Behind the Jersey A weblog dedicated to covering the Detroit Red Wings and other hockey related news.

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I am done with the Tour de France
2007-07-25 00:28:19
I’ve been religiously following the Tour de France over the past 5-6 summers to help pass the time between the end and beginning of the NHL season. I know cycling is incredibly different from hockey, but there’s something about time trials, intense stages with plenty of pain, and a unique form of teamwork that kept me watching the race every July. This summer, I decided that I would not watch the TdF. The cyclists I had cheered for over the years have either retired (Lance Armstrong) or have been pulled from the sport because of doping. I can’t even recognize the name of a lot of the top cyclists left anymore. I still have read some articles about the Tour de France so I knew that Alexandre Vinokourov (one of the few names I did already know) was a pre-race favorite, was currently 23rd overall, and had won the 15th stage yesterday (and the 13th stage on Saturday). However, the cyclist had an awful stage on Sunday and was no longer in contention to win. I then find o ...
France 

A look at season ticket waiting lists
2007-07-24 01:50:14
As a sport management and communication studies double major, I’ve noticed myself taking a greater interest in sport business articles. As a result, you’re going to find me writing about these articles more frequently and they won’t always be NHL business stories, but I’ll try to connect them to NHL business if a connection exists. This is a lengthy post about the Detroit sports’ teams and their waiting lists as well as a look at every single NHL team’s ticket sales. Anyways, I was reading a post at the AOL FanHouse about the length of the waiting list for the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL). The team has over 60,000 names on the waiting list. According to Eagles president Joe Banner, the waiting list now contains more than 60,000 names and, last year, a grand total of 15 of them were given the opportunity to buy tickets. Fifteen! “We don’t know what it will be this year,” Banner said. “It could be 20. It could be 12. We don’ ...
Ticket 

Tigers’ ticket sales break franchise record
2007-07-24 00:25:31
The Detroit Tigers have sold more tickets this season than any other in their franchise history. Some time Wednesday, the Tigers set an all-time record for ticket sales. In July. In a ballpark with less seating than Tiger Stadium. In an era with more entertainment choices and less disposable income than ever. In the worst economy in state history. I’m sure I could go on, but the point is clear: this is truly remarkable. New ticket sales will only continue to add up for the rest of the year. It shows you what a great product and affordable ticket prices can do to game attendance. Not surprisingly, the Wings have not lowered prices for the regular season, which wasn’t a surprise considering they sold out every home game. Admittedly, we saw plenty of empty seats on TV, but I know I had a hard time buying regular season tickets on Ticketmaster. I suspect that the Wings will slightly lower their playoff ticket prices since the team did not have a single sold out playoff game. ...
Record  Sales  Ticket  Tigers 

Chelios’ work ethic inspires teammates
2007-07-23 14:13:58
I open up the Detroit News homepage to find the front page headlines, one of which includes “Chelios cheats Father Time.” I find it odd that the Wings actually made the front page during the offseason when it wasn’t a major signing and think that news must be really slow or something. Now I don’t think a playoff game went by without broadcasters or reporters noting the age of Chris Chelios (45) and Dominik Hasek (42). I thought I had heard all the stories about Chelios’ work ethic and the activities he uses to stay in shape. But I was wrong. Reporter John Niyo travelled to Malibu, California to observe Chelios’ conditioning program in the summer and you can’t help but come away impressed (and I’d love to have Niyo’s job and go to Cali to write about hockey during the offseason by the way). Not only do we learn about what Cheli likes to do to stay in shape in Malibu, but we learn about the “Malibu Gang” which consists of ...
Work 

NHL is looking pretty good
2007-07-23 04:22:55
So yesterday, I made a draft post in WordPress and planned on completing it tonight. I come online to finish it off and I find that IwoCPO @ Abel to Yzerman has already discussed the very thing I had planned on bringing up. Does Little Gary have any clue about the opportunity dropped in his lap? The other “big three” sports are all mired in controversy and the NHL, if marketed, could come out smelling like a pretty little rose. A rose perched on the sill of your kitchen. Yes, surrounded by empty beer bottles and crusted mac and cheese bowls, but a rose nonetheless. Baseball’s lead story: the dirtbag that is Barry Bonds. Football: the absolute dirtbag that is Michael Vick. Basketball: a gambling controversy that’s going to spread to every corner of that league of thugs. Compared to other leagues, the NHL could be looking pretty good in terms of public relations. No, I’m not talking about TV ratings or contracts, etc. because the NHL is obviously lacking in those d ...
Nhl 

Free Press interviews Scotty Bowman
2007-07-21 16:18:21
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press interviewed former head coach and current team consultant Scotty Bowman about his life after coaching. I still find it hard to believe that Bowman is 73 years old and still continues to work as much as he does. Q: Earlier this summer, the Maple Leafs approached you about working for them. What did they offer you? A: It was a consultant job. They really didn’t define it — I didn’t get into a lot. They asked for permission — they didn’t need it, but the Wings granted it. I think they’re just trying to solidify their hockey department. I think they’re talking to John Muckler and Harry Sinden, but I don’t know if those guys are interested; they’re pretty active guys. They already have a manager. It’s hard to predict how things mesh. It’s hard to bring somebody in part way through. I only had one small interview, and I decided I’m pretty set in my ways. Q: Will there come a tim ...
Interviews  Scotty 

Wings content to wait it out
2007-07-21 16:13:49
George at Snapshots pointed his readers to an article in the Windsor’s Star, which tells us that GM Ken Holland is in British Columbia right now on his annual summer vacation. Management is content with the current roster and is in no rush to sign a forward who could only fit on the third or fourth line. The team has $5 million to spend, but wants to use it on a higher end forward (most of whom have already signed with a team). “We’d like to add a top-six forward, but in all honesty there’s just not much left in the free agent market that would fit our needs,” Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano said. “We have about $5-million to spend, but we’re not just going to whittle it away on third- or fourth-line players. We’re content to wait. That’s a lot of money to have available at the trade deadline.” The only two names left on the market that would intrigue the Wings are Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne. Devellano confirme ...
Wings 

Nill talks about Wings’ prospects
2007-07-20 01:08:05
John McGourty, an NHL.com staff writer, has a nice article about the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects including thoughts from Assistant GM Jim Nill about Igor Grigorenko, Jan Mursak, Cory Emmerton, Justin Abdelkader, Jakub Kindl, Kyle Quincey, and Jimmy Howard. Nill’s thoughts on Grigorenko, who signed a one year contract with the Wings this summer: The Red Wings are thinking that Grigorenko, 24, is as good now as he will ever be and they want to try to reunite him with Datsyuk. “Igor is coming over in August,” Nill said. “We wanted him to attend our prospects’ camp this month, but he had visa trouble. He’s in training with Ufa. He’s got a one-year, two-way contract, NHL and AHL, but if he’s not on our roster by November, he can go back to Russia. It’s a two-month trial, in effect. “Igor was a top player, MVP of the World Juniors, but he had an accident the next year and had a rod placed in his femur. Then, he nearly died fr ...
Prospects  Wings 

Avs’ fan arrested for prostitution
2007-07-18 23:43:02
I get home after 7 hours of German to find this amusing article via Deadspin (and yes, I cannot resist the opportunity to make fun of the Avs). It gave me a much needed reason to laugh. According to the Rocky Mountain News, a 27 year old man named Darren Garcia was arrested for prostitution when he was caught in a police sting. He tried to pass as a female with plenty of makeup and long hair while wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey. He told the police he has AIDS. This was his sixth prostitution incident with the law. One of the commenters on Deadspin said, “I see Claude Lemieux got some plastic surgery done.” Another one wrote, “Jose Theodore just posted bail.” Another amusing comment went as follows: “Imagine the guy in Denver reading this and saying to himself, ‘Wait, wasn’t the hooker I picked up yesterday wearing an Avs’ jersey?’” Update: This blog post has been linked by numerous message boards throughout the web inclu ...

Are the Wings America’s hockey team?
2007-07-18 04:02:29
A blogger, Robert Green, conducted his own poll of 700 individuals to determine America’s team in various sports. While the sample size is a decent size, this isn’t a survey that I’m claiming to be accurate because we know nothing of how he went about selecting these individuals, etc. But it’s still interesting to discuss his results. According to his results, the Wings are America’s hockey team with 37% of the votes. The Red Wings actually held the highest percentage of any team out of their respective sport among the professional leagues. The NY Yankees received 33% for the MLB. The Dallas Cowboys “won” the NFL with 30% of the votes. For the NBA, the LA Lakers came in at 27%. In college football, Notre Dame tops the popularity poll with 37% (Michigan came in second with 9% of the votes). Lets Go Wings forum members have been discussing the results on this thread. One member, BlakChamber, noted this stat: Since the 1989-90 season the Red Wing ...
America  Hockey  Team  Wings 

Updates
2007-07-17 01:38:51
As you may have noticed, hockey news has started to die down and as a result there will be less posting from me. I will continue to post especially if there is anything newsworthy concerning the Wings, but I decided that I deserve a little break from blogging for the next couple of weeks. Basically, you most likely won’t see multiple posts daily or even every other day. Between my intensive German class and it being the summer, I’ve been staying fairly busy. Plus, I’ve been preparing to interview the Notre Dame, UM, MSU, and Ferris State hockey head coaches for Michigan Hockey (my first two are tomorrow). Just wanted to explain the lower frequency of hockey-related posts… ...

Review of Hockey: A People’s History
2007-07-13 06:28:41
I recently finished reading the book Hockey: A People’s History and wanted to share my thoughts about the book. I interviewed the book’s author, Michael McKinley, back in April and you check it out at this link. For me personally, the book was not a quick read, but it definitely was an enjoyable one. Between all the reading I do for homework, I had to slowly go through Hockey: A People’s History in order to fully appreciate and take in all of the information. A friend of mine, who is not a hockey fan, saw the book and said it looks like a textbook about hockey. It does resemble a textbook in its size (11.2 x 9.6 x 1.3 inches) and contains 333 pages of comprehensive information. Anyone who is a history buff and who enjoys the sport of hockey will probably love this book. The pages are of thicker quality with beautiful photographs chronicling the history of the sport. Readers learn about the origin of the sport (both male and female leagues) as well as anecdotes about k ...
History  Hockey  Review 

NHL releases 2007-2008 schedule
2007-07-13 05:39:05
The NHL released the 2007-2008 schedule early yesterday afternoon. Instead of looking at possible matchups I’d want to catch at the Joe, I was looking at my work schedule (I still get a big smile on my face every time I think about my new internship). The Wings will open their regular season at home against the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Anaheim Ducks, on October 3. Not only did the Ducks kick us out of the playoffs, but Todd Bertuzzi and Mathieu Schneider left the Winged Wheel this offseason to join the flock. 14 of the last 15 games of the season are against Central Division opponents. Why do we always have to end the season on such a boring note? Seriously. In mid-October, the Wings go on their first West Coast road trip as they’ll head to LA, Anaheim, San Jose, and Pheonix. Their Western Canada road trip won’t be until mid-February when they’ll go to Dallas, Colorado, Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton. As you know, I am not a fan of the current schedul ...
Nhl  Schedule 

Wings still talking with Markov
2007-07-12 22:42:22
According to the Detroit Free Press, GM Ken Holland has still been talking with defenseman Danny Markov. The Wings still have interest in re-signing him, but the price Markov is currently asking is still out of our reach. Holland’s immediate concern is putting together next season’s team. Though it’s largely assembled, Holland confirmed he is in talks with the agent for free-agent defenseman Danny Markov, whose gritty style impressed the team last season. Markov, however, is “looking for more money than we’re prepared to offer right now,” Holland said. Holland is also perusing the market for another forward, though he has 12 under contract, as well as prospect Igor Grigorenko. Grigorenko didn’t make it to last week’s conditioning camp because of visa problems, but Holland said a visa has been obtained, clearing the path for the Russian to join the team in September. It had been rumored that the Red Wings were going to be playing in an out ...
Wings 

Detroit Tigers Roundtable
2007-07-12 22:36:42
Kurt @ Mack Avenue Tigers kindly asked me to answer a few questions about the Detroit Tigers’ season thus far for his Detroit sports blogger roundtable. I decided I’d put together an All-Star lineup of Detroit bloggers from all the other major teams in the state of Michigan, as well as my favorite jack-of-all-trades. I joined in as well. Allow me to introduce them: Christy of Behind the Jersey, a great Red Wings blogger who attends the University of Michigan. She also just found out she’ll be a public relations intern for the Wings this season. Natalie of Need4Sheed fame. Not only does she do great photoshopping with ‘Sheed and his Pistons teammates, she’s made some DTown swag as well. Sean of Pride of Detroit, a Detroit Lions blog, and Michigan Sports Center, a U-M blog. Last, but not least, Big Al of TheWayneFontes Experience, who blogs about all the teams in the state of Michigan. In other news, I will be interviewing Red Berenson (UM), Rick Comley (MSU), Bob Daniel ...
Detroit  Detroit Tigers  Roundtable  Tigers 

Red Wings sign Christy Hammond
2007-07-11 01:18:40
Okay, so the Red Wings really didn’t “sign me,” but I did get a great call this afternoon. Four weeks ago, I interviewed with the Red Wings for one of five public relations internship positions. I am happy to report that one of my best friends and I both got a position. I start working late next month and I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity! How will this internship affect BTJ? It shouldn’t. Obviously, I won’t be able to “report” anything I overhear at work as I do want to keep my internship the entire season, but I’ll still post on a consistent basis. I’m aiming to write daily, but it might be every other day considering I’ll work from 4-11 on game nights (after having class from 8-2 plus I have to actually do my homework). The opinions and reactions you find daily on this blog hopefully won’t change at all and I’m looking forward to this internship. What will I be doing as a PR intern? I will work ...
Red Wings  Wings 

Kronwall skates during prospect camp
2007-07-11 01:01:50
Defenseman Niklas Kronwall skated and participated in the drills with the Wings’ prospects today to help evaluate how he’s doing after suffering a broken sacrum right before the start of the playoffs. “It’s a little stiff but it’s always stiff the first time you’re back on the ice,” Kronwall said. “You’re using new muscles you can’t use in the gym regardless of what you do. The first time back, you’re always a little rusty and the puck isn’t your friend. But I’m not concerned. Everything is fine and I can’t wait to get the season started.” New defenseman Brian Rafalski also made an appearance at Joe Louis Arena, but did not step on the ice. He was there to take a tour of the Joe and have some photos taken. “It still hasn’t really sunk in,” Rafalski said. “It’s good to be back here in the area and looking for houses, and while driving through all the streets with my w ...
Camp 

Shanahan re-signs with Rangers
2007-07-11 00:01:51
The New York Rangers have re-signed former Red Wings’ forward Brendan Shanahan to a one year deal, which could be worth up to $5.3 million if he earns all of his incentive bonuses. He will receive US$2.5 million in base salary and can earn an additional $2.8 million in performance-related bonuses. Shanahan will earn $2 million if he plays more than 10 games next season and has a chance to earn up to $800,000 in playoff-related incentives, a source told The Canadian Press. The 38-year-old left winger had 29 goals and 62 points with the Rangers last season, his first with New York. Following the Rangers’ second-round playoff elimination, Shanahan said he wanted to continue his career and had no interest in playing anywhere but New York. ‘’There was never any doubt what Brendan’s intentions were or on (general manager) Glen Sather’s part that he wanted Brendan back,'’ Shanahan’s agent, Rick Curran told The Associated Press in a phone inte ...
Rangers  Signs 

The 7 Wonders of the Hockey World
2007-07-10 23:24:27
On the Forecheck has opened a discussion for readers to help decide the seven wonders of the hockey world. I don’t have time to list my seven wonders, but I will later this week. Until then, here are some of the ideas namely the ones related to the Detroit Red Wings or the University of Michigan Wolverines (Go Blue!). Joe Louis Arena: It’s not quite 30 years old, but it feels like it belongs to another time in this age of spacious concourses and luxury boxes. Yost Ice Arena: Home to the University of Michigan Wolverines (and where I began my adult rec-hockey career almost 20 years ago), it’s a cozy little barn that provides by far the most entertaining action on a campus better known for top football programs. Greg Wyshynski at AOL FanHouse has chimed in as well. 4. The Winged Wheel. The most iconic logo in professional hockey. (Sorry, Coyotes fans.) Blogger Jamie Fitzpatrick had a nice history of the Detroit Red Wings name and that famous winged wheel. You know, ther ...
Hockey  Wonders 

Wings release pre-season schedule
2007-07-10 18:43:24
The Detroit Red Wings have released their pre-season schedule. The first game is on September 18th. I like that the team is playing two games against Toronto including one at home since the Wings will not be hosting Toronto this year due to the current scheduling format. The Wings will also be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins at home so fans will hopefully be able to see the young stars found on that squad. Sept. 18 — at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Sept. 20 — vs. Minnesota, 7:30 Sept. 21 — vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 Sept. 22 — at Pittsburgh, 7:30 Sept. 24 — at Tampa Bay, 7:30 Sept. 25 — vs. N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 Sept. 27 — vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 Sept. 28 — at Toronto, TBA Sept. 29 — vs. Toronto, 7:30 They’ll be on the ice for training camp in Traverse City for four days, Sept. 14-17. ...
Schedule  Wings 

Drake’s son happy he signed with Wings
2007-07-10 18:40:07
Recently signed forward Dallas Drake has a nine year old son who is very pleased that his Dad is returning to Detroit. Drake was drafted by the Red Wings and his son, Jackson, has always been a Wings’ fan. “(Jackson) was real excited,” Drake said. “I told him (a few days ago) that I was talking to Detroit, but had not agreed to anything yet. When I finally got a chance to tell him (about signing) he started jumping up and down. “He’s been a Red Wings fan, a Steve Yzerman fan, for quite a while. Obviously, he loved the Blues when I played there, but always deep down he’s been a Red Wings fan. Even when we were in St. Louis, and we’d be sitting at home watching a game, he’d always be cheering them on. He’s always liked them.” He also mentioned in the article that he knows he won’t be a top six forward. “I know they weren’t looking for a highly-skilled guy when they went after me,” Drake said with a laugh. &ldqu ...
Signed  Wings 

Zetterberg wants to be franchise player
2007-07-09 18:40:10
According to translations by various Lets Go Wings, Red Wings Central, and Hockey’s Future board members, Henrik Zetterberg was interviewed by a Swedish newspaper and said that he wants to basically be a franchise player. The title of the article is “Superstar against his will” in Swedish. Source: Nordström Cornelia LGW member (Systemfel): “If Detroit wants to, I’ll sign a contract for the rest of my career.” - He’s one of the best players, but still one of the most underpaid. - He can’t complain about his current salary. - Girlfriend Emma Andersson (a Swedish TV celebrity) will be moving to Birmingham this fall to live in Hank’s 5000 square feet house. RWC member (patjoh): About Peter Forsbergs future: I think he will play for another season. This life is so unbelively fun, and you are prepared to suffer alot to be a part of it. About his own future: Well I´m not gonna be Chris Chelios, but I would like to play until 35 and ho ...

Wings sign Dallas Drake
2007-07-09 18:20:53
The Detroit Red Wings have signed veteran forward Dallas Drake to a one year contract. Drake could be a good fit on the third or fourth line as checker and agitator. He’s got bad numbers from the previous two seasons he spent the Blues, racking up a minus-14 rating last season in 60 games and a minus-13 in 62 games in 2005-2006, but that needs to be weighed against how bad the Blues were defensively as a team. Drake — 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds — can hit and aggravate, but his offensive skills have dropped off. The Wings originally selected Drake with the 116th overall pick in the 1989 entry draft, and he played for Detroit in 1992-93 and 1993-94 before being traded to Winnipeg in 1994. In 944 career NHL games over 14 seasons Drake, 38, has racked up 174 goals, 297 assists and 844 penalty minutes. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what I think of this signing. Obviously, we didn’t sign a top free agent, but he has plenty of experience and probably wouldn’t have put ...
Dallas  Wings 

Updated my links page
2007-07-07 06:50:08
I read ProBlogger daily to learn of different ways to improve this blog. A recent post suggested creating a point system as a way to remain more focused and disciplined when it comes to running your blog. While I’m not going to list my points and their values, one of them is maintaing my links page whether it’s adding a new one, removing a dead one, or correcting the link. As such, I added a bunch of hockey blogs to my Links page. If you know of a hockey blog that is not on my page but is updated regularly, please send me an email or leave a message and I’d be happy to add it! Update: You may have also noticed that I added a recent posts section on the sidebar to my left as well as moved the categories and archives over to the left sidebar. I finally figured out how to put stuff in that left sidebar and thus quickly moved it over to make it easier for you to find! ...
Links 

7/6 prospect update
2007-07-07 03:15:51
Due to the prospect camp being held this week, there are plenty of prospect articles to be read. The new Detroit Red Wings website actually has an article about the camp up, which is unique considering most of their articles are from the Associated Press or are short press releases. As many metro-Detroiters enjoy a relaxing, extended Fourth of July weekend, the ice has returned to Joe Louis Arena, and preparation for the 2007-08 season is underway as the Red Wings opened their annual, seven-day prospects camp today. The camp is a chance for the Wings’ brass to evaluate some of their more recent draft picks on the ice in a controlled setting, while acclimating some players to the big leagues. This year’s first-round pick, Brendan Smith, and third-rounder, Joakim Andersson, are in town for the camp and got their first taste of Joe Louis Arena today. “I was on Cloud Nine for the longest time, and I never really came down,” Smith said. “You’ve got great guys like (Jakub) Kindl ...

Hasek agrees to one year deal
2007-07-06 06:51:07
I leave my computer for a few hours to go see the blockbuster hit Transformers and come back to find goaltender Dominik Hasek has agreed to a one year deal with the Wings. Phew! What a relief. I knew that the two sides would eventually agree, but now GM Ken Holland knows exactly how much he has left under the cap to get a forward and most likely depth defenseman. Please note that the contract has not been signed yet, although it is expected to be completed by sometime on Friday. “It appears I’ve got a deal,” Holland said. … Holland said he expected to wrap things up Friday morning with Hasek’s agent, Ritch Winter. “I haven’t talked to Dom, and he hasn’t signed it,” Holland said. “My expectation is we’re either done or we’re very close.” Ansar Khan breaks it down for us: The Wings and goaltender Dominik Hasek have finally agreed to a one-year contract, his agent, Ritch Winter confirmed Thursday night. Winter said the deal is “in the ...

Rafalski’s penalty stats
2007-07-06 06:34:29
The Forechecker left me a comment on a recent post saying not to worry too much about the Wings’ new defenseman, Brian Rafalski, who had the most turnovers on the Devils’ squad. His reasoning? I wouldn’t sweat the turnover number, as those are notoriously unreliable and more of an indicator that he plays a ton and has the puck on his stick a lot. A nice “bonus” with Rafalski is that he plays 20+ minutes of solid defense without taking very many penalties, in fact ranking among the league leaders in that category. He even takes fewer minor penalties relative to his ice time than Nick Lidstrom. Staying out of the box is one of the more underrated ways of helping your team win. On the Forecheck did all the statistical work for us and looked at the number of minor penalties taken by defenseman in the NHL. Why? One way to shed a little more light on the play of defensemen is to examine how many minor penalties they take relative to their ice time. For example, if two stalw ...
Penalty  Stats 

Interview with Jeremy Smith
2007-07-06 03:00:03
I just got off the phone with Nashville Predators’ goaltending prospect Jeremy Smith (their #2 pick this year) as my boss at Michigan Hockey needed me to conduct an interview with him for our tryout guide coming out next month. Since he’ll probably only use one quote for the article, I figured I’d post the entire interview here. I also asked him a couple questions about being drafted and working with the Predators this offseason. Oh, Smith was also one of the two Plymouth Whalers’ goaltenders this past season as well. What do you remember about trying out for a team while growing up? For example, did you ever get cut from a team but worked hard and made it the next year or got so nervous you did something embarassing? “I think growing up tryouts as a goalie was pretty difficult because it was you versus a couple of guys for only two positions on a team. You can’t slack off a bit because coaches are always watching. From a young age, it was pretty ner ...
Interview  Jeremy 

Hudler signs two year deal with Detroit
2007-07-05 18:36:52
The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed restricted free agent Jiri Hudler to a two-year deal. After averaging 10 minutes or less per game, Hudler still managed to score 15 goals and notch 10 assists. He didn’t see a lot of action during the playoffs, but I’m hoping he earns some more playing time this season. In the first year of his contract, Hudler will make $800,000 with it jumping up to $1.15 million in the second season. “We felt it was important to get him signed because he’s a young player that was able to score 15 goals in part-time duty last season,” Red Wings GM Ken Holland said Thursday. Ansar Khan updates that on Dominik Hasek: Hate to sound like a broken record, but they say they’re close on the Dominik Hasek signing, with an announcement possible later today or Friday. Another note: Igor Grigorenko wasn’t able to make it to the start of the prospects camp Thursday at Joe louis Arena because of problems securing his visa in Russia. T ...
Detroit  Signs 

7/5 Notes
2007-07-05 13:19:16
Some quick notes before I head off to class… TSN has a Numbers Game column up by Scott Cullen regarding the Brian Rafalski signing: Though he is approaching his mid-30s, Rafalski doesn’t have the same kind of mileage on his legs as his contemporaries because he followed up his college career by playing a lighter schedule in Europe for four seasons, so he has played just 643 games, including both regular season and playoffs, in his NHL career. Rafalski has also been durable, playing 75 or more games in six of his seven NHL seasons. He’s undersized as a defenceman, at 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, but doesn’t play a particularly physical style of game, so as long as he has his legs, his mobility will allow him to be an asset, particularly on the power play. While Rafalski led the Devils in turnovers last year, he also led the team in ice time, playing more than 25 minutes per game, something he may not necessarily be required to handle in Detroit, where the defence ...
Notes