Early exit

updated: 7/3/12
Detroit Red Wings MVP 2012 - Henrik Zetterberg

I chose z as the mvp for detroit this year. He didnt have his best year stat wise, slight drop in production but he was the most consistant player all year and his line of filppula and hudler stayed together most of the year. At times he carried our team when we had half of our top talent out due to injury.

It was a season filled with promise that was cut very short in the playoffs this year after being eliminated in 5 games by the Nashville Predators. Injuries up until the final day of the regular season really seemed to hamper the Wings players after a season which saw them win an NHL record 23 consecutive home games. We saw the breakout year that everyone has been anticipating, of Valtteri Filppula (23G, 66 pts), Hudler had himself a bounce back year and likely earned himself a pay increase albeit as a UFA. Bertuzzi played solid and earned himself a contract extension as teams grandpa for the next 2 years, the emergence of Gustav Nyquist late in the season was exciting to see. A full season of Nyquist, Helm, Eaves together could be explosive. For the most part it was a good regular season and we fell short in the playoffs but I don't think anyone feels that far off from another long playoff run and maybe another cup so that Lidstrom can go out on top.


There are a number of interesting free agents about to hit the market that Detroit could really use to bolster their depth and we have the money to do it. The Wings are going to make a strong push for Zach Parise and Ryan Sutter, as I'm sure any contending team with the money to shell out will be doing so. I have faith that we could land one of these super stars and this will hopefully make up for the loss of Brad Stuart when we lose him to his family and some lucky California team, and of course the incomprehensible retirement of Nick Lidstrom. We should be letting Hudler go and getting an upgrade along the wing. Our Top line collection of wingers has begun to show their age and some of them are looking like good 3rd liners. But inserting even one new top winger and move maybe Bertuzzi down to 3rd line and we have an entire new look. And of course for all of this to work Nick Lidstrom needs to come back for one more year! How could he pass up a Detroit Winter Classic?

This will probably be my last post until the next season so take care everyone. Go Wings!

-Chris

Playoffs Are Coming

Here is an interesting video about the final stretch into the playoffs for the west.





And here's a video to get you excited for the Red Wings making the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons! The playoffs begin April 11th.

Trade Deadline

The trade deadline has come and gone. Not nearly as much movement as many would have liked but with the salary cap there are just so many teams on the bubble of a playoff birth that just arent willing to sell.

I don't think that many people are surprised Rick Nash wasn't released from Columbus due to the simple fact that no contender could possibly part with what Scott Howson wanted for Nash 2 months away from the playoffs. That's not to say that he was wrong for asking so much, I'm sure Nash on the right team could possibly be a 80 point player. Another issue is the length of his contract but I think GM's see the risk is worth the reward. An unhealthy amount of media attention is swarming Nash at the moment because he asked for a trade out of Columbus but you can't blame the guy. He's a top player in the league stuck on a team going right back in rebuild mode after 10 years of being in rebuild mode. Here is Rick Nash's press conference following the trade deadline.



One team that made a number of moves was the Nashville Predators. I believe they went from a team that was going to make the playoffs to a team that could go deep in the playoffs, as long as all the pieces fit. They went out and picked up Andrei Kostitsyn and Hal Gill from Montreal and Paul Gaustad from Buffalo. They picked up Andrei's younger brother Sergei from Montreal before and he has come over and played much better than he did with the Habs so they are hoping Andrei can have some of the same success with the team. He will be LW on the 2nd line and will be given every opportunity to start turning his career around. Hall Gill is another big shut down type defenseman who gives Nashville some depth on defense and added a lot of size. And they just kept getting bigger when they aquired Gaustad to center their 3rd line. This team looks to continue its gritty defensive ways and will be a similar team to St Louis's style. I think both these teams have a chance to go far this year and would make for a great matchup.

I'm still not sure what to think of the Cody Hodgson/ Zach Kassian trade between Vancouver and Buffalo, as I'm sure most people feel the same. Hodgson is a rookie of the year candidate and was having a great breakout year but many thought he deserved more ice time. Which of course as a Center on the Canucks, it's going to be pretty difficult for a kid to beat out Ryan Kessler or Henrik Sedin for the top 2 lines. So they traded their young center for a RW power forward who likes to throw his body around and can is expected to be a top 6 forward. So time will tell for the Canucks if this trade was better for them or not however I think Hodgson will have an immediate impact on the Buffalo roster.

The Wings weren't too active around the deadline as many expected them to be but sometimes less is better and we have one of the top teams in the league with everyone performing at a high level so why blow that up? We did go out and get a defenseman we knew very well in Kyle Quincey and didn't have to give up a roster player to do it. I see Quincey as an insurance if Stuart decides to head to the west coast after the seasons end. The Wings have a solid 8 defensemen going into the playoffs this year and it's looking like we could do some damage this year.

5 Second Half Predictions

After 50 games, the Red Wings are sitting where they have sat for the vast majority of the past 20 years, above 29 other teams. Many competitors have risen and fallen within this time and it was believed the Wings would start to fall as soon as other teams in the Central began to rise.

Fast forward to 2012 and those pundits were only half right. Chicago, Nashville, and St.Louis have all stepped up to the plate and want a piece of the Central Division Title. Unfortunately for them, the Detroit Red Wings have continued there excellence in staying amongst the Elite teams in the NHL once again.

5 Second Half Predictions:

1 • Pavel Datsyuk will contend for the Hart Trophy (Top 3). He will also win the Selke and if the Wings go deep, win the Conn Smythe.

2 • Zetterberg, after a slow start, will notch 60 points and reach 20 goals. (His Shooting % is currently 5.9%, you have to believe that isn't going to stick.)

3 • Ty Conklin will get 7 starts, nearly doubling his 10 in the first 50.

4 • Despite only getting 25 starts, Jimmy Howard will tie Martin Brodeurs Wins Record at 48. He currently sits at 30 Wins and needs an 18-7 record to achieve this.

5 • Ken Holland will pull the trigger and bring in a top-six forward at the deadline. Rumors have the Red Wings poking around the Oilers and Ales Hemsky. We'll see.

Looking back at my predictions for the team at the start of the season:

101 Points
1st in Central
3rd in Conference
(I wish I took a stab at the Wins column at the beginning of the year...)


Currently the Wings are on pace for 110 points on the season. I may have over estimated individual points, but, I underestimated the teams overall points.

The Red Wings have, to some extent, surprised me a bit. I believed they would be a challenger but I didn't expect them to be sitting at the top of the standings at the All-Star break. It's a pleasant surprise.

The biggest challenge for the Wings to stay on the top is the competition within the Central. I don't think Chicago will continue there success based on there defensive and goaltending struggles but it's always possible there offense keeps them chugging. I see them finishing in the 4-6 spot. Nashville is Nashville, always good, never great. St.Louis is my biggest fear. They are good up and down the lineup and with the help of Ken Hitchcock, look to push us to the limits for the Central crown. I feel a new rivalry brewing.

Oh, and then there is Columbus...

I don't believe we will win the Presidents Trophy with Vancouver picking on the youngin's in the Northeast and Boston and New York dominating the entire Eastern Conference. I do, however, see us sitting in a 1-4 spot at seasons end and having first round home ice advantage.

Let's get this second half over with and be ready for the real season to begin!

15 Consecutive Home Victories

Hello world, it's been awhile. This octopus is in honor of the 15 consecutive home victories (passing the Red Wings previous record of 14, back in 1965) the Red Wings achieved on Jan 16th 2012 against the Buffalo Sabres. I was lucky enough to be at the Joe when they chased Ryan Miller in his hometown putting up 5 goals before the 30 minute mark. I didn't have an octopus to throw on the ice but I hoped this would make up for it. And today I can say that yours, mine and our Detroit Red Wings currently are sitting NUMBER 1 in the entire league after defeating Phoenix last night. Let's keep it up!!

Afrogator

 

Justin Abdelkader. I'll keep this short and sweet.

Abby has shown flashes of offensive potential in his college and AHL career. He also has a track record for being clutch when his team needs him most. This can be seen most prominently during the 2007 NCAA Championship game in which Abby scores the game winner late in the game.

As for his NHL game? He has grown to become an agitating, defensive, bottom liner. Justin Abdelkader seems to be doing less agitating this season which may be a result of his untimely penalties during the San Jose series last season. I'm okay with this as it was incredibly frustrating to watch him take bad penalties at bad times during the most important time of the season.

Current Stats:

GP • 45
G • 5
A • 6
P • 11

Predictions:

GP • 82
G • 9
A • 12

P •21

I might end up hitting this prediction dead on. #winning

There may be some untapped "Franzen-like" potential in there somewhere. I'm not completely convinced as I really haven't seen anything offensively to write home about. What I do believe, is there may be a Maltby equal in time. Someone that can play strong 3rd line minutes, shut-down the top lines of other teams, and get inside there heads. Maltby was incredible at drawing penalties, something I haven't seen a whole lot of from Abdelkader and hopefully comes with time.

Here's to another Maltby.

It's Miller Time

Drew Miller came to the Red Wings via Waivers from Tampa Bay during the 09' season. He was averaging around 13-14 minutes and eating up PK time for the Lightning but there was interest in bringing up a Right-Handed shot from within there own prospect pool which forced Miller to be placed on Waivers. It was thought Miller wouldn't last too long as a full-time NHLer at this point.

Fast forward to the 2011-12 season, Drew Miller has become a mainstay on one of the top rosters in the league.

Playing on the top line, and some nights carrying it, Miller has shown the hands of Pavel Datsyuk and the speed of Darren Helm. His smarts almost rival that of Nick Lidstroms. He has developed into a bona fide superstar. Miller has truly become one of our many "diamonds in the rough" and fits the bill of "Project player turned Red Wings star".

Okay that's not exactly how things turned out for Miller, but wouldn't it be wonderful?

Here are Drew Miller's 2011-12 stats:

GP • 42
G • 7
A • 7
P • 14

My Predictions:


GP • 50
G • 8
A • 10
P • 18

I truly didn't think Miller would solidify a spot in the lineup like he has. Moving above Eaves and sometimes, although rarely, getting ice time in the Top 6. My pace was relatively close, in terms of points to games ratio but it looks like Miller will see 75+ games barring some sort of injury.

I wasn't exactly happy with the re-signing of Miller during the off-season. Hoping the Wings Brass would give some youngsters a chance or sign a Vet who hasn't won the cup and wants to leave everything out on the ice. When I found out we signed him I started thinking the Wings would expose Miller to Waivers at some point with high number of NHL quality forwards the Wings had.

Now, more than half way through the season, I've been wrong on both fronts. Not only was I wrong, but I've been extremely happy with the game Miller has brought night in and night out.

Are there better options on the market? Sure. Are there better options in our own system? Definitely. But Miller brings something not many do, and that's a relatively mistake free defensive game. He's a bottom liner you don't have to be afraid to put out on the ice. When the playoffs roll around, that is exactly what you want and what you need.

Past Predictions&Portraits:

Cleary

White

Helm

Howard

Filppula
Zetterberg
Lidstrom
Kronwall
Ericsson
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Hudler
Franzen
Bertuzzi
Player Predictions (No portraits, yet!)
Red Wings Season Prediction

Cleary

Dan Cleary has almost single-handily planted a label within the Detroit Red Wings organization that is thrown around quite often. A label that has ground to stand on with former Wings like Kris Draper and Mikael Samuelsson. The "Always able to get the most out of a Project-Player" label.

Cleary was the 13th Overall pick in the 1997 Draft and was highly regarded upon entering the league. Unfortunetely, for teams like the Oilers and Blackhawks, they were never able to get the most out of the quickly slipping Newfoundlander. Then Ken Holland came calling. After a quiet first season Cleary broke out, potting 20 Goals and 40 Points and making his doubters pay close attention.

Dan Cleary's 2011-12 Stats:

GP • 42

 G • 10

 A • 9

 P • 19

My Pre-Season Predictions:

GP • 70

G • 25

A • 20
P • 45

I think it's fair to say I was a bit optimistic after Cleary had a career year last season. He started off the year extremely slow which may have been due to the always mysterious "Upper-Body Injury" (Correct me if I'm wrong, I believe it was Broken Ribs.) and even though he played through the pain, he looked like he was playing through the pain. Cleary started as a top 6 forward and quickly slipped down the ranks to his current but not cemented 3rd line role. 

I believe Cleary is more fitted for this role and, outside of injuries, I hope he sticks to the grinding and defensive game he is known for. He does have a knack for the net and scores the occasional timely goal, but outside of good puck protection on the boards, he doesn't have the puck-possession and offensive smarts that a true top 6 forward should have at this stage in his career.

I love his "Give it All, Leave Nothing on the Ice" game and Cleary elevates himself during the playoffs. He has become an "All-Situations" player and can fill roles in the PK and the PP if needed. Dan Cleary is our swiss army knife and we are glad to have him in the Red and White.

I missed this game due to my graduation date conveniently landing on the same night. Fortunately I was able to sneak away with my Dad and listen to it in his Michigan-made Van while everyone else was enjoying there graduation and families. Listening to Cleary score over the radio was something else, and as much as I would have enjoyed seeing this happen, visualizing this as it broke out as well as the evening in general left this as one of my top memories as a Red Wing fan.

Here is a list of past Predictions&Portraits:

White

Helm

Howard

Filppula
Zetterberg
Lidstrom
Kronwall
Ericsson
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Hudler
Franzen
Bertuzzi
Player Predictions (No portraits, yet!)
Red Wings Season Prediction

Ian White

“Who is our second-best player? Ian White.” Why? “Because he’s Nick Lidstrom’s partner.” - Red Wings Players quoted by Elliotte Friedman

Ian White wasn't the most sought after defenseman last summer, with guys like Ehrhoff and Wisniewski on the market. I would argue he has been the most rewarding though. After being thrown around the league like Sean Avery's sloppy seconds Ian White signed a 2 year deal with our beloved Red Wings. It's a move that, to date, has proved to be rewarding.


Here is a look at Ian White's current stats:

GP • 37
G • 5
A • 15
P • 20

And for comparisons sake, here are my season predictions: 

GP • 82
G • 8
A • 30
P • 38

White has been nothing short of fantastic to start the year, already tying his totals from last year. Deemed a "Rafalski Replacemnt" by many (I was not one as I was convinced Kronwall would fill that void and other guys would step up below) a lot of people were doubting the signing by the Wings. He may not be the offensive dynamo Rafalski was, but White has given a smooth transition in light of Raffy's his retirement. Ian White makes up for Rafalski's high-end offensive game with extremely solid two-way play.


White is prone to making a few occasional defensive gaffs and the same can be said in the offensive zone when, at times, he wants to do a bit too much with the puck. Overall, the mistakes are few and far between and his positives outweigh his minor negatives sevenfold.


Ian White is near the top of league in terms of bang for your buck when comparing to the rest of the off-seasons Free Agent signings and could be argued as the best. It makes the Eric$$on signing a bit easier to swallow.


Oh, and he has the ability to stop goals with his face.

Here is a list of past Predictions&Portraits:

Helm

Howard

Filppula
Zetterberg
Lidstrom
Kronwall
Ericsson
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Hudler
Franzen
Bertuzzi
Player Predictions (No portraits, yet!)
Red Wings Season Prediction

Mid-Season Grades

We are officially at the half point in the season, 41 games, and sitting tied atop the Central division in a tight race between St.Louis and Chicago. We still have a large amount of cap space to work with at the deadline, but with a team sitting near the top of the league the only question to ask is "Do we really need to add at the cost of our future?"

Here's a look at our mid-season grades.

Pavel Datsyuk - A - Datsyuk started a bit slow but has been nothing short of spectacular since. We expect nothing less.


Henrik Zetterberg - B - Hasn't put up the kind of numbers and at times looks slower than molasses but he is starting to get up there in the point column which is good to see. He is still contributing and will have a few games where he looks like one of our top two forwards again.


Johan Franzen - B+ - The stats are there, he is on pace for a career high. Franzenstein still loafs on occasion and is more a by-product of Datsyuk than the driving force behind his career high pace.


Valtteri Filppula - A - He looks dynamic. At this point in the season I would say he has been our second best forward. Always back checking and making smart decisions and the points are finally coming around for Flip.


Todd Bertuzzi - C+ - Sometimes he drives the net and makes things happen, sometimes he kills the play in the corner. Sometimes he stands up for his teammates, sometimes he takes another holding penalty. He's a serviceable forward though.


Jiri Hudler - B+ - I've been pleasantly surprised with Hudler's play this season. He seems to be competing relatively hard and has enjoyed a nice streak of 18 points in his last 20 games. Hudler is still having a hard time getting out of Babcock's doghouse though.


Dan Cleary - C+ - He has made a few errors in D-zone coverage that have immediately caused goals against. It's a bit frustrating because he is suppose to be better in his own zone. He also started off slow but has picked it up as the season has gone on.


Darren Helm - B - Hes been okay. The points aren't there but he isn't looked upon for points. He is turning into an elite PKer though.


Justin Abdelkader - C - I haven't seen much from him to get excited. He is pretty much invisible night in and night out. Don't love him, don't hate him.


Drew Miller - B+ - I was hoping the Wings would let him walk at the end of last season. He has proven me wrong and has firmly planted himself as a mainstay in the lineup. High compete level and occasionally shows some offensive instincts.

Tomas Holmstrom - C - Looks good on the Power Play usually. This will probably be Homer's last year and he looks beat from time to time.


Cory Emmerton - D - I'm just not a huge fan. He fills a spot but shows less than Abby and with youngsters behind him chomping at the bit to get in as well as the eventual return of Eaves, I wouldn't be surprised to lose Cory to Waivers or be a minor piece in a trade.


Nicklas Lidstrom - B+ - He is declining, which I hate to admit. He actually has had himself a few bad games which is unheard of. But still, for the most part, he's been the consistent TPH we have grown to admire.


Ian White - A - What a fantastic (and cheap!) pickup this guy was. It helps to play alongside Nick, but he has looked very steady and has a terrific two-way game.


Nicklas Kronwall - B+ - I'll admit I expected a bit of an increase in offensive production but he has really rounded out his game. He's also started playing safe during the regular season, which is probably due to his past of injuries, that allows him to step up big time in the Playoffs.


Brad Stuart - B - He's Stuart. Gives you what you expect from him on a nightly basis. Rarely makes any errors but isn't as offensively gifted as most of our Dmen. Lots of grit.


Jonathon Eric$$on - C - He still makes obvious bad decisions. Not sure if it's less than we are use to or not...


Jakub Kindl - B - The kid has been good more often then not but now has to earn his ice time with the emergence of Commodore. The potential to be a top 4 Dman is there.


Mike Commodore - C - Very steady. Sticks up for teammates and doesn't take crap in front of the net. Everything we expected from him. Hopefully he starts seeing a bit more ice time as the season wears on just to get his hockey legs back.


Jimmy Howard - A+ - The past 2 games he has slipped but what can you expect with the amount of ice time Babcock was handing out. Has emerged as a top 5 goaltender this season. Hopefully he keeps it up.


Ty Conklin - D - Really struggled early. Hardly played which forced Babcock into playing Howard so much. He did look good against Chicago the other night though, hopefully thats a positive sign. Still doesn't see the puck well and looses rebounds way too often for an NHL goalie.


The Coaching Staff - A - This team is back to where the should be after a couple of seasons of lackluster defensive play and an offensive game that tried to balance that out. Our 5 on 5 play is amongst the best in the league and we rank in the top 5-10 in every major statistical category outside of the PK.

Awards!

First half MVP:

Biggest Surprise:

Biggest Dissapointment:

No Picture:

Ty Conklin

Let's hope for an even better second half and correct those pesky Road woes. We've planted ourselves once again amongst the Elite.

Winter Classic

After an entertaining Winter Classic in Philly there has already been talk amongst the masses that the next Winter Classic will be held in Hockeytown. There are two enormous factors to consider in this game, the NHL marketing equivalent to the Super Bowl.


Where is one of the NHL's most important games to draw revenue going to be held? 


There seems to be only two logical locations on where this game will be played. The first being Comerica park, owned by Mr.Illitch. Comerica sits in the heart of Detroit and an event here will draw loads of money for the downtown area (hopefully fixing a few things up here and there). Comerica Park would be the obvious choice for Illitch drawing in a nice crowd and a decent amount of money.

The other choice would be The Big House, they have already played a game there once, and there is approximately 107,501 seats so the largest Winter Classic and it will eclipse all other previous and future Winter Classics. It has also been stated that Michigan has been contacted by the NHL on the possibility of using the Big House for next years Classic.

 

Is the Winter Classic ready for a Canadian team?

Yes, Toronto is just across the Detroit river, making it easily accessible for our Canadian compadres that are looking to come to Detroit or Ann Arbor. But the main concern is that there already is a game in the Heritage Classic which is set up specifically for the Canadian teams. Why would we not give other teams in the US a chance in the Winter Classic? Say Colorado, or a repeat of the Hawks game in 09'? Toronto's mayor is trying to get a Winter Classic to be held in Toronto saying “We would love to host a game and the league knows it.” But where would it be played at? Seeing that the Sky dome doesn't open during winter, and  BMO field only holds around 20,000 there really isn't a lot of revenue to be brought in, in Toronto.

What do I think will happen?

For my money, I believe the Winter Classic will be held in Ann arbor at The Big House. It will be Detroit vs either Toronto or Boston (both would be nice match-ups) and I predict the wings will win 5-2 with Datsyuk netting 2 goals with 1 assist, one of the goals being of the spectacular variety.

Helm

Darren Helm has chiseled a place in Red Wing fans hearts as an absolute fan-favorite. His blue-collar play has sat well with the masses because he leaves everything on the ice on a nightly basis.

It's not every day you hear of people mentioning a 3rd liner as an untouchable but Helm has become a premiere bottom 6 forward. I have a belief he also has some untapped high-end potential as well, although it may be a long shot he reaches it.

Here is a quick look at my Prediction for Helm:

82 GP
16 G
23 A
39 P

Here are his current stats:
38 GP
4 G
8 A
12 P

It is looking like my prediction was a bit optimistic for Helm. I thought he would start to establish more of an offensive game this season but that doesn't seem to be the case. There are times he shows flashes of high-end puck possession skills. He really knows how to grind down low and occasionally will throw a nifty deke on a defender. That said, he doesn't seem to create a lot on net which is where he needs to go to see an increase in points. 

Helm has become our go-to penalty killer and has really come around defensively while still being a threat on the PK. He also draws more penalties then anyone else on the Wings. His speed is incredibly lethal and if players aren't aware he is on the ice Helmer will catch them sleeping every time. He may not score, but he will keep defenders honest and this is where he draws most of his penalties.

I hope to see a bit more of an offensive game as time goes on, I really think there is some potential there where previously I was convinced he would be a great 4th liner and serviceable 3rd liner.

 

This Kill is one of my top memories as a Red Wings fan which is saying a lot because we have had numerous enjoyable memories these past 20 years.

Here is a list of past Predictions&Portraits:

Howard

Filppula
Zetterberg
Lidstrom
Kronwall
Ericsson
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Hudler
Franzen
Bertuzzi
Player Predictions (No portraits, yet!)
Red Wings Season Prediction

#VOTEJIMMAH

Jimmy Howard

Coming into the season I had this feeling Howard was really going to struggle. During preseason he was loosing the puck, not controlling his rebounds, and seemed to be unfocused. Then the season began...

Howard has easily changed my thoughts on him this season. I've always been a big doubter but I can assure you I fully believe Jimmy Howard is not only a capable NHL starting goaltender, but among the top 15. 

Goalies seem to be rather inconsistent, sometimes having remarkable seasons and coming back down to earth or even getting lost in obscurity. This is something I can't see happening to Jimmy. He has refined his approach to the position, making himself look huge, playing the puck carrier aggressively and always being squared up. His athleticism seems to have improved as he is making some extremely tough saves which rely on elite reflexes and all this combined has put him into the discussion of top 5 goalies for this young season.

Here is what I predicted for Jimmah:

65 GP
35 W
3 SO  
2.69 GAA
.908 SV% 

Here are his stats to date:

24 GP
17 W
3 SO  
1.85 GAA
.931 SV% 

It's very noticeable my expectations were low. Apparently so were the NHL's. 

Let me get this out of the way first, I really do not enjoy anything about the all-star game. It's a boring "game" nobody wants to play hard in at the risk of injury. There is nothing that even remotely resembles defense and Bettman likes to throw the suspension card around if you plan on not attending. It's ugly, it's not enjoyable, and the fan voting is outrageous. 

That said, the NHL gets to pick which players go on the ballot and if that player isn't on it you have to write them in thus making there chances of making it remote.

Howard was left off the ballot, which at the beginning of the season might have been understandable. But as the season has gone on, Howard has proven himself, only to be left off for 18 other starting goalies. 18! There are only 30 starting goalies in the league... Goalies like Halak and Reimer were put on and a goaltender amongst the best statistically was left off. 

For these reasons, if you are frequent reader of Red Wings material, I'm sure you have seen the motion going around of #VOTEJIMMAH. Go to the NHL All-Star voting page and write-in the home-grown talent.

Spread the word and do your part!

Here is a list of the past Predictions&Portraits:

Filppula
Zetterberg
Lidstrom
Kronwall
Ericsson
Datsyuk
Holmstrom
Hudler
Franzen
Bertuzzi
Player Predictions (No portraits, yet!)
Red Wings Season Prediction 

 

Ruslan Salei

This is a painting I did in memory of Ruslan Salei. One of the 43 members of the russian hockey team Lokomotiv to lose their lives in a horrible plane crash this past month. RIP

Favorite Player Of All Time

It may seem strange to some people, concidering I grew up watching Steve Yzerman lead us to 3 Stanley Cups, The Russian Five, The Grind Line, etc that my favorite player of all time is still currently in the prime of his career. It was a tough decision but when I was a child my favorite player seemed to change every time an exciting, important, dramatic goal was scored. I mean come on, I watch this goal over and over again and every time I'm met with the same feelings of nostalgia and pride.



Pavel Datsyuk


However there is no denying that despite all of that my favorite player of all time is Pavel Datsyuk. This guy is as close to a wizard as I've seen. The guy has an entire legion of youtube video highlights for every 15 year old drooling teen and myself to gauk at all through summer while waiting for him to get back on the ice and show us something new. Half of my youtube favorites literally is taken up by this guy, the things he can do with the puck is beyond anything I've ever seen before.

Here is a breakdown of his stats since the lockout.

05-06 - GP 75, G 28, A 59, Pts 87, +- 26
06-07 - GP 79, G 27, A 60, Pts 87, +- 36
07-08 - GP 82, G 31, A 66, Pts 97, +- 41
08-09 - GP 81, G 32, A 65, Pts 97, +- 34
09-10 - GP 80, G 27, A 43, Pts 70, +- 17
10-11 - GP 56, G 23, A 36, Pts 59, +- 11

He has been extremely consistent aside from one down year spent playing 09-10 with an injury riddled Detroit team. Last year looked like it could have been the year he finally broke 100 points (and judging by his playoff performance it seems very likely) if it weren't for a serious wrist injury that kept him out a good chunk of the season. Concidering the lines are switched around almost on a whim it is good to know that Datsyuk can play with just about anyone and on top of that, make them a better player. He is extremely versatile and can be played on the wing as well (this helped me out a lot in my fantasy league last year). On top of being one of the most entertaining players on the ice, he's also one of the funniest players in the locker room. His broken english and twisted dry humor have become somewhat famous around Hockeytown.




I could go on and on and hit you with stats and random facts but I'd rather just leave you with one of my favorite Datsyuk compilations.

Introducing

Hello there! My name is Chris Hoobler and I am one of the writers and artists here at 7th Round Pick. I am a 24 year old grad from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. I've been a really big Wings fan for my whole life and have become an avid hockey fan over the past few seasons so I figured it was time for me to put this obsession to use, besides fantasy hockey of course. Matt invited me to start this blog with him and I jumped at the idea. I look forward to ranting and doing illustrations for you all!


The player you most love to hate: It was a tough call for me because I came up with a small handful of players that absolutely drive me crazy but I figured Dan Carcillo would be fitting concidering he was just traded from the eastern confrence into the central division to none other than my all-time favorite team to hate, the Chicago Blackhawks. This was hardly a blockbuster pickup, however this is the one that stands out the most to me for this upcoming season. Not because this guy brings any kind of scoring touch, or skill for that matter...but Carcillo gets payed to fight and to injure. This is a guy who struggles to put up 15 points in a season. In 07-08 Dan was able to put up over 300 penalty minutes in just 57 games and this was his sophomore season in the league. Since that time he has consistently put up well over 100 PIM when healthy. He was also one of the players to get in the first fight during an outdoor game (The 09-10 Winter Classic). You can tell this guy thinks he's a rockstar, often putting up devil horns after his fights still makes me cringe. He is always a minus player and was deemed replacable by the Philadelphia Flyers when they aquired Wayne Simmonds from the Kings in the Richards trade. Can't imagine Simmonds having a hard time filling that role. So now fellow Wings fans, if you were worried about injuries before hold on to your seats cause next season could get bumpy.