Abel to Yzerman
The Summer of Ken Starts Now
by IwoCPO on 05/09/12 at 08:03 PM ET
Comments (35)
Interesting that Nashville and Philadelphia both lost in five games, to teams they were favored to beat, after defeating their “rivals” in Round 1. I can’t speak for Philly too much because I really don’t care about them. But I can say this for Bubba. They wanted to beat the Wings so bad, and dedicated so much energy toward that perverse once-in-a-generation event, that winning the next round was almost impossible.
No team from Nashville, or St. Louis for that matter, has the institutional or organizational focus required to win four rounds. They just don’t. Beat the Wings: moral victory, breathe easy. Win the Central: amazing accomplishment that should satisfy Blues fans for decades to come.
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Do It Kings: Sweep Them Away
by IwoCPO on 05/04/12 at 07:15 AM ET
Comments (26)
Golly. Back on 22 April the Blues were flying high, boy. On top of the world, they were. Fresh off a convincing R1 win, ready to take on the world after a quick fly swat to the heads of the crafty little Kings. But then? Well, then a rookie move from a fanbase that’s never known how to win, or how to lose, well. Jobu, you see, is a mean mother when tempted. Karma…oh dear.
Our next guest is Vladimir Konstantinov! Roll your old bones up here, Vladimir, and say a few words…
And…
The man who is first on that list with an amazing 1,687 career games is Gordie Howe. And as soon as he remembers where Joe Louis Arena is located, I’m sure he’ll be here to congratulate you on your career. Or wish you happy birthday.
By now you know from what opus those ditties were derived.
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Advantage: Hockeytown
by IwoCPO on 05/02/12 at 08:45 PM ET
Comments (29)
Here’s hoping for a quick, painless, injury-free conclusion to the Phoenix/Nashville series. The last thing we want to see, after all, is one of our top 4 defensemen getting hurt.
Players like Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are apt to be stoked about joining a team that already has the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and quite likely a returning Nicklas Lidstrom, and also boasts a long tradition of winning despite this year’s early exit from the playoffs.
The Wings figure to have the inside track on both these prize catches…Both (Parise) and Suter have already been asked about that possibility of going to Detroit and both declined to comment, of course. But both talked about the great tradition the Wings have developed over the years, not the least of which is their reputation for treating players well.
More from Tony Gallagher about why Detroit is the preferred and even likely landing spot for Suter and Parise.
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Daring Digger: St. James First To Mention Franzen Trade Possibility
by IwoCPO on 04/23/12 at 04:47 AM ET
Comments (93)
Helene St. James is going crazy. It must be the uncommon early Spring boredom that’s got her all redolent. She’s out there though, right on a limb. And there’s no hotter topic these days than the streaky Moose.
Johan Franzen did not have a good series, scoring one goal in five games despite playing next to Pavel Datsyuk. Franzen has eight years remaining on his contract, but his salary cap hit is a reasonable $3.9 million and his actual salary over the last three years is a combined $4 million, which would be attractive to teams worried about reaching the NHL’s minimum salary cap space requirement.
Don’t get all giddy. The whole article is NOT devoted to trading Franzen. That would be porn. It’s mostly about money (butt tons), free agents (Parise, Parise, PARISE) and alibis in the event that he fails again this summer (“We’re in the process of trying to become deeper, but it doesn’t happen overnight,” Holland said.).
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New Low For Yahoo? Absolutely
by IwoCPO on 04/23/12 at 02:17 AM ET
Comments (24)
Greg Wyshynski will tell you he didn’t write it, so therefore he deserves no blame. No responsibility whatsoever. Same patter. Same BS from innocent little Greg.
Forget the swipes at the unemployment situation in Detroit. We get it. We’re used to it. We don’t get offended anymore. It’s reality and we’re dealing with it. But this? Before it was deleted, here’s a line Wyshynski reviewed and approved for inclusion in the Puck Daddy Wing Eulogy.
Our next guest is Vladimir Konstantinov! Roll your old bones up here, Vladimir, and say a few words…
Wyshynski left it there until the outcry in the comments became too one-sided. He wasn’t done, though.
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When You Lose Like We Lost? This Happens
by IwoCPO on 04/23/12 at 12:11 AM ET
Comments (32)
First, what do I mean by “like we lost”? Good question. Here’s what I mean: in the first round, to a team that has less talent but more heart, in a way that made more than a few of us wonder whether or not this team really cares all that much about winning in the first place.
Ugly. Like 1am ugly. Ugly first round playoff losses to Nashville (or Edmonton…we’ll get to that in a second) can often lead to organizational finger pointing. We haven’t reached that point yet, but it’s-a-comin’.
“We have tons of money and if we can use our cap space to get high-end free agents, we have a shot to get right back on top,” Babcock said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, two days after Nashville eliminated Detroit. “If we’re fortunate in free agency, we won’t have to look at going in another direction.
“The standard here has always been to chase the Stanley Cup, so as a coach, I’m hoping the free-agent market helps us continue to have those goals.”
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Tick Tock’s All Redolent Today
by IwoCPO on 04/22/12 at 06:13 AM ET
Comments (52)
Don’t think for a second that I’m ready yet to jump back in, but I will bring you this ditty from Khan(!).
“We’ve got some cap space, but there’s got to be somebody to sign,’’ Holland said. “Even if you get one or two players in unrestricted free agency, you need four lines.
“You can’t just make two signings in the summer and go on a long playoff run. This is a team sport. … We got some good pieces, but we’re not quite as deep.’‘
Holland likes his nucleus, which includes Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Johan Franzen…
I stopped reading right about there. No. I stopped reading after I got to the “z” following “Fran…” and realized what the whole word was gonna be. I’m seriously disgusted with that player. Note to Kenny: you have two disasters to make up for. (1) letting Hossa go and keeping Franz…and (2) February 28, 2012.
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12 Hours Out Of Mackinaw City The Gales of November Came Slashin
by IwoCPO on 04/20/12 at 01:00 PM ET
Comments (644)
Watching the Wings come back from an 0-3 deficit last year was one of the most exciting weeks of our lives. It was stunning and it was incredible. Those three games reminded us of just how good this team can be when everything is going right. Health, chemistry, goaltending, strong pharmaceutical work. For a week they were brilliant.
Do I think that could happen again? 3 straight wins against a team not quite as good as the one Detroit roared back against last year?
No, I don’t think it will.
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Autumn’s Closing In…And The Ship Must Be Cleansed
by IwoCPO on 04/17/12 at 05:30 PM ET
Comments (737)
I honestly don’t know how any of us have survived. Wojo pointed this out today and it reminds me just how much I hate the playoffs.
Since 2010, Detroit’s past 10 playoff losses have been by one goal.
That’s just disgusting. As disgusting as a Wog? No, but close.
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GDT - WC Quarterfinals, Game 4: Red Wings (1-2) host Predators (2-1) (7:30)
by Jeff OKWingnut on 04/17/12 at 07:19 AM ET
Comments (43)
Khan(!) got most of his headline right this morning: Red Wings need offensive boost from secondary scorers in crucial Game 4 vs. Nashville. DET (1-2) face a daunting task, they must win 3 of the next 4 from NSH (2-1). To have any chance at all, they need to vastly improve both their scoring and even strength play (ironically enough, the Wings’ special teams have been very good). 2.33 G/G (9) won’t win many contests. To compound matters, the Wings are getting killed at even strength (a playoff worst 0.43 5-5 F/A). In Game 1 all 3 NSH goals were at even strength, whereas DET scored both theirs on the PP. In DET’s Game 2 win, the Wings won even strength play, 3 GF, 2 GA. In Game 3, DET surrendered 2 at even strength, but scored only on Datsyuk’s amazing play.
Of course, if DET ever manage to start the game on time = maybe scoring first, perhaps that too would improve their fortune. The Wings have shown, in stretches, they can crank up their game. The infuriating thing about this team then is that it isn’t a question of can DET start on time, the question is will DET start on time. Right now, there are just too many freaking passengers. Uncle Mike is juggling the lines, and rightly moved Golden Ticket to the two-line - - but in a bone-headed decision, dropped Bert off the line instead of the invisible Moose. Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot.
3 out of 4 isn’t impossible if everyone contributes. So far at least, that is proving to be a big “if.” I’ll credit NSH for good play - - but the majority of DET’s problems, in my opinion, are the result of serious under-achievement. LGRW
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About Abel to Yzerman
Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Recent Blog Posts (Page 2)
We’ll Watch The White Doves Go, Bubba. That’s What You See In Houses of the Holy.
GDT - WC Quarterfinals, Game 3: Red Wings (1-1) host Predators (1-1) (12:00)
Digging Game 2: Krupa Channels Puzo, Uncle Gramma Talks Daddy, Custance and Climer Talk Sense
You Don’t Have To Call Him Mister, Mr. The Whole World Calls Him Hank.
GDT - WC Quarterfinals, Game 2: Red Wings (0-1) at Predators (1-0) (7:30)
Sale of Shanny’s Soul Is Final
Game 1: Regular Season Regularity