Winging It In Motown: For Detroit Red Wings Fans

Welcome to our latest WIIM Radio mailbag. We’ll be recording our latest episode tonight with the plan to have it ready for your earholes tomorrow morning before the Wings take on the Senators. Here’s a list of topics we’ll get into: The Wings of the last two weeks - Six games down since we last recorded and five wins in that time has the Wings threatening to climb the standings and drop in the race for the best odds in next springs “Jack-pot”. We’ll talk about how the team is performing. The trends so far - We’re deep enough into the season to talk about what’s shaping up to look like trends Detroit takes a lot of penalties but their special teams has been good (coaching?). Is the change in curly fries qualification driving the outburst? Around the league - The Tom Wilson suspension got reduced, the William Nylander standoff continues, the concussion lawsuit is getting settled, and the NHL/NHLPA are talking labor war/peace. It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times. Positivity Corner - Not sure w

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): As I said in the quick pre-show audio, we had a connection issue in the non-interview portion, and you’ll hear some clipping in that section. We figured out the cause and fixed it for the interview segment, so that shouldn’t happen again in the future. Global Series: (00:00 - 10:40) The NHL played two games in Finland, following games in other countries earlier this season. Are these games helping? Winter Classic Location Ideas: (10:40 - 32:33) Speaking of playing games in other locales, where would be some fun, if unrealistic, locations for future outdoor games? Interview: (32:33 - 1:08:33) We talk to the person with likely the highest level of math understanding we’ve ever had on, but our guest Micah Blake McCurdy is also very good at explaining what he knows. We talk about his site hockeyviz.com, and he explains fancy terms like line graphs. Suspension Update: (1:08:33 - 1:12:03) It can be hard to keep tr

Here's what we'll get into in this episode: Performance compared to expectations - The team has not done very well in the standings to start the season, but most of us expected that. Regardless of the standings, how is the team living up (or down) to our expectations? The Kid Stays in the Picture - Michael Rasmussen played his 10th NHL game this season, so this year will count as a year of his ELC. Was that the right decision? What have we seen from him so far? Lose for Hughes? - Detroit fans have to wrestle with this strange feeling of balancing the normal fan interest of wanting your team to win with the realistic view of knowing the team would benefit from the highest draft pick possible. How are we dealing with that dichotomy? What Else Is Happening? - There are a lot of other interesting storylines happening around the league. Which ones are we most interested in? Just how sick are we of hearing about Toronto? Positivity Corner - It seems we are going to need some positivity this season, so let’s ha

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Puzzle Hockey: (00:00 - 6:25) Jay has found a new way to waste time when he should be recording our podcast. Season Standouts: (6:25 - 25:16) Who are off to a great start, and how sustainable are they? Note: When discussing Carolina, I should have been more specific and used the term “shot attempts” as opposed to “shots,” because that might be confusing for some listeners. Interview: (25:16 - 57:18) This episode, our interview is with Sean McIndoe, aka Down Goes Brown. He has a new book coming out that you can pre-order on Amazon. We talk about some of the craziest things that have happened in the NHL. Way Too Early Predictions: (57:18 - END) Since teams have played about 8 games each, we obviously know enough to completely and accurately predict everything that will happen the rest of the way. Right? Then, we wrap up the show. Here is the link to our merchandise store. You can get Fer Sure t-shirts in a var

Here’s what Peter, Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad) It Me!: (00:00 - 8:18) The Flyers have a new mascot. We talk about our journey from horror to acceptance. Whalers Jerseys Are In Again: (8:18 - 15:25) The Hurricanes are bringing back the Hartford Whalers jerseys this season, and we talk about how we both love the design, but think they shouldn’t have done it. Target the Head, Just like Tom Wilson Did: (15:25 - 22:18) Tom Wilson was at it again, delivering another predatory hit, and this time the NHL sent a message. Storylines: (22:18 - 32:49) We look at two storylines each that we are interested in for the new NHL season. Interview: (33:36 - 1:22:22) We talk about prospects, drafting, and more with Will Scouch, who created a site called Scouching, where he basically scouts from his couch, hence the name. Wrap Up: (1:22:22 - END) Just a quick wrap up because the interview was longer than usual, but please make sure to pay attention to the information on the WII

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Robin Lehner Article: (00:00 - 25:00) First we talk a little about not getting to see the Detroit pre-season game Saturday night. Then we talk about the article in The Athletic by Robin Lehner about coming to terms with his bipolar disorder and his addiction. Interview: (25:00 - 1:04:31) We talk again to Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic about his current series, where you uses a model he made to predict the most likely outcomes for each team. We also talk about his fantasy hockey projections, which are available here. Season Preview / Recap / Something: (1:04:31 - END) We don’t like to do the same thing that everyone else is doing, so at great personal risk, we traveled into the future to tell you about how this upcoming season played out. It didn’t quite work out like we planned....   If you are using a podcast app, you can find both this podcast and WIIM Radio (our podcast devoted to the Red Wings) in the

Welcome to the latest WIIM Radio mailbag! The plan is to record the new episode late tonight and have it ready for your ears and rears tomorrow morning. We have quite a bit to talk about since our last episode and getting ready for the season to start. Here’s the rundown: The Captain Isn’t Returning - Henrik Zetterberg’s back finally refused to carry the Wings any more and it’s now appropriate to eulogize his fantastic career. We’ll talk what he meant to us and going forward. The Captain is Returning - Steve Yzerman stepped down as Tampa’s GM and hoo boy is there some smoke there in terms of his future with Detroit. Let’s get excited! The Turn Re: Captain - How long before Dylan Larkin gets the C? What’s going on with the youth movement? How’s the team looking so far? We’ll cover the actual team we expect to see on the ice for 2018-19. Leading the Way out of Town - We’ll take a quick look around the league at the stories that interest us... like Erik Karlsson’s trade or the ugly Jets jerseys recently rele

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Karlsson Trade and Seguin Extension : (00:00 - 18:50) Ottawa gets fleeced, Dallas locks up Seguin long term, and Peter can’t remember the word “wool.” That last part will make sense when you listen (although there are sheep that have hair). Yzerman Steps Down: (18:50 - 30:29) Steve Yzerman is no longer the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. We talk about processing the news and what it could mean for Detroit in the future. Interview: (30:29 - 56:33) Our guest this episode is Katie Strang. This was a really fun one, and we’ve been looking forward to making this happen for a long time now. As we talk about, Katie had to go at a certain time, and Jay was unavoidably delayed in getting started, so it’s not as long as we would have liked, but we still had time to talk about the Yzerman news, as well as the NHL’s role in the CTE lawsuit, and more. Jets, What Are You Doing?! (56:33 - 1:03:08) The Winnipeg Jets unveiled

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): NHL 19 / Players Commenting on their rankings : (00:00 - 11:22) The NHL 19 Beta was out a little while ago, and player ratings are starting to be released. We talk a little bit about that. CBApocalypse: (11:22 - 38:08) Katie Strang has had several fantastic articles out recently, and we talk about her look at what the NHL and the NHLPA will be arguing over in the next CBA negotiations. As she writes in her article, both sides will have the opportunity to trigger an early out from the CBA in just over a year. We could have spent an entire episode on this topic, so we didn’t get as into some of the issues as we normally would have. Also, Peter puts the image in your head of Gary Bettman as Thanos. Interview: (33:39 - 1:16:54) We talk with Scott Cullen about a plethora of topics from the latest in analytics, why conferences like RITSAC are so worth attending, and even a little about his colleague Travis Yost’s fo

Welcome to the latest WIIM Radio mailbag. We’ve had a few developments since the last time we saw you, so we’ll jump right into the topics we have on hand for our recording this evening: The Larkin Deal - Our wonderful home-grown boy signed a pretty good deal to keep him in the fold for the next five years. We’ll go over this from every angle and make sure we haven’t left any stones unturned in terms of what it means for the kid going forward. The Transition - This will naturally lead us to the talk about Larkin as the next captain and what that means for the current one amid talks that he’s had a rough summer with his back problems. The Sunset - While we’re at it, Zetterberg isn’t the only old standard who’s facing the end. We’ll go over Nik Kronwall’s twilight and try to place him properly in Red Wings lore. Top 25 Under 25 - Moving in a totally different direction, we’ve got our T25U25 series running and will go over the bright young stars dawning in our Red Wings galaxy. The Lineup - How are things s

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Intro : (00:00 - 01:56) Since Jay couldn’t make it to Rochester, I let him do the entire intro other than my first part. This special episode consists of two interviews I conducted this past weekend at the RIT Sports Analytics Conference (RITSAC). It was impossible to record in a perfectly quiet spot, so there is a bit of background noise, but I edited the vast majority of it out. Interview with Matt Cane: (01:56 - 33:39) Our first interview is with Matt Cane. He is best known for his free agent salary model (listed here), but he is a wealth of hockey and stats related knowledge. Jay mentioned that Matt’s presentation was on curling. We talked a little about that, but it was mostly about hockey. Interview with Matt Barlowe and CJ Turtoro: (33:39 - 1:10:28) Matt and CJ hosted a workshop the first night of RITSAC on Tableau. They are very good at data visualization, in addition to other hockey related topics. W

You’re in for a treat because today’s special episode of Fer Sure was recorded in the locker room of Joe Louis Arena (Peter was in Fer Sure NJ studios) with guests Craig Custance and Max Bultman from The Athletic Detroit! Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Guest Intro : (00:00 - 06:30) Jay and our guests set the scene for our temporary recording studio. HHOF and Jersey Retirements: (06:30 - 24:45) The Hall of Fame class and the chances for recently former Red Wings to make it in the future. Then Jay asks about jersey retirements, but not for the players you think. Crosschecks with Guests!: (24:45 - 38:47) Jay asks Craig and Max for their quick-fire thoughts on a few topics in the NHL, and we learn they have a different definition of “quick-fire.” Then, Peter asks each of our guests a question. Tales From the Locker Room (38:47 - 57:43) Since we had access to an incredible temporary studio, it would have been a travesty not to talk about the l

Join JJ, Mike, and me as we break down the latest in all things Red Wings. First we talked about some things that happened a little while ago now, but since we last recorded. We talk about the free agent signings and the contracts for Athanasiou and Mantha. Then we discussed Jeff Blashill’s recent comments regarding ties and veterans, and what we think will be the case going forward. Of course we shared our thoughts on Dylan Larkin’s inevitable contract extension. How long will it be, how long should it be? We talked about Chris Chelios leaving and becoming a team ambassador for the Blackhawks and why JJ hates that last part. We went around the league and each talked about the NHL storyline we are most interested in at the moment. Then we finished out with Positivity Corner and the reader questions!   You can listen via the embedded player above or download the episode directly from our Blogtalk Radio page. You can also find us on iTunes or Google Podcasts by searching for Winging It In Motown. As a

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Tavares to Toronto: (00:00 - 14:43) Since we last recorded, John Tavares signed with Toronto. We give our take on the signing and the process. The Karlsson Kerfluffle: (14:43 - 27:09) First Erik Karlsson was definitely going to Dallas, then he was definitely going to Tampa. Now, who knows? Interview: (27:09 - 1:02:24) Kevin Papetti from Pension Plan Puppets stops by to talk Tavares, Toronto’s young players, and how much longer we have to put up with Toronto fans on Twitter. Crosschecks (1:02:24 - 1:08:19) We haven’t done this segment in a while, but with a lot of little stories going on, we thought it was time to bring it back. Our very terse takes on 11 current hockey storylines. Puck Tales Returns! (1:08:19 - 1:15:04) We haven’t done Puck Tales in a while because it felt like we never really got the tone that we were going for right. So, we have rebooted it as a parody of documentary podcasts like Serial.

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): NHL Awards: (00:00 - 26:25) The NHL gave out awards. We talk for a little bit about the awards and the PHWA ballots. Free Agent Frenzy!: (26:25 - 38:45) Free agency will start at noon the day this is released, so we talked about how this affects Detroit. Interview: (38:45 - 1:22:08) Chris Watkins is back! He talks about Willie O’Ree getting voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, free agency, and more! Closing (1:22:08 - End) Jay debuts a change to his Doc Emrick closing. What will it be? You’ll have to listen to find out.   Look for Episode 25 in your podcast feeds and this website Sunday morning. If you are using a podcast app, you can find both this podcast and WIIM Radio (our podcast devoted to the Red Wings) in the same channel - Winging it in Motown. Here is the link to our merchandise store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Kyle, JJ, and me as we break down the great draft weekend Detroit had. We talk about all the picks from the 6th overall all the way to Otto Von Tiny. It was such a good weekend, that we didn’t need positivity corner. Something went wrong with the recording for the reader questions, so unfortunately we don’t have that segment this time. What we will do to make it up to our listeners is we will have an article on the website that answers the questions you asked.   You can listen via the embedded player above or download the episode directly from our Blogtalk Radio page. You can also find us on iTunes or Google Podcasts by searching for Winging It In Motown. As always, WIIM Radio is rated R for language and hot take trafficking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Stanley Cup Final: (00:00 - 20:34) Ovechkin and company knocked out the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 games. We talk about the last game and why we are happy for Ovechkin (and others). Interview: (20:34 - 56:47) We talk to Nick Mercadante about Fleury in the Final, the Red Wings backup situation, and a lot more, including his iconic Twitter profile photo (the picture used for this article) Draft: (56:47 - 1:06:26 We got some mailbag questions about the entry draft, so we spent a little time talking about it in general and a little about the Red Wings specifically. If you want a more in-depth discussion of the Detroit view of the draft, listen to the latest edition of WiiM Radio. Shakeup on Long Island (1:06:26 - End) Lou is in. Snow and Weight are out. What does this mean for the Islanders and John Tavares? Also, a mailbag question that goes in an unanticipated direction. Then we have our traditional episode clos

Welcome to the newest WIIM Radio! This time around we’ve got me joined by Kyle, Peter, and Mike B to talk all things Wings and beyond. Here’s what we got up to: The Wings of Late - Todd Nelson is out in Grand Rapids and Ben Simon is in; the diggers are convinced the Wings are going to move up, stand pat, and even drop back in the draft; what do we think the Wings should do, and who are some players they should be looking at? The Cup Final - Washington will be looking to finish off the Knights when the series resumes in Vegas on Thursday. What have we learned about these teams, the media narrative(s), and our own rooting interests during this series. The Concussion Issue - JJ and Kyle (mostly) have a lot to say about the way the league and NHLPA have handled the concussion lawsuit and surrounding topics. Positivity Corner - Your favorite part of the episode, where we remind you that life is beautiful and sweet. Things get personal, but in a good way. Reader Questions - Your REAL favorite part, where you g

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Stanley Cup Finals: (00:00 - 28:26) Washington is up 2 games to 1. How did we get here? Concussions: (28:26 - 40:00) The NHL had some things to say about concussions in new video obtained by TSN. It’s not great. Mailbag: (40:00 - 52:14) You gave us two questions, we gave you more than two answers. Best Finals Moments (52:14 - End) We each give our top 3 Stanley Cup Finals moments of all-time. Then we wrap up the episode.   Look for Episode 24 in your podcast feeds and this website Monday morning. If you are using a podcast app, you can find both this podcast and WIIM Radio (our podcast devoted to the Red Wings) in the same channel - Winging it in Motown. Here is the link to our merchandise store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s what Peter and Jay have for you this time (all time locations are without the opening ad): Bolts - Caps: (00:00 - 12:43) We talk about the Eastern Conference Finals Officiating: (12:43 - 20:30) Yeah, we’re going to go there. The officiating has been a big problem in this year’s playoffs. Interview: (20:30 - 1:02:50) We talk to Dylan Galloway, the head scout for Eastern Canada for Future Considerations. We talk about how he got to be a scout and what he thinks of some players in this upcoming draft. Knights - Jets: (1:02:50 - 1:11:20) We waited to record this part until after Sunday’s game, so you’ll get the latest in this Western Conference Finals series. Playing Yourself Out of the NHL?: (1:11:20 - 1:23:00) We talk about the reporting from Jeff Marek that a young prospect is jeopardizing his future by spending too much time playing video games. Wrapup: (1:23:00 - END) What’s the Doc Emrick verb of the episode? You’ll have to listen to find out.   Look for Episode 23 in your podcast feeds and t