It's another installation of Wednesday Night Rivalry, featuring a team that cancelled its rivalry with us. This whole stupid realignment with three games against the West Coast teams and two against teams in the Southeast and an Eastern Conference that blows is the direct result of the Red Wings being unbearably pissy about having to play two road games a year in California cities. I hope they're happy with the result. Maybe they should have Wednesday Night Rivalry games with their biggest rival this season, the Ottawa Senators.

Much like the Devs, the Wings are an empire in decline, having taken this whole core and their method of pulling talented Euros out of their ass just about as far as it's gonna go. The rest of the league has caught up to their deep scouting, Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Franzen have some hard miles on them, and Lidstrom is long gone. They've been a merely average team, a little worse, actually, with tons of players being hurt and the Grand Rapids kids not contributing enough. Scoring is a hair under 2.5, goals against a hair over. Hockeytown isn't even Hockeytown anymore, with the Lions and Tigers asserting themselves in the local sports scene and Joe Louis Arena showing lots of emptiness each night. They're no longer elite. It's delicious.

But of course, the Red Wings will always be the Red Wings, and so goofy-ass things will always happen to their benefit. Saturday night, a puck bounced off the don't-kill-people netting, which is out of play, coming back down, bouncing off the back of Jonathan Quick's head, and into the net for a good goal. They couldn't review it because it wasn't a reviewable matter. Wings won the game. Everyone was outraged over how the NHL could completely embarrass itself like this. About 20 minutes later, the Canucks started trying to beat everyone up, and the incident was understandably forgotten in the national dialogue.

So yeah, Hawks just gotta keep it rolling here. Jimmy Howard is good, but hasn't been impervious, and it sounds like we'll probably get failed Leafs game-changer Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson anyway. Datsyuk, Franzen, Alfredsson, Andersson, Ericsson, all out. Stephen Weiss is also out, but he's been such a thoroughly useless slug since he departed the golden hammock of suburban Lauderdale that whichever Grand Rapids plug takes his place has to be an upgrade for them. Saad-Shaw-Kane line has gotta start connecting. I'd guess Crawford goes in this one, entrusting Raanta to shut down the punchless Wild tomorrow night.

Hawks: 32-8-11 (75), 27-13-11 adjusted (65), 66.984 expected
Wings: 21-18-10 (52), 19-21-9 adjusted (47), 19-22-8 adjusted for not having blown a dead fucking obvious out-of-play call (46), 45.970 expected

Hawks: 3.510 scored (1st), 2.608 allowed (15th), 0.902 differential (3rd)
Wings: 2.449 scored (23rd), 2.592 allowed (14th), -0.143 differential (17th)

Hawks: 37/165 22.4% on the power play (5th), 115/149 77.2% on the kill (29th)
Wings: 28/167 16.8% on the power play (22nd), 157/186 84.4% on the kill (5th)

Also, again, I tend not to tip the song references, but if you like the New Radicals and their one album as much as I do, you gotta check out Gregg Alexander's solo album from long before, Michigan Rain. It's very embryonic and a little '80s-soft-rock, but I really like it.

I want blood in the form of a blowout.

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I was at the game in Detroit Saturday night. That goal was something...we were on the opposite end of the Joe and had absolutely no idea what happened...just saw the linesman signal goal. Funny thing about that place...there is only a goal light on one side of the ice.

I will say, the arena experience there is pretty cool. Everyone into the game, and the place gets damn loud. Brought back memories of the old Stadium for me. And it made me remember how much it sucks to see a game at the UC.

You are correct, CH, Howard is out 1-2 weeks, Gustavsson in goal tonight. It's amazing how unrecognizable this Detroit team is with all of the injuries.

Hawks hopefully win in regulation.

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Yeah, like Nassau and Northlands, the Joe will be another place that I'll miss when it's gone. The luxury boxes are either way up high or not there at all, so there's just one concourse between the upper and lower levels and you go upstairs or downstairs from there. It's not a monument to stratification like the Palace of Auburn Hills, which basically wrote the book. Keeps everyone as close to the ice as they can be, really gives the place a democratic spirit.

That's weird that there's only one goal lamp. Did the city hock the other one?

Eating a Jet's 8-corner pizza for this game tonight, btw, for the full Detroit experience.

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Probably.

I will say I was surprised setting foot in Detroit. I was expecting nothing but a burnt out, post-apocalyptic wasteland. We went to Greektown before the game for dinner, and it was actually pretty cool over there.

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That and Casino are literally the only good places in the city proper.

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Elections have consequences.

And the Ilitches own the casino, too. They're basically Bart Simpson buying the abandoned factory just to play with it.

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Ive never had the amount of hate for the Red Wings than I do for the Canucks as far as Blackhawk rivals go. Always had a sort of grudging respect for them. Vancouver can forever continue to eat the entire jumbo sized pack of dicks.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

I feel the same. Also, I have friends in Detroit so... I sort of don't hate the Blues either as a former Norris team.

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Elections have consequences.

I hate the Wings but their games with the Hawks have been hockey at its best. Also, I have two good friends who are Wings fans (from Michigan and Windsor), so that tempers things a little in terms of Sports Hate. I just want them to lose all the time, that's all.

Games with the Canucks are more often than not just hot messes and I actively root for them to humiliate themselves at every turn. Same with St. Louis.

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So we are still suppose to hate Detroit even though they are in the other conference?

I don't even hate the Packers. I look at every team as the same. Just want the Bears to beat them. The only team I enjoy seeing lose is the Cowboys cuz Jerry Jones is a dumb ass, cocky idiot and it's fun to see him in his booth with a sad look on his face.

Aren't there 2 or 3 casinos? I believe the new hockey arena is going to be built to connect to the casino the Ilitches own. Motor City Casino, I think it is.

The fun part of Detroit is weirdly out in the suburbs, Royal Oak and the towns around there.

There are good hockey bars around the arena and some good bars over toward Ford Field and Comerica Park. Chelios might still have a bar/restaurant over there.

The area by old Tiger stadium has a good BBQ spot, Slow's.

2 in Detroit proper, Greektown is one, and the other one is whatever the hell it's called.

You can see the bright lights of Windsor from across the river at the Joe...

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Be sure to bring the proper amount of $1 if you venture into Winsdor

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Haven't been to Windsor in a very long time. Used to be fun but if no passport forget it.

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Elections have consequences.

Look at all the empty seats Edzo!!

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Typical Hawks so far. We should pound this MASH unit.

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Elections have consequences.

I was coming here to say that, sans Edzo.
I used to love this rivalry. It was a great one, like Bears and Packers.
But it was only because we were close.
I like the rivalry with Vancouver more now because it's not invented or because of divisions or because of proximity, it happened organically, by players who hate each other and a fan base that hates each other.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Stop saying things you don't mean

Hossa now throw an octopus.

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Elections have consequences.

Caught me

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Elections have consequences.

6 goals in the last 6 for Hossa. Slavic Rage be damned.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Two observations:

1) Doc knows what college every player went to
2) Hammer uses his backhand way too often to clear pucks

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I love SHaw. He is like my 2010 Versteeg.

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Elections have consequences.

Jesus I hope the Hawks don't get a 3 goal lead.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

No worries.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Shaw plays hard. Steeg only in spurts.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

So much for that.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Yeah that last half of year and playoffs though I loved him

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Elections have consequences.

Shaw is a shitload smarter that Steeg too. Steeger is a total hockey dumbass. His nickname at the Estates is "Hockey Stupid"

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Sigh

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