Friday, August 28, 2015
| Detroit Red Wings November 2013-14 Schedule | ||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | ||
| Nov 1 | at Calgary Flames | Won, 5-4 | ||
| Nov 2 | at Edmonton Oilers | Won, 6-1 | ||
| Nov 4 | at Winnipeg Jets | Lost, 5-4 | ||
| Nov 7 | vs Dallas Stars | Lost, 3-1 | ||
| Nov 9 | vs Tampa Bay Lightning | Lost, 4-1 | ||
| Nov 12 | vs Winnipeg Jets | Lost, 8-4 | ||
| Nov 15 | vs Washington Capitals | Won, 5-2 | ||
| Nov 16 | at New York Islanders | Won, 4-3 | ||
| Nov 19 | vs Nashville Predators | Won, 4-2 | ||
| Nov 21 | vs Carolina Hurricanes | Won, 5-2 | ||
| Nov 23 | at Ottawa Senators | Lost, 5-3 | ||
| Nov 24 | at Buffalo Sabres | Won, 5-4 | ||
| Nov 27 | vs Boston Bruins | Lost, 4-3 | ||
| Nov 29 | at New York Islanders | Lost, 6-2 | ||
Entry: December 1st, 2013
The squad finished November one win better than October at 8-7. The division is shaping up that we’re actually not going to have to be much better than that in order to qualify for a playoff spot but of course no one wants to leave our fate in the hands of other teams.
Despite only being one game above .500 Babcock tells me the locker room is in fine shape in that no one is panicking but at the same time no one is satisfied either. With the mix we have of seasoned veterans and young talent it’s important that a tone is set during rough times where guys are saying ‘We’ve got to step up, losing isn’t acceptable’.
That being said I’m heavily considering making a move. Our offensive output is not where it should be and defensively we’re unable to clear the zone all too often. I’m thinking about shopping around for a natural scorer.
I am anxious for this team to start hitting it’s stride.
Monday, August 24, 2015
| Detroit Red Wings October 2013-14 Schedule | ||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | ||
| Oct 2 | vs Buffalo Sabres | Lost, 3-2 | ||
| Oct 4 | at Carolina Hurricanes | Won, 4-1 | ||
| Oct 5 | at Boston Bruins | Lost, 2-1 | ||
| Oct 9 | vs Phoenix Coyoties | Lost, 1-0 | ||
| Oct 12 | vs Philadelphia Flyers | Lost, 2-0 | ||
| Oct 14 | at Boston Bruins | Won, 3-2 | ||
| Oct 15 | vs Columbus Blue Jackets | Won, 7-3 | ||
| Oct 17 | at Colorado Avalanche | Lost, 3-2 | ||
| Oct 19 | at Phoenix Coyotes | Lost, 6-3 | ||
| Oct 21 | vs San Jose Sharks | Won, 6-3 | ||
| Oct 23 | vs Ottawa Senators | Won, 5-3 | ||
| Oct 26 | vs New York Rangers | Won, 5-3 | ||
| Oct 30 | at Vancuover Canucks | Lost, 4-1 | ||
Entry: November 1st, 2013
I’m not entirely pleased with the way this team is performing right now. I personally don’t believe in the school of thought that you can give a team slack if it’s early in the season. Points count the same in October as they do come playoff time when you need a tie breaker or OTL to win home ice. I will give the guys some time to gel but we started the season 1-4 and were shut out twice!
The positives to take away at this point are that the team is being led by its stars; Datsyuk & Zetterberg are the scoring leaders and Franzen is playing like he’s three years younger at the moment. I’ll look for the youngsters to step up as the season wears on and old legs grow tired.
The other positive is that we’ve been healthy which hopefully continues. Babcock is working the line parings around to find the right combination and I trust his judgment implicitly. I know whether it be line parings or some other form of motivation that he’ll ge the best out of these guys.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
| Detroit Red Wings Depth Chart - 2013-14 | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LW | H Zetterberg | J. Abdelkater | T. Tatar | D. Cleary |
| C | P. Datsyuk | D. Helm | D. Legwand | S. Weiss |
| RW | J. Franzen | T. Bertuzzi | D. Alfredsson | T. Jurco |
| D #1 | N. Kronwall | B. Smith | J. Ericsson | |
| D #2 | K. Quincey | J. Kindl | D. DeKeyser | |
| G | J. Howard | J. Gustofsson | ||
Entry: October 3rd, 2013
Finally we were able to offload Alffredsson. The LA Kings sent us their first round pick in the upcoming draft. There was criticism in the media about giving up a “solid veteran” for just one draft pick and I wish we had pushed for more. For all we know though it could turn into Ekblad.
With the hole in the lineup it looks like Babcock will move Zetterberg to center and Legwand to RW as he’s a liability in the faceoff dot anyway.
Now that that goal has been knocked out I felt like the roster is where it should be. I wish we could have gotten to this point before the first game but nonetheless we’re ready for the coming 81 games.
I also met with Mike Illich two days ago. He made it clear in not so many words that the results of this team would fall on my head and that he expected the team to win 42 games and make a run into the second round of the playoffs. I’m 100% confidant that the current roster can accomplish this.
The more and more though I look at whom we have, I see this team as a year away from challenging for the cup. I expect Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Pulkkinen, Sheahan, and Mrazek to make big strides in their game throughout this season. If all those guys can step up and our veterans can be healthy I expect a serious cup run next season.
| Detroit Red Wings 2013-14 Schedule | ||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | ||
| Oct 2 | vs Buffalo Sabres | |||
| Oct 4 | at Carolina Hurricanes | |||
| Oct 5 | at Boston Bruins | |||
| Oct 9 | vs Phoenix Coyoties | |||
| Oct 12 | vs Philadelphia Flyers | |||
| Oct 14 | at Boston Bruins | |||
| Oct 15 | vs Columbus Blue Jackets | |||
| Oct 17 | at Colorado Avalanche | |||
| Oct 19 | at Phoenix Coyotes | |||
| Oct 21 | vs San Jose Sharks | |||
| Oct 23 | vs Ottawa Senators | |||
| Oct 26 | vs New York Rangers | |||
| Oct 30 | at Vancuover Canucks | |||
| Nov 1 | at Calgary Flames | |||
| Nov 2 | at Edmonton Oilers | |||
| Nov 4 | at Winnipeg Jets | |||
| Nov 7 | vs Dallas Stars | |||
| Nov 9 | vs Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| Nov 12 | vs Winnipeg Jets | |||
| Nov 15 | vs Washington Capitals | |||
| Nov 16 | at New York Islanders | |||
| Nov 19 | vs Nashville Predators | |||
| Nov 21 | vs Carolina Hurricanes | |||
| Nov 23 | at Ottawa Senators | |||
| Nov 24 | at Buffalo Sabres | |||
| Nov 27 | vs Boston Bruins | |||
| Nov 29 | at New York Islanders | |||
| Dec 1 | at Ottawa Senators | |||
| Dec 4 | vs Philadelphia Flyers | |||
| Dec 6 | at New Jersey Devils | |||
| Dec 7 | vs Florida Panthers | |||
| Dec 10 | at Florida Panthers | |||
| Dec 12 | at Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| Dec 14 | vs Pittsburgh Penguins | |||
| Dec 15 | vs Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| Dec 17 | vs Anaheim Ducks | |||
| Dec 19 | vs Calgary Flames | |||
| Dec 21 | at Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Dec 23 | vs New York Islanders | |||
| Dec 28 | at Florida Panthers | |||
| Dec 30 | at Nashville Predators | |||
| Jan 1 | vs Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Jan 4 | at Dallas Stars | |||
| Jan 9 | at San Jose Sharks | |||
| Jan 11 | at LA Kings | |||
| Jan 12 | at Anaheim Ducks | |||
| Jan 16 | at New York Rangers | |||
| Jan 18 | vs LA Kings | |||
| Jan 20 | vs St. Louis Blues | |||
| Jan 22 | vs Chicago Blackhawks | |||
| Jan 24 | vs Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Jan 26 | vs Florida Panthers | |||
| Jan 28 | at Philadelphia Flyers | |||
| Jan 31 | vs Washington Capitals | |||
| Feb 2 | vs Washington Capitals | |||
| Feb 3 | vs Vancuover Canucks | |||
| Feb 6 | at Florida Panthers | |||
| Feb 8 | at Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| Feb 26 | at Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Feb 27 | at Ottawa Senators | |||
| Mar 4 | at New Jersey Devils | |||
| Mar 5 | vs TRADE DEADLINE | |||
| Mar 6 | vs Colorado Avalanche | |||
| Mar 7 | vs New Jersey Devils | |||
| Mar 9 | at New York Rangers | |||
| Mar 11 | at Columbus Blue Jackets | |||
| Mar 14 | vs Edmonton Oilers | |||
| Mar 16 | at Chicago Blackhawks | |||
| Mar 18 | vs Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Mar 20 | vs Pittsburgh Penguins | |||
| Mar 22 | at Minnesota Wild | |||
| Mar 23 | vs Minnesota Wild | |||
| Mar 24 | at Columbus Blue Jackets | |||
| Mar 27 | vs Minnesota Wild | |||
| Mar 29 | at Toronto Maple Leafs | |||
| Mar 30 | vs Tampa Bay Lightning | |||
| Apr 2 | vs Boston Bruins | |||
| Apr 4 | vs Buffalo Sabres | |||
| Apr 5 | at Montreal Canadiens | |||
| Apr 8 | at Buffalo Sabres | |||
| Apr 9 | at Pittsburgh Penguins | |||
| Apr 11 | vs Carolina Hurricanes | |||
| Apr 13 | at St. Louis Blues | |||
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Roster Notes
Centers
P. Datsyuk- Playmaker & scorer, 35 years old, $7.175MM, 4 years left on deal. The magic man is the centerpiece of the franchise and should be one of the top 3 goal scorers. When healthy you can rely on him for about a point per game but he’s struggled to play even 50 games a season recently. He’ll have a roster spot as long as he wants one though.
D. Helm- Two way forward, 27 years old, $4.275MM, 2 years left on contract. A reliable center that will pester his check into making mistakes and turnovers but will never net more than 15 goals a season at best. Probably has reached his ceiling & $4+MM may be expensive for what he provides
D. Legwand- Two way forward, 33 years old, $1.975 MM, UFA at end of season. Another defensive center though Legwand is a bargain at under $2MM. Not a scorer and a liability at the faceoff dot, look to play on the wing.
S. Weiss- Playmaker, 31 years old, $4.66MM, 5 years left on contract. A solid skater and good penalty killer who will provide needed depth. Expensive for what he provides and CANNOT be paying him $4.66MM when he’s 35 years old. Look to renegotiate or trade
Left Wingers
H. Zetterberg- Playmaker, 33 years old, $5.8MM, 4 years left on contract. Hampered by injuries recently, we’ll need 75 games out of him for this to be a special season. Still has some gas in the tank and we can expected to retire as team captain like Lidstrom & Yzerman before.
J. Abdelkader- Power forward, 27 years old, $1.665 MM, 3 years left on contract. listed as power forward but with a lot of speed. Works the corners to win the puck and can snipe at times as well. At 27 he should be around for a long time.
D. Cleary- Two way forward, 35 years old, $.55MM, UFA at end of season. A solid depth winger who is most proficient in the defensive end. Cant beat his price tag, will have to reevaluate if he should be pursued at end of season.
D. Miller- Two way forward, 30 years old, $.925MM, 3 years left on contract. He’s purely a depth winger that will start the season in the AHL or remain a healthy scratch. A solid option if injuries necessitate he get ice time.
G. Nyquist- Playmaker, 24 years old, $.84MM, 2 years left on deal. Future superstar… Only 24 years old and ready to play entire NHL season. Still some room to learn & grow his game but we can expect him to score 30+ for the next several seasons. He’s going to get paid after the 2015 season.
Right Wingers
J. Franzen- two way forward, 34 years old, $3.74MM, 4 years left on contract. Mule. Top notch defensive forward and fore checker who can win the front of the net in the offensive zone. A bargain for what he provides on and off the ice. Not totally convinced he’ll play out the remainder of his contract.
D. Alfredsson- Playmaker, 41 years old, $3.5MM, UFA at end of season. Will surly retire at end of season, slow, injury liability, doesn’t provide offense, LOOK TO OFFLOAD.
T. Bertuzzi- Power forward, 39 years old, $1.98MM, UFA at end of season. Likely to retire at end of season but we need his depth & the grit he can provide in the meantime.
T. Tatar- Two way forward, 23 years old, $1.615MM, RFA at end of season. Could be a future superstar. Still needs to learn the defensive side of his game but seems to have a high ceiling. Will look to sign long term deal in offseason.
M. Samuelsson- depth.
Defensemen
J. Kindl- two way defensemen, 27 years old, $2.245MM, 4 years left on contract.
J. Ericsson- defensive defensemen, 30 years old, $4.03MM, 7 years left on contract.
D. DeKeyser- offensive defensemen, 24 years old, $.815MM, RFA at end of season.
N. Kronwall- two way defensemen, 33 years old, $4.515MM, 6 years left on contract.
K. Quincey- two way defenseman, 28 years old, $3.575MM, UFA at end of season.
B. Smith- two way defenseman, 25 years old, $1.145MM, 2 years left on contract.
Goalies
J. Howard- 29 years old, $5.290MM, 4 years left on contract.
J. Gustavsson- 29 years old, $1.375MM, UFA at end of season.
Noteable Minors
C. Emmerton- Center, playmaker, 25 years old, $.53MM, RFA at end of season.
R. Sheahan- Center, two way forward, 22 years old, $.9MM, RFA at end of season.
J. Andersson- Center, two way forward, 25 years old, $.735MM, 2 years left on contract.
Ferraro- Center, two way forward, 22 years old, $.685MM, RFA at end of season.
T. Jurco- right winger, sniper, 21 years old, $.925MM, 2 years left on contract.
T. Pulkkinen- right winger, sniper, 22 years old, $.9MM, 2 years left on contract.
X. Oulett- two way defensman, 20 years old, $.89MM, 3 years eft on contract.
P. Mrazek- goalie, 22 years old, $.79MM, 2 years left on deal.
Mantha- right winger, power forward, 19 years old, $.925MM, 3 years left on deal.
Entry: September 26th 2013
The presser to announce Ken Holland’s semi retirement was today. Since he told me his situation I’ve been dreading this day, having to tell people about the diagnosis but obviously its come and passed.
I had the nightmare again last night… Again. I’m suddenly in my office on the phone and somehow, someway I just green lit a trade sending Datsyuk, Nyquist, and draft picks away in exchange for Luongo. I know that I would never do that and that Ken has set the franchise up for relative smooth sailing for the season. But what if the production isn’t there? What if we need to make a move and I just botch the deal? These fans expect a winner and if that doesn’t happen the axe won’t fall on Babcock’s neck.
Anyway I’ve just got to be confident in my decisions and if all else fails, ask myself what Ken would do in any given situation. He did pull me aside after the presser to remind me that he believes I’m ready for this. I am excited for the challenges but certainly have big shoes to fill. I’ve got to make my own decision but if I do some thing the way he did it may not be a bad thing as well. That’s why I’ll be keeping a personal journal occasionally.
September 26, 2013
Ken Holland Steps Down as Wings’ GM
Detroit MI- In an emotional press conference on Friday at Joe Lewis Arena, Red Wings General Manager, Ken Holland announced he had been diagnosed with stage 2 toe cancer and would be taking a leave of absence from hockey operations with the team. “Really it wasn’t a difficult decision. I’ll be working with some of the best doctors in the world to improve my health and get back in the game.” Holland said. Holland has been with the franchise since 1983 and in that time the team has won four Stanley Cups, it is in part due to his leadership that the team hasn’t missed the playoffs since 1990. Holland also orchestrated the drafting of such current stars as Pavel Datsuyk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Kronwall.
“Ken is an amazing guy to work with. He’ll always tell you the truth, not necessarily what you want to hear. But in the business of hockey that’s the kind of leadership a franchise needs.” Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said when reached for comment.
“Mike’s health is the most important thing for all parties involved.” Mike Illitch, chairman of franchise owners Olympia Entertainment said on the matter. “We all look forward to his recovery and return to the front office.”
In the interim until Holland is able to return, Rick Watkins, assistant general manager since 2008 will step in. Watkins had the following to say; “Its and intimidating prospect to come in and try to take over for an executive as accomplished as Ken. But I’m excited to meet those challenges.”
The news comes at a difficult time for the team with just two weeks until the season begins with a game against Buffalo.
Friday, May 2, 2014
As a youth he would go to the park and shoot jumpers for hours trying to perfect his stroke. Trying to get to the point where he never had to hear the disagreeable clank of a brick off the iron. This idea of having the perfect jumper drove him, he idolized players who could shoot like no one else; Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, but most of all Steve Nash. And Nash gave Walker hope, standing at just 6’3" Steve Nash won consecutive MVP awards, a stat that some be forgot since his Suns were never able to advance past the conference finals. But Walker would stay up late to watch the west coast game and marvel as Nash ran Mike D’Antoni’s exciting fast paced offence, draining jumpers and dishing out assists by the handful.
On the court Jack was able to carve out a solid niche for himself on the high school team thanks to his extensive work on his jump shot. Lou Simmons, his coach, would send him on as the 7thth man his freshman and sophomore season basically just to hit threes. The three pointer was jack's favorite play in the game both to execute and to see. A big dunk made people ooh and ahh but three pointers really brought everyone to their feet late in a close game. Jack felt there was an assassin’s attitude to hitting a triple, he loved to slow down his dribble, let the defender think he was safe then rise up and knock down the difficult shot.
Junior year was different as Jack was handed the reigns to the offense being the most capable ball handler on the roster. Unfortunate for Jack the team never gelled to say the least and several times that season he struggled with pressing himself. Two consecutive misses and he’d make sure to try to sink a shot next time down the floor, and if he missed that time, he thought he better try again, and so on. His teammates would complain but then the very next game he’d get hot and hit 6 of 8 from long range. And so the season went with the team going .500 and totally missing any playoff opportunity.
Jack’s senior season provided much greater personal success but basically the same level of team success. Thanks to help from the coaches and some use of instructions off the Internet Jack began to learn how to properly use a pick and roll, crossover, and shot fake to create shots for himself and opportunities for his teammates. As the season drew to an end Walker began to gain interest from several division one programs of lower prestige including Central Arkansas, Quinnapac, Siena and Cleveland State. Despite their offers to basically play right away he decided to walk on at his hometown school, Xavier University to play for Sean Miller. It wasn’t until his junior year when Coach Miller accepted a job at Arizona that new head coach Chris Mack finally gave Jack some time in the rotation.
Similar to high school Jack would come off the bench to play around ten minutes a game and essentially just get open to toss up threes. By this strategy Walker averaged nearly 6 points a game and one assist, not nearly the big introduction he had been hoping for. Over the balance of the school year though, Jack worked his tail off along with back court mates Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, and Brad Redford. Both Holloway and Lyons were straight ballers who it seemed to Jack could crossover anyone in the Atlantic Ten. Working in the gym with those guys helped him further develop his moves off the dribble and trying to keep up with them in the weight room filled out his body as he put on 20 pounds of pure muscle from the end of the season to the first practice of senior year.
Redford and Walker were shooters cast from the same mold; Brad had the quickest release Jack had ever seen. From the time he caught the ball to when it left his hand seemed like just the blink of the eye and Jack learned how to replicate this while still shooting a reasonable percentage.
With his hard work in the off season Jack played himself into 25 minutes per game. He still struggled to shake defenders but shot a solid 40% from the field and a blistering 42% from deep and averaged 15 points per game. The team won 24 games and dominated the Atlantic Ten once again but unfortunately ran into Marquette in the first round of the tournament and promptly headed home after that.
Jack thought his basketball career was over with the loss in the tournament since he knew his game just wasn’t complete enough to play in the NBA. The next week though he was contacted by an agent who told him he could have a career in Europe. He had conflicted feelings about possibly living to Spain or Greece but wanted nothing more than to continue playing the game he loved. He pondered signing with the agent until he received a letter from the NBA.
“You’ve been invited to play in the NBA Rookie Showcase on June 18th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The rookie Showcase is the Associations’ opportunity to introduce the fans to the exciting incoming rookies, as well as, for the players involved to exhibit their skills for NBA front offices. Please confirm your intent to compete in the Showcase and further details will be forthcoming.”
-David Stern
Jack wasn’t totally sure why he was invited but knew it was his best chance to play in the most elite basketball league in the world, and he had to take it.
I had actually played a little over two seasons into the game before I really decided to pursue writing and publishing this story so those seasons won’t contain as much detail until I catch up to games which are much more fresh in my memory. Hopefully some folks will stick around until then because that should be the good stuff.
Keep in mind that I’m playing 5 minute quarters because I’m way too impatient for anything else. I’ve also set the simulated game length to 6 minute quarters so that stats are generally even. I try to play the game in a mostly simulation manner but obviously there will still be unrealistic parts to it. If you find elements of the business side (ie: trades, contracts, etc.) of the story to be totally unrealistic understand that I’m writing this based on the actual game experience, I know 2K12 has been criticized for dumb trades so I’ll try to make it seem realistic.
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