Archive for the 'Fabian Brunnstrom' CategoryPage 2 of 2

1/26 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 26, 2008
in All Star Game, Chris Chelios, Chris Osgood, Fabian Brunnstrom, Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Steve Yzerman
. 6 Comments

Update (6:44 PM): Watching some of the pre-event coverage on CBC here in the Detroit area (home for the weekend). They say Pavel Datsyuk will face Tomas Vokoun in the breakway contest, while Chris Osgood will be up against Alexander Ovechkin. - Matt

… Tonight at 7:00 ET is the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition on Versus. Of the six non-YoungStar events (obstacle course relay, fastest skater, elimination shootout, accuracy shooting, hardest shot, and breakaway challenge), I can only find confirmation that Pavel Datsyuk and Chris Osgood will be competing in the last.

However, you have to think Pavel will be in on the accuracy event, the shootout event, and possibly the fastest skater as well.

Nick Lidstrom will probably be in the hardest shot competition and possibly the accuracy event.

Osgood, aside from the breakaway competition, will have to be in the shootout event.

… Speaking of Osgood, San Jose’s Ron Wilson is still hoping to convince Mike Babcock to start Evgeni Nabokov instead of the Red Wing. Sorry, Ron, but Osgood has been the better goalie this season, with his League-leading GAA and #3 save-percentage.

At first glance, Nabokov has his own League-leading stat, his 27 wins, going for him, but he’s played in 48 of the Sharks’ 49 games. That’s a winning percentage of .5625. Osgood, by comparison, has played in 26 of 51 with 20 wins for a winning-percentage of .7692, which translates out to 36 wins over 48 games.

Nabokov deserves to start the All Star Game over Osgood, Ron? Really?

… Ron Wilson, by the way, won’t give up the idea that his Sharks outplayed the Wings in the post-season last year. His comment that the Wings are “better now than they’ve ever been” is much appreciated, though.

… James Mirtle has a post up on how to fix the All Star Game. His solution? Make it a spectacle like the Winter Classic. No argument there, but I still think changing up the section process would go a long way in getting the fans interested, as well. In a day where so many fans have fantasy teams made up of players not from their team, why not have us vote for the entire roster instead of merely the starters?

… On a related note, the folks at AOL’s NHL Fanhouse talk about the future of the Game.

… Ted Kulfan has projected lines for the Western All Stars:

Nash-Datsyuk-Iginla
Sedin-Thornton-Gaborik
Arnott-Getzlaf-Perry
Horcoff-Kopitar-Ribiero

… I find this comparison of Daniel Alfredsson to Steve Yzerman just a little off-putting. I do not deny that he is a great leader and certainly the Senators’ MVP, if not the League’s, but Yzerman was one of those leaders that comes along just once or twice in a generation. I don’t think that’s just the Red Wings fan in me talking. To say The Captain is and was someone special is a major understatement.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray pointed out that “winning brings recognition” and there’s no doubt that winning a Cup would vault Alfredsson to a higher level in the pantheon of leaders. But to Yzerman’s status?

I was impressed by Alfredsson in the Wings recent game in Ottawa, but part of my perception of him is tainted by having watched him get beaten by Buffalo’s Jason Pominville for a series-ending overtime goal in the 2006 Conference Finals. It’s unfair of me, I suppose, but that’s one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of the guy. (via Snapshots)

… George Malik has more on the Fabian Brunnstrom story.

… Ansar Khan has a nice piece on Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

… The Freep focuses on Chris Chelios today, with seven different Chelios-related headlines on their Wings page.

1/25 Notes

Published
by
Matt Saler
on January 25, 2008
in Ducks, Fabian Brunnstrom, Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk and Senators
. 2 Comments

… George Malik breaks down the latest on the burgeoning Fabian Brunnstrom saga.

I’d say he has a solid chance of signing with the Wings, given the quality of the organization and the presence of the Swedes. However, they won’t necessarily be able to guarantee him a spot on the roster. From what I’ve read, he’s not expected to take the League by storm right off the bat, but is projected to be a “solid” second- or even first-line forward. The precedents for immediate jumps to the Wings upon arrival in North America on the Wings are Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen. Brunnstrom can’t match the former two, but he could be the next Franzen, I suppose. I’m just not sure where he’d fit in.

If he wants to be an NHLer right away and can’t take a year in Grand Rapids or another in Sweden, he may not be the Wings’ man.

… Ted Kulfan touches on the Brunnstrom story and Cleary’s eye today, but the most interesting part of his Red Wings Notebook is the short section on Johan Franzen, who is becoming a better shutdown forward all the time.

… One of the events at the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition tomorrow night is a breakaway contest. Alexander Ovechkin told USA Today’s Kevin Allen that he thinks the Wings’ own Pavel Datsyuk will win. No argument there, Alex.

… From the “huge steaming pile of BS” category: The Hockey News reports that Teemu Selanne is expected to return to Anaheim as early as next week. Not that this hasn’t been expected since the summer, but the fact that the Ducks will have two key players back just a little before and a little after the halfway point is repulsive.

It was one thing when Peter Forsberg did it years ago due to injury, but I don’t like the precedent the two Ducks are setting, sitting out when healthy. In a cap world, it’s particularly cheap, as it gives the Ducks relief despite the fact that they’ll have those players when they need them most.

…  Daniel Alfredsson put up seven (7) points last night against Tampa Bay. I’d call that a big “up yours” to Vincent Lecavalier.

… Apparently, Sergei Fedorov is becoming something of “an inspirational leader” in Columbus, as this post by the Columbus Dispatch’s  Aaron Portzline indicates.  As an old Sergei fan, that’s always good to hear.

… Of all the insane rumors swirling in the Toronto media about candidates for the Leafs GM, there’s finally one I can get behind: Mike Milbury says Brian Burke is interested in the job. I say that’s great. Leave Anaheim, Burke. Go to Toronto. Then maybe we’ll see the resurrection of the Wings/Leafs rivalry. (Update: This has since been debunked.)