Williams/Newbury Tandem in Grand Rapids

Mlive posted this little article about Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury, two free agents signed by Detroit who played last year with the troubled Toronto Maple Leafs.

Apparently they get along with each other. Newbury took a little jab at Williams when talking about the fact that he signed with Detroit first. "He followed me," Newbury said, smiling.

Williams had this to add:

"They said they signed him and then they were like, 'Well, we kind of need Williams because Newbury on his own is kind of hard, and Williams on his own is kind of hard.' They put us together, and we seem to be a good tandem."

Let's hope so. Both are playing in Grand Rapids right now, but that obviously isn't why they signed on to this organ-i-zation. Both hope to see time with the big club eventually. Newbury had this to say:

"At the end of the day, you always want to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. I figured Detroit is the best shot at it. Unfortunately, I'm not up there right now, but I'll just keep chipping away. You never know, hopefully down the road, I'll have that shot."

I hope these boys keep a positive attitude. Detroit's farm system is anything but a fast track to the NHL. Williams, who scored the first goal of the season despite losing to the Toronto Marlies (irony?) last weekend had this to add:

"(Toronto) was obviously rebuilding, and everybody that came in was new. I didn't feel like it would have been the best situation for me at the time. I'm glad I made the decision to come here."

In other words; Burkie didn't like him...which could actually be a positive attribute if you think about it. Probably means he doesn't like to take lots of penalties, grow a soul patch and look like a frat-boy drop out, or eat lots and lots of granola bars while listening to the Grateful Dead.

For more on these two, click the link. The Griffins stay on the road against the Texas Stars (most original farm name) at 8:30 tonight for the third contest of the regular season