Will resistance be futile as Big Red Borg invade Thrasherville?
As the residence of Thrasherville awake this morning and make their way out of their homes into the streets, they’ll look up and gasp in horor. Greeting them will be a massive mechanical cube hovering overhead. It is the vessel carrying the Big Red Borg, which has made its way here from the Detroit Quadrant if the NHL galaxy and tonight they will invade Philips Arena to battle our Atlanta Thrashers.
The Big Red Borg conduct their activities around one common purpose…to expand their ever-increasing dominance in the NHL, overtake ever NHL opponent they come across and to add the biological and technological distinctiveness of those other opponents into their own in pursuit of hockey perfection.
Or in other words…they’ve come looking to kick our collective butts, much as they have done to others all season long.
The Red Wings bring with them an awe-inspiring 13-3-2 record and lead the Western Conference with 28 points. Their offensive weaponry has scorched opposing goal netting to the tune of 3.67 goals per game, which leads the NHL, and they launch an average of 33.5 shots per game. Defensively they permit the opposition but 27.7 shots per game and have a 2.61 GAA.
They are led into battle by Pavel Datsyuk’s 22 overall points, (7 goals, 15 assists) as well as Henrik Zetterberg’s 7 goals and 13 assists, Danny Cleary’s 9 goals and 5 assists, Johan Franzen’s 9 goals and 4 assists and Todd Bertuzzi’s 3 goals and 12 assists. Bertuzzi is also +11 so far this season.
Balanced scoring, this Red Wing squad has.
Then there is Detroit’s own human cyborg, Nicklas Lidstrom. At the age of 40 he seems to never wear down…if anything he just gets better as he advances throughout the years. He’s dished out 17 assists so far to go along with 3 goals and is a +3 during this 2010-11 NHL campaign. He career +434 is, dare I say, almost superhuman.
In goal they have Jimmy Howard, who is a very impressive 11-1-2 with a 2.46 GAA, .911 SV% with one shutout. The lone team to beat him in regulation was the Vancouver Canuck back on November 6. He has, however, surrendered 11 goals on 90 shots in his last three games, (.878 SV%).
The last time Ondrej Pavelec faced the Detroit Red Wings he and the Thrashers put up a great resistance. His 40 saves were key in the 2-0 win over Detroit. He may need a similar performance tonight (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
But will any and all Thrashers resistance be futile in the face of the Big Red Borg’s onslaught tonight?
If Atlanta is to overcome this machine-like enemy, they themselves will have to take on some of the characteristics of the foe they face this Thanksgiving-eve. They must continue their recent trend of eliminating unforced, sloppy errors in the end of the ice, they must find away to match the Wings speed and physicality…and must skate each and every shift as if the Stanley Cup Championship hung in the balance.
Seems simple enough, but this Red Wing team will make you pay dearly for any mistake made and will devour any unit not playing to their full potential. The Thrashers could play a near perfect game and still find themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 score due to one misplay.
Key to tonight’s game, in my opinion, will be the man between the pipes for the Thrashers, Ondrej Pavelec. The young Czech is sporting a stellar 1.93 GAA and .939 SV% despite a 3-4-2 overall record. Since he relieved Chris Mason in Washington ten days ago, he has turned aside 104 of the 108 shots he’s faced in almost 11 periods of play…a .963 SV% in that time.
Last year just prior to Thanksgiving, Opie kicked out 40 Red Wing shots to help the Thrashers take a 2-0 win in Detroit. If he’s got another one of those performances tucked away in his duffle bag, tonight would be a pretty good time to bring it out.
This is a good a test as the Thrashers will face this season…just as much, if not more, than last Friday when the powerful Washington Capitals paid Thrasherville a visit. Atlanta came a way with a 5-0 decision that night, which was initiated by three early goals on a rookie goalie, but I have a feeling this Red Wing team isn’t going to go quietly into the autumn night if they fall behind early.
And finally…tonight there will no doubt be many in our midst that have already voluntarily submitted and have been assimilated into the Big Red Borg collective. They can easily be spotted wearing their winged-wheeled red and white uniforms and screaming in one loud, unified voice.
Resist, if you can, their attempts to lure you into their hives and hook you into their interconnected electronic tentacles. I’ve seen many of our own fall prey to this monstrous machine already … cough … Sara … cough … Alan R…and it’s quite disturbing seeing friends transformed, even if for just one night, into such an unholy, inhuman form after being caught in the spokes of the Big Red Borg.
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85 comments Add your comment
Mr. Heat Miser
November 24th, 2010
3:00 pm
So if the Big Red Borg win is it a collective Borgasm?
Joe Friday
November 24th, 2010
3:02 pm
“Mind if I take a stab at that one, sparky?”
lol! You can take the salesman out of the porta potty, but you can’t . . . ya know.
You be nice, Mr., or you’re gonna get Rawhide in trouble. And be nice with the language on Friday night, my kids are going to be sitting in front of you again and you know they’ve never heard any choice words from their father . . .
Joe Friday
November 24th, 2010
3:08 pm
“So if the Big Red Borg win is it a collective Borgasm?”
Sort of, that’s what happens to our lukewarm Thrasher/Wing fans if it winds up in a 5-5 tie that the Winged Wheel, their true love, win in OT
Mutiple Borgasms occur if the Thrash and Motor City Madmen make the Finals, yet the Wingnuts win it in 7.
Premature Borgasm is the condition occuring when the Wings win the President’s Cup, draw the Hawks in the 1st round, and get bounced in 4.
Joe Friday
November 24th, 2010
3:13 pm
“I’m not going to even entertain the idea of tapping your link. (I’m mobile).”
you got to click the first one (the Booger), and you owe me $10 if you don’t crack up . . . the second one you can click when you get home as it’s a YouTube and you’ll love it, you’ll need something to cleanse your soul after being surrounded by all those dreadful Wingnuts all night . . .
IwoCPO
November 24th, 2010
3:24 pm
Guys, sorry to burst your bubble. The 91-0 on game 19 stat is sarcasm.
Alan R.
November 24th, 2010
4:15 pm
I’m thoroughly amused. Hook, line, and sinker.
Red Light
November 24th, 2010
4:19 pm
If I see another grown man, 30 years and up, with any personalized sweater with something other than their own name on it, I think I’ll gag. Oops, sorry Smoothie!
Brendan
November 24th, 2010
4:20 pm
I like Detroit just like my wings: Hot, spicy and fried to a crisp.
Brendan
November 24th, 2010
4:22 pm
Is Pavelec playing tonight?
C-3PO
November 24th, 2010
4:51 pm
I see your point sir. I suggest a new strategy R2: let the Wookiee win.
Wings_Fan_In_KC
November 24th, 2010
5:11 pm
Resistence is futile. The collective will assimilate.
Love the article. Don’t love the cheap smack at Red Wings Fans and Detroit. What, exactly, do Thrashers fans have to be cocky about hockey-wise? What’s that? Nothing? Yeah, that’s right.
Screw the Chicgao Blackhawks and all of their players who are now Thrashers. Nuff said.
Smoothie
November 24th, 2010
5:11 pm
R/L – what’s wrong with having a personalized sweater that supports both the team and the man!!
Besides, I look fantastic in cobalt blue!
Thrashy Thrashy
November 24th, 2010
9:32 pm
Looky here. It’s a winning streak, folks.
Brendan
November 24th, 2010
9:40 pm
Well, well, well. What’s good for the goose is bad for the Michigander. 5-1, Thrashers. Not a misprint.
What does this mean? Well, it means that when this team was two games under .500, at 7-9-2, and they were facing an Eastern POWERHOUSE in the Capitals, they came away with wins over Washington, the NYI, and now the Detroit Red Wings. And … for those of you scoring at home, did the Thrashers get more, less, or the same number of points at the end of the night as they did against the Islanders?
Each game is one eighty-second (1/82) of the season. Each game … is another chance … turn things around. If you’d asked me … what was more likely … at 7-9-2 by the time Thanksgiving arrived, I’d have said 8-11-2. Instead, Atlanta is a game over .500 and keeping pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference. And by the way, the Columbus Blue Jackets, who owned us at the Bulb, are having a tremendous season. Maybe that night (3-0 loss) wasn’t such a fluke.
glovesave29
November 24th, 2010
9:45 pm
Paging Sage…paging Sage…bwah ha ha ha.
Great win. Liked the reaction of Burmie on his second period giveaway. Went right back into position and did not take a dumb penalty as a overreaction to his mistake. This kid is going to be reallllllly good. We are growing into a team of substance.
Anyone else notice that during this hot streak, that we do not see Pavs on his stomach? His weight is back, thus causing improved side-to-side movement without over commitment.
Rightshot
November 24th, 2010
9:48 pm
Bill Saw you on TV right after Buffs goal! Do I get an extra point for that.
Got the impression the borg gave up when they switched goalies in the third.
Here’s hoping it continues Friday!
RS
November 24th, 2010
10:02 pm
Apparently they forgot to tell Ladd and Byfuglien that they’re supposed to be afraid of these guys….
Cornbread
November 24th, 2010
10:25 pm
Believe in Blueland now?
SomaAtl95
November 24th, 2010
10:33 pm
If you get a chance to see Buffs goal replay, be sure to pay attention to the sitting red wing fan to the left of the 2 cheering Atlanta fans in Thrashers and Atlanta Flames jerseys. Buffs glance at him said it all – “Sorry you wasted your money on glass seats to an arse whoopin”.
Hopefully the comments on TSN.ca about tonights game arent “Its Atlanta, they still suck…” or “Geez people, the wings had ONE bad game…” and the one I hate most “The Leafs need (insert decent player name here), then they win the cup….”
5 points on the Caps, 5 points on the Wings – we could get used to games like tonight. Lets just hope our boys in Black and Blue never take it easy – this “Never say die” way they are playing is what has been sorely needed in Blueland.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
R. Stroz
November 24th, 2010
10:51 pm
All those Dead Wings fans went home unsatisfied suffering from a premature Borgasm.
Well, I guess they’ll have to save up all their money for the next game in two years.
Tom Lysiak
November 24th, 2010
10:57 pm
Soma, it appeared to me that Buff then glanced down the left sleeve where the A-T-L-A-N-T-A is spelled out. (Kinda like when he tugged on it the other night.) Then he seemed to shrug a little.
Interesting to me that Kovy would be in 9th place in points on this team. There would be 6 guys with more goals and he would be tied at 4 with 3 guys. I like the more balanced scoring.
Alan R.
November 24th, 2010
11:21 pm
Fun fact: While Atlanta has faced 4/5 of the Central division once already this season, and seen Washington four times, they have yet to play Carolina in a regular season game.
Alan R.
November 24th, 2010
11:23 pm
Believe in Blueland now?
Indeed. How ’bout some of the people who showed up tonight in opposing sweaters start coming down on a more regular basis?
English Teacher
November 24th, 2010
11:58 pm
The Thrashers just opened a can of Species 8472.
ben
November 25th, 2010
12:06 am
Le Thrash is 8472
ben
November 25th, 2010
12:10 am
Prediction:
Le Thrash will enter the playoffs, win 2 rounds, and never sell out the building.
Don’t tell me to crawl under a bridge I love this team. I am just reporting the truth.
Tom
November 25th, 2010
12:31 am
Fun game, 60 minutes of whoop ass. Was a guest of a good friend who was a Red Wings fan in a suite and I was a less than gracious guest. The proverbial happens.
But I did get to see Mr. Tiller watch a pie eating contest. The smile on his face was a sight to behold. The combinations of glee and the pure carnage being perpetrated on the pies with a hint of jealousy of not participating was worth the price of admission. Now to see if the pictures came out.
LAC
November 25th, 2010
12:36 am
wings_fan_in_kc…. Go watch The Missouri Mavericks… They could beat detroit most nights !!!!
These games against Washington /Detroit, The league leaders in both confrences have not been flukes, these are the two BEST games Atlanta has ever played, to beat the two top teams in the league and by 10-1 combined, is… IMPRESSIVE !!!!
Loved the looks on the faces of those Detroit fans… It was PRICELESS !!!!!!
ben
November 25th, 2010
12:58 am
http://www.canada.com/sports/Voters+prefer+Bissonnette+Devils+million/3876458/story.html?
read this. it ain’t kovy’s year
Nate
November 25th, 2010
1:19 am
Anybody know of a link that provides a free stream of NHL Network?
Rawhide
November 25th, 2010
7:32 am
Good morning Thrasherville…and Happy Thanksgiving.
jerry
November 25th, 2010
7:47 am
Same to you, Rawhide. Most impressive wins ever and most impressive job by Coach Ramsay, a strategist and teacher.
World Be Free
November 25th, 2010
7:57 am
Alan R-my thoughts exactly. If we could get the out of towners that live in town to come to more games. But, isn’t last night’s play what “hockey fans” of all shapes and sizes have been waiting for?
Winning brings out fans, look at the Braves this past season. You couldn’t get arrested at a Braves game the previous 2 seasons. But put a team in the hunt and people will pay the money for entertainment. Winning is the best marketing tool. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Red Wings. But I remember when they stunk and nobody went to their games. Now they are the standard for which teams are measured and for good reason. They deserve the support they receive.
Funny how good things started to happen around the time we named a captain. Isn’t that what we were saying all along? 4th line got it going last night, Jimmy, Bolts and The Beak. Thrashers outskated Detroit last night; other teams will take notice.
R. Stroz
November 25th, 2010
9:46 pm
LAST!
Rawhide
November 30th, 2010
1:11 pm
R. Stroz – Nope.