The past can't be rewritten

As per usual, a rash of Dany Heatley jokes broke out pre and post the Sharks v. Wings game last night. The break out of these jokes had many polarized. Part were in the "I'll say what I want" group, some in the "Those jokes are in poor taste" category, and then there were those who stayed out of it. In this argument, I fall into the last category. I am fairly neutral on the issue.

I saw many go completely up in arms over these jokes but on other occasions allow others to slam, make jokes, put-down, and dehumanize Todd Bertuzzi. Some even make the Steve Moore/Todd Bertuzzi jokes themselves. Now I'm not one to bring up Todd Bertuzzi's past because I believe he has worked very hard to move past it. That being said, Why is what Todd Bertuzzi did somehow worse than what Dany Heatley did? Both acted reckless with their actions and did not expect the outcome that transpired. Preach forgiveness and understanding for one player yet not for another. Vehicular homicide is in no way more or less forgivable than a punch/fall with horrendous results. Just because an on-ice play is not as easy to relate to than a car accident doesn't mean that one should be forgiven and allowed to live his live without having to constantly hear about previous actions and the other should not. Both of these men have paid the price for their actions and live every day with the guilt. I say both. Not just Dany. It is said that it takes a good deal of character to judge a person by his future instead of his past.

I am all for free speech and I do not judge those who choose to joke. Say what you feel and what you want. Yes, Heatley jokes are not politically correct and some are in very poor taste but before you condemn someone for them make sure you extend the same courtesy to Todd Bertuzzi. If you don't you start a pot and kettle race war.

Hey, Hey, Hey.

How do the teams stack up in the trophy department (franchise and current roster while with that team)?

Sharks have:

1 Presidents' Trophy

6 Pacific Division Championships

1 Art Ross Trophy

1 Hart Memorial Trophy



Not bad. Not bad.

Now... uh... How many trophies do the Wings have?



Wings have:

11 Stanley Cups

6 Conference Championships

6 Presidents’ Trophies

19 Division Championships

4 Lady Byng Trophies

2 Conn Smythe Trophies

4 Selke Awards

6 Norris Trophies

2 Jennings Trophies

1 NHL Plus Minus Award

3 NHL All-Rookie Team Members

And the best defenseman of our generatioooooooon.

Seriously?




HAPPY ROUND TWO EVERYONE!!

The Greater Good... And What Not

I fully understand that I am a homer that has chosen one team above all. This fact has led to me being called entitled and judgemental of other fans. Entitled? I don't think so. Judgemental? Yes, indeed. I don't like fair-weatherness, crazies, or puckslutyness. Acting like you know something when indeed someone else has force-fed you your opinion is just as bad. More than everything, I don't like being associated with those who behave as such. Don't be lemmings. Don't act like a jackhole because someone else told you it's cool. And don't change your destructive ways just because I point out how destructive to the fan base as a whole they are.We have become like oil and water. Even when we are intertwined we are still separate as of late.

Now is the time to band together. Now is the time when we fans will be challenged to stay the course and cheer for our team together. Now is not the time to choose one player on another team over our entire team. Now is not the time to second guess our boys. Now is the time to cheer harder, be better, and do everything in our power to show our boys that we support them. (And not in a puckbunny way, bunnies). The challenge is to always cheer and never boo.

Our boys will face challenges and they will be the ones doing all the work. They will be the ones giving everything of themselves on the ice night in and night out. I challenge you to not take the low road where you spend the entire game insulting our players. Have some dignity and respect. Every win last series was over-shadowed by the immense smack talking by our own fans about our own team. Majority of these fans are the complainers that would complain if they were hung with a new rope. Don't take that road. Don't be that guy. Obviously these players that are consistently trashed have something that keeps them on our roster past the trade deadline and in our line up by some of the greatest hockey minds in the business. So trust that the coaching staff and front office knows more than you because chances are... they actually do. The great Vince Lombardi said "The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." Each player is a piece in the puzzle that is the Detroit Red Wings. Always remember that these guys live a lifestyle that many could not handle. Remember that at the end of the day, no matter what, these players are human beings that deserve to be treated as such. I do not boo you when you do something that I do not like, Do not boo them.

Take pride in our team. Every single day. Not just on the days when the world is watching. There is no justification to put on a rival team's colors and go to their arena and cheer them in my mind. One team, above all. Lift your head high regardless of a win or a loss. Appreciate that we are able to watch one of the greatest franchises in all professional sports night in and night out. Understand to achieve anything it takes faith, hard work, determination, and dedication. It’s easy to have faith when things are going great and we’re on top of the world. It's when our team is facing adversity that our faith in them must being the strongest. Never allow your fear of what might happen overcome your faith that it won't.

Standing five foot tall, being the bigger person has never been my forte. But I encourage you to act with respect and honor when it comes to our team. Acting as morons will only make the fan base look bad. It's not just about appearances. It's about morale. Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit. Don't quit on our team.

On a day when no one needed a jackhole...

I fully expected to wake up from my nap and start writing a mushy, one year update about how I love that this blog has given me the opportunity to speak my mind and call out the Jackholes... blah blah blah... barf... vomit... sentiment and what not. BUT THEN I wake up and everyone is going ape shit over the fact that throwing an octopus could land you with a fine and a misdemeanor and how we should boycott the Wings. Well, I say FUCK THAT. Simply, Fuck that. I'm not boycotting ANYTHING. First of all, the NHL probably told the lower bowl ushers to turn the octothrowers in. AND Secondly, It probably wasn't every usher that turned the thrower in. It was probably ONE usher. The usher that also claims that when there are unoccupied seats in the Joe, you may not sit in them. He is a jerk that takes his job way too seriously and treats the Joe like it is some barn wrestling match in Alabama that he is the bouncer for.


Wings fans boycotting the Wings?

or of LIFE. You choose.

Happy Birthday Hockey Blogette

HOCKEY BLOGETTE IS ONE!




Here's hoping for lots of Booze

and NO sequins.
No one needs to SPARKLE at the rink (Not even if you're a fictional vampire all the fan girls go apeshit over).




If Hockey Blogette has taught you anything this past year, I hope it is this-


So in honor of our first birthday...
Do a Newfie Stomp


Do the irish jig


and take a victory lap around the Joe

So these are our choices, eh?

Well I believe these are the scenarios
(don't quote me because things change every day)



If Vancouver beats Chicago we will be forced to look at JumBro Joe

We would also have to listen to the entire soundtrack of Jaws for a minimum of two games.



If Los Angeles beats San Jose we get to see douche wear at it's finest

This scenario has us subjected to something we do do do do do do do do don't want to hear.





PREPARE TO GO CROSS-EYED






If Vancouver beats Chicago and LA beats San Jose
OR
If Chicago beats Vancouver and San Jose beats LA...

We will have to hear lots about this bro and his lady

We will also be subjected to the asinine chants that the Preds faithful chant at every game.

Including, but not limited to, the clever gem of

"If you’re crappy and you know it, ice the puck! (clap clap)
If you’re crappy and you know it, ice the puck! (clap clap)
If you’re crappy and you know it, and you really wanna show it, if you’re crappy and you know it, ice the puck! (clap clap)"

Ohhh those Preds fans are just so clever...




Regardless of who we end up facing...
PREPARE TO BE ANNOYED.

Taking Follow Friday to an EXTREME

A couple follow Friday shout outs? PSSSSSH! This is the BIG FAT NHL twitter Follow Friday extravaganza!

NHL Team Twitters

New York Islanders - Vancouver Canucks - Tampa Bay Lightning

Nashville Predators - St. Louis Blues - San Jose Sharks

Ottawa Senators - Pittsburgh Penguins - Phoenix Coyotes

Toronto Maple Leafs - Philadelphia Flyers - New York Rangers

Atlanta Thrashers - New Jersey Devils - Montreal Canadiens

Colorado Avalanche - Minnesota Wild - Los Angeles Kings

Boston Bruins - Florida Panthers - Edmonton Oilers

Washington Capitals - Detroit Red Wings - Dallas Stars

Columbus Blue Jackets - Chicago Blackhawks - Carolina Hurricanes

Buffalo Sabres - Anaheim Ducks - Calgary Flames

NHL Players, Former Players, and Television Personalities

Jordin Tootoo

Marian Gaborik

Machael Cammalleri

Joffrey Lupul

Scottie Upshall

Steve Sullivan

Martin Havlat

David Perron

Mike Green

Mike Commodore *

Cam Janssen

Brad Winchester

Theo Fleury

Alex Ovechkin *

Zach Parise

Brent Sopel

Mike Komisarek

Ryan Kesler

TJ Oshie

Kevin Weekes

Trevor Linden

Bret Hedican

Max Talbot

Blake Geoffrion

Mike Rupp

Patrick Elias

Wes Walz

Rory Fitzpatrick

Eric Fehr

Tie Domi

Brandan Witt

Dan Boyle

NHL

NHLPA

Gary Bettman

Brendan Shanahan

Darren Pang

Matt Barnaby

Scott Morrison

Jeff Marek

Elliotte Friedman

Hockey Night In Canada

Peter Ferraro

James van Riemsdyke

Bobby Ryan

Steve Webb

Dustin Brown

Kevin Miller

Evander Kane

Rob Schremp

Mike Johnson

Alex Foster

Ben Bishop

Mike Testwuide

Corey Elkins

Danny Syvret

Matt Moulson

Riley Cote

Tom Chorske

Troy Murray

Paul Bissonnette

Steven Stamkos

Nate Thompson

Patrick Sharp

Matt Beleskey

Anthony Stewart

Troy Bodie

Zach Boychuk

Matt Duchene

Derick Brassard

Jonas Holos

RJ Umberger

Trevor Frischmon

Jeff Petry

Jim Vandermeer

Linus Omark

Ryan Jones

Ryan Whitney

Taylor Hall

Mathiew Darche

Max Pacioretty

Mark Dekanich

Michael Grabner

Bruno Gervais

Michael Del Zotto

Donald Brashear

Matt Carle

Jody Shelley

Michael Richards

Tom Sestito

Andy Miele

Kyle Turris

Oliver Ekman-larsson

Sami Lepisto

Aaron Ward

Chris Dingman

Chris McAlpine

Corey Hirsch

Darren McCarty

Geroges Laraque

Greg Millen

James D. Craig

Jamie McLennan

Jeremy Roenick

Kelly Hrudey

Trevor Linden

Val Bure

Wendel Clark

Devin Setoguchi

Logan Couture

Alexander Steen

Chris Stewart

Erik Johnson

Ian Cole

Vincent Lecavalier

Colby Armstrong

Darryl Boyce

Luca Caputi

Tim Brent

Tyler Bozak

Andrew Gordon

John Carlson

John Erskine

Karl Alzner

(disclaimer- I went through great pains to try to verify that the accounts were indeed the player, personality, or team BUT as with anything on the net it is very hard to be 100% sure unless they are verified by twitter. Some players, personalities, and teams have been having a hard time getting their accounts verified by twitter. So, If there are any impostors in the list I sincerely apologize for the mistake.)

Phoenix... You really didn't want to win.

See... If you had won Phoenix... you would have had to come back to Michigan and you didn't want to see this

In that type of weather... BizNasty couldn't have rocked this

You also can't really do many of the outdoor activities you enjoy so much


But HEY! If you insist... We'll give you a second crack at being in a hockey climate...
I hear Winnipeg has PERFECT hockey weather.

This one's for you, kid.

Never in my life would I have expected something as small as a scribble on a jersey would mean so much.


Most people that have met me know that the idea of asking someone to write their name on an object that you will allegedly cherish forever doesn't sit right with me. I generally don't like that but when I found out that Jiri Fischer was the alumni at the MotorCity viewing party I owed it to my 14 year old self to get that autograph. Jiri Fischer was that player for me. That player that I chose as a prospect to "be somebody" and "do something". I followed his career from the minors to the Stanley cup to the very end and I still follow him in his new role in the front office. Was Jiri Fischer the best player to lace up the skates ever? No. But I think I can speak for most everyone that has ever met Jiri Fischer in saying that he is one of the most genuinely nice human beings in the world. His reaction when I set his jersey on the table was priceless. He looked almost in shock when I set the jersey on the table and after a brief exchange as I was leaving the table he looked over and said "Thank you for buying my jersey". Nothing could ever melt my little black heart like the sincerity in his voice.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet Jiri Fischer... Take it.

Photo Rambling

In this picture Jovocop looks like a cross between that crazy Aunt that says
"You're so cute! I just want to pinch your little cheeks."

and Dr. Hannibal Lecter when he says
"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."








Nice to see that White Out worked out so well for ya.

Game Three- Here... We... Go!!

(Idea courtesy of reader Kerry Fick)



Pins, BB Gun, Darts... We'll take anything.

Unrest under the sea

Crazy Shanahanigans are afoot over the banning of octopus throwing at the Joe. So we here at Hockey Blogette sent our friend and special under-the-sea correspondent Aaron Downey to get the reaction from nineteen thousand leagues under the sea.



When Downs arrived under the sea he quickly discovered that the new ruling by the NHL had pissed off the entire cephalopod community.


Gertude was so stunned that she refused to allow her children to hear the news.

After searching for a long time we finally got someone to give a statement on what it really means to the octopoda community to be hurled onto the ice.


But the Octopus that we really wanted to get a comment from was no where to be found. After hours of searching and a tip from someone named Molin Smampbell we finally found our guy.


Al the Octopus was visibly upset when we caught up to him while he was putting the squeeze to deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly in an effort to find Gary Bettman. When asked for comment on why he was looking for the NHL commissioner the famous octopus had this to say.

"I just want to... have a nice chat with Gary Bettman before game two. That's it... a chat"

After hours of pressure, Daly finally gave up the location of Bettman's super secret super cool fun fort. As soon as Al hit the road for Sidney Crosby's backyard in Pittsburgh, warnings began to appear by authority of Bill Daly.



So while we here at Hockey Blogette wait to see the fall out of Octogate 2011 our eight armed friends under the sea are wishing they could be part of our world.




But in all seriousness...

DON'T MESS WITH TRADITION!

Anyone have any darts?

One down, Three to go

It's here.

Now is the time to

Be kind to your eight armed friends
(Free them from their tanks in fish markets and unleash them upon the world. But remember... Timing is EVERYTHING)




Drink all the pregame Pepsi you can get your hands on
(Unless you're diabetic at which point you can.. ya know.. not)


Get your red on
(Rep the winged wheel with pride)



Hey Arizona, Ruining white outs? It's what we do best.
(Pride)


Look like your inner hobo
(Guys, throw that razor into storage)


Don some unusual makeup
(Be that guy--or girl-- wearing the crazy face paint)


Do every crazy thing you do to bring good luck to the boys and bring it
(Lucky underwear, socks, shorts, jerseys, hats... we'll take 'em all)


SO...

Are you ready?

Fight-less Monday

We're not really a fighting team. I mean... any one of our players CAN fight. But hitting is our bread and butter.

A season in hits

I pledge allegiance to the Wings...

At the end of the day, there can be only one winner of Lord Stanley's Cup. So if you have three, nine, or thirteen favorite teams only one can win the cup. ONE. And hedging your bets by choosing sixteen favorite teams just so you can say that one of your teams won the cup is rather wrong. Creating a flow chart to determine your allegiance in the playoffs is really rather absurd as well. "If this team beats this team I'll cheer for that team to win over this team and then one of my teams will win" That's not really how it's supposed to work from the way I've always understood it. You choose one team to win. One team to have all the glory. So even if two of "your teams" end up in the finals, there will be only one. One that experiences the thrill of victory while the other deals with the agony of defeat. Any way you look at it, second is just first loser and a successful season according to the record books is determined only if your name is etched onto Lord Stanley's cup. So with that being said...

I pledge allegiance to the Wings of Hockeytown-Michigan, and to the team through thick and thin, one team above all, indivisible, with octopi and good times for all.

It's demolished. Now you REALLY need to fix it.

Not even a day before last night, I was ranting about how the two officials on the ice get it wrong and that they need help from the war room. Well... Apparently... I was wrong. Last night during the St. Louis Blues versus the Chicago Blackhawks game the officials got it wrong and so did the war room. Following a kick by Marian Hossa into the general direction of the net the puck flirted with the goal line before being called a goal by the officials. Now in the footage, the puck is never seen across the line but a very clear kick by Hossa can be found. You can also see an official at a very weird angle emphatically calling it a goal without being close enough to see it (much akin to Mike Leggo's M.O.) Most of the hockey world is up in arms about the call that really makes everyone concerned for the league's officiating and officiating back up plan heading into the playoffs. The Blues got screwed and the Hawks got handed a goal on a platter. Chicago fans can try to twist and turn this call to justify it any way they want. I've seen justifications from "we were due a gimme call" to "so what if he kicked it?". Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say... IF HE KICKED IT (which he did) IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A GOAL (which it probably shouldn't have been anyways because you never see the puck cross the goal line).

If I was Ty Conklin I would have said the same thing. Only with more profanity. And I probably would have added a "Blow me" or "Suck it" directed at the NHLOA and war room at the end. But that's just my prerogative.

“They called it a goal on the ice, which is fine, that’s understandable. But the reason we have video replay is to get the right call. They’re probably going to make it into the playoffs anyways, but do we really have to make it that obvious that the league wants them in? It was a close play, but the puck never crossed the line. I was sitting there watching it, and I knew it wasn’t over.” -Ty Conklin

See for yourself.


Note the kick and that you never see the puck in the net.


So maybe I was wrong about a dozen or so pairs of eyes being able to cover the NHL's ass. After last night, I'm really calling for some changes to the war room. Perhaps they all should come to Michigan and visit Dr. Rahmani.

Hey Tom Brady, How's the audio?

Brian Rafalski


Height- 5'10"
Weight- 195lbs
Position- Defense
Shoots- Right
Birthday- September 28th, 1973
Born in Dearborn, Michigan
Attended the University of Wisconsin
Favorite Musical Artist- Led Zeppelin
Enjoys watching the Indiana Jones movies
Married with three sons and spends the off season in Appleton, Wisconsin



Ruslan Salei


Height- 6'1"
Weight- 212lbs
Position- Defense
Shoots- Left
Birthday- November 2nd, 1974
Born in Minsk, Belarus
Married with three daughters



Brad Stuart


Height- 6'2"
Weight- 215lbs
Position- Defense
Shoots- Left
Birthday- November 6th, 1979
Born in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
Married with three children and spends the off season in Manhattan Beach, California



Henrik Zetterberg


Height- 5'11"
Weight- 195lbs
Position- Center
Shoots- Left
Birthday- October 9th, 1980
Born in Njurunda, Sweden.
Married and spends the off season in Sweden where he enjoys boating and wake boarding.