Decorating for the Holidays: Red Wings Style

Wife/Husband/Girlfriend/Boyfriend complaining that your plaque of Olympia Stadium isn't festive enough and that your Red Wing memorabilia doesn't have the Christmas touch?



DUMP THEM.



Wait a second... There is an alternate solution.

Just as always, the Red Wings have you covered with holiday gear to show off your team and holiday spirit.


Look! It's hockey playing Santa... and a creepy little Red Wing logo with limbs.... Okay, this one might not have been the holiday design teams' best idea but it's better than pine cones on your table.



Some snow people in a hat. Or is that a bag? Whichever it is, it's probably a good idea for those with children being that it's plush.



Declare your fandom to all that come to knock on your door this holiday season with this door wreath.




Who needs a stocking with some snowflakes and puffy paint when you could have this?



Red velvet hat with a white fur trim. YAWN. This is the Santa hat to rock. In fact, I'm pretty sure Santa rocks this hat.




Mint edible candy canes? PSSSSSSSH. Go with these plastic Red Wing candy cane ornaments. As an added bonus, the children cannot consume these and make your entire house into a sticky mess. Although, I'm pretty sure if children DID try to consume these... they'd end up in the hospital.



You could top your tree with a yellow star to represent the star of Bethleham ORRRRRR you could top your tree with something like this star.




Decorating with hockey equipment brings the locker room onto your Christmas tree



This Santa rocking Wings gear is much less creepy than the first one. Mainly because there is no creepy logo skating beside him. Seriously, what WAS that?



In an effort to make the Canadians feel more welcome in the United States, you could put a Maple Leaf on your tree as I do.



Why do they make Smores into people and dress them up as different characters? I have no clue. Did I buy the hockey player smore? Oh you know it.



Decapitated snowman head on a hockey puck. Does it ever make sense? No. Is it on my tree? Of course it is.



Just in case anyone wants to plan out plays, it's always good to have a rink board on your tree.



GIANT LOGO. That's pretty much reason enough.



It's a head. With a Red Wing hat. And a button that says "#1 Fan". Sure, why not.



Is this a snowman? The marshmellow man? Kyle Wellwood as a Red Wing? No clue but it's got a logo so it made the tree.



No Christmas tree is complete without Al the Octopus going all King Kong on it.

Gobble, Gobble, Dangle

With today being Thanksgiving day, here are some Wings things to be thankful for:



"The Ageless Wonder" Nick Lidstrom

Larry Murphy's love of hot dogs

Mickey Redmond-isms

Tim Horton's at the Joe

The endless entertainment of the threesome bromance of Mike Commodore, Brendan Smith, and Cory Emmerton

The entire team, coaching staff, front office, and ownership for being the best in the league

Pavel Datsyuk as a whole

Tomas Holmstrom's back side

That we are able to interact with the legends of years gone by on a regular basis thanks to an organization that never forgets

Ian White's cheekbone

$9 beers (Try watching college hockey. No beer at all)

Henrik Zetterberg's love of Beyonce

Dan Cleary's lack of eyebrows

Darren Helm growing his hair out AND growing a mustache thus causing the fangirl/puck bunny types to leave him alone

That the Wings do not have cheerleaders

Ty Conklin's mustache

That the Red Wings don't go for a gimmicky third jersey

Seven more years of Niklas Kronwall

That the Wings have found places in the organization for many of our favorite newly retired players

That the Wings aren't last in the league

That it's almost December THUS almost Mursak time

Sweden, Canada, Finland, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovenia/Yugoslavia for bringing us some of the best players from outside the United States

That mispronouncing Justin Abdelkader's last name leads to hours of entertainment

That some people don't like "Just for Men" gel (see: Miller, Drew)

Jimmy Howard

That Brett Lebda has settled with a new team... And it isn't ours



Oh yeah... Friends, Family, Health, Happiness, Food, etc. The standard, mushy, Miss America sentimental stuff and what not.


Happy Thanksgiving!

The kid returns tomorrow... Yawn

"Sidney Crosby... has just sneezed"

"Crosby just ate a peanut butter sandwich WITH the crusts"

"Sid will return on September 19th... to Chuck E. Cheese"

"There is no change to Crosby's condition but he did just buy a new hat"

"There were games held today but who cares? Sidney just looked at his skates"

"Crosby's return is essential to the NHL. The entire league is in jeopardy of folding without his return... okay... we made that last part up... But still!"



Since January 5th of 2010, I have heard nothing but progress reports and lots of 'there is no progress' reports regarding Sidney Crosby's concussion and playing status. After months and months of hearing about his return, tomorrow Crosby will return to the ice. Now I'm not going to say that I don't care about his return. I do... to a minimal extent. I never want to see someone that young have their career ended and I am capable of recognizing his talent. Maybe with his return, I can stop hearing about every move he makes. The National Media has really made the situation stale for me. Initially, I cared because I watched how a concussion injury plagued Andreas Lilja when he was on the Red Wings and I understood how frustrating the symptoms are. After months of hearing that he had no change and that there was no time table every day, I began quite frustrated with the coverage. On September 7th, almost every ounce of care towards the situation left me.

In case you live under a rock, September 7th was the day that the plane carrying the Lokomotiv hockey team crashed. The crash claimed 44 lives. Sidney Crosby had scheduled a press conference to update his status on that day. The status update was essentially a "there is no timetable or update but let us explain how concussions work" type of event. Press conferences take time to set up. They take time to get everything together. However, they also can be postponed quite easily. It was that moment that respect for Sidney, all those working on his behave, and the national media diminished significantly. Many media outlets covered the Crosby press conference first and covered the plane crash secondly as a hockey after thought.

44 people losing their lives were not as important as one player's concussion?

26 other professional hockey players were not as important as Sidney Crosby's injury?

Sidney Crosby is an important player, but he's not the only player that matters.

Let's get neurotic in here!

If you are not the superstitious type, you should probably stop reading right about.... now.

I think it's time to lean towards our superstitious sides. It's time to really get neurotic and play up to that side of ourselves. Now if you don't personally have that side, right on. Good for you. Carry on and do whatever you do on game day that doesn't involve this stuff. I, however, am a VERY superstitious person. Just ask my mother. She was banned from watching Wings games for years when she was identified as a jinx. For the record, the jinx eventually went away but I still get nervous when she watches clutch games.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tonight would be the night to bust out the juice, the mojo, or the lucky charms. Tonight would be the night to do the lucky rituals or things you do. If you didn't watch the first five games and have watched every game since, perhaps you should not watch tonight to see if you are the jinx. But naturally, DVR it and watch it later.

Now I wouldn't suggest that others do something if I wasn't willing to do it myself. I have some items that I exclusively save to wear during the playoffs or important games. I will be wearing those items tonight to see if they help. Call me or any of my neurotic friends fools all you want but the Hockey Gods are serious business. If they have it out for your team, you have to try to change the tide somehow. So this is my own personal effort to try and appease the Hockey God.











Good Luck to the Red Wings tonight.
And if all else fails, may they make their own luck

Motivation and Key points

I'm not a hockey coach but I do know a few things.

To win you have to be aggressive. You have to fight and claw for every point. Everything must be earned. No one is going to hand the Wings a win. No one is looking out for the Wings. No team is going to say "Well, The Wings have dropped five in a row, they're frustrated, and they could really use a win. So, let's just NOT play to the best of our ability." That's not going go happen. It's frustrating but tonight will be a battle. Just as every game has been so far.




A few key-points that I believe the Wings are going to have to do to win tonight:


-Stay in control-
Generally speaking, the other team can't score if the Wings keep the play in their zone.

-Don't take bad penalties-
If they know that grabbing the guy they're chasing with their free hand is going to send them to the box for holding, then they shouldn't do it. Sounds like a very stupid statement but taking stupid penalties needs to quit happening. It's the split decisions type of penalties that need to be avoided. Our penalty kill may be good, but they saw the ice more than they should have last game.

-Put. Pucks. In. The. Net.-
Quite obviously the Wings need to be more offensive. They need to not worry about making the highlight reel by any means. Go for the ugly goals. Go for the scrappy goals. They need take any chances they can take. ANY OF THEM. If they've got the goalie beat on a break away, they need take the shot.

-Jimmah keep on Jimmah-ing-
Last game Jimmy Howard was great. Tonight, he needs to put up the same effort. Especially if the offense continues to struggle.

-If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win-
The Wings will need to have confidence that they can do the 'right' things. They'll also need to remember that they are a talented group and can achieve anything.




Everyone needs a little motivation now and again:



“Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.”

I don't know who Frankie is... but do what he says!

DANGER!!!
DANGER!!!
PANIC!!!
PANIC!!!
RUN TO THE EMERGENCY EXITS!!!
TAKE COVER IN YOUR BOMB SHELTERS!!!
DISMANTLE THE TEAM!!!
FIRE EVERYONE!!!
CHANGE EVERYTHING!!!

What? Too dramatic?

The Red Wings dropped their third game in a row with a 4-2 loss against the Sharks tonight. This loss was met much hysteria, outlandish suggestions of what the team should do next, and just plain foolishness.

"Let's fire Mike Babcock!"

"It's all Jimmy's fault!"

"Problems start at the top... Let's fire Ken Holland!"

"Let's make significant moves that will extremely effect the dynamic of the team because we don't have depth!"

Dropping a few games in a row happens. It sucks. But it happens occasionally. Three is not a significant number if you really think about it. Granted, Inside a three game slide is not where the Wings want to be. The way the Wings played on some nights is not up to the level of play that this team is capable of. I know that, You know that, The team knows that, The coaches know that, and I'm sure the front office knows that. It's still really early in the season for anyone to be panicking just yet. This is just the eighth regular season game. There are 74 remaining games for the team to get it together. No one likes losing. Mike Babcock has made it perfectly clear that he does not like to lose. The three losses are done, however. There is no way to get those three games back. The key for everyone is to look forward to the games at hand. Suggestions that the Wings should use up their remaining cap space to land a power-forward have also been discussed. I understand that there is cap space available. Trust me, I get it. But using that cap space IN OCTOBER after losing JUST THREE GAMES would be jumping the gun a bit. Emmerton, Brunnstrom, and Commodore are all available. There are options. There are different roster combinations and switch-ups that the coaching staff might want to do that could and can still be made. Not to mention that many have also forgotten that Mursak will eventually make his return to the team once he has fully healed. I don't believe that the team is in dire straits. Changes will be made and the team will battle back.

Ramblings of perspective and what not

As much as I am disappointed with the loss tonight, I think many need perspective on this loss. After two goals were scored in the first period, fans began attacking everyone in the organization. Some of the blame was justified but some was overkill. The statements that the Wings cannot play "good teams" or are "incapable" of winning were almost laughable. Coming into this game we were 5-0-0. Obviously, we can win but tonight just wasn't our night.

This game was ugly. I will not deny or dispute anyone about that fact but it is just the sixth game of the season. Realistically, the Wings were not going to go 82-0-0. Did I expect we would get stomped like we did tonight? No. I don't believe anyone could have seen that coming. They need to use this game as an example of what not to do. Use this game as a building point to get stronger. It is, after all, just the sixth game of the season. Last season, we lost two of the first six. Granted, none were like the beating received tonight but those two losses didn't define our season. Just like this loss will not define our season. We are still 5-1-0.

5-1-0 is not a terrible start by any means. In the last five seasons, the Wings have had worse records in the starting six games.
2010-2011 4-1-1
2009-2010 3-3-0
2008-2009 4-1-1
2007-2008 4-1-1
2006-2007 3-2-1

Was the team going to go undefeated forever? No. That's just unrealistic in today's NHL. Should everyone jump ship and become fans of other teams now? Do what you want but I know this team better than that. They will put in the time and do their best to improve, fix the mistakes, and get better. The team is in transition still and many fail to realize that. There will be speed bumps and hiccups along the way of this season. The point is that this is a long season. There are still 76 games to play and throwing in the towel after one will not solve anything. Have faith in the team that they will do what needs to be done to fix any issues that there are. Improvements will be made, Changes will happen, and Lessons will be learned.

All the Difference or No Difference at all?

The subject of fangirls and puck bunnies seems to always pop up in conversations about females in the hockey world. How are puck bunnies and fangirls different? Are they different? Are there boundaries that separate fangirls from puck bunnies? These questions got me wondering: What is the difference between a hockey fangirl and a puck bunny?

I posed this question to some of my followers on twitter and other random people in the hockey scene. The responses were varied when it came to defining a hockey fangirl but were nearly unanimous when defining a puck bunny.

Most everyone who responded defined a puck bunny as a female who is all about getting with the players. Some also defined a puck bunny as someone who only likes the sport for good-looking men. MK (@One4theDagger) said that "[Puck Bunnies would] rather have the hottest players on their team of choice then the most talented," she went on to say that puck bunnies "ruin the enjoyment for other female fans by everyone now stereotyping us as a whole as puck bunnies." Essentially, the definition of puck bunny boiled down to a hockey groupie. No surprise there.

A hockey fangirl seems to be the harder to define. Some suggested no real difference between the two, while others described a fangirl as a dedicated, loyal fan of the game of hockey. MK said "A fangirl to me is a fan who knows the game, knows the players, the stats and details of their team of choice...but.. They still find players attractive like any female fan. The guys are hot, talented and rich. If a female has eyes and hormones, you can't blame them... especially when they are playing a sport you love." Jason (@Waffleboard) said, "The difference to me is the sex. Both are pretty obsessed with X Player(s), but fangirls don't make it their life's goal to have one inside of them. Or if they do, they're at least a bit more tactful about it and don't advertise it." Ian (@inflemingdunha) said, "Fangirls are girls that have mega crushes on players". Others said fangirls were girls who find players cute.

With vastly different definitions, the line between a fangirl and a puck bunny seems to be either very narrow or on the other side of the world. With answers, more questions seem to arise. Are some fangirls actually puck bunnies? I followed up with MK by asking her if she thought some puck bunnies hide under the title of fangirl. MK said, "I'm sure. Who wants to admit they're skanky? Especially if their friends are mostly fan girls and they're the odd one out in a worse way. But they're typically easy to spot out. They usually only know the hot players, how much they make, their birthdays, and where they hang."

There seems to be a gray area that the term fangirl falls into. Some are not anywhere in the neighborhood puck bunnies, but some are. Some are true female fans with eyes and the ability to notice a man's attractiveness, and some are only fans for the attractiveness. As a negative or a positive, the term certainly strikes up a debate.

Man, I love college

College hockey kicked off it's season last week and over the weekend 8 Michigan Colleges played 16 games to really kick off hockey season right.



In Michigan State's first game of the weekend on October 7th they squared off against Boston College. While Seniors Brett Perlini and Trevor Nill both scored for the Spartans, the Eagles proved to be a tough opponent as the Spartans were defeated 5-2. In Michigan State's second outing of the weekend on the 8th it was the all Sophomore show. Sophomores Lee Reimer and Greg Wolfe shared the scoring duties for the Spartans including Reimer's OT goal to give State a 3-2 win against Air Force. The top performer on the score sheet this weekend was Sophomore Lee Reimer with 2 goals and an assist in the win against Air Force. The Spartans are 1-1-0 to start the 2011 Hockey Season off.

The University of Michigan Wolverines kicked off their hockey season with a 5-0 win against Niagara on October 4th. Juniors Chris Brown and Lindsay Sparks each scored two goals a piece in that win. Senior goaltender Shawn Hunwick recorded the shutout as well as an assist on the Wolverine's second goal of the game. This weekend, Michigan were faced with a double header against Bentley. On Friday, the Wolverines defeated the Falcons in a 5-1 win featuring goals from Seniors Greg Pateryn, David Wohlberg, and Luke Glendening as well as tallies by Junior A.J. Treais and Freshman Alex Guptill. On Saturday, the Wolverines continued on their roll as they defeated Bentley in a 4-1 contest. Freshmen Phil Di Guiseppe netted two goales while fellow Freshman Alex Guptill and Junior A.J. Treais each netted one a piece. Top performers of the week were Senior Shawn Hunwick with the shutout win against Niagara and Juniors Lindsay Sparks and A.J. Treais who each had 2 goals and 2 assists throughout the week. Michigan now stands 3-0-0.

The Ferris State Bulldogs kicked of their season with a pair of games against St. Lawrence. Junior Travis Ouellette led the Bulldogs to a 4-2 victory over the Saints on Friday by netting two goals in the Bulldogs' season opener. Freshman T.J. Schlueter and Junior Kyle Bonis also got in on the action with a goal a piece. On Saturday, The Bulldogs dominated with a 5-1 win over St. Lawrence to sweep the weekend. This time, it was Junior Kyle Bonis with a pair of goals to lead the Bulldogs in scoring for the night. Senior Jordie Johnston, Junior Travis Ouelette, and Sophomore Cory Kane each scored goals in the victory. The Bulldogs' top performer of the weekend was Kyle Bonis with 3 goals and 1 assist. Ferris State is currently 2-0-0.

The Lake Superior State Lakers started their season before most other teams. On October 1st, the Lakers defeated the University of Alabama-Huntville Chargers by a score of 3-2. Freshman Chris Ciotti, Sophomore Kyle Jean, and Junior Zach Trotman each scored a goal to give the Lakers the win. The next night, the Lakers defeated the Chargers 2-1. The line of Juniors Nick McParland and Ben Power with Freshman Chris Ciotti proved to be the Lakers' top line. McParland scored both of LSSU's goals with helpers from Ciotti and Power on each. The top performers of the week for LSSU are Junior Nick McParland who leads the team in goals with 2 and Freshman Chris Ciotti who leads the team in points with 4 (1 goal and 3 assists, respectively). The Lakers are now 2-0-0 with the weekend off from regular competition for the Blue and Gold game.

The Northern Michigan University Wildcats kicked off their season against the Wisconsin Badgers. On October 7th, the Wildcats defeated the Badgers 3-2. Senior Justin Florek, Junior Kory Kaunisto, and Sophmore Reed Seckel each scored a goal to lead NMU to the win. The next night, the Wildcats weren't so lucky falling 2-3 to the Badgers. Both Wildcat goals were scored by Senior Justin Florek. The top performer of the weekend goes to Senior Justin Florek with 3 goals. The Wildcats are now 1-1-0.
The Western Michigan University Broncos faced up against the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers this weekend. On Friday the 7th, the Broncos stomped the Chargers with a 7-1 victory. Junior Matt Tennyson and Sophomore Shane Berschbach each had a pair of goals in the victory. Freshman David Killip, Sophomore Dan DeKeyser, and Junior Dane Walters each had a goal in the win as well. On Saturday, the Broncos kept rolling with a 4-0 win. Freshman goaltender Frank Slubowski recorded the shut out for the Broncos. Senior Kyle O'Kane, Junior Trevor Elias, Sophomores Chase Balisy and Shane Berschbach each scored goals to defeat the Chargers. Top performers for the Broncos this weekend include: Freshman goaltender Frank Slubowski for his shutout victory, Sophomore Shane Berschbach for leading the Broncos with 3 goals this weekend, Junior Matt Tennyson who had 2 goals and 1 assist, and Sophomore Chase Balisy who had 1 goal and 3 assists for the Broncos. WMU is now 2-0-0

The Michigan Tech Huskies faced the American International College Yellow Jackets in this weekend. The Huskies defeated the Yellow Jackets by a score of 4-3 on Friday. Freshman Blake Pietila netted two to assist Tech in their win. Junior Steven Seigo and Senior Jordan Baker both scored in the victory as well. On Saturday, Tech defeated AIC in a 3-1 victory. A pair of goals by Sophomore Jacob Johnstone and a goal by Senior Brett Olson led the Huskies to their win. Top performers for the Huskies this weekend were Freshman Blake Pietila with 2 goals and 1 assist, Senior Jordan Baker and Junior Steven Seigo who each had 1 goal and 2 assists. The Huskies are currently 2-0-0.
The Oakland University Grizzlies have been very busy since the kick off of this season. The Grizzlies traded wins on September 23rd and 24th with the Liberty Flames. OU lost 4-1 on the 23rd but rallied back to win 3-2 on the 24th. Oakland swept their next weekend series beating University of Michigan-Dearborn 5-3 on September 30th and 6-3 on October 1st. Oakland participated in the ACHA showcase this past week. On October 7th, The Grizzlies lost to Minot State by a score of 5-2. On the 8th, OU rallied to a 5-1 win over Arizona. And finally on the 9th, OU lost to Illinois by a score of 5-2 to conclude the weekend. The top performers in the past seven games were: Jordan MacDonald, Adam Novak, and Billy Balent who are in a three way tie for the points lead with 7 a piece. Oakland is now 4-3-0.