I noticed that the sun was a bit brighter this morning, the birds were singing a bit louder, and I was feeling more rested than usual--and then I realized it was an hour 'later' than normal. Damn 'falling back.' ;)
It certainly is good being a Red Wing fan on the morning after a win.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Hello! Is Anyone There?
For the past couple of years, I would watch and listen to all of the excuses made for the poor play of the Red Wings. And it was easy to let the excuses go by, as they would get into the playoffs and everything was good. Let's face it, there seems to be quite a few people more concerned about how many years in a row they make it into the playoffs than how deep they go. Anyway, the team would get a pass just because they made the playoffs.
Last year (the year before?) I remember thinking to myself after hearing for the three gazillionth time how "if they didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck at all," or "they tried, but the puck just isn't going into the net for them," or any number of other excuses, that there is a problem not being addressed and it will come and bite them in the ass if it ISN'T taken care of. And it certainly is happening now. While some of the excuses were reasonable--bad reffing, injuries--it still didn't address whatever the REAL problems were. Does anyone remember the days when we would say "the Wings won again, despite the bad reffing" or "the Wings beat {insert team name} AND the refs tonight?" When is the last time we could say either of those?
While I'm hoping that these sorts of situations are as frustrating for the players as they are for us fans, I am not seeing it. Too much passivity from the players--Lidstrom is way too calm, but Zetterberg is no better, and HE'S supposed to be the next captain, so it will be business as usual after he gets the 'C'. The Chief over at A2Y said it much better than I ever could, but SOMEONE has to get mad and STAY mad--maybe it will light a flame under these guys. I certainly don't have the answers to what is going wrong with this team--if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here in my kitchen, that's for sure--but the problems HAVE to be addressed. And soon.
I almost have to wonder if this parity situation is such that a system like Detroit's isn't going to work anymore--a system that does very well and gets players through good scouting and allowing them to mature before coming to the big club. Do teams have to suck so bad they can get high draft picks year after year and pad their rosters just so they can have their day in the sun before they go downhill again? Is the solution for the Wings going to have to be a new look with a lot of new players--a complete and total rebuild? Whatever the answers are for this team, they have to be found soon, or they won't come as close to making the playoffs as they will to getting a very high draft pick for next year.
Last year (the year before?) I remember thinking to myself after hearing for the three gazillionth time how "if they didn't have bad luck, they'd have no luck at all," or "they tried, but the puck just isn't going into the net for them," or any number of other excuses, that there is a problem not being addressed and it will come and bite them in the ass if it ISN'T taken care of. And it certainly is happening now. While some of the excuses were reasonable--bad reffing, injuries--it still didn't address whatever the REAL problems were. Does anyone remember the days when we would say "the Wings won again, despite the bad reffing" or "the Wings beat {insert team name} AND the refs tonight?" When is the last time we could say either of those?
While I'm hoping that these sorts of situations are as frustrating for the players as they are for us fans, I am not seeing it. Too much passivity from the players--Lidstrom is way too calm, but Zetterberg is no better, and HE'S supposed to be the next captain, so it will be business as usual after he gets the 'C'. The Chief over at A2Y said it much better than I ever could, but SOMEONE has to get mad and STAY mad--maybe it will light a flame under these guys. I certainly don't have the answers to what is going wrong with this team--if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here in my kitchen, that's for sure--but the problems HAVE to be addressed. And soon.
I almost have to wonder if this parity situation is such that a system like Detroit's isn't going to work anymore--a system that does very well and gets players through good scouting and allowing them to mature before coming to the big club. Do teams have to suck so bad they can get high draft picks year after year and pad their rosters just so they can have their day in the sun before they go downhill again? Is the solution for the Wings going to have to be a new look with a lot of new players--a complete and total rebuild? Whatever the answers are for this team, they have to be found soon, or they won't come as close to making the playoffs as they will to getting a very high draft pick for next year.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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