12\30 The Wings sent goalie Manny Legace back down to Manitoba (IHL) and activated Chris 
Osgood. Scotty says Ozzy will at least back up Wregget tomarrow. Manny takes a 4-0 record, 
2.75 goals-against average, and .906 save percentage back to Manitoba with him. Nice job.
      Kris Draper sais the pins in his wrist will come out by Tuesday and he'll begin skating 
when he can lace them up.
      From the Freep:"The forward-strapped Wings featured a new fourth line during practice: 
Darryl Laplante centered defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Larry Murphy. "The guys had a rough 
night in Buffalo," joked Murphy, referring to the Wings'7-2 victory Tuesday. "I had to get up 
there and give them a hand." No word on whether this secret weapon will be unleashed in a game."

12\29 The Sabres might have been better off without a goalie, allowing 6 2nd period goals 
including 4 in 1:55, which is a Red Wing team record. The previous record was 2:25 in '91
against the Blues. The Sabres pulled Roloson, then Biron. Roloson finished the game and only 
let one more in, and the game ended 7-2. Scoring were Brown, Larionov, Lidstrom, Ward, 
Holmstrom, and Verbeek(2). 3 Stars: 1.Wregget (10:00 from a shutout and stopped a Miroslav 
Satan penalty shot) 2.Verbeek 3.The Sabre goal tenders. Next up: Chicago at the Joe on New 
Year's Eve.

12\28 The Wings overcome a scare at the Joe, beating Atlanta 3-2 in OT. Scoring were Yzerman, 
Verbeek, and Duchesne with the OT winner. 3 Stars 1.Duchesne 2.Yzerman 3.Wregget. Next up: at
Buffalo tonight.
      Injury updates: Chris Osgood is practicing and could return Friday or Sunday. Kirk 
Maltby is also practicing but is still a week or two away.
      Remember all the hub-bub about the Zamboni contest to chose the driver for the All-Star 
game? It was a close race between Red Wing driver Al Sobotka and little Jimmy MacNeil from 
Brantford, Ontario. At least it was close until the ballot stuffing began to insure a MacNeil 
win. Well, the league says he can have his award but can not drive the 'boni because of 
concerns about the ice's condition. Nah nah na nah na na.
      With the first-period goal last night, Steve Yzerman moved into ninth place on the 
career goal-scored list,tying former teammate Dino Ciccarelli with 608. "It's nice," Yzerman 
said of the accomplishment. "Some of those guys (on the list) I've played against such as Dino 
and Mario (Lemeiux), Bobby Hull, and those guys, I grew up idolizing. It's kind of exciting, 
but you don't really think about it a whole lot during a season." ... By winning in overtime
Monday, Scotty Bowman will coach the World Team in the All-Star Game. Scotty has never coached 
an All-Star Game in Toronto, the site of this year's event.... Joe Louis Arena officially 
celebrated its 20th anniversary of hockey with Monday's game. The first game was Dec. 27, 1979, 
a 3-2 Blues victory over the Wings. 

12\23 The Wings skated out of Carolina with a 4-1 win, and finished the road trip 2-1. 
Scoring were Shanahan, Yzerman, Holmstrom, and LaPointe(sh.) Brendan Shanahan has scored 20 
goals or more for 12 straight seasons. Ken Wregget started the game shaky, but made some 
incredible saves after warming up a little. 3 Stars: 1.Shanny 2.Butseyev 3. Wregget.The Wings 
have 3 days off now so...Next up: Atlanta makes it's first ever trip to the JLA on Monday. 

12\22 Manny Legace will be sent back to Manitoba soon. If the Wings do not send him down by 
December 31, he'll have to clear waivers again. When asked about Brendan Shanahan, Manny said,
"He's in a zone, but he's been in a zone for about 15 years. He's been phenomenal."

12\21 Owen Nolan ran rampant, but the Wings play tough and leave San Jose with a 4-3 win. 
Scoring were Shanahan(2), Holmstrom, and Fedorov. The 21,22,23 (Laplante, Butsayev, and 
Roest.)line had another great game, as did Manny Legace who is 4-0 with the Wings this 
season. New Feature:3 stars of the night. 1.Shanny 2.Legace 3.Larionov. Next up: at Carolina 
tomarrow night.
      John Wharton will be the trainer for the World Team at the Feb. 6 All-Star Game in 
Toronto. 

12\20 The Wings open their road trip with a 1-3 stumble in Anaheim. Scoring was Chelios. 
Brendan Shanahan played his 900th NHL game. Nextup: at San Jose tonight. The Wings are 6-6-2 
on the road. Cgris Osgood did not make the trip as expected and probably won't practice 
until after Christmas.

12\17 The Wings end the 2nd period with 2 short handed goals and finish off the Avs 5-2. 
Scoring were Verbeek, Fedorov, Kozlov, Shanahan(sh), and Brown(sh). Next up: Sunday at 
Anaheim. The Wings have the best record in the NHL, as well as the best home record.
      Joe Louis Arena turned 20 years old this month. It is currently the 5th oldest Arena 
in the league.

12\16 Doug Brown made his return and Fedorov found him streaking twice as the Wings smacked 
the Oilers 5-1. Scoring were Brown(2), Shanahan, Verbeek, and Roest. Ken Wregget got the win 
which brought him back up to .500. Billy Ranford was in goal for Edmonton. Next up: Colorado 
Friday at the JLA.
      Darren McCarty will require surgery to repair his groin. Early estimated are 6-8 weeks, 
but that's what they said about Gilchrist and Kocur last year. The good news is, Kris Draper 
and Kirk Maltby should be back around the first of the year, and if all goes well, Ozzy could 
play on the upcoming road trip.
      Something interesting from the Freep: "The Red Wings have not lost on a Wednesday this 
season. A look at their record each day of the week: 
                             Sunday: 0-2
                             Monday: 1-0
                             Tuesday: 0-1
                             Wednesday: 9-0-1 
                             Thursday: 1-0
                             Friday: 5-2
                             Saturday: 4-3-2"
      The CBC/Hockey Night in Canada/Hockey News all-century team features Terry Sawchuk in 
goal, Bobby Orr and Doug Harvey on defense, Bobby Hull at left wing, Wayne Gretzky at center,
and Gordie Howe on right wing. Gordie says (at 71),"That's pretty darn close to what I'd pick,
With a group like that, I could still play at my age."

12\12 Slava Kozlov had a great game, leading the Wings to a 5-4 win at Boston. Scoring were
Kozlov(2), Lidstrom, Duchesne, and Yzerman. Next up: the Oilers at the Joe on Wednesday.

12\11 The Kings couldn't handle the Captain, as he led the Wings to a 3-1 win. Scoring were 
Yzerman(2) and Kozlov. Manny Legace got his second straight win. Next up: tonight at Boston. 

12\10 Darren McCarty was expected to undergo laser treatment (non-surgical) Thursday, and then 
try skating after a few days rest. It should be known Monday or Tuesday what the prognosis is.
      From the Detroit News: "With Kevin Constantine's firing in Pittsburgh, only two active 
coaches remain who have defeated Bowman in the playoffs: Vancouver's Marc Crawford (with 
Colorado in 1996) and the Avs' Bob Hartley (last season). Constantine's San Jose team upset the 
Wings in 1994."
      Other injury updates: Doug Brown should be in tonight against the Kings...Kirk Maltby 
skated with the team for the first time in months...Chris Osgood is coming along nicely and 
should be back in a couple weeks...Remember Brent Gilchrist and Joey Kocur? No new info on 
their returns. 

12\9 Yuri Butsayev led the charge as the Wings stomp the Predleys 6-3. Scoring were 
Butsayev(2+1assist), Fedorov, Yzerman, Verbeek(with 0.6 seconds left in the 2nd), and Roest. 
Manny Legace got his first NHL win of the season. Next up: The Kings on Friday night at the Joe. 

12\5 The Predleys didn't give the road weary Wings a chance, beating them 4-1. Scoring was 
Yzerman. Next up:Nashville at the Joe on Wednesday. Sergei Fedorov should be ready by then.

12\4 Igor Larionov celebrated his 39th birthday with a 7-4 pounding of the Blackhawks. Scoring 
were Roest, Shanny(2), Murphy, Yzerman,Lidstrom(sh),and LaPointe(en). Pat Verbeek had 4 assists.
Next up: at Nashville tonight at 8PM.
     From the Freep:" Manny Legace sympathizes with Chris Osgood, out with a hairline fracture 
in his right hand caused by an Al MacInnis slap shot. He remembered facing MacInnis last season 
while with Los Angeles. "He hit me underneath the arm," Legace said. "I thought I was going to 
die.... He's scary."

12\2 Shanny continues his tear as the Wings whap the Sharks 4-2. Shanahan has eight goals and 
four assists in the last nine games. Scoring were Shanny(2),Larionov, and Lidstrom. Next up: at 
Chicago on Friday night.
     ESPN is reporting that Ozzy will be out at least 3 weeks with a broken hand. This is one 
hell of an injury bug. Aren Miller was recalled yesterday from Cincy to fill in against the 
Sharks, but Manny Legace will be called in for regular duty backing up Ken Wregget who's playing 
fine.

12\1 Gordie is resting 'like a baby' at home after completing his cancer removal surgery. His 
wife Colleen says, "This is minor, minor, minor compared to some of the things he's been 
through. He's just doing really well." Howe scored 801 goals and had 1,049 assists in 1,767 NHL 
regular-season games. He helped the Red Wings to four Stanley Cup championships.
     From the Freep: "Howie Young, a former Red Wings defenseman from the 1960s, died Nov. 24 in 
Thoreau, N. M. of pancreatic cancer. He was 62. Nicknamed "Cowboy" for his rough, free-spirited
play, Young began his NHL career with Detroit in 1960-61 and established his reckless reputation 
by totaling 108 penalty minutes in 29 games. 
     Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Osgood are returning tonight, so the Wings returned forward B.J. 
Young and goalie Aren Miller back to Cincinnati of the American Hockey League.  Kris Draper
(broken right wrist) had a procedure Monday to insert pins in the break. He is still a month 
away from returning.