Talking with…Ryan Sproul
“Frustrated.” That’s the word Soo Greyhounds defenceman Ryan Sproul used to describe his play following a loss to the Windsor Spitfires Dec. 6 at the WFCU Centre. Sproul was addressing the brain trust the Red Wings had sent to watch him play, which indluded assistant general manager of hockey administration Ryan Martin and advisor to hockey operations Chris Chelios. Martin had just finished asking Greyhounds general manager Kyle Dubas if that was the kind of performance Sproul had been turning in regularly, who replied with an emphatic “no.” Keep in mind, this is following a tightly-contested loss where Sproul had an even rating, one assist, and by my count several takeaways and scoring chances. Here is my interview with Ryan: Rob Benneian: Obviously not the result you wanted, but I thought you had a pretty … Read entire article »
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Red Wings sign trio of reclamation projects
The Detroit Red Wings have made their mark on the NHL over the last two decades by establishing a tradition of winning, nay excellence, that has been unmatchable by any of the other 29 teams. An area that often is overlooked, but is crucial to their success, is their ability to extract every last droplet of talent from the tombstones of hockey careers. With a trio of signings on this, the first day of free agency, the … Read entire article »
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Talking With: Mike McKee
Meet Mike McKee, a new breed of Red Wing. … Read entire article »
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DSN’s 2012 NHL Mock Draft
Well everyone else is doing one, so here is DSN’s 2012 Mock Draft! I’ve invited good friend Eric Berge to pick with me here. I’ll select the odd-numbered teams while he has drawn the evens. If you’re following the draft tonight feel free to consult our mock draft and cheer along with me as I pick correctly and mock Eric when he gets one wrong. You can chat with me on Twitter here. For my draft I am … Read entire article »
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REPORT: Wings to sign Swiss star Brunner
One thing social media has done for the sports world and those who closely follow it is the ability to see moves happening weeks before they ever do. Back in the dark ages, blockbuster trades and huge free agent signings could rock the sports world simply because no one saw them coming. Now, with the prominence of Twitter, everyone is an insider. I heard rumours of Damien Brunner signing with an NHL club as early as two … Read entire article »
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Goin’ back to Cali
Despite being traded from San Jose six years ago, Brad Stuart’s heart – and more importantly, his family – remained in the Bay Area. Stuart’s career as a reliable shutdown, second pairing defenseman took him from San Jose to Boston, then Calgary before signing a free agent contract to return to Los Angeles in 2007. A trade deadline deal to Detroit in 2008 made him a Stanley Cup champion, and that summer he signed a four year deal to stay in the Motor City. But the last few years have been tough on the Red Wings workhorse, despite the team doing everything they could to accommodate him. Stuart was granted time off between games to fly out to visit his family, who reportedly cannot move from the state of California due to … Read entire article »
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Lidstrom turned efficiency into an art form
There are defining events in everyone’s life, ones where you will always remember where you were when you heard the news. For a generation of hockey fans, Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement is such a moment. … Read entire article »
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Hasek Back?
This little bit of news has been floating around the ethernets for a few days now, but I’ve been avoiding talking about it because I was thoroughly convinced it was a hoax. How could a guy who will turn 48 during the next season, who hasn’t played in over a year, and who lost his last starting job in the NHL four years ago possibly be contemplating a return to the NHL? Well, when it comes to … Read entire article »
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Off-season shopping: Dustin Penner
Every year, once the Red Wings have been eliminated from the playoffs – and I’ve taken way more time than is necessary to stop pouting and blaming the hockey gods a totally mature amount of time to take stock of the season that was and assess Detroit’s needs going forward – I start to compile a list of wants and needs. The Red Wings needs are pretty obvious, and they haven’t been coy about what they are either. Coach Mike Babcock said that his team needs to get bigger. With that in mind, there is one player I would have on my shopping list if I were Red Wings GM Ken Holland. … Read entire article »
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Wings destroy Springfield Falc….Columbus Blue Jackets
Red Wings 7 Blue Jackets 2 This one was never close. Often, we see the Wings sleep walk through games against lesser opponents. Embarrassing losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders in recent years come to mind. With the league’s worst team in town and featuring a lineup consisting mostly of AHLers, the Wings went for the jugular immediately and didn’t let go until they had kicked the extra point. I still think they should … Read entire article »
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