Figured out how to link my NHL Center Ice subscription to NHL TV!!!🤤🥴

So much easier to see what’s going on because I try to see the whole screen to watch players off the puck, how they set up, etc....

Thanks H2. I’m trying. Actually just laying on my side trying to type. The headaches aren’t getting a whole lot better, but I’m trying to push through. I’ll be wearing a blindfold and an ice pack after this one!
- Jeremy Laura

Gotta admit though, that following all the blogs on the unfolding ADA saga is more exciting than this game.

Gotta admit though, that following all the blogs on the unfolding ADA saga is more exciting than this game.

- HenryHockey

Actually, I’m happy that I can watch the game now!! Got CI accepted by NHL TV, so I get to watch on my laptop, but it works!!

PK stinks. PP is getting some really good looks, Smith is REALLY coming along - physical play, sweet pass to Larkin on his goal, this kid looks very strong. I see some serious breakdowns on our D, but that’s something we all have been talking about for a while. Hirose looks good, Brome is this close to cracking the code & tickling the twine.

Second period summary is up. Detroit is getting manhandled and responding, “please sir, may I have another”. It’s time to make the corners and net front positions far less comfortable

Second Period Summary - Florida’s power play has once again derailed a very good effort by Detroit. The hit by Rasmussen was corrected to a 2 minute minor, but the additional roughing penalty had me scratching my head. Ekblad and Weegar are two nasty customers and continue to take liberties with Detroit’s players. At this point, it’s time for Detroit to start playing these games like you would a post season series. You’re going to see Florida 6 more times, and they know they can rough you up with zero fear of retaliation. Rasmussen looks afraid to throw a hit after that penalty. Smith is in full control during the corner battles. It’s time to turn this a little bit nasty. Every check in the corner needs to be finished, every time. Rasmussen was submarined and dumped with no whistle, start going just as hard. Guys like Ekblad that are really big are really susceptible to Charlie horse and shoulder problems. Hard in the corners, knee on thigh, shoulder to shoulder hits on the glass. Start matching Smith against Vitrano and Acciari. Both are taking shots at Helm and Larkin. At some point, there has to be a cost associated with the borderline play Florida clings to. Walk the line as best you can.

It is frustrating to see a lack of toughness for the Wings. When you’re outmatched, you have to find another way to shake up the opposition. Start bumping the goalie a heck of a lot more. Greiss as been whacked more than a Chuck E. Cheese gopher. Detroit cannot play afraid, and the skill isn’t there to try to avoid behind physical. In order to get the respect of the Panthers, you have to start burying players with big, clean hits. Ekblad plays a lot of minutes, and a sore shoulder and banged up knees will do a lot to limit his effectiveness. The teams have zero respect for Detroit’s players, and seeing Staal joking around with Hornqvist while getting beaten in front of the net should be completely unacceptable. Duclair has inside position on nearly every O zone shift in front of the net. It’s time to start making that job less comfortable.

Detroit really wants to make high skill plays, they’re just not happening. It’s time to get a whole lot more unpleasant on the ice. If you’re friends with guys on the other bench, send them some room service in quarantine. Don’t let them embarass you on home ice.

I’ll have post game thoughts later. Whether Detroit wins or loses, they need to start making life uncomfortable for Florida. I don’t like getting into “dirty” plays, but Detroit isn’t doing anything to stave off the mugging that the Panthers are giving them in corners and at the bench. Time to dial up the nastiness

I’ll have post game thoughts later. Whether Detroit wins or loses, they need to start making life uncomfortable for Florida. I don’t like getting into “dirty” plays, but Detroit isn’t doing anything to stave off the mugging that the Panthers are giving them in corners and at the bench. Time to dial up the nastiness
- Jeremy Laura

Komorov and Rinaldo are available....But are not worth it....C'mon Giavani, throw a decent check!

Komorov and Rinaldo are available....But are not worth it....C'mon Giavani, throw a decent check!
- HenryHockey

We have a few guys that can throw hits. Rasmussen needs to double down, not let up. Smith just got shoved down by Gudas, come on guys. Start scrumming up and setting a nice little “whack” on the Achilles’ tendon and ACL.

Verhagge sure was a good FA signing for FLA!

Verhagge sure was a good FA signing for FLA!
- HenryHockey

Right now, the whole team looks “good”. All he had to do was stand there and let our defenseman deflect it in for him. Detroit needs to start knocking down the goalie. They stop “just short” and aren’t getting anywhere. No scrums at the Florida net at all.

Mantha!!!!

We need a hero!!!

We need a hero!!!
- HenryHockey

nonexistent.....chit

My final update and summary. It is on the coach to get this team to have some sort of identity. The few guys that are trying to carry the team can’t overcome what looks like a lack of intensity or any sort of team identity.


For far too much of this game, it looked as though Detroit just didn’t want to be there any more. Yes, the last 4 minutes were exciting. Where, on earth, was that effort and energy for the second and most of the third periods? The team just watched while their Captain was manhandled for far too many shifts. The on ice bromance between Staal and Hornqvist was nauseating. Most of you know that I’ve tried to give the team the benefit of the doubt in as many ways as I can think of. Mantha is starting to pick up his game. His shot is getting off more quickly, his positioning is better, and God bless him he actually rubbed out Vitrano and caused an icing (while also clipping the former Bostonian across the face for good measure). It was a long overdue bit of nastiness that Detroit has been on the receiving end of on this back to back.

Detroit doesn’t get respect, pretty much anywhere. The team has fallen from dynasty to cellar dweller and it is unpleasant. The upside to this, at the beginning of the season, was the internal respect the players had for the team and each other. Rasmussen was penalized on a hit that went wrong when Weegar fell backward. He looked beside himself with guilt and grief. The same Weegar that buried Glendening into the boards with zero remorse the game before. Ras has the tools to cause problems physically for the opposition, but has become gun shy. The line is a fine one, but by refusing to return the physical play that Ekblad, Weegar, Acciari, Vitrano, Hornqvist and Gudas are dishing out, you are disrespecting your entire team.

Larkin is trying. My God, he tries to do everything he can. But, the captain looks to be already nursing some bumps and bruises. There were a couple hits where you could see him tense up. Smith made some attempts to get physical, but ended up on the short end of the stick. No team in this division is going to give Detroit any respect. They will continue to run over every player and goalie like they’re a 4th line call up. Guys like Ryan are visibly frustrated as the third and 4th lines seem to disappear when things get nasty. My hope that Staal would bring an air of respect and pride to this room has just about evaporated. That may sound harsh, but comparing his attempts at protecting the net to Joe Hicketts, it’s not even close. Hicketts will lay people out in the paint. And, everywhere else too. The decision to keep players off the roster that would actually try to make an impact is mind numbing at best.

In the end, I’ve resisted it for a long time, this falls on Blashill. The culture of the team on the ice is a direct result of the leadership. Larkin, Bertuzzi,Hronek, even Mantha have an uphill battle of trying to raise the intensity out there. At this point, it may be best to hire a former Hell’s Angel as a bench boss. Ask that coach what happens when someone disrespects your colors...well, never mind. Players can’t have chains and ball peen hammers out on the ice anyway.

Quenneville, give him credit, he has a room full of angry and amped up players. They are telling teams who they are in nearly every shift. They crowd the crease, knock down goalies and net front players, and demand respect. whatever the motto inside their dressing room is, it’s working. During Anaheim’s championship run, theirs was, “it’s not about dying for your country. It’s about making the other guy die for theirs”. That’s nasty, but you get the gist. Detroit’s was, “to whom much is given, much is expected”. Clearly that’s not a reflection of the current status.

Look, toughness is a relative term. Datsyuk may have been one of the toughest players to ever put on the winged wheel. Players who tried to run him would literally bounce off of him. Z had his own brand of toughness as well. Lidstrom had ice in his veins. Yzerman carried a team on his back with only one leg. Shanny, man I miss Shanny, he could and would do it all. Patrick Roy still has shoulder pain after the big Irishman took him out during the brawl on ice at the Joe. I know this team can’t afford to have a line of brawlers. You have to be able to skate and play. However, the guys that are playing could do a lot to stand up for their teammates and themselves. I don’t know how this can be remedied. The team needs a new message. I’m not saying Blashill couldn’t make the adjustment, but to this point he hasn’t shown any sign of it. This team has to believe they are worth standing up for. It’s like watching 22 professional athletes with middle child syndrome out there, apologizing for being on the ice. That attitude is going to destroy any chance the team has of building something good, let alone something great. These are just my thoughts, and subject to dismissal. I do believe the core guys deserve better than they’re getting right now.

Mantha!!!!
- HenryHockey

He’s looking good. The last few minutes, he really started using his speed & reach, he set up net-front with some authority. His goal was a wheel-house shot. He needs to get into a groove. Brome is soooo close. Namestnikov as well.

The 2d period was lack-luster at best, heck 3/4 of the 3d was a train-wreck as well.

I liked Jeremy’s assertion that the guys need to take a more physical role. As I watched, the guys really did take a pounding. Not much dishing it out. Seems each game we all see yet another area of the game where work is required.

He’s looking good. The last few minutes, he really started using his speed & reach, he set up net-front with some authority. His goal was a wheel-house shot. He needs to get into a groove. Brome is soooo close. Namestnikov as well.

The 2d period was lack-luster at best, heck 3/4 of the 3d was a train-wreck as well.

I liked Jeremy’s assertion that the guys need to take a more physical role. As I watched, the guys really did take a pounding. Not much dishing it out. Seems each game we all see yet another area of the game where work is required.
- mcmastermike1968

Thanks for that. The game has changed. Still, the last several cup champs still brought the grit and stood up for each other

Thanks for that. The game has changed. Still, the last several cup champs still brought the grit and stood up for each other
- Jeremy Laura

As much as the game has changed, players still need to be grinders. Physicality is just as important, if not more so, now than ever. The problem is, if our guys get nasty, we lose good players (see also; Mantha fighting Witkowski, et. al,). Ras is growing, I saw him dish a bit, but if he’s going to be a force....that horse was well-beaten in your write-up above.

The thing is, they have to WANT to play for something. Take it from me, when the bad guys have you in their sights, fear is one helluva motivator. Not advocating the installment of fear as a coaching tool. Much rather, the guys don’t fear Blash (ONLY an opinion) because they don’t respect him. They don’t respect him because he throws guys under the bus or female doges about crappy players. News flash, Blash: Players do what coaches tell them to when respect is mutual.

Is it al Blah’s fault? I say yes. He hid behind player issues when he first started coaching, the aging players, etc... No one wants to play where that poop comes out of a leader’s mouth. And it set the tone. HockeyTown has no mystique, no aura, no reverence.

Now, The Captain’s making changes, but some moves haven’t panned out (See; Staal). ((frank)) convention; sit his old ass & play Cholo or Lindstrom. Look what Smith’s doing with reps, kid’s getting damn good and will get even better. Sorry, just pisses me off to no end. It’s the same poop every game; “duuuuhhhh...COMPETE LEVEL SUCKS.....duuuuhhh”. ((frank)) that weak excuse poop. Here’s something “coach”, try this: “Look, we have some issues. I’m charging my entire coaching staff to do a comprehensive, top to bottom review of game plans and how effective they are in accordance with my player’s capabilities. While they’re doing that’ I’m packing my poop because I’m not what this team needs. Thank you.”

You’re welcome.

As much as the game has changed, players still need to be grinders. Physicality is just as important, if not more so, now than ever. The problem is, if our guys get nasty, we lose good players (see also; Mantha fighting Witkowski, et. al,). Ras is growing, I saw him dish a bit, but if he’s going to be a force....that horse was well-beaten in your write-up above.

The thing is, they have to WANT to play for something. Take it from me, when the bad guys have you in their sights, fear is one helluva motivator. Not advocating the installment of fear as a coaching tool. Much rather, the guys don’t fear Blash (ONLY an opinion) because they don’t respect him. They don’t respect him because he throws guys under the bus or female doges about crappy players. News flash, Blash: Players do what coaches tell them to when respect is mutual.

Is it al Blah’s fault? I say yes. He hid behind player issues when he first started coaching, the aging players, etc... No one wants to play where that poop comes out of a leader’s mouth. And it set the tone. HockeyTown has no mystique, no aura, no reverence.

Now, The Captain’s making changes, but some moves haven’t panned out (See; Staal). ((frank)) convention; sit his old ass & play Cholo or Lindstrom. Look what Smith’s doing with reps, kid’s getting damn good and will get even better. Sorry, just pisses me off to no end. It’s the same poop every game; “duuuuhhhh...COMPETE LEVEL SUCKS.....duuuuhhh”. ((frank)) that weak excuse poop. Here’s something “coach”, try this: “Look, we have some issues. I’m charging my entire coaching staff to do a comprehensive, top to bottom review of game plans and how effective they are in accordance with my player’s capabilities. While they’re doing that’ I’m packing my poop because I’m not what this team needs. Thank you.”
You’re welcome.
- mcmastermike1968

When Pittsburgh traded Hornqvist away I thought they were insane. That guy is almost immovable in front of the net. He has a pain threshold that is difficult to overcome. He is a pain in the butt every time he’s on the ice. He’s one of those pieces good teams need. My concern isn’t even so much that players don’t respect the coach, it’s that they don’t respect themselves. I know Babcock draws the Ire of many, but he taught Tatar something I’ll never forget. The team got blown out. Tats had his head down leaving the bench. Babs said, “pick your head up. That doesn’t help anyone”. Tats is a complete bulldog (and I miss him). He has swagger and compete for days. He learned that, no matter what is on the scoreboard, you have to carry yourself with respect. Especially when it’s hard. Every team member that hangs their head has lost their self respect. The culture has to get in place. I love Tortorella, he wants guys fighting for each other. If you don’t want to be on the team, there’s the door. Trotz does a fantastic job in establishing that as well. Rod Brind’amour, his greatest strength is building team character. Man, he does it in spades. It’s something we’re missing

Thanks for that. The game has changed. Still, the last several cup champs still brought the grit and stood up for each other
- Jeremy Laura

The thing that just guts me is these kids will walk thru fire if they believed in their coach. I’ve seen how a coach can change an entire organization with with 1 sentence: “If you can’t hack it, pack it.” Scotty.

I literally hurt watching tonight’s game. Did you see the guys walking down the tunnel after the 2d period? I did. What did I see? Blash walking down the tunnel not saying (shirt). Head down. Walking past players who didn’t say (shirt) to each other. Christ. Remember when Crash Davis was posed with an issue the Durham Bulls’ coach was having getting player’s attention? What did Crash say? “Scare ‘em. They’re kids. Scare ‘em.” Bats thrown in the showers, blah blah blah. Something like that may need to happen. Don’t tell me “Oh, it’s a gentleman’s game now, Mike.” Bull (shirt). You have got to assert yourself as a leader. You have to have respect, which is a two-way street. But at the end of the day, if you’re in charge: Be. In. Charge.

(Franking) pathetic. These kids deserve better.

When Pittsburgh traded Hornqvist away I thought they were insane. That guy is almost immovable in front of the net. He has a pain threshold that is difficult to overcome. He is a pain in the butt every time he’s on the ice. He’s one of those pieces good teams need. My concern isn’t even so much that players don’t respect the coach, it’s that they don’t respect themselves. I know Babcock draws the Ire of many, but he taught Tatar something I’ll never forget. The team got blown out. Tats had his head down leaving the bench. Babs said, “pick your head up. That doesn’t help anyone”. Tats is a complete bulldog (and I miss him). He has swagger and compete for days. He learned that, no matter what is on the scoreboard, you have to carry yourself with respect. Especially when it’s hard. Every team member that hangs their head has lost their self respect. The culture has to get in place. I love Tortorella, he wants guys fighting for each other. If you don’t want to be on the team, there’s the door. Trotz does a fantastic job in establishing that as well. Rod Brind’amour, his greatest strength is building team character. Man, he does it in spades. It’s something we’re missing
- Jeremy Laura

So, see my post just below this RE: End of 2d period. Heads. Down.

Tats was a gem, wasn’t he? Very happy he’s rolling in MTL.

Babs lost his ouster for any number of reasons. Not going to debate that fact. As good of a coach as he was, his SC PO record sucks. Blash doesn’t even have the balls to say something like Babs did, at least not in public. But he could easily drop a gem like that, Jeremy. And in so doing, wouldn’t be throwing any one player under the bus nor making excuses.

Blash can’t learn to know his team’s strengths & weaknesses. Until he does, we’re (franked).

Just a quick hit. Malik post confirms, Larkin playing through injury. He still feels like he can help the team (and clearly does) but even more so his mates need to have his back. I didn’t know for sure, was just guessing that something was going on. He’s playing through some rough stuff. Blashill thinks several players will be back in the lineup Wednesday from COVID protocol

http://themalikreport.com...in-and-the-covid-quintet/

So, see my post just below this RE: End of 2d period. Heads. Down.

Tats was a gem, wasn’t he? Very happy he’s rolling in MTL.

Babs lost his ouster for any number of reasons. Not going to debate that fact. As good of a coach as he was, his SC PO record sucks. Blash doesn’t even have the balls to say something like Babs did, at least not in public. But he could easily drop a gem like that, Jeremy. And in so doing, wouldn’t be throwing any one player under the bus nor making excuses.

Blash can’t learn to know his team’s strengths & weaknesses. Until he does, we’re (franked).
- mcmastermike1968

Yep. It’s something you never want to see. Sucks the life out of the team

Thanks for that. The game has changed. Still, the last several cup champs still brought the grit and stood up for each other
- Jeremy Laura

“Hello, Gerard Gallant? Hi, this is Mike. If I buy you Vernor’s, Better Made chips, and Koegle’s pickled bologna...for LIFE, would you PLEASE coach the Wings??? Really?!?!? Gee, thanks bud. And one more thing; Make. Them. Believe.”

These kids don’t believe the sun rises in the east right now. They don’t believe in shirt. But....they WANT to. Otherwise, games like last night would be a distant memory.

Just a quick hit. Malik post confirms, Larkin playing through injury. He still feels like he can help the team (and clearly does) but even more so his mates need to have his back. I didn’t know for sure, was just guessing that something was going on. He’s playing through some rough stuff. Blashill thinks several players will be back in the lineup Wednesday from COVID protocol

http://themalikreport.com...in-and-the-covid-quintet/
- Jeremy Laura

Can’t get to the Malik report on my phone, will try my laptop tomorrow.

See, Larkin gets it. Most of the kids around him get it. Would love to be a fly on the wall of that locker room to see just what goes on after a game like tonight. Now, I don’t advocate ignoring pain, 19 years of rugby and too many surgeries to count taught me that. But Larkin’s showing heart. Much like Ryan’s tenacity, heart is contagious.

This is going to be painful to watch. Our hearts will be broken, we’ll swear (Lord knows how much I already do that 😑🤭😬🤐), may even throw some things at the TV, but I’ll stop watching the Wings when you pry the remote out of my cold, dead hand. These are NOT The Dead Things of the late 70s & all of the 80s...We have excellent senior leadership, stud players....and hope. And damnit, that’s all we need.

Let’s. Go. Red. Wings 😠

Nice writing JL, gives one food for thought. When we get our guys out of the COVID cell, we may have some better results. But is this season just an exercise towards getting a better draft pick or is it about winning more games? Seems that most of players chose the former.

“Hello, Gerard Gallant? Hi, this is Mike. If I buy you Vernor’s, Better Made chips, and Koegle’s pickled bologna...for LIFE, would you PLEASE coach the Wings??? Really?!?!? Gee, thanks bud. And one more thing; Make. Them. Believe.”

These kids don’t believe the sun rises in the east right now. They don’t believe in shirt. But....they WANT to. Otherwise, games like last night would be a distant memory.
- mcmastermike1968

Oh yeah. The market across the street has Dearborn dogs. I grab Tony Packos pickles and peppers and it’s an interstate feast! Dearborn spiral hams too