My stepfather was an engineer. The normal disconnect of logic between a child and adult is magnified many times depending on the level of technical proficiency of the elder. In short, I misunderstood much, if not all, of what he tried to teach me at a young age. Enter the early lessons of geology. Dad tried to explain to me how diamonds are made. What he tried to explain was that over an extensive period of time, and under massive pressure, diamonds are created from coal. I heard the words diamonds, pressure, coal. So when he found me stepping on charcoal briquettes next to the bbq, it was clear that the lesson didn’t land. But, 3 decades later, I understand.
What is interesting about the formation of gems is that there are “in between… phases. Lesser value versions of the jewels that didn’t have the right pressure, timing and response. The right pressure creates diamonds, the wrong kind creates dust. Which brings me back to the hockey world and Detroit’s 7-3 loss to Carolina. I find it lessens the burn to veer completely off course and re route back to the task at hand.
I was upset at the allowed second goal. I thought there was clear goaltender interference. The lost challenge led to a power play goal, also reviewed but that was clearly a good goal. Well, the defenseman helped score it. I will never (again) go after refs. After the incident in Calgary that saw a man’s career ended by a cross check I realized what a brutal job this is. Missed calls happen. Missed reviews, in my opinion, shouldn’t. There, it’s been laid out as best as I can do while maintaining some sort of dignity. Boom, 2 quick goals.
In all honesty, Carolina is a much better team. The depth of talent, the structure and buy in, the decision making is all in place. Had I not watched the game and saw the outcome, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Detroit, to their credit, did some solid things that I appreciated. At one point the score was 3-2, then 5-2, then 5-3. The derailing effect of things not going Detroit’s way was an improvement. Mantha is showing that he is finding his way to consistency, Bertuzzi is still a bulldog that makes his way to the net. Larkin has fantastic skill. Athanasiou is, again, helping make things happen. The core guys are growing, and not giving up. That matters.
During a bad season, I’ve seen teams fall apart. Guys can’t wait to get out of town. Some young guys never recover. I believe the pressure is forming diamonds for Detroit’s future. I know that the mounting losses will generate the “trade this guy, fire that guy… talk. Losing stinks, and it makes fans upset. That anger gets directed at whatever will make us feel better. The team is at a painful crossroads. We have lost a string of hall of fame players and the “glory days… have quickly become, well, not so glorious days.
The amount of turnover that this squad will face is substantial. Ericsson, Daley, Green, Howard all hit UFA this year. There are no defensemen signed past 2022. Only 5 NHL forwards are signed past this year. Tons of RFAs. Yzerman is not weighed down with a bunch of contracts that stretch on. It’s an impressive situation. (More in a separate post later)
The vast majority of this team is auditioning for a job next year. The pressure will either build them up or break them down. Yzerman is going to be insanely busy.
Cling to the positives of what we’re seeing. Mantha has 9 goals already. Bertuzzi has 6. Both of those guys need new contracts. These guys seem to like each other. That is a huge benefit in a year like this. We are going to pick up the pieces after many contests this year, and it is going to be tough. However, with the right focus, we’ll find some precious gems along the way.
Thanks again to everyone who stops by to read and comment. Keep them coming!
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