

Schneider has played in one other Winter Olympics back in 1998. He seemed to be a sure selection for this Olympic squad with his 28 points in 23 games placing him fourth among NHL defensemen. He is second among defensemen in scoring (10) and power play goals (7). Schneider also averages 24:05 of ice time

“With his ability to skate and handle the puck … the way he played two years ago and this year, it became pretty obvious that he had to be on the team,” Holland said.

GM of the US Olympic team, Don Waddell, is pleased with his defensive selections including former Wing, Derian Hatcher, and former MSU player John-Michael Liles. “We think our depth on defense is as good as it’s ever been,” Waddell said.