Is There Anything Better Than a Red Wings Game?

Goal!!

These are not your brother's Red Wings.  These guys are the Grand Rapids Griffins, augmented by a crazy young goal tender, currently injured, and a couple of aging, amazing veterans (think Jager).  Pavel  Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, and a bunch of guys who came up through the system.

I resented the Red Wings of yor, when the coach could pencil in the Hall of Fame defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom.  It was like penciling in 'win'.  The guy is totally deserving, and some day I will come to terms with the notion that I got to watch Lidstrom while his team beat mine silly.  But that is not the 2015-16 season.

This Red Wings team came up through the system, based on wise, but low, draft picks, and sound development.  In my mind, they deserve the playoff position they currently hold, especially in light of the fact that they have been handicapped by opportunities that have been afforded to our organization (high, but fruitless draft picks).  Nonetheless, I hate them because they are the Red Wings.  And I feel good about that.  I should hate them.  Thus, is good hockey born.

Tonight was a good hockey game.  Those crazy Red Wings, unable to accept the fact that we were laying a beat down on them ( I like that, sorry), pulled their goal tender with abundant (3+ish) minutes remaining in the game, trailing 4-1, and were rewarded with several effort based goals, while the CBJ were unable to find the empty net.  That makes for fun hockey, I don't care who you are! Better yet, the home team (good guys) prevailed over the misanthropes from Detroit (good people trapped in a bad situation), and everyone from Columbus went home happy.

There's nothing better than a Red Wings game!

GO JACKETS!!