Return of The Geek Means Wings' Winning Streak Snaps

Well, it was worth a shot.

After a terrible outing by the Detroit Red Wings last night, and a very difficult day today, I am making my return to the Blogosphere.  I am a fairly superstitious person, so when I noticed that the Wings were winning games in bunches, I decided to maintain the "blog-silence" I had slipped into to help with final preparations for my wedding.  It worked...or, at least, it did for a while.

Last night, the Wings were stomped into the ice by the only other unbeaten team left in the league: the Washington Capitals, losing the affair by a ghastly 7-1 final score.  Though I knew I would be, by design, returning to The Geek after a Detroit defeat, this is far from what I had hoped to come back to.  A thrilling game ended in overtime or even (ugh...) the shootout? Sure.  How about a one-goal loss where the Wings at least got the goalie pulled and put on a frantic and ferocious show trying to even the score before time expired? I can dig that.

7-1? Really?

The Geek is disappoint.

On the upside, Detroit has a 5-1-0 record to start the season.  We've certainly had worse starts, that's for sure.  Putting the loss aside for a moment, the Red Wings have looked very impressive over the course of the first few regular season games.  Players have been contributing and I get the sense like there's some cohesion and synergy that hasn't permeated the entire group for a few years.  Here's hoping it turns into something later...a big-shiny-silver-cup something.

I'm going to keep it short tonight, Wingnuts; however, I am back now, so expect to hear from me regularly once more, both here and on Twitter.

Class is dismissed.

Red Wings' Preseason Opens with Loss

Preseason hockey is never something to get terribly worked up about, but let me tell you one thing: after the horror that was--and forevermore shall be known as--The Summer of Sadness, watching some actual hockey being played was a welcome sight.

The Detroit Red Wings played their first preseason game on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Tied at a goal apiece after 20 minutes, Detroit dropped into a 3-1 hole during the second period and the Wings were never able to dig their way back out, coming up short with a 3-2 defeat.  Niklas Kronwall and Jiri Hudler (WHAAAAAT??) provided the offense for Detroit, while Jimmy Howard minded the net during the first two frames before Joey MacDonald closed out the game.

Again, since this is preseason hockey, there's nothing to really be drawn from as far as season projections, but one player stood out to me in particular for parts of the game.  Danny Cleary looked like a man possessed, and though he did get slightly careless with a boarding call that sat him for 5 minutes, the tenacity was much appreciated.

Another standout was Pavel Datsyuk, but not for reasons one would normally expect.  As you'll notice in the photo above, Dats did not wear his usual #13.  After the events surrounding the tragic Lokomotiv plane crash, Pavel decided to don the #24 in honor of his fallen former teammate, Ruslan Salei, for the duration of the preseason.  It is a touching tribute, and one not unexpected from the humble magician.

Tonight, the Wings continue their battle against Pennsylvania with a meeting with the Flyers.  I'll likely be on Twitter so, as always, don't be shy to chat me up if you see me around!

Till next time, Wingnuts!  Let's Go Red Wings!!

Returning in the Midst of Tragedy...

It's been a long summer and, to be honest, I was looking forward to coming back and posting the return of The Geek for this upcoming season. I've had tons of things on the go to keep me distracted in the offseason: getting another stage production off the ground and planning my upcoming wedding, to name just a pair. So with my mind refreshed from last year's disappointment and the tumult of the summer news stories, I thought today was going to be the time to bring it all back for another run.

Then I checked the sports headlines on the work computer, and everything turned upside down.

If you have somehow not heard the news, reports have been confirmed throughout the day that an aircraft carrying the KHL team Lokomotiv crashed directly after takeoff from an airport near Yaroslavl. All but 2 passengers, one player and one crew member, were killed in the accident. Even more sadly for Wings fans, among the casualties were former defenceman and assistant head coach Brad McCrimmon, recently departed defenceman Ruslan Salei, and Wings goaltending prospect Stephan Liv. All are believed confirmed to have died in the crash.

In one fell swoop, Red Wings Nation lost a piece of its past, [almost] present, and future. My deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of all those whose lives were lost in this terrible tragedy, and my thoughts are with them as they try to move forward in this trying time. Although it is with a heavy heart that I return, yet return I must, and thus I do. I will be prepping for the season in the coming weeks, perhaps posting some player profiles and analyses, and general banter and the usual asinine lamentings of some of the decisions made in the offseason.

For now, though, it is still Brad, Stephan and Rusty's time, and I give them now their due. You will be missed, boys.

~~In loving memory of:~~

Brad Byron McCrimmon (March 29, 1959 - September 7, 2011)

Ruslan "Rusty" Salei (November 2, 1974 - September 7, 2011)

Stephan Patryk Liv (December 20, 1980 - September 7, 2011)

Bruins Cup Win Hazed by Vancouver Smoke and Tear Gas

It appears that 17 years is long enough for a city to forget, and 4 losses are simply too many to forgive.

Despite what you may see or read in the news today, however, there was a hockey game last night and a series was decided. The Vancouver Canucks hosted Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, defending home ice against the Boston Bruins inside of Rogers Arena on Wednesday evening. Every home game in this series saw the home team win, and every game in Rogers Arena had been close.

Boston's hunger for glory certainly snapped those two patterns in half. With a push befitting a true champion, the Bruins dominated the aimless Canucks all over the ice. They didn't even need a barrage of shots, as Boston's shot total was only 20. That was still good enough to beat "Marquee" goaltender Roberto Luongo 3 times and pocket an empty-netter as the Bruins defeated the Canucks 4-0 to earn their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Tim Thomas, Boston's netminder, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He was praised as Boston's most consistent performer on the ice, and many agreed there was no one else who deserved it more.

Some may be wondering when I'm going to go in depth about the subsequent riots that broke out in the streets of Vancouver, but I'm going to admit right now that I'm not going to. That is exactly what the rioters want: attention. So yes, there were riots after the game: people were drunk, were high, were completely moronic, and now have cast a blight on the city that hosted the Olympics which will be a long time going away. Enjoy that. Moving on!

It is being reported that NBC got huge ratings for this game, which is good to hear. I enjoy hearing US TV bringing in good hockey ratings, because it's expected here in Canada, especially when A Canadian team is playing for the Cup. Boston is the 3rd Original Six team to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in the last 4 years, next to the most recent Chicago Blackhawks last year, as well as our very own Detroit Red Wings in 2008. Congratulations to the Bruins for their victory!

Now, the wait for October is on...