Red Wings 5, Senators 3: Post Game Snipes...

• How great did it feel to drop the puck on the new season? Birds were singing, there were rainbows, and unicorns frolicked in my living room. Actually, that's a lie. It was pouring outside and I was trying to clean pizza sauce off of the couch when the game started, but that's how I felt in my mind.
• I pretty much love Budd Lynch. His voice makes me happy. Sometimes I wonder if the players slip him cash to mispronounce their buddies' names as a joke. That's what I'd do if I was a hockey player, anyway. Either way, I love it.
• I think Ozzie's officially the most beloved goaltending coach of all time, judging by his introduction tonight.
• The pre-game ceremony with Brad McCrimmon's family was nice. It was super sweet (and a little heartbreaking) when his son put on the jersey that he was presented.
• If I had to predict which one of the Wings would give the most awkward hugs, I'd choose Pavel Datsyuk.
• It's a good thing that they switched to those low-energy goal lights at the Joe before the opener what with the Wings scoring five goals and all.
• I know some people want to panic about the three goals that the Wings gave up towards the end of the game, but I'd like them to take a deep breath and a chill pill (yeah, I actually used that phrase). They let up on a big lead late in the game against a lousy team. Of course, in an ideal world, the team would be absolutely flying for every minute of every game, but that would only be realistic if they were all robots. Nick Lidstrom aside, that's just not the case. Let's wait and see for a few more games before we start hyperventilating, ok?
• Speaking of Lidstrom, Datsyuk's apparently been teaching some of his dangling tricks. He pulled a nice move waltzing in on Anderson for his goal.
• Cory Emmerton is evidently the first Red Wing in possession of a Twitter account to score a goal in an NHL game. Because you needed to know that.
• I liked pretty much everything about Bert's goal.
• So how about those special teams, eh?
• We're only one game in, but consider me sold on the Ian White signing. He was impressive all night. I will, however, continue to call him Not-Kirk-Maltby until further notice because I don't handle change very well. That's what happens when you take over the number of one of my childhood icons.
• Please, pretty please let Hudler continue doing what he did tonight all season long.

Final Thought:
There is nothing worse than spending the hockey off-season in Florida. I'd take a never-ending Michigan winter with permanent hockey season over four hockey-less months in this live-in oven.

Red Wings vs. Senators GP...

Red Wings: 0-0-0

Senators: 0-0-0

Red Wing Zen:

Point and Laugh:

This is a thing, apparently.

Video Candy:

Happy Hockey Season, everyone!

Red Wings 7, Senators 5: Post Game Snipes...

• I wasn't going to do a recap since I only caught the third period, but then Mule went and did his Muletrick and I couldn't very well let that go by without mention.
• Now that it's after the All-Star break, Franzen evidently decided that it was time to kick things up a notch.
• At his best, Mule is unstoppable. He's like a force of nature when he puts his mind to it.
• What are the odds that I can get an Arby's down here to give me free fries tomorrow? Or that I can find a printer in time?
• The explanation for the Senators' no-goal in the third was just plain silly. Even on my grainy feed, I could tell that the refs' version of what happened there was nowhere close to reality. My feed was only getting video from the rink, so during commercials and post-game segments in the studio, I got random camera shots and audio from the on-site crew. After the game, Ken Daniels and Larry Murphy were ranting about how stupid the explanation was. Daniels said pretty much the same things everybody on twitter said. It was the right call, but not for the reason stated. It was nice to see that the guys up in the booth get as frustrated about silly things like that as we do.
• I'm working on a theory that the blizzard/snowpocalypse/snowmageddon/whatever you want to call it somehow time-machined the two teams back into the 80s for one night. I followed along with the first two periods via text messages, and trying to keep up with the game was a challenge. I had a lot of, “wait, what?” moments when I got back-to-back-to-back texts announcing goals.
• That moment when Z went awkwardly into the boards almost killed me. I was practically holding my breath until the next time I saw him out on the ice.
• This was the first five-goal game for a Wing since Fedorov did it back in 1996. I'll never forget that game because it was right after Christmas the year I got my first ever Wings jersey. I watched the game on the floor in front of the TV, wearing my brand new #91 jersey, and I was pretty much convinced that he scored all of those goals because of it.
• Henrik Zetterberg's streak of games in which he had at least two shots on goal has officially ended. Can we never speak of this useless stat again, please? Pretty please?

Hero: Johan Franzen
This needs no explanation.

Villain: Chris Neil
I just don't like him.

Final Thought:
It was nice to see Cleary back in the lineup.

Red Wings vs. Senators GP...

Red Wings: 30-13-6

Senators: 17-26-8

Red Wing Zen:

Kris Draper

4-2-6, +/- 1, 4 PIM

Point and Laugh:

Erik Karlsson

8-21-29, +/- -19, 26 PIM

Red Wings 4, Senators 1: Post Game Snipes...

• It felt like it had been three years since the Wings won a game. They needed these two points. Of course, all of the teams they needed to lose tonight won, so there was no improvement in the standings.
• The little pre-game ceremony for the Olympians was very nice. (And for a change, the Wings didn’t totally disintegrate after a ceremony.) We learned that Homer’s son skates exactly like his dad and Bertuzzi’s son has the same haircut. I liked the fact that they recognized the guys from Ottawa too.
• I hope I wasn’t the only one who was thrilled beyond belief when Maltby scored the Wings’ first goal.
• Homer left the game after re-aggravating his injury. It’s looking less likely that he’s going to be playing for Team Sweden and more likely that Franzen’s going to be taking his place.
• It was nice to see the powerplay working for a change.
• After the Sens’ first goal, the Wings started to sit back, and I was afraid that we were going to get to watch the same tired script play out for the zillionth time this season. Luckily, the Wings were able to get it together and hang onto their lead.
  

GP Answers:
1. This is the last game before the Olympic break, and losing it really isn’t an option. Can the Wings pull off a win so we can have slightly less stress over the next two weeks?
Indeed they did. I know I’m going to sleep a little better during the break. The Wings’ position didn’t really change, but a game like that should allow everyone to sleep just a little more easily.

2. If Maltby decides to have his shoulder operated on, there’s a very real possibility that tonight could be his last game in a Wings uniform. It would put him out of the lineup until the end of the regular season, and at this point, there’s no guarantee that there will be more games beyond that. Can he make this game memorable?
How about scoring that first goal? If this really was his last game in a Wings uniform, I’m glad that it was one that he and the rest of the team can be proud of. Regardless of what happens, he’s a guy who I’ve always liked, dating back to his days on the Grind Line. It also speaks to the way the Wings’ organization treats its players.

3. Meech as a forward? How’s that going to work out for the Wings?
He didn’t play much, but managed to pick up an assist in his 4:29 of ice time. This is one of the reasons that I think he’s more valuable than Lebda is. Not only does he make less money, but he can also fill in up front in an emergency.

4. What percentage of this game are the Wings going to show up to play? It’s anybody’s guess.
This was definitely one of the Wings’ most consistent efforts of the season. There was a stretch in the second period when they looked like they were going to sit back and let Ottawa take the play to them, but they recovered quickly. Overall, I was pleased.

Cookies and Cupcakes for Pavel Datsyuk
He was the best player on the ice again. That shot he took from between his legs was incredible. So was one of his rushes that he nearly buried. He’s really been cranking things up lately after a sleepy start to the season. Let’s hope he comes out of the Olympics with the same kind of fire.

An Extra Stick Tap for Kirk Maltby
Just because.

Todd Bertuzzi gets the Golden Facepalm
He named his son Tag. And let him have a faux-hawk/mullet. I’m not okay with that.

What I Learned:
The Wings continue to outclass every organization in professional sports. Maybe things like the pre-game ceremony and the Maltby situation don’t mean much, but they make me smile. We’re pretty lucky here in Hockeytown.

Red Wings vs. Senators GP...

1. This is the last game before the Olympic break, and losing it really isn’t an option. Can the Wings pull off a win so we can have slightly less stress over the next two weeks?
2. If Maltby decides to have his shoulder operated on, there’s a very real possibility that tonight could be his last game in a Wings uniform. It would put him out of the lineup until the end of the regular season, and at this point, there’s no guarantee that there will be more games beyond that. Can he make this game memorable?
3. Meech as a forward? How’s that going to work out for the Wings?
4. What percentage of this game are the Wings going to show up to play? It’s anybody’s guess. Ottawa's been hot lately, so maybe the Wings will actually look alive.

I have no idea what I’m going to be doing here during the Olympics. I haven’t had time to think that far ahead. Of course, I’d be in a lot better mood if we had some Olympic coverage on American TV currently. I wish the games were still on CBC. That was one of the biggest perks of being a Metro-Detroiter. I’ve officially decided that NBC’s only redeeming quality is The Office.