How It’s Played Out Thus Far

After a horrendous game 1 in which the Wings were outshot, out-played, and dominated en route to a 4-1 loss, Detroit quickly turned it around in games 2 and 3.

Gustav Nyquist has emerged as a great play-maker scorer for the Red Wings this season and playoffs. He has two goals and two assists to his credit thus far in the post season, one of the goals coming in Monday night’s 3-1 win. (Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE)

In game 2 they cleaned up their turnovers, limited the shots at goaltender Jimmy Howard (only 20 compared to 41 in game 1), and created more opportunities for themselves with their speed and physicality. Justin Abdelkader had 4 shots and 5 hits despite having no points; he’s been a game changer for Detroit ever since he returned from suspension in the first round against Anaheim.

Game 3 was slightly a different story. The Blackhawks threw 40 shots at Howard who was equal to the task, only surrendering one goal to Patrick Kane (which should have been disallowed given this hit from behind on Johan Franzen by Niklas Hjalmarsson).

However, Mike Babcock’s squad dominated the face-off dot, and played a lot more physical than Chicago. Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Sharp were shutdown for most of both game, thanks to Howard’s stellar play and the much-improved defensive game from Detroit (15 blocked shots to the Wings’ credit in game 3).

This series has not started off the way Joel Quenneville and the Blackhawks would have liked. They lost a game at home. They lost game 3, giving much of the momentum and control to the Red Wings. Aside from game 1, his big-4 only have 3 points combined in two games (and two of those are from Patrick Kane). With a crucial game 4 set to go on Thursday night, coupled with the Red Wings’ ability to really shut down any offensive threat from Chicago the past two games, Detroit’s chances of taking a commanding 3-1 series lead and possibly upsetting the President Trophy winners is more than possible.

Blackhawks Have Been Stumped

Chicago’s best players need to be their best players if they are to win this series. So far, they haven’t been. The lack of point production from their stars has really hurt their chances in this series, and it’s showing. When Toews doesn’t score a point for Chicago, they are 2-3 in the playoffs so far. Two of those losses have come in this series. No offence to Minnesota, but Detroit has a lot more depth and provides a much stiffer challenge to Chicago, and Chicago can live with Toews maybe not performing for a game or two against the Wild. However, in this series, Toews and Hossa have gone absolutely cold. Against a better team in Detroit, you cannot afford for your stars to not contribute. With no signs of the Wings’ terrific defensive play stopping after 2 solid games, the Red Wings look like they are in good shape to pull off an unbelievable upset.

After having 31 points in the shortened regular season, Marian Hossa has been silenced by the Detroit Red Wings, with only 1 point (a goal) in 3 games thus far. (Wikimedia Commons)

Detroit’s all-around defensive game has improved by leaps and bounds since game 1. Niklas Kronwall has really lead this team, and Babcock has seen some better play from Kyle Quincey and Carlo Colaiacovo. The improved team defence has really stymied Chicago’s breakouts and offensive zone penetration. The Chicago defence has given up the puck many a times leaving their zone. They’ve been disorganized and messy with their first pass as well. Attribute this to Detroit’s constant pressure on the man with the puck, Mike Babcock has placed one man high, fore-checking and badgering the Chicago defence with the puck. The Blackhawks have been stumped and are having difficulty leaving their zone. Not being able to leave your zone equals ineffective offensive zone penetration and less quality chances to score.

The real story has been Detroit’s goaltending. Jimmy Howard has been the main reason why the Red Wings are in the playoffs. Ever since he signed his contract extension with the organization, he has been rock solid for the Wings. A few bad games so far in the playoffs is normal (he’s only really been bad in 2 or 3 games), but the rest of the way, he’s stumped the Ducks and Blackhawks. He’s made big saves time and time again, and last night, showed again why he was signed to the 6-year extension, robbing Patrick Sharp on this breakaway.

Jimmy’s on a great roll, and he’s really showed the consistency that has made him the number-1 guy between the pipes in the Motor City. The Blackhawks have 101 shots combined over the first three games, and Howard has only let in 6; if that’s not frustrating, I don’t know what is. Jimmy Howard’s play alone is a reason to believe that the Detroit Red Wings can upset the Chicago Blackhawks in this series.

Chicago is in big trouble. Their play the past 2 games has been poor, their big stars haven’t showed up, and they are being physically outmatched by the Red Wings. Detroit needs to continue what they’ve been doing (i.e. continue to shut down the stars, create opportunities and limit the Blackhawks’, solid team defence)(look back to my article on what Detroit needed to fix after game 1; http://thehockeywriters.com/blackhawks-exploit-red-wings-errors-in-dominant-game-1/) to really take a strangle-hold on this series. There may not be such thing as a sure thing, but what is for sure, is that the Detroit Red Wings can upset the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Robert Ruscitti

I am a third year student at the University of Toronto studying Physical Education/Concurrent Teacher Education. I have been a hockey fan all my life and play in a men's league during the winter. My favourite leagues are the NHL first and foremost, the MLB, and the NFL. I do follow many other sports as well. I also work at the hockey megastore Pro Hockey Life. Follow me on twitter @rob_ruscitti and check out my sports blog on twitter as well @EhSport360

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Known around the NHL for his tooth rattling hits, Detroit needed a big season of both play and leadership from Kronwall to be successful. Leadership was exactly what Kronwall, an alternate captain of the Red Wings, delivered throughout the season. He played well on the powerplay, and consistently  shut down opponent’s top pairing alongside the much improved Jonathan Ericsson.

Was I snubbed? (Niklas Kronwall / File Photo)

When Kris Letang, P.K. Subban, and Ryan Suter were announced as finalists for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, Niklas Kronwall may be feeling little bit jilted, and for good reason.  This season, Kronwall built himself a resume worthy of a Norris nod, in both statistics and intangibles.

First, a look at a few of Kronwall’s notable statistics:

• 29 points
• 48 games played (full season)
• 44 player infraction minutes

Kronwall’s 29 points are a few less than what the three finalists produced (Suter had the fewest with 32, and Subban and Letang each had 38). While his production may not have been up to par with the top three vote-getters for the Norris Trophy. Kronwall’s role for the Red Wings this season was not to score goals. His job was to contain major offensive threats and make the first pass out of the zone cleanly.

Also of note is the fact the Kronwall was in the lineup for all 48 games in a season that saw Subban and Letang absent for six and thirteen respectively. What’s more is that Kronwall showed more discipline than Subban, who had 57 PIM. That’s ninth amongst all active defensemen.

Kronwall was much more responsible with the puck than two of the three finalists. Kronwall’s 21 giveaways are considerably less than the 34 from Letang and the whopping 42 from Subban. Only Suter had Kronwall beat, with a very respectable 19. However, Kronwall has Suter tied on turnover +/-, illustrating that Kronwall created more takeaways than Suter.

When push comes to shove, Kronwall may not have put as many in the back of the net, but his all around play this season was outstanding and should have garnered more attention and votes.

Life after Lidstrom and those hits

Additionally, Kronwall’s role in this “transition” year cannot be overlooked when considering Norris Trophy candidates. Kronwall has stepped into a very visible leadership role that puts him on the ice more than any other Red Wing player. While there is a bit of a learning curve amongst some of the younger Red Wing defensemen, Kronwall is setting a great example by putting himself in positions to make a difference when the game is on the line.

The final intangible that Kronwall has on his side is that famous ability to deliver hits that change to course of a game and swing the momentum to Detroit’s side. Fans have coined the term “being Kronwalled” to describe his big hits.

The most beautiful part about his hits is that they do not earn him suspensions or fines. In each of the hits in the video, note the crowd reaction and energy that each one generates.

When was the last time you heard of anyone “being Sutered?”

Anyone?

That’s what I thought.

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Zackary Landers

Born and raised in north-central Illinois, covering the Detroit Red Wings wherever they go. Attending the University of Illinois in the class of 2017 majoring in journalism. Follow and read me for Red Wings news as it breaks and opinions around the clock.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Limiting Shots and Scoring Opportunies

Through 7 games in the playoffs thus far, the Blackhawks are averaging just over 35 shots per game. They had 42 shots in game 1 against Detroit. Jimmy Howard was essentially left for the dogs, stopping only 38 of those 41 shots (one goal was an empty-netter). The Blackhawks are a high-powered, offensive team that will crash the net and throw anything towards the opposition’s net. The Anaheim Ducks were more of a physical team in the first series, who’s skill and scoring was based throughout their first two lines, and not as high-powered as Chicago’s team. Detroit was essentially dominated by this style in game 1, and will need to improve it’s play for game 2 and beyond.

Jonathan Toews plays a big part in the Blackhawks’ offence. If the Detroit Red Wings can shut down him and his line, we may see another long series go in Detroit’s favour. (Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)

We knew Detroit’s defence was questionable (aside from Kronwall and Ericsson) coming into these playoffs. With only two reliable defence-men (maybe 3 if you include Kindl), it may be extremely difficult for the Red Wings to limit the scoring depth of the Chicago roster. Not only do you have to fear the obvious (Toews, Kane, Sharp, and Hossa), but players like Bryan Bickell, Marcus Kruger, and Brandon Saad have been constant scoring threats all season and in the playoffs. In game 1, Hossa and Sharp were the only ones from the big 4 that registered a goal. Look who scored the third goal…

The Blackhawks are receiving scoring support from all over. They outshot the Red Wings by 21 last night, and if they continue to shoot the lights out, this series may be over very quickly. Don’t get me wrong, Jimmy Howard is a fantastic goaltender, and his play in the first round kept Detroit in many games, and was a big reason why the Red Wings were able to advance.

This does not mean Detroit should just let Chicago takes thousands of clappers at Howard. The Red Wings cannot afford to give up so many shots and scoring opportunities, mainly because of their suspect defence. The Red Wings’ defence corps is not the deepest, meaning the forwards will have to back-check harder than ever to stop the Blackhawks. Otherwise, Mike Babcock will have to continue to shuffle the deck, that is the defensive pairings, hoping to find two more consistent pairs that will complement the already-steady, Kronwall-Ericsson pairing. Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl have shown flashes of chemistry in the past, and perhaps this pair might be a factor in limiting the Blackhawks opportunities, giving the Red Wings a better chance to win.

Responsibility with the Puck

This is a must for every team, but the Red Wings were not good at all last night with possession of the puck. They had 6 give-aways, compared to Chicago’s two. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs…when you give up the puck as many times as they did, your opponents will make you pay. Chicago’s first goal was just that last night…

Let’s break down this play a bit. We see after the Chicago dump-in, Red Wings’ defence-man Kyle Quincey retains possession of the puck in the corner. Instead of playing it back behind his net, he plays it up the boards to defence partner, Brendan Smith, who happens to be way out of position as well. Smith carelessly loses it to of all people, Jonathan Toews, who slides the pass over to Hossa for the one-timer finish. So a few mistakes here. First was Kyle Quincey not reversing the play away from the crowded area. Two is Brendan Smith’s positioning; if he was in front of or behind the net, he may have been open as an outlet to Quincey. Third is the carelessness by Smith (I’ll throw Cory Emmerton in there as well because he was beside Smith along the boards), essentially handing the puck to Toews. If Detroit is to win this series, these sorts of defensive mis-cues cannot happen. With Chicago’s depth, any give-away in or out of the defensive zone can become costly to not just the game, but to the series.

Detroit’s ability to do anything with the puck was non-existent last night. They only had 21 shots on net, and only managed to get one by Crawford (it was a flukey goal given Brunner’s resilience to keep hacking at the puck, plus Crawford’s poor rebound control on the goal). You know your team doesn’t have many scoring opportunities when NHL.com has majority of the save highlights on Jimmy Howard and only a few on Crawford. Detroit needs to start making something happen with the puck. We know they can score, and they have multiple sources for points (Datsyuk, Zetteberg, Abdelkader, Franzen, Brunner, etc.) There are so many guys who can make things happen!

WIth game 2 looming on Friday night, only one thing is for sure, you can expect that Detroit will be throwing everything at Corey Crawford every chance they get.

Brendan Smith’s inexperience showed again on Wednesday night in game 1, as his mis-cues led to the first Chicago goal. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

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Robert Ruscitti

I am a third year student at the University of Toronto studying Physical Education/Concurrent Teacher Education. I have been a hockey fan all my life and play in a men's league during the winter. My favourite leagues are the NHL first and foremost, the MLB, and the NFL. I do follow many other sports as well. I also work at the hockey megastore Pro Hockey Life. Follow me on twitter @rob_ruscitti and check out my sports blog on twitter as well @EhSport360

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

(Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)

There is nothing like old school playoff hockey.

The purists had to be smiling when they found out that the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings will renew acquaintances in the Stanley Cup semifinals.

The latest meeting between the Original Six rivals is historic on so many levels. The series will be the first time the two have faced off in the playoffs since 2009 when the Red Wings got the better off the Madison Street Hockey Club. Also, this series will be the last time the two teams can be called division rivals.

The Red Wings are moving over to the Eastern Conference next season. After that, all of the fans from the two passionate fan bases have to look forward to is an annual home and home series.

There are three things to look forward in this best of seven series:

Look for the style of play to increase to a fevered pitch

Even though the Blackhawks beat the Red Wings in every game they played against them this season, expect the intensity on each shift to be ratcheted up a few notches. Detroit is not going to lie down because of what happened in the regular season. There is genuine concern on the side of Chicago. The Red Wings did something that the Blackhawks could not do the season: Get the better of the Anaheim Ducks. The Blackhawks came up short three times this season against the Ducks. That tidbit of information has to be something that Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has to remind his team of.

Line changes in the Windy City

Even though the Minnesota Wild were sent back home after five games, Coach Joel Quenneville was not happy with the overall performance of the team. Last week, he demoted Calder Trophy finalist Brandon Saad and Viktor Stalberg from the first and third lines respectively. Dave Bolland, who is back from injury and Ben Smith were moved up to replace them in the lineup. According to the Facebook account of the Blackhawks blog, The Committed Indian, Stalberg will be a scratch from tonight’s line up. This was not the first time this season Quenneville shook things up before a matchup with Detroit. Before the team’s last game with against the Red Wings, winger Brandon Bollig was made a healthy scratch so an extra defenseman could be added to the roster. Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are forces to be reckoned with. Except a commitment to the forecheck to offset the offensive prowess of the two aforementioned players.

The changing of the guard

The Red Wings know things have changed since the last time the played the Blackhawks in the playoffs. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa are now household names. The men wearing the Indian head sweater are now a core of battle tested veterans who have no fear of the opponent standing in the way of postseason immortality.  This isn’t the Blackhawks of the late 90’s. The speed and depth of Chicago will eventually wear down the Red Wings. “She ain’t what she used to be” applies best here.

PREDICTION: BLACKHAWKS IN FIVE

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Evan F. Moore

Journalist

Evan F. Moore is a Chicago-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Red Eye,The Checking Line,Gapers Block,ChicagoSide,Extra Bilingual Newspaper, Chicago Now, Time Out Chicago, and Community Media Workshop’s We Are Not Alone/No Estamos Solos project on youth violence.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

The Red Wings upset the #2 seeded Ducks in a transition year (Photo by Gregory Shamus)

Pavel Datsyuk 2-5-7: A. Datsyuk brought his whole bag of tricks and excellent two-way play to the series. He showed off his freakish mastery of the puck, and was huge in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill. Both he and Zetterberg appear to only be getting started in this playoff run.

Zetterberg led the series in points with 8 (Wikimedia)

Henrik Zetterberg 3-5-8: A. The captain did not begin producing until late in the series, but played an excellent defensive game the entire time and ended the 7 games as the series’ leading scorer. He was indisputably the team’s best player in the final two games of the series, and again showed he’s worthy of the C on his chest.

Niklas Kronwall 0-1-1: B+. Both Kronwall and Ericsson did very well against the oppositions top forward lines, and Kronwall provided leadership to a weaker than normal defensive squad. He did fairly well in his first series as the team’s #1 defenseman, despite his lack of offensive production.

Jimmy Howard .911 SV%, 2.74 GAA: B+. After a bit of a tough start in the series Howard turned his play around to become one of the team’s best players. He’s shown he’s a fighter, and if he continues playing this way the Red Wings will have nothing to worry about in the net department.

Johan Franzen 3-0-3: B+. The mule didn’t perform like the playoff-machine he once was, but did play quite well. He worked hard, scored three important power-play goals, and played tough in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill. More time with Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the coming Chicago series could ignite his playoff prowess.

Justin Abdelkader 2-1-3: B+. He’s proved, beyond a doubt, his value to the Red Wings. Playing on the top line with Zetterberg and Datsyuk he did exactly what was expected of him. Despite his two-game suspension he led the team in hits with 18, did the necessary dirty work in the corners, screened the goaltender, and scored some timely goals. He also proved he can keep up with top-line opposition in the playoffs.

Abdelkader has had a particularly easy time against the Ducks this season. He netted his first career hat-trick against them earlier this season.

Jonathan Ericsson 0-1-1: B+. Poise and steadiness defined Ericsson’s game, and he has emerged as the team’s prize shutdown defenseman. He was far from exceptional in the offensive zone, but played very well in his own end. He and Kronwall form a very able first pairing for the Red Wings, despite their lack of production.

Gustav Nyquist 1-1-2: B+. Despite modest production, Nyquist played an excellent series and was the best player on the rookie line. He was everywhere all the time, and showed that he can play an effective game against any opposition. If he keeps playing this way the points will come.

Daniel Cleary 2-3-5: B. Cleary has struggled much of this season, but like a typical Red Wing he stepped up his game in the playoffs. Like a warrior he put everything he had into every shift and did solid work in the corners and in front of the net.

Jakub Kindl 0-2-2: B. Kindl wasn’t spectacular, but he filled his role well. He didn’t make any huge or costly mistakes and was generally steady on the blue-line. There’s no doubt that he’s an NHL-caliber defenseman, he’s just very slowly emerging as one.

Joakim Andersson 0-2-2: B-. So far he’s been playing like a clutch third line center alongside fellow rookies. His skating still needs work, but he’s shown he’s a big body that can take faceoffs and handle the puck well down low. He looks to be emerging as a solid defensive forward.

Damien Brunner leads the rookie line in points and is tied for 3rd in playoff scoring on his team (Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Damien Brunner 2-3-5: B-. Brunner scored a huge OT goal and was one-third of the surprisingly effective rookie line. Despite being invisible for stretches of time, he showed off his quickness and his shot. He needs to work on his strength on the puck, but overall the rookie had a very good first playoff series.

Patrick Eaves 0-1-1: B-. Eaves did what was expected of him and played his usual high-energy game. He was hard on the opponent and played excellent on the penalty kill. He also had many good looks, but just couldn’t convert. Overall he did his job and was missed in the one game he was scratched from.

Kyle Quincey 0-2-2: B-. He had two assists but also made a few to many mistakes with and without the puck. His series was adequate.

Valtteri Filppula 1-3-4: B-. He doesn’t appear to be living up to his potential. Filppula scored some timely points, but that was it. He provided very little to the team for most of the series. His level of play this season – and this series – simply hasn’t been good enough for what’s expected of him.

Todd Bertuzzi 0-0-0: C. We haven’t seen the real Todd Bertuzzi yet in these playoffs. Big Bert showed up despite his injuries and did what he was able to. He wasn’t able to make much of an impact, but that’s understandable given the circumstances and being on the 4th line.

Carlo Colaiacovo 0-0-0: C. Like Bertuzzi, Carlo didn’t play much this series. In the two games he did play he made no notable goofs, but also did not execute any notable plays.

Brendan Smith 1-1-2: C. Unlike his fellow rookies – not considering Lashoff – he played a very inexperienced looking game. It’s clear that he has loads of potential, but it looked as if the playoff hype got to him. He needs to learn to relax and settle his game down in the coming series.

Will the Red Wings utilize Tootoo more against the rival Blackhawks? (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)

Danny DeKeyser 0-0-0: C. Danny D was knocked out of the series early with a thumb injury. However, the future looks very bright for the rookie blue-liner. He was highly praised by coach Mike Babcock going into the series and his presence on the back-end was definitely missed.

Cory Emmerton 0-0-0: C-. Emmerton did some decent work on the penalty kill, but played small, soft, and far from mistake free hockey. His presence was not missed in game seven, and the team seemed to play better with only three centers in the lineup than it did with him centering the 4th line.

Mikael Samuelsson 1-1-2: C-. Samuelsson did not play much this series and for good reason. He was generally invisible the entire time he was on the ice, and the one goal he scored came off a lucky rebound. His play was not terrible, but he takes up a roster spot that could more effectively be filled by someone like Jordin Tootoo.

Brian Lashoff 0-0-0: D+. Like Bertuzzi and Colaiacovo, Lashoff did not play much in the series. Unlike those two, his performance looked poor. He made numerous mistakes, some of them costly, and contributed almost nothing else to the team.

Jonas Gustavsson: N/A. Monster did exactly what he was supposed to and held down the bench. It’s always a good thing when a teams backup doesn’t have to hit the ice at all during the playoffs.

Jordin Tootoo 0-0-0: N/A. He only had 6:24 of ice time the entire series. It will be interesting to see if his gritty services are more utilized in the coming rival Chicago series.

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Colin Pineau

Detroit Red Wings writer for The Hockey Writers and Michigan State hockey writer for spartanavenue.com

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Chicago-Detroit. This is going to be a fun series (Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)

With the departure of future Hall-of-Famer Nicklas Lidstrom and Thomas Holmstrom to retirement, this shortened season was supposed to be the Detroit Red Wings’ year of rebuilding.

Scratch that “rebuilding” talk.

When the shortened season resumed on January 19, none of the so-called hockey experts gave the Red Wings a chance to crack the top eight in the Western Conference. Like many teams, they’ve gone through some ups and downs, but the leadership of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk have always seemed to pull the whole team through. Along with the supporting cast of Justin Abdelkader, Daniel Cleary, Johan Franzen and Valterri Filppula, the Wings managed to finish in seventh place, with a first round date against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Again, the so-called experts predicted a slaughter by the Ducks who had ample firepower from Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. The defence wasn’t so bad either with Francois Beauchemin, Sheldon Souray and net-protected by Jonas Hiller, who many thought had a slight advantage over Jimmy Howard, who many feel hasn’t earned the No. 1 spot since the retirement of Chris Osgood after the 2010-11 season. Even after signing a renewed contract with Detroit, many still feel that Howard wouldn’t be answer.

Guess what?

How do the Detroit Red Wings stay relevant? It starts with solid management led by Ken Holland and reliable coaching from Mike Babcock. They know that they can always count on the young veterans & kids they’ve brought in and have stepped up in the playoffs. Detroit’s defence still has Stanley Cup experience through veterans like Nicklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and even Ian White or Carlo Colaiacovo that was brought in to help the young defence when Brad Stuart returned to the San Jose Sharks.

The kids on the offense have certainly impressed in the first round, earning vital goals and game winners from Damien Brunner and Gustav Nyquist, relative unknowns before the series started. Now, they will face a much tougher task in the next round against the Cup-Favorite Chicago Blackhawks.

Once again, the so-called experts will predict a Chicago victory in this round. They could be right, but don’t ever count out Detroit. There is so much rivalry and history between these two clubs, this particular series could perhaps be the last one we’re going to see in a while once the Red Wings move over to the Eastern Conference. The Wings have had the Hawks’ number in the last few matchups, but this is a stacked Hawks clubs that could pull it off if they could contain Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Time for the Detroit kids to shine even further.

This will be a fun Original Six clash.

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Peter Chau

A long time former player, current timekeeper (lol) and fan of the game, Peter Chau has lived and breathed hockey throughout most of his life living in the cold confines of Edmonton, Vancouver, and currently in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is now a contributing writer for the Hockey Writers covering the Vancouver Canucks.

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This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.