Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Red Wings – 11-17-10

Here’s Sidney Crosby laying out Detroit’s top fighter this year. Image via Zimbio

The Blues’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche was ugly, no doubt.  But at least there were some fisticuffs.  In his “triumphant” return to the lineup, Brad Winchester worked a draw with Cody McLeod.  Then, BJ Crombeen “worked” a win with new Av Ryan O’Byrne in a drab fight.  Finally, Vladimir Sobotka seemed to handle 2009 #3 overall pick Matt Duchene quite well, despite losing his sweater and having to be given a game misconduct.  I thought the fight was a draw, but the “experts” seem to think otherwise.  Again, ALWAYS go with the experts . . . Sobotka with the win.  The Blues are now up to 20 fights on the season, good for third in the NHL and only one behind league co-leaders, the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Blues are now 9-5-6 on the season in fights.

Since the beginning of (what I’ll call) “The Steve Yzerman Era”, the Detroit Red Wings have been notoriously quiet on the fighting front, instead choosing to build their team with a combination of top-round draftees (such as Dan Cleary), diamond-in-the-rough draft pickups (like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg) and grizzled veterans looking for one last Stanley Cup run (such as Mike Modano).  They are not equipped to fight, and for the most part they stay off the fight sheet.  And it makes people like me angry as all hell.  Chalk it up as another reason to never, EVER like the Red Wings.  Anyway, this season they’re no different; they’ve fought six times – tying them for 22nd in the NHL with four other teams (Atlanta Thrashers, Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning).  Predictably, they’ve gone a wretched 0-3-3 in those fights.  That’s right . . . they haven’t even WON a fight yet.  If these guys weren’t good at hockey, I’d call them outright failures.  Instead, they’re merely rivals.

Only one Detroit fighter has fought twice – Brad Stuart (6’2”, 210lbs, 0-1-1).  Your other fighters are Datsyuk (5’11”, 194lbs, Draw), Justin Abdelkader (6’1”, 212lbs, Draw), Doug Janik (6’2”, 211lbs, Loss) and Jonathan Ericsson (6’4”, 220lbs, Loss).  If Gordie Howe were dead, he’d be rolling over in his grave right now.  Instead, he wants Ken Holland to explain this wretchedness for him . . . and now!

I can talk about how bad of fighters the Red Wings are until you’re deaf, but this team DOES go after the Blues quite a bit (divisional rivalry, anyone?).  So I fully expect a scrap tonight.  It would be awesome for Winchester to destroy Abdelkader.  I don’t know what it would accomplish or why it would be awesome, but who cares, right?

Gang, I like a good fight as much as anyone, but I need a damn win and I need it tonight!  GO GET IT!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights