The Detroit Red Wings were looking for a game-tying goal and they got it.  The only problem was that it was deemed a non-goal and I can’t understand how anyone could make this call.  It’s clearly in the net, fricking Alex Auld has to scoop in and dig it out and they still claim it wasn’t conclusive?  It’s pretty obvious that it was a goal but the Red Wings ended up losing 3-1 and I totally believe this is the reason for it.

Maybe there’s something to all the chatter about there being a conspiracy against Detroit?  This just seems unbelievably crazy to me.  Watch the video:

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image: TSN

Tonight, they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs and had their asses handed to them after being beat 5-1.  It was a rough night for Detroit goaltender, Chris Osgood, which only highlighted how stellar Jonas Gustavsson in net for the Leafs.  He made 35 saves and continues to be a major factor in helping the team turn things around.  I’m starting to be more optimistic about their season which is more than I can say about Detroit.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said: “We’re obviously not scoring like we have in the past. I think one of the things we had to do is get our head around the fact that we’ve got the same sweaters (but) we can’t play the same way. We’ve got to find a way to win.  One of the things that’s been fun about being a Red Wing the last few years is that we had the puck all the time. We’ve got the puck a lot (now), but we’re not as dynamic offensively at all.”

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It’s too bad because the 25-year-old is off to a decent start so far this year.  In 11 games he racked up two goals and four assists.  It’s not stellar but it’s good enough to miss in the lineup.  Well, like I’ve been saying about all of the injuries in this first month of the season, it’s better to heal up now than in the postseason so hopefully this will be the last time he’ll be sidelined this year.

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed the veteran to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.  He’s no stranger to the team since he played in eight games for the Wings during the 2006-2007 regular season and 16 games in the playoffs. 

He might not be as fast or confident as he used to be but he brings skill and size to the ice and I think this is a decent move by Detroit.

I do wish Bertuzzi had been able to return to Calgary since he seemed to finally be feeling comfortable with himself but I guess the 15 goals and 29 assists (in 66 games) weren’t enough for Sutter to want him back. 

I don’t know about all the juggling the Red Wings have been doing in the off-season but I think the Detroit fans will be happy to see him bring that presence to their game.

image: TSN

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First the NHL informed the IIHF about their investigation into the issue and despite all of this, the KHL has officially registered Hudler’s contract which is worth $10 million for two years.  He had been offered a five year deal worth $3 million with the Wings.  I realize that’s it’s pretty much a no-brainer to want to go with the bigger offer but you can’t just pick up and leave a team that you have a contract with.

With an offer like that, the Wings can’t value him too highly anyway so I don’t understand why they don’t just let him go.  I wouldn’t want to keep a player who didn’t want to be on the team.  I do think they could have given him a bigger contract, though.  He had his best season last year (23 goals and 34 assists) and he was part of the team when the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2008.  I’m not saying he’s necessarily worth the $5 million per season that the KHL is offering but I think $3 million for five years is a little low.

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Further, the NHL has asserted that Hudler is contractually obligated to return to the Detroit Red Wings and they have approached the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the KHL so that the situation can be mediated and discussed.

Darren Dredger quotes IIHF Communications Director, Szymon Szemberg, as saying:  “The IIHF has been informed by the NHL about the Jiri Hudler case. Upon, this the IIHF has informed the Russian Ice Hockey Federation about the NHL’s position and the case is under investigation. As this is a transfer to an IIHF member league the player will be needing an International Transfer Card (ITC), approved by the IIHF, to complete the transfer. Only upon the IIHF’s signing the ITC, the transfer would be finalized and approved.”

If Hudler cannot leave the Wings, it could get really interesting…

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Steve Yzerman, who currently serves as the executive director of Canada’s Olympic team, knows Babcock well from his time with the Red Wings so, along with the coach’s recent record, it’s not too surprising that he was chosen for the job. 

Also, while he hasn’t coached an Olympic team he did lead Team Canada to a 2004 World Championship title and the 1997 World Junior title.  I am hoping he does a better job than Wayne Gretzky last time.  Canada is full of young, amazing talent – use them! 

Who would you choose for Canada’s Olympic team? 

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The Detroit Free Press quoted Holland as saying the following:  "I met with Chelios and told him we would not be offering him a contract.  He wants to play again. I really think that he does have another year in him. I think he can play 10 to 15 minutes. I think he can play on a third pair."

I know that it’s hard to give up on a career that you’ve had for 26 years but it really might be time for him to hang up the skates.  The 47-year-old appeared in just 28 contests this season and failed to register any points and had a plus –1 rating. 

I personally think that, when you’ve had a great career (in his case, he’s scored 185 goals and added 763 assists for 948 points in 1,644 games), it might be better to go out on a high note rather than stay and be ineffective on some team’s roster.  It’s ultimately up to the player but I think Chelios should take the rest of the summer and think long and hard about retirement.

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I wasn’t surprised to see him take home the Lady Bing Memorial Trophy for the fourth straight year.  The prize honors players for their sportsmanlike conduct – Datsyuk only incurred 22 penalty minutes in 81 games and beat out Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay and New Jersey’s Zach Parise.

image: NHL.com

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I really couldn’t believe he did (or said) that but I didn’t think about it too much until it was clear that the two teams were going to get a rematch.  I started mulling over the possibility of Hossa watching the other team hoisting the Cup over their heads for a second year in a row and, instead of feeling pity, I began to feel hopeful.  I wanted him to lose and I think that my vengeful attitude is justified.

Winning the Stanley Cup isn’t about jumping on to the roster of the team that you think has the best chance of taking it home.  It’s about earning the honor and working hard to turn your team into the Stanley Cup champions.  Look at what Sidney Crosby has done with the Penguins in such a short amount of time.  I do believe that his enthusiasm and passion has helped push them to the finals two years in a row and, if I ever doubted his captaincy in the past, he’s proven that he is the leader his team needed.

Interestingly, Hossa wasn’t exactly effective for Detroit.  Not only did he fail to score in the finals, he became almost non-existent in Game 7.  I sometimes wonder if he didn’t psych himself out.  Whatever the reason for his lack of effort, he failed his team when they needed him most.  With Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper battling injuries, Detroit needed all of their players to be at their best.

After the game, Hossa said: “That’s life,” he said. “You just have to move on. It’s a great life experience.  It’s a tough pill to swallow.  It could be different circumstances if I sign in Pittsburgh and now they probably couldn’t sign some other players and they would be different team.  So we could sit here for hours discussing this, but it could be different team, could be different things so I don’t regret the decision.”

Well, I have to admit that his logic makes sense even if it sounds like something he’s telling himself to feel better.  I was glad that the Penguins were classy enough to not mention the irony during the postgame handshake. “Nobody said anything,” said Hossa. “I congratulated them and that was it.”

Hossa is eligible to be a free agent this offseason.  I am really curious to see where he ends up and what kind of deal he gets.  He’s clearly a great player and had a team-high of 40 goals during this past regular season so he probably will get a decent deal wherever he ends up.

image: TSN

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