It's not snobbery, it's legacy.

The subject of the original six teams needing to meet each other more has been brought up a lot quite frequently by fans of all six. The infrequency of the meetings and the fact that original six teams often don't meet the others even once in a season have both been uniting issues amongst original six team fans.

Often, this subject is met with slurs and anger from fans of the other 24 teams. Most non-original six team fans seem to believe that the fans of the original six teams are snobs and think they are better than the other 24 teams. It's not that, I assure you. It's the simple fact that for a quarter century six teams were the only teams in the league before it grew to what it is today. Six. It's a history that can't be rewritten. The specialness of being fans of an original six team franchise is not lost on fans who don't remember the good old days.

Some of us were taught by our parents who were taught by their parents who remember the days of Olympia and the days when only six teams fought for Lord Stanley's cup. For 25 years, only six teams made up the NHL. Nine franchises haven't existed in the league as we know it as long as the NHL consisted of just six. Seven of the franchises have been relocated since the beginning of the NHL but none of those are members of the original six family.

Being a fan of an original six team franchise seems to lend some stability and consistency to investing in that team. No matter how good or bad of a season any of the original six teams are having, there are always people filling the seats. Yes, sometimes the seats aren't always full but they are fuller than most.



I can't speak for all the original six team franchises, but I will say that history is a huge part of what the Detroit Red Wings are. If you doubt that fact, just walk into the Gordie Howe entrance of Joe Louis Arena.

Upon entering the building you'll be met by three larger-than-life bronze statues of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio.

If you're lucky, you'll be there on a night where one of the legends is in the concourse signing autographs which happens several times during the season.



As you make your way to your seat, look up. That's all you'll have to do to be reminded of the legends from the original six era.



And if you're truly lucky, you'll be there for a special occasion when the legends come out to celebrate the triumphs of the latest team.




It's not snobbery, it's a celebration of history and tradition.

Don't call me woman like it's an insult

It's fairly easy to get me fighting mad. I'm not even going to lie about that fact. But nothing pisses me off more than some man deciding he has to educate me on the sport of hockey because I'm a woman and I don't know any better. When did being a woman in the hockey world become some sort of handicap? I go to games, I go to training camp, I watch the highlights, I follow the players, I read the stats, I watch the delightful suspension videos. I know the game without some patronizing asshole "teaching" me about it. I don't need guidance as to who is on the Red Wings' roster because I've got that down. I don't need memory refreshers as to what happened last year with the Wings because I was there. I watched from training camp to the very last game.

I'm never really a fan of the battle of the sexes in the hockey world because I believe that everyone has a place. That being said, I am sick and tired of women being made to look like they are stupid individuals who know nothing about the sport and who only attend games to get their MRS. When I attend games, I watch the hockey and perhaps I talk to friends but I don't need someone there to entertain me during the game. Why? Because I'll be too busy WATCHING IT. I'll give a little steam to their argument because some women are there for the wrong reasons. But they choose to ignore the masses that are there for the right ones.

So many men like to lump all women into this category of fragile, no nothing girls and that's not the case. If you've ever spent any time with female hockey players you would know that's not the case. And yet, many look at females in the hockey world as some sort of inferior species and often use the line "What do you know? You're a WOMAN". Being a person in the hockey world that happens to be a woman isn't some sort of curse or handicap. I can assure you that my lady parts do not interfere with watching, talking about, or even playing the game.

So men, the next time you feel the need to educate a woman on the sport, make sure she actually doesn't know.

One doesn't equal all

During the shootout at tonight's Flyers/Red Wings game in London, Ontario, someone threw a banana peel at Wayne Simmonds. Assumed to be a racist action, the trolls of the internet went wild in the wrong direction. Instead of shaming the one fan that did it, Irresponsible people have turned all the fire onto the Red Wings fan base. It wasn't a home game. They were not playing in Detroit. But instead of looking at the residents in the city of London or considering all possibilities, most have chosen to attack the city of Detroit and all it's fans.

I am not a racist. I do not appreciate being lumped into that category for the actions of one person who's affiliations are not known. Where was I during Banana Gate? At home, annoyed that Philly doesn't allow out of market streaming of games. Guilty by association via the potential that we might like the same sports team doesn't fly with me. If someone sets a house on fire or shoots someone, am I now guilty because we are from the same place? Do I now take responsibility for everyone's actions? That's unfair to assume that everyone believes as that one clown does. It's also unfair to assume that the fan wasn't a fan of another team. Who's to say that fan wasn't a fan of a different team? To be honest, we don't know anything of this person.

The actions of that person are deplorable. I hope they find the person and make them an example. That being said, the actions of one don't represent all. If the person was a Wings fan, it doesn't mean that all Wings fans are racists. If the person was just someone from London, it doesn't mean that every person from London is a racist. One person's stupidity does not represent an entire section of people.

I'm baaaaack

A few of the sights from training camp









I'm not going to spit a million stats or a bunch of player information because you've no doubt read that 300 times from 300 different blogs saying the same thing. Here are a few of my thoughts during training camp:

Prospect with sick mitts:
Tomas Jurco
It was a treat to be able to watch the kid mess around and do some trick shots on the last day of camp after the last practice. I would love to see Jurco and Datsyuk go trick for trick.

Show offs:

Tomas Tatar
On the first day of camp, Tatar managed to get a shot off on net... with his head.

Todd Bertuzzi
During a lull in practice, Todd started doing some puck juggling. At one point, he flipped the puck in the hair, caught it on his head, then bounced it to his stick.

Most interactive:

Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom
There was one child who loves to walk up to the glass and say "Hello" to the players. Most players ignore the children and distractions. In opposite fashion, Nick and Homer made a point to say hello, wave, and toss the kid a puck.

Favorite lines:

Bertuzzi, Abdelkader, Helm
For those who were able to watch the Red and White game, it was very apparent that this line has the ability to be very productive. While watching them in practice, it's very noticeable that these three feed off each other.

Cleary, Datsyuk, Eaves
This line has some sick potential. Usually I don't like to see the Euro twins split up, but this line is a refreshing exception to that. Eaves and Cleary seem to be able to clear space for Pav to do some magic. I'll be looking forward to seeing what this line can do when in a game environment.

Take a chill-pill:

Mike Commodore
I was happy to see that Commie rolled into camp prepared to fight for a job. My only critique would be that he needed to loosen up a bit. He seemed very tense most of the time. Now I wasn't a person would followed Commodore throughout his entire careers so that might just be his face or how he conducts himself in training camp. It just seemed like perhaps he was a little bit too in his own head.

Most patience:

Brendan Smith
Brendan's patience for waiting to become a Red Wing has been reported on all week. I admire his patience for dealing with morons more. Every day of camp there was an annoying woman who would yell "Brendan" approximately 100 times during any given practice he was in. For the record, I'm not exaggerating on the amount of times this broad shouted his name. I was impressed that he never told her to shut up.

Oh, this glorious sadness that brings me to my knees

This summer has been one of those summers that you wish that you could forget. This morning, myself and the hockey world learned of a plane crash that has shaken and continues to shake this giant hockey family of ours to it's core.

A plane carrying the Lokomotiv hockey team of the KHL crashed and almost all on board perished. As a hockey fan, first thoughts were complete sadness and prayers sent to the families of those players, coaches, and all on the plane. After a moment, the tragedy hit home. Closer to home than I ever expected. Three former members of the Red Wings organization joined former NHLers and KHL stars on board that flight to Minsk.

The three that hit home:


Stefan Liv
December 21, 1980 - September 7, 2011

Stefan Liv was a fourth round draft pick for the Detroit Red Wings in 2000. Stefan spent just one year with the Red Wings organization and played most of the with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2006-2007 season. Liv earned five medals while representing his home country of Sweden including gold medals in both the Olympics and World Cup championships in 2006.



Ruslan Salei
November 2, 1974 - September 7, 2011

Ruslan Salei was drafted into the NHL 9th overall in the 1996 Draft to the Ducks. After spending 11 seasons with the Ducks franchise, Salei turned into somewhat of an NHL journeyman. Salei played for 10 teams in his professional hockey career (Lokomotiv was set to be his 11th). Rusty, as he was affectionately known as, was a very funny individual and a rough and tough player. A proud Belarusian, Salei competed 14 times in international competitions representing Belarus.


Brad McCrimmon
March 29, 1959 - September 7, 2011

Brad McCrimmon was a talented coach and former player. McCrimmon was drafted 15th overall in the 1979 Draft to the Boston Bruins. Brad played for six NHL teams in his career including a three year stint with the Detroit Red Wings. After retiring, Brad took up coaching. Brad served as head coach for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL and Assistant Coach for four NHL franchises. Being the head coach of the Lokomotiv was supposed to be Brad's way of breaking back into the world of being a head coach in professional hockey since he hadn't served as a head coach since 2000.





I know my words have not done justice to the amazing lives that these players lived nor can I fully attest to how many lives these players have touched. All who are in mourning have my deepest sympathies, my thoughts, and my prayers going out to them. Not just the families of the the three that hit close to home. Hockey is a family and today we lost too many of our brothers.

Children are left without fathers, Parents are left without children, Wives have lost their husbands, Many are left with the loss of friends, and fans have lost their heroes. At the end of the day, We are all left with terrible circumstances and broken hearts.

Don't cross that line

Jackhole of the Day


The Jackhole tweeter who crossed the line



A lot of people chirp at players. Some are funny, some are weak, some are played out, and some are completely out of line. I'm amazed by some of these people who spend their time attacking players. If you don't like someone, don't follow them. Or don't concern yourself with them. Instead of doing that, these types go out of their way to attack these players that they don't like. Tonight, one of these people who love to chirp players, started in on Paul Bissonnette and Mike Commodore. After a few mild tweets, this clown hit Commie with this:

@commie22 yeah says the one who will die like a the bitch belak and hang himself cause he can't win

Chirping is one thing but that is a whole different story. Insulting someone who just passed away and also predicting someone will commit suicide is pathetic and disgusting. If you didn't notice, I haven't plugged this assclown's twitter handle and it was for a good reason. I believe that people should know that there are jackholes out there saying these terrible things to players but I do not believe that they should be given any sort of spotlight. Attention is usually what these people want. Essentially these characters are cyber bullies that are no different from anonymous commenters who say despicable things. They try to get under your skin and rattle you. The trick is to pay them no attention.


So if you pay them no attention, Why is this guy a jackhole?

Because there is never an excuse or reason to encourage or tell someone to kill themselves. NEVER.

Lay off. Seriously.

Jackholes of the Week

Sports Media for exploiting the death of Wade Belak

I understand that everyone wants answers as to what happened and if it can be prevented in the future. The problem is that the sports media personalities are so concerned about getting the answers to the questions that they want to know that they are forgetting some major things.

They're forgetting that Wade was a son, a husband, a friend, and a father. They are forgetting that he was a human being and is not a science experiment or example. No sensitivity has been shown and false reports are coming out hourly. I hope that none of them have to endure the media hell that Wade's family has had to endure since his passing. The media should not be hovering around, trying to get pictures of the body, and slandering Wade's name.

The sport of hockey is a family and right now we should be rallying around the Belak family. We should be supporting the families of the fallen players. We should not be treating them as spectacles. They are grieving and the media should respect that and take a step back.