So This Is New

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It’s been silent around here, but I’ve been watching. And I’ll be watching tonight.

I’ll be watching the Wings with their season on the line in a way nobody in this current group has ever experienced. The past couple games, they’ve shown sparks of life that have been largely missing this season, which is why they’re in this position in the first place. But those sparks of life could be the start of something, if they get a point today.

If they want it badly enough, against a team with nothing left to play for but pride and the chance to be the organization that ended the Wings’ playoff streak.

As far as regular season games go, it doesn’t get any bigger than this.

I hope the Wings bring the playoffs to the ice tonight.

Wings Still a Draw for Players That Are Both Michigan Natives and Fans, At Least

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Graham has the details, such as they are.

I’m being a little sarcastic, but this is pretty neat. Not sure if he’ll actually make the lineup (though the defense is probably that weak), but it’s some positive roster/acquisition news for once.

Also, there’s this:

Ha. Sorry Nashville.

Kronwall Should Have Been Suspended

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The NHL passed down word today that Niklas Kronwall won’t be suspended or face any other form of supplemental discipline for that hit last night on Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle. With that decision, the League demonstrates its complete lack of seriousness about addressing the issue of head contact in the game today.

Incredibly, the League claims Kronwall hit Coyle with “full body contact,” something the video replay does not bear out. Kronwall’s initial point of contact is Coyle’s head, followed by additional contact with the side of his chest. And that shouldn’t be okay any more, given what we now know about the cumulative effects of head contact.

Now, compared to the Joffrey Lupul hit on Victor Hedman last night, this is relatively small potatoes. But the only way the NHL is meaningfully going to cut down on head contact and the risk of head injury is to take seriously even these kinds of hits.

Coyle apparently was not injured on the play, but that’s just the roll of the dice that particular time.

Better yet to not roll the dice at all, or at least do it much less frequently.

I’m Still Alive

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Well, it’s been over a month since I posted and if you haven’t caught me on Twitter the few times I’ve chimed in there, you may be wondering if I’ve given up on this thing.

I haven’t, but the realities of a demanding past six weeks or so at work and life with a baby have made it difficult to fit blogging in.

I have been watching games, though not as regularly as I would like, and have kept tabs on the headlines, if not every detail like I used to be able to. So, I’m rusty.

I don’t know exactly what this is going to be for the rest of the season. But I am going to try to post more frequently than once a month. It just may not be in the same format as before, which I admit got a bit stale.

I started this thing 10 years ago today, which seems crazy. I’m not done yet, even if it might seem like it so far this season.

Side note for any of you that use RSS to read the blog: if you’re using Google Reader, you’ve probably heard that it’s being shut down in a couple months. I’d recommend starting the transition to another reader now. I’m giving Feedly a try, but I also got a NewsBlur subscription to get behind one with an actual business model (and thus some insurance against sudden app death).

On Last-Minute Goals Against

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We were with non-Wingnut family during the game yesterday so we only caught the last few minutes.

It was enough to see Joakim Andersson nearly stop the tying goal from behind Jimmy Howard. My initial reaction to the replay was of course disappointment that the break had gone the Kings’ way. Then it hit me: “why was Andersson out there?”

I’ve checked the play-by-play and there wasn’t a faceoff that I forgot about. Andersson was sent over the boards at 18:45 in live play, closing in on the final minute of a one-goal game. He was replacing Valtteri Filppula and joining Abdelkader and Miller, who had already been out there 43 seconds by that point. The Kings were pressing.

This is a kid with 7 NHL games under his belt. A good kid, who has done pretty well for himself with the Griffins. But not a kid who has any business being on the ice in the final minute of a one-goal game.

Guys like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg had been off the ice for nearly 1:20 at that point. That’s who you send out if you can manage a one-player swap when the opposition is pressuring.

These are the moments where I don’t understand Mike Babcock. I understand his interest in testing people in higher pressure situations, which is why you put Brian Lashoff on the penalty kill pretty much right off the bat after he gets called up. But the final minute of a one-goal game is when you put out guys that can hack it. It’s not the time to test a rookie.

That Jonathan Ericsson won the game with a trickle-through with 4 seconds left does not validate this strategy. That’s just luck.

David Backes on Jan Mursak

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Not the dirtiest hit you’ll ever see, but this is the kind of crap we’ve come to expect from Backes. Not the kind of thing that necessarily leads to fines and suspensions; just close enough to the line to develop a reputation among people who are not Blues fans.

Well, at least among fans of Central Division teams.

Okay, maybe just Red Wings fans. I can’t speak for the others.

Thanks to @Weallbleedredd (here) and @Muero for posting footage of the hit.

David Backes is Still a Loser

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Despite the fact that it was a completely inaccurate call, David Backes is still one of the underrated dirty players in the League. Just ask Jan Mursak.

One thing of note in that replay, though: note in the view from behind Huskins how Backes half leaves his feet and elevates contact. Maybe a failed headshot as much as it was a failed headshot call.

I do think I’d rather see blown calls like this than real head contact go uncalled. The NHL has to get rid of head contact or it will follow football’s long term trajectory. Of course, the NHL isn’t getting it right in either category and ideally they’d always only call real headshots. But this isn’t an ideal world.

As I was reminded last night for having the gall to call David Backes a dirty player (and a donkey):

Jonathon Schad, I’m going to do what I can to ensure this comes up should any future employer run a search on you. Enjoy college.