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DUCHENE, HOWARD AND MYERS NAMED CALDER TROPHY FINALISTS

NEW YORK (April 22, 2010) — Center Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, goaltender Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings and defenseman Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres are the three finalists for the 2009-10 Calder Trophy, awarded “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition,” the National Hockey League announced today.

More here…

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

The Detroit Red Wings rallied back from an early no-goal call to tie the series with the Phoenix Coyotes 2-2 moving back to the desert on Friday.

Henrik Zetterberg opened the column tonight with a powerplay deflection. Pavel Datsyuk drove that lead further late in the third with the second goal of the night before Zetterberg buried the hatchet into Phoenix with his second of the night just 25 seconds later.

Detroit not just opened the door to the Coyotes net tonight, they kept their penalty box busy, giving the Coyotes five power plays and stopping them all. Jimmy Howard controlled his rebounds tonight but made a rallying save on a rare rebound despite losing his mask. The absence of Shane Doan, Phoenix’s captain, from this game played a huge part, allowing the Wings to take better control of the puck around the boards and allowed Detroit to dominate the physical play, out hitting the Coyotes 43-27.

In Play! Man of the Game: Jimmy Howard. Howard stopped all 29 of the Coyotes shots and recorded his first career playoff shutout.

Post game audio from both teams.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

The Detroit Red Wings have lost the opening game of the playoffs, falling 3-2 to the Phoenix Coyotes.

Tomas Holmstrom scored first tonight, but quickly that lead was equalized by Keith Yandle. Late in the first period Nicklas Lidstrom scored to put Detroit to a lead again. In the second, Wojtek Wolski tied the game before Derek Morris game Phoenix the game winner in the third.

This game was down the wire through two, but was all Phoenix in the third. Phoenix just outworked Detroit in the final stanza and took over the game. Detroit was a train wreck today on the penalty kill, giving up goals on all of the first three times shorthanded. Tonight there were issues with consistency on penalty calling. While Phoenix accumulated more penalties than Detroit, the game winning goal was scored because of interference that was worse than the interference that had put Phoenix on the man advantage. Phoenix also wasn’t penalized when Lidstrom was high sticked while handling the puck midway through the third. That lack of a call cost Detroit a four minute powerplay as well as cost them the use of Lidstrom for roughly a quarter of the period.

In Play! Man of the Game: Derek Morris. Morris finished the game with three points (2 assists and the game winning goal) as well as a blocked shot and one of Phoenix’s 43 hits.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

Every year there is a debate about who should win the Jack Adams award – awarded to the best coach of the year in the NHL – and this year two likely candidates, Dave Tippett and Mike Babcock, will get to face off in the opening round of the playoffs.

Phoenix’s Dave Tippett isn’t just a front runner for the nomination – he’s been considered the likely winner of the award since the Olympic break. Tippett has taken a team that, in the beginning of the year, wasn’t even sure if they’d be in the desert or if they’d be in Ontario and coached them to the playoffs. Most professional teams that are adrift in the front office don’t stand a chance in the standings. Take for instance, the Coyotes. Phoenix had the same front office issues last season but under the coaching of Wayne Gretzky finished 25th in the NHL and missed the playoffs. Tippet took over the team and finished 4th in the league this season.

Mike Babcock isn’t a stranger to the playoffs. He took Anaheim there and has never missed the playoffs since taking the job in Detroit. This year he had something to deal with that he had never faced on such a large scale. Injuries. For most of December and all of January and February, Babcock was missing eight of his top players to injury. That’s one player short of half the roster if you don’t count the goalies. In fact, it wasn’t unusual to hear the chant, “Let’s go Griffins” in the Joe Louis Arena this year (the Griffins are Detroit’s minor league team). Detroit broke 300 Man Games Lost from injuries in early March. Only Philadelphia, Colorado, and Vancouver made the playoffs with more man games lost to injury. However, all of those teams suffered more regular intervals of injuries and never saw more than three or four major players injured at one time.

Whether both of these coaches end up in the running or not, this opening round series isn’t just about which team will move on to the conference semi-finals, it could be an important factor in the decision of who will have the bragging rights behind the bench next season.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

The Detroit Red Wings overcame the Columbus Blue Jackets to win 4-3 with a goal filled two minute exchange to push their streak of consecutive 100 point seasons to 10 to a real possibility.

Niklas Kronwall scored first tonight but quickly that lead was snubbed out by a rare Nicklas Lidstrom turnover that RJ Umberger stuffed past Jimmy Howard. Just before the end of the first, Samuel Pahlsson put Columbus up to a one goal lead. The game stayed this way until a 76 second period in the third in which Tomas Holmstrom scored twice and Dan Cleary followed with one of his own. Columbus cut the lead to one with a goal by Mike Blunden but couldn’t tie the game.

Detroit came out to a rough game and set the stage for a train wreck early in the second before turning their game around in the third. Columbus took themselves out of this game late when they spent more time arguing about a penalty call than defending the powerplay. They then took a pair of misconduct penalties and set Detroit up for the three goals in just over a minute. Dan Cleary played possibly his best game of the season today.

In Play! Man of the Game: Tomas Holmstrom. Holmstrom deflected both late powerplay goals and played a great game in front of the net.

ADDED BONUS:
Post game interviews with Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Eaves, Howard and Babcock.

1913 In an exhibition game against the Yankees, 25,000 fans watch the Dodgers play their first game in Ebbets Field. Brooklyn beats New York, 3-2 with Casey Stengel hitting the park’s first home run, an inside-the-parker.

1925 Babe Ruth collapses at railroad station in Asheville, North Carolina, and will be hospitalized in New York.

1934 Babe Ruth, sponsored by Quaker Oats, agrees to do weekly NBC broadcasts. His thirteen week radio salary will be $4000 more than his Yankee contract.

1934 Reds president Larry MacPhail hires Red Barber to broadcast the team games on WSAL. The not-so-old “Ol’ Redhead” will spend the first four years of his Hall of Fame career in Cincinnati calling games from the stands of Crosley Field.

1957 The Phillies trade five players, Ron Negray, Tim Harkness, Elmer Valo, Mel Geho, and Ben Flowers (the player to be named later) and send $75,000 to the Dodgers to obtain much touted Cuban infielder Chico Fernandez. Philadelphia’s new shortstop plays three seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, batting just .242, before being traded to the Tigers.

1966 Don Larsen, who is the last active major leaguer who played Browns, is released by the Orioles. As a rookie 1953, the Michigan City, Indiana native posted a 7-12 record for the hapless franchise which loss 100 games in its final season in St. Louis.

1971 At RFK Stadium, 45,000 fans watch the last Opening Day game to be played in Washington, D.C.

1972 The season opener between Astros and Reds is canceled due to the player strike which started on April 1. It marks the first time in major league history Opening Day is delayed and 86 games will be lost before the labor dispute is settled.

1972 The Mets trade outfielder Ken Singleton and infielders Tim Foli and Mike Jorgensen to the Expos in exchange for 28-year old all-star right fielder Rusty Staub. The ‘Le Grand Orange’ will miss most of the season due to injuries, but will play a major role in New York’s ‘Ya Gotta Believe’ pennant-winning team in 1973.

1983 Tom Seaver, making his first appearance as with the Mets since 1977, combines with Doug Sisk to blank the Phillies at Shea Stadium, 2-0. It is Tom Terrific’s 14th National League Opening Day assignment‚ tying Senators hurler Walter Johnson’s record.

1988 With a 6-3 Opening night victory over the Padres, Houston wins its 2,000th game in franchise history. The Astros score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning making starter Mike Scott the winning pitcher.

1993 At Camden Yards, William Jefferson Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to successfully throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound. Orioles starter Rick Suttecliffe doesn’t fare as well as the Birds lose to the Rangers, 7-4.

1993 At Shea Stadium, the Rockies lose their National League debut to the Mets, 3-0. Doc Gooden pitches a 4-hit complete game for the victory.

1993 In front of 42,334 fans at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, the Florida Marlins, in their major league first game ever, defeat the Dodgers, 6-3. Joe DiMaggio throws out the ceremonial first pitch and the team retires uniform number 5 in tribute to Carl Barger, their late president.

1993 On Opening Day, Greg Maddux, who was signed as a free agent, allows no runs and scatters five hits to his former team over 8 1/3 innings as the Braves edge the Cubs, 1-0.

1993 Eric Fox, inserted into the game as late-inning defensive replacement hits a grand-slam home run in the bottom of the eighth inning giving the A’s a 9-4 Opening Day victory before 43,370 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It will be the outfielder’s only homer of the season.

1997 At Olympic Stadium, the Rockies set a franchise record with seven home runs including three by Larry Walker, who is pulled from game in eighth inning by Rockies manager Don Baylor. The Colorado skipper doesn’t want to run up the score against the Expos with his team ahead 15-1.

2003 The Royals become the first major league team to begin the season 5-0 after losing 100-games the prior year. Runelvys Hernandez, the winner of a coin toss making him the Opening Day starter, wins his second game as allows two hits in seven innings beating the Indians, 2-1

2003 To show support for the U.S. troops in Iraq, the White Sox announce all active military members showing a military ID will be given free admission to home games at U.S. Cellular Field. Tickets would not be available for the Cub series in June.

2004 Braves’ general manager John Schuerholz announces the team has exercised the option to retain Bobby Cox as the team’s manager through the 2005 season. The 62-year old skipper, who is ninth in all-time in managerial wins with 1,906, has won a record 12-consecutive divisional titles.

2005 The Washington Nationals, formerly known as the Expos, lose their inaugural season opener bowing to the Phillies, 8-4. The franchise, which played its initial 36 years in Montreal, becomes the first team to represent the nation’s capital since the Senators left to become the Texas Rangers in 1971.

2006 Sluggerrr, the Royals’ Mascot, celebrates his tenth birthday at Kauffman Stadium. In the off-season, the nearly seven-foot tall lion with a crown built into his skull is very active in the Kansas City community visiting local schools encouraging youngsters to be good students and a good citizens.

2009 In an Opening Day 4-1 victory over the Phillies, Jordan Schafer becomes the 99th rookie to homer in his first major league at-bat. Joining Joe Harrington (1895), Chuck Tanner (1955) and Jermaine Dye (1996), the 22-year old outfielder becomes only the fourth player to accomplish the feat in franchise history.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

In a defining game in the battle within playoff rankings the Detroit Red Wings lost 4-3 to the Nashville Predators in overtime today.

Brian Rafalski broke open the score sheet today scoring the lone goal of the first period. Shea Weber tied the game in the second and Martin Erat gave Nashville a one goal edge before Nicklas Lidstrom tied the game again. Just before the end of the second, J P Dumont put Nashville up by a goal again. Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk scored the tying goal late in the third to force overtime before Ryan Sutter scored the game winner just 16 seconds into overtime.

Detroit played a rough first half of the first and didn’t look great during the second period either. Again they put themselves into a bad situation in overtime and lost the game. Today wasn’t the best game by Jimmy Howard, who will not start tomorrow for the first time in 25 games. Chris Osgood will start tomorrow in Philadelphia and today’s loss leaves Detroit in the possibility of falling back to seventh place in he standings.

In Play! Man of the Game: Tomas Holmstrom. Holmstrom was the only player to amass three points in the game, all of which came from assists.

Post game audio

In the 1955 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadians, Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven games to set an NHL record for most points in a final series.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

In the first of three meetings between Columbus and Detroit in the next week, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Blue Jackets 3-2 to pull only three points shy of guaranteeing a spot in the playoffs.

Tomas Holmstrom scored the opener tonight, but Columbus’ Andrew Murray tied the game up after the first period. Pavel Datsyuk gave Detroit another lead in the second and Todd Bertuzzi extended that lead early in the third. The final goal of the game was scored late by Columbus’ RJ Umberger.

Detroit didn’t play a great game through the first twenty minutes, but came back and took control of most of the game afterwards. Detroit scored an additional goal tonight but the goal was taken away because Todd Bertuzzi spiked the puck out of the air and into the net with his hands. While the goal didn’t count, it did cause some laughs on both Columbus’ and Detroit’s benches. Tonight marked Detroit’s seventh consecutive win.

In Play! Man of the Game: Pavel Datsyuk. Datsyuk scored a great goal, plus had an assist and on more than one occasion turned the Blue Jacket’s defensemen inside out with his stick work.

Post game audio from the dressing room here…

TIGERS ACQUIRE JAY VOSS FROM FLORIDA MARLINS FOR NATE ROBERTSON AND CASH CONSIDERATIONS

DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers today announced the club has acquired lefthanded pitcher Jay Voss from the Florida Marlins in exchange for lefthanded pitcher Nate Robertson and cash considerations.

Voss, 22, split the 2009 season between Single A Jupiter and Double A Jacksonville for the Marlins. In 10 games with Jupiter, he compiled a 2.03 ERA (13.1IP/3ER) and 10 strikeouts. Voss posted a 3-0 record, 2.97 ERA (36.1IP/12ER) and 36 strikeouts in 30 appearances with Jacksonville.

CONTINUES

Grandson, Bill McIntire says his Nana still square dances!

Keep your eyes peeled on the Joe Louis Jumbotron and be sure to give Nana a big hand at the game!

Happy birthday and cheers Nana Kaiser!!!

Photos from past bday games.

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

The Detroit Red Wings scored the first goal tonight against the Minnesota Wild and never gave the Wild a chance to get back into the game.

Johan Franzen broke open the sheet tonight and was then followed by Tomas Holmstrom, Jonathan Ericsson, and Pavel Datsyuk before Andrew Brunette stopped the goal run by scoring for the Wild on the powerplay. Detroit had killed off the previous 29 penalties before allowing the goal. A weird bounce put the Wild within two early in the third, but then Franzen and Drew Miller drove the game home.

Detroit had a slow start but took control of the game halfway through the first. Detroit’s special teams have been rolling which was big tonight with the game’s 30 penalty minutes. Minnesota amassed 20 of those minutes. The top line for the Wings (Franzen, Datsyuk, Holmstrom) had four of the six goals with the number two line (Todd Bertuzzi, Henrik Zetterberg, Valtteri Filppula) seeing their point steak of 20 points in three games come to an end as no one on that line recorded a point tonight.

In Play! Man of the Game: Johan Franzen. Franzen was on fire tonight, recording a career high four points (2-2).

ADDED BONUS: Post game audio from tonight’s game with Lidstrom, Howard, Franzen, Babcock

Suttons Bay topped Bridgman 52-38 for the right to face Melvindale ABT for the Class C State Championship. Dwuan Anderson led the way with 16 points.

Here’s the best recap I found from 9&10 Sports – Suttons Bay Advances to State Championship Game

By AJ Petronzi
In Play Magazine

Despite giving up a quick goal to St. Louis, the Detroit Red Wings came back and took control of the game, beating the St. Louis Blues 4-2.

Paul Kariya scored first tonight with a breakaway. Then in the second, Henrik Zetterberg scored just 26 seconds into the period, followed four minutes later by Todd Bertuzzi. Jay McClement tied the game early in the third, but Valtteri Filppula came back with a pair of goals to give the Wings the win.

Detroit easily could have been down by five goals after the first period because the Blues kept feeding breakaway after breakaway. Jimmy Howard has huge tonight in net, making 30 saves to record win number 30 of the season. Howard is still making his case for the Calder Trophy. Last year Steve Mason, another goalie, won the trophy and recorded 33 wins and 10 shutouts. While Howard only has one shutout, he is one of the players in the running. Detroit hasn’t seen a Calder Trophy since the 1950’s.

In Play! Men of the Game: Zetterberg, Filppula, and Bertuzzi. This line has combined for 20 points in the last three games including several multi-goal nights from Zetterberg and Filppula.

ADDED BONUS:
AJ Petronzi talks with RED HOT Henrik Zetterberg and Mike Babcock in post game inteview.