Realignment: The Bigger Problem

It's probably fair to say that the majority of hockey fans were disappointed last Friday when the NHLPA threw out the realignment plans for next season.

While that definitely is disappointing, there's a bigger problem underlying all of this, and I'm sure it's already hit many hockey fans.

If you watch the CBC Hotstove on Hockey Night in Canada, their whole discussion this past Saturday was on realignment. Elliotte Friedman said it was refused 28-2, the two teams for it being Columbus and Detroit - the two teams that want and kind of really need a move.

And while this refusal is a setback, it really says so much more than that...

The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires this coming September. Eight months from now.

...I'll wait for you to stop spiraling from remembering what happened last time this took place.

I know, I know. We all thought this would come several more years down the road, even with the date set in stone. We thought things wouldn't be so up in the air, and it wouldn't be as hard as last time. Many of us spazzed when Donald Fehr was appointed, too; after all, baseball fans have a few choice words for him.

This realignment refusal business leaves a foreboding taste in my mouth. It feels like this is their way of showing that they're already playing hardball with the NHL. They shouldn't be taken lightly.

Then again, this could all be a total overreaction.

On the more positive front, their reasons for saying no to the realignment are fairly valid, and I can't fault them on it because you do have to look at it from every team's point of view, not just the Red Wings'.

The main problem Friedman said was the playoff format with two seven team and two eight team divisions, ultimately giving a better chance to some teams and not others. Likewise, travel was still an expense issue for nearly every team.

Don't think so? Think about how more often teams would have to cross the border into Canada, playing each team home and home every season. Sure, it works out better for teams like Detroit and Columbus having to only make one big western road trip rather than two or three, but what about the other twenty eight teams?

Okay, maybe you can't complain too much about it to those fans of the easternmost western conference teams, but it's still a big deal for the rest of the league. The NHLPA feels as though their concerns were not answered and this plan was kind of thrown together almost half-assed...at least the playoff format of it.

So what can be done. What will satisfy the NHLPA, NHL, and fans? Will there be an easy solution, or is it going to take months of pounding out every single little detail?

If I had the answer, we'd all be breathing a little easier. Because this realignment problem could just be the beginning of a long, long, long offseason.

And that's the last thing anyone wants.

Franzenmuth Lives!

I'm sure you may be wondering what the hell happened to me, and your expression is much like Ericsson's in that picture over there.

Well, I was the Red Wings correspondent over at NHLHotStove.com for a year and a half, which is why things tapered off over here. But that place is closing down now; all of the head dudes are off to bigger and better things.

Me? Well, I'm still here, not as often as before, but I'm still alive. I'm sure I'll find a spot as a Red Wings writer on another site, but until then, I'll be back here, posting my random ramblings.

And in case you haven't already figured it out, this is the year of Valtteri Filppula, the guy I've been screaming at to shoot the puck for the past twenty-seven years (or four years, depending).

More epic things shall be coming in the future! Until then, stay put and keep your sticks on the ice.

Epic Comic Things

April 15 marked the one-year anniversary I started blogging here at Franzenmuth - the night of Game One when that high stick on Lidstrom wasn't called). While I don't blog here as often as I used to (or as consistently), I'm still writing for the Red Wings over at NHLHotStove.com (and loving it) and tweeting like crazy. I still think it's absolutely nuts that I started my twitter a year ago without really caring and now I'm addicted...and have 350 followers. You guys are the best, seriously.

So to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Franzenmuth, I'm giving you two things, both of which are pretty epic (the second one more than the first).

Franzenmuth is expanding!! I don't mean this site - I mean the fictional land in Sweden with mule-drawn carriages (and you guys probably don't know how much of Franzenmuth I have planned/mapped out). Here's how...

My boyfriend was coming up with nicknames for hockey players that would annoy me (he's a pest like that), and somehow he came up with the nickname "Helmalot" for Helm. I told this to Twitter, and someone said it sounded like a medieval land.

Lo and behold, I had to sketch it during one of my classes.
Now, this second thing has been going on for quite some time. And this is a video I made back in December and never posted (you can tell by the Christmas tree behind me, hah). But I think I need to show you guys just because of how amazing it is and I don't know how I've kept it a secret for this long. It could be bigger than "Pavel Datsyuk in: A Case of Dangleitis."



I promise to continue working on it with all my might. It's going to be awesome. (More of it's done than you think, too!)

Babcock's Facial Expressions

In case you missed my tweet on Twitter, I drew a quick little chart of Mike Babcock's facial expressions. I think it's pretty accurate.

Red Wings Doodles!

Finally, I have a lazy Friday night where I can sit and draw Red Wings comics.

This semester of classes has been ridiculous. Let me tell you, if you take two online classes at the same time, and one of them is a Public Relations class that has ten-thousand projects in one semester, drop your social life. Seriously.

Anyway. I found myself ready and willing to draw comics on a Friday night where I had nothing else to do. Yeah, I spent a Friday night drawing comics - that's how cool I am (and when you have to get up at 5.30am for work the next morning, you don't really want to go out and do stuff).

All of the comic ideas I had are too intricate. So I asked Twitter what quick doodles they wanted to see. Here's what they came up with.

You guys know the drill - click on it to make them larger.

Homer brought Hudler some food while he was sick...


Party Pavel is not made of Party.

And there was a video on Red Wings TV at the start of Lent asking players what they would never be able to give up. Kronwall said oatmeal and Zetterberg cut in with how he eats it like...six times a day.

Red Wings Valentines!

Last year, I was extremely disappointed with the lack of hockey Valentines cards put out by the NHL. Hell, I was just disappointed with the fact that the Red Wings didn't put any out. What better way to express your true feelings for random strangers who come into your coffee shop than to give them this:


That's right. I made Red Wings Valentines. Now, I've been super swamped with school this semester, so I didn't get a chance to update any of them. AKA - All of these were made last year. So you'll spot Lilja. And Hossa [even though he wasn't even on the team last year].

So if you can't find that perfect winged wheel-themed Valentine for that special someone in your life, head on over to DRW_Comic at Livejournal and check 'em out.

VALENTINES ARE THIS WAY.

Math Class With Dr. Kronwall

In honor of Niklas Kronwall's 30th birthday, I'm posting this comic I drew about Kronwall. I drew it in response to meeting him in person while he was wearing his glasses and how they made him look like a math teacher.

Without further ado, here is "Math Class With Dr. Kronwall."