Police Contacted After Red Wings Rob Flames

That was something.

I remember early in this third period thinking to myself, "Looks like one of those 'Write-Off' nights for the Wings -- we're just not getting it done."

Well, the Wings got it done and the Flames must be wondering exactly what it takes to get a W against the Winged Wheel. Some might say less penalty calls from the refs would do it, and that may well be true, but I'm a member of the happy party so I'll dwell on the positives.

Firstly, Detroit played well below standards and Calgary, from my estimation, was very good. Jarome Iginla was a star again and Alex Tanguay looked like he was back in Colorado 10 years ago. Calgary played the Wings hard and looked like a playoffs team. For the first two periods, the Wings not so much. And as a result, the Wings faced two 2-goal deficits in the final frame.

This looks like a job for the Eurotwins!

It's been a while since the Hank and Pav led the boys to victory. With the recent surges from the bottom two lines, heroics from the pair had become much less of a necessity. But it had to happen eventually, and this was the night. In the third period, Pavel Datsyuk got a goal and an assist while Henrik Zetterberg netted two goals -- including the game-tying goal with 3 seconds left.

Not to be upstaged however, was the immortal Nick Lidstrom, who continued his great game (and amazing season) with the game-winner in overtime from a beautiful finish to a play started by hard work down low by Darren Helm and Todd Bertuzzi. Lids finished with a goal and two assists taking his season points total to 20 to lead all defensemen.

One might look at the PP stat 3-7 and think the Detroit powerplay was on fire on this night. But like many stats, this one is very misleading. The Flames were very unlucky to have such a glaring figure result from their efforts. Basically my view of Detroit's powerplay is 4 atrocious PPs, 1 good 6-on-4, and two others they managed to score on. The Wings could just as easily have gone 1-7 and lost this one big. In this way, I think the Flames were extremely unlucky to lose.

You could say it's a good thing, you could say it's a bad thing. I choose to be a member of the former, encouraged by the fact that despite the sub-par performance, the Wings managed to steal two points from a game they had no business getting points in. The thought of what they might do when at their peak kinda excites me. I'm just hoping that becomes a frequent thing after March.

The major negative that deserves to be mentioned is the apparent injury to the red-hot Dan Cleary. Disco Dan left the game in the second period with an apparent upper-body injury. Hopefully details will surface soon.

The win gave Detroit a near-perfect 6-game homestand getting 11 of 12 possible points as they head to Atlanta to face the Thrashers in their first Eastern Conference meeting of the season.

Bring On 2011

For the Detroit Red Wings, the 2010 pre-season has now drawn to a close, leaving the Red Wings faithful eagerly awaiting the season opener this Friday (Oct 8) against the Ducks.

It wasn't the most auspicious lead-in to the season, as Detroit went 3-5 in their 4 home-and-home series'. The Wings were able to split each series with Chicago, Toronto and the Rangers, but lost but their games to Pittsburgh. I could go in-depth into the performance of the team and some individual efforts, but what's the point? The pre-season is seldom if ever even a rough reflection of what to expect from the upcoming regular season. 3-5 record or not, the Red Wings have a damn good team [again] and here's why:

Top three lines
Detroit will be icing the same first line that won the 2008 Stanley Cup, an unignorable threat for every opponent in Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom. This trio will form one of the most formidable top lines in the League, but the real danger comes from depths below.

Unlike the Blackhawks, the Red Wings will be one of very few, if any, teams to boast three lines that are genuine scoring threats. Babcock can think himself a lucky coach to have the likes of Filppula, Hudler, Bertuzzi, Franzen, Cleary and newcomer Mike Modano at his disposal for a 2-3 punch combo. This poses quite a headache for opposing coaches when added to the stress of dealing with Hank, Dats and Homer.

On the back end, it's more of the same; stability, experience and offense.

It's fair to say veterans Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski have probably seen the peak of their careers, but their value on the PP and first pass out of defense make them of great assistance to the forwards corps. Also worth mentioning, is the fact that in Lidstrom, Detroit will be receiving just about the best non-physical defensive skill-set in the world today.

A little further development from younger guns Nik Kronwall and particularly Jonathan Ericsson could act as an addition to the team to go along with free agent acquisition, Ruslan Salei. Interestingly, the blueline pairings will begin the season a little juggled from last. Earlier today Babcock announced a few switches:

Lidstrom -- Ericsson

Stuart -- Rafalski

Kronwall -- Salei

In net, we just need to hope for more steadiness from sophomore, Jimmy Howard. You don't have to look too far back to see examples of major slides from great rookie seasons (Mason and Price), but it can be done. But Niklas Backstrom and Pekka Rinne will tell you great second seasons are possible. If in this case it is not, you could do a lot worse than have a 3-time Cup Champion goalie come in and hold down the fort.

How that's a good hockey team right there. Even Pierre LeBrun knows it. Bring on 2010/11!

New Red Wings Wallpaper; Red Wings Skyline

Visit the Wallpapers page to download the new Detroit Skyline wallpaper which features Jimmy Howard, Johan Franzen, Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. It wasn't the original intention but it's almost turned out a little bit mafia-style. Anyway, please enjoy.

Nicklas Lidstrom to Return for Another Year

According to Ansar Khan of Mlive, the Detroit Red Wings' captain Nick Lidstrom will finalize the details of a one-year contract extension with Ken Holland later this week.

A source told Booth Newspapers on Monday that Lidstrom has decided to return for another season. The club is expected to finalize a one-year contract extension this week with the six-time Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman.

In Lidstrom, the Red Wings see the return of their leader and one of the defenseman in the League, still at the ripe old age of 40. While the details of the contract are still very much a guessing game, the cap hit for Lids will most likely be a uniquely high one for a player of his age, even after the hometown discount -- but Nick is a uniquely talented player, with whom the Red Wings are perennial Cup-contenders.

The deal has been officially signed for $6.2m for the 2010/2011 season.

The Mule Kicks Sharks in Record Setting Affair

The fans at the Joe got quite a show in what might have been the Red Wings last home game of the season. Facing an undeserved and embarrassing sweep, the Mule lead Detroit past the hapless Sharks in a memorable night.

It wasn't the most auspicious start for Detroit when a mix-up with Franzen on the bench lead to a Too Many Men penalty, giving the Sharks an early powerplay. It turned out to be a blessing however, as Detroit was solid on the PK and picked up some momentum leading to a powerplay of their own.

Then, Detroit exploded onto the scoreboard.

With only 3 seconds remaining in Helminen's tripping penalty, Johan Franzen put the puck past Nabokov by way of Todd Bertuzzi's calf. The Mule refused to be kept off the scoreboard though, netting the next three goals of the game in a span of 3:26, the second fastest in NHL playoff history.

After 1 period, the Sharks found themselves in an insurmountable 5-0 hole.

The onslaught slowed down after that. With Sharks' goalie Nabokov looking on from the bench, the Wings fired a few more by Thomas Greiss whilst San Jose netted their only goal of the night while on one of their mandatory 5-on-3 powerplays.

After all was said and done, Johan Franzen finished with 4 goals and 6 points, tying franchise records. The Mule's supporting role was played by Todd Bertuzzi with 1 goal and 4 assists, while Lidstrom and Zetterberg got 2 assists each to be the Wings' other multi-point players. Jimmy Howard stopped 28 of 29 for the win.

Franzen is now tied with Sidney Crosby for the league lead in points with 17 in 11 games. He has a point in each Red Wings game this playoff year.

For me, it was a reminder of what the Red Wings and Johan Franzen can do to a good team like the Sharks. The sad part is, Detroit is still in a very big 3-1 hole. I'm unconvinced the Sharks will be doubting their ability on Saturday. It's an embarrassing 7-1 setback, but it ends a 6-game win-streak for San Jose, 3 of them against Detroit. If anything, it will help the Wings believe they can overcome this huge hurdle they face, but they need to replicate the intensity shown in Game 4 another three times. Anything less will probably mean curtains for the 2010 season.

The Perfect Game; Red Wings 6, Coyotes 1

I hate to say I told you so... but last week I predicted with my in-depth statistical analysis that the Wings were absolute certainties to win the series.

Thanks Nick, Hank and Pav for making me look super awesome. Not as awesome as you guys though... obviously.

Tonight was pretty much the perfect game by the Wings. The only real mistake being made by Jimmy Howard on Vernon Fiddler's face-off goal.

Like was the case with almost every game of the series, special teams decided the winner. Detroit went 3/6 with the extra man, while shutting down Phoenix's 4 powerplays. The killer blow came late in the second period when the Wings came up big on a huge 5-on-3 penalty kill.

With a 3-1 lead and the home fans sensing a comeback, the Wings faced a defining moment when Brad Stuart was sent to the box for hooking whilst on the PK, giving the 'Yotes a 72 second 2-man advantage. At that point you felt that maintaining the lead into the 3rd period would almost kill Phoenix and set the Wings up for the win -- but it would take a tough PK.

The penalty kill itself was brilliant with perfect positioning, timely shot-blocking and solid goaltending demoralizing the Coyotes PP, but the crushing blow came seconds after Brad Stuart returned to the ice getting a break-away and wristing it past Bryzgalov for a 3-goal lead.

The third period was academic as the disheartened Coyotes awaited the final horn of their amazing season. The majority of the usually rowdy crowd of Jobing.com Arena stayed to salute their team one last time despite the disappointing result in the decider.

For the Wings, Nicklas Lidstrom -- only hours before he turned 40 -- put in 2 powerplay goals and added 2 assists. Henrik Zetterberg got three assists to tie ex-Wing Mikael Samuelsson for second in the League with 11 points. Pavel Datsyuk got the first two goals of the game, setting the tone the rest of the way.

Now the Wings await the schedule for their Conference Semi-Final series with the San Jose Sharks.

Red Wings vs. Oilers Preview

The Red Wings hope to get their first win against the lowly, last-placed Edmonton Oilers in their final match-up of the season.

Amazingly, the Oilers are the one team in the league the Wings have had the most difficult time beating.

“We get beat like a rented mule,” coach Mike Babcock said. “They just slap us around every time we play them. We’re usually down two after about six minutes. So we’re hoping they’re going to let us touch the puck tomorrow.”

A win for Detroit will give the Wings 6th-place in the West trailing the Predators for fifth by one point with a game in hand.

The Pens Visit Detroit

Preview; Red Wings vs. Canucks

After a dramatic comeback loss to the last-placed, lowly Oilers, the Red Wings will now have to get it done in Vancouver against the Oilers' division leader, the Canucks.


The last meeting at GM Place saw a Red Wings victory, and the same will need to happen as the Calgary Flames refuse to let up on the playoff race after a narrow win at home to the Sharks last night.


The Red Wings still hold the eighth and final playoff spot over Calgary by virtue of win%, having a game in hand, but the two teams share equal points. A regulation loss will see Detroit slip to 9th and out with 11 games to play.

Red Wing Players Excel, Front Office Struggle

With the knockout portion of the Olympic Men's Hockey tournament to begin today, many Red Wings representing their home countries are in a great spot for a medal. Every full-time Red Wing at the Olympics will get the bye in the first-round of the knockout stages and await their quarter-final opponents.

The four teams earning the bye after the preliminary round, U.S.A., Sweden, Russia and Finland, all have Red Wings on their roster.

Lead by Wings' D-man, Brian Rafalski with 4 goals and an assist, Team U.S.A. sit atop the standings after an undefeated group stage with an unexpectedly good shot at the Gold. After their shock 5-3 win over the heavily favored Canada, the American will next see the victor between the Switzerland vs. Belarus clash.

As usual, Team Sweden is littered with talent out of Hockeytown in the form of captain Nicklas Lidstrom, defenseman Niklas Kronwall, and forwards Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Sweden is also undefeated thusfar in the competition and await the winner of Slovakia and Norway in the quarters.

Valtteri Filppula and Team Finland had been very strong until they met arch-rivals, Sweden. Despite the 0-3 shutout loss to the Swedes, they still earnt a bye through the first-round and will see either Latvia or the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.

Russia and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk are probably in the most unenviable position of the top-four seeds. After winning two games with a surprise shootout loss to Slovakia in game 2, they finished as the #3 seed and will play Canada or Germany in the round of eight.

Meanwhile, members from the Red Wings' front office that are involved with Team Canada's Olympic bid, find themselves in a much less auspicious position.

Despite the slow start Team Canada has had in the tournament, they are definitely a team no-one wants to face and the current draw means that if Canada beats Germany tonight, only one of these teams favored to face-off in the Gold-medal game, Canada and Russia, can get a medal.

Sunday's loss to their southern neighbors puts Stevie Y.'s squad in a tough spot. While Gold is still within reach, having to beat Russia and Sweden en route to the Final is never a comfortable situation. Still, the trio from Detroit, GM; Steve Yzerman, Associate Director; Ken Holland and Head Coach; Mike Babcock, are still optimistic of their Gold-medal chances.

They still run a team that undoubtedly has the deepest talent in all positions. After Brodeur's shakey game against the U.S., Canuck Roberto Luongo will start against Germany and has the chance to hold that mantle for the rest of the tourney. All Canadian eyes will be on them tonight at 7.30pm EST as they try to turn momentum in their favor.

The knockout stage begins today:
3.00pm EST - Belarus vs. Switzerland, with Grand Rapids Griffin, Sergei Kolosov for Belarus;
~winner to play U.S.A.
7.30pm EST - Germany vs. Canada;
~winner to play Russia
10.00pm EST - Latvia vs. Czech Republic;
~winner to play Finland
Midnight EST - Norway vs. Slovakia, with Griffin, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen playing for Norway.
~winner to play Sweden

Wings in Vancouver

A brief summary of the international experience of each Red Wing taking part in the Olympics:

Pavel Datsyuk -- Russia

International Mens Debut: 2001

Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (Bronze), 2006 - Torino (4th)

International Achievements: Olympic Bronze (2002), World Championship Bronze (2005)

International Stats: 41 GP, 7g, 21a, 28pts, 10PIM

Valtteri Filppula -- Finland

International Mens' Debut: 2010
Olympic Record: None
International Achievements: None
International Stats: None

Johan Franzen -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2005
Olympic Record: None
International Achievements: World Championship Gold (2006)
International Stats: 13GP, 1g, 3a, 4pts, 12PIM

Niklas Kronwall -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2003
Olympic Record: 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championship Silver (2005)
International Stats: 24GP, 3g, 12a, 15pts, 32PIM

Nicklas Lidstrom -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 1991
Olympic Record: 1998 - Nagano (5th), 2002 - Salt Lake City (5th), 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championship Gold (1991), World Championship Silver (2004), World Championship Bronze (1994)
International Stats: 36GP, 9g, 13a, 22pts, 12PIM

Brian Rafalski -- USA

International Mens' Debut: 2002
Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (Silver), 2006 - Torino (8th)
International Achievements: Olympic Silver (2002)
International Stats: 15GP, 1g, 7a, 8pts, 8PIM

Henrik Zetterberg -- Sweden

International Mens' Debut: 2001
Olympic Record: 2002 - Salt Lake City (5th), 2006 - Torino (Gold)
International Achievements: Olympic Gold (2006), World Championsip Gold (2006), World Championship Silver (2003), World Championship Bronze (2001, 2002)
International Stats: 60GP, 12g, 26a, 38pts, 22PIM

New addition to the roster, defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, and Grand Rapids Griffin, Sergei Kolosov will also participate in the Olympics representing their home nations of Norway and Belarus, respectively. Both are yet to play an NHL game in the Winged Wheel.

This will be Tollefsen's international mens debut for Norway, while Kolosov rejoins his compatriots for the first time on the international stage since the 2008 World Championships.