Ian White's Selective Memory Leads to His Confusion over Likely Departure

Recently, soon-to-be-former Detroit defenseman Ian White addressed the media in regards to the probable odds of his heading out of Hockeytown and looking for yet another rink to call home.  While speaking to the press, he basically came out and said, "Well gee, guys, I don't know what to tell ya! I guess it's because I'm such a little guy, they must just not like that I'm so little and so I have no place here anymore...!"

Allow me a moment to wipe my tears...of laughter.

No, Ian, this organization is not going to let you go just because you're small.  Does that aspect of you work against what you're paid to do? It certainly seems so, but it's by no means the sole reason you're time as a Red Wing has come to an end.  It seems you've forgotten a very important choice you made some months ago, or perhaps you've blocked it out of your memory already as you should be embarrassed by it in the first place.  You see Whitey, it's like this: If, when you don't get your way and you're frustrated, you run to the media and mouth off about your coach and the management team for not giving you more playing time, then you're going to have a lot of people in charge of your place on the team very pissed off at you.

Thus it stands to reason that if you do that while not even playing above-average hockey, you're REALLY going to piss them off; so much so that when a young guy like Danny DeKeyser comes along, the coaching staff is more than happy to give him minutes and see what he's got.  You know why, Ian? Because he won't bitch and complain about it if he doesn't play well and gets benched!  It's the nature of the game, Ian.  In a season where we weren't even sure of we'd make the playoffs, we had no time for you to be playing minus-rating hockey.

You're a defenseman and you were doing a terrible job at defending, so you got scratched.  It was YOUR reaction to this that punched your ticket out of Detroit.  Had you handled it like an adult and kept your snide comments to yourself, and tried to better or re-invent yourself to make a push to retake a spot on the defense pairings, perhaps we'd all be looking at a totally different picture.  But instead, you decided to piss you pants and run crying to the media, and THAT, Ian White, is the biggest--if not the sole--reason you are not welcome back for next season.  We've shown uppity players the door before, you need look no further than Jiri Hudler and Ville Leino.  Looks like you're the next one on the list, Whitey.  Don't let that door hit ya where Babcock split ya...

Geek News: Datsyuk Wants to Stay, Mule is Parked, Filppula Concedes Possible Departure

After the Red Wings saw their season come to a premature close on Wednesday night, it didn't take long for talks of what the offseason would bring as far as players who might be on the move.  Over the last few days, some of those rumors have seen new light and have revealed in part some of the things to expect from the Wings' bigwigs this summer.  Here are some of the most recent stories coming out of Hockeytown:

Datsyuk Hopes to Re-sign - It seems that people have been blowing smoke over comments made by resident magician Pavel Datsyuk with regards to him playing in Russia after his current contract in Detroit expires.  Datsyuk has since come out and said that not only does he hope to sign an extension to stay in Detroit for the foreseeable future, but that his answer to the media's questions about his desire to play in his home country was just that: an honest answer.  Pavel said that it would be great to play in his native country; however, that is still a far cry from him saying that his CURRENT desire was to play there immediately and more desirable than continuing his NHL career.

No Budging Mule from the Budget - In a recent comment from general manager Ken Holland, it was confirmed that Johan Franzen, a player who has garnered a considerable amount of ire from Wings fans this season, isn't going anywhere soon.  When asked if there was a possibility that the Red Wings might use one of their two Amnesty buyouts to pay out 2/3rds of Franzen's contract and send him on his way, Holland replied with a convincing, "No chance.".  Detroit would have to cough up around $15M up front to the Mule, and because of a thin free-agent market, as streaky and fickle as he's been it would still be hard to replace the production that Franzen brings in every year.  What is frustrating about this is that it's obvious Franzen is more talented than the level to which he actually plays, at times looking completely disinterested on the ice.  His contract isn't terrible, it's just that we know based on his past exploits that we should be getting more bang for the buck out of Franzen, but he seems content in the fact that unless we find someone willing to take him in a trade, he can putter along at his 25-30 goal pace every year with no worries of losing ice-time.

Filppula Preparing for Possible Departure - Nothing is set in stone, but it appears Valtteri Filppula is aware of the fact that, should talks not improve with the team, he may have to look to the market for his desired paycheck.  After making it known that he was looking for $5 million per year, talks between Filppula and the Wings came to a grinding halt.  The Wings are faced with a tough decision here as well: do they let Filppula walk and risk losing him and hope a signing of their own or a younger player can step up to fill the position, or do they bite the bullet, ink Filppula to a new deal and hope for the best?  Personally I would see him gone, but as with the Franzen situation the market is already thin, and replacing a guy like Filppula who is serviceable at his current rate of pay would not be easy.  I would suggest that, if necessary, the Wings sign him to his $5 million deal for 2 years.  I would also suggest that they save one of their buyouts if possible and if after the first year we see no improvement or a decline in production, buyout the 2nd year and send Flip packing.  Now more than ever, it's time for Flip to put up or shut up.

Strike Three: Red Wings Eliminated in Dramatic 2-1 Overtime Loss

We were never even supposed to be here.

The Detroit Red Wings were outsiders looking in for a good portion of the regular season.  Retirements, departures, and injuries had forced them to play a very young a very inexperienced brand of hockey, something Hockeytown was not accustomed to.  There was much frustration and much doubting as to what this team could actually achieve, and if was going to be the true 'Transition Year' where the Wings finally dropped off for the first time in forever.

We were never even supposed to be here.

Then, with a week left, Detroit found themselves at the cusp.  The chances weren't great, but with a little luck and a lot of hard work, it was possible for Detroit to squeak into the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive year. What we witnessed that week was four games of possessed Red Wings players fighting tooth and nail, and pulling off the improbable: a complete four-game sweep of the entire week, and a 7th seed in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Players like Smith, Brunner, Nyquist, Andersson and--to an extent--DeKeyser were going to taste the intensity of playoff hockey in the NHL for the first time.

We were never even supposed to be here.

With a miraculous entry into the postseason, we were rewarded with a series against the always-bruising Anaheim Ducks, 2nd seed in the West.  The Wings were under duress from the get-go, and the Ducks made life miserable for Detroit.  Pushed to elimination, the Red Wings responded and forced a Game 7 by winning in overtime in Game 6.  Finally, Detroit swung the momentum fully in their favor, and against all odds they closed out the Ducks and booked their trip to the 2nd round against the Chicago Blackhawks.

We were never even supposed to be here.

The Hawks were the best team in the NHL all year. They were strong offensively, strong defensively, had size, had speed, and had depth.  There was no hope for the Red Wings, as far as most of the sporting world was concerned.  The opening game was a 4-1 blowout and it seemed like the nay-sayers were correct.  Then, the unthinkable happened: Detroit roared back and won not one, not two, but three consecutive games and had put the league's best on the brink before many people could blink.  It was inconceivable.  Inevitably, of course, came the push back from Chicago.  The Hawks were the same solid team they had been all year, and the series would be pushed to a deciding Game 7 at the United Centre.  Still, the media and many fans had concluded that the series was a s good as over now, that Detroit had no chance of salvaging their golden opportunity to advance after blowing it on the two previous games.

Chicago drew first blood, and all the prophets out there appeared to have been on the mark.  The minutes went by, and as the Wings went into the 3rd period of Game 7 down by a goal, they responded.  The captain, Henrik Zetterberg banged home the puck off a great feed from Gustav Nyquist, and suddenly, very early in the 3rd, it was a brand new hockey game.  The Wings would not go quietly into the night.  Late into the period, it seemed like all was lost as Chicago managed to rip a shot past goalie Jimmy Howard, but a whistle behind the play had been blown and the goal would not stand.  The Wings were given one more lease on life.  Detroit responded furiously, but time would expire, and regulation would solve nothing.  This game 7 would need Overtime.

That is when it happened.  It is often said of hockey that one bad bounce either way can change an entire game.  In this case, it ended a series.  With Chicago pressing, Hawks skater Brent Seabrook pressed toward the blueline.  Detroit defender Niklas Kronwall did not try to hold the line, choosing to back off and stay between Seabrook and Howard.  Having been given the extra room, Seabrook advanced toward the high-slot area and let his shot fly.  Kronwall turned to the side and stuck out his back leg, the heel of which made contact with the puck.  That slight impact would be enough to alter the course of the puck and send it just shy of Howard's reaching glove, sailing into the back of the net.  It was over, Detroit had been eliminated from this year's playoffs.

When you look back at it, it's quite a tale.  And just think: We were never even supposed to be here.

This team performed beyond the expectations of essentially anyone who even remotely follows hockey.  The experience our young players gained from these past 14 games will be invaluable.  They have known great victory, and now they have known great defeat.  They will grow from this and they will mature, but most importantly: They will improve as a result of this.

There will be time enough to look back and analyze what went wrong and what could have been better, but for now, it's simply time to thank the Detroit Red Wings organization for another exciting year of hockey, and prepare for what awaits us in the future as fans.  From what we saw over these 2 series, I'd say the future looks pretty damned bright...

So for the final time this season, and with eyes turned towards a promising future:

Let's Go Red Wings!!

Strike Two: Wings Blow Lead, Have One Chance Left to Eliminate 'Hawks

            Let this go down as one of the ones that hurt to write. Let it go down as one of the nights I was reminded that sports often suck. What’s to be said? What’s to be said for a team that still hasn’t figured out what a 3^rd period is?

Not much. But at the same time, so much. This game, our figurative strike two, was a study in everything the Wings have been this year. The first was mediocre, the second was above average with flashes of brilliance, and the third was a lot of trash time with a late, get your hopes up gut-punch of a goal. The kids played well at times, the vets not named Datsyuk disappeared for long stretches and the result of all that is, simply, we go back to Chicago for our second game 7 in a row. Here’s hoping we repeat that outcome.

                Now, where do I begin? With the bad? With the good? With the first? I suppose we can start there. We came out with, in the author’s humble opinion, a good first three or four minutes. We escaped the period with scores knotted at one. Such is our usual MO and this should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the Wings for any stretch this year. And, in the same vein, you can imagine how the time between our good first few minutes and the end of the period went. Red Wings Bingo was played and if you had “Stupid Penalty” “…that leads to a goal” “Goal by a Hard Working Lower Liner” and “Franzen Being Invisible” on your card (Along with Free Space) you probably won the first period. The Wings, however, did not. Chicago controlled most of it and coming out tied felt like a victory in itself.

                The second, consequently, was a pleasant and happy change. The Wings played like a team inspired, a team that realized it could close out the Blackhawks juggernaut on home ice in front of a building that was electric. Sure, it didn’t start well. Franzen went to the box, and very shortly after his penalty was successfully killed, another was called. You could almost hear the whole of Detroit groan. Too many men on the ice was the penalty, and it was an obvious one. It was an idiotic one. And fortunately, it was a fruitless one for Chicago. After the kill, momentum swung in the Wings direction and began to build. A BEAUTIFUL and downright filthy knuckle puck goal was the just reward for a period that saw the Red Wings truly play like a team that knew what could be achieved. The downside, though, of such a dominant period is that it left Wings fans with the feeling we’d regret not capitalizing on more chances. Going into the third, with a 2-1 lead, was a dangerous way to start. Wings fans know well how rocky our third period play can be. If only we knew just how rocky this third would be.

                I don’t even want to talk about it. I truly don’t. But I suppose I have to, don’t I? For those who did not watch, let me describe it in the best ways that I can. First there were the nerves. Typical game nerves, up 2-1 and 20 minutes away from doing what no one said we could do. Then there was the first Chicago goal. It happened quickly and it felt like being punched in the stomach. A sort of deflation followed, a sense of dread from the part of the brain that understands sports and that annoyingly optimistic cheer of “At least we’re still tied!” from the part of the brain that will never understand sports.

                Goal two was a complete deflation. Feeling left the extremities and we all sunk a bit low in our chairs, like that old anti-marijuana commercial where the girl is talking about her sister who is simply an airless human balloon. The third period, we knew, would be brutal. It’s never *that* easy. But it shouldn’t be that hard. It shouldn’t be that hard to rally a professional hockey team with a veteran core who KNOW what it takes to win a playoff series against a tougher opponent!  IT SHOULDN’T BE THAT HARD TO PLAY A FULL 60 MINUTES, RED WINGS. And yet it is. And there is the anger, just in time for…

                Goal number three. I really, really don’t want to talk about this one. Please don’t make me.

                But seriously, who calls a penalty shot on THAT weak of a slash in an elimination game of the playoffs? Who calls that? No. I will not argue that that call lost us the game because I have been a fan of hockey too long. I respect the game too much to try to argue that a penalty shot, instead of not capitalizing on our momentum in the second or not playing better defense in the third, was the reason we lost the game. But that cannot erase the fact that the penalty shot never should have been called. For those who didn’t watch the game, check out the replay. Go, do it.

                See? And if that doesn’t convince you enough, I’ll put it this way: Ed Olczyk said it shouldn’t have been a penalty shot. Ed Olczyk said the Chicago Blackhawks should not have had a penalty shot against the Detroit Red Wings. Now do you see how serious this is?

                But let’s move one, because we’ve got one more gut punch to cover before we all go to bed and toss and turn all night thinking about the couldas, shouldas, and wouldas. Brunner gave us hope. Brunner, who, if he isn’t careful will begin to pick up the nickname “garbage time,” gave us hope. With under a minute left, he put us within one. And that may have been the biggest gut punch of all. Sports have taught us all to hope for miracles, even though we know we shouldn’t expect them. And so we did. We hoped and we hoped, for the next 50 odd seconds, and it came to nothing. We go back to Chicago with one more pitch, one more chance. It’s time to swing away, fellas. No more giving up, no more 3^rd period collapses. No more stupid penalties, dangerous passes in front of our own goalie or failing miserably to gain the offensive zone. A full on, full team, 60 minute effort is the only chance we have. We are capable of it, truly. We just have to do it.

And on one quick, somewhat unrelated note: If you are giving up on this team before the puck is even dropped for game 7, you are not a Red Wings’ fan. This is playoff hockey and we have at least 60 minutes of it to go. Buck up and get behind this team, that has spent the entire season surprising us and going farther than we expected. Game 7 against THIS Hawks team? Who could have seen it coming? It’s proof. Proof that game 7, this series, this season is not over until it’s over. If you want to quit on this team, don’t come back as a fan next year. We don’t need you. And now, the author has some feelings she needs to take care of with ice cream, or funny tv shows, or something. Until next time, fellow Wings fans. And, as always: Let’s Go Red Wings!