Obstructionism reaps its reward

Interesting commentary by conservative Patrick Buchanan on the current political state and the 2010 Midterm Elections. I'm not as conservative as Mr. Buchanan but he does bring up some interesting points that are worth thinking about, especially for Republicans.

Link: Obstructionism reaps its reward

Wings Lose 4-2 in Phoenix

Giving up three goals in the first period while not scoring any goals yourself is not a recipe for a win and the Red Wings proved that Thursday night with a 4 - 2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard was out of the game with back spasms so that didn't help the situation as Chris Osgood wasn't able to stop the onslaught.

You can't win them all but this one was kind of ugly...glad it wasn't broadcast nationally so the Hat Trick didn't have to watch it!

Next up: The surprisingly hot Nashville Predators at the JLA Saturday at 7:00pm.

Women's Hockey Will Return for 2014 Games

Despite concern that Women's Olympic Ice Hockey is dominated by Canada and the United States it looks like the sport will return for the 2014 Sochi Games. Apparently the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is worried about some of the scores from the Vancouver Games...like a 18 - 0 beat down of Slovakia by Canada.

For the Hat Trick it's alarming to hear that the IOC is willing to consider eliminating a sport simply because some countries aren't as successful in the sport. Got to love the mantra of "making it fair for everyone" and punishing those athletes who are successful in their given sport. Wonderful. How about this idea: Get Better? If we have learned anything about the Olympics it should have been in 1980 when the U.S. men's team beat the Soviet Union in their run for the Gold Medal.

Obviously some sense of sanity is still with the IOC and women's ice hockey will return.

Upset in the Making?

Interesting political news from Alaska...sitting Senator Lisa Murkowski, who lost her primary race to Tea Party candidate Joe Miller this past summer, has a chance to win in the general election as a write-in candidate. This hasn't been successfully done since Senator Strom Thurmond pulled it off in South Carolina in 1954 and Senator Murkowski seems to have a reasonable chance at winning.

Good write-up The Fix from the Washington Post.

The Russian Five

It's hard to believe that it was 15 years ago yesterday (October 27) that the Russian Five first played together. This was the first time in the NHL that five Russian players played on the same line. The Russian Five or sometimes called the Russian Unit is a great moment in Red Wings history. There is a nice write-up of this day in history on NHL Fanhouse.

Check out this clip from Fox Sports talking about the Russian Five...and a very young James Brown! Go JB!

Wings Continue Strong Start

Red Wings continue their strong start with only one loss in the last six games, currently showing a 5 - 1 record. They currently sit in second place behind the Nashville Predators who are undefeated at five wins. Goalie Jimmy Howard is playing strong and the offense has been strong. Nice to see after some of the disappointments during last year's season.

Next game for the Wings: Thursday, October 28 against the Phoenix Coyotes at the JLA.

Thanks Malts

While not unexpected at all the day finally arrived for long-time Detroit Red Wing (and "Grind Liner") Kirk Maltby on Tuesday. "Malts" is the quintessential Red Wing...a role player, a grinder, a hard worker and a player with a lot of heart. He will be sorely missed as the game moves on.

Yahoo Sports has a nice write-up on Maltby's retirement and career.

Thanks Malts for all the great memories!

Wings Lose in Overtime

The Red Wings lost their first game of the 2010-11 with a 5 - 4 defeat that ended in a shootout against the hated Colorado Avalanche. Regardless of the loss the Red Wings played solid hockey for three periods and Goalie Jimmy Howard looked great in goal...he blocked some tremendous shots, particularly during the shootout. It wasn't until the sixth round of the overtime shootout that Howard gave up a goal to Brandon Yip.

Next up for the Wings: The Dallas Stars

The College of Wooster

The Hat Trick doesn't normally delve into college football and my educational background but my Alma mater had a unique occurrence during homecoming this past weekend. Needless to say, very unique and a positive solution to a bad situation. Check out this link to see how they handled this interesting problem.

Enjoy...and Let's Go Scots!

Great Start to Red Wings Season

The Detroit Red Wings opened the 2010-2011 with a bang this weekend. On Friday night the Wings pounded the Anaheim Ducks 4 - 0 at the JLA (with a goal scored by new addition and great player Mike Modano) and then went to Chicago on Saturday and beat the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks 3 - 2 in their home opener. A great start for the Red Wings that will help relieve some of the disappointment of last year.

This is not to say the Wings are "going all the way" this year. Chicago is still a great team and the season is long. Still, it's nice to see the team get off to such a strong start.

The Wings will face the hated Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night...let's hope for a three game winning streak after Tuesday!

Red Wings 2010-2011 Is Almost Here!

In a little less than an hour the Red Wings begin another "March for the Cup" with a home opener at the JLA (Joe Louis Arena for new readers) against the Anaheim Ducks. Needless to say the Hat Trick is happy to have Red Wing hockey back, even if I'm going to miss the game in my new home in South Jersey.

Some initial previews have the Wings winning the Central Division and having a much better year compared with the 2009-2010 season. We'll see where the pucks fall (ha ha) but I feel more confident at the start of this season then I did last year.

Let's Go Red Wings!

Wings put Kirk Maltby, Derek Meech on waivers; Lightning claim Mattias Ritola | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Not a huge surprise but still a little sad to see another member of the great Stanley Cup teams of 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2007 leave the team. There aren't many left at this point...Draper, Lidstrom, Osgood...

Wings put Kirk Maltby, Derek Meech on waivers; Lightning claim Mattias Ritola | detnews.com | The Detroit News