Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Wings win 7-4 thriller over Ducks

Detroit defeated the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday evening at Joe Louis Arena, 7-4, to give the Wings six wins in seven games. Forward Henrik Zetterberg scored a natural hat trick (three goals in the third period), including the game-winner and an empty-netter, to outlast the Ducks. It marked the first time a Wing has recorded a hat trick since Hank did so on March 19, 2008. Due to the injury situation, coach Mike Babcock moved Ville Leino to a line with Zetterberg and Dan Cleary. The trio hit it off with eight combined points in the game. Goalie Jimmy Howard stopped 19 shots playing in his third straight game, which has resulted in a boost of confidence in the crease.

DRW bloggers chimed in with their thoughts about the win: Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Hockeytown Static, Octopus Thrower, On the Wings, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

• The Detroit News writes that The Hockey News put together a panel that determined captain Nick Lidstrom is still the league’s best defenseman at the age of 39.
• Craig Custance of The Sporting News argues that the Wings have the deepest front office in the NHL.
• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News notes how youngsters like Justin Abdelkader have given the team a boost during this injury situation. Speaking of Abdelkader, enforcer Brad May gave him some fighting technique tips after a recent practice according to MLive.com.
• Puck Daddy names Lidstrom’s 2005-06 season as the sixth best individual stats season of the decade.
• The Wings like how their waiver pickup Drew Miller is fitting in with the team, particularly on the penalty kill.
• With Chris Osgood out with the flu, the Wings had called up Daniel Larsson from Grand Rapids to fill in as backup keeper.
• Kyle at Winging It In Motown ranks the Wings’ three most promising collegiate prospects.

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Wings beat Canucks 3-1

On Steve Yzerman Hall of Fame night, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 at Joe Louis Arena. Forward Tomas Holmstrom scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season, while Henrik Zetterberg posted the game-winner in the second period. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall’s insurance goal and empty-netter was his third tally in as many games. With Chris Osgood and Kirk Maltby out with the flu, netminder Jimmy Howard stopped 31 shots and Drew Miller made his debut in the Winged Wheel.

The win gives Detroit five in six games. It was the first game back at the Joe for former Wing Mikael Samuelsson. A couple bloggers have their thoughts of the game, including The Production Line and Winging It In Motown.

Detroit dominates Columbus in 9-1 win

Seven different players scored in the 9-1 blowout over the Blue Jackets with each one interestingly scoring their third goal of the season on Wednesday evening. Forward Dan Cleary got the score going with a tally just 1:05 into the contest. Kronwall posted two power-play markers, while forward Justin Abdelkader added two third-period goals.

You can read recaps from the following websites/blogs: Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Bingo Bango, Motown Wings, Octopus Thrower, Red Wings Blog, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Triple Deke, The Scrappy Octopus, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

• The Wings picked former Spartan Drew Miller off of waivers on Wednesday. Some bloggers chimed in with their thoughts on the Wings’ pickup: Babcock’s Death Stare, Motown Wings, The Production Line, and Winging It In Motown.
• The Detroit Free Press describes what you can find in the new Steve Yzerman exhibit at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News writes that the Wings are not interested in goaltender J.S. Giguere.
• MLive.com reports that Jason Williams will not need surgery on his broken leg. He will be in a cast for six weeks and will then need two more to practice and skate before returning to the lineup.
• The Phoenix Coyotes are in need of a defenseman and they are scouting former Wing Chris Chelios as a possibility.
• Led by Red Wings vice president Steve Yzerman, the Red Wings are teaming up with Fifth Third Bank to encourage Southeast Michigan high school students to volunteer in the community. The new S.H.O.T.S. program (Students Helping Others Through Service) is an initiative designed to encourage high school students to volunteer their time and efforts while creating a competition among the student groups with monthly and overall winners taking home several great prizes.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Three former Wings now enshrined in HHOF

On Monday evening, three former Red Wings’ players — Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Luc Robitaille — had the honor of being enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame. NHL.com has made each of the players’ induction speeches available online so you can watch the speeches given by Yzerman, Hull, and Robitaille.

Plenty has been said leading up to the big night (as we’ve linked to in the past week), but here’s what the media and bloggers have added since the ceremony.

• The Detroit Free Press has a section of their website dedicated to the induction with a focus on Steve Yzerman. Articles under the section include a recollection by Hull and Robitaille of their Detroit days, Yzerman discusses how winning the Cup later in his career made him appreciate it all the more, and the complete text of Yzerman’s 10+ minute induction speech.
• The Detroit News writes how memories of the 2002 Cup-winning season dominate the Hall of Fame.
• MLive.com talked about Yzerman’s references to his childhood hockey idol in his induction speech. He mentioned how as a kid he had posters of hockey players decorating the walls in his room, which can be weird to picture as there were thousands of kids and probably more adults, who put up posters of Yzerman on their walls.
• The Ottawa Citizen points out that Yzerman’s speech was another example of his grace and class as he seemingly thanked everyone under the sun for their role in his career.
• Bob Duff of The Windsor Star notes a comment made by Brett Hull comparing the Wings to the Yankees of old.
• Puck Daddy, the hockey blog at Yahoo!, argues why this 2009 class may be the strongest of the decade. Other bloggers have chimed in with their own thoughts, including Abel to Yzerman, Bingo Bango, Hockeytown Static, Nightmare on Helm Street, Octopus Thrower, On the Wings, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, The Scrappy Octopus, The Triple Deke, and Winging It In Motown.

In Other News

• The Wings will return to action tonight as they face off against the Blue Jackets in Columbus at 7 p.m. EDT on FSDetroit and FSOhio.
• Coach Mike Babcock told DRW.com that he is cautious of Columbus’ netminder Steve Mason, who has experienced the sophomore slump so far this season but Babcock doesn’t believe that will remain true for long. The injury-riddled team will provide an opportunity for forwards Ville Leino and Patrick Eaves to shine.
• Lineup Updates: The Detroit News reports that defenseman Brett Lebda missed practice on Monday due to illness and his status for Wednesday’s game is still TBD. With Jason Williams out with a broken leg, there is a void at the point on the second power-play unit. Defenseman Brad Stuart may fill that void according to MLive.com.
• Former Red Wings’ forward Darren McCarty has gotten a gig with Versus as a guest analyst for Nov. 23 when the Wings visit Nashville. Kris Draper told the Detroit Free Press that he’s looking forward to hearing what his fellow Grind Line former member has to say, but that “he better be a homer” (per The Detroit News). MLive.com says that he has officially retired from playing the sport.
• Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes that Yzerman, who is the GM for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, has identified his core group of players for the squad.
• Former Detroit netminder Manny Legace has been signed by the Carolina Hurricanes after their star goalie Cam Ward suffered a fluke leg injury when Columbus forward Rick Nash’s skate sliced through Ward’s leg to the point where he could see muscle.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Three former Wings to be inducted into HHOF today

Former captain Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, and Brett Hull — all members of the Stanley Cup-winning 2001-02 squad –  will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this evening.The ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on TSN (Canada) and the NHL Network (Canada and U.S.).

• Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com writes a fantastic article about Yzerman’s career and I highly recommend checking out the article.
• Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press had a lengthy exclusive interview with Yzerman with topics ranging from how he has never regretted his decision to retire to what he has learned since joining the front office.
• MLive.com quoted Yzerman as saying getting enshrined in the HHOF was the “greatest honor.” MLive.com also looked back at the 10 key moments of Yzerman’s 20-year NHL career.
• The Detroit News looks back at Yzerman’s early start in hockey at the age of five.
• Greg Eno of Out of Bounds discusses how the Wings did pretty well with their backup plan: drafting Yzerman when Pat LaFontaine was already taken.
• Ted Lindsay wasn’t at a loss for words when it came to talking about The Captain.
• The Windsor Star talks about how Yzerman feels strange to now be considered a Hall of Famer.

Wings fall 5-1 to Toronto

In the Hockey Hall of Fame game on Saturday in Toronto, the Wings dropped a 5-1 decision to the Maple Leafs. Before the game, the 2009 HHOF class was honored (see picture above). The Detroit News noted the one highlight of the loss as Dan Cleary scored his 100th career goal to snap a 12-game scoreless streak. Red Wings Blog, The Triple Deke, Winging It In Motown, and Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle posted their thoughts on the loss.

Forward Jason Williams fractured his right fibula according to The Detroit News. The Red Wings’ GM Ken Holland told the Detroit Free Press that he expects the forward to be out for eight weeks with the injury, but does not anticipate calling anyone up since Patrick Eaves’ foot is feeling better and he should be able to re-enter the lineup.

In Other News

• Former Red Wings defender Chris Chelios returned to Michigan this weekend when his Chicago Wolves (AHL) faced the Grand Rapids Griffins and Van Andel Arena. He told The Grand Rapids Press that his 25-game tryout with the Wolves has allowed for more family time, especially with his ill father who lives in Chicago.
• The blogger behind Big Red Machine was able to attend the Red Wings’ autograph signing in Toronto on Friday afternoon and shared a picture of the poster signed by the team (minus Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen).
• Brad May doesn’t like to wear a visor, but believes the NHL should mandate that visors be a requirement and yes he realizes those two statements conflict.
• The amount of injuries popping up to the Wings has some bloggers worried, including Abel to Yzerman, The Production Line, and On the Wings. Drew at Nightmare on Helm Street reminds us that the Wings still have some great players left, who are not injured so don’t press the panic button yet.

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

Around the Rink had experienced some technical difficulties over the last two weeks, which is why this feature has recently been M.I.A. We apologize for the down time and will now return to running this feature every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as before.

Detroit ends San Jose’s six-game winning streak

The Red Wings earned their third straight victory at Joe Louis Arena Thursday evening in a 2-1 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks, who had strung together a six-game winning streak entering the game. Detroit earned its first win in three shootouts so far this season.

Detroit netminder Chris Osgood had a strong outing, making 33 saves and stopping both of San Jose’s shootout attempts.

“Ozzie’s got to be feeling really good about himself,” Babcock said of his starting goaltender, who’s allowed just two goals in winning three in a row. “We’re playing well in front of him, but he’s playing well.”

DRW.com’s Michael Caples breaks down the Wings’ win, including some interesting stats in the 65 minutes of play. You can read other game recaps at The Detroit News, MLive.com, Motown Wings, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Triple Deke, Unconnected Red Wings Blog, and Winging It In Motown.

Red Wings honor Budd Lynch

Former broadcaster and longtime PA announcer Budd Lynch was recognized in a ceremony before Thursday’s game to mark Lynch’s 60th year with the Wings. All fans in attendance received a commemorative Budd Lynch bobblehead, which proved to be a hot ticket at the Joe last night.

In addition to the ceremony, “the Little Caesars Veterans Program and Coca-Cola will provide a Joe Louis Arena suite to military veterans and active military members home on leave every home game during the 2009-10 regular-season” in honor of Lynch.

Lynn Henning wrote a great article about Lynch in The Detroit News, which details the story of how he lost his arm in the war and how he landed his job with the Wings. Bob Duff of the Windsor Star goes back to Lynch’s start with the franchise.

In Other News

• With the 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony quickly approaching, Wings’ fans can find a nice chunk of articles on three of their former players. Michael Caples of DRW.com spoke with current Red Wings’ players about Steve Yzerman. Dan Rosen of NHL.com wrote two features on The Captain that were posted on Thursday.
• Forward Valtteri Filppula received the Carhartt award as the “Hardest Working Player of the Month” for October. Filppula remains out until December with a broken right wrist, which has provided Patrick Eaves with an opportunity that he appears to be taking advantage of.
• The Wings have got some good news from defenseman Andreas Lilja, who hasn’t had a headache in three days after seeing a chiropractor in Vancouver by the suggestion of teammate Brad May. There is no specific timetable for his return, but this three-day span has been the first time since his fight in February without headaches. He has started to practice with the team and at some point will have to see how he handles getting hit.
• Forward Dan Cleary is one goal away from notching his 100th career goal and it appears he’s getting a bit antsy to reach the benchmark.
• USA Hockey will announce its roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics on Jan. 1 during the NBC broadcast of the third annual Winter Classic at Fenway Park. A blog for the LA Times has the announcement dates for all of the national hockey federations.
• Bruce MacLeod of The Macomb Daily notes that Brad May will return to the lineup on Saturday after suffering an eye injury on Oct. 31.

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

After suffering a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres, the Detroit Red Wings bounced back with a 5-2 victory over the LA Kings in front of the Joe Louis Arena crowd Thursday night. Jonathan Ericsson, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Kirk Maltby, and Brian Rafalski (empty-netter) all scored in the win.

Michael Caples breaks down the game for DRW.com, including a look at Maltby’s great goal. A couple of bloggers commented on the game, including Red Wings Blog, Nightmare on Helm Street, and The Triple Deke.

The best moment of the night was when captain Nick Lidstrom registered his 1,000th career point on an assist for the game’s fourth goal. Lidstrom recorded two helpers in the contest, receiving a standing ovation from the fans in attendance when the PA announced his milestone. He joins Mats Sundin as the only two Swedish-born players to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

In Other News

• Pavel Datsyuk did not play in Thursday’s game as he is out day-to-day with an upper body injury.
• Bloggers continue to express their concerns about the 6-2 loss to Buffalo: Babcock’s Death Stare, Bingo Bango, Hockeytown Static, Motown Wings, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Out of Bounds, Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, The Production Line, and The Triple Deke.
• The lopsided loss has caused some discussion among the media and even resulted in coach Mike Babcock describing his team as slow.
• The Detroit Free Press reports that former Wing Sergei Fedorov has sued his former lawyers.
• Johan Franzen will have surgery today in Birmingham, Alabama, according to The Detroit News.
• The Grand Rapids Griffins are giving away 1,000 tickets to the unemployed for their home game on October 25.
• The Toledo Blade notes that former Notre Dame goalie Jordan Pearce will be the team’s No. 1 goaltender.
• A blog for The Hockey News describes the “Homer Effect” and its influence in the NHL.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings dropped a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on the road Tuesday evening. The game was even at one goal apiece heading into the first intermission, but the second period was a different story when Buffalo capitalized on Detroit’s mistakes. The Sabres posted four goals in the middle frame, including two from Thomas Vanek who left the game with a shoulder injury after his second tally. Netminder Chris Osgood was chased from the goal by Buffalo’s fifth goal of the evening midway through the second period. Detroit’s two goal scorers were Valtteri Filppula (Niklas Kronwall, Jason Williams) and Tomas Holmstrom (Brian Rafalski, Henrik Zetterberg). George Malik of Snapshots wasn’t pleased with the team’s play and said it was a ‘burn the tape’ game.

In Other News

• Darren Helm returned from his shoulder injury, making his season debut on Tuesday night and being placed on a line with Patrick Eaves and Brad May.
• Forwards Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby were healthy scratches in the game. Coach Mike Babcock explained to The Detroit News that they will use a rotation for a bit when it comes to the lineup before making any final decisions.
• In the NHL.com piece on the Central Division, Larry Wigge emphasizes goalie Chris Osgood’s dedication to ensuring that this year is not a repeat of last season. MLive.com also took a look at Chris Osgood and his intended play this year.
• Offensive production has not been an issue for the Wings this year writes The Detroit News.
• In Saturday’s win, Todd Bertuzzi saw some time on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Coach Mike Babcock spoke with the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News about it.
• Can’t get enough of that victory over the Capitals? Motown Wings has more analysis of the game, including video and thorough statistical analysis.
• Nightmare on Helm Street drew a few comparisons and contrasts between Detroit and Buffalo, including a comparison of stats. On the Wings, Winging It In Motown, and Snapshots also had some Wings-Sabres previews up on their respective blogs.
• Red Wings Central describes prospect Willie Coetzee as a great free-agent find.
• The Red Wings aren’t the only teams to lose a player due to a serious injury this early in the season, although Johan Franzen may be the biggest offensive name on Fox Sport’s list.
• Captain Nicklas Lidstrom remains two points away from notching his 1,000th career point.
• The NHL website notes that former Detroit goaltender Dominik Hasek is on the Czech’s invite list for the upcoming Winter Games.
• Former Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios will sign a 25-game tryout contract with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) in order to get a contract with an NHL team per Puck Daddy.
• The Fourth Period reports that former Wing Kyle Quincey had actually been traded to Dallas, but the deal was nixed after Quincey did not pass their physical due to a herniated disc. He wound up being placed on waivers and getting claimed by the LA Kings. Quincey was later traded to Colorado this past summer.
• The New York Post details why Brendan Shanahan is no longer with the New Jersey Devils.
• Interesting note: Windsor will host the CHL Top Prospects Game according to the Windsor Star and will take place sometime in January.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Detroit Red Wings’ power forward Johan Franzen tore his ACL during Thursday’s game and will be out of the lineup for at least four months. According to MLive.com, Franzen complained of knee pain after a “pile-up along the boards in the second period,” but he remained in the game and even scored the game-winning goal. Apparently, this injury marks the third time in consecutive years Franzen has suffered an injury to his left knee in Chicago against October.

The Swede will have ACL reconstruction as soon as the swelling goes down, probably in a couple of weeks. While Franzen may be able to return by the end of February, he will be unable to represent Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Bloggers are a bit panicked about the loss and understandably so when you recall that Franzen had 34 goals and 25 assists last season. Babcock’s Death Stare, Bingo Bango, Hockeytown Static, Abel to Yzerman, Motown Wings, On the Wings (very thorough post), Red Wings Blog, Red Wings Hardware, Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle, Unconnected Red Wings Blog and Winging It In Motown all react to the injury.

How will Franzen’s four-month absence affect the lineup? For one, you’ll likely see coach Mike Babcock shuffle the lines for the next few games before he settles on anything. After a brief stint in Grand Rapids, forward Justin Abdelkader was recalled from the Griffins on Friday. The healthy scratch will likely rotate among Abdelkader, Kirk Maltby, Patrick Eaves, and Brad May depending on the coaching staff’s gameday decisions. Darren Helm hopes to re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres, which will help ease the offensive void left by Franzen. GM Ken Holland told the media that they will look at solving this internally, rather than making a trade.

Wings defeat Capitals

Detroit evened up its season record at 2-2 with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. In the team’s first game without Franzen, the team stressed goaltending, defense, and grinding it out before the contest began. Detroit did just that, playing their best game of the season so far or so goalie Chris Osgood thought. A power-play tally from Tomas Holmstrom with 6:53 left in the game, while limiting Alexander Ovechkin’s line to one assist gave Detroit its second straight victory

DRW.com’s Michael Caples broke down Saturday’s game with thoughts on the hero of the game among others. The game was just Alexander Ovechkin’s second appearance at Joe Louis Arena in his career. Patrick Eaves made his regular season debut wearing the Winged Wheel on Saturday. You can also check out various game recaps and notes from the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, MLive.com, The Windsor Star, Detroit Examiner, NHL.com, Babcock’s Death Stare, Big Red Machine, Nightmare on Helm Street, On the Wings, Winging It In Motown, and Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle.

In Other News

• Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com has more thoughts on the Brad May signing last week. The 37-year-old veteran hopes to eliminate cheap shots on the Wings according to the Detroit Free Press.
• While we’re on the topic of Brad May, the enforcer would like to switch his jersey number from No. 20 to No. 24. Before he asked the Wings, he gave Chris Chelios a call out of respect. The Detroit Free Press reports that “Chelios said jersey numbers have never been special to him, so he wouldn’t care.” He has yet to make an official request yet.
• Abel to Yzerman tells its readers to “Stop the Shanny Talk.”
• Winging It In Motown’s Kyle Kujawa examines three Red Wings’ prospects: Joakim Andersson, Jesper Samuelsson, and Adam Almqvist. Almqvist has apparently been on quite the scoring streak with 17 points in five games per Red Wings Central.
• George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press spoke with Assistant GM Jim Nill about some college players he watched this past weekend when Michigan State swept Clarkson.
• The Winnipeg Free Press reports that former Wing Bob Probert was the first player knocked out of CBC’s “Battle of the Blades” show.
• The Hockey News shows that the last pick in the NHL draft is last, but certainly not least — case in point, Wings’ defenseman Jonathan Ericsson.
• Are you a salary cap nut? Want to know if a certain player would fit under the cap? Matthew Wuest, the man behind Red Wings Central, spearheaded a new website called CapGeek where you can use the cap calculator to answer those questions and more. Puck Daddy spoke to Wuest about the venture.
• Brian Compton posted a great feature on Wings’ senior vice president and alternate governor Jimmy Devellano on NHL.com before he receives the Lester Patrick Award on October 21.

Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings got off to the right start in North America with a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks in the team’s home opener Thursday night. They bounced back from a one-goal deficit early in the second period to earn their first win of the regular season. Captain Nick Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and Johan Franzen posted Detroit’s three goals in the second period.

DRW.com’s Michael Caples breaks down what happened in the Wings’ win. George Malik noted on Snapshots that defenseman Jonathan Ericsson left the game during the third period after taking a shot off of his ankle or foot, but coach Mike Babcock told the media after the game that he seemed to be fine. Thursday’s contest was the first of six against the Blackhawks this season, which should only promote the already healthy rivalry between these two Original Six squads.

Wings sign Brad May

Detroit announced that the team had signed enforcer Brad May to a one-year, two-way contract on Thursday worth $500,000 per The Detroit News, filling the void left by Aaron Downey. May already made an appearance Thursday evening with a fight against Radek Smolenak in the first period.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock didn’t mince words when asked how veteran enforcer Brad May might help his team.”Well, we got the crap ran out of us (in two losses against the Blues),” he said. “It’s pretty interesting, we had May in a couple of exhibition games and no one got hacked or whacked or touched. We don’t have him and we get run. You get tired of watching that.” …

“Our guys do a good job of competing hard but we don’t have a team that twists off helmets at stoppages,” Babcock said. “When you are seeing that all the time (done to your team), it’s nice when you’ve got someone to look after that stuff.

“Tough guys always play tough and I got no problems with that. But guys who aren’t tough and they play against you and they are tough, that drives me crazy.”

The overall reaction from Wings’ bloggers was generally positive. Kyle at Babcock’s Death Stare sees May as the “right mix of Draper and Maltby.”

Detroit hosts Capitals

The Wings take on the Washington Capitals led by superstar forward Alexander Ovechkin this Saturday. But you don’t have just the game to look forward to as it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Night. As a result, the Wings have numerous activities going around before and during the game:

Select Red Wings players will wrap their sticks with pink tape during the pre-game warm-ups, and in support of the HFC campaign, Red Wings coaches and front office executives will wear lavender ties, which signify the fight against all forms of cancer. Lavender is the NHL’s designated color for this year’s HFC initiative. Some of the sticks used during the pre-game warm-up will be individually autographed and available in a silent auction on the Joe Louis Arena concourse during the game.

Red Wings’ wives will also get involved in the event by selling custom-made pink hats on the concourse for $20. They feature the winged wheel on the front of the hat with a pink breast cancer ribbon embroidered on the side. Proceeds from both the stick auction and the hat sales will benefit local hockey families affected by breast cancer. The team will host breast cancer patients, survivors and their families in suites during the game.

Want to make it out to the game? Visit Ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets.

In Other News

• With May joining the lineup, Justin Abdelkader was sent to play for the Griffins in Grand Rapids.
• Darren Helm’s shoulder is still not 100% so he did not play in the home opener.
• If you were at Thursday’s game, you may have noticed the sounds of an organ throughout the game. It was the first of 11 games (all against Original Six teams) that an organist will be playing at Joe Louis Arena. DRW.com gives us an inside look at the organist.
• Are you a high school or college student? If so, you can catch a Wings’ game for just $15! Check out DRW.com for more details.
• Former Wing Chris Chelios plans to start practicing with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) next week according to the Detroit Free Press.
• Tomas Kopecky talked to DRW.com about his expectations for Thursday’s game against his former team. The forward expected plenty of chatter from the likes of Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper.
• Hockeytown Static posted 10 reasons why the Blackhawks hate the Red Wings, while Nightmare on Helm Street gave five reasons why the Wings hate Chicago.
• The Detroit Free Press writes that Henrik Zetterberg is hoping to see his line click and fast. Hank centers a line with fellow forwards Dan Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi.
• Babcock’s Death Stare posted their expected lineup for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
• Eric Goodman reminds us on DRW.com that Lidstrom is nearing a very important milestone — his 1,000th career point.
• The blog Big Red Machine found a couple websites with some new Steve Yzerman material.
• Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News recently wrote a book, which has been released under the title “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” and it examines the “heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, and gut-wrenching moments from Detroit Red Wings history.” The book is currently available for $10.17 at Amazon.com.

Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images

The Wings opened their season with back-to-back games in Stockholm, Sweden, over the past weekend. Unfortunately, the games didn’t go quite as planned with Detroit dropping both contests to the St. Louis Blues, 4-3 and 5-3 respectively. NHL.com writes that it was a bittersweet experience for the Swedes.

Bloggers weren’t thrilled with the goaltending and defensive struggles, allowing three goals in the second period in both outings. However, not everyone is panicking just yet. Motown Wings dissected both games, taking a look at the numbers and the goals. The Triple Deke has reaction to both games. Casey at Winging It In Motown posted the good, the bad, and the ugly of the series in Sweden.

The Detroit Free Press discusses that the team will have to work on its penalty kill and correct the defensive lapses that were evident over the weekend. The paper also noted the adulation the Swedish fans had for the Wings’ captain and a few other Swedes on the roster. The Detroit News writes that goaltender Jimmy Howard will be looking for redemption in his next start. According to MLive.com, coach Mike Babcock is concerned with the team’s lack of play for a complete 60 minutes.

In Other News

• Detroit will host its home opener — and first game back in the States — on Thursday evening against the Chicago Blackhawks at Joe Louis Arena. All fans in attendance will receive a magnet schedule.
• Darren Helm is questionable to play in the game, according to MLive.com. He missed all of preseason and the first two regular season contests due to a shoulder injury. The only roster change for Thursday’s game is that Derek Meech will partner with Jonathan Ericsson on the blue line, replacing Brett Lebda.
• Upon the team’s return from Sweden, netminder Daniel Larsson was assigned to Grand Rapids resulting in goalie Jordan Pearce being sent to Toledo (ECHL).
• The Grand Rapids Griffins won their season opener, 3-1, over the Peoria Rivermen.
• Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle has story lines for the 2009-10 season up on the blog. What do you think will be the big story of this season?
• Winging It In Motown takes a look by the numbers from what happened in preseason and the two regular season games.
• Hockeytown Static caught a funny video of Yzerman’s cell phone (with the ringtone to a certain Black Eyed Peas song) going off during a TV interview.
• Red Wings Hardware found this cute video of a little kid reciting the Herb Brooks’ speech from the movie Miracle.