As a born and bread Detroit Red Wing’s fan, it is easy to be boastful by the home team players. Pavel Datsyuk is different though, with his boyish good looks and sly humor combined with his talent and work ethic on the ice, leaves him as a memorizing player indeed. Below are a few videos showing his pure awesomeness, displaying what Datsyuk does best… puck handle. (not to infringe upon copyright laws of HWB writer Chris, aka Team Awesome)
Posts Tagged Pavel Datsyuk
NHL All Star Game Changes
Nov 11
Yes, you read the title correct, the somewhat useless but still kind of fun NHL All Star Game will see some changes this year. Here they are:
- Fans will continue to play the lead role in the selection of All-Stars when 2011 NHL All-Star Fan Balloting presented by XM launches on Monday, Nov. 15. The All-Star Balloting process, which is entirely digital for the fourth consecutive game, runs through Jan. 3.
- From a group of 100 players on the ballot, fans will vote for their top six All-Stars by position without regard to the Conference in which the player plays. Fans will also have the ability to write-in a player of their choice.
- The three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie receiving the most votes will be named the first NHL All-Stars.
- The remaining 36 All-Stars will be named by the NHL Hockey Operations Department for a total of 42 All-Star players (3 goalies, 6 defensemen and 12 forwards per team).
- Following the selection of the All-Stars, NHL Hockey Operations will designate 12 NHL rookies to participate in the Honda NHL SuperSkills on Saturday, January 29 for a total of 54 NHL players taking part in All-Star weekend.
- After the 42 NHL All-Stars have been selected, two captains will be chosen per team by the players.
- On Friday, January 28, 2011, a draft event will be held in Raleigh with all 54 NHL players (42 All-Stars and 12 rookies) during which the captains will draft the remaining members of their respective teams.
- First selection in the draft will be determined by coin flip and selections will continue on an alternating basis.
- Each team will be required to select three goalies, six defensemen and 12 forwards in any order they choose.
- After the selection of the All-Star game rosters, the captains will select among the 12 rookies to fill out the rosters for the Honda NHL SuperSkill
- Each team will feature six rookies participating in various skills competitions.
- Teams will participate in six different skills, including NHL Fastest Skater, NHL Breakaway Challenge, Accuracy Shooting, Skills Challenge Relay, NHL Hardest Shot and the NHL Elimination Shoot Out.
In summary, fans will vote from 100 players for the top 6 starters for each team with disregard to conference. From there, NHL Hockey Operations Department will name the remaining 36 players. NHL Hockey Operations Department will also decide on 12 NHL rookies. Here’s the real kicker, 2 captains will be decided by the players for the two teams. From there, the captains will have a playground coin flip to decide who picks first, then the teams are picked in whatever positional order they so choose. The captains will then proceed to pick amongst the rookies, 6 to a side to compete in the skills competition.
As a fan, do you like this idea of having captains picking teams with no regard to conferences? Or would you prefer the old way? Does the idea of Pavel Datsyuk being line-mates with Alexander Ovechkin or any other combination of Eastern and Western conference players playing together intrigue you? And lastly, how much trash talk does the last player being picked get?
Key Offseason Losses: Brett Lebda, Andreas Lilja,
Key Offseason Additions: Mike Modano, Ruslan Salei, Jiri Hudler
Last Season Ranking: 5th in West
Offense:
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are the bread and butter of the Red Wings in terms of offensive talent. But after down seasons last year, coach Mike Babcock has decided to reunite the Euro-twins on the top line and hope for bounce back seasons from both players in terms of production. Datsyuk could easily shoot right back up to the 90-point plateau and Zetterberg could see himself back into the 80s. These two players work so well together that it’s difficult to keep them separated for too long.
But the Wings have more star power on the second line in left wing Johan Franzen. If healthy, Franzen is an excellent power forward and a 30+ goal scorer. However, Franzen has never played an entire NHL season and was limited to only 27 regular season games last year after suffering a knee injury. Health will be a huge concern again this season, but if Franzen is in the lineup he is a vital part of the team’s offense.
Joining Franzen on the second line will most likely be center Valtteri Filppula and Todd Bertuzzi. The Wings are hoping that more playing time on one of the team’s top scoring lines will give Filppula the breakout season that they have been waiting for. Like many Wings last year, Filppula was limited to 55 games because of injury, but he could easily post 50 or more points in a healthy season playing with some of the Wings’ top talent.
The offseason addition of Mike Modano and reacquisition of Jiri Hudler make the Red Wings one of the deepest teams in the NHL in terms of offense. Modano will likely start the season centering Hudler and Dan Cleary on the third line. Hudler posted 23 goals during his last stint with the Wings before bolting to Russia and both Modano and Cleary are two years removed from hitting the 20-goal plateau themselves. This line could become a very versatile line for Babcock and could also be very pivotal for long-term success as they will mostly be lining up against the oppositions third-pairing defenseman.
Defense:
The Wings boast a deep blue line as well with players like Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom contributing at both ends of the ice. At age 40, Lidstrom is still one of the premier defenseman in the game. Lidstrom notched 49 points last season and posted a plus-23 to show that he is still the main man on the Red Wings’ blue line. However, Rafalski was right there with Lidstrom last season with 42 points and a plus-23 rating.
Both Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart bring a physical dimension to the Wings’ lineup, and the addition of Ruslan Salai should help as well. Kronwall is also capable of contributing offensively but remains an injury risk. If healthy, Kronwall could post 40 or more points this season.
The Red Wing are really hoping for a bounce back season from Jonathan Ericsson. After a poor rookie campaign, Ericsson needs to show that he belongs with the big club – especially with rookie Jakub Kindl right on his heels for a roster spot. Kindl’s presence will create some healthy competition for playing time between himself, Ericsson and Salei.
Goaltending:
In his rookie year, Jimmy Howard not only outplayed former Stanley Cup winner Chris Osgood to win the starting goaltender job, but he ranked near the top in many of the goaltending stat categories and was a huge reason why the Wings stayed in contention last season. The starting job will most likely be Howard’s to lose when the season opens next week, but Osgood is ready and more than able to step in and be the number one guy if that should happen. Many said that Osgood looked to be in mid-season form at training camp two weeks ago and could challenge Howard all year long. It will be interesting to see how the goaltending battle plays out, but both Howard and Osgood seem ready for the challenge and willing to step up should the other falter.
Season Outlook:
Injuries certainly hurt the team for much of the season last year and remain a concern for key players like Franzen and Kronwall. After two long playoff runs, the Wings should certainly benefit from a long summer that not only provides time to heal physically, but it also allows the players to regroup mentally. The Wings have the talent to compete for the top spot in the West and, barring some sort of epic collapse, should easily skate into a playoff spot.
Coyotes captain Shane Doan scares off opponents with the Doan face
While I’m not on the Phoenix Coyote bandwagon, like EB, and I root for my hometown Detroit Red Wings, I just don’t think they have what it takes to win Game 7 in Glendale tonight.
This series has been very well coached from the beginning. Some errors have been made here and there, but overall you have, arguably, the league’s best coach in Mike Babcock, going against a sure thing for coach of the year in Dave Tippett. The biggest difference I notice between the two, is how their respective players show up for every game. While the Coyotes are playing their hearts out every night, some Red Wings appear to only show up when they want to.
Mike Babcock often says he loves the playoffs because it keeps you honest. His team knows what they need to do, but lately its been a challenge for them to actually get on to the ice and do it. On the other hand, Dave Tippet’s squad knows how to bring it each and every game. They are playing high energy, physical, playoff style hockey. Plus, not only are they playing to keep their season alive, but they’re playing for their coach too. Somewhere along the line, this seems to have been lost for the Red Wings.
While coaching isn’t everything, some of the philosophies remain strong. Babcock is also a fan of telling the media that the Red Wings best players need to be their best players. This means guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Lidstrom, and so on, all need to step up. When the only guys showing any urgency are players like Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, and Miller, you have to question who is playing playoff hockey? They may not be all stars, but every shift they go out there and lay everything on the table. The same cannot be said about the Red Wings big names recently.
When it comes down to game time, the players decide everything. Right now, everything is going the way of the Phoenix Coyotes. Tonight’s home crowd is going to be rowdy, full of energy, and ready to celebrate a series clinching victory. Ilya Bryzgalov will be in a position to lead his team to victory. His all out effort, and save after save performance will give his players and the home crowd a giant boost from the get go. On top of that, the strong defense and penalty killing we saw in Game 6 will return tonight.
It’s not so much that Phoenix will be good enough to win, but more or less that Detroit will be bad enough to lose. Rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard faces a lot of controversy after calling the Coyotes latest victory “lucky.” In his first playoff series, and first game 7, I don’t think he has what it takes just yet. He has been shaky, at best, in four out of six games thus far. While he will come to play tonight, a soft goal or two will lead to the ultimate demise of the Red Wings Stanley Cup dreams.
Prediction: Ilya Bryzgalov outplays Jimmy Howard in a battle of the netminders, while the Coyotes defense and penalty kill will stifle the Red Wings once again. A close 3-2 game down the stretch will be sealed by an empty netter for the Coyotes, who will advance to play San Jose in round two. Final score, 4-2, and the Doan face haunts the Red Wings all summer.
NHL Award Finalists Revealed
Apr 22
Starting this week and throughout the next week, the National Hockey League is revealing finalists for the year-end awards. The NHL Awards Show will be June 23 in Las Vegas. Here’s a preview of the award finalists already announced as well as my picks for who could take home the hardwood. More previews will hit Hockey World Blog as they are announced.
Tampa's Martin St. Louis joins Pavel Datsyuk and Brad Richards as finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy
Lady Byng Trophy: Most Gentlemanly Player
Finalists:
- Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
- Brad Richards, Dallas
- Martin St. Louis, Tampa
Datsyuk is the only player to have won the award in the post-lockout era. He has edged St. Louis each of the past three seasons. Datsyuk is near the opposite of his Russian counterpart Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin likes to play it rough and get his nose dirty while Datsyuk is more quiet, reserved and gets job done. Could this be the year Richards and St. Louis put their name on the hardware? Richards has won the award previously, in 2004.
My Pick: Richards
Frank Selke Trophy: Best Defensive Forward
- Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
- Ryan Kesler, Vancouver
- Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh
Each one of these players is very deserving of the award. Datsyuk led the league in takeaways with 132 and finished with a plus-17 rating. Kesler’s career-high 19:32 averaged playing time helped play a role in the Canucks finished fourth this season in home penalty-killing. Stall finished second in the league in short-handed penalty minutes.
My Pick: Datsyuk
Calder Trophy: Rookie of the Year
- Matt Duchene, Colorado
- Tyler Myers, Buffalo
- Jimmy Howard, Detroit
Jimmy Howard joins Matt Dunchene and Tyler Myers as finalists for the Calder Trophy
This is a solid group of candiates for the Calder Trophy. At the beginning of the season, you would expect someone like John Tavares to be in this position and not Jimmy Howard. Howard has stepped into the Detroit net and embraced it. He hopes to become the first Red Wing to win the Calder since Roger Crozier in 1965. Howard’s 2.26 GAA and a .924 SV% placed him in the top-five in the NHL in each category. Myers was one of four players to play in all 82 games and the only defenseman rookie to do so. He was very effective when his name was on the scoresheet, as Buffalo was 8-1-1 when he scored a goal and 29-7-1 when he recorded a point. Duchene had a breakout season in Colorado. He played a role in the Avalanche qualifying for the playoffs, when he scored 24 goals and 31 assists this season. His 55 points was the second-highest total in Av’s history, only behind teammate Paul Stasny’s 78 in 2007. He also led all rookies in points and tied for first in goals with Tavares.
My Pick: Duchene
The Detroit Red Wings have now lost consecutive games in shootouts, yesterday to the Stars and today against the Chicago Blackhawks. While yesterday’s shootout was filled with controversy over Steve Ott’s phantom goal, today featured a couple highlight reel goals from Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi.
Datsyuk pulled a move out from the book of Linus Omark, and certainly did not disappoint. He lobbed up a real soft shot that completely fooled Antti Niemi. Later, Todd Bertuzzi pulls off some magic as he went for the spin-o-rama and buried it beautifully. While a couple of the Red Wings stars came up big on national tv for the shootout, they were not fortunate enough to win. The point will certainly help as Detroit hunts for a playoff spot, but they narrowly missed two more points this weekend and they could have desperately used each one.
Here’s a video of both goals from today in case you missed them:
Pavel Datsyuk will join Henrik Zetterberg and the Red Wings tonight
The Detroit Free Press has been reporting the Pavel Datsyuk will be returning to the lineup tonight in Phoenix. It looks as though Pav will be playing alongside a couple familiar faces, Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom. Re-uniting this line should be great for fantasy owners who carry any of these players on their squad. When together, Homer and the Eurotwins have been known to put up prolific numbers. Detroit could use some of that scoring tonight against a Phoenix team that has been great to start the season and carries a strong netminder in Ilya Bryzgalov.
Jonathan Tavares didn’t really have an outstanding game against the Islanders last night, but came up big when it counted. Tavares’ goal in the shootout gave the New York Islanders their first win of the season. His goal was a pretty one too. Check out the video of the entire shootout.
It looks like Alexander Frolov will soon be on his way out of Los Angeles. According to a great article on BleacherReport, Kings coach Terry Murray has had 10 meetings with Frolov regarding his poor play this season. The rest of the article details a few potential destinations for Frolov if the Kings trade the winger. Fantasy owners keep an eye out, if Frolov gets dealt, he might be able to regain his scoring touch playing on a better line.
Saturday, October 24th, will mark the second time this season that all 30 NHL teams play. The first “Face-Off Saturday” as it has been called, took place on October 3rd. I’m a little disappointed, however, that the earliest game starts at 7pm. A couple afternoon games would have made this Face-Off Saturday much more delightful. Either way, we will be on Twitter Saturday night doing some live tweeting of whatever games we choose to watch. Follow along if you can, it will be a great night.
Every hockey fan will go through this discussion. “If I were to build my own team, I would have (insert player names here).” Well it got Hockey World Blog thinking, “Build a team with 1 forward, 1 defenseman, and 1 goalie, who would you pick?”
Eddie:
Forward: Pavel Datsyuk
If I were to build my team, I would keep it young in terms of age and experience, but I’d throw in a few guys in that 30-35-year-old range to provide leadership on and off the ice. Datsyuk is one of those players who can score a highlight reel goal every time he touches the puck. At age 31, Datsyuk has won two Stanley Cups and was a finalist for the Heart Trophy this past season. On my team, he would be that perfect combination of experience and offensive threat. Not to mention he’s a great two-way player as he won the last two Selke Trophies.
Defenseman: Mike Green
Mike Green has the perfect combination of scoring and defensive presence for a young player.
What a first-round draft the Capitals had in 2004. With the No. 1 overall pick, they take Alexander Ovechkin. And at No. 29 they take a young defenseman in Mike Green. They are amongst the best forward-defenseman combinations in the league. Both can light the lamp at anytime. What I like about Green is that he’s grown into a much better player the last two seasons. Last year he scored 31 goals. That’s an insane amount for a defenseman. But what attracts me to him is his +/- rating. His +24 rating was tied for fifth in the league last season.
Goalie: Steve Mason
In looking for a goalie, I want someone young who can be my franchise goalie, in the way that Chris Osgood was for Detroit and Martin Brodeur was for New Jersey. Living in the Central Division, I got to see a lot of the Blue Jackets and Steve Mason. He helped guide a team that was once the laughing stock of the NHL to a playoff birth last season. His 10 shutouts was the most in the league last season. If Columbus can get a couple more quality defenseman in front of him Mason can rise to one of the best goalies in the league.
EB:
Forward: Jarome Iginla
The boy can score, set up plays, fight and can even do commericals! Iginla is a class act, both on and off the ice. He is an ambassador for Kidsport Calgary which which donates $2,000 for every goal he scores. The money aides disadvantaged families by purchasing equipment as well as registration fees. He also supports many other causes through time and money, ranging from hockey diversity initiative to literacy programs. Sure you are widely known for the work you display on the ice, but to have a franchise player, you want someone well rounded both on and off the ice.
Jonathan Ericsson finishes a hit and already has eyes back on the play.
Defense: Jonathan Ericsson
Perhaps my biased Wings fan is showing, but Ericsson is going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. Currently under Nicklas Lidstrom’s leadership as a defenseman, I expect nothing but great things to come from this kid and would be more than willing to put a franchise with him at the center. The 6’4″ 206 lb. hard hitting and shooting player is a treat to watch at his young age. His agility and coordination improves daily it seems, with the natural unteachable poise of play that he possesses, and willingness to drop the gloves when he needs to.
Goalie: Jonas Gustavsson
Any player with the nickname “The Monster” is bound to gain attention. Coming into his first year and already with the media following would only mean $$$ for the owner. Fans would come far and wide just to get a glimpse of his enormous size only to be matched by his enormous talent. With the feeling that he alone could defeat a team with his quick reflexes, you could only imagine that he increases your chances of making playoffs as well as the possibility of getting some cups.
Chris:
Forward: Alexander Ovechkin
Give me a goal-scorer like Alexander Ovechkin any day of the week to build my offensive program around. This guy can score from his knees, while he’s diving, forward or backward. He is one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL right now because of his speed, skating ability and his capacity to shoot mid-stride and catch both goalies and defenders off guard. Ovechkin has topped the 50-goal plateau three times in his four NHL seasons, only missing out on 50 by four goals in 2006-07. Plus Ovechkin is young. At just 23 years of age, this sniper has a long NHL career ahead of him.
Defenseman: Dion Phaneuf
If I get one player to build my defensive core around, I want a guy like Dion Phaneuf standing on my blue line. At 6’3 and 214 pounds, this guy is big, scary, and mean. He plays physical and is no stranger to throwing a few bone-crunching checks. His physical style of play has landed him with 90 penalty minutes or more in each of his four NHL seasons, topping out at 182 PIM during the 2007-2008 season. Phaneuf has an offensive prowess, too. In 323 NHL games, Phaneuf has accumulated 206 points, including 141 helpers. At the tender age of 24, Phaneuf has all the makings of a star blue liner.
Goalie: Ryan Miller
For a starting goalie, I like Ryan Miller. While he may not be cozying up to any goaltender records anytime soon, this is a guy who is solid between the pipes and gives you a chance to win every night. While he isn’t a tender young pup anymore at the age of 29, he definitely still has several quality years left in him to backstop a team to the Cup. Miller sports a career goals against average of 2.66 and a save percentage of 0.910. Not every team can draft a Marty Brodeur or Roberto Luongo, but Miller will make the saves he’s supposed to and probably stop a few that he shouldn’t. If nothing else, he will give you a chance to win night in and night out.
Matt:
Forward: Alex Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin is a scoring machine, plain and simple. As time goes on, however, he is solidifying himself as a more responsible defensive player as well. In fact, Alex finished his 2009 playoff campaign with a +10 rating in 14 games played. He is evolving into a terrific leader, and a player who wants nothing more than to win the Stanley Cup.
Defense: Mike Green
Does this guy not just remind you of Bobby Orr a little bit? At least in terms of his skating and scoring? If there is another defenseman to crack the 100 point barrier anytime soon, my money is on Mike Green. Last season he had 31 goals and another 42 helpers, for 73 points on the season, in only his third full year in the NHL. He is young, he is talented, and he will win a Norris Trophy and a Stanley Cup before his career is over.
Goalie: Roberto Luongo
They say that goalies tend to reach their peak performance level a bit later in their career than most other players. Well, if that’s the case, at 30 years young, Roberto Luongo is a guy you want on your squad. He has proven himself as a guy who can handle a heavy workload, playing more than 70 games in four of the past five seasons. Along with that, he’s posted a .919 save percentage throughout his career. As the current captain of the Vancouver Canucks, you know the man has tremendous leadership ability, and that is vital to the construction of any team.
Detroit Red Wings
Sep 30
The Detroit Red Wings have arguable been the most successful franchise in the NHL since the lockout and the formation of the “new” salary-cap era. This past summer, however, the once invincible-looking Red Wings seemingly took a huge step back as they lost several players to free agency – including Marian Hossa, who opted to sign with Central division rival the Chicago Blackhawks. Before proclaiming that the age of the Winged Wheel has ended in the Central Division, however, you need to remind yourself of three things about the Wings: They still sport some of the best defensive depth in the NHL, they have an incredible knack for overcoming adversity and they won the Cup in 2007-08 with a roster that looks pretty similar to their current one.
Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will again be called upon to lead the Red Wings up front this season. After a sluggish regular season, Zetterberg upped the ante in the playoffs and finished with 24 points in 23 games, including 11 goals. Zetterberg should have no problem bumping right back up to 80-90 points this season. Datsyuk, calm and shifty as ever, should be able to leave some nagging injuries from the playoffs behind him and perhaps become the first Red Wing to score 100 points in a single season since Sergei Federov. These are two of the best forwards, and often most overlooked forwards, in the NHL right now.
Budding stars like Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen will be called upon to fill help lead the secondary offense and fill the voids left be departed free agents. Franzen, who had 34 goals last season, needs to put in a consistent effort night in and night out. Under those circumstances, Franzen could easily top the 40-goal mark and could be a fantasy hockey sleeper, especially if he gets significant time on the top line with Datsyuk. Filppula, the Finnish center who often shows flashes of brilliance, also needs to show more consistency throughout the entire season.
While the free-agent additions of former Red Wings Todd Bertuzzi and Jason Williams baffled some, others believe they will certainly help establish more offensive depth for the Red Wings. Jason Williams has had a stellar pre-season thus far and looks right at home with his old Red Wings teammates and could be a dangerous threat playing the point on the second power play unit. Todd Bertuzzi came into training camp looking fit and feeling healthy. If he can find his hands near the net, expect big contributions out of him playing the wing alongside Zetterberg. Bertuzzi’s big question mark is health, however. The big man needs to find a way to stay out of the press box and stay on the bench with his teammates.
The Red Wings defense is scary good, but needs to tighten up some if they are to go deep into the playoffs. Defensive lapses hurt this team last year, but an abundance of scoring power propelled the Wings to more wins than they might have had otherwise. Both forwards and defenseman alike need to tighten up their game if they are to stay on top of the Central division. But with veterans like Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski leading the pack, and players like Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson making names for themselves quickly, this defense still looks to be at the top of their game and should be able to contain even the fiercest offenses in the Western Conference.
Goaltending remains somewhat of a question mark for this organization. Chris Osgood had a subpar regular season only to turn up his play to Conn Smyth caliber in the post season last year. Which goalie will show up when the puck drops later this week? Jimmy Howard, the new backup goaltender replacing Ty Conklin, has looked soft in several of his NHL contests in previous seasons. Howard will get plenty of opportunities to show his stuff, however, as he is slated to play around 30 games behind Ozzie. It’s do or die for Howard, who the Red Wings have billed as the goalie of the future for several seasons. The future is now for the Wings.
The future certainly is now when you consider that Darren Helm, Ville Leino and Jonathan Ericsson are all considered rookies this year despite the fact that Helm and Ericsson played through most of the playoffs with the Wings last spring. Their play catapulted them to a new level and now the Wings want to see what these young guys are made of as regulars to the roster. If they play half as good as they did in the playoffs, expect big things.
The Detroit Red Wings may have lost some talent, but they are a team that knows how to win. Even without Hossa, this team is stocked full of potential all-stars. And come next April, the Detroit Red Wings will again be in the postseason as a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.
