The Left Wing Lock

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500 points is an accomplishment for any player, but for Tomas Holmstrom it is a milestone that seems improbable. The 6-foot, 198 pound winger is not particularly gifted offensively and certainly isn’t the best skater on the ice. None of that matters for Holmstrom, who has earned his paycheck the hard way by crashing the crease and scoring ugly deflection goals near the net.

The Red Wings discovered the 38 year-old winger after Detroit scout, Hakaan Andersson, watched him play in 1993 Swedish national team selection camp. They drafted him a year later in 1994 with a 10th round selection – 257th overall.

The Pitea, … Continue Reading

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Detroit’s shot at the Stanley Cup was nearly over before it started on Saturday as Jimmy Howard was helped off the ice. The 6-foot, 210 netminder suffered a sprained shoulder when Toronto’s Joffrey Lupul crashed the Red Wings crease early in the third period.

The Red Wings are already without Chris Osgood who had a setback in his recovery from a sports hernia surgery and was placed on long-term IR earlier this week. He isn’t eligible to return until April 8th leaving the Wings with the strong possibility of entering the playoffs with journeyman Joey MacDonald as their backup.

Howard has … Continue Reading

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On Wednsday, The Red Wings announced that they had signed 20 year-old goaltender Troy Passingham to a 24-hour amateur try-out contract. The 6-foot-4, 223 pound netminder is coming off his overage season with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL where he posted a 4.79 goals against and a .879 save percentage.

The move is one was made because the Red Wings do not have enough salary cap space to recall both forward Jan Mursak and Joey MacDonald. The Red Wings had hoped Osgood would be ready to backup Howard tonight against the Vancouver Canucks, but with his recurring post surgery soreness ruled … Continue Reading

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Coach Mike Babcock is nothing if not intense. From the moment he stepped on the ice in Traverse City for the 2005 Detroit Red Wings training camp, he set the tone for the veteran team. Babcock is an intense and demanding coach who runs his practices like a drill sergeant. That being said, he’s delivered nothing but results in his six years as coach for the Red Wings.

His 600 regular season wins in just six seasons puts him in impressive company that includes former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman and Glen Sather. He’s also coached the team to a … Continue Reading

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Zedo Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty on Tuesday night was yet another black eye for the NHL. The scary incident (which can be seen here) left the young Montreal Canadien forward with a severe concussion and a non-displaced fracture to the fourth cervical vertebra in his neck.

The hit was legal, but it was extremely dangerous and could have been avoided. Instead, Chara caught Pacioretty in a very vulnerable position leaving him little chance to brace for the impact and the result was the possible end to a bright hockey career. The incident occurred along the corner glass near the … Continue Reading

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Darren Helm’s feet have always been faster than hands. The 5-foot-11, 195 pound forward is one of the fastest players in the NHL, but he hasn’t always been able to capitalize on that blazing speed.

The former fifth round selection in the 2005 NHL draft has developed into a solid bottom six forward for the Red Wings. He is also a staple on Detroit’s penalty kill where his speed routinely results in shorthanded opportunities. Thus far this season, he’s converted just two of these chances.

Helm is one of those player’s whose game isn’t measured in statistics alone. He provides a … Continue Reading

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The Red Wings haven’t made winning games easy on themselves lately. While injuries and poor defensive zone coverage have been problems this season, of bigger concern is the Wings lackluster starts.

Saturday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres highlighted this problem. The Red Wings were outplayed by the Sabres in the first period  allowing them to score two early goals taking a 2-0 lead in the game. The Red Wings eventually came back winning the game 3-2 in overtime, this pattern of late starts has become far too common place.

It is a long season and injuries and travel take a … Continue Reading

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Jonathan Ericsson seems to be slipping back to bad habits. After starting the season strong, the 26 year-old defenseman is starting to make mental mistakes that are costing the Red Wings.

Tonight’s offensive zone turnover to Ryan Clowe was just the latest example of poor decision making by the big Swede. Clowe blocked Ericsson’s shot and skated the puck in on a breakaway eventually scoring on a defenseless Jimmy Howard.

The play was reminiscent of last season where Ericsson struggled to find his game. The Karlskrona, Sweden native told the media in November of 2010 that he had been understandably … Continue Reading

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The Red Wings look like a completely different team than the one that lost 3-0 and 4-1 to the Nashville Predators just last week. Detroit is now on a five game winning streak after a shootout win against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

The Wings, who have struggled with consistency and turnovers all season, have played some their best hockey all season. They even seem to be playing better defensively while out scoring the opposition by a 22 to 9 margin.

The turning point came after a horrendous 4-1 loss to Nashville which saw a depleted Red Wings struggle to keep … Continue Reading

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The Red Wings secured a piece of their future by inking Jan Mursak to a two-year contract extension. Mursak, who is out of waiver options after this season, could play in Detroit full time next season.

The 23 year-old forward play 17 games in the NHL this season, scoring his first career goal. Mursak proved he could play at the NHL level with his speed and skill. The Maribor, Slovenia native has vastly improved his defensive game after spending three full seasons in Grand Rapids.

Mursak’s path to the NHL hasn’t always been smooth and his position in the Red Wings … Continue Reading