My job is done

It's never happened to me before.

I attended three Red Wings games in a row as of last night. And the best part is, they won all three games.

So, the time has come for me to take complete credit for those three wins. Of course, the next time they lose, I will not be to blame because I will not be there. So my job is done. I have helped get the team turned around and now will await my thank you letter from head coach Mike Babcock.

And no ... I won't be holding my breath.

Seriously though, it is great to see that a lot of the problems the team was having in February seems to be a direct result of all the injuries they had on defense. If anyone ever took Nicklaus Lidstrom for granted, that slump was all the proof you should have needed that the guy is one of the most important parts of both the team's offense and defense. While it's still a team sport, it became crystal clear with his return what a difference he makes.

It had been quite awhile since I had been down to see a game, and I was pleasantly surprised at some of the changes taking place at Joe Louis Arena. Two of the three games had giveaways, fleece gloves on Sunday and posters yesterday. Also on Sunday there were $1 hot dogs and last night they featured $1 ice cream sandwiches. While not the biggest deals in the world, it is nice to see fan-friendly promotions again at Joe Louis. The addition of a "hostess" also increased the friendliness level of watching a game in person instead of on TV. It's obvious the Red Wings have taken notice of some of things the Pistons do at the Palace -- and it's about time.

Also welcome is the fact that they won't be charging as much for playoff games this year- doubling the ticket prices is just not acceptable for early round playoff games. Especially when at the same time the Tigers and Pistons will be offering direct competition for limited sports dollars.

Now that it looks like the Wings will be fine heading into those playoffs... it stinks that they are still almost a month away.