Future Wolverines Fare Well at Draft Combine

The NHL's Draft Combine is underway and a couple of future Wolverines did very well. THN cites freshman-to-be Chris Brown and 2010-commit Mac Bennett as "particularly impressive" in the vertical leap challenge, and Bennett killed on the Wingate bike, said to be one of the more difficult tests.

Edit: Bennett was also second in the push-up competition, doing one fewer than Kyle Palmieri. He won the standing long-jump competition.

MGoBlog found some more stuff about Kevin Lynch, who really helped his stock with his performance at World Under 18s.

And, for a lack of anything better to talk about, I have to comment on the schedule for the Stanley Cup Finals. It's been covered by a lot of people already, but the more anti-Bettman stuff out there, the better, so here's my take:

If you want proof that the NHL is a second- or third-rate sport in this country, look no further than to the fact that they bent over and grabbed their ankles for a TV network that doesn't pay them any money. The state of hockey in this country is so piss-poor that they were willing to compromise the integrity of their championship series just to get two of their games on network TV. Sad.

They're playing back-to-back nights (for the first time in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1955--good omen?) because NBC is scared that if a game went to overtime, it would bump Conan's debut on The Tonight Show? Let's say that again. They're playing back to back nights because if the game ran long, Conan would be delayed if it was played during the week.

If Bettman had any balls, he would've told them, "Our game is Monday. You can show it. You can let Versus have it. You can show it and if the game runs over, you can move the game to Versus like you did last year with the Preakness coverage. But we're not forcing our players to play back to back nights in the Stanley Cup Finals." That's what David Stern would have done, considering he basically just did the same thing to one of his owners. "Our game is Monday. I don't care if you've rented out the arena for that night. We're playing."

It says something that the concern with overtime is "What will happen to Conan?" and not "What will happen to our players?" They were so worried about Game 2 bumping back a TV show if the game ran long. What will happen to the players--more specifically the quality of the event--if Game 1 goes triple overtime? You're going to have the players play the equivalent of three games in 27 hours? That's really smart, Gary.

I'm not even coming at this from a "The Red Wings are getting screwed" viewpoint that I've read quite a bit. I don't see it that way. Yes, the extra rest would have helped. Yes, Datsyuk is hurt and Lidstrom is banged up. No, I don't think they would have bumped up the start of the series if it was Pubestache that was nursing an injury. That being said, the teams are getting a pretty equal amount of rest. Both teams have to play three games in four nights, and four in six nights. Both teams will be hurt if the first game goes overtime. And, in fact, I believe the Wings have an advantage in terms of quality depth, so it might hurt Pittsburgh worse (Datsyuk-injury aside--though if he has a broken foot, as have been the rumors, would an extra day really help that much?). This is just a flat-out moronic decision all around.

Does it really help the league to get Game 2 on national TV when it's probably not going to be a showcase of the best the NHL has to offer? Who cares about the quality of play, we're on a TV station that the whole country gets--therefore more people have the ability to make the decision not to watch!

It'd sure be a shame if Joe Louis just happened to have a Yost-like building problem that forced the game to get postponed until Monday.

This is the effing Stanley Cup Finals. The conclusion of the best postseason of any sport. It's not a regular season game that's getting its start time changed. You're lubing up for a TV network that doesn't pay you. They're supposed to get the first two games of the SCF and you let them tell you "But, we don't want to have a game during the week because we have more important things to show."

If you want to be a major sport in this country then act like you're a major sport. Don't beg a TV network to pretty please air your game and we'll accomodate your ever request to get you to put it on. It's pathetic. But not at all unexpected from a league that insists on having as many teams in California, Florida, and Arizona as Canada. And from a league that can't figure out how to get every player in every building once a year. And from a league that continues to employ Dan O'Halloran. And from a league that lets officials change calls based on their intent because they aren't capable of blowing a whistle (I bet Buttman could help out with some pointers). And whose philosophy of "A penalty is a penalty is a penalty" doesn't apply to the Anaheim Ducks. And who can't make up their minds what goalie interference is. (Considering Holmstrom has been called for it when he wasn't in the crease and didn't touch the goalie.) Shall I continue?

They've got the best sport in the world, the best postseason in the world, the best trophy in the world, and yet I've said no less than five times this playoffs "Why do I even watch the NHL?" Even Isiah Thomas couldn't run a league into the ground this badly.

Oh, and lastly, to that d-bag from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo back in 2003 who said the Wings just buy their championships.....enjoy the Wings going for two in a row in the salary cap era. Same playing field, still dominant. Right here, buddy.

Win it for 81!

Chris Summers & The Coolest Table Hockey Game You'll Ever See

With Mitera committed to return for his senior season, Chris Summers became the odds-on favorite to defect during the summer. Well, it appears that won't be happening. Mike Spath chatted with the junior-to-be during the baseball regional and he doesn't sound like a guy that will be playing pro hockey next year. It's a premium article so you have to subscribe to get the good stuff--and it is good stuff--but the headline--"Summers committed to future at Michigan"--is pretty clear.

Next on the list, Max Pacioretty. Despite rumors that the Habs would like him to sign, the general feeling is of optimism that he'll return. Here's yet another account that points toward #39 returning to terrorize CCHA goalies for another year.

Christy from Behind the Jersey has just the solution to cheer up Wings fans. Those videos from KnobHockey definitely did the trick. I particularly like the one of Holmstrom and Fleury. I also enjoyed this video of smack talk from Jarkko Ruutu (NSFW language):



Speaking of knob hockey, this is quite possibly the coolest knob hockey table you'll ever see. It uses McFarlane figures as players. I don't know whether to be really impressed with the design or really amazed that someone has that kind of time on their hands. Then again, I spend countless hours breaking down walk-on Michigan hockey players, so I guess I shouldn't talk. I'd actually really like to try playing on that table to see how it is. It appears that the players are too big for the table and that the goalies don't provide much room to score, but it could be really fun. It's really sweet, nonetheless. That cardboard cutout of Crosby doesn't look right since he's not crying to an official.

This article might shine some light on why Dan O'Halloran seemingly hates Detroit. And it begs the question if the unknown assailant 25 years ago was a Red Wings fan coming back from the future, 12 Monkeys-style.

Lastly, I love collegegear.com--they used to sponsor the site and may again in the future--but this is just cruel.

Angry Blogger is Angry

If anyone that is reading this article lives in southwest Madison and has young children, I apologize for teaching them some new words tonight. I had, shall we say, an unpleasant reaction to another example of stunning incompetance by the NHL and its officials tonight.

With the score 0-0 late in the second period of Game 4 between the Red Wings and Stars, Datsyuk put a shot past Turco to give Detroit the lead. Or so we thought. Kelly Sutherland immediately waived the goal off, saying that Tomas Holmstrom interfered with Turco's ability to make the save--that his butt was in the crease. How can I put this gently....Sutherland was completely and utterly WRONG. Holmstrom was clearly outside the crease and Turco, despite his comments to the contrary, had every chance to make the save. The only bit of "interfering" that Holmstrom did was blocking Turco's view, which is kind of his job (and completely legal provided he's not in the crease or going Sean Avery on the goalie).

To add to the hilarity, the Stars scored just a couple minutes later when Loui Eriksson showed everybody what it really means to be in the crease. Not surprisingly--especially with Dan O'Halloran down at that end of the ice--no one seemed to care that he was basically on top of Osgood, or that they had waived off a goal for a man in the crease just a few moments earlier.

Where my anger at the NHL comes in is that the play with Holmstrom was not reviewable. Now, wait a minute....the NHL war room in Toronto reviews every single goal that is scored to make sure that it shouldn't be waived off, but a scenario exists where they can't review the flip side of that? The technology is there, the league clearly embraces video replay considering they've set up a system where every goal in every game is reviewed by a central location, and we're not letting them take a look at a call like that?

What's even more maddening is that this is at least the third time Holmstrom has had a goal waived off in the same fashion. Sure, there are plenty of times where his actions have warranted goals being waived off--one even happened in Game One and was ignored (and I'd really prefer that make-up calls not take place in a 0-0 game when the original would-be infraction made a game 3-0)--but this wasn't one of them. Nor was the would-be game-tying goal that Detroit scored against Anaheim late in the regular season. Good ole Dan O'Halloran was the person who effed up that ruling.

It is nice to know, however, that the NHL finally realized that they shouldn't allow goals to stand when the player simply knocks the goalie into the net with the puck as Datsyuk did with about 7 minutes to go. I fully acknowledge that that goal shouldn't have counted. I just wish Rob Schick was smart enough to realize it during Game Two of the conference final last year.

I don't suppose the mainstream media will make as big of a deal about Datsyuk's waived off goal as they did about Chauncey Billups's three-pointer which he had time to make due to the clock malfunction in Game Two of the Detroit/Orlando series. I mean, after all, that was three points in a game where the two teams combined for 193 and somehow that blown call was made out to be the sole deciding factor in the game.

The controversy tonight involved a goal in a game where the teams combined for four tallies and Datsyuk's shot was, without question, good. To put things in perspective, Datsyuk's goal being waived off accounted for 20% of the points which should have been scored in the game (one goal out of five). The damage to the Red Wings by having that goal waived off would be the equivalent of the damage to Orlando had Chauncey's shot counted for 38 points. The point is that it's really hard to score in hockey and, if we're waiving off goals, maybe we should make sure we get the call right.

A quick aside: It's also worth mentioning that Orlando got a call in their favor last night that was even more egregious than the one that went Detroit's way in Game Two. Bogans dribbled the ball out of bounds with about a minute and a half left in the game and Detroit up by four. No official noticed the ball hitting the sideline, even though pretty much every fan in the front row did. Orlando retained possession and Bogans missed a runner. Prince grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled. The blown call didn't end up costing the Pistons, but it could have. Orlando went on to pull the game within one before having to start fouling after Detroit got an offensive rebound. But what if Bogans had made that shot? It's very possible Orlando would have won that game, largely in part because of a possession they didn't deserve very, very late in the game.

Stan Van Jeremy won't mention the huge break that went his way. The national media won't mention it either. But that three pointer that Billups hit? That cost Orlando Game Two by God. Never mind the fact that Billups still had to make the shot. And never mind the fact that had the clock been working properly, it's very likely Detroit would have still gotten a good look at the basket. Just not the same look. What it comes down to is that when they got an opportunity, the Pistons executed and the Magic didn't.

Back to hockey, I don't know that the call by Sutherland cost Detroit the game tonight. Dallas played their best game of the series. Turco played his best game of the series. And the Wings are back to being a one-line team with Franzen out of the lineup. The momentum of the game changed with that call, but Detroit had plenty of time to make it a non-factor and they didn't succeed. I just think it's asinine that a game-changing call like the one we saw tonight can be made without using the technology that the league has clearly embraced.

Why are they allowed to examine whether the puck was batted in with a high-stick or if the puck was kicked into the net? Those seem like very similar issues and the league goes upstairs to review them all the time. It seems really strange to me that reviewing if a player's butt was in the crease is a big no-no. Especially when the outcome of a review could fix an incorrect, potentially-game-changing call.

Then again, why am I surprised? This is the NHL. This is the same league that for the entire 1998-99 season waived off any goal where a player so much as had a toe in the crease and then allowed the Stanley Cup to be awarded on such a goal. Nothing they do should shock me anymore.

NHL, make the rule change. You were quick to outlaw Avery's actions. It's high time to allow the league office to review goalie interference/man in the crease calls so your dung-for-brains officals don't screw any more of them up. And while you're at it, make it reviewable as to if the puck hit the protective netting out of play.