Blog for January 23, 2010

I finally see that my beloved, but often reviled and justly so, Red Wings have now played two stellar games in a row, both losses mind you. It is the first time this year that they have done so. Is it too much to ask them to perform at such a lofty level for three games in a row? We’ll know tomorrow night (January 21) when they travel to St. Paul for a game against the Minnesota Wild.
It has been a most unusual year to watch my team play so badly at times, many times actually. I never tire of telling my many friends who, for reasons known only to themselves, cheer wildly, recklessly even, for the inept Toronto Maple Leafs, that I now know what it’s been like for them for the past 43 years to watch a team play with such utter futility and only occasionally reach the upper levels of mediocrity. Enough anyway to give them the eternal hope they treasure for each and every one of those 43 years.
I’ve witnessed the Red Wings over the first three plus months of the season like I’ve never seen them play in almost 20 years. That’s how good they’ve been; that’s how spoiled I’ve become in those wonderful years of Stanley Cups, never missing the playoffs in any year since 1990; I could go on and on, but enough. Now they play like the Toronto Maple Leafs: some times they are good, very good even, and then they can be God-awful. I’m not sure why. I wonder at times if Mike Babcock, the head coach, is losing the room. But I seriously doubt that.
If we can keep up our recent play, a big if, then we will make the playoffs, but everyone, and I mean everyone has to play his hardest on every shift. They must compete for the puck like they used to do every season; they do that and some of them will be rewarded with a demotion to the minors when Holmstrom, Williams, Franzen, and Kronwall return from injuries. If they continue to improve and we avoid any more serious injuries, then we will have to worry only about the goaltending.
Ah, yes, the goaltending the perennial problem that plagues the mighty Wings. We have never been blessed with a goalie so good that he can win games on his own. You would have to go back to the days of Terry Sawchuk to find a goalie of such skill and artistry to complement the might the Wings have shown on defense and the forward lines. Alas, Jimmy Howard, who, even when he wins makes me nervous, very nervous. He often is awkward in moving from side to side and he has this sickening flopping motion as he lunges out toward pucks. He looks no better than a junior B goalie at times. Chris Osgood is too inconsistent to be counted on to take us to another Stanley Cup.
In fact, Osgood was rather petulant at the end of last night’s loss to the Washington Capitols, complaining that he hadn’t played in a month and what can you expect when you are so rusty. He went on to say that he needed more work if he was to be a contributing part of the Wings’ future success.
I’m about to settle in to watch the Wings/Wild game in St. Paul in about 4 minutes. Both teams are fighting for a playoff position from the outside looking in. It should be a good game. Minnesota has won 4 in a row at home; I like when we’re up against it; it brings out the best in us or, as has happened way too often this year, the not so good. In a few hours we’ll know what Detroit team shows up.
Perhaps I’ll live blog the game to make up my final fifty words or so. So far not much has happened in the first few minutes. Neither team has had a stellar scoring chance. Larry Murphy is doing the colour with Ken Daniels; I guess Mickey Redmond is not available. Detroit just got their first penalty. I’ve said enough.