Jiri Hudler

Disappointing Finish Can't Deny The Talent

April 8, 2012

Red Wings fans are still upset at the way in which the historic 2011-2012 season came to a close. How can a team with one of the leading goaltenders and the current NHL record for consecutive home victories go 4-4-2 in their last 10 AND lose home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs?

The team took quite a hit after going through a series of momentum changing injuries to stars like Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Jimmy Howard and Nicklas Lidstrom. Some would even say that Howard hasn't been the same since the injury. That slump in the season wasn't a surprise.

It also didn't help that the Wings couldn't capitalize on some of their late season opportunities which includes them falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus, and then losing at home to Nashville, New Jersey and Chicago. The loss in Columbus just emphasizes the team's biggest setback of the season. The Wing's finished with a 17-21-3 record when playing away from the Joe.

Wings Win In Shootout

April 1, 2012

Rachel Bellono

2 Comments

April in the D started out positively with a win for the Detroit Red Wings on their home ice at the Joe Louis Arena tonight against the Florida Panthers. Hopefully their last three games can be even more successful.

The Panthers are battling for a playoff spot, so it was obvious that the game would be tight. The first period was rough for Detroit. The Panthers lead shots on goal 10 to the Wings’ 7. Detroit spent 6 minutes of the first period in the penalty box, which did not help the Wings momentum. The Panthers had a couple good tries on the power plays in the first, but the puck was not able to get past Jimmy Howard. The first goal in the g...

Sochi-Bound Red Wings

March 25, 2012

A.K. Bennett

2 Comments

There are almost two years until the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia however the gears of preparation are well into use. Canada has tapped Red Wing legend Steve Yzerman to return as executive director for Canada. Wings GM Ken Holland will be a key member of Yzerman's support staff, however it's doubtful Yzerman and Holland will be the only two people with Red Wing ties at Sochi.

Of course rosters change and the Red Wings are in for a moderate overhaul over the next two seasons but there are some shoe-ins to be Olympians, some players who would be on the bubble if selections were today and some youngsters that may push for a bid as they develop.

The Undoubted

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Kings Batter Slumping Red Wings 5-2

March 14, 2012

Ty Fisher

0 Comments

With two wins in a row and twelve games to go, Los Angeles sits in tenth place in the Western Conference. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images)

Less than a week after surrendering a late 3-2 lead against these same Detroit Red Wings, the Kings came out of the gates firing and dominated play for the majority of the clock’s sixty minutes. Five different Kings recorded the team’s five goals en route to a resounding 5-2 win Tuesday night at the Staples Center.

An injury-plagued Detroit team may have been just what the doctor ordered for L.A. The Red Wings are still playing without key contrib...

Injuries Are Mounting. Are you scared?

March 4, 2012

Robert DAurelio

1 Comment

Lidstrom. Datsyuk. Howard. Bertuzzi. Ericsson. Kindl. Eaves. All banged up. Can the Detroit Red Wings win another Stanley Cup with their best defenseman, forward, and goalie out? Up until this point in the season, the Wings have been relatively healthy and have definitely played like it. Now, we are at a point where the “law of averages” has kicked in, and the once healthy Red Wings are starting to pile up injuries. Maybe the better question is, can the Wings win their division?

The Red Wings may play next with seven starters out of the lineup. That’s scary, even if we are talking about the 2002 Red Wings. Is this team getting old? Does Mike Babcock run them too ha...

Late Surge Can't Stop the Avalanche

February 25, 2012

A.K. Bennett

2 Comments

The Red Wings put forth a similar effort to their past two games against the Avalanche but lost by one again. The Avalanche's top forwards provided consistent offense scoring in each period. The Red Wings maintained little consistent pressure during the first two periods and were unable to catch Colorado with a strong surge in the third period.

Colorado came out firing and were up 2-0 before three minutes had ticked off the clock. Gabriel Landeskog scored from the low slot just 1:35 in off a pass from newly acquired Steve Downie. Downie who was part of the quasi-three way trade with Tampa Bay that sent Kyle Quincey to Detroit was a key factor for Colorado in the game.

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Deadline Decisions: Forwards

February 24, 2012

A.K. Bennett

10 Comments

The Red Wings have achieved one of their two deadline goals with the acquisition of Kyle Quincey from Tampa Bay. Quincey gives the Red Wings 8 NHL-ready defensemen, a second point man for the 2nd power play unit and some more abrasiveness on the back end.

The Wings still seek some additional depth up front. At different times, the Red Wings' desires have been stated to be a scoring winger to flesh out the top-six or a gritty, defensive forward to provide a physical presence on the 3rd or 4th line. The Wings' performance in their two games since losing Pavel Datsyuk to injury cannot be encouraging. Detroit has looked disengaged at times and has trouble maintaining offen...

Wings make history in near-perfect fashion

February 15, 2012

Eric Huffman

1 Comment

The Red Wings can downplay it all they want, but last night was one for the ages.

The Wings did, what nobody has been able to accomplish in NHL, win 21 consecutive games on home ice.

"We're thrilled this has happened for our team," coach Mike Babcock said. "I think it's really good for our logo, it's really good for our ownership, our team. I'm proud of the guys. They've worked hard and now let's get on with it."

What originally seemed to look like a potentially close match up, was handled with a bit of dominance on the part of the Wings. The first stat to look at is the penalties, where the Wings only had three of ten total in...

Why You Should Want Jiri Hudler On Your Team

February 3, 2012

Rachel Bellono

0 Comments

Are you on the Hudler band-wagon? It wasn’t easy to immediately believe in Hudler, but this article will give you a couple reasons why you might want to jump on that wagon.

Jiri Hudler has had one strange career so far, playing all over the world and not always the most consistent. He came from the Czech Republic and starting living in the United States full time for the 2003-2004 season. Before then, he played from 1998 to 2003 for a couple different Czech Republic teams. He had semi-decent seasons, landing at least one point in every season he played. In 2002, the Detroit Red Wings drafted him as their first pick and 58th overall in the NHL...

Wings Put Out The Flames With A Win In Calgary

February 1, 2012

Rachel Bellono

2 Comments

Yes, the title was an intended, unoriginal, funny pun. The Detroit Red Wings did "put out" the Flames and got back on track with their victory over Calgary!

First Period: The first period seemed to contain more physical play by Calgary. Jackman and Commodore both received a five minute penalty for fighting with four minutes left in the first. The fight was started because of a hip hit from Commodore to Jackman. But that wasn’t the beginning of the physical hits between the two teams, especially on Calgary’s part. It definitely was a good first period for the team, which is not always the best away. It took about six minutes f...