This is Detroit...This is Hockeytown

[derrickthomas58]

Wings Make Thomas 12th GM in Club History

DETROIT -- After Ken Holland announced his retirement during the offseason, the Detroit Red Wings acted swiftly to hire young hotshot Derrick Thomas as the 12th GM in Detroit Red Wings history.

Thomas will certainly have big shoes to fill, as he follows Holland, possibly the most successful GM in any sports league during his tender with the Red Wings. There were a number of teams trying to add Thomas as their GM, but Thomas chose his favorite team, the Red Wings.

“I know it seems like this has been done before,” said Thomas (and it was done twice actually) “and there were a lot of teams I could choose from, but in the end I decided on Detroit because of my love for the team and my knowledge of their players.”

When asked what changes would be in store for the roster, Thomas had this to say. “There are a few guys there that I will look at moving, but only if the right deal comes along. I will not be looking to move any of our top players though.”

Rumor has it that Thomas was referring to defensemen Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda along with forward Todd Bertuzzi.

Thomas was also asked about the starting goaltending situation and about Jiri Hudler, who left to go play in Europe. “With regards to the goaltending, as a Wings fan, I am extremely grateful for all that Chris Osgood has done with this organization. Having said that, I believe it is time to see what Jimmy Howard can do for us. As for Jiri, he is welcomed back to the NHL at any point, but it won’t be as a Red Wing. He moved on and now so is this organization.”

[derrickthomas58]

An Overview of the 2009-10 Detroit Red Wings

OFFENSE

The Detroit Red Wings have plenty of offensive firepower at their disposal. With superstars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk leading the way, Detroit will still be able to put the puck in the net with ease. Players like Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Tomas Holmstrom will be counted on to support the two stars.

Henrik Zetterberg will be the key component of the Red Wings attack. A late round draft pick (7th round, 210th overall) Zetterberg has blossomed into an bona fide NHL Superstar. Zetterberg is equally dangerous in the defensive zone as he is in the offensive zone, as witnessed by his nomination for the Selke Trophy in 2008 as the NHL’s best defensive forward. Zetterberg was also the runner-up to St. Louis Blues defenseman Barret Jackman for the Calder Trophy in 2003 as the NHL Rookie of the Year. Henrik captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL Playoff MVP in 2008 as Detroit beat Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Final. Zetterberg will again have an A on his jersey for the upcoming season and will be relied heavily on to lead the Wings on another Cup run.


Pavel Datsyuk is a smooth stickhandler and was another late round gem for Detroit (171st overall). Datsyuk is more of a playmaker than a shooter, but does have a knack for embarrassing goaltenders during shootouts. Datsyuk is a mild mannered player, and has won the Lady Byng Trophy for the last four years. He has also won the Selke Trophy as the Top Defensive Forward for the last two years, beating out teammate Henrik Zetterberg for one of them. Datsyuk is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and a three time NHL All-Star. Datsyuk, who also wears an A on his jersey, will likely center the Red Wings top line.

DEFENSE

One of, if not the top open ice hitters in the NHL, Niklas Kronwall is a force to be reckoned with when he is on the ice. Opposing players know to keep their heads up when number 55 is on the ice. A first round draft pick (29th overall) in 2000, Kronwall has developed into a top NHL defenseman. Kronwall won a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008 and will log a lot of minutes for the Red Wings this season. He is expected to start on the second defensive pairing with Brad Stuart before replacing Lidstrom or Rafalski on the top pairing when one of them retires.




Nicklas Lidstrom is the Captain of the Detroit Red Wings. He is a six time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s Top defenseman and will go down as one of the best defenseman to have ever played the game. He was won four Stanley Cup Championships and was the first ever European captain to lead his team to a Cup victory. This 11 time NHL All-Star will play more minutes than anyone else on the team and will have a place on the roster as long as he wants one. Lidstrom is not a physical presence on the blueline for the Red Wings but is known around the league to have the best stickwork among defenseman. Lidstrom is a shoe-in for the Hockey Hall of Fame when he decides to retire, which hopefully won't be soon.

GOALTENDING

Detroit will be going with American rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard this season. Howard, a second round pick (64th overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft, will try to follow in the footsteps of Mike Vernon, Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood and lead the Wings to hockey’s ultimate prize. Howard holds many NCAA and University of Maine and Grand Rapids Griffin records and hopes to bring that success to the NHL. He will be backed up by three time Stanley Cup Champion, Chris Osgood.

[derrickthomas58]

Detroit's Line Combinations

LINE 1 - Valtteri Filppula - Pavel Datsyuk - Johan Franzen
LINE 2 - Tomas Holmstrom - Henrik Zetterberg - Todd Bertuzzi
LINE 3 - Darren Helm - Jason Williams - Dan Cleary
LINE 4 - Drew Miller - Kris Draper - Kirk Maltby
DEFENSE 1 - Brian Rafalski - Nicklas Lidstrom
DEFENSE 2 - Brad Stuart - Niklas Kronwall
DEFENSE 3 - Andreas Lilja - Jonathan Ericsson
STARTING GOALIE - Jimmy Howard
BACKUP GOALIE - Chris Osgood

[derrickthomas58]

Wings Open Season With Shutout Loss to Blues St. Louis - Brad Winchester, T.J. Oshie and Andy McDonald scored for St. Louis and Chris Mason turned aside all 25 Red Wing shots as St. Louis defeated Detroit 3-0 to start the NHL season. Detroit seemed to struggle the whole game to try and muster up scoring chances as the St. Louis defenseman swarmed the Wings forwards at every turn. Winchester opened the scoring early in the second period after a scoreless first when he took a pass from Barret Jackman and fired a shot past rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard. T.J. Oshie banged home a Cam Janssen rebound about 5:30 later to give the Blues a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. Andy McDonald put the game away 1:12 into the third period to give St. Louis the 3-0 win. These two teams will square off again in the second game of a home-and-home series to start the season.

Chris Mason was solid in shutting out Detroit

vs SCORING SUMMARY 1ST PERIOD No Scoring 2ND PERIOD Brad Winchester (1) (Jackman, Berglund) 5:12 T.J. Oshie (1) (Janssen, Pietrangelo) 10:45 3RD PERIOD Andy McDonald (1) (Johnson, Boyes) 1:12 GOALIES Jimmy Howard Chris Mason

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[derrickthomas58]

Blues Ruin Wings Comeback With OT Winner Detroit - Paul Kariya scored 3:34 into overtime to give the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. St. Louis has started the season with a 2-0 record after sweeping Detroit in a season opening home-and-home series. David Backes opened the scoring with just 30 seconds left in the first period when he tipped in a Brad Boyes slap shot to give St. Louis the 1-0 lead. Keith Tkachuk fired home a wrist shot 15:40 into the second period on a St. Louis powerplay and the Blues had a 2-0 lead. Detroit got a goal from Henrik Zetterberg on the powerplay midway through the third to make it a 2-1 game. Kris Draper then scored a shorthanded goal with only 13 seconds left in regulation to force overtime before Kariya sent the Wing fans home shocked after an 0-1-1 start to the season. Detroit also lost forward Tomas Holmstrom for 3 weeks with a broken leg. Patrick Eaves will take his place in the lineup. Detroit will host Chicago in their next game.

Paul Kariya scores the OT winner for St. Louis

vs SCORING SUMMARY 1ST PERIOD David Backes (1) (Boyes, McDonald) 19:30 2ND PERIOD Keith Tkachuk (1) (Perron, Johnson) 15:40 PP 3RD PERIOD Henrik Zetterberg (1) (Datsyuk, Franzen) 11:08 PP Kris Draper (1) (Ericsson) 19:47 SH OVERTIME Paul Kariya (1) (Brewer) 3:34 GOALIES Jimmy Howard Chris Mason

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[derrickthomas58]

Wings Continue to Struggle to Start Season Detroit - The Detroit Red Wings are still searching for their first win of the season as they drop a 4-2 decison to the Chicago Blackhawks. Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglein all scored for Chicago while Johan Franzen and Drew Miller replied for Detroit. It was a costly loss for the Blackhawks as they will be without their team captain, Toews, for the next 3-4 weeks after he left early in the second period with a foot injury. It happened while blocking a shot by Valtteri Filppula. It was all for not though as the puck went right to Johan Franzen who put the puck into an empty net to get Detroit to within a goal at 2-1. Dustin Byfuglein put the game away in the third period when he got up after taking a devastating hit from Niklas Kronwall. Kronwall, admiring the hit, forgot about the puck and Byfuglein got up and skated in on Howard and put it in the top shelf to put Chicago up 4-2. Detroit (0-2-1) will now host Alexander Ovechkin and the Southeast Division leading Washington Capitals (3-1-0).

Niklas Kronwall rocks Dustin Byfuglein

vs SCORING SUMMARY 1ST PERIOD Jonathan Toews (1) (Keith, Sharp) 3:03 Marian Hossa (1) (Campbell, Bolland) 10:47 Johan Franzen (1) (Filppula, Kronwall) 15:37 Drew Miller (1) 19:59 2ND PERIOD Kris Versteeg (1) (Keith, Campbell) 7:58 PP 3RD PERIOD Dustin Byfuglein (1) 9:05 GOALIES Jimmy Howard Cristobal Huet

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[mikko1995]

Great start man. Great to see you back.

[derrickthomas58]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikko1995

Great start man. Great to see you back.

Thanks Mikko! I'm not sure if I like the way the layout looks, I may tinker with it. There's something about the Scoring Summary part that I don't like.