NHL vs. AHL

I watched a game for a change. Detroit hosted Chicago at Joe Louis Arena. And what a poor host they were, not dressing up half the top end of the roster. Ended up losing, naturally. Well, all this of course was due to massive string of injuries the Wings are dealing with. It really seemed that they had taken their AHL affiliate and put them against the defending champions. Out: Holmström, Filppula, Modano, Cleary, Stuart. In: Emmerton, Kindl, Miller, Mursak, Tatar. That had to have an effect. Detroit has been great in bringing up new talent, but all in one batch just doesn't work. Chicago on the other hand seemed to roll out very solid team where the superstars Hossa, Kane, Toews didn't even have to put out their best effort for a comfortable win. This really looked like NHL team taking on an AHL team from time to time. And that Chicago's powerplay sure produced beautiful goals!

Couple of topics of interest from the Saturday's round. Saku Koivu returned to Montreal as an Anaheim Duck after delighting the Candiens' fans for over a decade as a leading player and the first European captain ever. And what a classy welcome these people gave him! I really had the chills running up the spine watching 22.000 people stand and cheer this great player for a minute and a half. I can't imagine what it felt like for Koivu himself. He's truly one of the greatest hockey players in Finnish history and it's great to see him appreciated like this. Hopefully he still has some juice left with the other elderly Finnish gentlemen playing for sunny California this season. Ducks to the playoffs!

On the nastier side of incidents, Marc Savard was flattened again on a heavy hit on his head. The moments I've seen from his play this season haven't really resembled the peak times of this great setup wizard. The long absence was visible in the game speed and maybe as the little voice somewhere reminding to keep looking back for merciless opponents. Well, a moment of caution forgotten and here he is again, being evaluated for concussion symptoms. Hopefully it ends up being just a nasty scratch, and Savard is able to return soon and eventually find his game. If it on the other hand is another concussion, it's really time to retire. As a top notch player of long career he's a multimillionaire anyway. Nothing bad in settling down somewhere in peace and taking it easy for the rest of his life. All the best to Marc Savard.

A quick note also on the possible return of another of our beloved neighbors, Peter Forsberg. It sure would be right for him to have the ankles in game shape and to end his career on couple of respectful seasons in the NHL. Forsberg sure would have been among the all time greatest without the nagging injuries. Damn, he was such a threat in 2008 with one properly functioning foot.