Posted: 4/27/2009 10:26:12 PM EDT
http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/audio/PennywiseBroHymn.mp3
We won, in spite of the officiating. Lets dance Detroit. 
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Just for your amusement 4x, here's today's article from the local rag.
Wings renew rivalry against Ducks in Round 2 BY HELENE ST. JAMES • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • April 28, 2009 Around one o’clock this morning, the Red Wings finally learned the identity of their second-round opponent: It’ll be old familiar foe Anaheim, with new goaltender Jonas Hiller. “It’s always good games when we play each other,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “They have a really solid team, a good defense, a good goalie. It’s going to be a fun and tough round.” The Ducks dispatched regular-season no. 1 San Jose with a 4-1 victory in Game 6, now reigniting a rivalry highlighted by the 2007 Western Conference finals. The Ducks won that series, but barely; had Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk had five more minutes to work with, that Game 6 had a Wings victory written all over it. What’s the outlook now, two years later? I don’t see the Wings being upset. The Ducks main offense comes from their top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, who average 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, and Teemu Selanne, who at 38 still scored 27 goals in the regular season. “They’ve got a great first line; they’ve got Selanne," Chris Osgood said. "We’ve played them a lot in the playoffs. Their D is good. They’re a solid team, and have two goalies that have played well all year.” On the back end, there are top defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, as well as Ryan Whitney and Francois Beauchemin. The Ducks are only two years removed from knocking out Detroit en route to the Stanley Cup championship, which means that unlike first-round opponent Columbus, the Ducks – as they just showed against the Sharks – know how to win this time of year, just like the Wings. “Anaheim have big players, experience,” Datsyuk said. “We play with this team a lot, so it’ll be good battle. It’s a good rivalry, for sure.” In goal, Hiller outplayed Jean-Sebastien Giguere during the regular season to win the No. 1 job. He went into the 2009 playoffs with zero NHL playoff experience, and emerged after the first round – against a team with big, fast forwards – with a .957 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average. “He’s a big kid, it’s not like we haven’t seen him,” Mike Babcock said. “He’s played well for them, he’s taken over as their goalie. He’s a big butterfly guy, he’s on his knees all the time, but is tall enough, and stays upright enough, that he seems able to cover the net.” The dates for the second round haven’t been released yet, but the series won’t start before Thursday. The Wings went 3-0-1 against the Ducks in the regular season, losing the first game in Anaheim 5-4 in overtime. Detroit outscored Anaheim, 15-11. |
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Quoted:
http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/audio/PennywiseBroHymn.mp3
We won, in spite of the officiating. Lets dance Detroit. Yes....Lets dance Ducks!! 
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Quoted:
Just for your amusement 4x, here's today's article from the local rag. Wings renew rivalry against Ducks in Round 2 BY HELENE ST. JAMES • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • April 28, 2009 Around one o’clock this morning, the Red Wings finally learned the identity of their second-round opponent: It’ll be old familiar foe Anaheim, with new goaltender Jonas Hiller. “It’s always good games when we play each other,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “They have a really solid team, a good defense, a good goalie. It’s going to be a fun and tough round.” The Ducks dispatched regular-season no. 1 San Jose with a 4-1 victory in Game 6, now reigniting a rivalry highlighted by the 2007 Western Conference finals. The Ducks won that series, but barely; had Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk had five more minutes to work with, that Game 6 had a Wings victory written all over it. What’s the outlook now, two years later? I don’t see the Wings being upset. The Ducks main offense comes from their top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, who average 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, and Teemu Selanne, who at 38 still scored 27 goals in the regular season. “They’ve got a great first line; they’ve got Selanne," Chris Osgood said. "We’ve played them a lot in the playoffs. Their D is good. They’re a solid team, and have two goalies that have played well all year.” On the back end, there are top defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer, as well as Ryan Whitney and Francois Beauchemin. The Ducks are only two years removed from knocking out Detroit en route to the Stanley Cup championship, which means that unlike first-round opponent Columbus, the Ducks – as they just showed against the Sharks – know how to win this time of year, just like the Wings. “Anaheim have big players, experience,” Datsyuk said. “We play with this team a lot, so it’ll be good battle. It’s a good rivalry, for sure.” In goal, Hiller outplayed Jean-Sebastien Giguere during the regular season to win the No. 1 job. He went into the 2009 playoffs with zero NHL playoff experience, and emerged after the first round – against a team with big, fast forwards – with a .957 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average. “He’s a big kid, it’s not like we haven’t seen him,” Mike Babcock said. “He’s played well for them, he’s taken over as their goalie. He’s a big butterfly guy, he’s on his knees all the time, but is tall enough, and stays upright enough, that he seems able to cover the net.” The dates for the second round haven’t been released yet, but the series won’t start before Thursday. The Wings went 3-0-1 against the Ducks in the regular season, losing the first game in Anaheim 5-4 in overtime. Detroit outscored Anaheim, 15-11. Thanks! I really hope Detroit doesn't underestimate the Ducks as a typical 8th seed. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/audio/PennywiseBroHymn.mp3
We won, in spite of the officiating. Lets dance Detroit. Yes....Lets dance Ducks!! I'm in that fuzzy place right now, after taking out San Jose. I'm not afraid of Detroit, and it should be a very entertaining series. 
I was actually hoping for a 6th or 7th place finish to get either Vancouver or the wings first round, and put off a meeting with SJ. |
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
The defense never rests Dave Dye / The Detroit News Detroit –– The spotlight in this Red Wings-Anaheim Ducks playoff series will be on a who's who of all-time great NHL defensemen. The top two on both teams –– Nicklas Lidstrom, 39, and Brian Rafalski, 35, for the Wings, Scott Niedermayer, 35, and Chris Pronger, 34, for the Ducks –– have combined for 12 Stanley Cups, eight Norris Trophy awards (top defensemen), one Hart Trophy (regular season MVP), two Conn Smythe awards (playoff MVP) and 22 All-Star Game appearances. Can you say Hall of Fame? "The hardware that those guys can put out there is most impressive," Wings center Kris Draper said. And it really doesn't end there. Keith Jones and Brian Engblom, former NHL players who are now studio analysts for Versus, rank the top-four defensemen on both teams as 1-2 in the league. "Detroit is still one, but it is a very slight margin," Jones said. "They are both stacked." "I don't think there's a difference," Engblom said. "I'd say it really is a dead heat. They're some of the best defensemen in the business. Their presence just looms out there." For the Red Wings' defense, the challenge will be to contain center Ryan Getzlaf's line. Getzlaf, Corey Perry and rookie Bobby Ryan comprise the NHL's most physical trio up front. For the Ducks' D, it's controlling the front of the net, where Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen are so effective in distracting opposing goalies. The Wings' No. 2 defensive pairing, Niklas Kronwall, 28, and Brad Stuart, 29, provide much of the team's physical element. They can change the momentum of a game with a bone-crunching hit. "Kronwall and Stuart are a perfect three and four," Jones said. "They'd be a dream one-two for most teams." Defensive turnaround Anaheim revamped its defense at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Ryan Whitney, 26, from Pittsburgh and James Wisniewski, 25, from Chicago. The return of Francois Beauchemin, 28, from a knee injury is another big reason for the team's late-season turnaround and upset of No. 1 seed San Jose in the opening round. While Whitney and Beauchemin are considered part of the Ducks' big four, Wisniewski has emerged to give the pairings more balance. Niedermayer has been paired lately with Wisniewski (a former Plymouth Whaler), Pronger with Whitney, and Beauchemin with Sheldon Brookbank. "They're like interchangeable parts," Engblom said. "But you know they're going to lean on the top four a lot." Rafalski and Niedermayer were teammates for five seasons in New Jersey, winning the Cup in 2000 and 2003. Even in his 16th NHL season, Niedermayer remains one of the game's best skaters. He won the Norris Trophy in 2004 with New Jersey and the Conn Smythe in 2007 with Anaheim. "He has an oxygen tank that nobody has," Rafalski said. "He could take all summer off, come on the ice and be the best skater in training camp. He's just naturally gifted." Engblom, a NHL defenseman for 11 seasons, calls Niedermayer "a throwback to about the 1940s or '30s when you had a rover. He's a fourth forward," Engblom said. "He is given free license to go anywhere that he wants. I love to watch him." He's a mean one Pronger, who won the Norris Trophy and Hart Trophy in 2000 with St. Louis, has a much different style. He has a nasty side that can be intimidating and, at 6-foot-6, a long reach that is effective breaking up plays. "He is a pillar back there," Engblom said. "He looks like he never gets out of third gear half the time. He sort of walks around out there, but he's so darn good with the puck. He might be the best in the game at that 100-foot pass. "On top of that, he's just mean. He used to almost maim people in front of the net. He still plays right on the edge. He gets called sometimes, but I don't think he cares because you know what might happen to you again on the next play, too. He has that edge." Holmstrom, the No. 1 net-front presence in the NHL, knows Pronger all too well. Pronger got suspended for a game in the playoffs two years ago after elbowing Holmstrom. "I know it's going to be a battle," Holmstrom said. "I look forward to it." Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle believes how Pronger and company manage the area where Holmstrom loves to roam will be crucial in the series. Carlyle estimated 95 percent of Detroit's scoring in a first-round sweep of Columbus came right at the net. "We're going to have to be prepared to defend that area vigorously and legally," Carlyle said. Lidstrom and Rafalski, on the other hand, rely on a finesse approach for the Wings. Lidstrom has a knack for using his stick to break up scoring chances, either with a poke-check or by getting in the passing lanes. So, regardless of style, these are elite backlines. "That's what makes this series so intriguing," Jones said. "It's one of the most appealing match-ups of the playoffs so far." |
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Quoted:
Wings are scared.
eta: we aren't. We already took out the #1 seed. after that, it's just gravy. Nope. They don't seem to scare at all. Dats has even been seen  swinging! And he's basically a small guy.
I think it'll be a fun series other than the west coast starting times for us back here. |
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Quoted: Wings are scared. eta: we aren't. We already took out the #1 seed. after that, it's just gravy. Nah, the Wings don't get scared after winning 4 Stanley Cups in the last dozen years .Yes the Sharks were the top seed but that's because they are only good in the regular season. They have sucked underachieved in the playoffs for a long time now. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Wings are scared.
eta: we aren't. We already took out the #1 seed. after that, it's just gravy. Nah, the Wings don't get scared after winning 4 Stanley Cups in the last dozen years .
Yes the Sharks were the top seed but that's because they are only good in the regular season. They have sucked underachieved in the playoffs for a long time now. You won it last year, we did that the previous year. Should be a good series if the footlocker guys aren't a third team.
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Quoted:
http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/audio/PennywiseBroHymn.mp3
We won, in spite of the officiating. And now you're winning BECAUSE of the officiating, How ironic. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/audio/PennywiseBroHymn.mp3
We won, in spite of the officiating. And now you're winning BECAUSE of the officiating, How ironic. OK, in the past TWO years we have had ONE game called in our favor. Man up, and get over it. I'm 100% sure things will get back to normal the next game. 
Being a Ducks fan means knowing if a goal is going to be reviewed, it's going to go against us. EVERY game, every time. Look at the OT goal Sharks had on us... Hiller stopped it, then they pushed him over the line. Ridiculous, and a non call, non review. Yeah, been to that movie Detroit. We don't need or want the Refs on our side. We just hope they stay neutral, and call a fair game. |