Doan Face

Hi, I'm Billy Byle, and I am one of the contributors of this nice blog with Matthew and Chris. I am 19 years old and a current student at College for Creative Studies here in the D. I've been skating/playing hockey since I was 3 1/2 years old. I have always liked the Red Wings, especially the game of hockey, so I have decided that I am going to put my knowledge of the sport to more use than just playing hockey.

The Mules face after the incident.

Thanks to Puck Daddy for this stunning image.

Player I love to hate:
 Hands down Shane Doan, I didn't like him even before the playoffs when Doan and Franzen collided into the boards, every time he steps out on the ice, I fear for Red Wings, especially lidstrom. He was just running at people intentionally trying to take someone out of the game. Sure he might be playing with heart but as long as he isn't a Red Wing then I will not like him due to his characteristic attempts trying to slaughter someone on the ice. But he did give us the greatest facial expressions ever. Not only is he a hard hitter/fighter but he also puts up some pretty good numbers with 9 of his last 10 seasons being 50+ points, I'd say he would be a player for teams to fear defensively and offensively.

Franzenstein

Johan "The Mule" Franzen.  
 
Following up my article on "The Tuzzi" I felt it would only be right to talk about a man who is similar in size and intimidation factor.

I'll be blunt, he a has lot to prove this season. He shows so much heart and determination every year when it comes down to crunch time, the playoffs, but throughout the regular season he seems to coast on many nights. It's frustrating only because we know his talent level when he is going full-speed ahead, driving to the net, and getting to the high-scoring areas.
  
Here is a quick look at Franzen's past seasons:

Season    Team                    Lge  GP  G  A Pts PIM

2007-08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 72-27-11-38-51
2008-09 Detroit Red Wings NHL 71-34-25-59-44
2009-10 Detroit Red Wings NHL 27-10-11-21-22
2010-11 Detroit Red Wings NHL 76-28-27-55-58


Injury Prone. We need this guy to break the 80 game mark, if for no other reason than to prove he might be able to last till the year 2020. That sounds like a very long time. Let's all hope for the sake of our Wings he can pull it together and leave his injuries behind.


The problem with Franzen all revolves around injuries. When he plays hard and aggressive he is a force to be reckoned with. When he floats around in both zones hoping for someone to do all the dirty work and set him up he goes on long scoring droughts. Last season he finished the year only scoring 2 goals in 27 games. There were games where you wouldn't even know if he was on the roster. Then you get those outbursts like his 5 goal massacre of the Ottawa Senators last season and you know he has the ability to achieve higher goal totals than he has.


I think he has shied away from the gritty stuff throughout the season in an attempt to stay healthy but it's sort of a catch 22 because that results in him being almost non-existent on most nights. He has the potential to be a 40 goal scorer, there is no doubt in my mind. Can he achieve it?

Prediction:


78 GP
35 G
30 A
65 P


A career year for the homegrown and talented power-forward. He stays relatively healthy, somehow, and picks those corners with  heavy and incredibly accurate wrist shots. Still floats some nights but after getting bumped early (For the Red Wings at least) in the playoffs 2 years straight he is determined to prove his worth.

Thanks Patty Kane.

The Introduction

The Tootoo Train

An Introduction, of sorts. The name is Matt, I'm one of the writers and artists on the 7th Round Pick and if you haven't already guessed, my writing will probably be on par with Franzens inability to stay healthy through an entire season. That said, hopefully my art will be on par with his laser of a wrist shot and it will help balance out my "4 Million per" cap hit. Only time will tell. I'm a young (23 years old) but passionate fan of the Red Wings and hockey in general. I have always been a die-hard hockey fan but have taken it to another level the past couple of years and I wanted to find a way to share my thoughts with other like-minded people, thus "7th Round Pick" was born.

Now, I'm sure you are now asking "What does this awesome guy look like?" Well, friends, too put it simply, I'm tall, dark, and handsome. I can most likely bench press Todd Bertuzzi and run faster than Darren Helm could speed across the slick surface of Joe Louis Arena. But that's not all, I have a head that surpasses Ken Holland AND Nick Lidstrom. Combined. It's okay, be jealous.

This may come as a surprise to you after reading that last mind-blowing paragraph but I do have one incredibly large fear. Heights. It makes my stomach twist and turn, my head scramble, and my legs begin to turn into Jell-o. I'm okay with most things, I'll talk myself into, say, going on a terrifyingly huge roller coaster (I'm looking at you, Millennium Force) but that doesn't mean my body and mind are very happy with me afterwords.

The player you most love to hate: I mulled this question over for all of 20 seconds. It was a relatively easy choice. Jordin "Choo Choo Train" Tootoo. What a name this kid has, I mean, it does all the work for me. Mr.Tootoo enjoys flying in from the top of the circle and targeting any jersey painted red within his field of vision. Usually with an intention of putting them out for the game. I am not sure why the NHL has decided against enforcing the old "charging" rule these days, but goodness, if that was still being whistled this man would be out of work. What gets to me most though is those damn train whistles. Every single fan in Bridgestone Arena seems to absolutely love piercing the mics of our wonderful FSN feed when this man hits the ice. I can't imagine what it must feel like to Mickey Redmonds old ears when he partakes on the occasional away trip. Between that and the always-catchy but ever-annoying "Chelsea Dagger" blarred at the United Center I'm not sure what could drive a Wings fan further to insanity.

It also doesn't help that Jordin Tootoo managed to score his first ever playoff goal against our beloved Red Wings. Fortunately for us, that was also in route to our 2008 Stanely Cup, so no hard feelings, Jordin. And don't get me wrong, I would most likely respect the guy if he found his way onto the Wings. High-energy, a fan favorite. But going up against him, knowing every time he steps on the ice you will hear those train whistles blistering throughout the stadium and see him skating around like a chicken with his head cut off. I just pray that none of our star players steps out on the ice at the same time as this man, but unfortunately it is inevitable. We have seen one too many injuries the past couple years and as long as players like Tootoo and Carcillo are in our division, that fear of future injuries at the hands of these menaces will loom.

Anyways, our goal here is to bring some different, opinionated views on the Red Wings with an added twist of quality artwork. If you believe you can write and illustrate up to par, please shoot an e-mail to matthewbyle@gmail.com and we can work something out. We are always looking for new sides to every story!

Post the player you most love to hate in the comments!