The lines weren't nearly as long.

But the weather was dry — for the most part — as fans camped out at Centre ICE overnight to buy tickets to the Detroit Red Wings training camp.

DTP - I think they do this due to the demand and it's kind a big thing in the area.

Kind of a mixed blessing there ... we don't have to pay or fret about getting in to watch our Ducks in training camp or practices, but we don't get the media coverage or the Pond filled to the gills with loud rabid Ducks fans either.
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Does anyone know the salary of Hasek???
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In the meantime, Holland has other projects.

"I'd like to get one more forward," he said Monday.

The Wings have 20 players signed to contracts totaling about $39 million against the $44-million salary cap. But as the Wings learned last season, when both Fischer and Niklas Kronwall were sidelined, it is imperative to have maneuverability.

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Brett Hull's available (over-the-hill forty-something player).
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Might be too young for the Dead Things...
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A source within the organization told the newspaper the team has made the decision but is holding off on a formal announcement.

For some reason I thought it would be Chelios, but with Shanahan gone, the choice is excellent IMO.
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No player will ever again don Stevie Y's No. 19 in Hockeytown.

The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday they will retire Steve Yzerman's jersey number Jan. 2 in a pre-game ceremony at Joe Louis Arena.

They play the Ducks that night.
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Did you hear they're gonna retire Yzerman's number during a Ducks vs. Wings game.
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Did you check the posts above yours?
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Wings to retire Yzerman's jersey
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The season of seasoning began for Jimmy Howard five days ago.

If Howard is to become the goalie of the future for the Detroit Red Wings, the timeline is set this simply -- use this year to sharpen his skills in the minors, then become a Red Wing, if ready.

Lidstrom to be Wings' Captain
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The Detroit Red Wings plan to keep people guessing about who will replace Steve Yzerman as the club's new captain.

"We're going to name a captain opening night," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said Thursday.

"After retiring as the longest serving captain in NHL history and the on-ice leader of our franchise for 23 years, it is only fitting that he join our management team in a meaningful position," owner Mike Illitch said in a release. "I'm confident Steve will bring the same passion and dedication he displayed on the ice to our management team and help us make the Detroit Red Wings the best we can be."

One more fight and the Red Wings will match their fighting major total from last season.

Going into Wednesday's home game against San Jose, the Wings sit a rather disturbing fourth in the Central Division, a division they have ruled with a dominant, uncompromising hand in recent years.

...
But beyond the points, there's a greater sense that the swagger has been lost in Detroit, that this is no longer a franchise that begins games with a one-goal lead just because the opposition knows it doesn't have the same talent quotient as the Red Wings.

If the Detroit Red Wings and their leading scorer are going to come to terms on a contract before the off-season, it will need to be done before April 1. Pavel Datsyuk will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but talks between his agent, Gary Greenstin, and Detroit general manager Ken Holland are ongoing.
...
"I don't want to talk to (Greenstin) much because I only want to think about hockey," said Datsyuk. "When I ask about (the contract), he sounds like a movie (advertisement) ... 'Coming soon. Coming soon.'"

According to The Detroit News, on Monday afternoon, the Red Wings' web site was offering a package 16 tickets -- together and in a decent section -- for $63 apiece for Game 1 of their series against the Flames.

In addition, roughly 2,500 season-ticket holders have passed on purchasing playoff tickets.

It's a second round playoff game in Detroit, and there are thousands of empty seats? Has anybody up there noticed, and if they have, what do they plan to do about it?

...
"Between the second and third periods, I went online to find tickets to Game 2," columnist Rosenberg added. "Just my luck: I could get 12 seats together in Section 225B. Unfortunately, I can't possibly find 11 friends who want to spend $90 a pop to sit in the corner of the upper level (and pay a $5.75 'convenience charge' for the privilege).

Vladimir Konstantinov shuffles his feet slowly with the help of a walker.

It's a bittersweet accomplishment for the former Detroit defenceman, who almost lost his life in a limousine crash a decade go.

Sprinkle red roses over the grave.

The myth of Hockeytown officially passed away Wednesday.

Historians will mark the time of death at 7:44 p.m., at the conclusion of the first period, when at least a third of Joe Louis Arena sat empty on the evening of the regular-season opener with the defending Stanley Cup champions as the honored guests.

There was little, if any, foot traffic heading down the aisles. The late arrivals had already arrived.

The myth of Hockeytown officially passed away Wednesday.