Big Red Machine

With the 21st pick in the 2010 draft, Detroit selected Riley Sheahan out of Notre Dame.  This is the third Fighting Irish player currently in the Wings system with Lebda (I know he’s as good as gone, but anyway…) and Jordan Pearce who played with Toledo and Grand Rapids last season.

Here’s Sheahan’s player profile out of the Notre Dame media guide:

Talented, play-making center who joins the Notre Dame roster after playing his last two seasons of junior B hockey for the St. Catharine’s Falcons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Golden Horseshoe Division … brings size, speed and skill to the roster … has all the tools to be a dynamic player at the collegiate level … outstanding instincts for the game … strong on his skates and has tremendous vision … has a quick release and a hard shot … led the team in scoring in two consecutive seasons … in 2008-09, had 27 goals and 46 assists for 73 points with 11 power-play goals, seven short-handed tallies and three game winners … followed with 13 points (8g, 5a) in 11 playoff games as Falcons fell in Golden Horseshoe’s semifinals … in 2007-08, led the team in scoring with 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points … had eight power-play goals, two short-handed and one game winner … helped Falcons to conference finals where they fell to Thorold in seven games … had five goals and 10 assists for 15 points … two-time winner of the Rex Stimer most valuable player award … in `07-’08 won the Ashton Morrison Trophy as team’s rookie of the year … won the Falcons’ President’s Award as the leading scorer in `07-’08 and `08-’09 … following last season was awarded an Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Junior B Top Prospects Award and received the honor this past summer at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto … was selected in the 2007 OHL Entry Draft by the Erie Otters in the fourth round (76th overall) … picked in the 2008 USHL Futures Draft by the Tri-City Storm … eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft … has been listed on the NHL’s preliminary list of eligible players as one of 12 A-rated prospects … along with sophomore Rich Ryan is one of two Canadians on the Notre Dame roster … joined the Irish in the early signing period (Nov. of `08) along with Sam Calabrese, Nick Larson and Kyle Palmieri.

Fear the Fin also has a great interview with Sheahan.

No really, I am still alive.

Since the season has come and gone, there has been an even greater influx of Red Wings blogs.  So I’ve finally updated the Blogroll on the right.  Make sure to check out each and every one of them.

Not content to merely take the starting goaltender job from Chris Osgood this season, Jimmy Howard has also taking it upon himself to steal all of Ozzie’s dreams, one at a time.

Today he was invited to take batting practice with the Tigers (along with Draper, Miller, Chelios, and McCarty), and got to catch a few balls in the bullpen from Justin Verlander.

If you’ve ever read a Helene St. James profile piece on Osgood, you’ll know that one of his “dream jobs” after retiring from hockey is to be a bullpen catcher for the Tigers, in addition to the Mayor of Plymouth, and a spokesperson for Bowflex.

And now Howard’s gotten to the bullpen first, it seems.

Bill Roose:

Verlander, who threw a no-hitter in 2007, praised Howard’s natural ability behind the dish.

“He did a really nice job, especially with breaking balls,” said Verlander, who is 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA this season. “I thought that he would be really good with fastballs, because there isn’t much movement, similar to a puck. But then the breaking balls, he did a much better job then I anticipated. He caught all of them, and that’s not easy to do.

“You see most guys who haven’t caught a breaking ball before and it catches them off guard. He did a great job, but it’s not surprising though; he catches 100-mile-per-hour pucks.”

Well… I don’t know about the mayorship of Plymouth, but I’m sure there’s an opening for a late-night infomercial spokesperson for Bowflex.

*Phew*

That’s really all I have to say.

Nicole from the Red Wings sent out an email confirming that Nick Lidstrom has signed a contract to return to the Wings for the 2010-2011 season.

detroitredwings.com:

The giant breeze that rolled up the freeway arteries leading out of downtown was the collective exhalation of a Red Wings’ organization relieved to know that one of the best players of this generation will be back.

Nicklas Lidstrom, who is widely considered the world’s best defenseman in hockey, will return for a 19th season, signing a one-year contract, the Red Wings announced Tuesday.

I’m just so relieved.