My Secrets

Who do I secretly cheer for outside my beloved Detroit Red Wings? Well, here's a brief list in no particular order.

1) Joe Sakic (like my man, Steve Yzerman, he's classy and a great player)
2) Mike Modano (ever since I can remember watching hockey, I've liked Modano)
3) Brendan Shanahan (ok so he was a Wing for a loong time, but he's with the NYR now and I miss hearing the Irish Jig at the Joe)
4) Henrik Lundqvist (he's Swedish, already won an Olympic gold medal, & had a great rookie year)
5) Vinny Lecavalier (hot AND a fantastic player, how could you not cheer for him?)
6) Alexander Ovechkin (he's a great overall athlete and seems like he's a fun guy to hang around with)
7) Sidney Crosby (I know, how can I cheer for both Ovie & Crosby? But I love them both)

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A perfect game...

A perfect game, for me, would have the following...

1. A fantastic national anthem singer & a crowd that really gets into it (ie. the Oilers' fans in the 2006 playoffs).

2. A fight with intensity and meaning (ie. Patrick Roy vs. Mike Vernon or Darren McCarty vs. Claude Lemieux- yes, I'm reliving those glory days).

3. A Steve Yzerman jersey retirement ceremony. Okay, since they can only happen once in a lifetime- anytime Yzerman is at the Joe Louis Arena for a game...

4. Great seats. Last year for my birthday, I sat in the first row behind the next right next to the zamboni pit. Those were fantastic seats.

5. High scoring game, okay but not too high, with the Red Wings winning in the end. A good example would be when the Wings beat the Oilers in 2OT in the playoffs last year. Unfortunately, that series went downhill quickly for Wings fans...

6. Catching a puck that flicked over the netting or into the crowd.

7. A loud and jumping JLA circa 1997.

8. Playing against a good team and not one that the Wings have owned a lot lately.

9. Solid refereeing. Lots of penalties and/or questionable calls ruin the fun (in my mind).

10. An amazing save by a goalie that makes your jaw just drop in amazement.

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Faith and hockey

I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said regarding this topic of faith and hockey. As a born again Christian, my beliefs are extremely important to me. However, I don't share Rubin's Orthodox Jew beliefs, which say that he must rest on the Sabbath. While I can certainly respect his decision to honor his beliefs and choose not to play on that day, I can only imagine what that could do to the chemistry of the team (like someone else mentioned in a prior post).

If I was a GM of a team and could draft or sign one of two players who were equal in skill, why would I sign someone who can't work one out of every seven days of the week? I admire his conviction to stay true to his faith, but I don't see him earning a job in the NHL because of it.

If Rubin can find a team that wants him on their team, good for him. I have no problems with that. I just wonder if Rubin will stop playing after awhile when he realizes that he won't be able to advance to a higher level of play because managers aren't willing to take a chance on a kid who can't play one day of the week.

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Steve Yzerman jersey retirement ceremony

Two nights ago, I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony in the lower bowl right behind the zamboni pit so I saw all the participants in the event (including Yzerman) walk directly underneath me. It was pretty sweet.

I wrote up a pretty long recap here and you can check out photos here. I thought of Finny when the Ducks were warming up before the game (I even got a puck that got flicked over the netting).

All-Star Game
To be honest, the all-star game used to be a big deal. I think allowing voting over the internet makes it really easy for someone to vote 5 million times so it kind of distorts the results in comparison to voting before you could do it online. Plus it's not like it's a real game with much physicality. I think it used to be a bigger honor back in the day, but maybe that's just me.

I did not vote Rory, I just voted for the players I thought deserved it the most. However, I did think the Vote for Rory campaign was pretty funny especially the attack ads (like the one against Nicklas Lidstrom).

New Year Resolutions
Dominik Hasek - To keep his groin healthy.
Dan Cleary- To continue this offensive streak.
Niklas Kronwall- To not get injured anymore so he's in prime condition for the playoffs.
Mike Babcock- To find a way to improve the power play.

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Wings coach Mike Babcock

Sorry about the lack of posting from me, I've been crazy busy. Since I don't have much time right now, I'm going to post a little feature I had written up on the Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock when he first signed with the Red Wings at the end of the lockout:

Holland thinks Babcock is exactly what the organization needs at this important time. “He has tremendous passion for the game. He has tremendous energy,” Holland said. “He's got specific ideas in mind on how he wants to the team to play, how he wants the players to play. He's the boss. He'll give the players the parameters whereby they can do whatever they do, and if they step outside the boundaries Mike will deal with it.”

As a team with a lot of veterans (we’ll see how the CBA effects that number), Babcock refuses to let them take it easy.

"I believe in leadership. I believe in being the best in the world at what I do...When you don't make people accountable, it leads to a superstar mentality where not everyone on the team is important...Maybe the most exciting thing is that I'm coming here to join a family in Detroit that's philosophy is based totally on a passion for winning," Babcock said.

Babcock received a degree in physical education from McGill University in Montreal and later performed graduate work in sports psychology. His education background helps him coach the players’ mental and emotional aspect. Babcock focuses on how the mental and emotional state of a player affects his game.

"Jimmy (Devellano, vice president of the Wings) and Ken (Holland, general manager) got a competitive, fiery guy, who can kick over a garbage can or slam a door," said ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, a former NHL coach with the Los Angeles Kings. "He's a motivator and a passionate guy. He got more out of those guys in Anaheim than other guys could have, and to me that's a sign of a good coach. Do the same with Detroit's lineup and you'll win a Stanley Cup."

Babcock loves to use a grinding style of hockey to physically beat the opponent when their on the defensive. This brand disrupts the opposing team’s offensive flow and creates offensive opportunities for his team. This style fits the Wings’ style of play – grittiness and hard work as seen in the “Grind Line.”

“He's a very intelligent coach who I think has been unfairly portrayed as a defensive-only coach,” said Al Strachan, a columnist for the Toronto Sun and a regular contributor on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada telecasts.

“He's a coach who has that ability to see what's needed to win and he has a subsequent ability to take advantages as they exist.

When he was in college hockey, he was very offensive-minded. And if the rules are changed to reward offense (the NHL is considering changes ahead of the 2005 season), he's smart enough to institute a system that will take advantage of it.”

Strachan also believes that Babcock could put fear in his players where they’ll produce. Lewis couldn’t do that after being with the organization so long especially as assistant coach.

“People were terrified of Scotty," Strachan said. “Players will tell you fear is a good thing -- that being afraid of losing, afraid of a coach, motivates better players to play as well as they can. I don't think anybody was afraid of (Lewis). He was just too nice of a guy. But Babcock can be tough, he can be very sarcastic. He can put guys in their place. He has almost a Hitchcock-like (current Flyers coach Ken) ability to be a friend and a psychotherapist. He's a modern coach and that's a good thing to have in Detroit.”

Babcock will be responsible in this upcoming transition season where he must develop younger players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler, Jiri Fischer and Niklas Kronwall while pushing the veterans. These players will be whom the Wings rely heavily on over the next season.

“There are some great, great players here. Unbelievable passers. I think on the backend that you have some guys who can really get the puck going upfront,” Babcock said. “You have so much skill and obviously the leadership of Stevie Yzerman. You can't say enough about that. We want to play an uptempo game, we want to get after the other team and we want to be entertaining, but we want to win.”

Scotty Bowman has called Babcock a “passionate man.” While living in Cincinatti, Babcock grew close with the neighborhood kids who he’d spend time with whether it was hockey, football, etc. His neighbors’ son, Jeffrey Hayden, was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Jeffrey died in September of 2003 where upon Babcock delivered the eulogy at the funeral. Along with Jeffrey’s parents, they created a website, www.jthf.org, to try to increase awareness of pediatric brain tumors. “He's been a great friend of our family,” Tim Hayden said. “He gave a wonderful eulogy that people still talk about today.”

Babcock also lost his mother, Gail, to cancer. “Mike and his mom were extremely good friends,” Mike Sr. said. “When she died, I would say that was the biggest loss of his life.” Babcock’s agent’s brother and his friend’s son both died of brain cancer. With so many close ties to brain cancer, Babcock has remained involved in the Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation since its start 10 months ago. “There were some kids in California that were going through some bad times,” Hayden said. “Mike gives the parents his cell phone and says, ‘Tell the kids to call when they're feeling down.’ And Mike ends up calling and asking how they're doing." He doesn’t mind giving his phone number to so many kids because “if I can talk to someone on the phone for five minutes and make their day, I’ll do it.”

During the lockout, he worked with the foundation, which hopes to give parents a place to share experiences and a safe place to disclose medical information with families who can’t travel far for a second opinion. Babcock then met with several cancer organizations and then got the NHL involved. "I'm not surprised," Hayden said. "That's Mike. It's his thing. What he dedicates his free time to, this is it."

The Haydens are excited for Babcock to move closer to Cincinnati and believe that Mike will appreciate Detroit. “He's not afraid to be in Hockeytown,” Tim Hayden said. “I think he's going to like it a lot better than Hollywood. Detroit's a hockey town, and he's a hockey guy. The guy breathes hockey. I hope the people take to him.”

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When it all began...

There isn't a specific day or moment when I became a Wings fan that I can actually remember. I have been watching Red Wings hockey with my dad since I was little. The earliest season I can actually remember is the '93-94 season when I was 6. Ray Sheppard, Paul Coffey, Dino Cicarelli, etc. I've always been a tomboy since I was little - I played rollerblade hockey, football, kickball, etc with the guys and have been crazy about sports for my entire life. Like I said, I've grown up watching Red Wings hockey, Michigan football, and Lions football with my dad so those are the three main teams I follow right now.

I didn't become crazy obsessed like I am now until 2003. Don't get me wrong, I was a real fan before, but it reached a new level when I couldn't play sports anymore because my knee wasn't getting better after surgeries (I've had 7 to date). I had more free time because I wasn't out on the basketball court or running track so I devoted myself to following the Red Wings and living my sports dreams through the team.

Today, I own over 60 Red Wings autographs, countless photographs, two jerseys, etc. I try to go to about 5 games a season, which is about all I can afford. But I couldn't imagine life without my Red Wings hockey. :)

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Kris Draper - Detroit community leader

So I got a little behind and will now be posting my responses to this week and last week's topic...

1. Explain your favourite community contributing team member and why he rocks.

Since Darren McCarty no longer plays for the Detroit Red Wings, his pal Kris Draper has to be my favorite community contributing team member. I interviewed him for about half an hour back in November of 2003. I liked to credit myself for giving him a spark in his offense. He won Selke that year and it all started in the first game after my interview. And when I saw him at a restaurant once (I didn't say anything to him though), he scored two goals that night. Anyways, here was an excerpt from that interview about community service:

Christy: So you brought the Stanley Cup to Children’s Hospital after the win in 2002. Why did you decide to bring in there over anywhere else?

Draper: “Obviously, I’ve been very fortunately not only healthy as a person but as a professional athlete as well. And to give the opportunity to kids who are sick or wouldn’t be able to come out see the Stanley Cup in public because of their illness, it was an opportunity that came and they asked me if I wanted to bring the Stanley Cup to Children’s Hospital. And for me to be able to do something like that, it was easy. I was like ‘Absolutely, no matter what day or time or how long I have to be there for. So I went there and I guess I spent a couple of hours with kids who were less fortunate than I was. And just to see the expressions that these kids had, and not only the kids, but also the kids’ parents because the parents go through this everyday. You know as we wake up in the morning, while you guys go to school and I go play hockey; these parents go to the hospital everyday to visit their kids. To have an opportunity like this and to give it back to the community and to the children, it was tough there. Being as fortunate as I am and to go in there and see all the sicknesses and illnesses and be able to put a smile on a kid’s face and if you have the opportunity to make kids forget about their illnesses for even just 10 minutes; you know you’ve done something good. It’s very rewarding to go in there and to do that. Like the Stanley Cup was bigger than some of the kids, it was pretty neat. And they saw it and couldn’t believe how big it was and so it was pretty good. We put a couple of not newborn but like 1-year-old kids in the Cup. The parents asked ‘if my son or daughter could sit in the Stanley Cup’ and I would hold the kids and the parents would take pictures. It was a special day.”

Ok, that was kind of long but it says pretty much all that needs to be said about why Kris Draper is the No. 1 community guy at the Wings. Oh, and this story doesn't hurt either [he helped a dying girl and her single dad].

2. Take a photo (or draw with your mouse) the biggest dedication to something hockey related you have/own.

I can't decide which autographed picture I like better so I'll post them both year but excuse the crappiness of the glare and sucky camera. My room as a whole is very wonderful with over $1000 worth of signed memorabilia. :) But my two favorites are the ones hanging over my bed - a signed Steve Yzerman photograph and a signed Swedish 5 photograph. All 5 Detroit Red Wings Swedes who won the 2006 Gold Medal signed this lovely image.





3. Which player has impressed you so far? And which player has disappointed you (not restricted to your team only).

Due to my cable situation in the dorm, I can only watch the Wings games (I can't even watch the ones on Versus) so my answers will be Wings players only.

Impressed the most- Well, the Wings haven't been playing too great to start the season so I really haven't been impressed my much. I guess Jason Williams has impressed me the most because he was awful in the 2006 playoffs and he has 5 points so far leading all forwards on the team (defensemen Lidstrom and Schneider have 7 and 6 points respectively).

Disappointed the most- Kirk Maltby. His role for the team has really become limited to the penalty kill. The Wings penalty kill percentage is awful - 75.5% placing them 28th in the NHL. Plus, Maltby is the only Red Wings player with negative +/- rating.

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Getting to know me...

Hey everyone! My name is Christy Hammond, the female blogger who runs Behind the Jersey.

1. Where are you from? What do you do?
I'm from southeast Michigan in between Detroit and Ann Arbor. I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) where I'm not quite sure what I'm studying, but I'm thinking of double majoring in Sports Management and Communications.

2. What's your favorite team? Why?
The Detroit Red Wings have been my favorite team since I can remember watching them play with my Dad at the age of six. Aside from the Wings being my hometown team, I've always appreciated their rich history in the NHL, their players (Yzerman was named captain half a year before I was born), and of course the Wings have never been a bad team since I've been watching. That never hurts!

3. Your least favourite team? Why?
Easy answer - the Colorado Avalanche. The rivalry was building up during my first few years as a fan and it definitely exploded during my sixth grade year. I like Joe Sakic, but any other player wearing an Avs jersey is not my friend. :)

4. Your favourite player of all time & now?
Last year, I would've said captain Steve Yzerman. But he has since retired so I don't have a true favorite anymore. I've been a big fan of Kris Draper after I interviewed him for 30 minutes back in 2003, but I'm debating between buying Henrik Zetterberg or Niklas Kronwall's jersey...

5. If you had to punch one hockey player or member of the NHL organisation, who and why?
Can I punch Claude Lemieux even if he isn't playing? Or Patrick Roy? I'd really enjoy doing that to either one. The "turtle" moment will be forever tatooed in my brain.

6. What you'll be looking forward in this group blog.
I think it's going to be great reading a variety of opinions' from fellow female bloggers about the different topics each week. This blog will be a great way to unite female hockey bloggers and fans alike.

7. What you don't like in general?
That's a pretty broad category. I don't like the Joe's lower bowl being half empty every game because the company owners/executives don't want to use their tickets. I don't like that Detroit has become Hoopstown and even Tiger-town. I miss Hockeytown.

8. What role do female fans play in keeping the game alive?
I think that female fans have the same responsibilities as male fans to keep the game alive - watch it on tv or attend the game in person and buy the merchandise. I do think female fans have to fight the stigma of the puckbunny or just not being knowledgeable in regards to the game.

9. What role do female fans play in picking heroes for the community?
Umm. I don't think it is a coincidence that the popular players (not necessarily the best) are known for their generosity to fans and charity. It's something that I think makes the NHL stand apart from its NFL and NBA counterparts.

10. Hockey just isn't the same without Steve Yzerman.

11. If you were on a deserted island, which player would you pick to stay with you? Crosby, Ovechkin or Phaneuf (hey he tried!)?
Ovechkin. We could play some island golf (think the tv show Lost) and he could get a hole in one - man he's a talented athlete. Plus he seems to have a good sense of humor.

12. The player you'd like to take for a grand night out/a movie/a boring event.
Grand Night Out - Yzerman. I think it would be fun to see what Yzerman's life is like. Plus I bet a grand night out for him is pretty nice...

Movie - Jason Williams. I interviewed him for 30 minutes in 2003 and he's a few years older than me and really nice. We'd for sure have to go see an action/sports movie.

Boring Event - Umm. Kris Draper is hilarious, I'm sure he'd find a way to make the evening not so boring...

13. If you could make your own team, regardless of whatever players, what would it be called and where will it be/how would it be like?
I am probably the worst person ever to come up with the name of a team. Seriously. But I'd get my favorite players on the team and as owner, I'd fly with the team to every game and it'd be sweet!

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