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Fundraising to pay the bills

This is not a blog with paywalls or commercials, but it is a blog in which you, the reader, are provided with information. That incurs costs in terms of time, energy and money, and as such, we’re going to do things a little differently in terms of staving off paywalls and commercials for as long as possible.

Instead of simply requesting support when there are projects to be paid for, we’re also going to be doing something pretty simple: adding a daily fundraising post until the bills get paid.

Bluntly speaking, this blog’s non-server-related costs are over $100 a month, and, moreover, we’re taking in less than we’re putting out in terms of bills in the TMR household due to our air conditioner requiring a fairly significant loan. As such, I feel that it is fair to request your support so that we at least “break even” each month. A little spending money wouldn’t hurt, of course, but the figure I have estimated to do so is somewhere between $400-$500 per month.

As a result, you’re going to see fundraising posts every day until we meet our fundraising goal. Then they will disappear for the balance of the month. But they’re going to be simple. I’m going to explain why I’m doing them, I’m going to ask for your support, and we’ll go about our business.

And I’m not going to be ashamed about “begging for money” any more, because this is simply a necessary part of my job. I may not like it, but it is key to keeping this blog and this blogger functioning.

So:

The Malik Report needs your support to function. You receive quite a bit of information “for free,” but providing that information is not done for free. As such, we would like to ask that you kindly contribute to our monthly expenses.

If you’re willing to lend a hand, we have a PayPal option at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport; there’s Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2; if you’re into the, “I don’t want to use any of those pages” option, here’s always the Giftly option by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com…

And in the banking options, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check, or “Zelle” me via my email, rtxg@yahoo.com.

It’s my pleasure to provide you with as much information as I can give, but this is also a job, and it requires money, time, energy and effort (a.k.a. work). If you are willing or able to support this endeavor, it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Pro try-out Austin Watson sees a ‘fit’ with the Red Wings

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan focuses on Red Wings pro try-out Austin Watson in his Thursday afternoon notebook:

“You saw the core group of guys, the high-end talent, the young guys coming up,” said Watson, 32, an Ann Arbor native and 10-year NHL veteran. “You see this team just getting better and better. For me being able to bring that element of some physicality, jam, being hard to play against, sticking up for guys when that’s necessary, I thought that could be a good fit for both sides.”

Watson is with the Wings on a professional tryout this preseason. Be it in games, or practices, Watson has shown the ability to use his 6-foot-4, 238-pound frame, win battles and keep the opposition honest.

“We expect the hard from him,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We expect him to win battles, wall battles. But one important viewing for us was he’s got to be able to help us five-on-five. Through two games so far, he’s done that well.”

Watson was a first-round pick (18th overall) in 2010 by Nashville. He’s played with Nashville, Ottawa and Tampa Bay, playing in 515 games with 118 points (60 goals) and 705 penalty minutes. It’s tough for any veteran player to agree to a tryout, but expected it this past summer.

“I didn’t expect to be on a PTO (professional tryout) last year,” said Watson, before earning a spot in Tampa. “I came off two years where I scored 10 and nine goals and fought a bunch (with Ottawa), so a little caught off-guard. This year, having only played (33) games, I kind of had an expectation that this might be the case and having gone through it before has made it a little bit easier. You just do what you can, and let the cards fall where they may.”

Continued (paywall)

Prospect round-up: Buchelnikov 2A, Sandin Pellikka 1A during a busy day in Europe

Of Red Wings prospect-related note today:

In the KHL, Dmitri Buchelnikov had 2 assists, 5 shots, a takeaway and a penalty taken in 14:31 played as Vityaz Moscow Region won 7-2 over Kunlun Red Star;

In the SHL, Axel Sandin Pellikka had an assist, finishing at -1 with 3 shots in 22:19 played as Skelleftea AIK won 6-3 over Leksands IF. Fellow Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson finished with 2 shots and a penalty taken in 14:11 played for Leksand:

And Noah Dower Nilsson finished even with 4 shots in 11:49 played as Frolunda HC won 2-1 over MoDo Hockey.

Tonight, Landon Miller will play in goal for the OHL’s Soo Greyounds.

Audio link: Ken Daniels appears on TSN 1050’s ‘Yes Guy with Jim Tatti’

Red Wings play-by-play announcer Ken Daniels appeared on Toronto’s TSN 1050 AM today, appearing on Jim Tatti’s show, “Yes Guy.” You can listen via the following Tweet or on SoundCloud. Daniels speaks for over 13 minutes, speaking at the 44-minute mark of the following Tweet.

Two things: a bold fantasy hockey prediction, and talking ‘watchability’

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

  1. NHL.com makes some “bold fantasy hockey predictions” for every team this upcoming season, and it would be nice to see the following happen:

Detroit Red Wings: Forward Patrick Kane, at 35 years old (turns 36 on Nov. 19) will lead the Red Wings in points with at least 85 and finish among the NHL’s top 25 in the category. – AD

2. And Daily Faceoff is back with another list, too, ranking the NHL’s 32 teams by “watchability,” per a panel that included Scott Maxwell, Colton Davies, Hunter Crowther, Mike Gould and Tyler Kuehl. I just scrolled down to the bottom of the list and was pleasantly surprised by how much I had to scroll back up:

14. Detroit Red Wings

Colton: 24th
Hunter: 18th
Mike: 32nd
Scott: 7th
Tyler: 3rd

Scott: I see Mike has carried over his Red Wings hatred into this season. While I can understand why this team was so split, I think people are confusing good and entertaining. Are the Red Wings a complete hockey team? Of course not. But they have a lot of skilled players and young talent, and they also have a horrible defense core and questionable goaltending. That feels like the perfect ingredients for an entertaining hockey game no matter who they play.

Colton: They are the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NHL.

Hunter: I think that’s the meanest thing I’ve ever read, and I just re-read Blood Meridian. 

Mike: The Red Wings irritate me to an extent I never previously thought possible. It is genuinely frustrating to watch them make one wrong decision after another, seemingly to no end. And that’s just off the ice. I simply do not enjoy watching them trip over themselves on a yearly basis. That likely won’t change until they thoroughly re-evaluate their organizational priorities.

Aww, that’s sweet.

Don’t expect the Wings’ three-headed goalie monster to be slain any time soon

As I’ve been saying for the past month, it’s not likely that the Red Wings will really sort out their goaltending situation until the first 10-15 games of the regular season have passed.

Ville Husso had a particularly good start in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Cam Talbot’s got the net tonight against the Leafs, and Alex Lyon will help Detroit host the Senators tomorrow.

From there, we don’t really know who’s going to be the starter, back-up or #3 goaltender, and, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes, things aren’t likely to change soon:

Husso was the big question mark coming into training camp because he had not been healthy enough to play a full game since last December. But he has stayed healthy in training camp, and drew strong reviews from Lalonde when he stopped 43 of 44 shots to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 Tuesday.

“It wasn’t even the 97% (save percentage),” Lalonde said. “It was the way he looked. He looked sharp. He looked composed, he was seeing pucks. (His) puck handles were great. That’s when a goalie looks comfortable in his net. Obviously a good step forward for him.”

In two games, Husso has stopped  57 of 61 shots for a .951 save percentage.

…

Lyon is right there with Husso with a .943 save percentage (stopping 33 of 35.). Talbot’s save percentage is .900, but Lalonde has given positive feedback on him as well. GM Steve Yzerman would not have signed him to a two-year contract if he didn’t believe he could be a significant factor.

“He’s played very well. His two looks so far,” Lalonde said. “He’ll get 60 minutes tonight, which I think is important for him. But he’s shown extremely well. ”

Keeping three goalies is never ideal because goalies feel like they don’t get enough practice time. But the Red Wings did it last season to their advantage.

 “Again, I love a goalie by committee,” Lalonde said. “Obviously, I was fortunate enough to coach one of the greatest goalies will go down in history in (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, but not everyone has that luxury. Again, if it’s goalie by committee and they’re all playing at a high level and helping us win, we’ll go goalie by committee. Unfortunately, in the last couple years we’ve had to ride out some goalies when we knew we were probably over playing them and it probably hit a wall there. So I like the three. I like the vision with the three.”

Continued; the three-headed goaltending monster lives!

It’s a cliche, but ‘you gotta believe’

The Hockey News’s Connor Eargood discusses what the Red Wings might take as lessons learned from the Detroit Tigers’ late-season playoff run as things apply to the Wings’ battle for a playoff spot:

Even when the road gets difficult, when games are hard to win and the prospects of a season don’t look so great, it’s important in any sport not to give up hope. That’s how the Tigers became the hottest team in baseball to end the season, stringing together a 33-16 record since their gloomy playoff forecast on August 5.

“It’s just a lesson on believability,” Lalonde said. “It’s pretty neat that it’s the Tigers, it’s Detroit, but certainly a lesson on believability watching that group.”

Believability only goes so far. In order to translate it into wins, every player has to turn their belief in the group into results on the field. In the case of the Red Wings, believing they had a playoff chance late last season proved inspiring for the group as it embarked on its near-miss playoff run. Every point was seen as proof that they could make it into the postseason, and every loss was seen as a wasted opportunity that only intensified their resolve. In the end, they didn’t make it into the postseason, but they learned a lot about themselves in the process.

For the Tigers, the same process netted them the extra win or two they needed to clinch their wildcard berth. Every time they were doubted, they used it as further motivation to prove the world wrong. It took intense effort; it took players giving everything they had to make it. But in the end, the Tigers proved the naysayers wrong.

“I think you kind of use that as motivation,” defenseman Jeff Petry said Thursday. His father, Dan, is a former Tiger and one of Bally Sports Detroit’s Tigers commentators. “And not speaking on the Tigers, but what they were doing the last month of the year is that — they had to give everything they had, and they hit the playoffs feeling good about themselves and at the top of their game.”

Continued

Toronto’s AHL-heavy lineup will play the Wings at full speed tonight

The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing an AHL-heavy lineup to Little Caesars Arena for tonight’s game vs. the hometown Red Wings (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One):

Here’s the Red Wings’ lineup, too:

If you’re interested in hearing the Leafs’ side of things, the Maple Leafs’ website posted video interviews with coach Craig Berube, Max Domi, Steven Lorentz, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok all spoke with the media, and both Pacioretty and Jarnkrok told the Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby that now is not the time to hit cruise control simply because it’s preseason hockey:

Continue reading Toronto’s AHL-heavy lineup will play the Wings at full speed tonight

Lineup notes from Stockton

The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton filed a short notebook article regarding tonight’s game between Detroit and Toronto (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One). Among items of note:

At morning skate, Detroit’s alignment offered a strong preview of what’s to come when the pre-season concludes, topped with a familiar trio of Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Alex DeBrincat, who have remained together through the bulk of camp and the pre-season.  The second line affords young Marco Kasper the chance to skate on a line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane.  That’s a responsibility he’s earned with a strong pre-season, though it is also likely a placeholder with J.T. Compher (the Red Wings’ presumptive second-line center) out of action.  Lalonde indicated that Compher (who practiced yesterday) is taking a maintenance day and will play in one of Detroit’s final two pre-season games on Friday and Saturday.

Elsewhere in the forward group, the Michael Rasmussen–Andrew Copp–Christian Fischer takes its accustomed place in the third line slot.  Finally, Tyler Motte, Joe Veleno, and Jonatan Berggren comprise the fourth line.  Those former two are likely candidates for those roles come the regular season, but this will be an important data point for Berggren (to the extent that important data points can come from the pre-season) in proving his fitness for a bottom six role.

On the back end, the headline is that Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson joined forces on the Red Wings’ top pair.  That’s a possibility that Detroit fans have been drooling over coming together for the first time.  Lalonde stressed after morning skate that the Red Wings view Edvinsson as a top four D, regardless of who his partner is, downplaying the significance of an Edvinsson-Seider pairing while adding that if the two run with the opportunity together, that would be great.

Continued; as Stockton notes, the Wings plan on giving Cam Talbot a full 60 minutes’ worth of action tonight.

Experimenting with an Edvinsson-Seider pairing

MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde, one Moritz Seider and fellow defenseman Jeff Petry regarding the potential of a Simon Edvinsson-Seider defensive pairing, which will be employed during the Red Wings’ game vs. Toronto this evening (7 PM EDT on Bally Sports Detroit/Sportsnet One):

“If they run with it and they have some chemistry and they’re really good, we might see more of it,” Lalonde said. “But it’s a really hard ask of a young D to play top-two minutes with the type of matchups they’re going to face. But we’d love to hopefully see if (Edvinsson) can handle it. Mo wasn’t too far from this a few years ago, too, and obviously he flourished in it.”

Seider is excited about the opportunity.

“I think we had some good chemistry out there,” Seider said. “I think tonight will be a good challenge for us. Long and big bodies, and I think we can cover a lot of ice and hopefully make it work.”

…

“I think (Edvinsson) is a top-four talent,” Lalonde said. “You’re still getting a feel for partners. We want to be long; we want to be hard to play against. A lot of times that partner relationship, a lot of it is just puck support, chemistry. I think our top four is going to be fluid. We have the luxury of what we feel is eight NHL D-men.”

Seider has noticed a difference in Edvinsson, who bulked up a little in the offseason.

“I think he’s gotten a lot stronger in the gym,” Seider said. “I think he’s slowly growing into his body, still young. I think he can be a big force for us when he’s ready to take those big minutes, which I think he’s ready for.

Continued