108-Wings Win in Arizona go up 3-0

3 down- 13 to go. Detroit took it to the Coyotes early to score two quick goals and rode their early success to a 4-2 win over Phoenix. The Coyotes shut down Detroit's magician, Pavel Datsyuk, but that didn't stop Ruslan Salei, Drew Miller, Valeri Filppula and Johan Franzen from putting the puck into the Phoenix goal.

Once again the only goals the Coyotes were able muster up were with a power play man advantage and they scored twice.

It was a great day to be a Red Wing fan.

106- Wings 4- Zebras 7- Coyotes 3

14 more wins to the Stanley Cup. It was the Pavel Datsyuk show today. One goal and three assists was just another day at the office for the Russian born superstar. He was a man among boys out there.

The Red Wings got off to a fantastic start and built a 4-0 lead two minutes into the second period. Maybe it was a frantic call from Commisioner Gary Bettman at his Toronto NHL Headquarters to make the game closer because people were starting to change channels... I can't be sure... but suddenly the referees pulled out their whistles and gave the Coyotes seven power play chances to allow them to get back into the game. Phoenix managed to convert 3 of 7 and scored all there goals with the extra man. Funny the Wings were among the LEAST penalized teams during the regular season yet so far in two games the refs have awarded 13 PP chances to the Coyotes. 6 on Wednesday and 7 today. Maybe the next game they'll give them the advantage 8 times???

Amazingly, while the refs were whistling every Red Wing transgressor, they somehow failed to penalize the Coyote captain, Shane Doan, for cross checking the Red Wings Johan Franzen headfirst into the boards. The hit smashed Franzen's face and it required 21 stitches to close the wounds... again no penalty. How do you miss something like that?

Aas an aside Franzen has been stitched up three times in recent games and no one has gone to the penalty box. I always thought a penalty became a double minor when blood was drawn. Hmmmm. I guess it isn't if you're a Red Wing player.

No sour grapes... I just want to be sure that the refs know that they need to look on both sides of the rink when start applying the rules of hockey. I'd like to see them applied evenly to both sides.

103- It's Octopus Time Again.

The legendary Al Sobotka... aka octopi slinger... the Zamboni driver at the Joe Louis Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings.

One down fifteen to go.

That's right. The Red Wings won their opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the Phoenix Coyotes by a 4-2 score.

From Wikipedia:

The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games where octopodes are thrown onto the ice surface. The origins of the activity go back to the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup. The octopus, having eight arms, symbolized the number of playoff wins necessary for the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. The practice started April 15, 1952 when Pete and Jerry Cusimano, brothers and storeowners in Detroit's Eastern Market, hurled an octopus into the rink of The Old Red Barn.^[1] The team swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens en route to winning the championship, as well as winning two of the next three championships.

Since 1952 the practice has persisted with each passing year. In one 1995 game, fans threw 36 octopuses, including a specimen weighing 38 pounds (17 kg).^[2] The Red Wings' unofficial mascot is a purple octopus named Al, and during playoff runs two of these mascots are also hung from the rafters of the Joe Louis Arena, symbolizing the 16 wins now needed to win the Stanley Cup. It has become such an accepted part of the team's lore, that fans have developed what is considered proper etiquette and technique for throwing an octopus onto the ice.^[3]

Now-a-days it takes sixteen victories to win the Stanley Cup ... so that's two octopi.