Mark Spizzirri: GAMEDAY: The all-important Game 4 - Blackhawks vs. Red Wings

After reading the Canuck's bloggers the past few years, and dealing with many of the idiots on that board (not all), your posts are refreshing and balanced, your followers, for the most part, seem pretty level headed in comparison.

I might just have to follow your blog more often.

After reading the Canuck's bloggers the past few years, and dealing with many of the idiots on that board (not all), your posts are refreshing and balanced, your followers, for the most part, seem pretty level headed in comparison.

I might just have to follow your blog more often.
- howiehandles

Yes, we're pretty fortunate I tried pointing this out in Jaeckel's blog a few days ago and was absolutely roasted for it. I think Spitty does a good job of summing up the games/series in a balanced manner without stroking too much of one team.

Mark, thanks for the update on the prospects. I don't get a lot of news on minor league hockey, so it's good to get an update once in a while. Excited that we've at least got some things in the cupboards for the next few years.

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous for tonight. I just hope Detroit can match Chicago's intensity. I think if we can weather the initial storm, things will settle into the game that Detroit wants Chicago to play, and get them off their game. If Detroit is up going into the 3rd, I imagine a MONSTER of a period from the Blackhawks. Howie no doubt, will have to be huge again.

Go Wings!!!

After reading the Canuck's bloggers the past few years, and dealing with many of the idiots on that board (not all), your posts are refreshing and balanced, your followers, for the most part, seem pretty level headed in comparison.

I might just have to follow your blog more often.
- howiehandles

I have felt the same for years... balanced posts, and followers who clearly have followed their team and the game a long time. Rarely much homerism if any.

Should be a good one tonight as long as they don't come out completely flat. Nice look at the systemof prospects too, cant expect them all to pan out but withthat many quality players tthere's bound to be a few that come out as good nhlers.

After reading the Canuck's bloggers the past few years, and dealing with many of the idiots on that board (not all), your posts are refreshing and balanced, your followers, for the most part, seem pretty level headed in comparison.

I might just have to follow your blog more often.
- howiehandles

Thanks for the kind words. It "does" likely help that I'm not actually a fan of the Red Wings, allowing me to provide a perspective from the outside looking in.

Agree with you that the majority of the Red Wing followers here are very knowledgeable and level headed. Just wish we could get more of them out.

Yes, we're pretty fortunate I tried pointing this out in Jaeckel's blog a few days ago and was absolutely roasted for it. I think Spitty does a good job of summing up the games/series in a balanced manner without stroking too much of one team.

Mark, thanks for the update on the prospects. I don't get a lot of news on minor league hockey, so it's good to get an update once in a while. Excited that we've at least got some things in the cupboards for the next few years.

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous for tonight. I just hope Detroit can match Chicago's intensity. I think if we can weather the initial storm, things will settle into the game that Detroit wants Chicago to play, and get them off their game. If Detroit is up going into the 3rd, I imagine a MONSTER of a period from the Blackhawks. Howie no doubt, will have to be huge again.
- drice97

Thanks again drice...just trying to convey what I see in my opinion.

Unfortunately, balanced analysis apparently doesn't help with readership!


Which helps explain why we see fewer and fewer follow this style....

I have felt the same for years... balanced posts, and followers who clearly have followed their team and the game a long time. Rarely much homerism if any.
- hit 'em

Thanks for the kind words....good luck to your Sharks.....has been a very good series against the Kings.

Im very frustrated to see Bolland is still at 2nd line Center. If anyone, why not Sharp? Why not try a line with Stalberg-Sharp-Kane, and then put Bolland back at 3rd line Center with Bickell and Shaw? Anyways, the center position is what's killing the Hawks. Gotta win face offs. Toews needs a goal too, a Toews powerplay goal would be killing 2 birds with one stone. But honestly its getting to the point where i feel like when the Hawks get a powerplay they have less of a chance of scoring than when its 5on5, and i just cant wait for the powerplay to end cuz its wasting valuable 5on5 chances.....That's just how pathetic our PP has been....

Im very frustrated to see Bolland is still at 2nd line Center
- SimpleJack

I applied the same equation as they did at http://hockeyanalysis.com...le-leafs-possession-game/ to determine who the biggest drag is for puck possession for the Hawks over the course of the season during 5 v 5 situations. It was scored using the Hawks fenwick numbers (shots on net + shots wide) when Bolland is on the ice, when he isn;t on the ice, and the opponents fenwick numbers wile playing the Hawks. According to that model, Bolland is the Hawks greatest drag on possession.

I applied the same equation as they did at http://hockeyanalysis.com...le-leafs-possession-game/ to determine who the biggest drag is for puck possession for the Hawks over the course of the season during 5 v 5 situations. It was scored using the Hawks fenwick numbers (shots on net + shots wide) when Bolland is on the ice, when he isn;t on the ice, and the opponents fenwick numbers wile playing the Hawks. According to that model, Bolland is the Hawks greatest drag on possession.
- HajdukChicago

He most certainly is. And i dont even think you need to use the formula's to figure it out, just use ur eyes....I'm greatful for his contributions to our cup team in 2010, but i'd like to see him gone after this season.

Im very frustrated to see Bolland is still at 2nd line Center. If anyone, why not Sharp? Why not try a line with Stalberg-Sharp-Kane, and then put Bolland back at 3rd line Center with Bickell and Shaw? Anyways, the center position is what's killing the Hawks. Gotta win face offs. Toews needs a goal too, a Toews powerplay goal would be killing 2 birds with one stone. But honestly its getting to the point where i feel like when the Hawks get a powerplay they have less of a chance of scoring than when its 5on5, and i just cant wait for the powerplay to end cuz its wasting valuable 5on5 chances.....That's just how pathetic our PP has been....
- SimpleJack

With you 100% on every point. If Bolland centers the 2nd line, and Kane now has Saad who he's rarely played with, I don't see him doing much with that, especially with Bolland losing all the face offs. I can't for the life of me figure out why Sharp isn't centering the 2nd line and Seabrook isn't playing the point on the PP. If those projected lines hold, all of the top six are going to have to play with determination and smarts in order to have a chance tonight. And, this assumes that Toews shakes off Zetterberg this time around.

Hopefully no clown zebra interference tonight and that goes both ways !

Frk will turn into a solid NHLer for years to come, had the pleasure of watching him play a lot in Halifax this year and the kid seemed to take a few nights off here and there early on, but boy does he ever show up for the big games. He is going to be a player to watch for sure and he has one hell of a shot.

Reading through a lot of the Blackhawk fan comments, I read the same frustration that we, as Red Wings fans have felt in years past:
1) Amazing regular season = huge expectations. Coupled with a frustrating playoff run, and you're left wondering WTH.

2) The talent is there, but other teams just seem to get to another, unexplicable level

3) Making good to average goalies seem like the reincarnation of Jacques Plante or (even worse) Patrick Roy.

We've had seasons where we had all the right pieces, but either a) got beat by a younger, hungrier, harder working "blue collar team (99 Avs, '03 Ducks, '04 Flames, '06 Oilers).

Yes, we're pretty fortunate I tried pointing this out in Jaeckel's blog a few days ago and was absolutely roasted for it. I think Spitty does a good job of summing up the games/series in a balanced manner without stroking too much of one team.

Mark, thanks for the update on the prospects. I don't get a lot of news on minor league hockey, so it's good to get an update once in a while. Excited that we've at least got some things in the cupboards for the next few years.

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous for tonight. I just hope Detroit can match Chicago's intensity. I think if we can weather the initial storm, things will settle into the game that Detroit wants Chicago to play, and get them off their game. If Detroit is up going into the 3rd, I imagine a MONSTER of a period from the Blackhawks. Howie no doubt, will have to be huge again.
- drice97

As much as there's venom from the Chicago side, and there will always be knuckleheads, the Chicago board is much nicer than the Nuck board. Much of the stuff is said out of envy for the past 20 years, as much about Detroit's success as it is/was about Bill Wirtz tearing apart a good team and dropping a deuce on the fans. Even the most rabid Hawk fan will begrudgingly admit respect for the Wings, perhaps not in a crowd though.

One can only handle being labeled a bandwagon fan so much. There are a lot of people outside Chicago who have no idea what Bill Wirtz did to that team. A lot of the Chicago fans, while I can't speak for everyone, are hardcore, and followed the team when it was radio only, which wasn't all that long ago. That being said, my experience with the "scum", "dead wings", etc, has been largely positive, as they were among the first to congratulate us on FINALLY winning a Cup. I understand things get heated between any fanbase, especially online, but it's nice to hold back a bit and show some class once your team has been defeated, or even more so once your team has won. I obviously want the Hawks to win the next three, but as of now, if the Wings were to win, I'd much rather see them win, than the Pens, Kings or Bruins.

Thanks again drice...just trying to convey what I see in my opinion.

Unfortunately, balanced analysis apparently doesn't help with readership!


Which helps explain why we see fewer and fewer follow this style....
- spity1

You could always stir things up like Clouts and Barry. But what you'd gain in readership, you'd lose in credibility.

Reading through a lot of the Blackhawk fan comments, I read the same frustration that we, as Red Wings fans have felt in years past:
1) Amazing regular season = huge expectations. Coupled with a frustrating playoff run, and you're left wondering WTH.

2) The talent is there, but other teams just seem to get to another, unexplicable level

3) Making good to average goalies seem like the reincarnation of Jacques Plante or (even worse) Patrick Roy.

We've had seasons where we had all the right pieces, but either a) got beat by a younger, hungrier, harder working "blue collar team (99 Avs, '03 Ducks, '04 Flames, '06 Oilers).
- drice97

Right now it just seems like big brother vs little brother. Pushing little brother's buttons, pushing him around.

I think us Hawk fans are greedy. Not in a bad way, but we realize how fleeting success can be, and how close we were back in the 80s and early 90s. But Lucy kept ripping the ball away just as we were about to kick it.

It seems to me that the Hawks are really close to just exploding, in a good way. I'm not sold on Crawford. He's a slightly above goalie IMO, but before Emery was hurt, I liked him more. I like a goalie to have a bit of attitude. Not necessarily Hexall or Billy Smith, but a bit of a feistyness without going overboard. Razor has that, and the team seems to feed off his attitude.

The Hawks aren't as soft as there were the past two years, but they really need more bodies in front of the next, and for freaks sake, some guys from the point whom the other team will respect on the slapshot. I'd rather have Roszival or Sharp taking a slapper out there. They Wings aren't letting them get away with their pretty hockey crap that works during the regular season.

I'll say this much, I watching Datsyuk play.

Hopefully no clown zebra interference tonight and that goes both ways !

Frk will turn into a solid NHLer for years to come, had the pleasure of watching him play a lot in Halifax this year and the kid seemed to take a few nights off here and there early on, but boy does he ever show up for the big games. He is going to be a player to watch for sure and he has one hell of a shot.
- Ballam

Hey dude no sh1t. I just moved to Dartmouth in December to be close to my daughter. Love this province! Go moose!!!

Thanks for the kind words. It "does" likely help that I'm not actually a fan of the Red Wings, allowing me to provide a perspective from the outside looking in.

Agree with you that the majority of the Red Wing followers here are very knowledgeable and level headed. Just wish we could get more of them out.
- spity1

Thanks for the update Mark and i'm glad that even if there isn't 1000 Wings fan on this site that you don't turn to stupid blogs bashing other teams or fan bases just to get hits like some of the other bloggers on this site.

I watched that Griffins game and thought they were going to lose it. The goals they scored in that comeback were some very nice goals. Watching some of those youngsters play and knowing that a bunch more of talented youngsters will be added to next years Griffins team is very exciting. Heck I don't think I've been this excited about the Wings farm system since the late 80's/early 90's. Of course, not all of them will pan out but with that many good young players...I like the odds of getting a couple of very good ones.

Been watching the Memorial Cup a lot too and more specifically Halifax because of Frk. That line with MacKinnon, Drouin and Frk is so much fun to watch. Too bad the Wings have no shot at getting MacKinnon and Drouin because they play so well together.


As for the game tonight, i'm hoping they win but i'm taking a wait and see approach. At some point they have to start scoring on the PP because the Hawks likely will. You would think that having Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen on a PP unit would score once in a while even if just a fluke goal but nothing. Have to give the Hawks PK some credit though as they are very aggressive on the PK. Wings need some quick accurate passing to maybe catch them out of position because of them being so aggressive but that's easier said then done. Having more right handed shots would also help with only Brunner right now which is why i'm hoping a couple of Sproul, Jensen, Pulkkinen or Frk eventually make the Wings and give them more option to set up the PP for one timers.

Reading through a lot of the Blackhawk fan comments, I read the same frustration that we, as Red Wings fans have felt in years past:
1) Amazing regular season = huge expectations. Coupled with a frustrating playoff run, and you're left wondering WTH.

2) The talent is there, but other teams just seem to get to another, unexplicable level

3) Making good to average goalies seem like the reincarnation of Jacques Plante or (even worse) Patrick Roy.

We've had seasons where we had all the right pieces, but either a) got beat by a younger, hungrier, harder working "blue collar team (99 Avs, '03 Ducks, '04 Flames, '06 Oilers).
- drice97

As a longtime Hawks fan and hockey nut, I have Much respect for the Wings and their fans. 2010 Cup aside, I have felt since the 2008-2009 season that the Hawks organization wont truly graduate until they take a playoff series from Detroit. They still have a good chance, but Babcock is schooling Q in every area and doing it calmly. Hawks bench appeared to be in disarray toward the middle third of game three.

Yes, we're pretty fortunate I tried pointing this out in Jaeckel's blog a few days ago and was absolutely roasted for it. I think Spitty does a good job of summing up the games/series in a balanced manner without stroking too much of one team.

Mark, thanks for the update on the prospects. I don't get a lot of news on minor league hockey, so it's good to get an update once in a while. Excited that we've at least got some things in the cupboards for the next few years.

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous for tonight. I just hope Detroit can match Chicago's intensity. I think if we can weather the initial storm, things will settle into the game that Detroit wants Chicago to play, and get them off their game. If Detroit is up going into the 3rd, I imagine a MONSTER of a period from the Blackhawks. Howie no doubt, will have to be huge again.
- drice97

That was a good article on Holland he linked to. Detroit is a very well run franchise.

Tonight's game should be interesting, the Hawks better come back with better effort and stop focusing on revenge for perceived cheap hits and instead focus on the game.

Nice to get an update on the prospects in the farm system.

I have to admit I'm sick of hearing the "wings are on the decline".... blah, blah, blah from people who have no clue about this organization or it's front office. So many people have written them off. This was coming from everybody... including many Hawks fans on J.J.'s blog at the start of the playoffs who were begging to play the Wings in the second round. This Wings farm system is stacked with talented guys. There hasn't been this much talent in the system since the early 90's. Not all of them will be NHLer's, but very likely at least some of them will. Look no further than the Grand Rapids Griffins. Detroit took their most talented players this season and they're still in the Conference Finals. Heck.. Tatar should be in Detroit right now.... taking Cleary's ice time. Yes... we all agree that Zetterberg and Datsyuk are getting up there in age. But by the time they retire, I think the Wings will have good depth... Only time will tell if they eventually get any real super elite players like Dats and Z. The Wings are still in a good position to be very competitive the next few years.

Can't help but think how much better this team could be right now with Dekeyser and Helm in the lineup.

Yes, we're pretty fortunate I tried pointing this out in Jaeckel's blog a few days ago and was absolutely roasted for it. I think Spitty does a good job of summing up the games/series in a balanced manner without stroking too much of one team.

Mark, thanks for the update on the prospects. I don't get a lot of news on minor league hockey, so it's good to get an update once in a while. Excited that we've at least got some things in the cupboards for the next few years.

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous for tonight. I just hope Detroit can match Chicago's intensity. I think if we can weather the initial storm, things will settle into the game that Detroit wants Chicago to play, and get them off their game. If Detroit is up going into the 3rd, I imagine a MONSTER of a period from the Blackhawks. Howie no doubt, will have to be huge again.
- drice97

Agree completely. We have a great Blogger without the bias I see from some of the others on Hockeybuzz. Keep up the great work Mark !!

I see a lot of people appreciating the updates on the prospects. If you ever want more info on them, Detroit has one of the best prospect sites in hockey at redwingscentral.com. Tons of in depth analysis on the kids.

BTW, another great blog Mark.