DETROIT, February 2, 2011 – T.G.I. Friday’s® and the Detroit Red Wings invite hockey fans to experience a game at the Joe Louis Arena in style. In February, three lucky Michigan residents will win a VIP prize package that includes a private suite for 20 guests, as well as food and beverages (non-alcoholic) throughout the game.

From Feb. 7 – 28, fans can enter by visiting one of 17 participating T.G.I. Friday’s locations across Michigan and completing an entry form. Alternatively, fans can go to www.DetroitRedWings.com/TGIFridays and fill out the online form.

“Michigan fans are known for their spirited energy, camaraderie and dedication to the Red Wings,” said Reid Neumann, regional marketing manager, T.G.I. Friday’s. “This contest is our way of giving back to those fans who have cheered on their favorite team at our regional locations season after season.”

Winners will be announced each week during the three-week promotion. The VIP suites will be given away for the following games:  March 28 (vs. Chicago Blackhawks), March 30 (vs. St. Louis Blues), and April 3 (vs. Minnesota Wild).

Guests can call their local T.G.I. Friday’s for details or visit the Red Wings website for the official rules.

For more news and updates from T.G.I. Friday’s, fans can follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter @TGIFriday’s and YouTube.

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photo: Maureen Landers/Flickr

I’ve read 3 articles today pertaining to Nicklas Lidstrom.  A piece about the Mike Babcock’s philosophy of allowing his players to have fun from the Globe and Mail, in light of their recent curling competition.  An article from the Toronto Star on Dustin Byfuglien’s emergence as a defenseman and the inevitable comparisons to Lidstrom.  And a wonderfully, and rightfully, gushing feature on The Perfect Human from the Calgary Herald.

Two out of those three articles, from national newspapers, committed the same error that made my eyes just cross in irritation.  And so I’m reposting a blog post from a while back that I wrote on this very cause of annoyance.

He goes by many names on the blogosphere and the dressing room, from Swede, to The Perfect Human, Lidas, and more.  But he is not, nor ever will be, ‘Nik.’  That type of misspelling is simply inexcusable, and I’m sick of seeing it.

—Originally posted on Aug 17, 2009—

Dear hockey journalists, bloggers, and everyone else who likes to espouse about hockey as if our opinions really mattered,

The puck will soon drop on the 2009-2010 NHL season.  With the Detroit Red Wings kicking off against  the St. Louis Blues in Sweden, we’ll be certain to see plenty of coverage on both teams, most obviously, the Swedes on each team.

And so in light of that, I beg you all… please spell Nicklas Lidstrom’s name correctly.  I’m not talking about the 2008 Awards gaffe, which led to a kid wearing a jersey that said “Lindstrom.”  No, it’s so much more than that.

It’s Nick.

Not Nik.  That’s Kronwall.  Nik Jr., as it were.

6’2″, #5 as opposed to 6’0″, #55.  But it’s not just a matter of a few inches and the number 5.

He’s played in the league for over 18 seasons for crying out loud—you’d think you’d learn how to spell his name in that time.

Nicklas.  Nick.

It’s not even a difficult name, like Khabibulin, or Ponikarovsky, or Simeon/Semyon Varlamov, who’s already corrected the media on how to spell his name.

It’s just Nick.

There’s probably a kid who lives down the street from you, or goes to school with your kids whose name is Nick.

And yet, season after season, I see reporters, bloggers, twitterers, MSM, and fans calling him ‘Nik’ Lidstrom.

The guy is an ultimate captain, and statesman of the game.  He is the best defenseman of his generation, possibly all time.  He’s won the Norris 3 consecutive times, twice.  He’s a Conn Smythe winner–the first European.  He’s the first European born and trained player to captain a championship team.  He’s an Olympic gold medalist for Team Sweden.  He’s a 9-time First Team All-Star.  And his career is nowhere near done.

I implore you—give the man the respect he deserves and spell his name correctly.

Though when, undoubtedly, someone writes about him at the start of the season and refers to him as ‘Nik,’ I can take comfort in the fact that it’s at least it’s spelled right 4 times* on the Stanley Cup, where it really matters.

*I’ll acquiesce that for the 2001-2002 team he shows up as “N. Lidstrom” on the Cup.

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Being a Red Wing really is an honor.  When I was traded here, I didn’t know why I was coming, what I was going to be doing, or how long it was going to be for.  The journey it has been for me in Detroit, from day one, has been incredible.  If I quit playing hockey tomorrow, I would have nothing but fond memories of putting on the Red Wings jersey.

…it’s just a pure honor, nothing short of it, to be a Detroit Red Wing.

Kirk Maltby, What It Means to Be a Red Wing, 2006

It was an amazing ride through the 90′s with the Grind Line up until now.  Maltby has been criticized for becoming redundant with the new kids coming up through the system recently, but it’s no less sad to see him go.  And who better for kids like Helm and Abdelkader to learn from?

We’ve fond memories of Malts wearing the Winged Wheel as well, and it’s an honor to have a guy like him on the team for 14 years.

The journey isn’t over quite yet.  Red Wing for life.  I’m glad he’s staying in the family.

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Riley Sheahan, the Red Wings’ top pick in the 2010 NHL draft, will answer readers’ questions in a live chat at 2 p.m. Thursday at freep.com/sports.

So.  There you have it.  Head over to the Freep this Thursday if you have any burning questions for our first round draft pick.

Sheahan’s returning to Notre Dame for what sounds like at least a couple more seasons before turning pro (get your degree, dude!) and is looking to up his overall game and to have a better season.  In case you missed the original article, there’s more from Khan back in July.

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It’s suddenly August, and things are picking up steam a bit.  I’ve signed up for a half marathon on October 17, and I’ve just started training for it.  In parallel, things are finally happening in the world of the Red Wings in terms of signings and gearing up for the new season that starts around the same time, and I figured I should probably get off my ass and get back into blogging form.

Regarding the Modano signing: I was really neutral about the whole thing.  Part of why I didn’t blog anything about it here (beyond the fact that I was being lazy and taking a summer hiatus) is because I kind of didn’t care either way.  If he signed, great, cool, Mike Modano’s coming home.  If he doesn’t sign, that would have been fine as well, and he could have retired as a life-long Star/North Star or rode into the sunset with another team.

But now that he has signed, I’ve given it more thought.  And the more I think about it, the more I like it.  There have been parallels drawn to Igor Larionov, or Brett Hull coming to Detroit in the twilight of their careers and doing exceedingly well.  He can bring some veteran presence to the 3rd line, as well as allow Pav and Z to play on the same line, as Babcock has mentioned he wants to do this upcoming season.  Sounds like he’ll likely start between Cleary and Hudler, but he’ll still be a great mentor for Helm and Abdelkader.  I really see no downside to this at this point.  There’s the emotional, “return home” connection, and clearly a desire to win one more Cup before he hangs them up.  And it’s not like he’s completely out of steam.  With Detroit there’s no pressure to produce points or even have to lead–they’ve got Nick, Pav, and Z to do that.  This is a great place for him to end his career.

I had more thoughts, but Tyler has a post that is far better, that pretty much highlights my same thoughts, so check out The Triple Deke’s take on the Modano signing.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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source: Publishers Weekly

Firefly Books Inks Partnership with Hockey Hall of Fame
by Leigh Anne Williams
May 05, 2010

While hockey fans are engrossed in the NHL playoffs, Firefly Books announced this week that it made a deal with the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum in Toronto to produce six books over the next three years.

Firefly Books, which is known for high quality, photo-laden books, plans to publish the first two books this fall. The paperback Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame slated for release this September will have 400 color photos and will include profiles of the 244 players inducted into the hall since 1945. The second book, Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Goalies, will be published in October. Firefly intends it to be “a comprehensive illustrated reference” book on the 33 goalies in the hall, and it will include contributions from goalie historian Bob Duff, Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated and Brian Costello of The Hockey News. The books will be priced at $19.95 and $35.00 respectively in both the U.S. and Canada.

“I’m delighted to partner with the Hockey Hall of Fame,” said associate publisher Michael Worek. “Working with the Hockey Hall of Fame is a dream come true for us – they have all the resources we could ask for and they are as passionate about hockey as we are.” Firefly declined to answer questions about the financial aspects of the deal.

——————–
Firefly Books Ltd., established in 1977, is a North American publisher of non-fiction and distributor of non-fiction and children’s books. Firefly’s goal is to bring readers beautifully produced books written by experts at reasonable prices.

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The 1975 Islanders were the last NHL team to rally back from a 3 game to none deficit.

Will history be made?

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