The Detroit Red Wings got some good news Tuesday morning when the results of an ultrasound confirmed what a previous MRI had shown, that Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard suffered only a slight groin tear in Saturday’s loss to Washington.
As amazing as it might seem, considering the pain Howard was in immediately afterward and that a stretcher was required to get him off the ice, according to the Wings, Howard is expected to be out of action for 2-4 weeks.
Injury estimates, though, are often off the mark. Detroit back-up goalie Jonas Gustavsson was expected to miss eight weeks with a separated shoulder, but he’s now been sidelined for 10 weeks and there’s no indication as to when he might be ready to return to action.
“No idea,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said of a timetable for Gustavsson to be back in the lineup. “I think we’ve done a real good job here, the guys that are playing, wearing a Red Wings uniform.
“If you’re fortunate enough in your lifetime to wear it you have an obligation to wear it right. So whoever plays we expect you to do well.…
Petr Mrazek will get the start Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on the night that fellow Czech countryman Dominik Hasek will have his No. 39 raised to the rafters by the Sabres.
“We need Pete to be as mentally strong and determined as Dom is and then he can have himself a heck of a career,… Babcock said.
Mrazek acknowledged that was one trait of Hasek’s game he sought to emulate.
“I'm trying to take from him that,… Mrazek said. “You have to be mentally strong every time.
“If you let in a bad goal, just let it go and be ready.…
Dominator’s Night Hasek won six Vezina and two Hart Trophies as a Sabre, but it wasn’t until after his 2001 trade to the Wings that he captured his two Stanley Cups in 2001-02 and 2007-08.
“Great memories,… Hasek said. “Four great seasons I spent there, with some of the best players I ever played with.
“On one team I played with Stevie Yzerman, Chris Chelios, Nick Lidstrom, (Brendan) Shanahan, (Sergei) Fedorov, Brett Hull. It was like an All-Star team when we won the Cup in 2002.
“When the decision was made in 2001, I’m so glad that I made it the Red Wings because it’s also a great organization. I spent four more great years with them.
“Of course, today, I’ll be honest. I will cheer for the Sabres.…
Like Hasek, both of Tuesday’s starting goalies – Detroit’s Mrazek and Buffalo’s Michal Neuvirth – are from the Czech Republic and grew up idolizing Hasek.
“They told me yesterday two young goalies from the Czech Republic will play against each other,… Hasek said. “This is something special. They’re going to retire your jersey and two young kids from Czech Republic will be on the ice against each other.
“I met Michal Neuvrith before. Mrazek, I know him a little bit but we never met.…
It means much to Hasek that young kids opted to become goalies because of his presence in his homeland.
“This is something I’m proud of if I had influence on these young goalies,… Hasek said. “My style, my work ethic or something was special for them which learned them to become NHL goalies.
“In the Czech Republic, this is a great hockey country. It’s not like in Canada. Hockey and soccer are the two No. 1 sports. They follow the NHL and career of these young goalies like they did for all of my career. Hockey means a lot to the people of Czech Republic.…
Tom’s Town Called up to back-up Mrazek after Howard was injured, Tom McCollum was raised in nearby Cambria, N.Y., about 25 miles from Buffalo, so this is a homecoming for him.
“I was pretty much born and raised in Cambria, which is right outside Sanborn,… McCollum said. “I think the hospital I was born in is in Amherst. I’ve never lived in Amherst though.
“I know my parents used to have (Sabres) season tickets when I was little until I got too busy playing my own hockey. I used to always come and watch games here.
“I was here for the first game they played with the new jerseys in this building. That was pretty exciting.…
Oh For Two The Wings and Sabres have split two previous meetings this season and will meet again Sunday in Detroit to close out the season series.
It’s been so long since the Wings dropped more than one game in a single season to the Sabres, the last time they did so it cost them a playoff spot.
That was in 1989-90, when the Sabres won two of three games from Detroit, including a 6-5 decision March 27, 1990 at Joe Louis Arena which officially eliminated the Wings from the playoffs, the last season in which the franchise did not qualify for post-season play.
The Wings were riding a six-game winning streak over the Sabres before dropping a 3-2 shootout decision in their last visit to Buffalo on Nov. 2. Overall, Detroit has won 12 of 14 from the Sabres.
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