A good fit - 10-26-08

If there was any doubt Marian Hossa would fit in with the Red Wings' already potent collection of stars, he has showed the past two nights that he's comfortable with Detroit's winged wheel on his chest.

Check out the shootout goal he scored last night to give Detroit a 6-5 shootout win at Chicago:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8sZdpU9n9w]
 
Check out this goal he scored against the Thrashers Friday night:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ3tJRzatG4]
 
Is anyone else starting to get scared of the Red Wings?

WINTER CLASSIC JERSEYS REVEALED

-The Red Wings and Blackhawks unveiled the jerseys they will wear for this seasons' Winter Classic:




 
We really like the Blackhawks' jersey. It's a very classic look. But what is up with the Red Wings' logo on Detroit's jersey? They took the old Detroit Cougars jersey (The Red Wings were known as the Cougars from 1926 until 1930) and put the current logo on the shoulders.

Are they scared fans aren't going to realize they're watching the Red Wings on Jan.1 with a simple "D" on their chest? Will people be fooled and think they're watching some random team from Duluth, Minn. or Dover, Del?

And are throwback jerseys really necessary for this Winter Classic. Obviously the league is simply doing this rake in some cash. That's the only motivation behind this. But the Blackhawks and Red Wings already have splendid classic looks.

It was probably necessary to dress up the Sabres and Penguins in old-fashioned duds for last season's Winter Classic considering their current jerseys are absolute nightmares forced on the public by Reebok. But the Red Wings and Blackhawks have two of the finest jerseys in the sport. There is no room for improvement.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Penguins

-Dave Molinari's recap from last night.

-Rob Scuderi thinks fewer divisional games will make rivalries more intense.

-Maxime Talbot is scared of Pascal Dupuis' eyebrows (right).

-Jeff Taffe had two goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-4 loss at Portland.

-As if the loss itself wasn't bad enough, the AHL Penguins fell to a team wearing pink. Just kidding. It was for a good cause.

-AHL Penguins forward Chris Minard doesn't want to be a fourth-liner with the NHL Penguins.

-Tommy Goebel had a goal and two assist for the Wheeling Nailers who lost to Trenton Devils in a shootout, 5-4.
 
Atlantic Division

-Jeff Carter's overtime goal gave the Flyers a 3-2 win against the Devils. After losing their first six games, the Flyers have won two in a row. They're drowning puppies in the streets in Philadelphia tonight.

-Whatever they did after the game, they didn't do it until after some typically classy Flyers fan threw a smoke bomb onto the ice during overtime:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhLx_lHD4Ag]

-What a delightful fan base. You can sort of hear the public address announcer at the 1:05: mark asking for fans to point out the individual who did the deed. That's apparently how they select their fan of the game in Philadelphia. Or mayor. One or the other. 

-This game actually had a double-fight at one point. Devils rookie Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond went with Riley Cote while Mike Rupp danced with the Flyers' Arron Asham:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi6PPnUpRdE]

-Take a look at this hit the Islanders' Doug Weight put on the Hurricanes' Brandon Sutter:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhepQWlvQKs]

-Carolina coach Peter Laviolette thinks hits like that should be illegal.

-We can't agree more. Most players wear shoulder pads that look similar to this nowadays:



Players used to wear pads like this 20 or 30 years ago.

It doesn't take a lot of guts to hit a guy when he's vulnerable and you're dressed like a riot control guard at a federal prison.

We're not saying Doug Weight's a dirty player. Any player with that opportunity will deliver that hit. And Brandon Sutter can't skate with his head down. That's stupid and dangerous. But either outlaw the pads or outlaw hits to the head totally.

-We love hockey for how physical it is. Nothing pleases us more than a hard, physical, clean game. But two seconds of entertainment for the fan do not outweigh the potential for a lifetime of physical and/or mental problems for the player.

-The Islanders' aren't exactly being honest with Rick DiPietro's health.

-Rangers coach Tom Renney might be the toughest bench boss in the league.

-For the first time in a long time, the Rangers don't have a icon of the sport on the roster.

Northeast Division

-Milan Lucic had a hat trick and an assist for the Bruins who edged the Thrashers, 5-4.

-Crazy story about this game. Before the game, it was discovered the faceoff circles in one of of the ice at TD Banknorth Garden were actually four feet off from where they should be.

-Vesa Toskala made 22 saves and led Toronto to a 3-2 win against the rival Senators. Ottawa has lost four consecutive games.

-Buffalo defenseman Henrik Tallinder suffered a cut above his ankle last night.

-Andrej Sekera and Jaroslav Spacek have become the Sabres' top pair of defensemen.

Southeast Division

-Alexander Semin's overtime goal gave the Capitals a 6-5 win in Dallas. Washington forward Sergei Fedorov scored two goals and became the leading Russian goal-scorer in NHL history with 475. He passed up former Sabres star Alexander Mogiliny (473).

-Cam Ward made 57 saves and led the Hurricanes to a 4-3 road win against the Islanders. Chad LaRose contributed two goals for Carolina.

-Ward actually had to stop Doug Weight on a penalty shot with less than a second left in regulation to win the game:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVsds0dSIXg]

-Panthers forward Stephen Weiss is dealing with a groin problem.

-The Thrashers have a ton of problems.

-Lightning coach/owners' buddy Barry Melrose said his team was embarrassing last night.

-The Lightning's attendance is down.

-Tampa Bay forward and former Penguin Ryan Malone roughed up San Jose's Ryane Clowe last night:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d8pYQq2AO4]
 
-The success of Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has changed the way many teams hire coaches.

Central Division

-Brad Boyes scored two goals and helped lead the Blues to a 4-0 win against the Panthers. Ben Bishop and Marek Schwarz combined to make 17 saves in the shutout win.

-The Predators got two assists from Patric Hornqvist and edged the Kings, 5-4.



-Red Wings forward Johan Franzen (above) suffered a knee injury last night against Chicago. He was hurt on a knee-on-knee collision with Chicago defenseman Brent Sopel.

-Detroit defenseman Brett Lebda is a popular guy in Chicago.

-Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire is dealing with a unconfirmed ankle injury.

Northwest Division

-Shootout goals by Wojtek Wolski, Milan Hejduk and Ryan Smyth gave the Avalanche a 2-1 win against the Sabres. Colorado has won five consecutive games.

-Owen Nolan had a goal and an assist for the Wild who held off the Blue Jackets, 2-1.

-A goal and two assists by Jarome Iginla lifted the Flames to a 4-1 road win against the Coyotes.

-Two goals apiece from Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond gave the Canucks a 6-3 win against the Oilers.

-Check out the nifty passing on this goal by Edmonton's Denis Grebeshkov last night:

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3LW3uR014]

-Former Penguins forward Wayne Primeau is playing well for the Flames.

Pacific Division

-Corey Perry had a goal and two assists and helped lead the Ducks to a 6-4 win at Montreal. After starting the season on a four-game losing streak, the Ducks have won four of their past five games.

-Brian Boucher made 22 saves and helped the Sharks shut out the Lightning, 3-0. Boucher has made two starts this season and has recorded two shutouts.

-The Kings are starting an all-you-can eat promotion.

-Stars coach and former Penguin Dave Tippett isn't exactly happy with his team's defense.

-Ducks prospect and Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer is recovering from his attack at the hands of a Michigan football player. But he's nowhere near returning to the rink.

-Check out this crazy, fluky goal Todd Marchant scored against Ottawa Friday night:

 [View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxRFjP7gA9I]
 
-Coyotes coach Olli Jokinen credits his former coach with the Panthers, Mike Keenan, with helping him become a star.

Patrick Division

-The NHL is considering moving the trade deadline back from March 3 to March 4.

-After having all 30 teams in the league play last night, the NHL is following up on the momentum of that decision by playing no games whatsoever tonight.

(Photos: Dupuis-Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press; Franzen-Paul Beaty/Associated Press)