Quick Hits: Monday Edition

Hockeytown, no limits

Comparing the Comparables | Nightmare on Helm Street
Jordan at NOHS compares this year's Red Wings so far to the 2007-08 squad. I don't think a team that's as dominant as that one was even exists anymore, but I like the way this year's Wings are trending.

World Junior Watch: Jurco and Tvrdon Could Power Slovakia | The Left Wing Lock
Of course I'll be rooting for Team USA at the World Juniors, but with two Red Wings prospects on board, team Slovakia will likely capture some Wings fan attention.

Bell ringers | Red Wings Front
Mike Babcock and Ken Holland won the contest within the Wings to raise the most money as Salvation Army bell-ringers over the weekend. I'm sure Holland's $2,500 personal donation had nothing to do with their winning the title.

Red Wings notes: Goalie Jimmy Howard eyes spot in NHL All-Star game | MLive.com
More fodder for the #VoteJimmah campaign. Jeff Arnold notes that going to the ASG in a city that's within close driving distance to where he grew up would be a dream come true for Jimmy Howard. So if you haven't voted for him yet, get on it.

Chris Chelios reflects on legendary career as induction into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame set | MLive.com
Good piece on Chris Chelios before his induction as one of the best U.S. Hockey players to ever make it to the NHL and stay there forever.

The Week Ahead for the Nashville Predators: There's No Place Like Home - On the Forecheck
On The Forecheck previews the Predators' week ahead, including Thursday night's contest against the Wings. They're note exactly on-board the #VoteJimmah campaign, but they're at least aware of it.

Around the NHL

A Plea to the Avalanche Front Office - Mile High Hockey
Big surprise, the Avalanche are a shitty organization from top-to-bottom and the big fella at Mile High Hockey hopes that when the inevitable firing of Joe Sacco happens, that they at least look at somebody who hasn't been poisoned by working for that joke of an organization.

Salt In The Wound - The Cannon
Matt from the SB Nation Blue Jackets blog takes a what-if look to see how many times Columbus has squandered points late. It's a sobering tale about finishing off games is the hardest thing to do in hockey and makes the difference between a good team and a lottery pick.

Andy Sutton Suspended 8 Games For Hit On Alexei Ponikarovsky - The Copper & Blue
In case you missed the news this week, Oilers defensemen Andy Sutton was handed an 8-game suspension for leaping into a check aimed at the head of Carolina's Alexei Ponikarovsky. This ties James Wisniewski's 8-gamer for longest of the season. Copper & Blue expected this and take the news with their usual level of objectivity (which is high). The scary thing is that I agree with the idea laid out that this suspension is no more likely than any of his previous ones to get the message across that this kind of play by Sutton is not acceptable.

Just how bad ARE the Kings? - Jewels From The Crown
Los Angeles was supposed to be a not-so-dark horse candidate for the cup this season with the offseason moves they made and now they're sitting 12th in the Western Conference in December. The Kings are too good on paper to have the record they have and will probably need to play better than they are on paper to make the playoffs in the tough Pacific. JFTC looks at what the options are. Can't say I disagree with Quisp here.

Dallas Stars Top 5 Failed Reclamation Projects - Defending Big D
You know how the Wings gave guys like Danny Cleary and Patrick Eaves another chance to prove they could contribute to a team? Yeah, lots of teams try stuff like that. Dallas has had some spectacular failures trying it. For every Sheldon Souray they've picked up off the junk heap, they've given an Eric Lindros a real shot at redemption only to see the shot fail.

Habs Trade Spacek for Kaberle - Habs Eyes On The Prize
In other news from this weekend, the Hurricanes and Canadiens traded underperforming defensemen. It's hard to call either team a winner here, but HEotP makes a compelling case for Kaberle being a better value than Spacek.

Flyers' Giroux to be evaluated on Monday | Philadelphia Inquirer
Claude Giroux was starting to draw some pretty hefty comparisons by the time the Flyers played the Lightning on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Giroux was taken out of that game with a head injury after being inadvertently kneed in the noggin by teammate Wayne Simmonds.

Zdeno Chara to miss time with leg injury | Boston Globe
Boston's Norris-Winning defenseman and the 2nd European captain to lift the Stanley Cup (because he does everything after Lidstrom) Zdeno Chara will miss games this week with an undisclosed leg injury.

Discussion of the day: So what say you? Is Chris Chelios the best U.S. player to ever lace up the skates in the NHL? Discuss below. Also, get your mailbag questions in this week to WingingItMailbag@Gmail.com.