That's Right...Just Keep on Talkin'

Ready to get even angrier? Just read this from the Daily Herald...

The first preseason magazine is out, the Hockey News Yearbook, and the publication has picked the Hawks win the Central Division and finish second in the Western Conference behind the San Jose Sharks.Saying the Hawks are "fully loaded for a Stanley Cup push," the Hockey News believes in goalie Cristobal Huet and apparently has no concerns about the defense after Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell.

**Gag** What do Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Brian Campbell all have in common? Oh that's right; they're Canadian! No wonder the Hockey News fails to note the fact that they got carved up by Detroit in the Conference Finals after squeaking by a banged-up Calgary squad and a mediocre Vancouver Canucks. And Cristobal Huet? I'm guessing that because the man is French, there's some sentimentality there from THN's francophone staff members. Hey guys, you have no idea what you are talking about. How about some sobering facts, Chicago?

The Hawks haven't won a division title since the 1992-93 season when it still was the great, old Norris. The Detroit Red Wings have won eight Central Division crowns in a row and nine of the last 10.

Any time you get in an argument with a Blackhawks fan, make sure you remind them of that. Chicago has NEVER won the Central Division...EVER. Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy doesn't it?

"Nice try...LOSERS!"

Wings are Done if..

Ryan Dixon of THN takes a stab at naming one reason every NHL team could possibly fail this year. For Detroit...

"Playing 66 playoff games over the past three springs finally catches up with them."

Frankly, I must confess myself a wee bit dissapointed that this is the best THN could come up with. The guys at The Triple Deke will touch on this issue in our Red Wings Blogger Roundtable...

...stay tuned for that.

Red Wings are Predictable

Another obscure Red Wings find....

"In golf you can be a Tiger Woods and not make the British Open," she said. "It's not a predictable game. You can be the Detroit Red Wings and know in pre-season you're going to come out on top, or at least be pretty close." ---Chris Critelli, the acting athletic director at Brock University.

The whole article in The Standard is about the 52 year old and how she is improving her golf game, but I'm never willing to let an ego stroking quote like that slip through the cracks, no matter how irrelevant or unreliable the source may be.

Fact of the matter is, this 52 year old former basketball coach at Brock University just proved she knows more about how the NHL works than most of the people at THN, who love predicting the downfall of the Wings. When was the last time THN picked the Wings to win it all? I don't know because I'm sick of reading their crap and I'm not going to give them the time of day to find out. My guess would be last year, when they lost.

Anyway, news is probably going to be slow again today, but keep checking in. I'll make up news if I have too...

Kenny Still Confident

Freep.com just posted a new one about the Bertuzzi deal putting us over the Cap. Well, nobody should be worried because Abdelkader goes down to G.R., despite what you guys wanted and Lilja isn't playing this year...it's the LTIR for him.

So staying away from the saturation of Bert-news-i, I thought I'd pull a quote from Kenny:

“We lost almost 90 goals. I read or hear people picking us to be about fourth in the Western Conference. Even though a lot of teams have gotten better, I still think we’re a Stanley Cup contender because our defense is as good as anyone’s defense and I like the rest of our team.”

That's right, Ken. Don't let those narrow-minded Red Wing hating idiots at THN fool you.

Don't even click on that link, unless you want to get angry.

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Ah...that's better.

More THN Stupidity

Angry about the prospective deal in the works for Bertuzzi? Want to get even more angry? Check this out...

The Hockey News has Detroit coming in at #4 in the Western Conference this year:

"Why: After an eight-year run as Central Division champs, a changing of the guard is set to take place. Detroit still boasts perhaps the league’s deepest lineup up front, but you can’t lose the likes of Marian Hossa and Jiri Hudler without taking a hit. That said, another 100-point season is in the cards."

Changing of the guard? Are you talking about our little brothers from the Windy City? A team led by a heartless mercinary, a cabbie slapper, a crotch spearer, and a $7+ million turnover machine?

Since they picked Nashville, St. Louis, and Columbus to finish #10-8, it's quite apparent that these people are overlooking the Central Division at an embarrassing level. Um...four out of five of these teams made the play-offs with Nashville not far behind. Everyone's love for Chicago being the new "it" team is in for a rude awakening when this team falls flat on its face. They don't reach the conference finals and I'll sit back with glee as the whole thing burns to the ground in the off-season.

Um...THN...are you serious?

Ed Fraser is Alright with Me

It's nice to see someone from The Hockey News has their wits about them, even if the rest of the crew thinks that the Wings are on the decline, Ed Fraser gives us a delightful little descent.

"I don’t want to spoil the surprise by saying exactly where the closest-thing-we’ve-had-to-a-dynasty-since-the-Oilers is slotted, so I’ll simply say I don’t believe The Hockey News, and many other punditry troupes, are giving the Wings the respect they deserve."

Ah, the dynasty argument. 4 Cups in 12 years is most certainly closer to the Oilers of the 80's than any other team. Since Detroit turned the corner in the 90's they've been the perennial powerhouse of the league, through management, not tanking and getting good draft picks (coughPittsburghcoughChicagocough).

"Detroit lost an all-world player, one who was arguably their regular season MVP, in Marian Hossa and a trio of sniper-to-serviceable skaters in Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Kopecky, but the Wings won the Cup in 2008 without Hossa and their incomers will more than compensate for the other defectors."

More than compensate is a bit strong, but I think that Kenny has done the best he could with what he had at his disposal. I said it before and I'll say it again: Kopecky was NO big loss. Maybe he goes on to light it up in Chicago...but I doubt it.

"Ville Leino, a player who by all rights should have been with the big club and not in the American League last season, averaged 0.7 points per game through his first 13 NHL contests, which pro-rates to 57 points over an 82 game schedule – the exact total Hudler, the man he’ll replace as the No. 2 left winger, posted in 2008-09. The recent signings of Patrick Eaves and Jason Williams also have the potential to pay off in a significant way. Each has shown a scoring spark in the past and Motown is a place where reclamation magic (see Larry Murphy, Daniel Cleary, Chris Osgood, Brad Stuart) happens with regularity."

Amen to leadership and management. No more words need be spoken.

"Full campaigns from seasoned youngsters Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader will further add to Detroit’s unmatched depth and, if you haven’t learned by now, never bet against the best GM in the game. If Ken Holland sees a hole in his lineup, he’ll make a move to fill it. The palette that is the Western Conference will certainly contain different shades in 2009-10, but the top of the canvas will still be painted Red."

Seasoned youngsters in new term for me, but I suppose it fits the bill with these two. Both Abdelkader and Helm had breakout post-seasons (Helm improved from the year before), proving that they are the cream of the black aces crop.

Yeah, so stuff it, THN! Ed, you and I can be pals.