See that Commie Dressed in Red? Me Neither...
I don't know about you, but I'm ready to give Commodore another chance. Not that I ever wanted to see him on the bench to begin with. It's just his turn.
More after the jump
Commodore said all the right things from the moment his phone rang July 1.
"My heart rate went from resting to 180. It was like, 'Wow!' I wasn’t prepared for that. I sat in my truck, put it in park and thought about it for two minutes. It’s a no-brainer. I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to play for this organization."
He also had his run-ins with Babcock to consider, which probably took up 1:58 of those 2 minutes. In case you need a reminder, Commodore had previously said that Babcock had been an obstacle in his career, so he called him to make sure there were no hard feelings.
"I was assured by Mike (Babcock) that it wasn’t a big deal. For me, it’s water under the bridge. I just wanted to make sure I’d get a fair shot..."
Has he?
Heading into the preseason, it seemed like he was ready to go. He wasn't exactly a superstar, but he didn't cost the team any games. Then his injury happened. In a way this was good, because it gave Kindl way more ice time and we all got to see how good he's gotten. Unfortunately, when Commodore did come back, he came back in place of the wrong guy.
I get the feeling that Commodore has to play perfect hockey in order to justify playing. The last time I saw him play, he put the puck over the glass against the Flames while we were trailing by a goal late in the game. He slumped his shoulders and skated to the box like a condemned man. I think part of that reaction was him knowing their chances to win just dropped like a rock, but also because he knew that mistake would cost him a spot in the lineup. Did that one play cost the Red Wings the game? Well, it didn't help their chances to tie the game, but the loss wasn't on him. The same cannot always be said for Ericsson.
Having better players sitting out has been something of an issue for me over the years. Was Meech good? No, not exactly. Was he better than Lebda? Oh yes. Is Hudler a good goal scorer? When he's shooting, yes he is. Was he shooting during the playoffs last year? Nope. Was Modano? Yup.
For whatever reason, the Red Wings have not yet dressed their best possible lineup and it's about time they do. Ericsson has earned some time off. Give Commodore a chance.
#WeWantCommie
This via the tweet box... Are you a Detroit Redwings Fan? Meet Coach Mike Babcock & GM Ken Holland at our Northville store on Friday! fb.me/1jqz47cW7 ... Think about it...
I will never forgive Babs for sitting Modano because I'm sure we would've won had he played.
I am getting seriously sick of "he who shall remain nameless", he is a screw-up machine and he's half assed at best. Easily switch him for Commie after last nights performance.
Off topic because I've already vented much frustration with he who shall remain nameless... Anyone know about bert, saw him laboring on the bench with what I swear his face read broken rib?? Update?
It seems that whenever the opposing team's forwards continue on a play, Ericsson either A) gives up and the opponent scores, or B) takes a bad penalty (and in some occassions, takes a penalty while giving up on a goal which the opponent scores on anyways).
He leads the team in penalties at 25 minutes. These aren't good penalties either. When a guy like Lidstrom or Datsyuk takes a penalty, it's usually because they realize that if they don't interfere or slash or hold, the opponent will likely score and the PK has a better chance to prevent a gaol. With Ericsson, it's just a matter of him looking lazy and out of place, and he ends up holding the opponent or interfering on a play which otherwise wouldn't have had much potential for the opponent anyways.
@ajp28 Agree to that as well. Although I'm excluding last night's "penalties" from discussion. Last night ALL of the officiating was absolute garbage. None of those PPs were deserved, except Kronner's puck-over-glass. Kindl's penalty for tripping Oshie as he cut to the net was clearly a dive, some of the holds were weak on both sides, and Elliott's flop to get a charging call was so bad, I thought he hurt himself on his fall backwards. God awful game for the refs.
Ericsson last night made a pretty excellent case to get Commie22 back in the routine. He was miserable. Of course, he is our whipping boy, and the game before Ian White played like a bloody, sh*tty nightmare of the game-losing-turnover type.
I think we sit Jonny though, he's a "repeat offender" under the laws of NOHS for dicking up defensively with brain-farts that lead directly to big goals against.
I kept referring to the young Swede as Santa Claus last night for all the gifts he gave St. Louis. Just awful.
It's a catch-22 with Ericsson. you can sit him and his salary, or you can play him and his salary. His trade value is hurt either way. Holland may have to cut the cord now before he can do any more damage to his career and value. Philly needs some D and we need some Hartnell
@Jordan_Reis I would love to see Hartnell in the winged wheel. In NHL 12 I pulled off this exact trade in the off season. It worked out well because Holmstrom retired and Hartnell is damn good power forward who lives in front of the net. He also has a bullet of shot.
Last night, Goal #2 was partly Big Rig's fault, but not entirely. But goal #3...wow, that was entirely him. What the hell was he doing? I've seen smarter player by men's league defensemen. Enough is enough. Get Commodore in there Thursday.
