Red Wing's Evolution
The Red Wings are quietly having a remarkable season. Why then isn’t there more of a buzz about the Red Wings? Why is Joe Louis not sold out? The answer is that the regular season has little meaning in the NHL. In other words, we don’t get interested until the playoffs. It’s too bad, too, because the Red Wings have a 33-8-3 record, easily the best in all of hockey.
The Red Wings domination of the league wasn’t supposed to happen. The salary cap was supposed to be their downfall after the strike. Instead, the Wings have succeeded where other pre-strike teams have failed because the Wings’ management keeps putting young, talented players in the system year after year, slowly building up the team’s core. For instance, Henrik Zetterberg in his 4th season in the NHL leads the team with 56 points – and that’s with an injury.
While the young players add youth and talent, they also infuse the team with new energy and determination. A case in point is Chris Osgood, who got booted off the Red Wings a few years ago and failed with the Islanders and the Blues. This season for the Wings, he has been outstanding, coming up with huge saves when needed. He is presently 19-2 for the season with only 1.68 goals against him.
The question is whether the Wings’ success in the regular season will carry into the Stanley Cup playoffs? I think it will. Our interest in the contest may change, but the makeup of the team remains the same.
January 1st, 2008
Detroit Sports Blog: Carr's Swan Song
After a very disappointing 2007 season that ended in Lloyd Carr’s resignation, Michigan came out to play in the Capital One Bowl. That’s right; a team that lost to Appalachian State in the big house took care of the mighty Florida Gators in their own backyard. An offense that could only manage 91 yards against Ohio State got over 500 yards on New Year’s Day.
The Michigan offense was supposed to be dominant this season. Chad Henne was supposed to be a Heisman Trophy candidate. Mike Hart was supposed to vault himself into a number one draft pick. Jake Long came back and turned down NFL money so he could win a national title. These expectations seem very long ago; but, after the win against Florida, they seem almost realistic.
Carr, after 13 years and a national championship, was receiving a great deal of criticism. The team was underachieving and was thought to be under coached. The season did not improve as expected with the change of the offensive and defensive coordinators. So, Michigan went out and got Rich Rodriguez to right the ship for over double the cost of Carr.
While Michigan was cutting the deal with Rodriguez, Carr finally got the team ready to play. For the Florida game, he played almost entirely out of the spread formation. Chad Henne threw the ball for 373 yards -- out of the formation. The defense, while giving up over 400 yards, put pressure on Tim Tebow and won the game by stopping the last drive. All these were new innovations put in by Carr and his staff. Unfortunately, this is the same staff that will be out looking for a new job next year.
The team could have lain down against the heavily favored Gators, and the lame duck staff could have mailed it in. Instead, they all made us proud. Imagine Rich Rodriquez watching the game, drooling about the talent he will inherit. There will be changes next year, sure, but the talent level looks very encouraging. Rodriguez, who ran the spread at West Virginia, may now have an easier time teaching a new offense.
How did Carr manage a great bowl game after a disappointing season? Part of the reason is that Hart and Henne were healthy and played well. Part of it is that Carr and his staff had nothing to lose in the bowl game and were willing to take chances. Part of it is emotion; the players are young men playing for their retiring coach; they had a swagger and played mean for the first time this year.
I’d like to thank Lloyd Carr for a great 13 years as coach. He ran a clean program and kept Michigan in the upper echelon of college football almost every year. I wish Rich Rodriguez a lot of luck taking over the legacy that is Michigan football.
One last thought: the game isn’t even close if Mike Hart doesn’t fumble twice inside the five yard line – it makes me look forward to next year.
