But it got me thinking: with the signing of Mike Modano, the Wings have really added some serious depth to the forward lineup through three lines, and the fourth is chock full of potential.  We’ve been reading and speculating about what they’ll do to solve the glut of players in the system who could all feasibly play next season.  Again, that’s an astonishing amount of depth when you can reunite the Eurotwins and then slate Mike Modano on the third line and call it a day.  This immediately reminded me of having Igor Larionov and Luc Robitaille on the third line in 2002–Future Hall of Famers at the time who, while considered to be in the twilight of their careers, still contributed immensely regardless of being lower down the chart.

Similarly, Modano was clearly thought to be done by the Stars, who chose not to bring him back.  Robitaille had 30 goals and 50 points in the 2002 season with the Wings, playing on the third line and the second unit power play, much like what Modano’s role sounds like it will be.  Granted, Modano is a center, not a winger, and I have a feeling he’ll be dishing to Hudler and Cleary a decent amount.  Still, if he can pop in 20 goals, I’ll be thrilled.

Sports Illustrated had an interesting preview for the 2002 playoffs, which is still online.  Darren Eliot took a look at all four lines, plus first unit power play, and top three defensive pairings, and offered his analysis.  As I was going through this, I kept thinking of how these line’s qualities and characteristics were visible in the current Red Wings’ lineup.  And so I present my comparison of the 2002 team versus the potential lineup of the 2010-2011 Detroit Red Wings.

Today is only the forward lines.  Tomorrow I’ll take a look at defensive pairings and the power play unit.  And while Eliot didn’t offer any thoughts on the goalies, I’ll try to draw some comparisons Monday.

Edited to add: which do you think is the “better” team, looking at the depth and potential?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Today you have received a gift.

His name is Stephen Gregory Yzerman.  He comes with 3 Stanley Cups as a player, 1 more as an executive, 692 career goals, 1063 career assists, an Olympic gold medal as a player and another as the GM of Team Canada.  He has a Selke, Pearson, Masterton, and Conn Smythe trophy.  He is a Hall of Famer.

He’s Stevie Y, and for the past 27 years he’s been ours.  He is The Captain and the definition of a leader.  He built Hockeytown.  He took the Dead Things on his shoulders and raised them up to the hockey club they are today.  In return we raised his #19 to the rafters forever.

We love Stevie, and he’s belonged to Red Wings Nation and to Detroit and to Michigan for the last 27 years.  We’ve been spoiled to have him all to ourselves so for long.  And now we’re trying to learn how to share.

We understand that you’ve had a rough past few seasons.  You won the Cup in 2004, but where have you gone since then?  You’ve had a circus act of an ownership, had Barry Melrose behind your bench, and finished towards the bottom of your conference again.  You need someone who is unwavering and who will lead you.  Stevie can do that.  He will do that for you.  He gave his heart to Detroit, and we have no doubt that he will give what he has left to you.  Please be gentle with it.

We’re willing to share, but you have to promise us something.  Promise you’ll be patient.  Promise you’ll understand that he’s inheriting a mess of contracts and salaries.  Promise you won’t get angry with him over the mistakes of others.  Promise you won’t expect him to turn the Lightning around tomorrow.  Promise that you’ll believe he’s doing his best.

We want him to succeed, and to further cement his legacy.  If it takes 27 years in Tampa to build a perennial contender, so be it.  We love him and only want to see him excel, even if that means he’s no longer in Detroit.

After 27 years we are carefully handing him over to you, for now.

Take care of him for us.

Sincerely,

Fans of the Detroit Red Wings

I’ve had some more time to absorb today’s news that Steve Yzerman is the new GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  I was stunned this morning when I woke up to find the announcement on Twitter.  Stunned, but honestly, not overly surprised.  I think that we all knew this day was coming sooner or later.

I watched his press conference this afternoon, and listened to him trip over his words while trying to describe his dreams and vision for this hockey club in Florida.  And I couldn’t decide how I felt about the whole situation.  It just seemed surreal.

Then I watched the interview he did shortly afterwards with Rick Peckham.  In the background you can see the marquee scrolling part of the phrase “Lightning Welcome Steve Yzerman.”  That’s when it completely sunk in.  Stevie’s not just ours any more.  We’ve already shared him with Canada, but this is completely different.  This is… weird.  There’s no other way to put it.  It’s really, really weird.

There was a question floating around the twittersphere earlier today, which was how do Red Wings fans feel about this news?  And I hope there isn’t anyone who is angry or mad with his decision to leave the Wings.  It doesn’t mean that he’s not still a Wing for life.  It doesn’t mean that he’s not still a hero and a legend and an icon in the city of Detroit.

I talked about this with Matt just a short bit ago, and as much as I’d love to see him come back to Detroit some day soon, I don’t want it to be because he failed in Tampa.  I don’t want to see impatient fans in a nontraditional market drive him out because their team hasn’t improved enough fast enough.  If it takes 27 years in Florida, so be it.

I wrote earlier today that it’s kind of like being happy for the person you’re in love with, who’s decided to be with someone else.  Because you love them, you want the best for them.  And that’s exactly how I feel about this situation.  Above all else, I want Steve Yzerman to succeed and thrive as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  I want him to win, and I want him to prove that he can run an NHL club without the failsafe of Detroit’s front office behind him.  I want him to prove that he can manage a team that isn’t built from a fantasy roster of options.

I want people to be able to say that he was the ultimate player, Captain, and GM.

Steve Yzerman is going to be the new General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Being in Mountain Time, I woke up to this news first thing this morning, and for a moment I kind of wanted to cry a little.  I know, in the short term it’s better for Detroit to keep Ken Holland, the best GM in sports.  I know that Yzerman wants to run an NHL team.  I know he’s capable of turning around a mess like Tampa.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t be sad about it.  He’s been a Red Wing for 27 years (almost to the day, according to TPL).  He’s a hero and a legend in Detroit.  He is hands down all time my favorite player.  I cannot even imagine seeing him wear the logo of another NHL team.  I know the Lightning will present him with a jersey at the press conference this afternoon.  I know he won’t put it on, but just the image alone is seriously unsettling:

That’s just… wrong.

On the flip side, I’m happy for him.  It’s kind of like still being (or trying to be) happy for the person you’re in love with even though they’ve decided to be with someone who isn’t you.  Because you love them, and you want the best for them.  He’s made it no secret that he wants to run his own club and that he knows he’d possibly have to leave Detroit in order to do that.

And so I wish him the best of luck.  This may be his first ever NHL GM job, but look what he did with the Canadian Olympic team.  Some of his player selections were questioned at the time–no Mike Green, no Dion Phaneuf.  But he won Gold with that team.  I’ll defer back to Petrella who put it well:

It may not be quick, and they’re still embroiled in a messy ownership debacle, courtesy of Saw guy and hardly-was NHLer. But, rest assured, like he always did on terrible Red Wings teams, Steve Yzerman will find a way to make the most of it.

I don’t have an Eastern team that I really root for, but I might have to adopt the Lightning for now.

Thank you.

Thank you for another great season, and memories.

From opening the season in Sweden (it feels so long ago, doesn’t it), through a rash of injuries, to today, in San Jose, it’s been an amazing season.

We may have gotten frustrated with you at times, called you out, or have been disappointed in you.  You may have made our hearts ache once or twice, but you never broke them.  We still love you and are proud of you–proud to be fans of the best organization in sports.  Always.

We’ll see you in September at training camp.

It’s been a blast, and I want to say thanks to you all, too.  I love you all.

Let’s Go Red Wings.

Let’s Go Red Wings.