The Big Red One

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!

Satan saves the day

Thanks to two goals from Miroslav Satan, legendary coach Al Arbour got his long awaited 740th win with the New York Islanders in his 1,500th game. Arbour, who returned to coach for one more game since retiring in 1994, holds the record for most games and wins with one team. A new banner with his name and the number 1,500 was lowered at the Nassau Coliseum.

People who enjoy sports often like milestones and nice round numbers. Players and coaches striving to reach milestones creates a sort of sport romaticism and mystic, which is one of the very reasons why people love sport. Being a great sport fan myself I guess I am also, to some degree, a sucker for this sentimental love for people giving everything to reach their goals and dreams.

However, even though it was a nice gesture by Islanders coach Ted Nolan to invite Arbour back to round up his game tally to a even 1,500, we have to remember that what really matters are those 1,499 games that he actually coached and 739 of those that he won while leading the Isles to four consecutive Stanley Cups. Those are remarkable figures by a remarkable coach. Coming back to stand by Nolans side for another game is, to be honest and unsentimental, just a bit of unnecessary make-up.

Can we expect to see Mark Messier return to score six more for an even 700 goals, or perhaps Steve Yzerman who quit while still on 692. Maybe the St. Louis Blues or the Edmonton Oilers (who got to enjoy the most of his better days as a player) ought to invite Glenn Anderson back to score two more so he can retire with 500 goals. Don't laugh, it could so happen!

Interestingly, on the All-time goal leaders top 50 list there is only one player with an even hundred number of goals, Hall of famer Lanny McDonald, who retired with 500 goals. He also has the very cool 1,111 career games played.