Wings Blog

Category: Red Wings

Bring some new toys to the Joe for Toys for Tots

Detroit -- For today's game against Dallas and Friday's game against Florida, the Wings are asking fans to bring new, unwrapped toys (but no stuffed animals, please). There will be collection bins and the toys will then be distributed to needy children in the Metro Detroit area during the holiday season.

Also, if you needed another incentive to go to tonight's game, it's dollar hot dog night! You can't beat that.

Category: Red Wings

Coach Babcock sounds a cautionary note

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Coach Mike Babcock is wary of tonight's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets not just because the Wings are looking up at the Blue Jackets in the standings, but because he saw the 6-1 beatdown that the St. Louis Blues put on the Vancouver Canucks last night.

"Did you watch St. Louis last night?" Babcock asked. "You know who swept them in the first round of the playoffs? Do you know who swept this team in the first round of the playoffs? You know what the score was after seven minutes? I might remind our guys of that. The second thing I would say, they've been in a growth process here for a long time. They're getting better and better, bringing in more players and coming of age, so they're a better team. So you're going to have to play better, be more efficient. The other thing about it is it's no big surprise how Hitch wants his team to play, he wants them to forecheck. So there's two things that are going to happen. We're either going to be on top of their 'D' or they're going to be on top of our 'D'. We've got to decide which one we'd like to be."

The Blue Jackets are also aware that tonight is coach Ken Hitchcock's 1,00th NHL game and they definitely want to get him a win.

Category: Red Wings

This week: Boston, San Jose, Toronto

The Red Wings have an interesting week coming up after their long, West Coast road trip. Original Six member Boston comes to town Tuesday, San Jose will be here Thursday and the Wings visit Toronto Saturday. The Sharks are finally where everyone expected them to be -- back on top of the Pacific Division with a league-leading (tied with Washington) 52 goals. The Bruins are in a similar situation to the Wings', hovering around the .500 mark. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have one win. The Wings just need to play like they did in Calgary and make sure everyone stays healthy for a change and it can be a good week.

Category: Red Wings

Olympians at practice

DETROIT -- The Wings had their final practice at Joe Louis Arena today before leaving for Phoenix. Before the practice got underway, there were a couple of extra people out on the ice. They were buzzing around like the Wings but they were on sleds. Ray Grassi and Derek Whitson were the guys and they're on the Canadian Men's Sledge Hockey team.

"I met these guys when I was in Calgary at Olympic camp and I was very impressed," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I was impressed with their drive, with their commitment to their sport, just their zest for life. I think when you're around people like that it makes you better. So I knew I'd have the opportunity sometime to invite them in and I just thought today was a good day for our team to have them and for them to come in and enjoy being around us."

Grassi is a Windsor native so he said it was an easy connection with Babcock.

"It was pretty good, actually," Grassis said of skating with the Wings. "It's a bit of an eye-opener. Our sport you play sitting down, so this is obviously a little bit faster, a whole lot faster, and the puck's coming a little quicker. You really don't feel much out of place. It's hockey, right?"

Grassi, 26, is 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds and is known as the Scott Stevens of sledge hockey.

"Yeah, I am," Grassi said, laughing. "I'm the big-hitting defenseman on the team."

But how can one level another player while not losing balance?

"When I sit, my blades are about half an inch apart, so it just comes with practice," Grassi said. "You've got a strong core and the more you do it, the better you get at it, I guess."

Consider Nick Lidstrom impressed.

"I'd never seen it live," Lidstrom said. "I'd seen it on TV a little bit but I never watched them up close and live. Those guys, they can shoot the puck. They were fast, too, on those sleds. It's impressive the way they can turn and handle the sleds, too. It was fun to watch how they can handle those things."

Canada and the U.S. play two games next week in Rochester, N.Y.

Category: Red Wings

Euro Twins to be reunited

DETROIT -- After this morning's skate, coach Mike Babcock announced that Henrik Zetterberg will jump to the top line with fellow Euro Twin Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom. Valtteri Filppula will center the second line with wings Ville Leino and Dan Cleary. Justin Abdelkader is back and he'll be with Todd Bertuzzi and Jason Williams. Kris Draper will be with Brad May and Patrick Eaves. Eaves is making his season debut.

Category: Red Wings

Introductions

Detroit -- This is a different. They opened with a slickly produced (and very loud) video. Now they have an organist playing after each player is introduced, plus each player enters the ice with a blast of smoke. All righty then.

Category: Red Wings

Bertuzzi's back

It's old home month at Joe Louis Arena as the Red Wings welcomed back Jason Williams and Todd Bertuzzi. VP/GM Ken Holland said the team is hoping that collectively, the Wings left and Williams, Bertuzzi and Patrick Eaves (not a former Wing) can help replace the nearly 90 goals lost when Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Kopecky left. Holland said he thinks Williams can score 15-20, Bertuzzi can score around 15 and Eaves around 15.

The rest of the goals he expects to come from Valtteri Filppula, Dan Cleary and the young kids, say Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. That is, assuming that the latter two make the team. Both still can be sent to the AHL. But I would still expect that Helm would make the team at this point. If he can play in the playoffs, I think he can play in the regular season.

Category: Red Wings

Trade rumors: Laperriere, Roberts

Could a dreaded pest who's been a defined enemy of the Red Wings end up in Detroit?

Hey, it happened to Chris Chelios. So why not?

The Denver Post reported that Wings scout Pat Verbeek attended a recent Colorado game, possibly to check out Ian Laperriere.

Laperriere is the type of physical forward the Wings might like to add before next Wednesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

But he is also the guy who took a run at and injured captain Nicklas Lidstrom last season. Aaron Downey then became a hero in Detroit by fighting Laperriere.

The report also identified Tampa Bay's Gary Roberts as a player who could interest the Wings.

Roberts, you'll recall, took a cheap shot against Johan Franzen during the Stanley Cup Finals when Franzen was just coming back from a head injury.

Laperriere and Roberts don't compare with Claude Lemieux, that's for sure.

But they've certainly been a little despised by some Red Wings fans since those incidents.

Category: Red Wings

FINAL: Red Wings 4, Sharks 1

DETROIT -- What does this prove, you ask? Well, it proves that home ice could be a deciding factor if these teams meet in the postseason. It also proves that Henrik Zetterberg is great. But the Sharks have games in hand, so don't forget that. The Wings have to play well against everyone else, too.

Category: Red Wings

4-1 Red Wings at 17:03 of 3rd

DETROIT -- Ballgame. It's not just the spin moves that tie up the Sharks, but the quick change-of-direction ones. Henrik Zetterberg tucked that puck in nicely. Of course, they did have the two-man advantage so they nearly always score on those.

Z is now in the box but it's too late for the Sharkies.