The Detroit Red Wings made it really hard for visiting Tampa Bay as they held on to the puck for pretty much the whole game. In the first period they outshot the Lightning 17-1. Tampa Bay, who are 0-16 against the Wings, were not having the greatest night. It's really tough to play a team like Detroit that don't give you anything. And if you don't have the puck, you can't score. Simple as that.
The Red Wings are currently first in the NHL, and if it weren't for the red jerseys, they could easily be mistaken for the Swedish Olympic Gold-winning team. I try not to dwell on the Swedish players in the league, there are plenty of blogs that do just that, but when it comes to the Wings it's kind of hard not to. Henrik Zetterberg leads in points and goals, Nicklas Lidstrom leads in assists and plus/minus, and Tomas Holmstrom, who, like a red wine, only gets better with years, leads in power-play goals. By the way, these three players are a great example of how far you get with good scouting and clever drafting. The Maple Leafs should watch and learn.
Though the Central division has gotten a lot better this year, it's the only division where all teams are .500 or better, Detroit still sit a solid eight points ahead of the nearest competitors, St. Louis and Chicago.
Yet for some reason, a lot of seats at the Joe Louis Arena have been empty this season. I spoke to a friend back in Michigan about it and he thought it was the poor economy in the region that was to blame. He also suggested people might be missing Steve Yzerman. Though that explanation may sound unlikely, or down right silly to some, it is hard to understand what an impact Steve Yzerman had on this franchise. During his era the Red Wings, a winless and mediocre team for decades, resurged as powerhouse franchise that won three Stanley Cups in six years. He is by far the most popular player ever in Michigan and these new kids certainly have a lot to live up to.
Perhaps there is another reason why people don't show up for games as much any more, I don't know. What I do know is that it's a shame, because this is a great team to watch. Zetterberg may not be the new Yzerman, or maybe he will. Either way, fans should grab any chance they have to watch this guy play.
People of Detroit, it's time to show the rest of the NHL why it's called Hockeytown!
3 comments:
Detroit is light-years ahead of the Leafs in every department. Then again, so are another 28 teams.
What really sucks though is that these two teams play in different conferences thus the two clubs hardly ever square off. The Toronto-Detroit rivalry was red-hot back in the day, arguably just as hot as the Red Wings-Avalanche was in the late 90's.
Agreed. And speaking of that rivlary, be sure to check out ESPN's John Buccigross' in-game blog from a Maple Leafs-Red Wings game from 1971. Though it's from one of Detroit's darker decades and they get creamed by the Leafs, it's a fun read.
Speaking of Swedes and Detroit, the hottest rumor this weekend has been a potential Toronto-Detroit trade involving...Sundin!
It won't happen for a while but I do see something happening around the trade deadline in a few months. The Leafs would want a young prospect with great upside to centerpiece the trade and/or a pick. If I was JFJ, I would start shopping the Leaf Captain as soon as the new year kicks in and simply give the nod to the highest bidder.
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