Columbus? Really?

The regular season is over and it's been a crazy ride. For me, the 2008-09 season started with a phone call while I was at Pet Supplies Plus buying cat food telling me that the Wings had just signed Marian Hossa. It ended with a phone call while I was playing tennis telling me that the Wings had just signed Johan Franzen. (I guess for Trisha, the start and end to the season involved knocking things over to get to her cell phone to tell me the news.) This season had it's ups and downs, ranging everywhere from the Winter Classic awesomeness to those two horrible Saturday games (you know which two I mean). At least this season didn't have a February 2008 (Uh, so far. Let's hope this whole Hossa resting thing isn't the start of something unpleasant).

The season as a whole was good, even if it was peppered with the ridiculousness that was the 82-game "goalie situation", spotty defensive coverage from a team whose players have 9 Norris Trophies (and 2 Selkes) between them, holding the top spot in the league for a day (it was a glorious day), and a seemingly unnecessary amount of west-coast road trips and back to backs. I don't really want to remember the All-Star game.

It was a crazy year.

Derek Meech scored his first NHL goal


So did Ville Leino


And Pavel Datsyuk got his 500th point


Draper and Maltby made it to 1000 NHL games


Hossa got in a fight!


Ozzie tied Dom for the #10 spot in all-time wins for goalies with 389 (yeah, not quite the same as Brodeur's awesomeness, but I'm doing what I can with what I'm given)


And the Wings signed Hank and Franzen FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY


Awesome. If the 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings were an ice cream flavor, there would not be quite as many chocolate chunks per scoop as 2007-08, and the caramel ribbon might be a little grainy, but you would still go back for seconds, and probably thirds too, you porker.

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Now the playoffs are here. I'm not excited. The first round opponent the Wings got stuck with this year? The Columbus Blue Jackets: an irritating Central Division rival that has never managed to make the playoffs in the history of the team. I know - it's better than Anahiem by way of travel. But I like to think in worst-case scenarios, and the Ducks knocking the Wings out in the first round would fuel a dirty rivalry. I'd be angry. Losing this series to the BJs, a team with no franchise playoff experience, and a crappy reputation? It would make me sad. I hope I never have to hear that cannon go off.

In Red Wings news: The Red Wings have recalled Darren Helm. It seems a little early to be bringing up the Black Aces, and I deeply hope that it's not because Hossa's groin injury is going to keep him out of the first round. I haven't heard any solid indication that it will, but this is the playoffs, and "lower body injury" can mean anything from "nasty hangnail" to "my foot is facing backwards and my femur is poking my spleen."

Columbus loses its playoff virginity to the Red Wings this Thursday April 16th at 7pm. I doubt the Wings will be gentle.