Putting the ‘fun’ in fundraising

My theory regarding fundraising is a simple one: it’s never fun to ask people for money…

But I’ve probably been my own worst enemy in this department by telling you how much I hate doing what is really a necessary part of being a blogger with no ads on his blog.

I’d like to pay the server bill for this website at the end of this month. I’d like to go up to the Wings’ prospect tournament and main training camp, which are both two days longer than usual this year. I’d like to be able to afford staying in a hotel that’s charging me an extra $10 a night for a 15-night stay, and afford the gas to get there (at $3.25 a gallon).

But I’d like to make some sort of living during the months that I don’t go up to training camp, too, and my family budget is at a point where I rely on earning some income to get the household by.

All of these aspirational goals are possible, if you and I are okay with some semi-regular fundraising posts. For now, at least, this is the NPR of blogs, and while I’m more than willing to talk about generating more original content (and I’m sure you’ve got some ideas to that regard, such as producing a podcast), we are where we are until/unless I start advertising. Hell, bloggers who advertise have to raise funds, too.

So that’s the big spiel. Fundraising posts aren’t fun for me, and they’re probably not fun for you, but talking about money is not exactly fun for anyone who’s part of a community or group, and, as strung out as things have been over the last couple of years, there is a TMR community out there.

For the present moment, if you’re willing to help me raise the $600 for my server bill, and/or what’s getting closer and closer to $3,000 for the Traverse City trip, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com, and yes, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

Talking about money among friends and family isn’t fun, but it’s a normal part of a for-small-profit website’s discourse, and that’s what it’s going to be here, from here on out.

New Wings numbers from DetroitHockey.net

Per Clark Rasmussen of DetroitHockey.net, via the Red Wings’ roster page:

The Red Wings have updated their roster to have Mitchell Stephens wearing No 22. As expected, Nick Leddy is No 2 and Alex Nedeljkovic is No 39.— DetroitHockey.Net (@detroithockey96) August 25, 2021

If you missed it, Jordan Oesterle is going to wear #82, and Pius Suter #24.

Update: The Red Wings confirm:

pic.twitter.com/c9PnRGUijy— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 25, 2021

New York Rangers make Ryan Martin hiring official

It’s officially official now:

Per the New York Rangers’ website:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has named Ryan Martin New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the Rangers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Martin joins the Rangers organization after spending the past 16 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization (2005-06 – 2020-21), including the last 11 seasons as the team’s Assistant General Manager (2010-11 – 2020-21). In addition, he served eight full seasons as the General Manager of the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins (2013-14 – 2020-21). Martin also served as the team’s Director of Hockey Administration for five seasons (2005-06 – 2019-10).

Continue reading New York Rangers make Ryan Martin hiring official

Mitchell Stephens’ ‘Day With the Cup’ meets the Delta variant

Two-time Stanley Cup winner and new Red Wing Mitchell Stephens will hold a boat parade in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario tomorrow (Wednesday, August 25th), but the NHL’s new protocols regarding the coronavirus mean that fans won’t be able to get their picture taken with the Cup, or Stephens.

The Peterborough Examiner’s staff explain:

A number of COVID-19 protocols are in place to make Peterborough native Mitchell Stephens’ Stanley Cup boat parade a safe event.

The community is invited to come and catch a glimpse of the Stanley Cup on Wednesday for a physically distanced congratulations to Stephens who won a second straight Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, unlike past Stanley Cup events, members of the public will not be permitted to be close to the player or the Cup, and no photo opportunities will be available, according to a city press release.

A boat tour will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Lift Lock, moving south on the Trent-Severn Canal to Little Lake arriving at Del Crary Park at about 6:30 p.m.

A short ceremony will recognize Stephens’s accomplishments with remarks by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, Coun. Andrew Beamer and Coun. Lesley Parnell.

Attendees will be asked to provide their names and contact information for COVID-19 contact tracing purposes. Standard COVID-19 safety protocols will be in place, including wearing masks, maintaining two metres distancing from people who are not in the same household or a care provider.

Allen compares Moritz Seider to historically significant Red Wings rookie defensemen

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen compares Moritz Seider to Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Vladimir Konstantinov, Reed Larson and Willie Huber in an article discussing the ages and levels of experience with which fabled Red Wings rookie defenders took to the ice at the NHL level:

The buzz surrounding defenseman Moritz Seider’s upcoming first season with the Red Wings may be the greatest fan response to a drafted defenseman the team has ever known.

The Red Wings haven’t truly had a top prospect defenseman since social media raised the ante on hype. Fans were not as excited, and definitely not as knowledgeable, about Nicklas Lidstrom when he showed up in Detroit as a rookie in 1991-92. Niklas Kronwall’s fan response came after fans saw him play some games.

Seider will be 20 years and six months old when the NHL season opens. He posted seven goals and 28 points last season in the Swedish League. He also played confidently against NHLers at the World Championships. But it’s still challenging to predict what his production will be. Could he score 10 goals? How about 40 points? Will he lead the Red Wings in hits? Is he ready for the power play?

As a basis for comparison, here is a look at the rookie output for some of Detroit’s top defensemen:

Continued

Kulfan talks training camp questions, and health is the Wings’ biggest concern

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed a lengthy article discussing the questions facing the Red Wings heading into training camp, and question #1 is the biggest issue:

►Health of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri and Danny DeKeyser: Larkin (neck), Bertuzzi (back surgery) and Fabbri (concussion) all missed the end of last season. Without them, the lack of offense was magnified.

The Wings need those three forwards to be healthy, and it’ll be interesting to see if all will be ready once camp begins. 

Fabbri said recently he is fully healthy, and has been skating. Larkin and Bertuzzi, said Blashill, are skating and on schedule. But Blashill wouldn’t commit to saying both will be ready to practice at the start of camp.

DeKeyser is on this list for a different reason. He missed playing time early last season returning from back surgery. As the season progressed, DeKeyser appeared to gain strength and mobility, and looked closer to his usual self.

With several months off to rest and rehab, a healthier DeKeyser makes the Wings’ lineup stronger.

Continued (paywall)

DetroitRedWings.com’s Falkenberry profiles Vladislav Namestnikov

DetroitRedWings.com’s Matthew Falkenberry penned an article discussing Vladislav Namestnikov’s role on the team during both the 2020-2021 season and going forward into the 21-22 campaign:

Namestnikov’s ability to move around the lineup, as both a winger and a center, was a bonus for the Red Wings as injuries to different players throughout the season forced Detroit’s coaching staff to make adjustments on the fly.

“I grew up playing center my whole career. As I got into the league, I was a centerman and I kind of moved to the wing,” Namestnikov said. “But as I’ve said before, I’m more than happy to play in any position the coach sees me in, and I’ll try my best in any situation.”

The forward finished the season tied for fourth on the team in goals (eight), assists (nine) and he played in 53 of 56 games, which was second-most among Red Wings forwards.

As one of the few forwards on the roster older than 28 years of age — Sam Gagner (32) is the only forward older than Namestnikov — his experience will be valued for a team moving forward in its rebuild with an emphasis on young players growing into their skillset.

“There’s different ways to contribute in a game,” Namestnikov said in March. “Defense is a very important part of the game, and if (the puck) is not going in, you can focus more on the ‘D’ side. That’s how I’ve went about it over my career.”

Continued

Andy Delmore joins Windsor Spitfires as an assistant coach

Via Sunaya Sapurji on Twitter:

The Windsor Spitfires have introduced Marc Savard as their new Head Coach.

Jerrod Smith is Associate Coach and adds Director of Player Personnel to duties.

Andy Delmore also added as Asst. Coach to @SpitsHockey #OHL pic.twitter.com/X0IV0GL0MD— Manny Paiva (@paivatheway) August 24, 2021

Delmore had been an assistant coach under Dan Watson in Toledo.

Update: From the Toledo Walleye on Twitter:

? BREAKING: Andy Delmore has been named assistant coach for @SpitsHockey. ?

With @dellylama5, the Walleye went 178-74-23 in the regular season and 29-21 in the playoffs, and had the best power play unit in the ECHL in 2017-18 (25.1%).

Thank you for everything, Delly. ? pic.twitter.com/A039Pvx45P— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 24, 2021

“Toledo is a great minor league sports city with an incredible fanbase. Working with Joe, Neil, Dan, our players, and everyone in the organization was something I looked forward to everyday.

I thank them for this opportunity and I wish Toledo nothing but the best.” –@dellylama5 https://t.co/EilDNcWaED— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 24, 2021