The Detroit Red Wings Deserve a 2009 Celebration Parade in the City of Detroit

My lavender ottoman made of shantung silk is stained with tears. Big tear drop splooches, long dried, will be a permanent reminder of the heartbreak suffered this Friday June 12, 2009. Wadded up Kleenex are still strewn about its base because I was too upset to worry about cleaning up after myself last night. A warm beer, barely touched, sits on a coffee table though my brother and the last of the house guests are long gone.


I felt numb and empty and horrified. At my team and at myself. I can’t talk about how horribly the Wings played or how mad I am that Hossa never scored, or how upset I am that Chris Osgood was denied the Conn Smythe. I can't explain what I saw or why it felt like the Detroit Red Wings failed to show up last night. (I refuse to believe they didn't give their all, hence "felt like"- clearly I don't know what really happened...)


I have never seen a Red Wings team implode like this. And certainly not THIS one. I still can’t even imagine it even though I watched it happen. It was a bad dream. All I could do last night was wonder how badly the Wings themselves must be feeling.

Another thing I can’t fathom.

Permanent tear stains on a silk ottoman.

And yet when I woke this morning, I hadn’t died. I didn’t feel like staying in bed and mourning. I didn't even feel that bad. It felt like a normal day, despite waking to a thick grey marine layer.


June Gloom here in Coastal Southern California. Depressingly appropriate, but not a red door painted black.


I woke to realize that my tears from last night weren’t as much about my disappointment, as for my Wings. For the boys in red and white who have given Red Wings fans one helluva year.


Saddened that they have to wake up today and live with that loss. After the incredible fight through the Thucks and injury and against a league that often failed to provide them a fair fight.


So strong was my belief that these Wings would prevail over any obstacle thrown at them, a skate stomping pen-duck trying to injure Chris Osgood, or the end of a stick jammed up under the Mule's helmet at his temple, rumors that Nic Lids was not 100%, waived suspensions for undeserving MVPs- none of it dissuaded me from the fact that all throughout these playoffs, I was sure the Wings could overcome. And when they didn't, it hit me like a Lidstrom slapper to the gut. I couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel for our boys in red.


And that is what actually makes me tear up again. Because they don’t deserve it. They deserve to be celebrated.


Celebrated for what these Red Wings have given us this year,

The Wings deserve a parade right down Woodward to Hart Plaza with a million fans thanking them and cheering their year.

This year, 2009.

They deserve thanks and praise for this amazing year. And you fans in Detroit deserve to celebrate this amazing year too. And I am 100% certain the Wings want to thank you for your support.

Time to celebrate a year of being the Stanley Cup Champions, The year of our Winter Classic. Of beating the Sharks 6-0 at home, and always handing Chicago their young, punk asses. A year of showing us time and time again grace, class, dignity and incredible talent, heart and drive.


A year of glorious passes and wonderful saves, Datsyukian dekes and Nic Lids slapshots from the point. A year of cheers and even some joyous tears.


So on this day after a crushing Stanley Cup loss, I thank you my Detroit Red Wings.


For all the games and wins I personally attended during your California tour of duty.


For the puck Andreas Lilja tossed to me.


For the Winter Classic and Brian Rafalski’s cap.


For Pasha’s utter brilliance with the puck and Ozzie’s amazing Conn Smythe earning playoff run.


For Hank’s heart and Danny’s drive.


For Jiri Hudler’s great grin and wicked one timer.


For ice cream eaten out of the Cup by our kids.


For parties at Cheli's with the Cup.


For Darren Helm’s break out post- season.


For a year of helping me understand Mikael Samuelsson’s quirky but undeniable talent.


For Homer’s butt.


For the heart and leadership we got to see Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby exhibit in these playoffs.


For growing your AHL players into Stanley Cup contenders like Helm, Abs, John-E and Ville.


For showing Chicago just who sucks.


For keeping D-mac and Cheli in the fold.


For Nic Lids, who fights through it all without a word, or complaint, just like his predecessor.


For Black Cowboy Hats on Coaches at Wrigley.


For Bab’s sense of humor and the looks he gives reporters.


For bringing the Cup to us throughout 2008.


For 18 years of being the most dominant team in the sport.


For Ken Holland’s brilliance with the Cap.


For beating the Ducks over and over again with your gorgeous speedy, skilled puck possession globetrotter-esque style of play. . .


For a management that values family and wisdom and experience and loyalty, setting the standard to which all teams in this league must ascribe to in order to be successful.


For caring about all your fans, the City of Detroit, her suburbs and their citizens, and battling to the end when you had nothing left in the tank, just for all of us.


For taking your fans all the way through the post season to the very end in such a thrilling, beautiful way, playing with class and courage, through injury and insult and thuggery and with more heart than we had a right to ask for.



Thank You my Detroit Red Wings. You may not get a parade this year, but you still deserve one.

Once more you have given us the journey, the ride and you made me proud.

Proud to be a Detroit Red Wing Fan.

And this ride, journey has been amazing, just like all of you.


Thank you. Now please enjoy your summer, we have a Cup to get back next year....

Chris Osgood: One Of The NHL’s All Time Best Goalies, Ever.

As surely as the Detroit Red Wings will make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs each year, Chris Osgood will be abused in the media as a controversial figure. It is amazing to me that time and time again the hockey world remains divided on all matters Oz.

I can’t tell you the number of times in these playoffs I have yelled “Pierre McNugget: suck it!!” every time Ozzie makes an amazing save on Geno or Sid or Getslaffedat or ANYONE! I just get so sick of experts and the media (like Pierre who ought to know better) perpetuating the myth that Ozzie is a weak link.

First, find me a weak link on this Red Wings team, I dare ya. Second, it ain’t Ozzie. Ozzie has done nothing but play Conn Smythe worthy hockey throughout last two Playoff seasons (I argued he was as deserving of the Conny as Hank last year). So this is my 2009 Pitch: Chris Osgood for Conn Smythe.

It’s my natural inclination to start with statistics, so let's just take a peak. Chris Osgood sits comfortably within the top ten of the following All Time NHL Goalie statistics:

Wins

Playoff Wins

Playoff Shutouts

Top Ten ALL TIME. Chris Osgood.

Suck it McNugget! And while we are at it, ahem. Mr. Crawshaw, aka LW3H, (statistician extraordinaire and sensational blogger from across the pond, author of the “Springing Malik” hockey Blog here at http://springingmalik.blogspot.com/),

Mr LW3H,

THIS is a gauntlet, it has been thrown….

THE CASE FOR CHRIS OSGOOD

Statement of Full Disclosure: I am personally biased toward Ozzie, I have not only followed his NHL career from the beginning, but I strongly feel he is unjustly maligned and should be revered as a world class, NHL goalie. I firmly believe he is a future Hall of Famer. Most importantly, Chris Osgood is a first class A-1 Steak Saucy human being, a kind person who embodies all of the personality traits and human characteristics we all want our star athletes to possess. He is a great guy, humble, hard working, funny. All around, Ozzie is the sort of athlete and person you hope your kids will grow up to be. Plus, he loves the City of Detroit, her suburbs and Detroit Red Wing fans as much as we love the Wings. Did you know that Ozzie never sold his home in Metro Detroit the entire time he was getting tossed around the league? He knew he was coming back, he worked his azz off to get back. It was all he wanted.

But let’s start with the muck shall we, and end with the feel good???

UNSUBSTANTIATED CRITICISMS

The Press and hockey fans throw a couple of repetitious, but unsubstantiated, criticisms at Ozzie. Let’s break them down and beat them up.

Unsubstantiated Criticism 1: That Ozzie faces less pressure in goal because he takes less SOGs

I have a goalie in my family who argues this is a baseless criticism tossed about by people who have never played the game. Its much more mentally difficult for a goalie to stay focused in a game, to sporadically come up big when needed the way, Ozzie does, than to be constantly peppered with shots and have the play consolidated at one’s own end. Less shots means you still must have the reflexes a cat and the timing of a swiss watch, but it also means you also must have the discipline and control of an android. Great stats like Ozzies on less SOGs are, if anything, an indicator of extreme discipline and incredible talent.

PLUS- less shots often translates to better shots, more desperate shots. Goaltending has to be much more impressive when a desperate team is bearing down on you. And the Wings are famous for giving up a lead in the third, coasting on a 2 goal cushion, only to sleep through an easy one and then find themselves forced to play the last minute 6 on 5. Much harder to fight desperate shots and garbage scrums in your crease, which is a lot of the action Ozzie see.

Unsubstantiated Criticism 2: That Ozzie is only as good as the Wings unstoppable defense.

I love this one. There are a couple of hall of fame goalies (and several other not so greats) who didn’t win big under cloak of this Red Wing Defense.

No disrespect to the Dominator, but he’s the most recent example. Look, its fallacy to suggest that a goalie is not an integral part of a team’s defense. And in the playoffs its lazy and slightly misinformed to suggest the goalie isn’t the most important player. Of the 43 Conn Smythe Awards given, 14 of them have gone to goalies. Only Centers have as many Conn Smythes. And if justice serves this year, the number of goalies will increase to 15, meaning goalies have earned the Conn Smythe more often than any other position in the history of the award.

Further, everyone knows that a team’s confidence in its goalie affects play and each players own confidence level. This Wings team makes it clear that they feel extremely confident with Ozzie in goal and that that makes it easier for them to play their game. They also are inordinately quick to point out how talented and amazing they think Ozzie is. And they would be the best people to know.

Further, any hockey fan worth her skates can see Ozzie’s confidence and strength on the ice. He doesn’t “try to help” like other goalies - you know the ones who try to play the puck behind the net, wind up getting themselves caught up, or chipping the puck somewhere not helpful to the team. Oh to be sure, he has done that a lot in the past, but this year? Ozzie has been executing some very helpful and interesting, timely plays and passes, not just behind the net, but out of the crease, at the faceoff circles- the sort of things that make him valuable as a 6^th man, especially on a PP….Hell he’s one of three goalie in these playoffs to have an assist. He’s smarter than other goalies, staying calm no matter what, knowing when to stop the puck and when to let it stay in play, controlling the puck to control the tempo of the game. Time and time again in these playoffs I have watched him help the Wings just by his puck handling decision making process.

Unsubstantiated Criticism 3: Perception that Ozzie isn’t tough.

A Rumor Gets Halfway Around The World Before The Truth Has A Chance To Put Its Skates On. That is where this criticism comes from, its just more and more people perpetuating innuendo, rumor, and an ill-concieved dated perception from the mid 1990s.

Detractors still make reference to that 1992 loss to the Shark’s where a very young man shed tears, or that ill conceived column after the 1998 Stanley Cup.

My response is threefold:

1. That columnist was dead fricking wrong in 1998, and if I could find the article I’d tear it apart point by point, end of story.

2. The Sharks loss was a bazillion years and 4 Cups ago. Please if you have to criticize and you can’t be logical or supportable, please be relevant.

3. I’ll take a kid who is so broken over his own performance, who blames himself so fully, that he is reduces to tears over the kid who points fingers at everyone else and who whines.

Not tough? Are you kidding me? Here is a guy who played through the most evolutionary changes the league has ever seen and suffered some of the harshest criticism, including from his own. GM, Kenny H. once famously said Ozzie was “an NHL Goalie with High school technical skills”. How did Ozzie respond? He completely reformatted his game and at age 32 took on a new style of play, morphing and coming back bigger faster stronger tougher and winning more Stanley Cups.

Unsubstantiated Criticism 4: Ozzie has let some weak, game/series ending goals in during his career.

See UC 3 above, and think about this: the guy has been playing in the league for almost 16 years (since 1992) and all people ever cite are three soft goals in the late 1990’s- again, timely relevance? That McInnis slap shot from center ice. Nick Lidstrom has done it time and time again these playoffs and you don’t see anyone calling Mason Hiller or Khabibulan the worst goalie to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And by the way: the resiliency with which Osgood comes back from adversity and such weak goals is flawless. Think of how he handled AFTER the McInnis goal against St. Louis. He stood on his head. He doesn’t crack and become a sieve like Patrick Roy has been known to do.

Unsubstantiated Criticism 5: Ozzie was lackluster in the 2009 regular season.

Well, interestingly I was prepared to say that I actually cannot argue the numbers on this one, but as it turns out, His numbers aren’t the worst. Whose to say it’s a terrible regular season when your ranked 17^th in the league for wins and you only played about half of the season? I’m not saying Ozzie played like Steve Mason out there this year in the regular season, but he does not deserve all the criticism he has received when he was being better than average. No one ever accounts for the fact that the Wings faced opponents, who on a nightly basis, all wanted a piece of the Stanley Cup Champs.

Lets face it, the Detroit Red Wings have been the team to beat this year, and every single team that hits the Joe, comes to try and take the Stanley Cup Champs out. Essentially the Wings spent a great deal of the regular season having to elevate their game to playoff levels.

Then again, those of us who appreciate goaltenders may realize that Ozzie knows what matters. Perhaps- just perhaps- its not always such a good idea to let your young defense rely heavily on you as a goaltender. Perhaps it’s a good idea to make sure they can hold up their end of the game.

And then again, there are some of us who believe as long as you can elevate your game in the playoffs, an average regular season is fine, and can be strategic.

THE INDISPUTABLE TRUTH: HEART, CHARACTER AND NUMBERS PROVE CHRIS OSGOOD IS OSGREAT

The Heart and Character

I have talked about Ozzie and his heart and character above, I only add this: if you listen to Chris Osgood speak, whenever he is asked the “tough” (I say “mindless”) questions, he responds simply (and paraphrased), “I don’t care what there rest of the world thinks, I don’t pay attention. I care about Detroit. People there treat me well and love me and know what I can do. Detroit is my home and that is who I play for.”

In both the 2009 playoffs (especially the Thucks series) and the entirety of the 2008 playoffs Ozzie proved that he is probably the Number 1, clutch goalie of all time. He certainly is one of the all time greats at rising to the playoff occasion (see stats below). Time and time again, we hear the media ask “how does Ozzie flip the switch???” Ozzie simply responds: “I’ve been in the league 15 seasons. I play for Detroit, where we will always be in the Playoffs. I know how to do this.”

But as actions speak louder than words, sometime hard numbers hit home hardest….

The Numbers

(Cuz You Knew I Would.)

3 Time Stanley Cup Winning Goalie, on his way to leading his team to his 4^th, and tying the legendary Terry Sawchuck.

2 Time Jennings Winner.

10^th Winningest Goalie of All Time, 389 wins (ahead of Hasek, Richter, Hextall) with a 2.47 GAA. Of the top ten all time goalies, only Martin Brodeur and Jacque Plante have a better Goals Against.

Ozzie’s All Time Goals Against Average is better than Patrick Wah (2.53), Cujo (2.50) and Belfour (2.79).

23^rd in All Time Shutouts with 49. (3rd amongst active goaltenders).

8^th Winningest Goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 73 playoff wins in his career, so far.

4^th All Time Playoff Shutouts- Ozzie got his 14th career playoff shutout moving him into a tie with Belfour, Hasek and Plante.

One of only 9 goaltenders to ever score a goal, Ozzie ranks 3^rd among active goaltenders with 18 career points (1goal, 17 assists) behind Brodeur and Cujo.

Osgood beat Terry Sawchuck’s record last year for playoff wins: In 2008 he surpassed the Legendary Hall of Famer Terry Sawchuk to move into top spot among Detroit net-minders in both playoff wins and shutouts. This year Osgood is 14-4 with 73 wins and 14 shutouts in his playoff career.

2^nd in 2009 Playoffs for GAA with a 1.94, stalking Tim Thomas’ 1.85. and maintaining a stellar Save Percentage of .930 (currently ranked 3^rdbehind Hiller and Thomas). He’s had one shut out and credited with one assist.

2009 Regular Season stats: Ozzie cannot be beat in overtime, he is ranked No. 1. Ranked 17th in wins with a decent 26–9–8 record, Save Percentage of .887 and GAA 3.09 which are only slightly lower than last year.

In the 01-02 and 03-04 Seasons he played 65+ games each season and had a GAA under 2.50 both seasons.

1995-96 Season: 1995–1996 season, and he led the NHL with a 2.17 GAA and 39 wins. He also finished third in shutouts (5) and was a Vezina Trophy runner-up to Jim Carey who later retired to Florida to run a pet detective agency.

DON’T YOU DARE LAUGH AT THAT, it was a pathetic attempt, I should be forced to listen to “Mocking Bird” over and over again while Snow and Ice from a freshly zamboni’ed rink is dripped on my forehead…”Hockey Boarded” if you will.

The Intangibles

Oh yea there is more, are you really surprised?

He pummeled Patrick Roy in 1997-1998.

According to his presser and several recent interviews, Ozzie would like to become a bullpen catcher for Detroit Tigers when his hockey career is over.

He has the world most thankless job –a Red Wing Goalie. Hockeytown is supremely tough on goalies- we don’t allow any cracks and we persecute the tiniest oldest mistakes. We ran Cujo out…. Just look at the greats who have not lasted here. Ozzie has spent almost the entirety of his NHL career as a Wing and most of that as a back up goalie. Yet he is flawless when asked to step up makes the big plays the big wins, and to carry the team. He has lasted through almost 3 generations of Red Wings Teams: The Red Army Team, The Lidstrom Era, and now the Eurotwins Era.

Even after 16 years in the league (15 seasons) Ozzie continues to grow his game, his skill set and his talent, evolving as the game evolves. And this game has evolved like mad since 1992 when he first step blade onto NHL Ice. He has come back from adversity stronger and better than before and you never hear any complaints. Instead you hear him say “I love Detroit and the people here, its my home.”

Ozzie embodies humility, hard work and all the attractive personality traits you should want in your star athletes. He knows and live his life, plays his game by these rules: SHUT UP AND WORK. Work harder than you think you can, harder than you think you should and harder than you are being given credit or payment for.

So finally, after all my logic and my theory I ask:

What more do you need to prove Chris Osgood deserves the respect of his contemporaries like Brodeur and Roy and Hasek?

Its time to let go of the Ozzie bashing and recognize Chris Osgood for the future HOFF’er that he is, as important to the Wings successes as Stevie Y, Nic Lids, Hank Z. Perhaps most importantly he is an extraordinarily talented NHL goalie who deserves credit where credit is due.

Ozzie for Conn Smythe, Nobody Beats the Wiz.

.

Don't Stop believin'- no matter how biased it gets!

Ok before I go into my “I hate the league they are all unfair, let’s boycott those bass tards” rant I must first direct your attention to a very exciting development..

Take a look at the ROSTER today, GUESS who is making his first SCF appearance in Game 3?

D-Mac.

HEDHS, Helm yes people, Darren McCarty is on the roster and I am so dam stoked……Even the crap going down at league headquarters can't ruin this day now..

That is 5, (count ‘em) 5. F.I.V.E. Grand Rapids Griffins cracking the line up for the Wings in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. And nailing it I might add, if I felt the need to state the obvious.

Nailing it…. (ok sue me, I am just as happy as a little girl in springtime these days, and that could all change after Game 3, let me have my moment to be happy and so damn proud.)

In the superfantastic bubble plastic words of my dear friend Jessa- “Damn its good to be a Red Wing fan.”

Now where was I? Oh yes.

“I never should have gone to nhl.com.”

ARGGHHH.

Its all my own fault. I got suckered in because just prior to Game 1, I watched Gary Bettman tell Brian Duff, (Duff, Duffy? I get these announcers and cartoon beers confused....) in interview, on national television that the Detroit Red Wings were a Dynasty.

And I forgave him. I am such a fool. An enabler, really. I disgust myself.

So I decide I will not boycott. But what is the first thing I see there at NHL.com? That Colin Campbell, NHL VP and Director of Dick-tatorial Decisionmaking, has rescinded Malkin’s one game suspension. Just flat out refused to enforce the rule after “review”.

For those of you not aware, Geno “I don’t want to work, I want to bang on the drums with Semin all day” Malkin received an instigator penalty in the waning seconds of Game 2 for trying to – um- get musical with Henrik Zetterberg, who quickly responded with a “Listen sucker, take your skin flute and get out of here.”

Or at least that is what I think he said, hard to tell with all those uppercuts Z was mauling “maulkin” with…

So Malkin take the instigator penalty, which means he should be suspended one game.

Rule 47.22 states: "A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five minutes or at any time in overtime shall be suspended for one game, pending a review of the incident. The director of hockey operations will review every such incident and may rescind the suspension based on a number of criteria. The criteria for the review shall include, but not be limited to, the score, previous incidents, etc..."

Campbell allegedly, purported and preposterously stated that he“reviewed” the incident and decided Malkin did no wrong. He did not explain his decision he didn’t even indicate that he might have tried to objectively look at the situation…. He just rescinded the one game suspension.

What????

Did he cut Geno a break because everyone knows Malkin coughed up a good $20,000 for bongo lessons from Alex Semin earlier this year? Because as far as I could tell frm that fight, those lessons took- Malkin fights the way Alex Semin play bongos.

Anyone out there think the League really “reviewed” this?

Know why it bugs me so? Four words: All Star Game Suspensions. The league will make up special rules, and enforce unspoken rules to suspend Nic Lids and Pavel Datsyuk- but waive existing rules to protect their patheticpittsburgean penguin progeny.

Oh come on I don’t want to hear it from you people who argue they can’t force Geno out of the game because without Malkin we all know there is no way the Pens could stay in the series. If you argue this then you are arguing that its is ok for the league to “even out the scales”, and then that means you are ok with Gary Bettman playing G.O.D. Wait til its your team on the wrong side of GB-GOD's decisions...just wait.

Bottom line is that if it were Zetterberg taking the Instigator penalty in Game 2, there is no question that Z would be sitting Game 3 out.

How embarrassing it must be for “Sid and Play” to know they don’t have a chance in this series without a little help from friends in low places.

And by “low”, I definitely meant a double entendre. GB being as slimy as Rick Tocchet and as tall as the Travelocity gnome.

Sorry Jessa, I hate that fact that I may have invoked your recurring nightmare again, let’s send you some happy visuals and thoughts…

Dig if you will, a picture of Lids and Z passing off the Cup, Of Ozzie getting the Conn Smythe, Can you my Wings Fans, can you picture this?

Oh I could go on and on and on with that, but I have a better one. To wit, (though technically it needs to be sung after a third win):

Just a Red Wing team

Living in a icy world

Carrying the Cup around, going anywhere

Just a Swedish boy

Born to play in South Detroit

Carrying the Cup around, going anywhere

A Goalie in a snowy crease

The smell of beer and octopi(ece)

Ozzie saves, Geno loses a fight

It goes on and on and on and on

Russians, skating, up and down the neutral zone

With the Eurotwins, flying down the ice

Cleary, Hossa, living just to hit the net

Topshelf, easy to deke Fleury tonight

Working hard to get a goal

Everybody wants to hit the five hole

Paying anything to carry the Cup

Just one more time

Wings will win, Pens will lose

Sid was born to sing the blues

As the Series never ends

It goes on and on and on and on

Hudler, Helm, skating, up and down center ice

Abdelkader hitting the glove side, sooo nice.

D-Mac, Vladdie will really bring the emotion

Hoping Pavel is alright…

Don't stop believing

Hold on to that feeling

Red Wings, Bring the Cup Home Tonight!!!

And yes, because I am a huge loser, I promise to sing this on the season finale of Puck Bunny Radio, (in three weeks). Gratitude, props and send your complaints to Chris Schafer and Mike Krause for leading me down this path….