Fundraising update for September 5

My heart sank this morning when I saw the Paypal receipt for the first half of my hotel bill–$893.00 for seven nights at the Comfort Inn (made more difficult by a $17-a-night tourism tax. I’ll pay the tax, I want TC to thrive, but it sure is annoying).

I thought, “Well, time to bust out that $50 gift card and go grocery shopping on the cheap today…”

But, thanks to a gazillion generous donations, I have a couple hundred bucks in my account after spending about $75 to get up here, which is amazing.

  1. I want to thank you all very, very much for getting me up here. We’re about halfway to the fundraising goal after two weeks, which is astonishing. :O
  2. At the same time, I’m only halfway to being able to leave Traverse City without having to take a job at the Comfort Inn to pay off the next $893 (ha), so I’m still going to push the fundraising drive on. If you’re at all willing to lend a hand, I’m accepting $5’s, $10’s, $20’s, whatever you’ve got via PayPal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport and via check if you wish by emailing me at rtxg@yahoo.com for my address (or another means if necessary/preferred).
  3. As per usual, I hope to take some reader input and jam it into my prospect coverage. If you have questions regarding specific prospects, questions regarding questions or any other comments, please let me know via the comments section and/or emailing me directly at rtxg@yahoo.com (sometimes the latter is better).

Many thanks from a blogger who is grateful for your time, readership and support.

The Athletic posts a 57-minute interview with Mickey Redmond

Ahead of this Saturday’s Celebrity Roast of Mickey Redmond, which will benefit the Jamie Daniels foundation, Mr. Redmond appeared on The Athletic’s “The Full 60” podcast, speaking with Craig Custance for over 57 minutes regarding a host of topics. I can’t post the MP3, but I can post a link to The Athletic’s podcast page:

? This week on The Full 60 with @CraigCustance:

Mickey Redmond, two-time Stanley Cup winner and longtime @DetroitRedWings analyst.

? His playing career, transition to broadcasting
? Origin of “Mickeyisms”
? Celebrity Roast in support of @JDanielsFundhttps://t.co/dW8pc5hlfZ— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) September 5, 2019

Via Krupa/WWJ: The Joe is a shell

The Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa posted a bummer of a Tweet from WWJ Newsradio 950’s Mike Campbell this morning, revealing that Joe Louis Arena’s demolition has progressed in a big way:

right next door to me, and i have been too melancholy about the loss of an old friend to tweet any pix.

but, mike does a nice job, here.

media entrance still standing, on yzerman drive (atwater).

… one can almost hear the roar of #LGRW still.#RedWings https://t.co/K8Z3FmfXLB— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) September 5, 2019

A couple of quick notes: Fox Sports prospect tournament stream links; Griffins single-game tix on sale September 13th; McCarty’s ‘Hot Ones’ challenge to benefit UCP

Of brief and mostly Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. You’re going to want to bookmark this page. Fox Sports Southwest posted Permalinks to the Fox Sports GO broadcasts of every single game to be played at the Red Wings’ prospect tournament. It appears that between the Red Wings’ website and FS GO, every Wings game will be streamed online;
  2. The Grand Rapids Griffins sent out an email this morning, and it states that single-game tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 13th, with an app-holder pre-sale on Wednesday, September 11th;
  3. And in the tangentially-Wings-related category, the Free Press’s Susan Selasky reports that former Wing Darren McCarty will be participating in the “Hot Ones” challenge at Frame restaurant in Hazel Park on October 20th. The YouTube channel “First We Feast” racks up millions of views for their “Hot Ones” chicken wings-and-questions challenge, and fans can eat near McCarty for $50, with the cost benefiting United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan.

In all honesty, #3 sounded better at the time, but hey, it’s for charity.

Niyo discusses Kronwall’s ‘timing,’ and Detroit’s

The Detroit News’s John Niyo penned a column discussing the comments Niklas Kronwall made to the media at today’s press conference in light of Kronwall’s impeccable sense of timing–both on and off the ice. Niyo did a superb job of summarizing both where Kronwall and the team find themselves.

Did Kronwall ever “want out” as his career waned to chase a championship?

“This is an Original Six franchise,” he explained. “And it’s more than hockey. “The people, the fans, there’s just so much around it with this team. I wanted to stay. I wanted to see this through. I wanted to play my whole career for this franchise. And I’m happy I got that opportunity.”

Even through these past few years, when some of the joy was harder to find, thanks to a chronic bad knee and a painful roster reconstruction.

“I think it has been tough on everybody,” he said. “We used to be one of the powerhouses. And we were for so many years, and I got to be a part of some of those years. So yes, it’s been frustrating. There’s been some tough times, there’s no doubt. But it should be tough when you’re losing. You can never be satisfied if you’re losing.”

That’s a message Kronwall kept delivering in lieu of those open-ice hits the past few years. When teammates sought refuge in the training room after losses, Kronwall — an alternate captain dating back to Lidstrom’s retirement in 2011 — often was the veteran who stepped forward to speak to the media. Take that rock-bottom loss at home this past February, for example.

Continued; give ‘er a read.

Summarizing the media’s takes from Niklas Kronwall’s LCA retirement presser

Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall retired on Tuesday, and on Wednesday afternoon, he spoke with the Red Wings’ media corps at Little Caesars Arena.

(If you want to skip the text, the Wings posted the full 17-minute media availability on YouTube…)

Kronwall told WXYZ’s Brad Galli that he more or less knew that this past season would be his final campaign…

“Everyone has probably known for a while, even just going back to last summer. I went into last season thinking it was definitely going to be the last one. I didn’t even dream that the potential of playing another year was even going to be on the table. So that was obviously very humbling,” he said.

Kronwall was thrilled with how much he played this year, but knew “for a while” he was retiring.

And Kronwall told Galli that he appreciated the fact that he was able to finish his career as a Red Wing:

Kronwall said he had no interest in playing for another team last season. Ken Holland approached him about a chance for a deadline deal. The longtime Detroit defenseman got emotional thanking Holland for granting his wish to stay.

“He came to me and asked me what I wanted to do,” Kronwall said. “A lot of GMs probably would just have done what would have been best for the team and organization in the long run, getting a pick or whatever. But again, it’s just another thing that stands out for me how he treated me over the years.”

Kronwall pondered whether he could have or should have hit 1,000 games while speaking with Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff…

Continue reading Summarizing the media’s takes from Niklas Kronwall’s LCA retirement presser

Toledo Walleye sign forward Manny Gialedakis

From the Toledo Walleye:

Toledo, OH – Forward Manny Gialedakis (jell-ah-dack-ihs) has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2019-2020 season.

Gialedakis, a native of Woodbridge, Ontario joins the Walleye after splitting time last season between Norfolk and Orlando in the ECHL. He scored three goals in 16 games for the Admirals with 17 penalty minutes while adding another pair of games with Orlando. The 27-year-old forward also appeared in a couple of games for the Pensacola IceFlyers of the SPHL with no points.

“I’m excited to see Manny in camp where he will compete for a spot on our roster,” said Head Coach Dan Watson.

Prior to turning professional, Gialedakis spent a pair of seasons in college at the University of Guelph. While skating in 71 games for the Gryphons, he picked up 15 goals with 28 assists and 30 penalty minutes. The 5’11”, 205 pound forward posted nearly a point per game with 23 (7G, 16A) over 28 games in the 2017-18 season. He also added in another season for the University of Lethbridge in 2014-15 with three assists over 15 contests.