Red Wings

[CaptainBlue]

Back during Joeys day that Jersey would have been ~$60(still have mine somewhere). Now it would be a $100. You got off easy.

No, the stuffed animal was wearing the jersey. I didn't buy her a Joey Jersey. There is no way in heck that I would've ever bought her a Lions jersey with a name on it at that time. They didn't have anybody worth a hill of beans on that team, other than Hanson.

[Marko69]

I think my son ate a hill of beans the other day CapBlue......, his room was bloody stinking in the morning when I woke him up.

[CGVT]

You have to lay down the law (somewhat) with kids. I planned on getting Jack a hat and knew one would run about 30 bucks, but there was no way in hell I was going to spring for the $100+ Verlander jersey that he kept pestering me about...

As far as food goes, we spent long days at the ballpark. We got in at 10 for batting practice and the games started at 1. It only takes a couple of trips to the concession to spend $50 for two people when a burger is $7.50 and a drink is $5

I took $100 cash in on the first day and had about $5 in my pocket when we left the park on the second.

[CaptainBlue]

I think my son ate a hill of beans the other day CapBlue......, his room was bloody stinking in the morning when I woke him up.

Lol, it smells like that at my work sometimes. I don't know what these people eat, but it sometimes stinks so bad that I have to leave the area.

[Tony G]

Broccoli, Buttermilk, Tuna, Onions.

[froot loops]

screw the buttermilk

[Tony G]

It drastically increases the pungency. Back when I was on a rotating 12 hour shift the guys would try to gas everyone out of the room. That mix, along with some cheese and pinto beans was my combination. The beer drinkers had the upper hand though as it was presumed some of their intestines had to be dead judging by the output.

[Tony G]

I also preferred tuna to the sardines many of them liked. One guy had this vietnamese fish sauce that smelled horrible even before he ate it. That plus his affection for kimchee plus balluts led to him being threatened to eat after us or at least somewhere else.

[ghandi]

Is Jimmy Howard worth 6 years, 32 million?

[lions&tigers&wings...yea]

No fucking way.

One or the other, amount or term...there is no way in hell he should have gotten both. I would have been fine with 5 mil for 2-3 year deal but 6 year deal?

[Tony G]

Jeff Seidel: Time to salute Red Wings' 21-season playoff streak

April 11, 2013





Owner Mike Ilitch hoists the Stanley Cup in 1998. "Anything he touches, it turns to gold," said coach Mike Babcock. / Julian H. Gonzalez / DFP


By Jeff Seidel

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Things you don't appreciate fully until they are gone:
A full head of hair. Summer in Michigan. And, last but not least, the Red Wings' playoff streak.
OK, so the streak is not gone yet.
Not counting 2004-05, when the season was canceled because of labor woes, the Red Wings have made the playoffs for 21 straight seasons, which is an amazing, remarkable accomplishment that has gone on for so long it feels like a rite of spring.
But this year the streak is in jeopardy.
• Stanley Cup wins in photos: 1997 | 1998 | 2002 | 2008
The Wings are in eighth place in the Western Conference, with nine games left.
If the season ended today, the Wings would make the playoffs. But it's a tenuous situation. They are teetering between disaster and success.
"This is a little uncharted territory for our organization," said former Red Wing Kris Draper, who has no idea what it's like to miss the playoffs after playing in 222 playoff games over 17 years with the Wings. "I was talking to some of the guys. Right now, they don't need any help. We control our destiny. We just need to win games. If we beat San Jose (tonight), we create a little cushion."
For the sake of comparison, consider this: San Jose has the second-longest active playoff streak in the NHL -- at a measly nine straight years.
So today, before this short season gets even shorter, before the tension mounts, let's celebrate what this organization has accomplished.
Let's celebrate how wonderfully spoiled Red Wings fans have become.
It has been a long journey, step by step.
"A day goes by and a day goes by and a day goes by," general manager Kenny Holland said, "and one day you wake up and you've been in the playoffs for 21 straight years."
April in the D

Things you don't appreciate fully until they are gone:
Having six-pack abs. OK, I never actually had six-pack abs, but I'm quite sure that if I had, I wouldn't have appreciated it enough.
The ability to roll out of bed in the morning and not hurt anywhere.
And did we mention? The Red Wings' playoff streak.
Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser, 22, wasn't born when the streak began.
"It's a pretty good streak we have going here," DeKeyser said. "If we are going to make it happen this year, we have to play hard and make sure we get in."
DeKeyser grew up in Macomb and was a huge Red Wings fan -- a huge fan of playoff hockey. April in the D. Playoff beards. All that stuff.
"A lot of times, they would be out West for playoff games, and I remember staying up late and being tired for school," DeKeyser said. "It was always fun."
Here's another way to look at it: In their past 21 seasons, the Pistons made the playoffs 12 times, the Lions have done it six times, and the Tigers made the playoffs three times.
How they did it
Things you don't appreciate fully until they are gone:
Steve Yzerman. Nicklas Lidstrom. And, yes, did we mention? The Red Wings' playoff streak.
The Wings made the playoffs when Yzerman was young and when he was old.
They made the playoffs with a team loaded with future Hall of Famers. And they made the playoffs during the watered-down salary-cap era.
The streak also is a testament to the front office. To the scouts. To the coaches. And to the players.
"The last couple of years, it's been more difficult," Henrik Zetterberg said. "It's not so much about the streak. It's that we want to be in the playoffs."
More than anyone, the streak is a testament to owner Mike Ilitch, who made smart personnel decisions, stuck to a plan, emptied his vault before the salary cap and has taken care of his employees.
"Mr. Ilitch is a guy who believes in excellence, who has worked hard, who created a dynasty, $5 at a time," coach Mike Babcock said. "He's an every-dayer who expects his people to bring it every day. Anything he touches, it turns to gold."
Most of all, Ilitch demands excellence.
And now this team is left with nine games to keep the streak going. Nine games that will determine success or failure.
"We are hoping to make it 22," Holland said. "You just got to get in."
That's the beauty of the playoffs. That's the truly great thing about this streak.
Once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen.
Remember when?

• The last year the Red Wings failed to make the playoffs was 1990, when they finished fifth (and last) in their division, six points behind the fourth-place North Stars.
• Fourth-year coach Jacques Demers was fired following the season after leading the Red Wings to the playoffs in his first three years.
• The 1989-90 Red Wings featured fan favorites such as Steve Yzerman, Shawn Burr, Joey Kocur and Bob Probert. Leading scorers were the 24-year-old Yzerman (62 goals, 127 points), Gerard Gallant (80 points) and Bernie Federko (57). Glen Hanlon started in goal, backed up by Tim Cheveldae.
• “Dances with Wolves” won the best picture Oscar; “Roseanne” was the most popular TV show; the top song of 1990, according to a Rolling Stone readers poll, was Madonna’s “Vogue”; Coleman Young was mayor; James Blanchard was governor; and George Bush was president.
Contact Jeff Seidel: 313-223-4558 or jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.

[Tony G]

Top 10 Goalie Masks

Written on Monday, 08 April 2013

1) Jim Rutherford

This may not be the most artistic or flashiest mask that has ever been worn in the NHL, but it is the one that paved the way for all the other artistic masks that made this list. Jim Rutherford wore an all blue mask while playing for the Penguins, but when Jim got traded to the Red Wings, he was forced to change. He sent it out and asked for it to be painted all white, but when he got it back he found the now iconic paint job of the wings over the eyes. Rutherford did not like the design but timing was an issue and he was forced to wear it. The first game Jim wore his new mask he played an outstanding game. He decided to stick with the new look and played with it for the remainder of the season. This was the first time a design was ever painted on a goaltender’s mask.


2) Gerry Cheevers

Not only does this classic design look awesome, but it’s also a reminder of why goalies wear their protective masks. Cheevers’ faceplate didn’t always look like this; it was originally an all white mask. Gerry had the idea that each time he had taken a puck off the mask during a game, he would have stitches drawn where the puck had hit him to show what his face would have looked like if he never wore a mask. A face with all those stitches is one not even a mother would kiss!




3) Ken Dryden

This might be the most classic mask that has ever been worn in the vintage era of hockey. The infamous “Target Mask” was meant to be clearly seen from long distances as well as on color TV, which explains the use of red and blue. Most people look at this mask and see only the target, but what they don’t realize is the utilization of a “C” on the helmet that stood for his team, the Canadiens. When reversed on the opposite side of the mask, it gives the classic “Target” design.



4) Al Montoya

Montoya properly represents the new Winnipeg Jets logo with his new fighter jet styled helmet. The mask shows the teeth of the jet surrounding the cage, the intimidating eyes that stand out beautify with the blue outline, exhaust pipes on both sides of the mask with smoke coming out, the base image of the mask looks like a jet with the metal sections being held together with rivets, and to top it off, the Jets new logo centered on the top of the mask. The back plate is where Montoya decided to add a personal touch. His nickname “Big Cubano” is located on the bottom, and the initials of his family members on the top.




5) Ryan Miller

Miller’s Olympic mask is one of most creative and patriotic masks that has ever been worn. On one side, Miller is sporting a muscular Uncle Sam holding the Olympic torch with his sleeves rolled up showing off a USA tattoo. On the opposite side it shows an eagle that looks like it is tearing right through the helmet. The chin has the Olympic rings with red and blue stars flowing up the sides of the mask. One of the best parts about this helmet, are little green clovers on the left side that pay tribute to Jim Craig, the famous goaltender who helped Team USA win gold against Russia in the 1980 Olympics.




6) Marty Turco

Turco’s mask is not only intimidating, but it also best represents the role of the goaltender. The gargoyle is a symbol of a watchful protector, like how goaltenders are the protectors of the net. The meaning behind the gargoyle mixed in with the intimidating design makes this one of the coolest masks out there.




7) Johan Hiller

Over the past few years, Jonas Hiller has been known for having some of the coolest masks in the league. The mask’s amazing color showcases its representation of Anaheim, as well as a few cool hidden aspects. As usual, Hiller has stuck with his flat black paintjob. On one side of the mask it shows the outline of a surfer and palm trees inside the reverse outline of the Ducks logo. The black and white composition in this design helps the image stand out. On the bottom corner of the logo, it shows a small Swiss flag representing Hillers heritage. On the opposite side of the mask it shows a simple outline of the Ducks home rink, the Honda Center. On the bottom corner of this logo, it shows a small version of the original Mighty Ducks logo. Then running across the top of the helmet, it reads “Anaheim” in thin white letters. On the chin, Hiller showcases “Wild Wing”, the Ducks’ mascot in gold.




8) Gilles Gratton

This was one of the more detailed paint jobs that has ever been put on an old fiberglass mask. Despite playing only two seasons in the NHL, Gratton has made his Tiger mask one of the most famous vintage headpieces in the NHL. The incredible detail of the mouth looking like it is about to attack its prey make it incredibly intimidating. Could you imagine as a shooter coming down ice and seeing that guarding the net? Yikes!




9) Gary Bromley

Bromley’s mask, while extremely intimidating, was not designed solely for scare tactics. Bromley decided to embrace his nickname, “bones”, which he received for having a slender physique, and make it a part of his mask. Thus, the idea for one of the most famous masks was born. To this day, Bromley’s mask is still considered one of the scariest to ever be worn.




10) Johan Hedberg

Throughout Hedberg’s career, he’s always had a moose on his helmet no matter what team he has played for, which inherently gave him the nickname, “moose”. The origin of the nickname began when Hedberg was a member of the minor league team, Manitoba Moose. When he was called up to the NHL, he did not have time to get a new mask, so in his debut, he wore his Manitoba mask that had a big moose mascot on the side. Pittsburg fans started calling him moose, and the nickname has stuck for 13 years since. In addition to the moose being a staple on each of his masks, Hedberg has also worn some of the coolest masks. Case and point his SpongeBob mask that he wore in Atlanta. The mask has an underwater theme with a moose-faced SpongeBob holding a hockey stick.

[Malto Marko]

If Wings do not make the playoffs, .....sorry Kenny but little faith do I have in yee.

[Tony G]

Really? The past 20 odd years isn't good enough for a mulligan?

[ghandi]

Yeah he has to get a mulligan this year, especially in a strike shortened season with his best player retiring at the end of last season.