Hey February...Bring It On

I can't wait to see that smiling face on Wednesday

I would like to use this post to send a special thank you to the sports television industry for making me nocturnal. 

It's the middle of the night and I'm wide awake.  I couldn't sleep with the TV on.  I couldn't sleep to the noise of drunk college kids running up and down the stairs of the apartment building.  And sadly, I couldn't fall asleep with the sweet, sweet sound of Mr. Chris Hollis' voice in my ears on the latest edition of TP:60. 

So what is one to do? 

Well, crack open a nice Boston lager in the middle of the night and write a much needed post for my sad, oh so very sad looking, dormant blog.

I have to get something off my chest.  I feel like I'm stealing money at my new job.  There is no way in hell I should get paid for what I do.  Is it really considered a job if you look forward to going into work everyday?  I hang out with other sports fans, talk about sports, and help produce a sports show.  But who cares about me.  This isn't the Jeffsonian Institution.   It's the Brendan Smithsonian Institution.  It's a damn Red Wings blog. 

These days I watch the games on DVR when I get home from work between 11:30p ET and 1a ET.  The downside of working for the the network that broadcasts the Bruins is that we cover hockey and it's very hard to avoid the score of out-of-town games.  So I generally know the outcomes of the games before I watch them.  What can we say about this team?  Since Datsyuk went down on Dec. 22 against the Canucks (I hate you Mikael Samuelsson), they went 9-5-2.  Of course, I always want this team to go 16-0-0 every 16 games, but that's not possible.  When you throw in the fact that the Wings also lost Cleary, Stuart, and Holmstrom for most of that stretch...and Filp, Jimmy, and Eaves at times, I'll sure as hell take 9-5-2 and 2nd place in the West at the All-Star break.

But let's not forget what we enjoyed during that 16 game stretch.   We saw Darren 'Danger' Helm take his game to another level.  We were all witnesses to Hank carrying this team on his back at times.  Patty Eaves scored a hat trick.  We saw a glimpse of what the kids (Tatar, Mursak, Emmerton) down on the farm are made of.  And speaking of farms, we saw the next great WWE tag team champions, the Mac Attack (MacDonald, McCullom)...alright so maybe we didn't enjoy those few days, but at least that led to us raising some money for the children (Thanks Evgeni!).

And now it's time to turn the page on that calendar.  My favorite month of the year, February, is almost upon us.  In a few days some of the wounded will be back and here's what we have to look forward to:

@ Ottawa - A game this team should win.

vs Columbus - Another game this team should win.  Time to put the little, little, little, little brother to bed.

@ Nashville - The biggest threat for the division?  Should be a good game. 

vs NY Rangers - Original 6 match-up against a team that I personally believe could be a dark horse going forward in the East.

vs Nashville - Another game against the Preds.  A potential 8 point swing with two victories.

@ Boston
vs Boston - A home-and-home against the team from the city I live in?  These two are MUST WINS on my list.  The Wings better show up in both of these games with two 60 minute efforts.  This Boston team has potential.  They're going to be up for these games to prove themselves.  I want...nay...I need Detroit to show up and dominate the hell out of the B's.  I currently don't have tickets (they're crazy expensive) and I am scheduled to work the night of the game in Boston, but have no fear.  I'll be there one way or another.  I'm in the process of switching days with a co-worker to get that night off and, thankfully, I work for the network that airs the local games and is partially owned by the Bruins.  I'm working on getting a credential for the game.  Stay tuned.  ALSO, I don't want to forget, the Red Wings are having a pregame meet-up in Boston before the game on Friday, Feb 11.  If you're in the city and you're a Wings fan...be there.  You don't need a ticket to the game to attend.

@ Tampa Bay - Hockeytown South.  This will be a fun game.

@ Florida - Yawn.  Win.

@ Minnesota - Yawn (because they're boring).  Should be a win.

vs San Jose - Let's beat the Sharks and make sure they miss the playoffs...and then laugh.

vs Dallas - Top 3 teams in the West.  Should be a good contest.

@ Buffalo - This team is not very good, but has been playing better lately.  Should be a win.

@ Los Angeles - Not sure how this team is tied for 10th in the West.  LA is always tough.  (PLUS! This is the NHL trade deadline)

So enjoy Team Lidstrom destroying Team Staal tomorrow today (Team TPL FTW), go create your ugly third jerseys, and enjoy some Red Wings hockey.  It's almost February, which means it's almost March, and April is right around the corner, and before we know it the playoffs will be here.

Let's Go Red Wings.