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2011 Prospect Tournament Schedule Released

The 2011 NHL Prospects tournament has been finalized and be viewed here. This years tournament will run from September 10th through September 14th. Tickets to all games can be purchased on site and are $10 for the day.

The tournament has had nearly 300 players make the NHL including 2011 Calder trophy nominee Jeff Skinner. This year’s tournament will feature teams from Detroit, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, New York, and St. Louis. The Tampa Bay Lightning were originally slated to return to the tournament but dropped … Continue Reading

2011 NHL Prospect Tournament Schedule

Divisions
Howe                      Gretzky
Detroit                     St. Louis
Buffalo
                     Dallas
Columbus
              New York Rangers
Minnesota
             Carolina

Saturday, September 10
Practice

8:30 – 9:15 am      Buffalo (David’s) / Minnesota (Huntington)
9:30 – 10:15 am    Carolina (David’s) / Dallas (Huntington)
10:30 – 11:15 am  NY Rangers (David’s) / St. Louis (Huntington)
11:30 – 12:15 pm  Columbus (David’s) / Detroit (Huntington)

Games
3:30 pm    Minnesota / Buffalo (David’s)
4:00 pm    Dallas / Carolina (Huntington)
7:00 pm    NY Rangers / St. Louis (David’s)
7:30 pm    Detroit / Columbus (Huntington)

Sunday, September 11
Practice
8:00 – 8:45 am      Buffalo (David’s) … Continue Reading

Pick your poison: A look at potential second-round opponents

** Note since this was originally published, San Jose completed their series meaning that there is no chance Detroit will face Chicago in the Second round of the playoffs.

The Red Wings won’t know who their second round opponent is until the conclusion of the Chicago – Vancouver series late Tuesday night. With the elimination of the Anaheim Ducks, the contenders are down to the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, or the San Jose Sharks. Detroit cannot play the Vancouver Canucks or Los Angeles Kings if either team advances. Outlined below is … Continue Reading

April 22nd appearance on the Vic McCarty Show

I appeared on the Vic McCarty show on April 22, 2011. We covered the first round of the playoffs, Andrew Ference, the Octo-toss scandal, and the Red Wings.  To hear the complete interview click here.

Killer Instinct: Wings Must Improve Dismal PK

If the Red wings have a glaring weakness heading into the second round of the playoffs, it is their penalty kill. Detroit’s PK rate through four games against Phoenix was a disappointing 66.7% which is only better than the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Key to this statistic is the fact that the Wings have struggled more on the road (40.0%) than at home (76.9%).

The Red Wings entered the playoffs with a respectable 82.3% kill rate, but they failed to adapt to changes in the officiating causing them … Continue Reading

April 15th Appearance on the Vic McCarty Show

I appeared on the Vic McCarty show on April 15, 2011. We covered the Chicago-Vancouver, Red Wings first game of the playoffs against the Phoenix Coyotes, and Adam Almqvist. Please note there was a technical glitch and i don’t appear in this segment until the 12 minute mark. To hear the complete interview click here.

Red Wings Training Camp Tickets a Hot Commodity

Centre I.C.E. Arena held its first 2011 Red Wings training camp ticket sale on April 16th. This year’s camp will be held September 17 – 20 with the NHL Prospects Pournament scheduled for September 10 – 14. Local fans came out in numbers to buy tickets for the event, with all tickets for Saturday September 18th being sold. There are still available tickets for all other dates. A future Internet or fax sale is planned for later this summer. Stay tuned to http://www.theleftwinglock.com/ for future updates or check the Training Camp Central Page for more … Continue Reading

Once Prized Prospect, Grigorenko, Wins KHL Championship

When Igor Grigorenko was laying in a Russian hospital in 2003 after a horrific car accident, many didn’t think he would survive let alone play hockey again. The 5-foot-10, 203 pound forward had suffered multiple fractures in his left leg as well as a nearly fatal fat embolism which broke off and entered his lungs while he was recuperating. The injuries would be too severe and he would never be the same player again.

The Red Wings, who had drafted the Russian forward 62nd overall in 2001, had … Continue Reading

40 Minutes Good Enough… For Now

The Red Wings will need to improve their consistency if they have any hope of advancing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs. On Saturday, Detroit started strong racking up a four goal lead on the strength of Pavel Datsyuk’s four point game. The effort was almost spoiled due to a dismal effort in the third period which saw the Phoenix Coyotes battle back to within a goal.

The Wings, who has been plagued by poor starts all season long, absolutely dominated the first two periods and had Phoenix on the … Continue Reading

Axelsson Caps Strong Season with a Championship

Dick Axelsson has been called a lot of things in his brief hockey career, but now he can add Swedish Elite League Championship to that list. Axelsson, who plays for Farjestadt, notched four goals and six assists through  14 postseason games.

The 6-foot-2, 188 pound winger has at times frustrated the Red Wings brass by some of the choices he has made both on and off the ice. Despite his ill-advised decision to leave Grand Rapids of the AHL in 2009 to return to Sweden, Axelsson seems to be … Continue Reading

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